Diet quality at age 5-6 and cardiovascular outcomes in preadolescents.

Background & Aims: Specific dietary components during childhood may affect risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Whether overall higher diet quality prevents children from adverse cardiovascular outcomes remains contradictive. We aimed to examine the associations between diet quality at age 5-6 years and cardiovascular outcomes after a 6-year follow-up.

Disadvantaged neighborhoods, birth weight, and problem behavior in five- and six-year-old pre-school children: Evidence from a cohort born in Amsterdam.

Rationale: Low birth weight has been found to increase the problem behavior of children. Yet, little attention has been given to adequately account for the impact of the child's neighborhood on this relation. The residential neighborhood is a choice, based on factors that are usually not observed that may also influence birth weight and problem behavior.

Association of maternal thyroid function with birthweight: a systematic review and individual-participant data meta-analysis.

Background: Adequate transplacental passage of maternal thyroid hormone is important for normal fetal growth and development. Maternal overt hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are associated with low birthweight, but important knowledge gaps remain regarding the effect of subclinical thyroid function test abnormalities on birthweight-both in general and during the late second and third trimester of pregnancy. The aim of this study was to examine associations of maternal thyroid function with birthweight.

Association between pre-pregnancy weight status and maternal micronutrient status in early pregnancy.

Objective: Inadequate maternal micronutrient status during pregnancy can lead to short- and long-term health risks for mother and offspring. The present study investigated the association between pre-pregnancy weight status and micronutrient status during pregnancy.

Design: Maternal blood samples were collected during early pregnancy (median 13, interquartile range 12-15 weeks) and were assayed for serum folate, ferritin, Fe and vitamin B12.

Dose Dependency and a Functional Cutoff for TPO-Antibody Positivity During Pregnancy.

Objective: To investigate a dose dependency of thyroperoxidase antibody (TPOAb) concentrations in relation to thyroid function and premature delivery and define a population-based, pregnancy-specific, functional cutoff for TPOAb positivity.

Design: Individual participant meta-analysis of three prospective birth cohorts: the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development study, and the Holistic Approach to Pregnancy.

Setting: Population-based studies in the Netherlands (2002 to 2014).

Determinants of cortisol during pregnancy - The ABCD cohort.

Background: Psychosocial stress during pregnancy has been proposed as a major contributor of glucocorticoid-mediated programming of the fetal hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, with later adverse health consequences. However, evidence linking maternal stress to maternal cortisol values during pregnancy is inconclusive. A possible explanation for this is that other maternal factors overshadow any potential effects of stress on cortisol levels.

Early Maternal Thyroid Function During Gestation Is Associated With Fetal Growth, Particularly in Male Newborns.

Background: Intrauterine growth patterns are influenced by maternal thyroid function during gestation and by fetal sex. It is unknown, however, whether the relationships between maternal thyrotropin (TSH) and free thyroxine (fT4) levels in early pregnancy and fetal growth outcomes are modified by fetal sex.

Design: Data were obtained from a community-based cohort study of pregnant women living in Amsterdam (Amsterdam Born Children and Their Development study).

The Influence of Meteorological Factors and Atmospheric Pollutants on the Risk of Preterm Birth.

Atmospheric pollutants and meteorological conditions are suspected to be causes of preterm birth. We aimed to characterize their possible association with the risk of preterm birth (defined as birth occurring before 37 completed gestational weeks). We pooled individual data from 13 birth cohorts in 11 European countries (71,493 births from the period 1994-2011, European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE)).

The Association of Birth Weight and Infant Growth with Energy Balance-Related Behavior - A Systematic Review and Best-Evidence Synthesis of Human Studies.

Background: Suboptimal prenatal and early postnatal growths are associated with obesity in later life, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature that reports on the longitudinal association of (i) birth size or (ii) infant growth with later (i) energy intake, (ii) eating behaviors, (iii) physical activity or (iv) sedentary behavior in humans.

Methods: A comprehensive search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and The Cochrane Library was conducted to identify relevant publications.

Correction: Associations of Infant Feeding and Timing of Weight Gain and Linear Growth during Early Life with Childhood Blood Pressure: Findings from a Prospective Population Based Cohort Study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

The association of birth weight and infant growth with childhood autonomic nervous system activity and its mediating effects on energy-balance-related behaviours-the ABCD study.

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the association of birth weight and infant growth with childhood autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity and to assess whether ANS activity mediates the associations of birth weight and infant growth with energy-balance-related behaviours, including energy intake, satiety response, physical activity and screen time.

Methods: In 2089 children, we prospectively collected birth weight, infant growth defined as conditional weight and height gain between birth and 12 months and-at 5 years-indices of cardiac ANS activity and parent-reported energy-balance-related behaviours. A mediation analysis was conducted, based on MacKinnon's multivariate extension of the product-of-coefficients strategy.

Associations of Infant Feeding and Timing of Weight Gain and Linear Growth during Early Life with Childhood Blood Pressure: Findings from a Prospective Population Based Cohort Study.

