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Dr. Tandon Pooja S. Tandon, MD, MPH Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development Seattle Children's Research Institute MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Cell phone use is common among middle and high school students, yet we do not have an understanding of school cell phone policies and practices in the U.S. We conducted a survey of public schools serving grades 6-12. The survey sent to over 1,100 school principals, representing a national sample of schools across the U.S., asked questions about the presence of a cell phone policy for students and staff and restrictions on phone use. Additional questions addressed consequences of policy violation, the use of cell phones for curricular activities and principals’ attitudes toward cell phone policies. MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings? Response: The results of the survey offer the first national snapshot of school cell phone policies. Of the 210 schools responding to the survey, 97% of middle schools and 91% of high schools reported having a cell phone policy for students. A notable percentage – 33% of middle schools and 69% of high schools – did not restrict phone use during lunch or recess. MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report? Response: Schools have a unique opportunity to create predictable screen-free time for children. Limiting phone use during the entire school day could significantly decrease their screen exposure. Such an approach could lead to benefits in the classroom like improved focus and ability to learn. From a social standpoint, limiting phone use during lunch may promote more interaction between students and for children who have recess, increase physically active play. MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study? Response: Our study lays the foundation for future research in this understudied area to help guide recommendations for screen time in schools. Just as schools are critical to helping children and teens meet guidelines for optimal physical activity and nutrition, they should support recommendations on screen time and media use. It will be important to understand the consequences of phone access during various parts of the school day on students’ health and learning. MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add? Any disclosures? Response: While an overwhelming 90% of principals responding to the survey agreed that cell phone use policies should exist at both middle and high schools, I recognize that restricting cell phone use during the school day requires tradeoffs for schools and parents. We know that a lot of teachers use phones as part of their lessons, so it would be important to understand their attitudes toward student cell phone use too. Getting the support of the parent community can’t be assumed either. Many parents want to be able to reach their children at school on their cell phones. One argument I often hear from parents about limiting technology use and screen time in general is that children need to learn how to moderate consumption since screens and digital media are ubiquitous. I acknowledge that we need to teach our children to be responsible digital citizens and that teaching them to be responsible users may not be accomplished by blocking technology completely. In any case, given the potential consequences for learning, social interactions, and health, it’s helpful for families to have some parameters around cell phone use. Regardless of their child’s school’s policy, parents can play an important role in supporting limited cell phone use during the school day. The authors have no disclosures. Citation: Tandon PS, Zhou C, Hogan CM, Christakis DA. Cell Phone Use Policies in US Middle and High Schools. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(5):e205183. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.5183 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2765995?resultClick=1 The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.   Read the full article

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Susan Hocevar Adkins, MD Lead Author, Senior Medical Officer, and Commander United States Public Health Service CDC MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Since August 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and state, local, and territorial health departments have been investigating a national outbreak of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI). Although clinical presentation and outcomes of EVALI patients generally have been reported, data on adolescent patients are more limited. This article fills this gap by using data from national EVALI surveillance at CDC to examine demographic, substance use, and clinical characteristics of adolescent EVALI patients relative to young adult and adult EVALI patients. MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings? Response: A total of 2155 patients were included in this cross-sectional study. Based on national surveillance data, adolescents were more likely to report obtaining nicotine-containing and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol)-containing e-cigarette or vaping products through informal sources than young adults or adults with EVALI. A history of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and asthma were more common among adolescents. Gastrointestinal and constitutional symptoms of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury were also more common in adolescents than adults. MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report? Response: Adolescents are a vulnerable population with unique needs. Compared with adults, our data suggest that adolescents with EVALI more frequently have a history of asthma and ADHD, and report nonspecific symptoms associated with EVALI, including gastrointestinal and constitutional symptoms. Therefore, clinician awareness that adolescents commonly report nonspecific gastrointestinal and constitutional symptoms may hasten timely recognition of EVALI. Additionally, health care professionals should inform adolescents about the risks of using e-cigarette, or vaping, products, especially those containing tetrahydrocannabinol obtained from informal sources. Clinicians can also work with adolescents