This week on the Contemporary Pediatrics website, we covered topics ranging from a decline in well visit attendance among youths to asthma risk following HFNC use in bronchiolitis patients. Take a look at some of our top stories from the past week (Monday, January 19, to Friday, January 23, 2026) and click on each link to read and watch anything you may have missed.

Arik Marcell, MD, MPH, discusses well visit attendance declines for adolescents and young adults

Preventive care engagement declines for many adolescents as they transition into young adulthood, with a subset of male patients showing persistent disengagement from annual well visits, according to findings discussed by Arik Marcell, MD, MPH, professor of pediatrics and adolescent medicine at Johns Hopkins University.

“While most people, regardless of their sex, were engaged in well visit attendance,” Marcell said, “we showed significant declines in well visit attendance trajectory patterns for both males and females.” He added that the study also identified “a unique subset of male adolescents [who] had persistent disengagement in well visits across this period, from age 15 to 23.”

Aditya Gaur, MD, discusses the benefits of injectable HIV therapy

In a Contemporary Pediatrics video interview, Aditya Gaur, MD, medical director at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, discussed the importance of offering long-acting injectable HIV treatment options for adolescents and highlighted findings from recent clinical research evaluating this approach.

Gaur emphasized that having multiple treatment options is essential for all patients living with HIV, but is particularly meaningful for adolescents, who often face unique developmental, social, and adherence challenges. The injectable regimen discussed involves 2 intramuscular injections administered once every 2 months, eliminating the need for daily oral medication.

According to Gaur, this level of flexibility and freedom is highly appealing to adolescents who may struggle with remembering to take pills every day or who feel burdened by the constant reminder of their HIV status. In the study referenced, adolescents who transitioned from lifelong daily oral therapy to injectables showed overwhelming satisfaction. Notably, 100% of participants who completed one year of injectable treatment reported a preference for injections over daily pills.

Andrea Rivera-Sepulveda, MD, MSc, discusses asthma risk following HFNC use

A recent study explored the relationship between high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy during infancy and the subsequent risk of developing asthma, offering important context for clinicians and families. In this multicenter retrospective cohort analysis, Andrea Rivera-Sepulveda, MD, and colleagues evaluated 4,736 children aged younger than 2 years who were hospitalized with bronchiolitis between 2015 and 2023. Investigators examined whether exposure to HFNC during the index bronchiolitis hospitalization was associated with a later asthma diagnosis.

The study found that children who received HFNC were more likely to be diagnosed with asthma during follow-up than those who did not receive HFNC. Asthma was identified in approximately 37% of HFNC-treated children compared with 22% of those not treated with HFNC. After adjusting for multiple potential confounders—including age, sex, race and ethnicity, insurance status, emergency department acuity, number of bronchiolitis encounters, viral testing, and clinical site—HFNC exposure was associated with an estimated 40% increased hazard of a subsequent asthma diagnosis.

Five youth suicide profiles identified to improve prevention efforts

Researchers from Children’s Hospital Colorado have identified 5 classifications of youths who have died by suicide, publishing their findings in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.¹

The data highlighted no clinical contact or known risk of suicide in nearly 50% of youths who died by suicide. According to investigators, this knowledge is vital for recommending suicide interventions among this population.

“In order to help kids now, we need to dig into the mountain of data available to us to learn about youth who are at risk of dying by suicide,” said Joel Stoddard, MD, MAS, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Children’s Colorado. “Not every child who dies by suicide has the same story.”

Click here for the full article.

Prenatal paracetamol (acetaminophen) not linked to autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability

Taking paracetamol (acetaminophen) during pregnancy does not increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or intellectual disability among children, according to a large systematic review and meta-analysis published January 16, 2026, in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health.¹

The analysis was conducted in response to renewed public concern following claims in September 2025 that suggested paracetamol use during pregnancy might adversely affect child neurodevelopment and increase autism risk. According to the study authors, those concerns were driven by earlier observational studies that reported small associations but were limited by methodological weaknesses.

“Taking paracetamol during pregnancy does not increase the risk of autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or intellectual disability among children,” the researchers stated, describing their work as “the most rigorous analysis of the evidence to date.”

Click here for the full article.