In this issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health we have published our first fast track article. The article by Santelli and his colleagues documents an important trend in sexual behavior. We purposely “fast-tracked” this paper because of the timely nature of the findings. Currently there is a national dialogue occurring about sexual behavior in adolescents and young adults. This debate needs to be informed by science. The fast tracking system has been developed by the Journal in order to facilitate and encourage the submission of manuscripts that are of very high quality have documented findings that may change the content of clinical practice have findings that may assist with the national and/or international dialogue about critical issues affecting adolescents and young adults and most importantly cannot wait for our regular review process. (excerpt)

To address the critical shortage of physician scientists in the field of adolescent medicine, a conference of academic leaders and representatives from foundations, National Institutes of Health, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, and the American Board of Pediatrics was convened to discuss training in transdisciplinary research, facilitators and barriers of successful career trajectories, models of training, and mentorship. The following eight recommendations were made to improve training and career development: incorporate more teaching and mentoring on adolescent health research in medical schools; explore opportunities and electives to enhance clinical and research training of residents in adolescent health; broaden educational goals for Adolescent Medicine fellowship research training and develop an intensive transdisciplinary research track; redesign the career pathway for the development of faculty physician scientists transitioning from fellowship to faculty positions; expand formal collaborations between Leadership Education in Adolescent Health/other Adolescent Medicine Fellowship Programs and federal, foundation, and institutional programs; develop research forums at national meetings and opportunities for critical feedback and mentoring across programs; educate Institutional Review Boards about special requirements for high quality adolescent health research; and address the trainee and faculty career development issues specific to women and minorities to enhance opportunities for academic success. (C) 2010 Society for Adolescent Medicine. All rights reserved.

This study examined health care access, utilization, and quality among overweight and obese adolescents in a statewide sample of California adolescents. We used data from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), a population-based household telephone survey of adolescents. The data were weighted to adjust for non-response and complex sampling design. We first examined differences in insurance status, access, and utilization (n = 4,029), and then preventive health screening rates among adolescents with a check-up in the past 12 months (n = 3,235). Preventive health screening was measured by 6 items that asked respondents if they talked to their physician at last check-up about physical activity, nutrition, smoking, drug/alcohol use, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Age-adjusted BMI was calculated using self-reported height and weight and grouped 3 ways according to CDC percentile: normal/under-weight (< 85), overweight (86-94), and obese (<> 95th). We utilized chi-square and logistic regression analyses to test for differences between groups. Outcome measures were: current insurance status, access (usual source of care, delayed care), utilization (check-up in last 12 months), and preventive health screening rates. Obese respondents had the highest uninsured rate (9.5%), compared to the overweight (6.9%) and normal/underweight (7.3%) groups (p < 0.001). Having a usual source of care, delayed care, or a check-up in the past 12 months did not differ by BMI percentile. Preventive health screening was reported more often by obese compared to normal weight adolescents for all categories except STDs (p < 0.05). Overweight respondents reported higher rates of nutrition screening (73.8% vs. 68.7%), but had lower rates of physical activity screening (70.8% vs. 75.5%) compared to normal weight respondents (p < 0.05). When we controlled for age, race, income, and gender, screening rates for nutrition (OR 2.70, p < 0.001) and physical activity (OR 1.56, p < 0.05) remained higher in the obese group compared to the normal weight group, but these differences were no longer significant between the overweight and normal weight group. Though insurance status differed by weight category, this was not associated with less access to care. Obese adolescents reported an appropriately higher rate of preventive health screening, especially in the areas of nutrition and physical activity. Screening rates in overweight adolescents were not consistently higher than normal weight respondents, representing a missed opportunity for lifestyle change. Overweight adolescents are an important target for increased screening efforts around physical activity and nutrition.

This paper describes a global science and technology company's experience in optimizing the synergy between a state of the art electrical safety program and process safety management. Process safety management tends to focus on equipment and systems that are directly associated with hazardous manufacturing processes. Electric power, control and data systems may not be directly associated with the process, however the integrity and availability of these electrical systems may be critical and essential for process operations and process safety management. The end user has manufacturing operations throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. This case history provides a global perspective on integrating electrical and process safety.

Purpose: National guidelines recommend that Pediatric providers should screen and counsel adolescents about risky behaviors that contribute to morbidity and mortality. However, the delivery of adolescent preventive services remains below recommended levels. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a training workshop for primary care providers, focused on delivering preventive services, resulted in increased rates of preventive screening and counseling of adolescent patients.

Purpose: Although national guidelines recommend that pediatric providers screen and counsel adolescents about risky health behaviors, the efficacy of the provision of these guidelines has not been demonstrated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a preventive services intervention on adolescent behavior.

The following two areas of research are considered in this article: (1) the impact of pubertal onset and timing on psychosocial functioning in adolescents, and (2) psychosocial correlates of adolescent risk taking such as low self esteem and values on independence.