A descriptive examination of rurality in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Cohort: Implications, illustrations, and future directions.

Purpose: The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort has enrolled over 60,000 children to examine how early environmental factors (broadly defined) are associated with key child health outcomes. The ECHO Cohort may be well-positioned to contribute to our understanding of rural environments and contexts, which has implications for rural health disparities research. The present study examined the outcome of child obesity to not only illustrate the suitability of ECHO Cohort data for these purposes but also determine how various definitions of rural and urban populations impact the presentation of findings and their interpretation.

Unpacking Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status in Children's Health Research from an Environmental Justice Perspective: A Scoping Review.

Purpose Of Review: Clearly defining and measuring neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) is a key first step in achieving environmental justice, as the disproportionate distribution of environmental hazards and access to resources is heavily influenced by socioeconomic factors. This scoping review explores the definition of neighborhoods, measurement of neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES), and studies that evaluated the association between nSES and child health in accordance with PRISMA guidelines.

Recent Findings: We identified 4112 articles published on US pediatric populations between 2013 and 2022.

Associations between area-level arsenic exposure and adverse birth outcomes: An Echo-wide cohort analysis.

Background: Drinking water is a common source of exposure to inorganic arsenic. In the US, the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was enacted to protect consumers from exposure to contaminants, including arsenic, in public water systems (PWS). The reproductive effects of preconception and prenatal arsenic exposure in regions with low to moderate arsenic concentrations are not well understood.

Latent Class Analysis of Prenatal Substance Exposure and Child Behavioral Outcomes.

Objectives: To predict behavioral disruptions in middle childhood, we identified latent classes of prenatal substance use.

Study Design: As part of the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Program, we harmonized prenatal substance use data and child behavior outcomes from 2195 women and their 6- to 11-year-old children across 10 cohorts in the US and used latent class-adjusted regression models to predict parent-rated child behavior.

Results: Three latent classes fit the data: low use (90.

Prenatal Substance Exposure: Associations with Neurodevelopment in Middle Childhood.

Objective: Single-substance exposure effects on neurodevelopmental outcomes, such as problem behavior and intelligence quotient (IQ), have been studied in children for decades. However, the long-term consequences of polysubstance exposure are poorly understood.

Study Design: Longitudinal neurodevelopmental data were gathered from cohorts across the United States through the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Program.

COVID-19 Pandemic Experiences and Symptoms of Pandemic-Associated Traumatic Stress Among Mothers in the US.

Importance: The primary outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of women with children remain largely unknown.

Objectives: To identify and describe clusters of mothers of children participating in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program that characterize pandemic-associated hardships, coping mechanisms, and behaviors, and to evaluate associations between pandemic-associated hardships, coping strategies, and behavior changes with pandemic-associated traumatic stress symptoms.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This multicenter cohort study investigated experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic between April 2020 and August 2021 among maternal caregivers of children participating in the ECHO Program.

Characteristics of Individuals in the United States Who Used Opioids During Pregnancy.

Opioid use has disproportionally impacted pregnant people and their fetuses. Previous studies describing opioid use among pregnant people are limited by geographic location, type of medical coverage, and small sample size. We described characteristics of a large, diverse group of pregnant people who were enrolled in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program, and determined which characteristics were associated with opioid use during pregnancy.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's sleep habits: an ECHO study.

Background: Sleep in childhood is affected by behavioral, environmental, and parental factors. We propose that these factors were altered during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigates sleep habit changes during the pandemic in 528 children 4-12 years old in the US, leveraging data from the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program.

Health Behavior Changes during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Analysis among Children.

This longitudinal study compared children’s health behaviors before the COVID-19 pandemic versus during the pandemic. This analysis examined the association between individual-level characteristics and health behavior change. Four prospective cohort studies in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program contributed data.

Sociodemographic Variation in Children's Health Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Societal changes during the COVID-19 pandemic may affect children's health behaviors and exacerbate disparities. This study aimed to describe children's health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, how they vary by sociodemographic characteristics, and the extent to which parent coping strategies mitigate the impact of pandemic-related financial strain on these behaviors. This study used pooled data from 50 cohorts in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Program.

Racial/ethnic disparities in subjective sleep duration, sleep quality, and sleep disturbances during pregnancy: an ECHO study.

In the United States, racial/ethnic minoritized groups experience worse sleep than non-Hispanic Whites (nHW), but less is known about pregnant people. This is a key consideration since poor sleep during pregnancy is common and associated with increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. This study reports the prevalence of subjective sleep measures in a multi-racial/ethnic pregnant population from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program.

A new era: improving use of sociodemographic constructs in the analysis of pediatric cohort study data.

Given the diversity of sex, gender identity, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic position (SEP) in children across the United States, it is incumbent upon pediatric and epidemiologic researchers to conduct their work in ways that promote inclusivity, understanding and reduction in inequities. Current child health research often utilizes an approach of "convenience" in how data related to these constructs are collected, categorized, and included in models; the field needs to be more systematic and thoughtful in its approach to understand how sociodemographics affect child health. We offer suggestions for improving the discourse around sex, gender identity, race, ethnicity, and SEP in child health research.

Identification of Measurement Needs to Prevent Childhood Obesity in High-Risk Populations and Environments.

Introduction: Children at highest obesity risk include those from certain racial/ethnic groups, from low-income families, with disabilities, or living in high-risk communities. However, a 2013 review of the National Collaborative for Childhood Obesity Research Measures Registry identified few measures focused on children at highest obesity risk. The objective is to (1) identify individual and environmental measures of diet and physical activity added to the Measures Registry since 2013 used among high-risk populations or settings and (2) describe methods for their development, adaptation, or validation.

Methods and Risks of Bias in Natural Experiments in Obesity: Opportunities for the Future Informed by a Systematic Review.

Objective: This paper promotes rigorous methods and designs currently underutilized in obesity research, informed by a recent systematic review of the methods and risks of bias in studies of policies, programs, and built environment changes for obesity prevention and control.

Methods: To determine the current state of the field, relevant databases from 2000 to 2017 were searched to identify studies that fit the inclusion criteria. Study design, analytic approach, and other details of study methods were abstracted.

Consumer credit, chronic disease and risk behaviours.

Background: Credit scores have been identified as a marker of disease burden. This study investigated credit scores' association with chronic diseases and health behaviours that are associated with chronic diseases.

Methods: This cross-sectional analysis included data on 2083 residents of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA in 2015.

Consumer credit scores as a novel tool for identifying health in urban U.S. neighborhoods.

Purpose: Credit scores may operate as a socioeconomic indicator of health: they represent cumulative financial history that directly influences ability to access financial and nonfinancial resources related to health. Yet, little is known about the relationship of credit score and health or to traditional measures of socioeconomic position (SEP). Our objectives were to (1) evaluate the association between area-level credit score and individual self-rated health and (2) compare credit score to traditional markers of area-level SEP in predicting self-rated health.

Methods for Evaluating Natural Experiments in Obesity: A Systematic Review.

Background: Given the obesity pandemic, rigorous methodological approaches, including natural experiments, are needed.

Purpose: To identify studies that report effects of programs, policies, or built environment changes on obesity prevention and control and to describe their methods.

Data Sources: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and EconLit (January 2000 to August 2017).