Text Messages and Financial Incentives to Increase Physical Activity in Adolescents With Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes: Web-Based Group Interviews to Inform Intervention Design.

2022

e33082

2022 Apr 06

2371-4379

<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>Physical activity is a major component of treatment for adolescents with obesity and prediabetes or type 2 diabetes; however, sedentary behavior remains pervasive. An SMS text message-based intervention paired with financial incentives may be an effective way to promote physical activity in this population.</p>

<p><strong>OBJECTIVE: </strong>This study aims to obtain end-user feedback on SMS text message content and assess the acceptability of a planned SMS text messaging intervention with financial incentives to motivate youth with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes to increase physical activity.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>Adolescents with overweight or obesity and prediabetes or type 2 diabetes who attended a large academic pediatric endocrinology clinic were recruited to participate in group interviews (2-4/group) via videoconferencing. Participants were asked to share their thoughts on the use of SMS text messages and financial incentives to remind and motivate them to be more physically active. They rated and provided feedback on specific messages to be used in clinical trials. Participants were also asked about their personal experience with rewards to motivate behavior change and their anticipated reactions to rewards provided for goal attainment (gain-framing) versus those provided and then taken away if a goal was not met (loss-framing). The interviews were conducted by 2 trained interviewers and a note-taker. Content analysis was used to explore themes.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>Group interviews were completed with 20 participants (11/20, 55% women; 15/20, 75% with type 2 diabetes; 5/20, 25% with prediabetes) with a mean age of 15 (SD 1; range 12-18) years and a mean BMI of 41 (SD 5) kg/m (all &gt;95th percentile for age and sex). Most participants were non-Hispanic Black (14/20, 70%) and 10% (2/20) were Hispanics. Participants frequently cited near-continuous smartphone use and agreed that SMS text messages would serve as good reminders to be physically active, but the consensus about the need for short messages was strong. Favorable content included references to what they were likely to be doing when messages were sent (eg, homework or watching television) and messages that were upbeat or informative. Specific physical activity suggestions were rated favorably. Attitudes toward financial incentives varied, with differing opinions about whether loss-framed incentives would be motivating or discouraging. Many participants highlighted the role of intrinsic, rather than extrinsic, motivation in achieving and sustaining behavior change.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>The engagement of adolescents with obesity and diabetes or prediabetes allowed for the refinement of SMS text messages for our planned intervention, with an emphasis on short, upbeat, relatable, and informative messages. Although an SMS text messaging intervention using financial incentives to motivate youth with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes to be more physically active is theoretically acceptable, the impact on actual activity levels in this population requires prospective evaluation in a clinical trial.</p>

10.2196/33082

JMIR Diabetes

35384850

Sarcopenia and preserved bone mineral density in paediatric survivors of high-risk neuroblastoma with growth failure.

2021

2021 Jun 29

2190-6009

<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>Survival from paediatric high-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NBL) has increased, but cis-retinoic acid (cis-RA), the cornerstone of HR-NBL therapy, can cause osteoporosis and premature physeal closure and is a potential threat to skeletal structure in HR-NBL survivors. Sarcopenia is associated with increased morbidity in survivors of paediatric malignancies. Low muscle mass may be associated with poor prognosis in HR-NBL patients but has not been studied in these survivors. The study objective was to assess bone density, body composition and muscle strength in HR-NBL survivors compared with controls.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>This prospective cross-sectional study assessed areal bone mineral density (aBMD) of the whole body, lumbar spine, total hip, femoral neck, distal 1/3 and ultradistal radius and body composition (muscle and fat mass) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and lower leg muscle strength using a dynamometer. Measures expressed as sex-specific standard deviation scores (Z-scores) included aBMD (adjusted for height Z-score), bone mineral apparent density (BMAD), leg lean mass (adjusted for leg length), whole-body fat mass index (FMI) and ankle dorsiflexion peak torque adjusted for leg length (strength-Z). Muscle-specific force was assessed as strength relative to leg lean mass. Outcomes were compared between HR-NBL survivors and controls using Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U test. Linear regression models examined correlations between DXA and dynamometer outcomes.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>We enrolled 20 survivors of HR-NBL treated with cis-RA [13 male; mean age: 12.4&nbsp;±&nbsp;1.6&nbsp;years; median (range) age at therapy initiation: 2.6 (0.3-9.1) years] and 20 age-, sex- and race-matched controls. Height-Z was significantly lower in HR-NBL survivors compared with controls (-1.73&nbsp;±&nbsp;1.38 vs. 0.34&nbsp;±&nbsp;1.12, P&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001). Areal BMD-Z, BMAD-Z, FMI-Z, visceral adipose tissue and subcutaneous adipose tissue were not significantly different in HR-NBL survivors compared with controls. Compared with controls, HR-NBL survivors had lower leg lean mass-Z (-1.46&nbsp;±&nbsp;1.35 vs. -&nbsp;0.17&nbsp;±&nbsp;0.84, P&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001) and strength-Z (-1.13&nbsp;±&nbsp;0.86 vs. -&nbsp;0.15&nbsp;±&nbsp;0.71, P&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001). Muscle-specific force was lower in HR-NBL survivors compared with controls (P&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.05).</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>Bone mineral density and adiposity are not severely impacted in HR-NBL survivors with growth failure, but significant sarcopenia persists years after treatment. Future studies are needed to determine if sarcopenia improves with muscle-specific interventions in this population of cancer survivors.</p>