to provide education and access to services. Teaching should: (1) Emphasize the association between THC-containing e-cigarette, or vaping, product use and EVALI; (2) Reinforce that there may be other harmful chemicals in these products besides vitamin E acetate, which is strongly associated with EVALI; and (3) Counsel adolescents that any e-cigarette, or vaping, product use is unsafe. The findings also support the critical need to make tobacco use cessation, substance use screening, and mental health services easily accessible to all youth. MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study? Response: Continued efforts are warranted to monitor the extent of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use among adolescents, and to evaluate interventions to prevent and reduce the use of these products among youth – irrespective of whether the products contain nicotine or THC. Further work with clinicians to increase appropriate and effective confidential history taking is also imperative to identify at-risk youth; strategies to increase these practices could be explored. Finally, further research around the higher occurrence of gastrointestinal and constitutional complaints as the presenting symptoms in adolescents is important to help inform the pathophysiology of this disease and to aid clinicians in recognizing this illness. MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add? Any disclosures? Response: The 2019 EVALI outbreak occurred in the context of an epidemic of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use among US adolescents. These are two distinct public health issues, but both are critically important to address. Adolescent and young adult nicotine and THC use can alter neurodevelopment in the long term and may lead to increased risk of substance use disorder and cognitive difficulties. Both of these issues represent opportunities for public health and clinical communities to prevent and reduce the use of e-cigarette, or vaping, products among adolescent and young adult populations. Regardless of whether nicotine, THC, or any other substance is used in an e-cigarette, or vaping product, these products are not safe for youth or young adults because of known negative health effects.  Citation: Adkins SH, Anderson KN, Goodman AB, et al. Demographics, Substance Use Behaviors, and Clinical Characteristics of Adolescents With e-Cigarette, or Vaping, Product Use–Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) in the United States in 2019. JAMA Pediatr. Published online May 18, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.0756 The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.   Read the full article

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Hooman Azad First author and a 3rd year medical student Feinberg School of Medicine Northwestern University Eric Fleegler, MD MPH FAAP Senior author and Pediatric Emergency Physician Boston Children’s Hospital Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine Harvard Medical School MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Pediatric firearm violence is a public health crisis. The firearm fatality rate has increased by >50% over the past 10 years. Over our 26-year study period (1991-2016), 13,697 children under the age of 15 died at the hands of a firearm. Laws have been employed to try to reduce these deaths, and Child Access Prevention (CAP) laws, which aim to hold parents liable for the safe storage of their firearms, were passed in 25 states between 1989-2000. No new state passed a CAP laws after the year 2000. Child Access Prevention laws come in two flavors – recklessness laws that hold firearm owners liable for directly providing firearms to a minor, and negligence laws that hold the firearm owner liable for the unsafe storage of firearms with variability in how storage is defined and what penalties are imposed. MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings? Response: We found significant reductions of firearm violence in states with negligence- Child Access Prevention laws, with overall 13% fewer firearm fatalities, and between 12-15% fewer firearm homicides, firearm suicides, and unintentional firearm deaths. These results control for other firearm laws, firearm ownership rates, and other factors associated with firearm fatality rates. Recklessness CAP laws were not associated with lower fatalities rates. When looking at stronger forms of negligence laws, the reduction in firearm fatalities was even larger, with a >50% reduction in unintentional firearm fatalities in states with the strongest CAP laws.  MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report? Response: It is critical that research inform policy, and we aimed to determine what the impact of child-specific firearm laws might be. Our findings show that, in states with these laws, there is a significant reduction in pediatric  firearm deaths. Five hundred children die each year from firearm violence, and these deaths happen in much higher rates in certain states. Still, only 25 states have any form of CAP law, and only 16 states have CAP laws that our study found to be effective. MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?  Response: It is not well-understood where firearms are located and who owns the firearms that are used in pediatric firearm deaths. Understanding the situations surrounding pediatric firearm homicides is especially critical, as prior research has focused mostly on firearm suicides and unintentional firearm deaths. Finally, smart technologies that allow weapons use only by the individual who owns the firearm are exciting future avenues, but no firearm with such technology has ever been sold commercially in the United States.  Citation: Azad HA, Monuteaux MC, Rees CA, et al. Child Access Prevention Firearm Laws and Firearm Fatalities Among Children Aged 0 to 14 Years, 1991-2016. JAMA Pediatr. Published online March 02, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.6227 The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.   Read the full article

