The Nutri-Score algorithm: Evaluation of its validation process.

The Nutri-Score front-of-pack label, which classifies the nutritional quality of products in one of 5 classes (A to E), is one of the main candidates for standardized front-of-pack labeling in the EU. The algorithm underpinning the Nutri-Score label is derived from the Food Standard Agency (FSA) nutrient profile model, originally a binary model developed to regulate the marketing of foods to children in the UK. This review describes the development and validation process of the Nutri-Score algorithm.

The Unique Extended Selection Cohorts Design for the Evaluation of the School-Based Jump-In Intervention on Dietary Habits: A Study Protocol.

: To promote healthy dietary and physical activity behaviour among primary school children, the city of Amsterdam structurally implements the school-based Jump-in intervention in over half of its primary schools. Previously shown to be effective in stimulating physical activity and outside recess play, our study is the first to evaluate Jump-in's effect on children's dietary behaviour. Evaluating the effectiveness and implementation process of an intervention in a real-life setting requests an alternative study design.

Effect of excessive infant crying on resting BP, HRV and cardiac autonomic control in childhood.

Objective: Early life stress has been shown to influence the developing autonomic nervous system. Stressors in infancy may program the autonomic nervous system resting state set point, affecting cardiovascular function in later life. Excessive crying may be an indicator of increased stress arousal in infancy.

Ethnicity and socioeconomic status are related to dietary patterns at age 5 in the Amsterdam born children and their development (ABCD) cohort.

Background: Health inequalities are already present at young age and tend to vary with ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES). Diet is a major determinant of overweight, and studying dietary patterns as a whole in relation to overweight rather than single nutrients or foods has been suggested. We derived dietary patterns at age 5 and determined whether ethnicity and SES were both related to these dietary patterns.

[Breastfeeding in a multi-ethnic population: changes between 2009 and 2015].

Objective: To examine changes in breastfeeding rates in 0 to 6 month old infants in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, over the period from 2009 to 2015, for the total population as well as for various ethnic groups.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Method: Breastfeeding rates were examined for the period from 2009 to 2015 in 165,420 registrations of 75,543 infants at the ages of 2 weeks, 3 months and 6 months for the entire Amsterdam population and for various ethnic groups.

The Influence of Meteorological Factors and Atmospheric Pollutants on the Risk of Preterm Birth.

Atmospheric pollutants and meteorological conditions are suspected to be causes of preterm birth. We aimed to characterize their possible association with the risk of preterm birth (defined as birth occurring before 37 completed gestational weeks). We pooled individual data from 13 birth cohorts in 11 European countries (71,493 births from the period 1994-2011, European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE)).

Correction: Associations of Infant Feeding and Timing of Weight Gain and Linear Growth during Early Life with Childhood Blood Pressure: Findings from a Prospective Population Based Cohort Study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Associations of Infant Feeding and Timing of Weight Gain and Linear Growth during Early Life with Childhood Blood Pressure: Findings from a Prospective Population Based Cohort Study.

Objective: Small birth size and rapid postnatal growth have been associated with higher future blood pressure. The timing of these effects, the relative importance of weight gain and linear growth and the role of infant feeding need to be clarified.

Methods: We assessed how blood pressure relates to birth weight, infant and childhood growth and infant feeding (duration of exclusive breastfeeding and timing of introduction of complementary feeding) in 2227 children aged 5 years from a prospective cohort study (Amsterdam Born Children and their Development).

Excessive infant crying doubles the risk of mood and behavioral problems at age 5: evidence for mediation by maternal characteristics.

The onset of behavioral problems starts in early life. This study examined whether excessive infant crying (maternal ratings) is a determinant of emotional and behavioral problems at age 5-6 years. In the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development (ABCD) study, a large prospective, observational, population-based multiethnic birth cohort, excessive infant crying (crying for three or more hours per 24 h day over the past week) during the 13th week after birth (range 11-25 weeks, SD 2 weeks), maternal burden of infant care and maternal aggressive behavior (either angry speaking, or physical aggression) was assessed using a questionnaire.

Outdoor and indoor sources of residential radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, personal cell phone and cordless phone use, and cognitive function in 5-6 years old children.

Background: Little is known about the exposure of young children to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) and potentially associated health effects. We assessed the relationship between residential RF-EMF exposure from mobile phone base stations, residential presence of indoor sources, personal cell phone and cordless phone use, and children's cognitive function at 5-6 years of age.

Methods: Cross-sectional study on children aged 5-6 years from the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development (ABCD) study, the Netherlands (n=2354).

Impact of Low Maternal Education on Early Childhood Overweight and Obesity in Europe.

Background: Comparable evidence on adiposity inequalities in early life is lacking across a range of European countries. This study investigates whether low maternal education is associated with overweight and obesity risk in children from distinct European settings during early childhood.

Methods: Prospective data of 45 413 children from 11 European cohorts were used.

Vitamin B12 and folate status in early pregnancy and cardiometabolic risk factors in the offspring at age 5-6 years: findings from the ABCD multi-ethnic birth cohort.

Objective: To explore whether maternal vitamin B12 and folate status during early pregnancy are associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in the offspring at age 5-6.

