Publications by authors named "Rachel S Gross"

Child lifestyle behaviors are influenced by their caregivers. Targeting the caregiver-child relationship can establish healthy habits, especially healthful eating patterns, in both the caregiver and child. The purpose of this study was to identify the context for addressing strategies used to establish nutritious eating for the caregiver and child taken together as a unit (e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To explore how Sesame Workshop resources are perceived by Latino families with economic hardship and to highlight approaches for early heart healthy routine promotion.

Methods: We performed a purposive sampling of Latina mothers (n = 40) with young children experiencing economic hardship. Using an interview guide informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, we recorded Spanish and English semistructured interviews, which were translated and transcribed verbatim.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Research highlights a critical gap in understanding long COVID (PASC) in children and emphasizes the need for studies that define its characteristics in this age group.
  • The objective is to identify common prolonged symptoms in children aged 6 to 17 post-SARS-CoV-2 infection, examining differences between school-age kids and adolescents, as well as potential symptom clusters for future research.
  • A multicenter study involved nearly 5,000 participants, revealing that certain symptoms were significantly more prevalent in those with a history of COVID-19 compared to those without.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study aims to determine how common post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) are among pregnant individuals and to identify factors that increase risk after their first infection with the virus. - Conducted from December 2021 to September 2023, the research involved 1,502 pregnant participants and found that 9.3% experienced PASC, with common symptoms including fatigue, malaise, and gastrointestinal issues. - Key findings suggested that obesity and pre-existing mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety, were associated with a higher likelihood of developing PASC after COVID-19 infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Parent-child dysfunctional interactions (PCDI) are known to contribute to children's weight status. However, the underlying mechanisms in how dysfunctional interactions between parent and child influence child weight are not clear. This study investigates the impact of PCDI on toddlers' weight, focusing on the potential serial mediation by maternal emotional feeding and child appetite traits.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Importance: The prevalence, pathophysiology, and long-term outcomes of COVID-19 (post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 [PASC] or "Long COVID") in children and young adults remain unknown. Studies must address the urgent need to define PASC, its mechanisms, and potential treatment targets in children and young adults.

Observations: We describe the protocol for the Pediatric Observational Cohort Study of the NIH's REsearching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused significant medical, social, and economic impacts globally, both in the short and long term. Although most individuals recover within a few days or weeks from an acute infection, some experience longer lasting effects. Data regarding the postacute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection (PASC) in children, or long COVID, are only just emerging in the literature.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

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.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To examine whether prenatal or concurrent household food insecurity influences associations between maternal and toddler fruit and vegetable (FV) intake.

Design: Application of a life-course framework to an analysis of a longitudinal dataset.

Setting: Early childhood obesity prevention program at a New York City public hospital.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Importance: Pregnancy induces unique physiologic changes to the immune response and hormonal changes leading to plausible differences in the risk of developing post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC), or Long COVID. Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy may also have long-term ramifications for exposed offspring, and it is critical to evaluate the health outcomes of exposed children. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Multi-site Observational Study of PASC aims to evaluate the long-term sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection in various populations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Parents of children with special health care needs (CSHCN) are at risk of poorer health outcomes. Material hardships also pose significant health risks to parents. Little is known about how protective factors may mitigate these risks and if effects are similar between mothers and fathers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: We examined prospective associations between early childcare precarity, or the security and reliability of childcare arrangements, and subsequent maternal health.

Study Design: We conducted a secondary analysis of survey responses from mothers of 2,836 children in the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing study. We assessed the following childcare measures: insecure childcare, insecure childcare with missed work, inadequate childcare, and emergency childcare support.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Infants with high birthweight have increased risk for adverse outcomes at birth and across childhood. Prenatal risks to healthy food access may increase odds of high birthweight. We tested whether having a poor neighborhood food environment and/or food insecurity had associations with high birthweight.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Importance: Pregnancy induces unique physiologic changes to the immune response and hormonal changes leading to plausible differences in the risk of developing post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC), or Long COVID. Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy may also have long-term ramifications for exposed offspring, and it is critical to evaluate the health outcomes of exposed children. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Multi-site Observational Study of PASC aims to evaluate the long-term sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection in various populations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how prenatal dietary patterns affect gestational weight gain (GWG) and birthweight among low-income Hispanic women, a group that’s often underrepresented in research.
  • Data from 500 mother-infant pairs were analyzed, using methods like the Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2015) to assess dietary patterns and medical records for weight outcomes.
  • Results showed that while dietary patterns didn’t significantly impact GWG, healthier diets were linked to higher birthweight z-scores, specifically for male infants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Objectives: Infant weight patterns predict subsequent weight outcomes. Rapid infant weight gain, defined as a >0.67 increase in weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) between two time points in infancy, increases obesity risk.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To examine whether aspects of social capital, or benefits received from social relationships, are associated with regular bedtime and sleep duration across childhood in US families with lower income.

Methods: Cross-sectional study using the 2018-19 National Survey of Children's Health in participants with incomes <400% federal poverty level. Separately for early childhood (0-5 years), school-age (6-12 years), and adolescence (13-17 years), we used weighted logistic regression to examine associations between social capital (measured by family social cohesion, parent social support, child social support) and sleep (measured by regular bedtime, sleep duration, adequate sleep per American of Academy of Sleep guidelines).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Child obesity is widely prevalent, and general pediatricians play an important role in identifying and caring for patients with obesity. Appropriate evaluation and treatment require an understanding of the complex etiology of child obesity, its intergenerational transmission, and its epidemiologic trends, including racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities. The American Academy of Pediatrics has published screening, evaluation, and treatment guidelines based on the best available evidence.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

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.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study evaluated the collateral, or unanticipated, impacts of Smart Beginnings (SB), a two-site, tiered intervention designed to promote responsive parenting and school readiness, on breastfeeding intensity in a low-income sample. Impact analyses for the SB intervention were conducted using an intent-to-treat design leveraging a two-arm random assignment structure. Mothers assigned to the SB intervention group were more than three times more likely to give breastmilk as the only milk source at infant age 6 months than mothers assigned to the control group at one site, an effect not evident at the other study site.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

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.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Maternal social support promotes healthy infant feeding practices, which influence healthy growth and development. Less is known about how the interplay of social support networks and multicultural health beliefs may influence infant feeding practices, particularly among immigrant Chinese American mothers with economic disadvantage and low breastfeeding rates.

Research Aim: To explore the role of social support networks in the development of infant feeding practices in immigrant Chinese American mothers with infants.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF