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A letter to the editor is presented which is concerned with preventing alcohol use among young urban Latino adolescents.

Abstract: Study Objective: To determine the prevalence of cervical dysplasia and adherence to recommendations for referral/follow-up in a group of adolescent girls undergoing routine reproductive health care in a primary care setting. Design: Retrospective review of all screening Papanicolaou (Pap) smears performed between 12/99 and 12/05. Setting: An urban academic adolescent medicine practice in New York City. Participants: 824 sexually active adolescent girls. Main Outcomes: Cytology and cervical biopsy results and adherence to follow-up and colposcopy recommendations. Results: Among 824 adolescents ages 12–21 years (mean = 17) who underwent 1 to 6 screening Paps, 81% (n = 666) had normal Pap smears only and 19% (n = 158) had at least one abnormal Pap. Of the 1214 screening Pap smears reviewed, only one was suggestive of a high grade lesion, 85 (7%) revealed atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS), 81 (6.6%) showed low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LGSIL), and the rest were normal. Fifteen percent of patients (n = 123) were referred for at least one colposcopy; only 72% (n = 88) complied. Biopsy identified 5 high-grade lesions; 3 patients required cervical Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedures: Despite appropriate referrals and access to services, 32% of patients with ASCUS and 28% of patients with LGSIL lacked evidence of either follow-up Pap or colposcopy by the time of last review. Conclusions: High-grade lesions were rare in our sample, supporting new guidelines for less colposcopy in this age group. Although many adolescents were followed within primary care, achieving appropriate follow-up for those with cervical dysplasia was challenging and often unsuccessful. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ) youth have increased health risks, exacerbated by discrimination and lack of provider training. Currently, no graduate medical education requirements address the need for LGBTQ health training, particularly for paediatric providers. We aimed to perform a needs assessment of provider knowledge, comfort and awareness of community resources regarding LGBTQ youth. Methods: We administered two anonymous surveys from May to October 2017. The first survey of 73 residents assessed awareness of community resources and comfort providing referrals. A second survey of 110 trainees and faculty assessed comfort and knowledge regarding paediatric LGBTQ health. Results: In the first survey of residents regarding community resources (n = 30, 41% response rate), most did not know where to refer LGBTQ patients for mental health care (67%), transgender care (73%), support groups (87%), emergency shelters (86%) or family resources (87%). Ninety‐seven per cent would refer to the social worker. In the second survey of trainees and faculty (n = 78, 71% response rate), most had little or no knowledge regarding pre‐exposure prophylaxis (60%), post‐exposure prophylaxis (54%), strategies for coming out (68%), homelessness/environmental risks (59%), gender dysphoria (63%), puberty blockade (77%), hormonal (78%) and surgical (81%) transitioning, domestic violence (58%), EMR logistics (89%) and community resources (80%). Only 33% felt very comfortable eliciting a history about sexual orientation, 13% about gender identity and 14% about sexual practices. Conclusion: There is a clear need and desire for dedicated paediatric LGBTQ health training in graduate medical education. Residents and faculty need resources and training to better care for LGBTQ youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights the success of a school-based health clinic (SBHC) training project included in the medical student and resident pediatric training program at Columbia University and New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City during the school year 2002-2003. Increase in the number of children receiving health care through school-based health clinics between 1990 and 2000; Objectives of the SBHC training project; Benefits of SBHC training over traditional hospital-centered rotations.

To better understand the optimal frequency of parent-adolescent alcohol-specific communication, we conducted a secondary analysis of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse Culture of High School Survey, a 2010 nationally representative online survey of 1000 high school students. Logistic regression models assessed the relationship between alcohol-specific communication and adolescent perceptions (binge drinking is very dangerous, drinking is cool, and getting drunk is very dangerous), adjusting for grade, sex, race, personal and peer alcohol use, and parental monitoring. Among adolescents reporting personal and peer alcohol use, a dose-response relationship existed between frequency of alcohol-specific communication and thinking binge drinking is very dangerous (often [adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 7.98; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.98-21.36], sometimes (AOR = 6.08; 95% CI = 2.36-15.69), rarely (AOR = 5.27; 95% CI = 1.95-14.26) vs never), and was also associated with decreased perceptions that drinking is cool (often [AOR = 0.22; 95% CI = 0.08-0.66), rarely vs never [AOR = 0.17; 95% CI = 0.06-0.51]); the inverse was true for never-drinkers without peer use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study related to sexually transmitted infection of Chlamydia Trachomatis (CT) among adolescents. Topics discussed includes treatment required for infected individuals for reducing the risk of spreading and reproductive complications, ideal treatment for infection including medication administration, treatment of sex partners, and expedited partner therapy with antibiotic prescriptions, and requirement of test for reinfection.