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Hongying (Daisy) Dai Hongying (Daisy) Dai, PhD Associate Professor Department of Biostatistics | College of Public Health University of Nebraska Medical Center  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: E-cigarette use increased significantly from 2017 to 2019 among U.S. adolescents, and marijuana and other substances besides can be used in e-cigarettes. Meanwhile, restrictions on marijuana use have been relaxing and social acceptability of marijuana use is shifting among youth. This study analyzed 38,061 middle and high school students from the 2017 and 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey.  MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings? The key findings from this study include: Ever marijuana use in e-cigarettes among U.S. youth increased by 32% from 11.1% in 2017 to 14.7%. The increases were observed in many demographic groups, including male and female students, adolescents 13 to 17, high-school students, and non-Hispanic white and Hispanic students. In 2018, 42.7% of ever e-cigarette users, 53.5% of current e-cigarette users, and 71.6% of poly tobacco users reported ever using marijuana in e-cigarettes. MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report? Response: This study identified a significant increase in self-reported ever marijuana use in e-cigarettes from 2017 to 2018 among U.S. students. The increase could be attributable to the increase in sales of pod-mod style e-cigarette products, access to marijuana through informal sources, and reduced harm perception of marijuana use among adolescents. MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work? Longitudinal studies are needed to assess the acute and long-term health effects of vaping marijuana in e-cigarettes. Tailored substance control strategies to prevent vaping marijuana among adolescents and young adults are warranted. I have no conflicts of interest to disclose. Citation: Dai H. Self-reported Marijuana Use in Electronic Cigarettes Among US Youth, 2017 to 2018. JAMA. Published online December 17, 2019. doi:https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2019.19571 Last Modified:       The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.   Read the full article

Dr. Wall Dennis P. Wall, PhD Associate Professor Departments of Pediatrics, Psychiatry (by courtesy) and Biomedical Data Science Stanford University  MedicalResearch.com: What did we already know about the potential for apps and wearables to help kids with autism improve their social skills, and how do the current study findings add to our understanding? What’s new/surprising here and why does it matter for children and families?  Response: However, we have clinically tested apps/AI for diagnosis (e.g.  https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002705) in a number of studies (if you want to learn more about this LMK - very promising in general) This RCT is a third phase of a phased approach to establish feasibility and engagement through in-lab and at-home codesign with families with children with autism. This stepwise process is quite important to bring a wearable form of therapy running AI into the homes in a way that is clinically effective. What’s new here, aside from being a first in the field, is the rigorous statistical approach we take with an intent-to-treat style of analysis. This approach ensures that the effect of the changes are adjusted to ensure that any significance observed is due to the treatment.  Thus, with this, it is surprising and encouraging to see an effect on the VABS socialization sub-scale. This supports the hypothesis that the intervention has a true treatment effect and increases the social acuity of the child. With it being a home format for intervention that can operate with or without a clinical practitioner, it increases options and can help bridge gaps in access to care, such as when on waiting lists or if the care process is inconsistent.    MedicalResearch.com: Can you please explain in simple terms how the “Superpower Glass” intervention pairing Google Glass worn by the child with a smartphone app might help kids with autism better recognize faces and emotions and interact with people and read social cues? And to what extent do you think using this would help kids learn these skills themselves, versus provide skills they haven’t developed on their own?  Response: The glasses provide augmented reality- this is particularly good because it keeps children in their social environment  (as opposed to virtual or mixed reality).  The augmented reality form factor is well suited for helping children engage in social interactions.  The heads up display (a prism) sits in the periphery, and after a short period of time (minutes), is easy to basically ignore except when it provides the social cues.  The glasses act as a message passer.  Passing images to the phone App, which runs the artificial intelligence for real time face tracking and emotion classification.   The Glass’s outward facing camera tracks the world around the child wearing the glasses, sends the image data to the phone which detects faces, emotion and submits them back to the Glass where they are provide to the child through the prism/heads up display in a couple of ways.  First the boundary of the heads up display lights up green.  This green box says the child “You found a face!”, then immediately after the display provides an image - an emoticon or emoji (or if desired a written word of the emotion), which tells the child “You found a happy face!”. In addition, the users can choose to have sound - a voice saying the emotion which comes from the bone conducting speaker in the Glass units themselves. The green box - you found a face - and emotion cue - you found a happy face - make up 2 of the three components of the intervention.  The third is the App itself which acts as a the game console and main operating system where you launch the games, as well as, importantly (we think), a place to reinforce the learning through parent review.  The activities are logged and the social engagement sessions are recorded so that child and caregiver can go back to an emotion moment and discuss together what worked/didn’t work. Together these elements of the intervention enable real-life learning. Children learn to seek out social interactions, learn that faces are interesting, and that they can learn what they’re saying/what the faces are telling them.  