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Background/Objective: We sought to understand healthcare utilization and barriers to care among youth with chronic illness who interact frequently with the healthcare system. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of healthcare utilization for youth ≤25 years of age with chronic illness during one calendar year (1 January 2021–31 December 2021) in a single urban academic healthcare system. Inclusion criteria were (1) having at least one healthcare encounter in the calendar year of 2021 and (2) having at least six healthcare encounters over the preceding 3-year period or having a qualifying chronic illness. Demographic and clinical characteristics were collected along with self-reported and derived social determinants of health. Univariable and multivariable regression models were created to identify predictors of missed clinic visits, telehealth use, and activated patient portal accounts. Results: The cohort (N = 14,245) was demographically, clinically, and socioeconomically diverse. The youth had frequent clinic visits (median 9, IQR 4–18), multiple subspecialty care referrals (median 4, 1–8), were prescribed multiple medications (median 6, 3–10), and a high proportion received emergency department (18%) or inpatient treatment (15%). Race and public insurance were significant predictors of missed clinic visits and telehealth use. Primary language was a significant predictor of patient portal activation. Conclusions: Youth with chronic illness who are high users of the healthcare system face a high burden of clinic, emergency room, and hospital visits, referrals, and medications. Systematic efforts to lower the healthcare burden and improve care access should address existing racial and socioeconomic disparities affecting this patient population, who are likely to need frequent healthcare over their lifetime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Hope is a universal, multidimensional, and nuanced concept that may have specific meaning for young people living with chronic health conditions anticipated to last into adulthood. We previously identified definitions of hope for youth living with chronic health conditions derived from young people's and their caregivers' own words. Here, we aimed to develop a hope assessment tool to facilitate the future evaluation of interventions to support wellness and health for young people growing up with chronic health conditions; Methods: We developed Likert-type scale questions using the young people's and caregivers' definitions of hope and applied the think-aloud cognitive interview method to assess understanding and to inform sequential iteration. Interviews were recorded and insights from participant interviews were analyzed thematically. Results: In total, 11 youth (age 12–16 years) with various chronic health conditions completed surveys and interviews over three iteration cycles. Responses to the six-point Likert-scale questions ranged from 1 (none of the time) to 6 (all of the time) (median 5). All of the young people (n = 11) reported that they do things they enjoy, either all of the time or most of the time. In contrast, only 36% felt energetic, either all or most of the time. Three themes were identified: my body and hope; my identity, self-image, and hope; and my world and hope. Conclusions: In addition to gaining important feedback that allowed us to improve item word choice to maximize assessment tool understanding, we gained valuable insights into the multidimensional construct of hope. Thematic analysis revealed the importance of physical symptoms and identity to the meaning of hope in the context of a young person's life. Our new hope assessment tool derived from the young people's own definition of hope has face and content validity for use in clinical and research settings to evaluate hope among pediatric patients living with chronic health conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. This study evaluated an active enforcement program to increase retailers' compliance with the law prohibiting tobacco sales to minors. Methods. Tobacco sales to minors were monitored in 319 outlets in 6 pairs of communities in Erie County, New York. One community in each pair was randomly assigned to an enforcement intervention. Results. Retailers' compliance with the law increased form 35% in 1994 to 73% in 1995. However, the change in compliance rates was roughly the same for stores in the enforcement and nonenforcement communities. Conclusions. Active compliance checking of retail outlets as a strategy to reduce illegal tobacco sales to minors may only be necessary insofar as it contributions to an increase in retailers' perception that the threat of enforcement is real. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]