Megan A Moreno

University of Wisconsin–Madison | UW · Department of Pediatrics

Introduction Social media is interwoven into adolescents' daily lives. Many adolescents utilize digital technology in their healthcare journeys, as do their caregivers. Health systems increasingly seek ways to leverage these new tools toward supporting and caring for patients. These approaches may be of particular importance of adolescents, as well...

Objective Rates of adolescent mood disorders and adolescent smartphone use have risen in parallel, leading some to suggest that smartphone use might have detrimental effects on adolescents’ moods. Alternatively, it is possible that adolescents turn to smartphone use when experiencing negative mood. The purpose of this study was to explore the relat...

Families who experience bullying or cyberbullying often undergo complex negative emotions that can debilitate their ability to effectively respond to and cope with bullying. News stories reporting on bullying and cyberbullying can intensify these negative emotional reactions, especially hopelessness, since many news stories on bullying and cyberbul...

Rates of adolescent mood disorders and adolescent smartphone use have risen in parallel, leading some to suggest that smartphone use might have detrimental effects on adolescents' moods. Alternatively, it is possible that adolescents turn to smartphone use when experiencing negative mood. Past experimental study suggests that certain smartphone act...

Rates of adolescent mood disorders and adolescent smartphone use have risen in parallel, leading some to suggest that smartphone use might have detrimental effects on adolescents’ moods. Alternatively, it is possible that adolescents turn to smartphone use when experiencing negative mood. Past experimental work suggests that certain smartphone acti...

Introduction: Female community college students who use alcohol may be an at-risk group for cannabis use, especially in US states with nonmedical cannabis legalization. This study examined cannabis use among this population. We tested differences in current cannabis use across a state with versus a state without (Washington vs Wisconsin, respectiv...

Purpose: Community college (CC) students represent an at-risk population for alcohol use with limited access to campus interventions. The Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) is available online, though identifying CC students at risk and connecting them to interventions remains challenging. This study tested a no...

BACKGROUND Clinical experience and progressive autonomy are essential components of medical education and must be balanced with patient comfort. While previous studies have suggested that most patients accept trainee involvement in their care, few studies have focused specifically on the views of parents of pediatric patients or examined groups who...

Background Clinical experience and progressive autonomy are essential components of medical education and must be balanced with patient comfort. While previous studies have suggested that most patients accept trainee involvement in their care, few studies have focused specifically on the views of parents of pediatric patients or examined groups who...

Objective To examine whether exposure to safe sleep recommendations using a blog format changed infant sleep practices. Methods We conducted a pilot randomized controlled trial via Qualtrics, a web-based platform, with a national sample of parents of children < 1 year old. Survey questions about infant sleep practices included: bed-sharing, locati...

Digital media, including social media, has fundamentally changed how the human species communicates with, relates to, and influences one another. Adolescents use digital media extensively. Researchers, scholars, teachers, parents, and teens themselves have many questions about the effects of digital media on young people's psychological development...

OBJECTIVES To examine the prevalence and safety of infant second-sleep practices. METHODS A cross-sectional online survey of parents with infants ≤12 months assessed parent-reported sleep practices: position, use of a separate sleep surface, and sleep location at 2 time points (sleep onset and after nighttime waking). A composite score examined if...

Background Digital technology and media use is integral to adolescents’ lives and has been associated with both positive and negative health consequences. Previous studies have largely focused on understanding technology behaviors and outcomes within adolescent populations, which can promote assumptions about adolescent technology use as homogeneou...

Latent class analysis (LCA) identified subtypes of cannabis marketing exposure among adolescents and assessed whether the classes were associated with three cannabis use outcomes: past 28-day use, poly-cannabis use, and symptoms of cannabis use disorder (CUD). Survey data were from 471 adolescents (aged 15–19 years) who lived in four states with le...

Adolescents' digital technology use is nearly ubiquitous and has been associated with health benefits and risks, including risks of depression. The Adolescents' Digital Technology Interactions and Importance (ADTI) scale provides a novel approach to measuring how adolescents prioritize their technology use. The purpose of this study was to investig...

Media use among early adolescents is nearly ubiquitous and has been associated with important health outcomes such as physical activity, sleep and problematic internet use (PIU). Parent involvement has been recommended as a prevention strategy; it remains unclear how it is associated with media use and health outcomes. The purpose of this study was...

BACKGROUND Digital technology and media use is integral to adolescents’ lives and has been associated with both positive and negative health consequences. Previous studies have largely focused on understanding technology behaviors and outcomes within adolescent populations, which can promote assumptions about adolescent technology use as homogeneou...

Objective: Marketing messages can influence adolescents' attitudes and behaviors toward alcohol and tobacco. In the era of legalized cannabis use, retail cannabis companies often use social media marketing on platforms popular among youth. The purpose of this study was to evaluate adherence to state-based regulations for restricted and required co...