10.1002/jcsm.12734

J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle

34184837

Real-World Treatment Escalation from Metformin Monotherapy in Youth-Onset Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

2021

2021 May 12

1399-5448

<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>Due to high rates of comorbidities and rapid progression, youth with type 2 diabetes may benefit from early and aggressive treatment. However, until 2019, the only approved medications for this population were metformin and insulin.</p>

<p><strong>OBJECTIVE: </strong>To investigate patterns and predictors of treatment escalation within 5 years of metformin monotherapy initiation for youth with type 2 diabetes in clinical practice.</p>

<p><strong>SUBJECTS: </strong>Commercially-insured patients with incident youth-onset (10-18 years) type 2 diabetes initially treated with metformin only. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study using a patient-level medical claims database with data from 2000 - 2020. Frequency and order of treatment escalation to insulin and non-insulin antihyperglycemics were determined and categorized by age at diagnosis. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to evaluate potential predictors of treatment escalation, including age, sex, race/ethnicity, comorbidities, complications, and metformin adherence (medication possession ratio ≥0.8).</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>The cohort included 829 (66% female; median age at diagnosis 15 years; 19% Hispanic, 17% Black) patients, with median 2.9-year follow-up after metformin initiation. One-quarter underwent treatment escalation (n=207; 88 to insulin, 164 to non-insulin antihyperglycemic). Younger patients were more likely to have insulin prescribed prior to other antihyperglycemics. Age at diagnosis (HR 1.14, 95% CI 1.07-1.21), medication adherence (HR 4.10, 95% CI 2.96-5.67), Hispanic ethnicity (HR 1.83, 95% CI 1.28-2.61), and diabetes-related complications (HR 1.78, 95% CI 1.15-2.74) were positively associated with treatment escalation.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>In clinical practice, treatment escalation for pediatric type 2 diabetes differs with age. Off-label use of non-insulin antihyperglycemics occurs, most commonly among older adolescents. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.</p>

10.1111/pedi.13232

Pediatr Diabetes

33978986

Sex-based differences in screening and recognition of pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes in pediatric primary care.

2020

e12699

2020 Jul 26

2047-6310

<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>Risk-based screening for type 2 diabetes (T2D) in youth with overweight/obesity is recommended, but rates remain low in practice. Identification of factors impacting provider ordering and patient completion of testing may guide strategies to improve screening.</p>

<p><strong>OBJECTIVE: </strong>To evaluate predictors of hemoglobin A1c (A1c)-based T2D screening in pediatric primary care.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>This retrospective cohort study included 10 to 18 year-old patients with overweight/obesity (body mass index [BMI] Z-score ≥1.04) followed in a large academic-affiliated pediatric primary care network, 2009 to 2018. Percentages of patients with ordered and completed A1c were determined, and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was used to evaluate independent predictors of screening.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>34 927 (48.0% female; 52.5% with BMI Z-score ≥1.64) youth followed for a median of 3.0 years were included. 21% (7457) of patients had screening ordered and 14% (4966) completed screening during follow-up. In multivariable regression, after controlling for race/ethnicity, BMI, family history of diabetes and age, males were significantly less likely to have ordered screening, but were equally or more likely to complete screening if ordered.</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>Male adolescents were less likely to undergo A1c-based T2D screening due to differential ordering practices. The source of this differential practice should be pursued to avoid under-recognition of cardiometabolic risk in at-risk male youth.</p>

10.1111/ijpo.12699

Pediatr Obes

32715607

The stepwise assembly of the neonatal virome is modulated by breastfeeding.

