Search

Nutritional challenges and a lack of activity can lead to health problems across the lifespan for people with spina bifida. Children and adults with spina bifida are also at greater risk of being classified as overweight or obese compared to their peers without the condition. Therefore, early recognition of nutrition problems, weight management counseling, and timely referrals for evaluation and management of diet and activity can help those with spina bifida and their families achieve a healthy lifestyle. This article details the development of the Nutrition, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity Guidelines, which are part of the 2018 Spina Bifida Association’s Fourth Edition of the Guidelines for the Care of People with Spina Bifida. It discusses the identification and management of poor nutrition and prevention of obesity for children, adolescents, and adults with spina bifida and highlights areas requiring further research.

It is estimated that a significant percentage of individuals with spina bifida (SB) are shorter than their age-matched typical peers. Parents of children with spina bifida may ask if human growth hormone is appropriate for their child. This article discusses short stature and the use of human growth hormone among children with SB. This guideline was developed for SB Healthcare Guidelines from the 2018 Spina Bifida Association’s Fourth Edition of the Guidelines for the Care of People with Spina Bifida.

This article provides information for specialists in physical medicine and rehabilitation who may be called on to provide information about transporting children with special health care needs (CSHCN). The authors review the basic principles of child passenger safety for CSHCN, including types of child occupant restraints, the use of child occupant restraint devices (CRD) for selected CHSCN, and how to locate or, if needed, develop programs to train child passenger safety technicians (CPST) to help with safe transportation of CSHCN. They cover specific child occupant restraint devices such as car beds, car safety seats, travel vests, specialized medical seats, and seat belts. Their review is adapted from the resource manual of the National Center for the Safe Transportation of Children with Special Health Care Needs. A final section discusses behavior challenges, ambulance transport, and the use of community resources to provide support for this special population.