A Feasibility Study of a Music Enrichment Program on Relative Reinforcing Value of Food and Home Environmental Enrichment among Families of Low Socioeconomic Status.

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that low socioeconomic status (SES) home environments may play a role by promoting excess energy intake through a lack of access to non-food reinforcers. Because of the deleterious effects of SES-related disparities on child health and development, feasible and culturally acceptable interventions are urgently needed. Community-based music enrichment programs may be an ideal intervention strategy.

A Systematic Review of Early General Parenting Interventions: Long-term Effects in Underrepresented Populations and Implications for Obesity Prevention.

Purpose Of Review: While some parenting interventions designed for early-life obesity prevention have demonstrated short-term success, there is limited evidence of longer-term impacts and feasibility with underrepresented populations. The goal of this review was to examine existing general parenting programs for parents of children 0-5 years that were not designed to target obesity but investigated long-term effects on parenting and/or were conducted with underrepresented populations to offer recommendations for the modification or development of parenting-focused obesity prevention programs.

Recent Findings: Most studies with sustained impacts on parenting in underrepresented populations were brief, group-based programs for parents of children 2-5 years.

Play With Me: Effects of a shared activities parenting intervention on parenting and relative reinforcing value of food.

This pilot randomized controlled trial evaluated impacts of a novel shared activities intervention designed to promote positive parent-child interactions, which may function as an alternative reinforcer to food. The 4-week, at-home Play With Me intervention combines didactic parenting videos and play kits with materials for parent-child activities to practice skills. Aims of the present study were to examine the intervention's acceptability and its effects on parenting and the relative reinforcing value (RRV) of food versus parent-child activity at post-intervention.

Prenatal tobacco and tobacco-cannabis co-exposure: Relationship with attention and memory in middle childhood.

We examined associations between prenatal tobacco exposure (with and without cannabis exposure) and children's performance on laboratory measures of sustained attention, attentional set shifting, and working memory in middle childhood (9-12 years of child age). Participants were recruited in the first trimester of pregnancy and oversampled for prenatal tobacco exposure; with a smaller sample (n = 133; n = 34 non-substance exposed, n = 37 exposed to tobacco only, n = 62 co-exposed) invited (oversampled for co-exposure) to participate in the middle-childhood assessment (M age = 10.6, SD = 0.

The impact of a music enrichment program during infancy and early toddlerhood on effortful control at age 3: A preliminary investigation.

Effortful control (EC), a self-regulation skill, is associated with long-term developmental outcomes. Music has been associated with infant self-regulation and may be an intervention strategy for enhancing EC during toddlerhood. This investigation included 32 parent-child dyads from a previously conducted randomized controlled trial (RCT).

The impact of a community-based music program during infancy on the quality of parent-child language interactions.

The early language environment, especially high-quality, contingent parent-child language interactions, is crucial for a child's language development and later academic success. In this secondary analysis study, 89 parent-child dyads were randomly assigned to either the Music Together® (music) or play date (control) classes. Children were 9- to 15-month old at baseline, primarily white (86.

Early exposure to added sugars via infant formula may explain high intakes of added sugars during complementary feeding beyond maternal modeling.

Background: Research has shown that early exposure to added sugars from table food is related to increased intake of added sugars in later childhood. The earliest window of exposure to added sugars may be in infancy via infant formula. However, beyond the well-established factors of maternal lifestyle and modeling, there is a lack of research examining how exposure to added sugars from infant formula influences infant/toddler added sugar intakes from table foods and sugar sweetened beverages (SSB).

Nutrient Supplementation during the Prenatal Period in Substance-Using Mothers: A Narrative Review of the Effects on Offspring Development.

Substance use during pregnancy increases the risk for poor developmental outcomes of the offspring, and for substance-dependent mothers, abstaining from substance use during pregnancy is often difficult. Given the addictive nature of many substances, strategies that may mitigate the harmful effects of prenatal substance exposure are important. Prenatal nutrient supplementation is an emerging intervention that may improve developmental outcomes among substance-exposed offspring.

Electronic Monitoring Of Mom's Schedule (eMOMS): Recruitment of pregnant populations with elevated BMI in a feasibility randomized controlled trial.

Underrepresentation of pregnant populations in randomized controlled trials of lifestyle change interventions is concerning due to high attrition and providers' limited clinical time. The purpose of this evaluative study was to assess intervention uptake of pregnant individuals enrolled in a three-arm feasibility randomized controlled trial, electronic Monitoring Of Mom's Schedule (eMOMS), examining lifestyle changes and lactation support alone, and in combination. Measures included: (1) participation and completion rates, and characteristics of intervention completers versus other eligible participants; and (2) provider experiences with screening and enrolling pregnant participants.

The effects of a music enrichment program on parent-infant interactions during mealtime: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Parent-child interactions are linked to childhood obesity. Music enrichment programs enhance parent-child interactions and may be a strategy for early childhood obesity prevention.

Objective: We implemented a 2-year randomized, controlled trial to assess the effects of a music enrichment program (music, n = 45) vs.

Caregiver feeding decisions and sociodemographic characteristics are associated with snack food intake during infancy and toddlerhood.

Snacking starts early in childhood, yet little is known about child versus family influences on snacking during infancy and toddlerhood. This secondary analysis of baseline data examined associations of child characteristics (e.g.

A pilot study of the association between maternal mid-pregnancy cholesterol and oxysterol concentrations and labor duration.

Background: Previous animal model studies have highlighted a role for cholesterol and its oxidized derivatives (oxysterols) in uterine contractile activity, however, a lipotoxic state associated with hypercholesterolemia may contribute to labor dystocia. Therefore, we investigated if maternal mid-pregnancy cholesterol and oxysterol concentrations were associated with labor duration in a human pregnancy cohort.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of serum samples and birth outcome data from healthy pregnant women (N = 25) with mid-pregnancy fasting serum samples collected at 22-28 weeks of gestation.

