Infants' Dietary Pattern Characterized by Ultraprocessed Foods Is Associated With Rapid Weight Gain and Overweight/Obesity Risk: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2018.

Background: Global trends toward childhood obesity have been associated with several factors, including suboptimal infant feeding practices, the increasing availability of ultraprocessed foods in the world's food supply, and the corresponding changes in children's dietary patterns.

Objective: To describe infants' dietary patterns and assess their associations with weight status outcomes in a nationally representative sample of US infants.

Design: Cross-sectional analyses were performed on data collected from infants participating in the 2009-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Breastfeeding, first-food systems and corporate power: a case study on the market and political practices of the transnational baby food industry in Brazil.

Background: The exploitative marketing of commercial milk formula (CMF) reduces breastfeeding, and harms child and maternal health globally. Yet forty years after the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes (The Code) was adopted by WHO member states, many countries are still to fully implement its provisions into national law. Furthermore, despite The Code, worldwide CMF markets have markedly expanded.

A novel web-based 24-h dietary recall tool in line with the Nova food processing classification: description and evaluation.

Objective: This paper describes the first web-based self-completed 24-h recall designed to categorise food intake according to Nova groups - Nova24h - and its agreement with a reference tool in estimating the dietary relative contribution of the four Nova food groups (% of total energy intake).

Design: Comparisons of estimates of dietary relative contributions of Nova groups obtained by Nova24h and one standard interviewer-led 24-h recall.

Setting: Nationwide adult cohort study in Brazil.

Comparing Latin American nutrient profile models using data from packaged foods with child-directed marketing within the Brazilian food supply.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine and compare the extent to which different nutrient profile models (NPMs) from Latin America (LA) identify packaged foods and beverages with child-directed marketing sold in Brazil as being high in nutrients associated to the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Materials And Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated 3,464 foods found in the five largest Brazilian supermarkets. Child-directed marketing was coded using the International Network for Food and Obesity/NCDs Research, Monitoring and Action Support (INFORMAS) protocol.

Consumption of ultra-processed foods and growth outcomes in early childhood: 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort.

The current study aims to describe the consumption of ultra-processed foods, from 2 to 4 years old, and evaluate its association with growth outcomes during the same period. It is a prospective cohort study using data from the 2015 Pelotas-Brazil Birth Cohort. Outcomes assessed at the 2- and 4-year-old follow-ups were BMI-for-age -score and length/height-for-age -score.

Association between ultraprocessed food intake and C-reactive protein levels in preterm and term infants.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine associations between consumption of ultraprocessed food (UPF) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in a sample of term and preterm infants.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 43 preterm infants (<34 wk), chronological age between 9 and 24 mo, were compared with a group of 47 healthy term infants of the same age. Data were collected on dietary intake, anthropometric measures, and serum CRP level (mg/L).

Maternal anemia and preterm birth among women living with HIV in the United States.

Background: Women living with HIV (WLHIV) have a higher prevalence of anemia than women without HIV, possibly related to the effects of HIV and antiretroviral medications.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of anemia in the third trimester of pregnancy and the effect of anemia on preterm births in WLHIV in the longitudinal, US-based Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS).

Methods: During the third trimester, we obtained up to three 24-hour dietary recalls to estimate daily intakes of nutrients and measured serum concentrations of iron, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, zinc, folate, ferritin, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), and high sensitivity C-reactive protein.

Associations Between Ultra-processed Foods Consumption and Indicators of Adiposity in US Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the 2011-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Background: Ultra-processed foods represent a considerable part of the diet of US children and adolescents, yet their association with total, abdominal, and visceral overweight/obesity remains understudied.

Objective: To examine associations between dietary contribution of ultra-processed foods and total, abdominal, and visceral overweight/obesity in a nationally representative sample of US adolescents.

Design: Cross-sectional analyses were performed on data collected from adolescents participating in the 2011-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Ultraprocessed food consumption and dietary nutrient profiles associated with obesity: A multicountry study of children and adolescents.