News articles covering bullying have often focused on tragic situations. The purpose of this study was to understand adolescents’ and parents’ emotions and perceptions related to bullying news media coverage. Participants were recruited as adolescent-parent dyads from pediatric clinics. During qualitative interviews, participants read and commented...

Background Mindfulness practices are associated with improved health and well-being for children. Few studies have assessed parents’ acceptance of learning about mindfulness practices. Objective This study aims to assess parents’ beliefs and interest in learning about mindfulness, including from their health care provider, and differences across d...

Objective To examine the relationship between social media use and suicidal thoughts and behaviors among adolescents in the first 30 days of an intensive outpatient program (IOP) for depression and suicidality. Method Participants included 100 adolescents who enrolled in an IOP for depression and suicidality and completed baseline measures of soci...

Background Transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse (TNG) youth encounter barriers to psychosocial wellness and also describe exploring identities and communities on the web. Studies of cisgender youth connect increased digital technology use with lower well-being, parent relationships, and body image scores as well as increased loneliness and fe...

The Adolescents' Digital Technology Interactions and Importance (ADTI) scale evaluates perceived importance of technology interactions. Adolescents were recruited via Qualtrics panels for an online survey. Among 4592 participants, findings illustrated positive associations between ADTI scores and use frequency. Findings further validate the ADTI an...

BACKGROUND Mindfulness practices are associated with improved health and well-being for children. Few studies have assessed parents’ acceptance of learning about mindfulness practices. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess parents’ beliefs and interest in learning about mindfulness, including from their health care provider, and differences across...

Purpose The past decade has seen tremendous growth in research focused on understanding college students' alcohol-related social media displays. However, longitudinal studies remain rare. The purpose of this 5-year study was to describe alcohol and abstinence display patterns on Facebook. Methods This prospective longitudinal cohort study recruite...

Background Since 2012, several states have legalized non-medical cannabis, and cannabis businesses have used social media as a primary form of marketing. There are concerns that social media cannabis exposure may reach underage viewers. Our objective was to identify how cannabis businesses cultivate an online presence and exert influence that may r...

Objective: To develop, implement, and evaluate an acute otitis media (AOM) education website for clinician-educators. Methods: We developed an education website following Kern's curriculum model. Results: The website contained peer-reviewed content, educational objectives, library search pages to identify evidence-based resources, and a facult...

Objective: Health consequences of commercializing nonmedical cannabis remain unclear, but data suggest that youth may encounter unintended risks. This study examined whether cannabis marketing exposure and engagement are associated with problematic cannabis use among adolescents. Method: The analytic sample included 172 lifetime cannabis users (...

BACKGROUND Digital technology use is nearly ubiquitous among young adults; this use provides both benefits and risks. The risks of technology use include maladaptive technology use or technology addiction. Several conceptualizations of these addictions have emerged, each with its own assessment tools. These conditions include problematic internet u...

Importance The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all families use a family media use plan to select and engage with media rules. To date, the effectiveness of this tool in promoting adolescent media rule engagement is unknown. Objective To test the effect of a family media use plan on media rule engagement in adolescents. Design, Set...

BACKGROUND Transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse (TNG) youth encounter barriers to psychosocial wellness and also describe exploring identities and communities online. Studies of cisgender youth connect increased digital technology use with loneliness and decreased body image. However, little is known about psychosocial factors associated with...

Background: Emerging research suggests mindfulness may reduce stress and asthma symptoms in children, yet there is a gap in understanding parental views towards learning about mindfulness. Objective: This study aimed to compare the perceived acceptance to learn about mindfulness among parents of children with and without asthma, and to understan...

Background Asthma Action Plans (AAPs) are recommended for pediatric patients to help improve asthma control. Studies have shown variable results for unscheduled doctor and emergency room visits. AAPs may have an impact on parental self-efficacy for asthma management as well as on other daily living factors that are valuable for patients and familie...

Objective Elicit stakeholder perspectives on the anticipated benefits and challenges of sharing hospital physicians’ admission and daily progress notes with parents at the bedside during their child's hospitalization and identify strategies to aid implementation of inpatient note sharing. Methods Five semistructured focus groups were conducted wit...

Background The majority of adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) integrate social media engagement into their daily lives. The aim of this study was to explore adolescents’ experiences and perspectives discussing their T1D on social media. Methods Semi-structured interviews with adolescents with T1D were conducted in person and via telephone. Que...

BACKGROUND Asthma Action Plans (AAPs) are recommended for pediatric patients to help improve asthma control. Studies have shown variable results for unscheduled doctor and emergency room visits. There may be an impact on parental self-efficacy for asthma management and other daily living factors, such as missed school or parent work days, or school...