2020

470-474

2020 May

1476-4687

<p>The gut of healthy human neonates is usually devoid of viruses at birth, but quickly becomes colonized, which-in some cases-leads to gastrointestinal disorders. Here we show that the assembly of the viral community in neonates takes place in distinct steps. Fluorescent staining of virus-like particles purified from infant meconium or early stool samples shows few or no particles, but by one month of life particle numbers increase to 10 per gram, and these numbers seem to persist throughout life. We investigated the origin of these viral populations using shotgun metagenomic sequencing of virus-enriched preparations and whole microbial communities, followed by targeted microbiological analyses. Results indicate that, early after birth, pioneer bacteria colonize the infant gut and by one month prophages induced from these bacteria provide the predominant population of virus-like particles. By four months of life, identifiable viruses that replicate in human cells become more prominent. Multiple human viruses were more abundant in stool samples from babies who were exclusively fed on&nbsp;formula milk compared with those fed partially or fully on breast milk, paralleling reports that breast milk can be protective against viral infections. Bacteriophage populations also differed depending on whether or not the infant was breastfed. We show that the colonization of the infant gut is stepwise, first mainly by temperate bacteriophages induced from pioneer bacteria, and later by viruses that replicate in human cells; this second phase is modulated by breastfeeding.</p>

10.1038/s41586-020-2192-1

Nature

32461640

Association between Prediabetes Diagnosis and Body Mass Index Trajectory of Overweight and Obese Adolescents.

2020

2020 Apr 21

1399-5448

<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>Prediabetes awareness in adults has been associated with improved weight management. Whether youth with prediabetes diagnosis experience similar improvements is unknown.</p>

<p><strong>OBJECTIVE: </strong>To investigate the association between prediabetes identification and body mass index trajectory in overweight and obese adolescents.</p>

<p><strong>SUBJECTS: </strong>Youth who were followed longitudinally in a large academic-affiliated primary care network and who were overweight/obese while 10-18 years old.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>Retrospective cohort study. Subjects were categorized as "screened" if at least 1 hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) result was available. Time series analysis was used to determine the difference in difference (DID) in body mass index Z-score (BMI-Z) slope before and after HbA1c between: 1) screened youth found to have prediabetes-range HbA1c (5.7-6.4%, 39-46 mmol/mol) versus normal HbA1c, and 2) screened versus age-matched unscreened obese youth.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>4,184 (55.6% female) screened subjects (median follow-up 9.7 years) were included. 637 (15.2%) had prediabetes-range HbA1c. Prediabetes was associated with a greater decrease in BMI-Z slope than normal HbA1c (DID: -0.023/year [95% CI: -0.042 to -0.004]). When compared to age-matched unscreened subjects (n=2,087), screened subjects (n=2,815) experienced a greater decrease in BMI-Z slope after HbA1c than unscreened subjects at a matched age (DID: -0.031/y [95% CI -0.042 to -0.021]).</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>BMI-Z trajectory improved more among youth with prediabetes-range HbA1c but also stabilized in screened youth overall. Prospective studies are needed to identify provider- and patient-level drivers of this observation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.</p>

10.1111/pedi.13028

Pediatr Diabetes

32314478

Bacterial colonization reprograms the neonatal gut metabolome.

2020

2020 Apr 13

2058-5276

<p>Initial microbial colonization and later succession in the gut of human infants are linked to health and disease later in life. The timing of the appearance of the first gut microbiome, and the consequences for the early life metabolome, are just starting to be defined. Here, we evaluated the gut microbiome, proteome and metabolome in 88 African-American newborns using faecal samples collected in the first few days of life. Gut bacteria became detectable using molecular methods by 16 h after birth. Detailed analysis of the three most common species, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis and Bacteroides vulgatus, did not suggest a genomic signature for neonatal gut colonization. The appearance of bacteria was associated with reduced abundance of approximately 50 human proteins, decreased levels of free amino acids and an increase in products of bacterial fermentation, including acetate and succinate. Using flux balance modelling and in vitro experiments, we provide evidence that fermentation of amino acids provides a mechanism for the initial growth of E. coli, the most common early colonizer, under anaerobic conditions. These results provide a deep characterization of the first microbes in the human gut and show how the biochemical environment is altered by their appearance.</p>

10.1038/s41564-020-0694-0

Nat Microbiol

32284564

Pediatric Bone Mineral Accrual Z-Score Calculation Equations and Their Application in Childhood Disease.