This is powerful since it encourages social initiations - a form of fostering social motivation - by the child and they’re learning that they can get these things - the emotions of their social partners- themselves. Reminder that the sessions are relatively short 20 minutes sessions a few times a week and that this learning aid is meant to be short term (relatively speaking).  It gives them the aid they need right when they need it. Boosts confidence etc. MedicalResearch.com: Google Glass is a cool idea with a lot of potential and a lot of controversy, especially surrounding privacy concerns for wearers and the people they interact with - so to what extent do you see this idea from a clinical trial being practical or feasible in the real world, and to what extent would it be realistic to expect kids on the spectrum who often have sensory issues and behavior challenges wear something like this all the time?  Response: I think it is quite practical - We’ve had over 150 children test the intervention across the studies that we have conducted so far, and have had very few reports of discomfort with the device.  This includes children on the lower function end of the autism spectrum and children with sensory issues, including those who will not wear hats or sunglasses.   There has been near unanimous approval and enjoyment wearing the glass units.  The name superpower was by majority vote among the children who have worn and used it so far.  Several remarked that they are like “super power glasses” or “spy glasses” “magic glasses” etc.  - The use is in the home and localized there, which has the benefit of working where the social skills and social learning need to originate to boost confidence, especially for the younger ages, and for those with lower baseline levels of social emotional acuity, and it also has the benefit of limiting privacy concerns.  The recordings and the social engagements are with family and friends.     I am the Founder of Cognoa.com Cognoa.com has completed licensing of the Glass technology and will be advancing his work forward and working to bring this to market. General information about Cognoa (provided by Cognoa PR) Overview on company and licensing agreement: Stanford is partnering with Cognoa, a behavioral health company that is developing AI-based digital diagnostics and personalized therapies to make earlier diagnoses and effective treatments available to more children to improve outcomes and lower behavioral healthcare costs. Cognoa has received Breakthrough Device designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its lead products, the first digital diagnostic and digital therapeutic devices for autism. Cognoa is working together with the Stanford team on novel augmented reality digital therapeutic interventions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder that build upon the advances of the Stanford RCT.  The therapeutic will target the core deficit of social-emotional reciprocity in ASD, with children showing gains in social initiation, facial engagement, emotion recognition, and social responses.  The therapeutic will be delivered via a software system that will be deployed on smartphones combined with a variety of broadly available Augmented Reality platforms. Citation: Voss C, Schwartz J, Daniels J, et al. Effect of Wearable Digital Intervention for Improving Socialization in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr. Published online March 25, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.0285    The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.   Read the full article

Dr. Bell Edward Bell, MD Vice Chair for Faculty Development Department of Pediatrics Professor of Pediatrics - Neonatology Carver College of Medicine University of Iowa Health Care  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The study is an analysis of what happened to the 205 babies with birth weigh below 400 grams and gestational age of 22 through 26 weeks who were born between 2008 and 2016 at 21 academic medical centers that are members of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network. The Network exists to collaborate in finding ways to improve the survival and health of premature and other critically-ill newborn infants. 400 grams is very small. By comparison, 1 pound is 454 grams. MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings? Response: Of the 205 babies born alive, 101 were actively treated, and of these, 26 infants survived. 21 infants were old enough (2 years) to be eligible for the Network’s standard follow-up examination, and 19 infants could be found and showed up for examination. They were still small for their age. Fourteen of 19 (74%) had significant developmental delays. None was blind or deaf. MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report? Response: Even the smallest babies have a chance to live, and if they survive, can have a good life. A few appear to be normal at 2 years. MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study? Response: I encourage others to track the outcomes of their tiniest patients, but it will be difficult for anyone to accumulate significant numbers for analysis.  MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add? Response: One resource your readers my be interested to know about is the Tiniest Babies Registry, a web registry of patients who survived after being born with weight less than 400 grams: https://webapps1.healthcare.uiowa.edu/TiniestBabies/index.aspx. MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community. Citation: Brumbaugh JE, Hansen NI, Bell EF, et al. Outcomes of Extremely Preterm Infants With Birth Weight Less Than 400 g. JAMA Pediatr. Published online March 25, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.0180   Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions. More Medical Research Interviews on MedicalResearch.com       Read the full article

