Sport is a promising setting for obesity prevention among youth, but little is known about whether it prevents obesity. We reviewed research comparing sport participants with non-participants on weight status, physical activity and diet. Among nineteen studies we found no clear pattern of association between body weight and sport participation. Among seventeen studies we found that sport participants are more physically active than those who do not participate. Seven studies examined the relationship between sport participation and diet and found that sport participation is associated with more fruit, vegetable and milk consumption, but also more fast food and sugar sweetened beverage consumption and greater overall calorie intake. It is unclear from these results whether sports programs, as currently offered, protect youth from becoming overweight or obese. Additional research may foster understanding about how sport, and youth sport settings, can help promote energy balance and healthy body weight.

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Objective To develop guidance on the use of COVID-19 vaccines in patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD). Methods The Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA) formed a multidisciplinary panel including rheumatologists, researchers, methodologists, vaccine experts and patients. The panel used the GRADE approach. Outcomes were prioritized according to their importance for patients and clinicians. Evidence from the COVID-19 clinical trials was summarized. Indirect evidence for non-COVID-19 vaccines in ARD was also considered. The GRADE Evidence-to-Decision (EtD) framework was used to develop a recommendation for the use of the four COVID vaccines approved in Canada as of March 25, 2021 (BNT162b2, mRNA-1273, ChAdOx1 and Ad26.COV2.S) over four virtual panel meetings. Results The CRA guideline panel suggests using COVID-19 vaccination in persons with ARD. The panel unanimously agreed that for the majority of patients the potential health benefits of vaccination outweigh the potential harms in people with ARDs. The recommendation was graded as conditional because of low or very low certainty of the evidence about the effects in the population of interest primarily due to indirectness and imprecise effect estimates. The panel felt strongly that persons with autoimmune rheumatic diseases who meet local eligibility should not be required to take additional steps compared to people without autoimmune rheumatic diseases to obtain their vaccination. Guidance on medications, implementation, monitoring of vaccine uptake and research priorities are also provided. Conclusion This recommendation will be updated over time as new evidence emerges, with the latest recommendation, evidence summaries and EtD available on the CRA website.

This report analyzes the use of dental services by children enrolled in Medicaid from federal fiscal years (FFY) 2000 to 2010. The number and percent of children receiving dental services under Medicaid climbed continuously over the decade. In FFY 2000, 6.3 million children ages 1 to 20 were reported to receive some form of dental care (either preventive or treatment); the number more than doubled to 15.4 million by FFY 2010. Part of the increase was because the overall number of children covered by Medicaid rose by 12 million (50%), but the percentage of children who received dental care climbed appreciably from 29.3% in FFY 2000 to 46.4% in FFY 2010 In that same time period, the number of children ages 1 to 20 receiving preventive dental services climbed from a reported 5.0 million to 13.6 million, while the percentage of children receiving preventive dental services rose from 23.2% to 40.8%. For children ages 1 to 20 who received dental treatment services, the reported number rose from 3.3 million in FFY 2000 to 7.6 million in FFY 2010. The percentage of children who obtained dental treatment services increased from 15.3% to 22.9%. In FFY 2010, about one sixth of children covered by Medicaid (15.7%) ages 6-14 had a dental sealant placed on a permanent molar. While most states have made steady progress in improving children's access to dental care in Medicaid over the past decade, there is still substantial variation across states and more remains to be done. Ku, L., Sharac, J., Bruen, B., Thomas, M., Norris, L. Keywords: E2 BackgroundIn 2007, the tragic death of a 12-year-old Maryland boy, Deamonte Driver, who died from a brain infection caused by an untreated tooth infection, brought attention to the difficulties Medicaid-enrolled children could face in accessing dental care (Otto, 2007). It also prompted lawmakers to include in the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) a requirement for CHIP programs to cover dental services starting in 2010, a requirement for the Department of Health and Human Services to provide clients with a Web site listing dentists who serve Medicaid or CHIP clients, and an order for the Government Accountability Office to conduct an analysis of the receipt of, and barriers to, dental services provided to Medicaid-enrolled children (GAO, 2010). The report found that in federal fiscal year (FFY) 2008, only 36% had received any dental service, 32% had received a preventive dental service, and 18% had received a dental treatment service. In eight states, 30% or less of Medicaid-enrolled children had received any dental service. While these percentages represented progress in that they were higher than the percentages for fiscal year 2001, they still reflected Medicaid's failure to adequately ensure children's access to dental services.Dental care is a key component of Medicaid's Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit. EPSDT does not apply to adult Medicaid beneficiaries, so dental care is an optional service for ...

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