This study assessed associations between ultraprocessed food consumption and dietary nutrient profile linked to obesity in children and adolescents in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States using nationally representative data collected between 2004 and 2014. Linear regression models were used to evaluate associations between dietary share of ultraprocessed foods (country and age group-specific quintiles and a 10% share increase) and the energy density of diets and their content of free sugars and fiber. Ultraprocessed foods, defined by the NOVA system, ranged from 18% of total energy intake among preschool children in Colombia to 68% among adolescents in the United Kingdom.

Covid-19 and absence of music therapy: Impact on mother-child dyad during invasive procedures in pediatric oncology.

During COVID-19 pandemic, Italian pediatric oncology departments were obliged to adopt restrictive measures to minimize the risk of in-hospital infections in frail patients and staff members. Access to the wards was significantly reduced and music therapy (MT) activities were suspended. The aim of this study was to compare the level of anxiety and sedation in pediatric patients undergoing invasive procedure before (T1), during(T2) and after(T3) the pandemic, with and without the presence of MT.

Association Between Childhood Consumption of Ultraprocessed Food and Adiposity Trajectories in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children Birth Cohort.

Importance: Reports of associations between higher consumption of ultraprocessed foods (UPF) and elevated risks of obesity, noncommunicable diseases, and mortality in adults are increasing. However, associations of UPF consumption with long-term adiposity trajectories have never been investigated in children.

Objective: To assess longitudinal associations between UPF consumption and adiposity trajectories from childhood to early adulthood.

Corporate political activity of the baby food industry: the example of Nestlé in the United States of America.

Background: The marketing practices of the breastmilk substitutes industry have been known for decades, but little is known about the influence of the baby food industry, more generally, on public health policy, research and practice, also known as 'corporate political activity' (CPA). In this study, the baby food industry refers to for-profit companies that manufacture, market or distribute breastmilk substitutes and food products for infants and young children under two years. In addition, trade associations, public relations firms, marketing agencies and individuals or groups affiliated with the baby food industry are also considered to be part of the baby food industry.

Feeding practices of low birth weight Brazilian infants and associated factors.

Objective: To characterize complementary feeding and to analyze the influence of individual and contextual factors on dietary practices of low birth weight infants.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 2,370 low birth weight infants aged 6 to 12 months included in the Breastfeeding Prevalence Survey in Brazilian Municipalities (2008), which covered the 26 state capitals, the Federal District and 37 municipalities. Dietary practices were assessed using two indicators: I) dietary diversity, characterized by the consumption of five food groups: meat, beans, vegetables, fruit and milk; II) consumption of ultra-processed foods, characterized by the ingestion of at least one of the following foods on the day prior to the survey: soda, or processed juice, or cookie, cracker and crisps.

Consumption of ultra-processed foods and its association with added sugar content in the diets of US children, NHANES 2009-2014.

Background: There is cumulative recognition that increases in the dietary share of ultra-processed foods result in deterioration of the nutritional quality of the overall diet and adverse health outcomes.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the consumption of ultra-processed foods and to examine its association with added sugar content in the diet of US children aged 2 to 19 years.

Methods: We classified all food items according to the NOVA food classification system and looked at the consumption of ultra-processed foods, measured as percentage of total energy intake.

Research on food-related chronic diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean: Are we building the evidence for gender-equitable approaches?

Objectives: Gender continues to be largely neglected in the global response to the noncommunicable disease epidemic. The objectives of this study were to examine current practice and barriers faced by Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) researchers in addressing gender in research on healthy food environments, and to identify future topics for gender-sensitive and gender-transformative research.

Methods: This study involved: 1) a descriptive, three-part survey to investigate to what extent LAC researchers are integrating gender considerations in research for healthier food environments and 2) a participatory workshop to coproduce ideas for future gender-sensitive and gender-transformative research.

Dietary share of ultra-processed foods and metabolic syndrome in the US adult population.

This study sought to examine the relationship between dietary share of ultra-processed foods and metabolic syndrome among US adults. We studied 6, 385 participants from the cross-sectional National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2014, aged 20+ years, with blood tests under fasting conditions and at least one 24-hour dietary recall. Food items were classified according to the extent and purpose of industrial food processing.

