ABSTRACT
Eating disorders are serious, potentially life-threatening illnesses afflicting individuals through the life span, with a particular impact on both the physical and psychological development of children and adolescents. Because care for children and adolescents with eating disorders can be complex and resources for the treatment of eating disorders are often limited, pediatricians may be called on to not only provide medical supervision for their patients with diagnosed eating disorders but also coordinate care and advocate for appropriate services. This clinical report includes a review of common eating disorders diagnosed in children and adolescents, outlines the medical evaluation of patients suspected of having an eating disorder, presents an overview of treatment strategies, and highlights opportunities for advocacy.
Subject(s)
Feeding and Eating Disorders/diagnosis , Feeding and Eating Disorders/therapy , Adolescent , Ambulatory Care , Child , Family Therapy , Feeding and Eating Disorders/complications , Hematologic Tests , Hospitalization , Humans , Insurance Coverage , Interprofessional Relations , Medical History Taking , Pediatricians , Physical Examination , Physician's Role , Prevalence , Prognosis , Residential TreatmentABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To examine whether African-American inner-city adolescents are independently motivated by a fear of victimization or by delinquency to carry a knife or gun. METHODS: A household sample of 130 female and 93 male African-American adolescents, aged 13-19 years old, were queried about their fear of victimization, history of delinquency, and intention to carry a knife or a gun in the next 3 months. RESULTS: A high intention to carry a knife was reported by 27% of the males and 35% of the females. A high intention to carry a gun was reported by 25% of the males and 9% of the females. The intention to carry a knife was independently associated with a history of delinquency in females (odds ratio [OR] = 3.0; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.4-6.2) and males (OR = 4.7; 95% CI = 1.7-13.3). It was not associated with a fear of victimization. The intention to carry a gun was independently associated with fear of victimization in females (OR = 4.5; 95% CI = 1.1-17.7) and males (OR = 3.3; 95% CI = 1.1-9.9). It was also independently associated with a history of delinquency in females (OR = 4.1; 95% CI = 1.1-16.3) and males (OR = 11.7; 95% CI = 3.1-44.7). CONCLUSIONS: Delinquency may play a role in motivating inner-city African-American adolescents to carry a knife, whereas both delinquency and fear of victimization may influence adolescents' motivation to carry a gun.
