Child advocacy training: curriculum outcomes and resident satisfaction.
BACKGROUND
Many health problems affecting children today are based in the community and cannot be easily addressed in the office setting. Child advocacy is an effective approach for pediatricians to take.


OBJECTIVE
To describe pediatric residents' choices of advocacy topics and interventions.


METHODS
Cross-sectional observational study.


METHODS
Residents from 3 pediatric training programs participated in the Child Advocacy Curriculum, which featured standardized workshops and the development of individual advocacy projects. To evaluate the curriculum, project descriptions and material products were analyzed to determine individual advocacy topics, topic themes, and targets of project interventions. Differences among programs were assessed. Residents also completed an anonymous questionnaire assessing their experience with the Child Advocacy Curriculum.


RESULTS
Residents demonstrated a wide range of interests in selecting advocacy topics: 99 residents chose 38 different topics. The most common topic was obesity (13 residents) followed by health care access (9), teen pregnancy prevention (6), and oral health (5). Themes included health promotion and disease prevention, injury prevention, health care access, children with special health care needs, child development, at-risk populations, and the impact of media on child health. The project interventions targeted the local community most frequently (37%), followed by resident education (27%), hospital systems (21%), and public and health policy (15%). The vast majority of participating residents reported a positive experience with the Child Advocacy Curriculum.


CONCLUSIONS
The wide range of topics and settings in which residents developed projects illustrates residents' extensive interests and ingenuity in applying needed advocacy solutions to complex child health issues.
Chamberlain
Lisa J
LJ
Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA. lchamberlain@stanford.edu
Sanders
Lee M
LM
Takayama
John I
JI
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002140:California; D002648:Child; D002651:Child Advocacy / Q000193:education*; D002669:Child Welfare; D003154:Community Medicine / Q000193:education*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003479:Curriculum / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education*; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D015397:Program Evaluation