JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting

Digital health programs are increasingly important in the treatment and prevention of mental health problems in young children. However, suboptimal family engagement with a program may hamper its effectiveness. Family engagement in digital mental health programs is multifaceted and poorly understood, with ill-defined relationships among aspects of participation and program outcomes (ie, what constitutes engagement). Moreover, little is known about the barriers and facilitators to effectively engaging families at risk for anxiety, who may not be actively seeking treatment.

Oral health in early childhood is vital for long-term well-being, yet dental caries is highly prevalent among young children in the United States, especially in low-income and immigrant families. Brazilian immigrants, a rapidly growing Latin American population in the United States, face distinct barriers to oral health care, such as language differences, limited access to care, and a lack of culturally tailored resources. Despite this, Brazilian immigrants are understudied in public health research. Understanding Brazilian immigrant parents’ perspectives is essential to advancing oral health equity through culturally responsive strategies.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder affecting millions globally, with life-threatening complications, and most patients live in sub-Saharan Africa. Particularly, children with SCD have a high risk of stroke. Although early screening for stroke could help prevent many cases, access to effective stroke screening remains limited in low-resource settings (LRS). Existing traditional approaches are highly operator-dependent, costly, resource-intensive, or difficult to deploy at scale in pediatric care. These limitations highlight the urgent need for accessible, scalable, and child-appropriate stroke screening and assessment tools suitable for low-resource health care contexts.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, governments around the world enforced stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidelines that amplified the use of screen time among pediatric populations. Excessive screen time may negatively impact mental health by increasing depression and anxiety.

Vaccination is among the most effective public health interventions to reduce childhood morbidity and mortality. Despite World Health Organization recommendations, global immunization coverage has declined in recent years, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing the largest sustained backslide in routine immunization in 3 decades. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), full immunization coverage remains below 50%, hindered by inequities, supply shortages, and financing delays. In the Kikula Health Zone, administrative reports suggest coverage exceeding 100%, yet independent surveys consistently reveal low completion and high dropout rates between Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and measles vaccines. No previous study has specifically examined determinants of dropping out in this setting.

Singapore is a multicultural society characterized by a diverse array of ethnic groups, including Chinese, Malay, Indians, and others. A considerable percentage of Singaporeans are active users of the internet. The internet has become a significant resource for health education, particularly for women who wish to learn about a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy. However, it is still unclear how pregnant women search for information online, particularly within specific groups.

The internet is highly convenient and has become an indispensable part of daily life. However, its widespread use also has notable disadvantages, such as the risk of internet addiction. Still, increased internet use may enhance eHealth literacy, and online health information seeking may contribute to health promotion. In Hong Kong, internet addiction and low physical activity among adolescents are growing concerns, underscoring the need to address internet use to better support the health and well-being of youth.

In Saudi Arabia, unintentional injuries among children represent a prevalent and significant public health issue and severe injuries are of the leading indications for hospitalization and impairments.

Although childhood behavior problems are common, and strong evidence-based interventions exist to address these challenges, many families struggle to access care and remain in treatment long enough to see results. The Support and Advocacy through Providing Parents Helpful Interventions, Resources, and Education (SAPPHIRE) program was developed to address barriers to accessing care for disruptive behaviors in young children.

Iron chelation therapy (ICT) is essential for people with hematological disorders requiring chronic transfusions to minimize the risk of iron overload, yet suboptimal adherence is prevalent. Widespread use of personal technology makes mobile health (mHealth) an attractive platform to promote adherence.

More than 6 million children in the United States have asthma, and more than 20% are clinically obese. Youth with asthma and obesity are susceptible to poor health outcomes, including greater asthma symptom severity and hospitalizations, reduced physical activity, and poorer quality of life. Mobile health technologies can increase access to chronic disease self-management interventions, and family members can be powerful influencers given their substantial control over a child’s behavior and home environment.

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience persistent barriers to accessing comprehensive and developmentally appropriate sexual health education. Conventional curricula often fail to reflect their cognitive, social, and communication needs, increasing vulnerability to misinformation and sexual exploitation. Digital health interventions offer a promising avenue to deliver tailored, interactive, and accessible learning experiences for adolescents with ASD.