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Medical AI Inquiry: You were designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.
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Please refer to the summary above to answer this question
An 8-year-old boy is brought to the physician by his mother for a well-child examination at a clinic for low-income residents. Although her son's elementary school offers free afterschool programming, her son has not been interested in attending. Both the son's maternal and paternal grandmothers have major depressive disorder. The mother is curious about the benefits of afterschool programming and asks for the physician's input. Based on the study results, which of the following statements best addresses the mother's question?"
"High-quality afterschool programming during childhood promotes long-term adult mental health
Background
High-quality afterschool programming in children has been found to improve standardized test scores, dropout rates, and college attendance. The APPLE (Afterschool Programming for Psychiatric Long-term Endpoints) study seeks to examine the effect of such programs on long-term adult mental health.
Design, Setting, and Participants
Socioeconomically disadvantaged children ages 5–10 were recruited for this study. Participants with a history of intellectual/developmental disability or existing psychiatric illness were excluded. Eligible families were identified by screening government social service agencies in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and of all qualified families who were invited to participate in free afterschool enrichment activities for their children, 320 children were enrolled. The socioeconomic characteristics of study participants were found to be similar to those of the population being studied.
160 children were randomly assigned to free afterschool enrichment activities and 160 to a waiting list that served as a control; the parents of 12 children declined participation after their children were randomly assigned to the control group. Of the 83 children participating in the study's 20-year follow-up, 62 were in the treatment group and 21 were in the control group.
Interventions
The intervention involved free afterschool programming for the first three years of the study. The programming lasted three hours per day and was held five days per week, consisting of an hour of creative problem-based math/reading instruction supplemented with two hours of music, art, and athletic group activities. Children in the control group were placed on the waiting list for the intervention.
Main Outcomes and Measures
Data on incidence of common DSM 5-validated mental health conditions was collected at the study's 20-year follow-up evaluation and confirmed by chart review.
Results
Table - Association of major depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and psychotic disorder at 20-year follow-up of participants who received afterschool enrichment during childhood*.
*Adjusted for income and family history of psychiatric illness.
Major Depressive Disorder Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Bipolar Disorder (I or II) without Psychosis Any Psychotic Disorder
Hazard Ratio (95% CI) P -value Hazard Ratio (95% CI) P -value Hazard Ratio (95% CI) P -value Hazard Ratio (95% CI) P -value
Control 1.0 [reference] -- 1.0 [reference] -- 1.0 [reference] -- 1.0 [reference] --
Afterschool Enrichment 0.69 (0.59–0.87) < 0.001 0.80 (0.74–0.92) 0.02 0.64 (0.59–1.35) 0.34 0.84 (0.51–1.23) 0.22
Conclusions
This study highlights the potential of high-quality afterschool programming during childhood in promoting long-term adult mental health.
Source of funding: Wisconsin Children's Mental Health Foundation, National Early Childhood Education Coalition"
assistant
High-quality afterschool programming for low-income 8-year-olds may correlate with decreased ADHD risk in adults.