Design: Prospective multi-ethnic birth cohort, the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development study (ABCD).

Setting: 12,373 pregnant women living in Amsterdam were approached between 2003 and 2004 for participation in the study.

Environmental Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields Exposure at Home, Mobile and Cordless Phone Use, and Sleep Problems in 7-Year-Old Children.

Background: We evaluated if exposure to RF-EMF was associated with reported quality of sleep in 2,361 children, aged 7 years.

Methods: This study was embedded in the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development (ABCD) birth cohort study. When children were about five years old, school and residential exposure to RF-EMF from base stations was assessed with a geospatial model (NISMap) and from indoor sources (cordless phone/WiFi) using parental self-reports.

[Thinness and overweight in children from Amsterdam: a trend analysis and forecast].

Objective: To determine the trends in prevalence of moderate and severe thinness, overweight and obesity in children living in Amsterdam between 2009 and 2013 and estimate prevalences for 2020.

Design: Historical cohort study.

Method: 158,730 measurements of height and weight of 112,405 children from Amsterdam were analysed.

Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System Activation and Metabolic Profile in Young Children: The ABCD Study.

Background: In adults, increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic nervous system activity are associated with a less favorable metabolic profile. Whether this is already determined at early age is unknown. Therefore, we aimed to assess the association between autonomic nervous system activation and metabolic profile and its components in children at age of 5-6 years.

Cultural variation in early feeding pattern and maternal perceptions of infant growth.

The perception of healthy growth and weight may differ between cultures, which could influence feeding practises and consequently affect the development of overweight. The present study examined ethnic variation in maternal perceptions of growth and their influence on feeding practises among Turkish and Dutch infants aged 0-6 months. Data were obtained from the mothers of 143 Turkish and 143 Dutch healthy, singleton, term infants with birth weights appropriate for gestational age, using structured interviews at 1, 4 and 6 months after birth.

Seven-year time trends in energy balance-related behaviours according to educational level and ethnic background among 14-year-old adolescents.

Objective: To assess seven-year time trends in energy balance-related behaviours in 14-year-old adolescents living in an urban area and to examine the influence of educational level and ethnicity on these time trends.

Design: Second grade students (mean age 13·6 years) filled in questionnaires about the energy balance-related behaviours of breakfast consumption, fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity and screen-time behaviour from school years 2006-2007 to 2012-2013. Energy balance-related behaviours were dichotomized and logistic regression analyses were used to examine time trends in healthy energy balance-related behaviours, including interaction terms for educational level and ethnicity.

Maternal occupation during pregnancy, birth weight, and length of gestation: combined analysis of 13 European birth cohorts.

Objectives: We assessed whether maternal employment during pregnancy - overall and in selected occupational sectors - is associated with birth weight, small for gestational age (SGA), term low birth weight (LBW), length of gestation, and preterm delivery in a population-based birth cohort design.

Methods: We used data from >200 000 mother-child pairs enrolled in 13 European birth cohorts and compared employed versus non-employed women. Among employees, we defined groups of occupations representing the main sectors of employment for women where potential reproductive hazards are considered to be present.

Mother's education and the risk of preterm and small for gestational age birth: a DRIVERS meta-analysis of 12 European cohorts.

Background: A healthy start to life is a major priority in efforts to reduce health inequalities across Europe, with important implications for the health of future generations. There is limited combined evidence on inequalities in health among newborns across a range of European countries.

Methods: Prospective cohort data of 75 296 newborns from 12 European countries were used.

Exploring educational disparities in risk of preterm delivery: a comparative study of 12 European birth cohorts.

Background: An association between education and preterm delivery has been observed in populations across Europe, but differences in methodology limit comparability. We performed a direct cross-cohort comparison of educational disparities in preterm delivery based on individual-level birth cohort data.

Methods: The study included data from 12 European cohorts from Denmark, England, France, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.

Associations of infant feeding and timing of linear growth and relative weight gain during early life with childhood body composition.

Background: Growth and feeding during infancy have been associated with later life body mass index. However, the associations of infant feeding, linear growth and weight gain relative to linear growth with separate components of body composition remain unclear.

Methods: Of 5551 children with collected growth and infant-feeding data in a prospective cohort study (Amsterdam Born Children and their Development), body composition measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis at the age of 5-6 years was available for 2227 children.

Screen time and cardiometabolic function in Dutch 5-6 year olds: cross-sectional analysis of the ABCD-study.

Background: Evidence on the association between different screen behaviours and cardiometabolic biomarkers in children is limited. We examined the independent relationship of TV time and PC time with cardiometabolic biomarkers in Dutch 5-6 year old children.

Methods: Cross-sectional analyses were conducted December 2012-March 2013 using data from a multi-ethnic cohort (the ABCD study, n = 1,961).

Weight loss in pregnancy and cardiometabolic profile in childhood: findings from a longitudinal birth cohort.

Objective: To investigate the consequences of weight loss in pregnancy on pregnancy outcomes and cardiometabolic profile in childhood.

Design: Prospective birth cohort (ABCD study).

Setting: Between 2003 and 2004, all pregnant women in Amsterdam were approached for study participation.