2018

2018 Oct 29

1523-4681

<p>Annual gains in BMC and areal bone mineral density (aBMD) in children vary with age, pubertal status, height-velocity, and lean body mass accrual (LBM velocity). Evaluating bone accrual in children with bone health-threatening conditions requires consideration of these determinants. The objective of this study was to develop prediction equations for calculating BMC/aBMD velocity SD scores (velocity-Z) and to evaluate bone accrual in youth with health conditions. Bone and body compositions via DXA were obtained for up to six annual intervals in healthy youth (n = 2014) enrolled in the Bone Mineral Density in Childhood Study (BMDCS) . Longitudinal statistical methods were used to develop sex- and pubertal-status-specific reference equations for calculating velocity-Z for total body less head-BMC and lumbar spine (LS), total hip (TotHip), femoral neck, and 1/3-radius aBMD. Equations accounted for (1) height velocity, (2) height velocity and weight velocity, or (3) height velocity and LBM velocity. These equations were then applied to observational, single-center, 12-month longitudinal data from youth with cystic fibrosis (CF; n = 65), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivors (n = 45), or Crohn disease (CD) initiating infliximab (n = 72). Associations between BMC/aBMD-Z change (conventional pediatric bone health monitoring method) and BMC/aBMD velocity-Z were assessed. The BMC/aBMD velocity-Z for CF, ALL, and CD was compared with BMDCS. Annual changes in the BMC/aBMD-Z and the BMC/aBMD velocity-Z were strongly correlated, but not equivalent; LS aBMD-Z = 1 equated with LS aBMD velocity-Z = -3. In CF, BMC/aBMD velocity-Z was normal. In posttherapy ALL, BMC/aBMD velocity-Z was increased, particularly at TotHip (1.01 [-.047; 1.7], p &lt; 0.0001). In CD, BMC/aBMD velocity-Z was increased at all skeletal sites. LBM-velocity adjustment attenuated these increases (eg, TotHip aBMD velocity-Z: 1.13 [0.004; 2.34] versus 1.52 [0.3; 2.85], p &lt; 0.0001). Methods for quantifying the BMC/aBMD velocity that account for maturation and body composition changes provide a framework for evaluating childhood bone accretion and may provide insight into mechanisms contributing to altered accrual in chronic childhood conditions. © 2018 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.</p>

10.1002/jbmr.3589

J. Bone Miner. Res.

30372552

Changes in pediatric DXA measures of musculoskeletal outcomes and correlation with quantitative CT following treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

2018

128-135

2018 Jul

1873-2763

<p>We previously reported significant gains in pQCT measures of tibia trabecular bone mineral density (BMD) and cortical structure following completion of therapy in children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The objective of this study was to examine changes in DXA measures used in clinical practice and expressed as Z-scores using robust national reference data. Children and adolescents, ages 5 to 18 years were enrolled within 2 (median 0.8) years of completing ALL therapy. DXA total-body less-head bone mineral content (TBLH-BMC), and spine, total hip, femoral neck, and 1/3rd radius areal BMD (aBMD) were assessed in 45 participants at enrollment and 12-months later. Linear regression models examined correlates of changes in DXA Z-scores. Changes in DXA outcomes were compared to changes in tibia pQCT trabecular and cortical volumetric BMD (vBMD) and cortical area. At enrollment, DXA TBLH-BMC, spine and radius aBMD Z-scores were not significantly reduced in ALL survivors; however, total hip [median -0.74 (IQ range -1.51 to -0.04)] and femoral neck [-0.51 (-1.24 to 0.14)] aBMD Z-scores were lower (both p &lt; 0.01) compared to reference data. DXA Z-scores at all skeletal sites increased over 12 months. Despite improvement, total hip Z-score remained lower at -0.55 (-1.05 to 0.18). The increases in TBLH-BMC, total hip and femoral neck aBMD Z-scores were more pronounced in those enrolled within 6 months of completing ALL therapy, compared to those enrolled at &gt;6 months. Gains in TBLH-BMC, total hip, femoral neck and radius aBMD Z-scores were significantly associated with gains in tibia cortical area Z-scores (R = 0.56 to 0.67, p ≤ 0.001). Changes in TBLH and proximal femur sites were associated with gains in trabecular vBMD Z-scores (R = 0.37 to 0.40; p ≤ 0.01); these associations were not significant when adjusted for gains in cortical area. In summary, gains in DXA measures were most pronounced in total hip and femoral neck following ALL therapy. The gains in all DXA measures, with the exception of lumbar spine, reflected gains in cortical area. Overall, ALL survivors demonstrate skeletal recovery following completion of therapy; a small sub-group continue to demonstrate deficits and benefit from continued observation to ensure improvement over time.</p>

10.1016/j.bone.2018.04.012

Bone

29679731