Learning in a Pandemic: A Model for Virtual Outreach

When the Covid19 pandemic closed schools including K-12 and colleges, hands-on science labs and outreach events were also canceled. The question was how to continue to engage students and adults of all ages in optics outreach while they were at home and school lab equipment was not available. Our solution was to provide optics at-home workshops that teachers and students could do with their families using readily available items. The authors with the assistance Optica (formerly The Optical Society, OSA) developed and presented a series of eight outreach workshops through the We Are On program.

TELEUROLOGY: EXPANDING HORIZONS TO INPATIENT ECONSULTS

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Telemedicine use rapidly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the efficacy of telemedicine in the inpatient setting has yet to be addressed. To this end, we measured patient and provider satisfaction with video and faceto- face (FTF) consults for inpatient urology consultations and sought to identify the urologic conditions most suitable for video consults. METHODS: New inpatient urology consults between August 2021-October 2021 were randomized to either video or FTF consult. Patient surveys were administered within 24 hours to assess satisfaction and perceived quality of care during the consult (3-point ordinal Likert scale). Survey results were analyzed using Mann- Whitney U tests. Participating urology attendings completed a survey assessing satisfaction and utility of both consultation mediums (3- point ordinal Likert scale), and suitability of video consults for common urologic consultation conditions (5-point ordinal Likert scale). RESULTS: A total of 48 patients were included;23 (48%) received video consult and 25 (52%) FTF consults. There were no significant differences in age or race between the cohorts. The most common reasons for consultation were acute urinary retention (Video: 5 [22%], FTF: 5 [20%]) and urolithiasis (Video: 5 [25%], FTF: 3 [12%]). Both cohorts agreed that they were overall satisfied with their visit (Video: 22 [95.7%], FTF: 25 [100%];p=0.297), received high-quality care (Video: 22 [95.7%], FTF: 23 [92.0%];p=0.61), and would accept the visit modality again in the future (Video: 21 [91.3%], FTF: 25 [100%];p=0.14). Urologists agreed on the utility of both consultation mediums, including ability to gather complete information (Video: 7 [100%], FTF: 7 [100%]) and manage the patient (Video: 6 [85.7%], FTF: 7 [100%];p=0.71). Physician satisfaction was lower for video consult than FTF (Video: 5 [71.4%], FTF: 7 [100%];p=0.38), and physicians were less likely to agree that video consults were satisfactory compared to FTF visits (4 [57.1%]). The most suitable urologic conditions for video consultation were elevated PSA and urinary retention (4.85±0.38), followed by urinary incontinence and nephrolithiasis (4.71±0.49). The least suitable was scrotal wall swelling (2.71±0.76). CONCLUSIONS: With increasing telemedicine utilization, video consults offer an alternative to FTF rounding that may combat difficulties of urologist shortages. Video consults enable urologists to see a wide variety of inpatient consults without hindering patient satisfaction. However, adoption of this tool will rely on physician preference and competence with video technology.

Intrapersonal, interpersonal and environmental correlates of moderate to vigorous physical activity and sedentary time in adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Although correlates of physical activity (PA) have been extensively examined in both children and adolescents who are typically developing, little is known about correlates of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time in adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Therefore, we examined intrapersonal, interpersonal and environmental factors and their association with device-based MVPA and sedentary time in adolescents with IDD. METHODS: MVPA and sedentary time was assessed using a hip-worn ActiGraph model wGT3x-BT tri-axial accelerometer across a 7-day period in adolescents with IDD and one of their parents. Pearson and point-biserial correlations were calculated to inspect the associations of PA (MVPA, sedentary time) with intrapersonal factors (demographic characteristic, BMI, waist circumference, motor ability, muscle strength, grip strength, cardiovascular fitness and self-efficacy for PA), interpersonal factors (parent demographics, parent BMI, parent MVPA and sedentary time, family social support for PA, parent barriers and support for PA, parent's beliefs/attitudes towards PA and number of siblings), and environmental factors (meteorologic season and COVID-19). Ordinary least squares regression was used to estimate the unique contributions of key factors to PA after controlling for participants' age, sex, race, waist circumference and total wear time. RESULTS: Ninety-two adolescents (15.5 ± 3.0 years old, 21.7% non-White, 6.5% Hispanic, 56.5% female) provided valid accelerometer data. Average sedentary time was 494.6 ± 136.4 min/day and average MVPA was 19.8 ± 24.2 min/day. Age (r = 0.27, P = 0.01), diagnosis of congenital heart disease (r = -0.26, P = 0.01) and parent sedentary time (r = 0.30, P = 0.01) were correlated with sedentary time. BMI (r = -0.24, P = 0.03), waist circumference (r = -0.28, P = 0.01), identifying as White (r = -0.23, P = 0.03) and parent MVPA (r = 0.56, P < 0.001) were correlated with MVPA. After adjusting for the adolescent's age, sex, race, waist circumference, and total wear time, the association between parent and adolescent MVPA remained significant (b = 0.55, P < 0.01, partial η2  = 0.11). CONCLUSION: The results of this study provide evidence that race, waist circumference and parental MVPA may influence the amount of MVPA in adolescents with IDD. The limited available information and the potential health benefits of increased MVPA highlight the need to evaluate the effectiveness of multi-component interventions targeting both intrapersonal and interpersonal levels to promote increased PA in adolescents with IDD.

