Effect of sleep duration on child development in Fortaleza, Northeastern Brazil.

Objective: The present study's objective is to assess whether sleep duration affects Early Childhood Development (ECD). A prospective cohort study was carried out with 278 mother-child dyads in the city of Fortaleza, northeastern Brazil, with data collection every 6 months.

Method: The data used in this study are from the third (18 months) and fourth (24 months) survey waves.

Domestic violence patterns in postpartum women who delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: To longitudinally assess domestic violence (DV) during the postpartum period, identifying types, patterns and determinants of DV, according to mothers' reports in Fortaleza, Brazil.

Methods: Data from the Iracema-COVID cohort study interviewed at home mothers who gave birth in the first wave of COVID-19, at 18 and 24 months after birth. Patterns of reported DV were classified as follows: no DV, interrupted DV, started DV and persistent DV.

Coverage and determinants of childhood vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic in Fortaleza, Northeastern Brazil: a longitudinal analysis.

Brazil has seen a decrease in vaccination coverage since 2016. This study analyzes the immunization status of children born during the COVID-19 pandemic in Fortaleza, Northeastern Brazil. This is a longitudinal analysis that included vaccination data of 313 children aged 12 and 18 months.

Acceptability of a hypothetical dengue vaccine and the potential impact of dengue vaccination on personal vector control behavior: a qualitative study in Fortaleza, Brazil.

Background: Dengue is the most rapidly spreading viral vector-borne disease in the world. Promising new dengue vaccines have contributed to a growing consensus that effective dengue control will require integrated strategies of vaccination and vector control. In this qualitative study, we explored the perspectives of residents of Fortaleza, Brazil on acceptability of a hypothetical safe and effective dengue vaccine, specific drivers of dengue vaccine acceptance or hesitance, and the expected impact of dengue vaccination on their personal vector control practices.

Relationships Between Mental Health, Negative Feelings of COVID-19, and Parenting Among Pregnant Women in Fortaleza, Brazil.

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the literature highlighted an increased risk of child abuse and the use of negative parenting practices. Furthermore, pregnancy during this time may have been challenging and generated different feelings regarding the pandemic and motherhood. Many pregnant women had other young children, underscoring the need to understand this scenario better.

Association of Sociodemographic Factors and Maternal Educational Attainment with Child Development among Families Living below the Poverty Line in the State of Ceará, Northeastern Brazil.

Maternal educational attainment has been identified as relevant to several child health and development outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the association of sociodemographic and maternal education factors with child development in families living below the poverty line. A cross-sectional study was conducted through telephone contact from May to July 2021 in Ceará, a state in Northeastern Brazil.

Food insecurity among families with infants born during the COVID-19 pandemic in Fortaleza, Northeast Brazil.

Purpose: To assess the prevalence of food insecurity (FI) among families with infants born during the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated factors in Fortaleza, the fifth largest city in Brazil.

Methods: Data from two survey rounds of the Iracema-COVID cohort study collected at 12 (n = 325) and 18 months (n = 331) after birth. FI was measured using the Brazilian Household Food Insecurity Scale.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal mental health, early childhood development, and parental practices: a global scoping review.

Background: In March 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), generating stark economic and social repercussions that directly or indirectly affected families' wellbeing and health status.

Aims: This review aims at mapping the existing evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal mental health, early childhood development, and parental practices, worldwide, to identify evidence gaps and better inform future delivery of care and health policy measures.

Methods: Following the protocol defined by PRISMA-ScR, this scoping review has searched for relevant studies published between January 2020 and June 2021, selecting evidence sources based on pre-established criteria.

Primary Health Care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Fortaleza, Brazil: associated factors and pattern of use by mothers and children up to 18 months of age.

Objective: To analyze the delay or failure to seek primary health care by the mother-child dyads during the COVID-19 pandemic, a practice that has a high potential to increase maternal and child morbidity and mortality.

Methods: Data from three survey rounds of the Iracema-COVID cohort study, collected 6, 12, and 18 months after birth, showed the patterns of postpartum attendance to primary health care consultation of the mother-child dyad. Crude and adjusted multinomial logistic regressions with robust variance were used to assess factors associated with nonattendance.

Prevalence and factors associated with adverse early childhood experiences: a population-based study in Ceará, Brazil.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences and identify associated factors.

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study comprised data from a sample of 3,200 households with 3,566 children under 6 years of age, representative of the state of Ceará, Brazil. A multistage sampling approach was used, with stratification among the state capital, Fortaleza, and the 28 countryside municipalities, in which 160 census tracts were randomly selected, each one with a cluster of 20 households.

Osteopenia of prematurity and associated nutritional factors: case-control study.

Background: Preterm newborn nutrition affects postnatal skeletal growth and bone mineralization, but studies have not yet fully concluded the relationship between nutrition and osteopenia. This study was intended to investigate the impact of nutritional factors on osteopenia in preterm newborns.

Methods: This is a case-control study with babies born with gestational age ≤ 32 weeks in a high-risk maternity hospital, between 2018 and 2019.

Positive Parenting Behaviors and Child Development in Ceará, Brazil: A Population-Based Study.

Parenting practices have been identified as a key determinant of children’s developmental outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of parenting practices with child development in a cross-sectional population-based study in a low-income state in northeastern Brazil. The study included data on 3566 caregiver−child pairs, and the children were aged 0−66 months.