The article discusses a study on the use of rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test in screening for syphilis in adolescents using the electronic medical records of patients at aacademic medical center in New York City. Topics covered include the vaccination of patients with true-positive (TP) and false-positive (FP) RPR tests, the number of patients with rheumatologic disorders, and laboratory bills for each RPR test, RPR titers and fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-ABS).

Abstract: Objectives: In December 2009, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended that cervical cancer screening begin at age 21 for young women. In this study, we examine receipt of first lifetime Papanicolaou (Pap) test and predictors of over-screening among adolescents within a large urban ambulatory care network. Methods: We compared the proportion of first lifetime Pap test of adolescents aged 13–20years between June 2007 — November 2009 (n=7700) and December 2009–June 2012 (n=9637) using electronic health records. We employed multivariable regression models to identify demographic and health care factors associated with receiving a first lifetime Pap test at age <21years in the post-guideline period (over-screening). Results: The proportion of Pap tests declined from 19.3% to 4.2% (p<0.001) between the two periods. Multivariable logistic regression results showed receiving care from gynecologic/obstetric/family planning clinics compared to pediatric clinics, having more clinic encounters, and older age were associated with over-screening in the post-guideline period. Conclusions: We found that guideline adherence differed by clinic type, insurance status, and health care encounters. In the quickly evolving field of cervical cancer control, it is important to monitor practice trends as they relate to shifts in population-based guidelines, especially in high-risk populations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Adolescents with depression are at risk for negative long-term consequences and recurrence of depression. Many do not receive nor access treatment, especially Latino youth. New treatment approaches are needed. This study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a stepped collaborative care treatment model (SCIPT-A) for adolescents with depression utilizing interpersonal psychotherapy for adolescents (IPT-A) and antidepressant medication (if needed) compared to Enhanced Treatment as Usual (E-TAU) in urban pediatric primary care clinics serving primarily Latino youth. Results suggest the SCIPT-A model is feasible, acceptable and potentially beneficial for urban Latino adolescents. Clinicians delivered the SCIPT-A model with fidelity using supervision successfully implemented in a community setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Objective In this study we assessed the association between social media (SM) use with sexual risk, and with parental monitoring among Hispanic adolescents. Design Self-administered anonymous survey. Setting Urban primary care clinics. Participants Primarily Hispanic adolescents ages 13-21 years old. Interventions and Main Outcome Measures Chi-square and regression analyses controlling for age and gender were used to assess associations between SM use or sexting and sexual behaviors (kissing, touching genitals, vaginal oral, and anal sex), sexual risk (≥4 lifetime partners, >1 recent partner, inconsistent condom use, and history of sexually transmitted infection diagnosis) and contraceptive use. Similar analyses were used to assess relationships between adolescent-reported parental monitoring and SM use, and sexting. Results Participants with frequent SM use (social networking sites or apps) had greater odds of all sexual activity. Ever sexters had greater odds of penetrative sex only (oral, vaginal, and anal sex) as well as use of hormonal contraception (except long-acting reversible contraception). Approximately half of the participants reported parental access to profiles on SM. Female participants had higher odds of parental access to online profiles and having a parental discussion of privacy settings. Those having privacy discussions had greater odds of “private” profiles on SM and lower odds of ever sexting. Conclusion Frequent SM use and sexting was associated with an increase in all types of sexual behaviors; sexting alone was associated with more lifetime and recent sexual partners. Parental discussion of privacy settings was found to be protective. Providers and parents should be aware of the effect of SM use on sexual behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was introduced for female adolescents prior to male adolescents. Understanding coverage patterns related to gender-specific recommendations and factors associated with early adoption and timely completion may be important for future vaccines.Methods: Retrospective analysis of HPV vaccine initiation (one or more dose) and completion (three or more doses) patterns in adolescents aged 11-18 years using 2009-2013 New York Citywide Immunization Registry data. Log binomial models assessed patient-specific (age, insurance) and practice-specific (facility type, number of adolescents, poverty