S H O RT STU FF New Program Helps Patients Transition from Pediatric Care at Children’s of Alabama to Adult Care at UAB A new collaboration between Children’s of Alabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham is helping adolescent patients with chronic and complex childhood medical conditions transition to adult healthcare. The Staging Transition for Every Patient (STEP) Program opened September 2 in the Whitaker Clinic of UAB Hospital. The two initiatives included in STEP are: Individualized transition planning for adolescent patients (beginning around age 14) with complex and chronic healthcare needs currently treated at Children’s of Alabama to prepare them for adult healthcare. A primary care clinic that will serve as an adult medical home to facilitate referrals to specialists, ensuring timely uninterrupted transition and access to other support services including physical therapy, social work, nutrition and emergency planning. “Children diagnosed with chronic conditions often need to continue managing these diseases into adulthood. Many of these conditions were historically associated with shortened lifespans – for example, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida, sickle cell disease – but now these patients have increased life expectancy due to treatment advances. Therefore, we see an increasing need to develop adult healthcare specialty clinics for these patients as they grow older,” says Carlie Stein, MD, lead physician and medical director for the STEP Program. Children’s and UAB already share staff and facilities, but the STEP Program is the first formal program of its kind in Alabama and the surrounding region. This transition of care ensures that patients are matched with primary care physicians who are prepared to handle complex medical conditions, because not all primary care physicians are experienced in treating chronic diseases stemming from childhood, and patients with chronic diseases don’t always need to see a specialist. Patients can get a referral to the STEP Program from their Children’s specialist or their pediatrician. Patients with a complex or chronic disease of childhood and at least 18 years old can call the UAB Primary Care Access Center to schedule a new patient appointment with the STEP Clinic at 205-801-7474. To begin transition planning from the Children’s side, patients can contact 205-638-5281.
Does Soft Drink Consumption Contribute to Aggressive Behavior? A study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham has shown that frequent soft drink consumption by adolescents may contribute to aggressive behavior over time. Previous studies have shown associations between soft drink consumption and mental health problems in adolescents. The UAB study, led by Sylvie Mrug, Ph.D., professor and chair of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Psychology, identified soft drink consumption as a likely predictor of aggressive behavior. It was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. “Despite public health policies designed to reduce children’s consumption of sugarsweetened beverages, such as soda taxes and school soda bans, the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages by youth in the United States remains a significant public health problem,” Mrug says. Reciprocal relationships were analyzed showing soft drink consumption predicted an increase in aggressive behavior over time. Soft drink consumption at ages 11 and 13 predicted more aggressive behavior at the next time point, the study showed. Aggressive behavior at age 13 also predicted more soft drink consumption at age 16. Soft drink consumption at age 13 predicted fewer depressive symptoms, but depressive symptoms did not predict soft drink consumption. Findings from this study suggest that reducing adolescents’ intake of soft drinks may reduce aggressive behavior, but not depressive symptoms. Although the results are typically interpreted in terms of soft drinks’ contributing to emotional and behavioral problems, it is equally likely that mental health problems may be driving the consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks, Mrug says. Experimental studies show that some individuals consume more sugary foods in response to stress and negative emotions.
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