Psychiatric News (11/7) reports, “Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) weighed less at birth but were significantly more likely to have obesity after age five compared with those without ADHD, according to a study.” But, “elevated ADHD symptoms were not predictive of increased obesity risk until age 7 in females and age 11 in males.” The findings were published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “ADHD Associated With Lower Weight at Birth, but Obesity in Childhood,” Psychiatric News, November 7, 2024

Healio (11/6, Kellner ) reports, “Most adolescents and young adults said they would hesitate to share sensitive information” with their health care physicians “if they thought their parents could access it through online patient portals, according to a survey.” Researchers found that “55% of participants said they would change how much sensitive information they would share … and 50% would hesitate to create a portal account if their parents could see it.” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Study: Young patients hesitant to tell providers information their parents might see,” Carol L. DiBerardino, MLA, ELS, Healio, November 6, 2024

Healio (11/6, Friedman) reports, “Suicide rates for individuals diagnosed with cancer increased over the past 2 decades, according to results of a retrospective study.” The data indicated that “the largest increase occurred among adolescent and young adult…men,” with “the gap between that population and other subgroups” widening over time. The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Suicide rates rise among adolescents, young adults with cancer, often years after diagnosis,” Josh Friedman, Healio, November 6, 2024

Psychiatric News (11/6) reports research found that “toddlers who have more than 14 hours per week of screen time have nearly twice the odds of having a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder when they are 12 years old.” Investigators found that “children were more likely to have more than 14 hours of screen time when they were 2 years old if they were boys, their mothers had less than 13 years of education or less, or they lived in households with a family income of $60,000 or less.” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Excessive Screen Time in Toddlers Linked to Autism Diagnosis in Early Adolescence,” Psychiatric News, November 6, 2024

Neurology Advisor (11/5, Khaja) reports, “Symptoms of depression and eating disorders are self-reported by treatment-seeking adolescents with obesity, according to study results.” Investigators came to this conclusion after conducting “a parallel, multicenter, randomized clinical trial (Fast Track to Health) between January 2018 and March 2023 at children’s hospitals in Australia to assess changes in self-reported symptoms of depression, eating disorders, and binge eating among adolescents aged 13 to 17 with obesity…and at least 1 cardiometabolic complication.” The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Is Obesity Associated With Depression, Eating Disorders in Adolescents?,” Hibah Khaja, PharmD, Neurology Advisor, November 5, 2024