Objective: To examine adolescent preferences related to the use of social media (SM) as a tool to manage their type 1 diabetes (T1D) with their diabetes care team. Methods: Adolescents with T1D (13-18 years old) in the Seattle, WA area were surveyed from August-December 2019 about their SM use and interest in communicating with their diabetes care...

BACKGROUND Depression is a prevalent and problematic mental disorder that often has its onset in adolescence. Despite this, depression screening of adolescents is not comprehensive. To aid in screenings, adolescent depression symptoms could be identified by viewing their social media as adolescents may use Facebook to disclose depression symptoms....

Despite the effectiveness of vaccines, parents are increasingly opting for non-medical exemption. For health advice on such topics, many parents are now more likely to look to online communities than rely on medical expertise. There is scant literature outlining how parents contribute to online discussion of vaccination. The purpose of this study w...

Background: Interactive digital technology use is integral to adolescents' lives and has been associated with both health benefits and risks. Previous studies have largely focused on measuring the quantity of technology use or understanding the use of specific platforms. To better understand adolescents' interactive digital technology use, we need...

Aims: Identify the prevalence of health psychology use in children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and evaluate how individual and contextual characteristics are associated with use. Methods: Children ages 8 to 16 years with T1D and their parents were recruited from two tertiary diabetes clinics. Cross-sectional data included parent and adolescent su...

Purpose: Promotion of physician well-being has emerged as a national priority, yet meaningful interventions depend on further understanding the factors that promote and detract from physician well-being. The aim of this study was to better understand the perspectives of academic pediatricians regarding the factors influencing their wellbeing. Met...

Objective To determine parental perceptions of pediatrician blog posts by narrative voice Methods Three blog posts each on 2 topics (vaccines and sleep) were written by an established physician blogger and varied by narrative voice (personal, 3rd person objective and mixed). Topics were chosen to be applicable to all parents. Blog posts were evalu...

Background Suicide prevention remains challenging among youth, as many do not disclose suicidal ideation. Nearly one-third of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI and AN, tribal, or native) youth see concerning messages on social media at least weekly. Objective To prepare adults to support AI and AN youth who post or view concerning messages, our...

BACKGROUND Problematic internet use (PIU) is associated with mental health concerns such as depression and affects over 12% of young adults. Few studies have explored potential influences of parent-college student digital communication on young adult college students’ risk of PIU. OBJECTIVE This study sought to understand the relationship between...

Background: Problematic internet use (PIU) is associated with mental health concerns such as depression and affects more than 12% of young adults. Few studies have explored potential influences of parent-college student digital communication on college students' risk of PIU. Objective: This study sought to understand the relationship between par...

Purpose: The objective of this study was to examine adolescents' self-reported exposure to cannabis marketing in states with legalized cannabis and its association with past-year cannabis use. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, online panel survey of 469 adolescents aged 15-19 years residing in four states with legal retail cannabis for ad...

Objectives: This study assesses students' non-medical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) from college entrance to graduation, and examines factors that predict NMUPD. Participants: The study was conducted between May 2011 and September 2015 with 338 students. Methods: Longitudinal cohort study design was used to examine NMUPD across time, and NMUPD...

Background: All US residency programs require applicants to submit personal statements. Prior studies showed gender differences in personal statement writing, which has implications for gender bias in the application process, but previous studies have not considered the dual influence of specialty-specific values on personal statement writing by a...

BACKGROUND Digital technology use is integral to adolescents’ lives and has been associated with both health benefits as well as risks. Previous studies have largely focused on measuring quantity of technology use or understanding the use of specific platforms. To better understand adolescent digital technology use, we need new approaches that cons...

Background: All US residency programs require applicants to submit personal statements. Prior studies showed gender differences in personal statement writing, which has implications for gender bias in the application process, but previous studies have not considered the dual influence of specialty-specific values on personal statement writing by ap...

Objective: 1) To evaluate differences in how parents use the internet and social media for health information by child age 2) To examine parental perceptions of health information on social media METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of parents of children 0-18 years seen in clinics and an inpatient medical unit. Survey questions focused...

BACKGROUND Young people with genetic conditions often face challenges coping with their health condition. It can be difficult for young people with rare conditions to meet someone with a similar condition, which is important for reinforcement of chronic illness management recommendations. Social media is used by 93% of young people and may provide...

Background Young people with genetic conditions often face challenges coping with their health condition. It can be difficult for them to meet someone with a similar condition, which is important for reinforcement of chronic illness management recommendations. Social media is used by 97% of young people in the United States and may provide those wi...

Methods: Data are from an online survey of 482 adolescents (aged 15-19 years) living in states with legalized retail cannabis. Youth were asked about their engagement with cannabis promotions, including whether they liked/followed cannabis businesses on social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram), had a favorite cannabis brand, or could see th...

