Constructing a polygenic risk score for childhood obesity using functional data analysis.

Obesity is a highly heritable condition that affects increasing numbers of adults and, concerningly, of children. However, only a small fraction of its heritability has been attributed to specific genetic variants. These variants are traditionally ascertained from genome-wide association studies (GWAS), which utilize samples with tens or hundreds of thousands of individuals for whom a single summary measurement (e.

Effects of the Sleep SAAF responsive parenting intervention on rapid infant weight gain: A randomized clinical trial of African American families.

Responsive parenting (RP) interventions reduce rapid infant weight gain but their effect for underserved populations is largely unknown. The Sleep SAAF (Strong African American Families) study is a two-arm randomized clinical trial for primiparous African American mother-infant dyads that compares an RP intervention to a child safety control over the first 16 weeks postpartum. Here we report on intervention effects on rapid infant weight gain and study implementation.

INSIGHT responsive parenting educational intervention for firstborns is associated with growth of second-born siblings.

Objective: The aim of this study was to test whether the Intervention Nurses Start Infants Growing on Healthy Trajectories (INSIGHT) responsive parenting (RP) intervention, delivered to parents of firstborn children, is associated with the BMI of first- and second-born siblings during infancy.

Methods: Participants included 117 firstborn infants enrolled in a randomized controlled trial and their second-born siblings enrolled in an observation-only ancillary study. The RP curriculum for firstborn children included guidance on feeding, sleep, interactive play, and emotion regulation.

Sex Differences in Maternal Restrictive Feeding Practices in the Intervention Nurses Start Infants Growing on Healthy Trajectories Study.

Background: Intervention Nurses Start Infants Growing on Healthy Trajectories tested an early life responsive parenting (RP) intervention designed for obesity prevention. Body mass index z-score at age 3 years was lower for the RP group versus controls with a larger effect for girls than boys. We sought to determine if child sex was associated with differing maternal feeding practices and whether sex moderated intervention effects on feeding.

Assessing health disparities in foods and beverages served in early care and education programs across Georgia.

Background: Obesity disproportionately impacts children who are Black and Hispanic, those who live in rural communities and those who have low income. Predisposition to obesity early in life is profoundly impacted by feeding habits during the preschool years. The early care and education (ECE) setting impacts children's health by providing daily meals.

INSIGHT responsive parenting intervention effects on child appetite and maternal feeding practices through age 3 years.

Expert guidance encourages interventions promoting structure-based practices to establish predictable eating environments in order to foster children's self-regulatory skills. However, few studies have examined whether and how child characteristics may moderate effects of interventions on maternal feeding practices. This analysis aimed to examine the effect of the INSIGHT Responsive Parenting (RP) intervention delivered largely during infancy, on child appetitive traits at 2.

The Intervention Nurses Start Infants Growing on Healthy Trajectories (INSIGHT) Responsive Parenting Intervention for Firstborns Affects Dietary Intake of Secondborn Infants.

Background: Although previous work has shown that children with older siblings tend to have poorer diet quality, no study has directly compared diets of infant siblings.

Objective: The goals of this analysis were to examine birth-order differences in dietary intake between firstborn (FB) and secondborn (SB) siblings, and to determine whether a responsive parenting (RP) intervention modified birth-order effects on diet.

Methods: The Intervention Nurses Start Infants Growing on Healthy Trajectories (INSIGHT) study randomly assigned first-time mothers to an RP intervention, which included guidance on feeding, sleep, soothing, and interactive play, or control.

Effect of a responsive parenting intervention on child emotional overeating is mediated by reduced maternal use of food to soothe: The INSIGHT RCT.

Background: Child emotional overeating is a risk factor for obesity that is learned in the home environment. Parents' use of food to soothe child distress may contribute to the development of children's emotional overeating.

Objectives: To examine the effect of a responsive parenting (RP) intervention on mother-reported child emotional overeating, and explore whether effects are mediated by mother-reported use of food to soothe child distress.

Determining eLearning Preferences to Inform Beverage Policy Training for Early Care and Education Teachers.

Objective: To determine the eLearning preferences of early care and education (ECE) teachers for an effective beverage policy training.

Methods: Mixed methods study conducted with ECE directors and teachers in 6 regions throughout Georgia. Researchers used an eLearning survey (n = 646) along with focus groups (n = 6) and interviews (n = 24) to determine eLearning preferences and preferred eLearning format.

The Intervention Nurses Start Infants Growing on Healthy Trajectories (INSIGHT) responsive parenting intervention for firstborns impacts feeding of secondborns.

Background: The Intervention Nurses Start Infant Growing on Healthy Trajectories (INSIGHT) study's responsive parenting (RP) intervention, initiated in early infancy, prevented the use of nonresponsive, controlling feeding practices and promoted use of structure-based feeding among first-time parents compared with controls.

Objectives: We sought to examine the spillover effect of the RP intervention on maternal feeding practices with their secondborn (SB) infants enrolled in an observational-only study, SIBSIGHT, and to test the moderating effect of spacing of births.

Methods: SB infants of mothers participating in the INSIGHT study were enrolled into the observation-only ancillary study, SIBSIGHT.

Ecological momentary assessment of using food to soothe during infancy in the INSIGHT trial.

Background: Use of food to soothe infant distress has been linked to greater weight in observational studies. We used ecological momentary assessment to capture detailed patterns of food to soothe and evaluate if a responsive parenting intervention reduced parents' use of food to soothe.