Objective: Small birth size and rapid postnatal growth have been associated with higher future blood pressure. The timing of these effects, the relative importance of weight gain and linear growth and the role of infant feeding need to be clarified.

Methods: We assessed how blood pressure relates to birth weight, infant and childhood growth and infant feeding (duration of exclusive breastfeeding and timing of introduction of complementary feeding) in 2227 children aged 5 years from a prospective cohort study (Amsterdam Born Children and their Development).

Heritability and Genome-Wide Association Analyses of Sleep Duration in Children: The EAGLE Consortium.

Study Objectives: Low or excessive sleep duration has been associated with multiple outcomes, but the biology behind these associations remains elusive. Specifically, genetic studies in children are scarce. In this study, we aimed to: (1) estimate the proportion of genetic variance of sleep duration in children attributed to common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), (2) identify novel SNPs associated with sleep duration in children, and (3) investigate the genetic overlap of sleep duration in children and related metabolic and psychiatric traits.

Excessive infant crying doubles the risk of mood and behavioral problems at age 5: evidence for mediation by maternal characteristics.

The onset of behavioral problems starts in early life. This study examined whether excessive infant crying (maternal ratings) is a determinant of emotional and behavioral problems at age 5-6 years. In the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development (ABCD) study, a large prospective, observational, population-based multiethnic birth cohort, excessive infant crying (crying for three or more hours per 24 h day over the past week) during the 13th week after birth (range 11-25 weeks, SD 2 weeks), maternal burden of infant care and maternal aggressive behavior (either angry speaking, or physical aggression) was assessed using a questionnaire.

Risk factors and a clinical prediction model for low maternal thyroid function during early pregnancy: two population-based prospective cohort studies.

Background: Low maternal thyroid function during early pregnancy is associated with various adverse outcomes including impaired neurocognitive development of the offspring, premature delivery and abnormal birthweight.

Aim: To aid doctors in the risk assessment of thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy, we set out to investigate clinical risk factors and derive a prediction model based on easily obtainable clinical variables.

Methods: In total, 9767 women during early pregnancy (≤18 week) were selected from two population-based prospective cohorts: the Generation R Study (N = 5985) and the ABCD study (N = 3782).

Ethnic differences in sleep duration at 5 years, and its relationship with overweight and blood pressure.

Background: Studies on adult population indicate shorter sleep duration in ethnic minority groups than host populations. We examined ethnic differences in sleep duration and its relationship with overweight and blood pressure (BP) among children living in Amsterdam.

Methods: Participants include 2384 children (aged 5 years) and their mothers from the Amsterdam-based longitudinal study.

Inclusion of migrants and ethnic minorities in European birth cohort studies-a scoping review.

Background: Migrant and ethnic minority groups constitute substantial parts of European populations. They frequently experience health disadvantages relative to the respective majority populations. Birth cohort studies can help to disentangle social and biological factors producing these health inequalities over the life course.

Impact of Low Maternal Education on Early Childhood Overweight and Obesity in Europe.

Background: Comparable evidence on adiposity inequalities in early life is lacking across a range of European countries. This study investigates whether low maternal education is associated with overweight and obesity risk in children from distinct European settings during early childhood.

Methods: Prospective data of 45 413 children from 11 European cohorts were used.

Abnormal thyroid function parameters in the second trimester of pregnancy are associated with breech presentation at term: a nested cohort study.

Objective: Thyroid dysfunction has been described as a possible risk factor for having an abnormal fetal position at birth. In this study we aim to determine the association between thyroid function in early pregnancy and breech presentation at term.

Study Design: We used data from the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development (ABCD) cohort.

Fish Intake in Pregnancy and Child Growth: A Pooled Analysis of 15 European and US Birth Cohorts.

Importance: Maternal fish intake in pregnancy has been shown to influence fetal growth. The extent to which fish intake affects childhood growth and obesity remains unclear.

Objective: To examine whether fish intake in pregnancy is associated with offspring growth and the risk of childhood overweight and obesity.

The association of birth weight and postnatal growth with energy intake and eating behavior at 5 years of age - a birth cohort study.

Background: Low and high birth weight and accelerated postnatal weight gain are associated with an increased risk of obesity. Perinatal effects on energy intake and eating behavior have been proposed as underlying mechanisms. This study aimed to examine the independent associations of birth weight and postnatal weight and height gain with childhood energy intake and satiety response.

A Study on Mediation by Offspring BMI in the Association between Maternal Obesity and Child Respiratory Outcomes in the Amsterdam Born and Their Development Study Cohort.

Background: A causal relationship between maternal obesity and offspring asthma is hypothesized to begin during early development, but no underlying mechanism for the found association is identified. We quantitatively examined mediation by offspring body mass index (BMI) in the association of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI on risk of asthma and wheezing during the first 7-8 years of life in a large Amsterdam born birth cohort.

Methods: For 3185 mother-child pairs, mothers reported maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and offspring outcomes "ever being diagnosed with asthma" and "wheezing in the past 12 months" on questionnaires.