Characterization of a Vigorous sucking style in early infancy and its predictive value for weight gain and eating behaviors at 12 months.

This study sought to identify sucking profiles among healthy, full-term infants and assess their predictive value for future weight gain and eating behaviors. Pressure waves of infant sucking were captured during a typical feeding at age 4 months and quantified via 14 metrics. Anthropometry was measured at 4 and 12 months, and eating behaviors were measured by parent report via the Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire-Toddler (CEBQ-T) at 12 months.

Prenatal tobacco and cannabis co-exposure and offspring obesity development from birth to mid-childhood.

Background: Although the association between prenatal tobacco exposure and child obesity risk is well-established, less is known about co-exposure to tobacco and cannabis.

Objective: Determine the relation between prenatal substance co-exposure and obesity risk.

Methods: In a diverse sample of pregnant women, we examined the association between prenatal substance exposure (tobacco-only and co-exposure) and child BMI (kg/m ) trajectories from birth to mid-childhood (n = 262), overweight/obese status based on BMI percentiles from toddlerhood (24 months) to mid-childhood (9-12 years), and adiposity outcomes at mid-childhood (fat mass [kg], fat mass [%] and fat free mass [kg]; n = 128).

The Association between Maternal Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption and Infant/Toddler Added Sugar Intakes.

Intake of added sugars during early life is associated with poor health outcomes. Maternal dietary intake influences the intake of their children, but little research investigates the relationship between maternal sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) and infant/toddler added sugar intakes. Our objective was to explore the relationship between maternal total sugars and SSB intakes and infant/toddler added sugar intakes.

Reducing relative food reinforcement of infants using a music enrichment program: a randomized, controlled trial.

Background: Food reinforcement or one's motivation to eat may be established early in life; it might not be the food reinforcement per se that drives weight gain, but rather the imbalance between food and nonfood reinforcement.

Objectives: We implemented a 2-y randomized, controlled trial to assess the effects of a music enrichment program (music, n = 45) compared with an active play date control (control, n = 45) in 9- to 15-mo-old healthy infants who were strongly motivated to eat.

Methods: The 12-mo intensive intervention phase included 4 semesters of Music Together® or a play date program (Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall), comprised of once per week group meetings, followed by a 12-mo maintenance phase with monthly meetings.

Systematic Review of General Parenting Intervention Impacts on Child Weight as a Secondary Outcome.

General parenting interventions have improved parent-child relationships and child behavior, with emerging evidence that they may also reduce prevalence of pediatric overweight/obesity. We conducted a systematic review on interventions that were designed to promote positive parenting and examined child weight . We searched for studies published through January 2022 that promoted positive parenting among parents of children ages 0-18 years and reported effects on body weight as an ancillary outcome, with no intervention content focused on energy balance (, feeding, physical activity).

Associations of maternal lipoprotein particle distribution in mid-pregnancy with birth outcomes: a pilot study.

Background: An excessive rise in maternal lipids during pregnancy may have detrimental impacts on maternal and fetal health leading to adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, knowledge gaps exist with respect to the association between lipid biomarkers and birth outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a secondary data analysis of healthy pregnant women (N = 25) with mid-pregnancy fasting serum samples collected at 22-28 weeks of gestation and birth outcome data.

Change in hyper-palatable food availability in the US food system over 30 years: 1988-2018.

Objective: To quantify the change in availability of hyper-palatable foods (HPF) in the US foods system over 30 years (1988-2018).

Design: Three datasets considered representative of the US food system were used in analyses to represent years 1988, 2001 and 2018. A standardised definition from Fazzino (2019) that specifies combinations of nutrients was used to identify HPF.

Frequency of Sweet and Salty Snack Food Consumption Is Associated with Higher Intakes of Overconsumed Nutrients and Weight-For-Length z Scores During Infancy and Toddlerhood.

Background: Current dietary guidelines recommend avoiding foods and beverages with added sugars and higher sodium before age 2 years.

Objective: The aim was to describe daily snack food intake (frequency and total energy) and the associations with overconsumed nutrients (added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats) and child weight-for-length z scores.

Design: A cross-sectional, secondary analysis of baseline data from an ongoing longitudinal intervention was conducted.

Examining the Relationship between Infant Weight Status and Parent-Infant Interactions within a Food and Nonfood Context.

Most observational research examining factors in the home environment that contribute to child adiposity has focused on feeding and physical activity, although aspects of one's nonfood home environment such as parent-child interactions can also impact body weight. The main objectives of this study were to determine if parent-infant interactions under different contexts provide a unique contribution to infants' concurrent adiposity after accounting for known obesity-related covariates. This was a cross-sectional analysis of 121 9- to 15-month-old infants using data collected at the baseline visit of an ongoing intervention study.

Interplay between Prepregnancy Body Mass Index, Early Childhood Negative Temperament, and Slowness in Eating on Early Childhood Rapid Weight Gain.

Early childhood eating behaviors and temperament have been linked to excess weight gain in separate lines of research. However, the interplay among these variables along with maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) in predicting rapid weight gain is poorly understood. This observational study tested superfactors of early childhood temperament using the and their relationships with eating behavior using the on rapid weight gain among 9-18 months children ( = 283).

The Prevalence of Hyperpalatable Baby Foods and Exposure During Infancy: A Preliminary Investigation.

To characterize the prevalence of hyperpalatable foods (HPF) among baby foods in the U.S. and examine the prevalence of HPF exposure and consumption from both baby food and adult food sources among infants aged 9-15 months.