JMIR Formative Research

Childhood cancer has an annual incidence of 150-160 cases per million children worldwide but remains vastly under-diagnosed in low to middle income countries (LMIC) such as in Sub-Saharan Africa. Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) serves a population of 25 million people, including 10 million children. The average number of pediatric cancer diagnoses was 216 cases annually in 2017-2019, well below the anticipated 1500 cases based on epidemiology data. The remaining 75-80% of pediatric cancer cases remain undiagnosed and these patients do not likely survive. Prior outreach and needs assessment demonstrated lack of medical knowledge related to pediatric cancer as a primary barrier to improved referrals, diagnoses, and ultimately cure.

Innovative approaches to community-level data collection are crucial to inform policies and programs that support people in aging well within their communities. For example, community-level data can proactively identify unmet health needs, inform preventative care strategies, and ensure the equitable distribution of resources that enable older adults to age in place.

Many mental health conditions (eg, substance use or panic disorders) involve long-term patient assessment and treatment. Growing evidence suggests that the progression and presentation of these conditions may be highly individualized. Digital sensing and predictive modeling can augment scarce clinician resources to expand and personalize patient care. We discuss techniques to process patient data into risk predictions, for instance, the lapse risk for a patient with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Of particular interest are idiographic approaches that fit personalized models to each patient.

Depression is the top contributor to global disability. Early detection of depression and depressive symptoms enables timely intervention and reduces their physical and social consequences. Prevalence estimates of depression approach 30% among college students. Passive, device-based sensing further enables detection of depressive symptoms at a low burden to the individual.

During pregnancy, self-rated health (SRH) and self-rated mental health (SRMH) are key indicators of health status and predictors of future healthcare needs. The relationship between pregnant women’s health perceptions and their choice of antenatal care providers, midwives or general practitioners (GPs), is not known. Factors like childhood experiences and socioeconomic status are important determinants of health throughout life. Understanding these health determinants can help healthcare providers better address the diverse needs of pregnant women.

Family engagement in hospitals is crucial for improving outcomes and ensuring holistic, patient-centered care. However, there is limited understanding of how providers document family engagement in electronic medical records (EMR) and how factors like race and health disparities influence engagement practices. The absence of standardized EMR templates complicates tracking engagement and its impact on patient outcomes. Retrospective chart review (RCR) is an effective method for investigating clinical practice and how family engagement is documented, using both structured and unstructured data from patient records. Despite its potential, gaps remain in literature that distinguish between the pre-pilot and pilot phases in RCR studies.

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare, hereditary disease that causes disruption in phenylalanine (Phe) metabolism. Despite early intervention, individuals with PKU may have difficulty in several different cognitive domains, including verbal fluency, processing speed, and executive functioning.

The widespread availability of health information online, coupled with the ease of access to the internet, has led pregnant women to rely heavily on online sources for pregnancy-related guidance. The internet-based information regarding nutrition enabled positive dietary changes for pregnant women. Although there are some important sources for pregnant women to collect their health information, some information increases maternal anxiety and difficulties based on a lack of information. Moreover, some women become confused due to conflicts on the same topics from different websites. However, concerns about the reliability and impact of this information have surfaced, contributing to heightened anxiety among expectant mothers. The importance of the quality of web-based information is increasingly recognized; however, no studies have evaluated the quality of nutrition-related information for pregnant women.

Dementia-related stigma is a significant global health concern. However, public awareness and education about dementia-related stigma remain limited, especially on social media. Examining dementia-related stigma on social media is critical because it impacts how the public perceives people living with dementia. By understanding dementia-related stigma on social media, we can develop educational strategies to target false stereotypes, beliefs, and misinformation to improve the quality of life of people living with dementia.

Many young children spend at least some time in early care and education programs, where they develop social-emotional skills that prepare them for future success. However, young children may exhibit behavioral challenges in these settings, negatively impacting their social-emotional development. It is critical that the early childhood workforce is prepared to support young children’s burgeoning social-emotional skills to address challenging behaviors in early care and education classrooms. Infant and early childhood mental health consultation is an evidence-informed approach for increasing teachers’ skills for managing young children’s emotions and behaviors. One mechanism to increase teachers’ access and use of the infant and early childhood mental health consultation programs is through on-demand mobile apps.

The increasing prevalence of self-harm among adolescents is a significant public health concern. School staff are often the first professionals to notice when a young person is self-harming and are in a unique position to intervene and offer support. However, research indicates that many school staff members feel ill-equipped and lack confidence in how to respond. Negative or dismissive responses may discourage young people from seeking further help. There is an urgent need for targeted training interventions to equip school staff with the skills and knowledge necessary to support students who self-harm.

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections in the U.S., however vaccination uptake falls far below the goal of 80% of the population set forth by Healthy People 2030. Specifically, within the LGBTQ+ population, HPV vaccination adherence remains a complex issue. Due to the widespread use of technology within the young adult population, digital health tools such as digital storytelling have been promoted as an effective way to increase vaccination uptake.