Third Trimester Vitamin D Status Is Associated With Birth Outcomes and Linear Growth of HIV-Exposed Uninfected Infants in the United States.

Background: Vitamin D status in pregnancy may influence the risk of prematurity, birth size, and child postnatal growth, but few studies have examined the relationship among pregnant women living with HIV.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 257 HIV-infected mothers and their HIV-exposed uninfected infants who were enrolled in the 2009-2011 nutrition substudy of the Surveillance Monitoring for ART Toxicities (SMARTT) study. HIV-infected pregnant women had serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) assessed in the third trimester of pregnancy, and their infants' growth and neurodevelopment were evaluated at birth and approximately 1 year of age.

Association between watching TV whilst eating and children's consumption of ultraprocessed foods in United Kingdom.

This study aimed to assess the association between watching TV whilst eating and consumption of ultraprocessed foods amongst children aged 4-10 years old in the United Kingdom. Cross-sectional data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS 2008-2012) were analysed. Dietary data were derived from 4-day food diaries of 1,277 children, and the dietary contribution of ultraprocessed foods was assessed.

Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them.

The present commentary contains a clear and simple guide designed to identify ultra-processed foods. It responds to the growing interest in ultra-processed foods among policy makers, academic researchers, health professionals, journalists and consumers concerned to devise policies, investigate dietary patterns, advise people, prepare media coverage, and when buying food and checking labels in shops or at home. Ultra-processed foods are defined within the NOVA classification system, which groups foods according to the extent and purpose of industrial processing.

FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH RAPID WEIGHT GAIN IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IN PUBLIC DAY CARE CENTERS.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence, and identify factors associated with rapid weight gain in preschool children.

Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out with 136 children between 24 and 35 months of age attending public daycare centers in Mogi das Cruzes between February and December 2014. Interviews were conducted with the mothers for clinical, sociodemographic and anthropometric characterizations of the children.

Longitudinal Changes in Body Composition by Dual-energy Radiograph Absorptiometry Among Perinatally HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected Youth: Increased Risk of Adiposity Among HIV-infected Female Youth.

Background: Combination antiretroviral therapy has allowed youth with perinatal HIV infection (PHIV+) to live into adulthood, but many youth may experience metabolic and body composition changes that predispose to greater cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. This longitudinal study evaluated changes in body composition measured by dual-energy radiograph absorptiometry (DXA) in a cohort of PHIV+ youth compared with HIV- controls over a 7-year period.

Methods: PHIV+ youth and HIV- controls were prospectively enrolled in a single-site study to assess nutrition and CVD risk.

Associations Between Dietary Intake Before 6 Months of Age and Rapid Weight Gain Among HIV-exposed Uninfected Infants.

Introduction: HIV-exposed, uninfected (HEU) infants are potentially at risk for cardiovascular disease due to in utero exposures. Feeding practices of the infant could compound this risk. Few studies have, however, evaluated dietary intake of HEU infants.

A multicenter study of diet quality on birth weight and gestational age in infants of HIV-infected women.

We determined factors associated with diet quality and assessed the relationship between diet quality, birth weight, and gestational age in a prospective national multicenter cohort study. We evaluated diet quality with the Healthy Eating Index (HEI, scale 0-100) in the third trimester of pregnancy with three 24-hr multiple-pass dietary recalls in 266 HIV+ women enrolled in the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study. Covariates included demographics, food security, pre-pregnancy body mass index, HIV disease severity, substance use, and antiretroviral exposures.

Body mass index and waist circumference of HIV-infected youth in a Miami cohort: comparison to local and national cohorts.

Objectives: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected youth are healthier because of effective antiretroviral therapies. We compared anthropometric measurements and prevalence of overweight and obesity between perinatally HIV-infected youth, a local HIV-uninfected comparison group, and 2007 to 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. In addition, we compared only African American HIV-infected youth with NHANES African Americans.