level) variables on early adoption (within 1 year of recommendation) and timely completion (within 12 months) by gender.Results: Of 1,494,767 adolescents, 50.2% were male, 57.5% were vaccinated in private practices, 58.7% in practices with more adolescents, and 48.8% in highest poverty locations. More female (54.0%) than male (33.5%) adolescents initiated vaccination (p<0.001). Of those, 56.1% received three or more doses, 34.1% within 12 months (30.0% male, 36.8% female, p<0.001). In 2009-2012, the proportion of still-eligible male adolescents who newly initiated increased from 0.1% to 17.0%; rates for female adolescents increased from 15.4% to 17.3%. Vaccination initiation within 1 year of gender-specific recommendations was similar (27.4% female, 27.3% male). For both genders, the uninsured were less likely to have early adoption and timely completion. Being publicly insured was associated with early adoption in both genders, but with timely completion in male adolescents only. Being seen in a public facility and in a practice with more adolescents was also associated with early adoption.Conclusions: Changing HPV vaccine recommendations had minimal cross-gender impact. Early adoption and timely completion patterns were mostly similar across genders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Delayed initiation of HPV vaccination beyond the recommended 11–12 years was common. [•] Many patients had evidence of sexual experience before their first HPV vaccine dose. [•] Many patients had abnormal cervical cytology before their first HPV vaccine dose. [•] Missed opportunities for timely HPV vaccination occurred frequently. [•] Strategies to reduce missed opportunities for timely HPV vaccination are needed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Mental health comorbidities can negatively affect disease management in adolescents with chronic illnesses. This study sought to determine the prevalence and impact of mental health issues in a population of adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes. A cross-sectional study of 150 patients aged 11 to 25 years with type 1 diabetes from an urban, academic diabetes center was conducted. Participants completed 3 validated mental health disorder screening instruments: Beck’s Depression Inventory, the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders-41 anxiety screen, and the Eating Disorder Screen for Primary Care. More than a third screened positive: 11.3% for depression, 21.3% for anxiety, and 20.7% for disordered eating (14.7% had ≥2 positive screens). Patients with a positive screen had twice the odds of having poor glycemic control as those without, as measured by HgbA1c. This study supports screening for mental health issues in adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose. Investigations were conducted on whether screening for adolescent depression was feasible and acceptable to patients in low-income, urban, predominantly Latino clinics. Further investigations were undertaken for provider acceptance of such screening. Methods. Adolescents aged between 13 and 20 years presenting to 3 pediatric and adolescent primary care practices affiliated with an academic medical center in New York City were screened for depressive symptoms using the Columbia Depression Scale. Providers were surveyed pre- and postimplementation of the screening regarding their attitudes and practices. Results. The vast majority (92%) of those approached accepted the screening. Twelve percent of those screened were referred for mental health treatment. Providers reported satisfaction with the screening tool and a desire to continue to use it. Screening was limited to 24% of eligible participants, and only 10% of screens were at sick visits. Conclusions. The Columbia Depression Scale seems acceptable to adolescent providers and patients in the mostly Latino study population. It may prove to be a helpful tool in evaluating adolescents presenting to primary care for depression. Further study will be required in other Spanish-speaking and minority populations. New methods will also be required to reach a greater proportion of patients, particularly those presenting for sick visits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. HPV vaccination may prevent thousands of cases of cervical cancer. We aimed to evaluate the understanding and acceptance of the HPV vaccine among adolescents. Methods. A questionnaire was distributed to adolescents at health clinics affiliated with a large urban hospital system to determine knowledge pertaining to sexually transmitted diseases and acceptance of the HPV vaccine. Results. 223 adolescents completed the survey. 28% were male, and 70% were female. The mean age for respondents was 16 years old. Adolescents who had received the HPV vaccine were more likely to be female and to have heard of cervical cancer and Pap testing. Of the 143 adolescents who had not yet been vaccinated, only 4% believed that they were at risk of HPV infection and 52% were willing to be vaccinated. Conclusions. Surveyed adolescents demonstrated a marginal willingness to receive the HPV vaccine and a lack of awareness of personal risk for acquiring HPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]