Methods: Primiparous mother-newborn dyads were randomized to a responsive parenting intervention designed for obesity prevention or a safety control group.

Sleep SAAF: a responsive parenting intervention to prevent excessive weight gain and obesity among African American infants.

Background: Responsive parenting interventions that shape parenting behaviors in the areas of sleep and soothing, appropriate and responsive feeding, and routines represent a promising approach to early obesity prevention and have demonstrated effectiveness in our previous trials. However, this approach has yet to be applied to the populations most at-risk for the development of early obesity, including African Americans. The Sleep SAAF (Strong African American Families) study is a two-arm randomized controlled clinical trial evaluating whether a responsive parenting intervention focused on promoting infant sleeping and self-soothing can prevent rapid weight gain during the first 16 weeks postpartum among first-born African American infants.

Repeated exposure to food and food acceptability in infants and toddlers: a systematic review.

Background: Repeated exposure has been found to be an effective strategy to increase acceptability of foods in older children and adults, but little is known about its effectiveness in the birth to 24-mo population.

Objectives: This systematic review was conducted to examine the effects of repeated exposure to a single or multiple foods on acceptance of those or other foods among infants and toddlers.

Methods: A search was conducted for peer-reviewed articles related to food acceptability, flavor, taste, and infants and toddlers in 12 databases (e.

Influence of maternal diet on flavor transfer to amniotic fluid and breast milk and children's responses: a systematic review.

Background: Maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation may provide the earliest opportunity to positively influence child food acceptance.

Objective: Systematic reviews were completed to examine the relation among maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation, amniotic fluid flavor, breast-milk flavor, and children's food acceptability and overall dietary intake.

Design: A literature search was conducted in 10 databases (e.

Caregiver feeding practices and child weight outcomes: a systematic review.

Background: As part of the USDA-Department of Health and Human Services Pregnancy and Birth to 24 Months Project, we conducted systematic reviews (SRs) on topics important for health and nutrition of young children.

Objectives: The purpose of the present SR was to examine the relation between caregiver feeding practices in children from birth to 24 mo and child weight gain, size, and body composition.

Methods: A search of articles published from January 1980 to January 2017 in 4 databases identified 8739 references.

Exploring infant signing to enhance responsive parenting: Findings from the INSIGHT study.

Responsive parenting is a promising framework for obesity prevention, yet attempts to date have largely relied on parents accurately interpreting their child's cues. Infant signing or "baby sign language" could enhance these interventions by improving bidirectional parent-child communication during the preverbal and emerging language years. In a clinical trial testing, a responsive parenting intervention designed for obesity prevention, we pilot tested a brief intervention at age 40 weeks with a subset of participating dyads that taught the signing gesture of "all done" to improve parental recognition of satiety.

Dieting is associated with reduced bone mineral accrual in a longitudinal cohort of girls.

Background: Peak bone mass accrual occurs during adolescence, a time when dieting and related eating behaviors are common. Impaired bone mineral accrual is a known consequence of eating disorders in adolescents, but the effects of subclinical dieting behaviors on bone mineral content (BMC) have not been described in this age group. The goal of this analysis was to determine whether dieting behavior in preadolescence and adolescence is associated with bone mineral accrual in adolescent girls.

Beverage Policy Implementation by Child and Adult Care Food Program Participation and Program Type: A Statewide Examination in Georgia.

Background: The child care setting is a promising venue to establish healthy habits and promote obesity prevention. One major contributor to weight gain among young children is high intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). Increasing access to water and other healthy beverages is a viable strategy to reduce childhood obesity.

Child Weight Gain Trajectories Linked To Oral Microbiota Composition.

Gut and oral microbiota perturbations have been observed in obese adults and adolescents; less is known about their influence on weight gain in young children. Here we analyzed the gut and oral microbiota of 226 two-year-olds with 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Weight and length were measured at seven time points and used to identify children with rapid infant weight gain (a strong risk factor for childhood obesity), and to derive growth curves with innovative Functional Data Analysis (FDA) techniques.

Feasibility of Including Behavioral Feeding Training Within a Parent Intervention for Young Children With Type 1 Diabetes.

Young children with T1D frequently display challenging eating behaviors interfering with diabetes management. The current study explored the feasibility and acceptability of a behavioral parent feeding training session with young children with type 1 diabetes. As part of a larger intervention pilot focused on healthy eating and physical activity, 9 young children (M = 4.

INSIGHT Study Maternal Return to Work and Infant Weight Outcomes.

Objective: Maternal return to work within 12 weeks of delivery is associated with poor child health and development. However, little is known about the impact of return to work on the risk of child obesity. We examined whether timing of maternal return to work is associated with rapid infant weight gain from 0 to 6 months and weight-for-length at 1 year.

Effect of a Responsive Parenting Educational Intervention on Childhood Weight Outcomes at 3 Years of Age: The INSIGHT Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Rapid growth and elevated weight status in early childhood increase risk for later obesity, but interventions that improve growth trajectories are lacking.

Objective: To examine effects of a responsive parenting intervention designed to promote developmentally appropriate, prompt, and contingent responses to a child's needs on weight outcomes at 3 years.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A single-center randomized clinical trial comparing a responsive parenting intervention designed to prevent childhood obesity vs a home safety intervention (control) among 279 primiparous mother-child dyads (responsive parenting group, 140; control group, 139) who enrolled and completed the first home visit from January 2012 through March 2014 with follow-up to age 3 years (completed by April 2017).