Analyzing households' food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of public policies to mitigate it: evidence from Ceará, Brazil.

Objective: To evaluate the association of conditional cash transfer policies to mitigate the food insecurity (FI) among families living in poverty during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ceará, Brazil.

Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out through telephone contact during the period of May-July 2021, during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ceará. Families in a situation of high social and economic vulnerability participated in this study (monthly per capita income of less than US$16.

Screen time and early childhood development in Ceará, Brazil: a population-based study.

Background: Globally, children's exposure to digital screens continues to increase and is associated with adverse effects on child health. We aimed to evaluate the association of screen exposure with child communication, gross-motor, fine-motor, problem-solving, and personal-social development scores.

Methods: We conducted a population-based, cross-sectional study with cluster sampling among children 0-60 months of age living in the state of Ceará, Brazil.

Undernutrition and short duration of breastfeeding association with child development: a population-based study.

Objective: To explore the relationship of undernutrition and the short duration of breastfeeding with child development of children 0-66 months of age residing in Ceará, Brazil.

Methods: The authors of the present study utilized population-based data from children enrolled in the Study on Maternal and Child Health in Ceará, Brazil (PESMIC). Children's development was assessed with the Ages and Stages Questionnaire third version, validated in Brazil.

COVID-19 and mental health of pregnant women in Ceará, Brazil.

Objective: To assess the perceptions of pregnant women about COVID-19 and the prevalence of common mental disorders during the implemented social distancing period.

Methods: This was an observational, cross-sectional study using digital media, of pregnant women exposed to social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in Fortaleza, Ceará, Northeastern Brazil. Common mental disorders were estimated using the modified Self-Report Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) scale, and the feelings towards COVID-19 were assessed using the Fear of COVID-19 scale through telephone calls made in May 2020.

Maternal and neonatal factors associated with child development in Ceará, Brazil: a population-based study.

Background: The first 1000 days of life are a critical period when the foundations of child development and growth are established. Few studies in Latin America have examined the relationship of birth outcomes and neonatal care factors with development outcomes in young children. We aimed to assess the association between pregnancy and neonatal factors with children's developmental scores in a cross-sectional, population-based study of children in Ceará, Brazil.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Child Development Outcomes in Ceará, Brazil: A Population-based Study.

Introduction: More than 200 million children fail to reach their full developmental potential in low- and middle-income countries. Adverse childhood experiences, maternal mental health, and intimate partner violence are negatively associated with child development outcomes. The relationship of these risk factors with child communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal-social development scores in Brazil are assessed.

Faith, Family, and Social Networks: Effective Strategies for Recruiting Brazilian Immigrants in Maternal and Child Health Research.

Participation of racial/ethnic minority and immigrant populations in research studies is essential to understand and address health disparities. Nonetheless, these populations are often underrepresented in research because of limited participation that may be due to barriers to participation such as fear and mistrust of research, lack of or limited access to healthcare and social services, time and employment constraints, participation-associated costs (e.g.

Environmental, Socioeconomic, Maternal, and Breastfeeding Factors Associated with Childhood Overweight and Obesity in Ceará, Brazil: A Population-Based Study.

Childhood obesity is now an epidemic in many countries worldwide and is known to be a multifactorial condition. We aimed to examine the relationship of environmental, socioeconomic, and nutritional factors with childhood overweight and obesity. We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study of children from 2 to 6 years of age in Ceará, Brazil.

Interaction between vitamin A supplementation and chronic malnutrition on child development.

200 million pre-school age children are not developing properly. Delays in child development are associated with multiple factors. This study aims to analyze if vitamin A supplementation is associated with improved development and how this effect could be mediated by nutritional status.

Sociocultural and interpersonal influences on latina women's beliefs, attitudes, and experiences with gestational weight gain.

Latinos are the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the U.S., and Latina women represent the largest portion of minority births, having the highest birth rate in the U.

Parenting practices that may encourage and discourage physical activity in preschool-age children of Brazilian immigrant families: A qualitative study.

Brazilians are a rapidly increasing Latino immigrant group in the United States (US), yet little research has examined factors influencing physical activity (PA) levels and behaviors of children growing up in Brazilian immigrant families. This information is needed to develop culturally sensitive interventions tailored to this population. Therefore, this qualitative study explored PA parenting practices used by Brazilian immigrant mothers living in the US.

Epidemiological characteristics and determinants of dengue transmission during epidemic and non-epidemic years in Fortaleza, Brazil: 2011-2015.

Background: After being eliminated during the 1950s, dengue reemerged in Brazil in the 1980s. Since then, incidence of the disease has increased, as serotypes move within and between cities. The co-circulation of multiple serotypes contributes to cycles of epidemic and interepidemic years, and a seasonal pattern of transmission is observed annually.

Determinants of tuberculosis transmission and treatment abandonment in Fortaleza, Brazil.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a public health problem, despite recent achievements in reducing incidence and mortality rates. In Brazil, these achievements were above the worldwide average, but marked by large regional heterogeneities. In Fortaleza (5th largest city in Brazil), the tuberculosis cure rate has been declining and treatment abandonment has been increasing in the past decade, despite a reduction in incidence and an increase in directly observed therapy (DOT).