Brief Report: Adolescent civic engagement: Lessons from Black Lives Matter

In 2020, individuals of all ages engaged in demonstrations condemning police brutality and supporting the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Research that used parent reports and trends commented on in popular media suggested that adolescents under 18 had become increasingly involved in this movement. In the first large-scale quantitative survey of adolescents’ exposure to BLM demonstrations, 4,970 youth (mean_age = 12.88 y) across the United States highlighted that they were highly engaged, particularly with media, and experienced positive emotions when exposed to the BLM movement. In addition to reporting strong engagement and positive emotions related to BLM demonstrations, Black adolescents in particular reported higher negative emotions when engaging with different types of media and more exposure to violence during in-person BLM demonstrations. Appreciating youth civic engagement, while also providing support for processing complex experiences and feelings, is important for the health and welfare of young people and society.     

Differences in perceived importance and personal use of sun protection among primary care physicians are reflected in their clinical practice

Background There is inadequate data regarding sun protection awareness, personal practice, and patterns of patient education among primary care clinicians. Methods Anonymous surveys were mailed to physicians in the Departments of Medicine, Family Practice, and Pediatrics at our institution. Results Of the 578 surveys distributed to primary care physicians, 170 (29%) responded. Of the responding physicians, 116 (68%) reported wearing sunscreen whenever outside, 14 (8%) did so daily, and 12 (7%) never wore sunscreen. Additionally, 54 (32%) reported wearing protective clothing consistently and 100 (59%) did so occasionally. Given a list of preventive medicine issues, sun protection was ranked lowest on a 10‐point scale (6.7), behind smoking cessation (9.0), active lifestyle (8.2), and cholesterol control (7.4). Pediatricians placed the highest relative ranking (7.7) for sun protection and were most consistent in providing sun protection education, with 60% reporting this practice in over half of visits, compared to 32% of family physicians and 17% of internists. Among attending physicians, 70% reported wearing sunscreen whenever they are outside, compared to 58% of house‐staff physicians. Attending physicians reported providing sun protection counseling more frequently than house‐staff physicians (33% vs. 8%). The greatest impediments in providing sun protection counseling were inadequate time during office visits, not thinking about sun protection during office visits, and lack of proper training. Limitations The response rate to our survey was relatively low. The perceived importance and personal practice of sun protection at our Midwestern academic institution may not reflect those of physicians practicing in other regions or settings. Conclusions Differences in the perceptive importance and personal practice of sun protection are reflected in the self‐reported clinical practice of these primary care physicians. This reinforces the opportunity to educate primary care clinicians to join the public health effort to increase sun protection awareness.     

Prescribed regimen intensity in diverse youth with type 1 diabetes: role of family and provider perceptions

Recent literature suggests that disparities in prescribed treatments may exist for youth with type 1 diabetes. There is limited research to date examining factors associated with prescribed regimen intensity in this population. In this study, we examined racial/ethnic differences in regimen intensity and predictors of regimen intensity in youth with type 1 diabetes. We expected that minority youth would have less intensive regimens and that caregiver and physician perceptions would be associated with regimen intensity. This cross-sectional study included 178 families of 10- to 17-yr-old youth at three endocrinology clinics. Caregivers reported perceived costs and benefits of intensive regimens. Physicians described the prescribed treatment and their perceptions of family/child competence and self-management. Analyses included analysis of covariance and hierarchical multiple linear regression. Findings indicate a disparity in regimen intensity for minority youth. Caregiver perceptions of costs associated with intensive regimens and physician perceptions of family competence are associated with prescribed regimen intensity. Interventions targeting disparities in prescribed regimen intensity should be considered. Further research is needed to understand the role of family perceptions of treatments and physician clinical decision making in addressing health disparities in type 1 diabetes.     

Comparison of the acceptance of progressive addition multifocal vs. a standard multifocal lens design

An evaluation of the relative influence of the optical features of two forms of multifocal lenses, one of progressive power form and one of standard flat-top 25 bifocal form, is made upon a number of subjects. A comparison of acceptance was made with special emphasis on testing of intermediate range of vision and breadth of the near field. The progressive form of multifocal correction were overwhelmingly preferred over flat-top 25 bifocals. A preference was found for the optical advantage of acceptable vision at all distances over the disadvantages of narrower field afforded by the progressive multifocal design.     

Impact of the Early Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic on US Healthcare Workers: Results from the HERO Registry

BackgroundThe HERO registry was established to support research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on US healthcare workers.ObjectiveDescribe the COVID-19 pandemic experiences of and effects on individuals participating in the HERO registry.DesignCross-sectional, self-administered registry enrollment survey conducted from April 10 to July 31, 2020.SettingParticipants worked in hospitals (74.4%), outpatient clinics (7.4%), and other settings (18.2%) located throughout the nation.ParticipantsA total of 14,600 healthcare workers.Main MeasuresCOVID-19 exposure, viral and antibody testing, diagnosis of COVID-19, job burnout, and physical and emotional distress.Key ResultsMean age was 42.0 years, 76.4% were female, 78.9% were White, 33.2% were nurses, 18.4% were physicians, and 30.3% worked in settings at high risk for COVID-19 exposure (e.g., ICUs, EDs, COVID-19 units). Overall, 43.7% reported a COVID-19 exposure and 91.3% were exposed at work. Just 3.8% in both high- and low-risk settings experienced COVID-19 illness. In regression analyses controlling for demographics, professional role, and work setting, the risk of COVID-19 illness was higher for Black/African-Americans (aOR 2.32, 99% CI 1.45, 3.70, p < 0.01) and Hispanic/Latinos (aOR 2.19, 99% CI 1.55, 3.08, p < 0.01) compared with Whites. Overall, 41% responded that they were experiencing job burnout. Responding about the day before they completed the survey, 53% of participants reported feeling tired a lot of the day, 51% stress, 41% trouble sleeping, 38% worry, 21% sadness, 19% physical pain, and 15% anger. On average, healthcare workers reported experiencing 2.4 of these 7 distress feelings a lot of the day.ConclusionsHealthcare workers are at high risk for COVID-19 exposure, but rates of COVID-19 illness were low. The greater risk of COVID-19 infection among race/ethnicity minorities reported in the general population is also seen in healthcare workers. The HERO registry will continue to monitor changes in healthcare worker well-being during the pandemic.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT04342806","term_id":"NCT04342806"}}NCT04342806Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11606-020-06529-z.KEY WORDS: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, healthcare worker, registry, disparities, burnout, well-being