An assessment of health status and health behaviours in adolescents: main points and methods of the SOPKARD-Junior programme

Analysis of Medication Adherence Status and Influencing Factors in Adolescents with Major Depressive Episodes

BACKGROUND

By analyzing the current status and influencing factors of medication adherence in adolescent patients with major depressive episode, this study aimed to provide more evidence on clinical medication treatment of such patients.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study. A total of 218 adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) admitted to the mental health center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from June 2022 to June 2023 were selected as the study subjects. The 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Questionnaire (MAQ-8) was used to group the patients. All of the patients were collected in accordance with general sociological characteristics and disease characteristics. Conducted χ2 test, t-test, and binary logistic regression analysis. p values less than 0.05 indicated statistically significant differences.

RESULTS

A total of 218 adolescents with MDD were included in this study. The average score of MAQ-8 was 4.44 ± 2.09, of which 139 (63.76%) with a score less than 6 were included in the medication non-adherence group. Six to eight points with 79 cases (36.24%) were included in the medication compliance group. Family economic status (odds ratio (OR) = 6.211, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.761-13.974), family history (OR = 2.298, 95% CI 1.043-5.062), course of diseases (OR = 2.107, 95% CI 1.002-4.429), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score (OR = 2.303, 95% CI 1.043-5.084), drug side effects (OR = 7.139, 95% CI 3.257-15.647), attitude to treatment (OR = 2.583, 95% CI 1.221-5.466), and satisfaction with doctors (OR = 2.338, 95% CI 1.08-5.064) were the effect of medication adherence.

CONCLUSION

Severe depression of adolescent patients with poor medication compliance, as well as influencing factors, including family economic conditions, family history, course of diseases, BDI score, and drug side effects, were clinically investigated to formulate corresponding measures and improve patients' medication adherence.

Obesity in Polish Children and Parents' Perception of Their Children's Weight Status: The Results of the SOPKARD-Junior Study

One way to counteract the spread of obesity in children is its early recognition by parents. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether parents’ perception of their children’s BMI category was consistent with their actual BMI assessment and to determine potential influential factors. The study was conducted as part of the “A program for the early detection of risk factors for lifestyle diseases SOPKARD-Junior” (SOPKARD-Junior), a preventive health program implemented in public elementary schools from 2017 to 2019. The results from 381 children with a mean age of 11.67 (SD = 1.52) were analyzed. Height and weight were measured and BMI was calculated. Surveys were conducted to assess parents’ perceptions of their child’s weight, along with their sociodemographic status. Nearly one in three parents were unable to correctly identify their children’s weight; 25.0% underestimated it, and 6.0% overestimated it. Underestimation was observed along with an increase in the children’s BMI weight category, with as many as 57.1% of parents of obese children misclassifying their weight. The child’s BMI was the only significant predictor of incorrect assessment. Polish parents cannot properly assess their children’s BMI, especially when their child is overweight or obese. In children, weight and height measurements should be taken regularly, rather than allowing weight category to be dependent upon parental weight assessments.

Anthropometric Determinants of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia in Children

Background: The study was conducted to investigate the implications of anthropometry in school-aged children on the degree of respiratory sinus arrhythmia observed in clinical settings. Methods: In a cohort study, 626 healthy children (52% male) aged 10.8 ± 0.5 years attending primary school in a single town underwent a 12-lead electrocardiogram coupled with measurements of height, weight and blood pressure. Indices of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (pvRSA, RMSSD, RMSSDc) were derived from semi-automatic measurements of RR intervals. Height, weight, BMI, blood pressure as well as waist and hip circumferences were compared between subjects with rhythmic heart rate and respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and correlations between indices of sinus arrhythmia and anthropometry were investigated. Results: Respiratory sinus arrhythmia was recognized in 43% of the participants. Subjects with sinus arrhythmia had lower heart rate (p < 0.001), weight (p = 0.009), BMI (p = 0.005) and systolic (p = 0.018) and diastolic (p = 0.004) blood pressure. There were important inverse correlations of heart rate and indices of sinus arrhythmia (r = −0.52 for pvRSA and r = −0.58 for RMSSD), but not the anthropometry. Conclusion: Lower prevalence of respiratory sinus arrhythmia among children with overweight and obesity is a result of higher resting heart rate observed in this population.

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia in Children-Predictable or Random?

Background: Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is associated with better health in children.

Aim: The study was conducted to analyze the trajectory of RSA in 10-year-olds.

Methods: A follow-up study on 120 healthy children (62 boys) aged 10.7 ± 0.5 years consisted of a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram, measurements of height, weight and blood pressure. The protocol was repeated after 3 years. Assessment of RSA based on semi-automatic measurements of RR intervals included: the difference between the longest and shortest RR interval duration (pvRSA), the root mean square of differences between successive RR intervals (RMSSD), the standard deviation of the RR interval length (SDNN) and their equivalents corrected for heart rate (RMSSDc and SDNNc).

Results: A the first visit 61.7% of children presented with RSA; 51.7% 3 years later. 23.3% of them had RSA only on the first examination; 13.3% only on the second one. The pvRSA, RMSSD, and SDNN measured in 2019 did not differ significantly from their 2016 equivalents (p > 0.05). The decline in RSA defined by RMSSD was noted in 52.5% of children and in 54.2% when defined by SDNN. The corrected values decreased in 68.3 and 64.2% of the participants for RMSSDc and SDNNc, respectively. The students with RSA at both visits had lower heart rate (p < 0.001) and systolic blood pressure (p = 0.010) compared to those with rhythmic electrocardiograms.

Conclusions: RSA in children is changeable, though its measurable indices should be adjusted to heart rate.