Ten top hot reads provided monthly by our australian colleague Dr Mavis Duncanson  

1. The World Health Organisation fact sheet on a human rights-based approach to neglected tropical diseases notes that "children and women are disproportionately affected by some neglected tropical diseases and may face additional barriers to seeking and receiving treatment". This very readable four-page document highlights the global impact of diseases which have a high associated burden, particularly for children, but which are too often ignored.

2. The previous item is also relevant in the context of the potential public health ‘disaster' of an Influenza A H1N1 epidemic. This front page article from The Age (30 April 2009) highlights the disproportionate attention given to a potential threat to "us and people like us" compared with the daily threats already experienced by millions internationally.

3. Prevalence of Antihypertensive, Antidiabetic, and Dyslipidemic Prescription Medication Use Among Children and Adolescents It is a little difficult to know how to interpret the findings of this serial, cross-sectional study of 5-6 million commercially insured US children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years, which showed increasing use of oral antidiabetic and antihypertensive drugs from November 2004 to June 2007. The overall use of all agents increased from 3.3 per 1000 youths in November 2004 to 3.8 per 1000 youths. The 16- to 18-year-olds had the highest prevalence , however the greatest rate of increase was found among 6- to 11-year-olds among whom angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor use increased 27.7% among girls and 25.2% among boys. Dyslipidemia therapy, which was dominated by statin use, declined 22.9% for the total sample over the same time frame. Whether this increasing use indicates increased awareness of treatment needs, increased incidence of cardiovascular risk factors, or overmedicalisation it maybe highlights the costs of pursuing individual interventions, and an apparent lack of effective population level intervention.

4. Hearing Screening in Newborns. Systematic Review of Accuracy, Effectiveness, and Effects of Interventions after Screening This systematic review identified 17 non-randomised controlled studies (two of screening versus no screening; six of therapeutic effect of early versus later treatment; and nine that assessed the accuracy of screening tests).

Ten top hot reads provided monthly by our australian colleague Dr Mavis Duncanson

Ten top hot reads provided monthly by our australian colleague Dr Mavis Duncanson

1.    Country-led M&E Systems: Better evidence, better policies, better development results.  A new publication from UNICEF with key points summarised in a powerpoint presentation here.  With a focus on developing countries, many of the lessons are equally applicable in New Zealand and Australia. Evidence based policy making is “an approach that helps people make well informed decisions about policies, programmes and projects by putting the best available evidence at the heart of policy development and implementation.”   Valuable background information for us all.

2.    Minimising medication errors in children Archives of Disease in Childhood 2009;94:161-164.  A review from the UK points out that most studies about medication errors are conducted in adults, and that this is also a significant problem in the paediatric population. The paper reviews the factors contributing to paediatric medication errors, including lack of appropriate paediatric formulations, communication issues between health professionals, dose calculation mistakes and inadequate clinical practice and discusses risk reduction strategies.

Ten top hot reads provided monthly by our australian colleague Dr Mavis Duncanson

• 1. The Child Development Index: Holding governments to account for children's wellbeing was launched by Save the Children just before Christmas, using a globally representative, multi-dimensional tool to monitor and compare the wellbeing of children in more than 140 developed and developing countries. The index is simple, using three easily available and commonly understood indicators that are clearly indicative of child wellbeing:

.under-five mortality rate

.percentage of under fives who are moderately or severely underweight

.percentage of primary school-age children who are not enrolled in school.

The data table is also available as an Excel sheet.  Our region is surprisingly absent - no Pacific/ Oceania region is described.  Australia is included in developed countries, and Fiji in East and South East Asia.  Apart from that exclusion, the report provides up-to-date comparative information for key parts of the world, and reminds us of the persisting inequities for so many children internationally, especially in parts of Africa and Asia.  There would be many Pacific children in similar circumstances if they were included.

• 2. Promotion of children's rights and prevention of child maltreatment The Lancet, 2009 Volume 373, Pages 332-343. One of the articles in the Lancet Child Maltreatment series, this opinion piece shows how a child rights framework can contribute to both public-health and child protection responses to the persistent global issue of child maltreatment. Authors come from several countries, and conclude "The greatest strength of an approach based on the UNCRC is that it provides a legal instrument for implementing policy, accountability, and social justice, all of which enhance public-health responses."

• 3. World report on child injury prevention from WHO and UNICEF was also released late last year. 232 pages of excellent information about the extent and urgency of injury to children internationally. An inspiring blend of addressing upstream determinants and reporting practical and effective community initiatives (e.g. cycle helmets). The focus is on unintentional injury - with reference to other recent international reports that deal with child abuse, youth violence and sexual violence. Not for quick reading, but an excellent resource on injury prevention with a global perspective.

Ten top hot reads provided monthly by australian colleague Dr Mavis Duncanson

• 1. Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health The Lancet. 2008; 372, 1661 - 1669. A summary of the key findings and recommendations of the report in August from the Commission on Social Determinants of Health. You can register with the Lancet and read this full article free of charge. This whole issue of the Lancet has a focus on health equity. The article below particularly relevant for child population health.
• 2. Effects of fully-established Sure Start Local Programmes on 3-year-old children and their families living in England: a quasi-experimental observational study. The Lancet. 2008; 372, 1641 - 1647. A quasi-experimental observational study, comparing 5883 3-year-old children and their families from 93 disadvantaged Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLP) areas with 1879 3-year-old children and their families from 72 similarly deprived areas in England without SSLPs.