Child & Adolescent Health
“We’re working with families, helping them make healthy eating, exercise, and preventive care part of their busy daily lives.”
Paula Lozano, MD, MPH
Associate Medical Director for Research and Translation, Washington Permanente Medical Group
Senior Investigator, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute
Physician, Washington Permanente Medical Group, Pediatrics
Research overview
Babies, children, and teens have specific health needs. Research at Kaiser Permanente Washington covers family health from pregnancy through childhood and early adulthood.
“Healthy childhood habits can lead to a healthier adulthood,” says Paula Lozano, MD, MPH, a senior investigator at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) and assistant medical director for preventive care at Kaiser Permanente Washington. “So we’re working with families, helping them make healthy eating, exercise, and preventive care part of their busy daily lives.” Dr. Lozano also focuses on meeting the health needs of disadvantaged youth and communicating health information effectively to all families, regardless of their primary language and cultural background.
KPWHRI research topics in child and adolescent health include:
- Systems of care for children with chronic conditions.
- Weight management approaches for children with obesity.
- Drug safety during pregnancy.
- Addressing disparities in asthma care.
- Disease prevention through vaccines.
- Adolescent depression.
- Preventing family and teen smoking.
"Children are not just miniature adults,” says David C. Grossman, MD, MPH, KPWHRI senior investigator and Kaiser Permanente Washington medical director for population & purchaser strategy. “We’re studying how best to meet to their unique health needs, especially how to encourage healthy behavior during childhood and adolescence."
Recent publications on Child & Adolescent Health
Bardach NS, Burkhart Q, Richardson LP, Roth CP, Murphy JM, Parast L, Gidengil CA, Marmet J, Britto MT, Mangione-Smith R. Hospital-based quality measures for pediatric mental health care. Pediatrics. 2018 Jun;141(6). pii: e20173554. doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-3554. PubMed
Wright DR, Christakis DA, Lozano P, Saelens BE. Healthy, wealthy, and wise? exploring parent comparative optimism about future child outcomes. MDM Policy Pract. 2018 May 23;3(1):2381468318774776. doi: 10.1177/2381468318774776. eCollection 2018 Jan-Jun. PubMed
Arthur KC, Mangione-Smith R, Burkhart Q, Parast L, Liu H, Elliott MN, McGlynn EA, Schneider EC. Quality of care for children with medical complexity: an analysis of continuity of care as a potential quality indicator. Acad Pediatr. 2018 Aug;18(6):669-676. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2018.04.009. Epub 2018 Apr 25. PubMed
Inge T, Coley RY, Bazzano LA, Xanthakos SA, McTigue K, Arterburn D, Williams N, Wellman R, Coleman KJ, Courcoulas A, Desai NK, Anau J, Pardee R, Toh S, Janning C, Cook A, Sturtevant J, Horgan C, Zebrick AJ, Michalsky M. Comparative effectiveness of bariatric procedures among adolescents: the PCORnet bariatric study. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2018 Apr 17. doi: 10.1016/j.soard.2018.04.002.
Grossman DC, Curry SJ, Owens DK. Studies omitted from the US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations for child vision screening. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2018 Apr 12. pii: 2677565. doi: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2018.0624. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Researchers in Child & Adolescent Health
 David C. Grossman, MD, MPHSenior Investigator, KPWHRI; Senior Associate Medical Director, Market Strategy & Public Policy and Physician, Pediatrics, Washington Permanente Medical Group |
 Paula Lozano, MD, MPHSenior Investigator, KPWHRI; Associate Medical Director for Research and Translation & Physician, Pediatrics, Washington Permanente Medical Group |
 Lisa A. Jackson, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
 Michael L. Jackson, PhD, MPHAssociate Investigator |
 Sascha Dublin, MD, PhDSenior Investigator |
 Cara C. Lewis, PhD, HSPPAssociate Investigator |
 Rita Mangione-Smith, MD, MPHVice President for Research and Health Care Innovation, Kaiser Permanente Washington; Executive Director and Senior Investigator, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute |
Improving Pediatric Care
For better pediatric care, back guidelines with more evidence
In the 2000s, Dr. Beth McGlynn showed that rates of getting recommended care are low. In a new JAMA editorial, Dr. David Grossman has ideas to improve them.
Read it in Healthy Findings.
Gun safety & suicide
Gun safety is crucial for families with high-risk teens
Most parents of teens with depression and substance abuse store guns unsafely, Dr. David Grossman writes in Pediatrics.
Read it in Healthy Findings.
Prevention
How to keep guns—and troubled teens—safe
Dr. Grossman’s team has studied safe gun storage. But they found parents of adolescents with mental illness were no more likely to store guns safely.
Read about it in Healthy Findings.
Teen Health
Helping teens — and their families — manage online health care
CCHE’s Creagh Miller knows teens do best when technology supports trusting relationships.
Read it in Healthy Findings.
KPWHRI In the Media
Kaiser Permanente study tests new way to reduce ‘vaccine hesitancy’
Study: Training parents as immunization advocates a promising approach to vaccine hesitancy
Science Blogs, May 1, 2017
KPWHRI In the Media
Kaiser Permanente study tests new way to reduce ‘vaccine hesitancy’
Why vaccine skeptics respond better to information than shaming
Time, Apr. 12, 2017
KPWHRI In the Media
Lipid Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Screening
Cholesterol screening for kids sparks debate (again)
Final Update Summary: Lipid Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Screening. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, Sept. 2016