An assessment of parental vaccine hesitancy in an Irish inpatient cohort in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and influenza vaccination strategies

Background: There is little data available on vaccine hesitancy rates in Irish parents, particularly in relation to the influenza vaccine (InV). Evidence to date would suggest that the morbidity from COVID-19 is lower in paediatric populations than that from influenza. Vaccination strategies are likely to be required for both infections, and as such, understanding parental perception of both vaccines is essential. Aims: We hoped to identify vaccination hesitancy rates for routine childhood vaccines (RCV) and for the influenza vaccine (InV). We then sought to identify intended uptake rates of the InV and any potential paediatric COVID-19 vaccine and review this data to try to identify trends in vaccination perceptions. Methods: A 10 item anonymised questionnaire was distributed to parents of all patients admitted under the General Paediatric team in a large tertiary centre in Dublin for 4 weeks during November 2020. Results were compiled and analysed, with scoring averages used to determine perceived vaccine efficacy scores (PVES) from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 5 amongst the population and its subgroups. Results: A total of 214 questionnaires were analysed. The average age was 59.45 months, with the median being 34 months. Of those due to have commenced their RCV schedule, 92.98% were up to date, with 2.7% having received no vaccinations. The average PVES for RCV and the InV was 4.67 and 4.31, respectively. Of those eligible to receive the InV this year (n=143), 37.8% were either very likely or likely to receive the vaccine, with 47.6% unsure, unlikely, or very unlikely. PVES decreased steadily with increasing hesitancy, to a nadir of 4.13 for RCH and 3 for the InV in the very unlikely subgroup. The average likelihood to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, if one were available, was 3.67. Only 23.83% were likely or very likely to vaccinate against influenza and COVID-19 simultaneously. With regards to preferable vaccination, 22.9% would prefer COVID-19 vaccination, 20.56% would prefer Influenza vaccination, 41.59% had equal preference, and 13.55% wanted neither. Discussion: Our study showed high PVES for both RCV and InV as well as high vaccination rates, but comparatively low intended rates of uptake of the Influenza vaccine and a potential COVID-19 vaccination. More research as to the reasoning behind this is needed in order to plan potential vaccination strategies.

Weight loss approaches in rural and urban u.s. adults in the international weight control registry

Background: Individuals living in rural areas have higher obesity and obesity related co-morbidities than their urban counterparts. Understanding rural-urban differences associated with weight management may inform the development of effective weight management interventions for adults living in rural areas. Methods: The International Weight Control Registry (IWCR) is an online registry designed to assess factors contributing to successes and challenges with weight loss and weight loss maintenance across the world. We examined demographics, weight history and weight management strategies in a sample of urban and rural residents in the Midwestern U.S. (IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI). Participants were classified as rural or urban by the Rural-Urban Commuting Area Code. Analyses included Chi-square tests for proportions and independent t-test and Wilcoxon rank sum test for continuous variables. Results: The sample was 45% rural (n = 78 of a total N = 174) with a mean age of 50.3 years. Rural residents were more likely to be white, non-college graduates, and have lower family income compared with urban areas (p < 0.05). Rural and urban residents reported similar weight histories and strategies for weight management. Work-related physical activity was higher and weekday sitting time was lower in rural compared to urban residents (p < 0.01). These data could potentially be impacted by the relative number of residents working from home during COVID-19 (Urban: 59% vs. Rural: 37%, p < 0.05). Rural residents were more likely to report a lack of neighborhood walkability (p < 0.01) and healthy food availability (p < 0.05) compared with urban residents. Conclusions: These data suggest rural-urban differences in demographic characteristics, opportunity for leisure time physical activity, and the availability of heathy foods should be considered in the development of weight management interventions. The consistency of the observed findings will be evaluated at the regional, national and international levels as the size of the available sample in the IWCR increases.