JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting

Children and young adults with special health care needs comprise a significant portion of the pediatric population in the United States, where 1 in every 5 children has a complex health care need. These patients are more likely to receive unsafe care and have their needs unmet in part due to lack of accessible information and limited training support. Barriers in communication may contribute to detrimental outcomes for this vulnerable, high-risk population.

Digital parent training programs (DPTs) have emerged as a scalable solution for treating childhood oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), offering remote access and reduced barriers to care. However, there is limited data on their potential to reach untreated populations and their effectiveness during times of crisis, such as war.

Protracted bacterial bronchitis (PBB) is a leading cause of chronic wet cough in children. Misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment may lead to the progression of diseases.

Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is a common musculoskeletal problem in children, characterized by mechanical instability, perceived instability, and recurrent sprains. Inadequate rehabilitation can persist symptoms, increase the risk of re-injury, and negatively impact long-term quality of life. Research on the rehabilitation of children with CAI concerning ankle stability, running speed, and agility has been limited. Therefore, the Jump Step Kids (JSKs) program was developed as a rhythmic, multidirectional jumping program to improve functional movement and agility in children with CAI.

Participants in qualitative interviews designed to optimize the adaptation of a maternal postpartum depression intervention into a novel smartphone app noted that the app could be more useful if were delivered simultaneously to both parents; this calls for additional research on the feasibility and effectiveness of digital dyadic or stand-alone partner interventions to prevent postpartum depression.

An adaptive text messaging intervention to promote adolescent physical activity has demonstrated encouraging feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy in a recent proof-of-concept study. To inform future intervention development, a secondary analysis of the data examined how physical activity is influenced by mood, environment, and physical feelings of energy and

The proliferation of smartphones raises worries over their impact on adolescent development, especially problematic smartphone use. This research investigates the intricacies of problematic smartphone usage in adolescents, particularly in light of significant increases in screen time, from a developmental psychology perspective.

Asthma is one of the most common pediatric conditions affecting millions of US children. Digital health applications may provide children and their caregivers (parents/legal guardians) with ways to manage asthma and improve health and educational outcomes.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) constitutes a significant health and economic burden in low- and middle-income countries, including Indonesia. However, its macroeconomic impact across provinces remains poorly quantified.

Early childhood dental caries (ECC) remains a common childhood condition that affects 600 million children worldwide. Providing parents with support for oral health behaviour change can address ECC risk factors and complement preventative clinical care. Mobile Health (mHealth) text message programs that are co-designed and evaluated by parents and health professionals using behaviour theory have been shown to be effective to improve oral health outcomes.

Pediatric asthma is the most common chronic illness among children in the Netherlands. Scheduled hospital visits provide limited insight into therapy adherence and inhalation technique, which are critical for disease control. Smart inhalers that provide immediate feedback may offer a solution for monitoring and improving these parameters at home, leading to better asthma control.

Smartwatch activity trackers are devices that measure physical activity levels with features that aim to encourage physically active behaviors. These devices have shown promise for increasing physical activity levels and reducing sedentary behaviors among school-aged children, adolescents, and adults. Recently, commercially available products have been adapted so that they are suitable for use by preschool-aged children. However, it is unclear whether the intended use of these devices is feasible and effective in young children.