Pediatricians must look beyond the walls of the examining room and into their own communities to understand and confront the socioeconomic and environmental threats to the health of children and adolescents, such as poor nutrition, exposure to violence, and substance abuse. That was the recommendation of a special supplement of the journal Pediatrics released today by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the nation's largest professional organization of pediatricians.

The supplement's lead editors and contributors included several University of Rochester Medical Center pediatricians and many of the recommendations and conclusions in the study are based on the pioneering work done by Rochester-based practitioners in the field of pediatric community health.

"In the past, pediatricians focused solely on the patient and the treatment of disease," said Jeffrey Kaczorowski, M.D., a pediatrician at URMC, co-director of the Pediatric Links to the Community program, and one of the supplement's editors and contributors. "The health problems that we are confronting in kids today, such as obesity, mental health concerns, drug use and violence, are the result of the conditions in their communities."

The supplement focuses on socioeconomic, environmental, and lifestyle impacts on the health of children and the need for pediatricians to partner with community-based organizations, state and local government, schools, churches and families to improve the delivery of health care.

Pediatricians are becoming more sensitive to the direct relationship between socioeconomic status and child health. Economically disadvantaged youths are more susceptible to teen pregnancy, violence and injury, sexually transmitted diseases, and mental health problems. Racial and economic disparities are particularly glaring. Black and Hispanic children are more likely to be under immunized, become overweight, develop diabetes, become pregnant as teens, and suffer from asth
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Contact: Mark Michaud
mark_michaud@urmc.rochester.edu
585-273-4790
University of Rochester Medical Center
4-Apr-2005

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