Clinical pediatrics
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Clinical pediatrics · Apr 2010
A breath biofeedback computer game for children with cystic fibrosis.
The authors sought to develop and test a breath-controlled video game using a digital spirometer that, by providing visual breath biofeedback, could promote awareness of breathing techniques in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). To assess improvement in game performance during hospitalizations for CF exacerbations, the authors conducted a trial on 10 inpatients. Subjects had at least five 15-minute exposures to a breath biofeedback game that challenged them to track a moving target using their breath. ⋯ Repeated-measures analysis of variance of a tracking fidelity statistic showed improvement in eye-breath coordination over 5 sessions ( P = .026). It was concluded that an electronic breath game is safe and can improve breath awareness among children with CF. This technology could also contribute to awareness of respiratory symptoms and foster social ties among CF patients.
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To study postings of partial asphyxiation by adolescents on YouTube and to increase awareness of this dangerous activity as well as the value of YouTube as a research tool. ⋯ YouTube has enabled millions of young people to watch videos of the "choking game" and other dangerous activities. Seeing videos may normalize the behavior among adolescents. Increased awareness of this activity may prevent some youths from participating and potentially harming themselves or others.
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Clinical pediatrics · Feb 2010
Applying practice recommendations for the prevention and treatment of obesity in children and adolescents.
To describe pediatric clinicians' adherence to practice recommendations for obesity prevention and treatment, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 227 medical records of 3- to 18-year-old patients (seen from September 2003 to April 2004) and a longitudinal analysis of data from 632 overweight and obese patients (followed through March 2006). The cross-sectional analysis showed that early practice adopters (n = 3) more frequently recorded BMI (91% of patients), a diagnosis (89%), and counseling (82%) compared with late adopters (n = 9; 34%, 51%, and 48% of patients, respectively; P < .001). The longitudinal analysis showed that among overweight and obese patients, documentation of BMI dropped from 96% at the first clinic visit to 27% by the fifth visit; documentation of individual risk behaviors fell from >or=72% at the first visit to
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Clinical pediatrics · Feb 2010
Money, lifestyle, or values? Why medical students choose subspecialty versus general pediatric careers.
Although there are many published studies on factors associated with medical student career choice, few are specific to pediatric careers, and even fewer address the choice between general and subspecialty pediatric training. Fourth-year medical students surveyed at 2 schools reported their demographics, anticipated future income, the factors influencing their career choice, and their anticipated career. This study included the subset of 337 students planning pediatric careers. ⋯ Specifically, married students were more likely than unmarried students to pursue general pediatric careers (P < .01). Compared with students planning subspecialties, those intending to pursue general pediatric careers anticipated lower incomes ($110,906 vs $135,984; P < .001) and rated lifestyle, comprehensive patient care, and working with the poor as more important (P < .05) when choosing a career. Students planning subspecialty pediatric careers placed more value (P < .05) on prestige, income, and research opportunities.