Bullying events have frequently been the focus of coverage by news media, including news stories about teens whose death from suicide was attributed to cyberbullying. Previous work has shown that news media coverage is influential to readers in areas such as suicide, infectious disease outbreaks, and tobacco use. News media may be an untapped resou...

Objective To assess the prevalence over time and predictors of problematic internet use using the Problematic and Risky Internet Use Screening Scale (PRIUSS). We also identified an intermediate-risk PRIUSS score. Study design In this longitudinal cohort study, we recruited participants using random selection from 2 colleges. Participants completed...

Background All US residency programs require applicants to submit personal statements. Prior studies showed gender differences in personal statement writing, which has implications for gender bias in the application process, but previous studies have not considered the dual influence of specialty-specific values on personal statement writing by app...

Background: A majority of adolescents report the use of some form of social media, and many prefer to communicate via social networking sites. Social media may offer new opportunities in diabetes management, particularly in terms of how health care teams provide tailored support and treatment to adolescents with diabetes. Objective: The aim of t...

Background Literature has consistently shown a positive relationship between young adults’ social media alcohol-related posts and drinking outcomes; however, the reasons for this association and the psychosocial influences behind students’ posting of alcohol-related content are still unclear. Peer influences have been robustly shown to predict stud...

Background: Alcohol cues on social media may influence young adults’ drinking patterns, these cues may be pro-social or pro-alcohol in nature. The influence of individual Facebook cues on young adults’ drinking intentions and behaviors remains unknown. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess how Facebook cues influence intention to drin...

Background: College students frequently use social media sites to connect with friends. Increasingly, research suggests college students and other young adults seek mental health-related support on social media, which may present a unique venue for intervention. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine college students' perceptions ab...

BACKGROUND College students frequently use social media sites to connect with friends. Increasingly, research suggests college students and other young adults seek mental health-related support on social media, which may present a unique venue for intervention. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine college students’ perceptions about...

Importance Recreational marijuana use was legalized in the state of Washington in 2012, and the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 314-55-155 was implemented to limit the exposure of youths to marijuana advertisements. Objectives To evaluate the content of social media posts by marijuana companies and to assess the compliance of these posts with...

This study examined the similarities and differences between parent and adolescent views on cyberbullying in the US, and how adolescents and parents view parents’ role in addressing this issue. Purposeful sampling was used to identify participants. A total of 131 participants took part in 14 focus groups. The participants were 69% female, 50% were...

Study Objective Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination has shown efficacy, however, many vaccine-eligible persons remain unvaccinated. YouTube is a popular video-sharing platform with several topics, including the HPV vaccine. Our purpose was to examine the tone of YouTube videos toward the HPV vaccine, accuracy of the information displayed, and co...

Purpose: Increasing numbers of youth are becoming smartphone owners as early adolescents (EAs). Understanding how EAs receive and use their initial smartphones is important towards informing provider counseling and parental guidance. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand EA perspectives and experiences with smartphone ownership....

Objective: To examine the use of transportation networking companies (TNCs) (eg, Uber) among substance-using students in rural and urban college settings. Participants: Students at two large state universities were randomly selected and screened for substance use. Participants reported use of TNCs generally and after substance use and whether TN...

Background: Electronic harassment affects 20-40% of adolescents and has been associated with significant negative outcomes including physical (ex. headache, abdominal pain), psychological (ex. depression, anxiety), and psychosocial (ex. school avoidance) problems. Evidence-based strategies to address electronic harassment are lacking, and few stud...

Background: Youth exposure to positive marijuana messages increases their risk of marijuana use. Since Washington State legalized recreational marijuana in 2012, marijuana businesses have used social media business pages to promote their products. Regulations to prevent youth access and targeting by marijuana businesses on social media in Washingt...

UNSTRUCTURED Social media interventions are a growing area of internet research, particularly for adolescent health. Researchers developing social media intervention approaches face the task of selecting a social media platform for their intervention. In this paper, we present the theoretical framework of affordances to help guide social media plat...

Social media interventions are a growing area of internet research, particularly for adolescent health. Researchers developing social media intervention approaches face the task of selecting a social media platform for their intervention. In this paper, we present the theoretical framework of affordances to help guide social media platform selectio...

Purpose: College students frequently display references to substance use, including marijuana, on social media such as Facebook. The significance of displayed marijuana references on social media is unknown. The purpose of this longitudinal cohort study was to evaluate college students' displayed marijuanareferences on Facebook and their associati...

Background: Adolescents and young adults frequently post depression symptom references on social media; previous studies show positive associations between depression posts and self-reported depression symptoms. Depression is common among young people and this population often experiences many barriers to mental health care. Thus, social media may...