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. David Klein MD MPH Associate Program Director National Capital Consortium (NCC) Family Medicine Residency Fort Belvoir Community Hospital Dr. Elizabeth Hisle-Gorman MSW, PhD Assistant Professor, Uniformed Services University  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?  Response: Our study, “Transgender Children and Adolescents Receiving Care in the U.S. Military Healthcare System: A Descriptive Study,” sought to analyze the number of military dependent children and adolescents who have a transgender or gender-diverse identity and receive medical care in the Military Health System (MHS), recognizing that the number has been increasing, but not knowing to what extent. Ultimately, in studying this data, we hoped to document the needs of transgender children in military families to support provision of adequate and appropriate high-quality care. MedicalResearch.com:  What are the main findings? Response: Using data from the MHS Data Repository, we looked at records of military dependents between October 2009 and April 2017, tracking individuals for an average of 7.5 years. During that time period, approximately 2,500 children and adolescents received transgender-related care over the course of about 6,700 separate visits, to include medical appointments and mental health or counseling appointments. The incidence of those seeking transgender-related care increased over 300%, from 135 in 2010 to 644 in 2016 (and 528 in the first part of 2017), with patients going to an average of 10 medical appointments for transgender-related care. New prescriptions for gender-affirming hormones also increased from 24 in 2010 to 332 in the first part of 2017. These numbers could be underestimated because of shifting enrollment time frames and under-reporting of care prior to a change in Department of Defense policy in 2016. The new policy allowed children and adolescents to begin receiving full coverage of non-surgical transgender-related healthcare in the MHS.  MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?  Response: An increasing number of military dependent children who identify transgender or gender-diverse receive medical care, including hormone therapy, related to their gender identity. The research also suggests that transgender persons have individualized needs, as suggested by the proportion of youth not on hormone therapy (67%). Clinicians who care for children and adolescents, including youth with insurance provided by the Military Health System, should be knowledgeable about the basic health care needs of transgender and gender-diverse persons and familiar with local resources for referral, as well as remote consultation sources within the larger military health system. This study shows that transgender care, which was only officially available to military dependents in 2016, is used and needed.  Meeting the healthcare commitment to our military families includes providing appropriate quality transgender care to military dependent children. MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?  Response: We hope to explore how changes in availability of transgender related care can impact the overall health and well-being of military connected children.  We also think it is important to understand how other factors related to military life including parental deployment, and frequent moves may affect these children and adolescents.  MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add? Response: Approximately 500 children presented to care during early puberty between the ages of 10 and 14; however, the median age of puberty suppression was 14.7 years, which is generally after the initial stages of puberty. Because the sex characteristics associated with puberty can be particularly troublesome for transgender and gender-diverse adolescents, clinicians caring for such children should promptly refer these children to healthcare professionals who are familiar with gender development for consideration of fully reversible treatment to suppress puberty. This treatment provides time to determine the most appropriate next steps, which may include additional gender affirming therapy. We have no disclosures. Dr. Klein (lead author) and Dr. Hisle-Gorman (senior author) have contributed to this interview and would appreciate being quoted equally. Citation: Klein DA, Roberts TA, Adirim TA, et al. Transgender Children and Adolescents Receiving Care in the US Military Health Care System. JAMA Pediatr. Published online March 25, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.0105 The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.   Read the full article

Dr. Skipper Niels Skipper PhD Associate Professor, Department of Economics and Business Economics Aarhus University MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: It is unclear if there is an association between type 1 diabetes and school performance in children. Some studies have found type 1 diabetes to be associated with worse performance, while others have found no differences. However, most of the existing literature are based on smaller, non-random samples of children with diabetes. In this study we used data on all public school children in the country of Denmark, involving more than 600,000 schoolchildren where approximately 2,000 had a confirmed diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. The children were tested in math and reading using a nationally standardized testing procedure, and we found no difference in the obtain test scores between children with diabetes compared to children without diabetes.  MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report? Response: Overall, I think it is a positive message that comes out of the study. Living with type 1 diabetes introduces a lot of challenges to those who are affected, but our study indicates that impaired school performance is not one of them. It is of course still very important to maintain good metabolic control. It is also unclear if your results would apply to other countries.  MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work? Response: The children in our study are relatively young (grades 2 to 8). It would be interesting to follow the performance if these children later in the educational system, and also into the labor market. The average diabetes duration in our study is only 4.5 years. Maybe differences in performance will show up in higher education. Citation:  Skipper N, Gaulke A, Sildorf SM, Eriksen TM, Nielsen NF, Svensson J. Association of Type 1 Diabetes With Standardized Test Scores of Danish Schoolchildren. JAMA. 2019;321(5):484–492. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.21819 The information on MedicalResearch.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.   Read the full article