Economic hardships during COVID-19 and maternal mental health: Combining samples with low incomes across three cities.

The COVID-19 pandemic increased maternal depression and anxiety, imperiling both mothers' own wellbeing and that of their children. To date, however, little is known about the extent to which these increases are attributable to economic hardships commonly experienced during the pandemic: income loss, job loss, and loss of health insurance. Few studies have examined the individual impacts of these hardships, and none have lasted beyond the first year of the pandemic.

Feasibility of an Obesity Prevention Program for Latino Families from First Trimester of Pregnancy to Child Age 18 Months and Predictors of Program Attendance.

The high prevalence of obesity in Latino families with low income necessitates prevention beginning in pregnancy and continuing through infancy. Due to systemic inequities, adverse social determinants of health (SDoH) and mental health symptoms may limit program efficacy by presenting barriers to attendance. We sought to assess: (1) the feasibility of the Starting Early Program (StEP) Prenatal, a 17-session intervention beginning early in pregnancy and continuing to 18 months postpartum; and (2) the effects of adverse SDoH (material hardship, low social support) and mental health symptoms (depression, anxiety, stress) on program attendance.

A tale of two cities: London and New York City during Covid-19.

Using publicly available data, this paper investigates the diffusion of COVID-19 across neighborhoods in two major cities, London and New York. We link neighborhood demographics to incidence, and we investigate patterns of change over time in conjunction with changing policy responses to the pandemic. By comparing and contrasting these two cities, we are able to exploit surveillance and policy differences, demonstrating how each contributes information to the other.

Prenatal and Pediatric Primary Care-Based Child Obesity Prevention: Effects of Adverse Social Determinants of Health on Intervention Attendance and Impact.

Adverse social determinants of health (SDoHs), specifically psychosocial stressors and material hardships, are associated with early childhood obesity. Less is known about whether adverse SDoHs modify the efficacy of early childhood obesity prevention programs. We conducted a secondary analysis of publicly insured birthing parent-child dyads with Latino backgrounds participating in a randomized controlled trial of the Starting Early Program (StEP), a child obesity prevention program beginning in pregnancy.

Promoting Cognitive Stimulation in Parents Across Infancy and Toddlerhood: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objective: To test the impact of the fully integrated Smart Beginnings model on parental support of cognitive stimulation from 6 to 24 months across infancy and toddlerhood.

Study Design: This was a single-blind, 2-site randomized clinical trial of the Smart Beginnings intervention. Enrollment took place at birth in postpartum units of hospitals in New York City and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a consecutive sample of 403 mother-infant dyads.

Do Appetite Traits Mediate the Link Between Birth Weight and Later Child Weight in Low-Income Hispanic Families?

Birth weight and appetite traits (ATs) are important early life determinants of child weight and obesity. The aim of this study is to examine whether (1) birth weight-for-gestational age z-scores (BWGAzs) were associated with ATs at child age 2 years and (2) ATs mediated the link between BWGAzs and weight-for-age z-scores (WFAzs) at child ages 3 and 4 years among Hispanic children. We conducted a secondary longitudinal analysis of data from the Starting Early Program of low-income, Hispanic mother-child pairs.

Protective Effect of Prenatal Social Support on the Intergenerational Transmission of Obesity in Low-Income Hispanic Families.

Prepregnancy overweight/obesity (OW/OB) is a strong risk factor for child obesity. Few studies have identified modifiable factors that mitigate this risk. The objective of this study was to determine if prenatal social support buffers the effect of prepregnancy OW/OB on child birth weight -score (BW) and weight-for-age -score (WFA) trajectory.

Baseline Stimulability Predicts Patterns of Response to Traditional and Ultrasound Biofeedback Treatment for Residual Speech Sound Disorder.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify predictors of response to treatment for residual speech sound disorder (RSSD) affecting English rhotics. Progress was tracked during an initial phase of traditional motor-based treatment and a longer phase of treatment incorporating ultrasound biofeedback. Based on previous literature, we focused on baseline stimulability and sensory acuity as predictors of interest.

Infant appetite traits, feeding practices and child obesity in low-income Hispanic families.

Background: Appetite traits and feeding practices are important determinants of child weight and obesity.

Objectives: This study examined whether: (1) infant appetite traits were associated with feeding practices and (2) feeding practices mediated the link between appetite traits and weight-for-age z-scores at age 3 years.

Methods: We conducted a secondary data analysis from the 'Starting Early Program' of low-income, Hispanic mother-child pairs.

Grandparent Coresidence and Risk of Early Child Overweight and Obesity in Low-Income, Hispanic Families in New York City.

Objective: Children in low-income Hispanic families are at high risk of obesity and are more likely to live with grandparents than their non-Hispanic white counterparts. We aimed to determine if grandparent coresidence (prenatal through age 2 years) was associated with: 1) obesogenic feeding practices; and 2) child weight outcomes from birth to three years.

Methods: We analyzed data from 267 low-income, Hispanic mother-infant pairs in the control group of an obesity prevention trial in New York City.

Infant and Early Child Appetite Traits and Child Weight and Obesity Risk in Low-Income Hispanic Families.

Background: Child appetite traits (ATs) are associated with later child weight and obesity risk. Less research has focused on ATs in low-income Hispanic children or included longitudinal associations with infant weight.

Objective: To determine stability of ATs during infancy and childhood and their relationship with subsequent weight and obesity risk at age 3 years among low-income Hispanic children.

