key: cord-0873176-z4kvsy4y authors: Kest, Helen; Kaushik, Ashlesha; Jagunla, Anne; Shaheen, Somia; Zaveri, Sahil; Fernandez, Ninia; Gupta, Sandeep; Goldberg, David title: Adolescents as partners in the fight against COVID-19 date: 2021-10-28 journal: Int J Pediatr Adolesc Med DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpam.2021.10.004 sha: da2e8d25d93d2c32b9b628e1e362fedb11bc9677 doc_id: 873176 cord_uid: z4kvsy4y We report our experience of COVID-19 disease burden among patients aged 0–21 years at two tertiary care institutions in the Northeast and Midwest from New Jersey and Iowa. Our results showed that during the initial surge (March to August 2020) at both geographic locations, majority of COVID-19 disease burden occurred in adolescents and that they were more likely to be hospitalized for COVID related illnesses, as well as develop severe disease needing intensive care. The study results emphasize the need for providing more targeted interventions toward this group to help prevent disease acquisition and transmission. The submitting author affirms that all individuals listed as authors have met the criteria of authorship. Kest, H Adolescents also play a significant role in household and community transmission due to risk-taking behaviors, including the less likelihood of adhering to mitigation measures. The period of adolescence therefore presents a good opportunity to maximize preventive and intervention efforts for positive health outcomes. 2 Pediatric providers are well positioned to empower adolescents by building on their intrinsic strengths and values in a way that promotes active participation in SARS-CoV-2 transmission prevention. Here, we describe SARS-CoV-2 disease epidemiology and severity in the pediatric age group, particularly in the adolescent age group at 2 different geographic locations in the United States and discuss potential adolescent-driven strategies to reduce transmission. Our study investigated the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 during the initial surge using percentage positivity of SARS-CoV-2 in the pediatric population (0-21 CA) was used to analyze the data. A P value of <.05 was considered statistically significant. Our study from two geographically distinct tertiary care-centers shows that adolescents bear the major burden of SARS-COV-2 disease in 0-to 21-year age group, accounting for the majority of SARS-COV-2 infections and related hospitalizations as well as need for intensive care. Our results highlights opportunities for the adolescent-centered solutions in curbing COVID-19 disease trend. [3] [4] [5] [6] Adolescence begins at approximately the age of 12 years with continuing neurologic developments to early adulthood. During this period, adolescents experience significant changes in cognitive abilities including problem solving, social capacities and creative thought. [7] [8] [9] On the other hand, it is also a period of increased risk-taking, which can contribute to increased household and community transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The adolescent's curiosity in understanding themselves and their environment can make them more receptive to health promotion using platforms to which they are more likely to engage, such as social media and other E-Health platforms, which provide youth appropriate online information. Therefore, targeted intervention directed at this group can significantly reduce the risk of household transmission. Pediatric providers therefore play a critical role [10] [11] [12] The independent and autonomous approach focuses mostly on adolescent control and participation in information dissemination and its application to home and community. "The process of participation itself changes participants" (Nagel 1987 ) 13 allowing them to own, create, and drive solutions for themselves and their community. While pediatrics forms a small proportion of COVID disease burden, our study also shows high risks for pediatricians working in inpatient and outpatient settings. Providers should protect themselves by adhering to infection control procedures 11 while providing patient care as well as stress mitigation strategies to enhance their own metal and physical welling. 14 Our study from two geographically distinct tertiary care-centers shows that J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f Children and COVID-19: State-level data report Conceptualizing puberty as a window of opportunity for impacting health and well-being across the life span Transmission of SARS-COV-2 infections in households -Tennessee and Wisconsin Contact tracing during Coronavirus disease outbreak Empowerment theory: Psychological, organizational and community levels of analysis. Handbook of Community Psychology Does recent research on adolescent brain development inform the mature minor doctrine Ten myths about decisionmaking capacity Peer influence in adolescence: Publichealth implications for COVID-19 Hospitalization rates and characteristics of children aged <18 years hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 -COVID-NET, 14 states Information for healthcare professionals about Coronavirus (COVID-19) Caring for children during COVID 19 Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall; 1987. 194 p. 14. Physician well-being and professional fulfillment