Prenatal and Pediatric Primary Care-Based Child Obesity Prevention Program: A Randomized Trial.

Objectives: To determine impact of a primary care-based child obesity prevention intervention beginning during pregnancy on early childhood weight outcomes in low-income Hispanic families.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial comparing mother-infant pairs receiving either standard care or the Starting Early Program providing prenatal and postpartum nutrition counseling and nutrition parenting support groups targeting key obesity-related feeding practices in low-income groups. Primary outcomes were reduction in weight-for-age -scores (WFAzs) from clinical anthropometric measures, obesity prevalence (weight for age ≥95th percentile), and excess weight gain (WFAz trajectory) from birth to age 3 years.

Catechol--methyltransferase Genotype and Early-Life Family Adversity Interactively Affect Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Symptoms Across Childhood.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is among the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric disorders of childhood. The dopaminergic system has been shown to have substantial effects on its etiology, with both functional Catechol--methyltransferase () genotype and early-life environmental adversity involved in the risk of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms. In this prospective longitudinal study, we examined for the first time the impact of proximal and distal early-life family adversity and polymorphism gene - both the direct and the interactive effects, on children's ADHD symptoms across childhood.

Early Childhood Teachers' Lives in Context: Implications for Professional Development in Under-Resourced Areas.

This study explores the personal, professional, and contextual conditions faced by early childhood education (ECE) teachers in under-resourced settings and how these relate to teacher responsiveness to professional development (PD): namely, teacher attrition (a sign of PD failure when occurring shortly after PD), take-up of offered PD, adherence to PD training/materials, and quality of implementation. We use data from six disadvantaged districts in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana and PD focused on implementation of a national, play-based curriculum. Descriptive statistics indicate that ECE teachers (n = 302) face a multitude of barriers to high quality teaching across the bioecological model.

The Protective Effect of Prenatal Social Support on Infant Adiposity in the First 18 Months of Life.

Objective: To determine whether prenatal social support was associated with infant adiposity in the first 18 months of life in a low-income, Hispanic sample, known to be at high risk of early child obesity.

Study Design: We performed a longitudinal analysis of 262 low-income, Hispanic mother-infant pairs in the control group of the Starting Early child obesity prevention trial. Prenatal social support was measured using an item from the Maternal Social Support Index.

Do sedentary behavior and physical activity spatially cluster? Analysis of a population-based sample of Boston adolescents.

Sedentary behavior and lack of physical activity are key modifiable behavioral risk factors for chronic health problems, such as obesity and diabetes. Little is known about how sedentary behavior and physical activity among adolescents spatially cluster. The objective was to detect spatial clustering of sedentary behavior and physical activity among Boston adolescents.

Geospatial clustering in sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among Boston youth.

The objective was to detect geospatial clustering of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake in Boston adolescents (age = 16.3 ± 1.3 years [range: 13-19]; female = 56.

Racial and gender identity among Black adolescent males: an intersectionality perspective.

A considerable amount of social identity research has focused on race and racial identity, while gender identity, particularly among Black adolescents, remains underexamined. The current study used survey data from 183 Black adolescent males (13-16 years old) to investigate the development and relation between racial and gender identity centrality and private regard, and how these identities impact adjustment over time. It was found that dimensions of racial and gender identity were strongly correlated.

Early mother-child attachment and behavior problems in middle childhood: the role of the subsequent caregiving environment.

The current study investigated associations between early mother-child attachment, as well as mother-child and teacher-child relationships, and internalizing and externalizing behaviors in middle childhood. Data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development were used. Findings from a series of individual growth curve analyses revealed that attachment security was negatively related to internalizing and externalizing behaviors, while insecure/other and avoidant attachment were positively related to internalizing behaviors.

Trends in dietary carbohydrate consumption from 1991 to 2008 in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort.

The intake of carbohydrates has been evaluated cross-sectionally, but not longitudinally in an ageing American adult population. The aim of the present study was to examine trends in the intake of dietary carbohydrates and their major food sources among the Framingham Heart Study Offspring (FOS) cohort, which had been uniquely tracked for 17 years in the study. The FOS cohort was recruited in 1971-1975.

Trends in dietary fat and high-fat food intakes from 1991 to 2008 in the Framingham Heart Study participants.

Few longitudinal studies carried out in US adults have evaluated long-term dietary fat intakes and compared them with the national recommendations during the two-decade period when the prevalence of obesity and insulin resistance increased substantively. In the present study, we examined trends in the intakes of dietary fats and rich dietary sources of fats in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort over a 17-year period. The cohort was established in 1971-75 with follow-up examinations being conducted approximately every 4 years.

Sleep continuity measured by survival curve analysis.

Study Objectives: To develop and demonstrate the utility of measures of sleep continuity based on survival analysis techniques.

Design: Retrospective.

Setting: University sleep laboratory.

Measurement of inter-rater agreement for transient events using Monte Carlo sampled permutations.

In this paper we demonstrate the adverse effect of serially observed data sequences containing transient events on the calculation of Cohen's kappa as an index of inter-rater agreement in the detection of these events. We develop and use a Monte-Carlo-based permutation technique to produce an empiric distribution of kappa in the presence of serial dependence. We find that the empiric confidence intervals for kappa tend to be wider than parametrically derived intervals and in the case of longer event lengths, are markedly so.