Early childhood body mass index growth and school readiness: A longitudinal cohort study.

Background: Child growth influences future health and learning. School readiness refers to a child's ability to meet developmental expectations at school entry. The association of early growth rate and patterns with school readiness remains unknown.

Physicians' perspectives on COVID-19 vaccinations for children: a qualitative exploration in Ontario, Canada.

Objectives: Parents' decisions to vaccinate their children against COVID-19 are complex and often informed by discussions with primary care physicians. However, little is known about physicians' perspectives on COVID-19 vaccinations for children or their experiences counselling parents in their decision-making. We explored physicians' experiences providing COVID-19 vaccination recommendations to parents and their reflections on the contextual factors that shaped these experiences.

Temporal Relationship-Aware Treadmill Exercise Test Analysis Network for Coronary Artery Disease Diagnosis.

The treadmill exercise test (TET) serves as a non-invasive method for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). Despite its widespread use, TET reports are susceptible to external influences, heightening the risk of misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis. In this paper, we propose a novel automatic CAD diagnosis approach.

The mediation effect of breastfeeding duration on the relationship between maternal preconception BMI and childhood nutritional risk.

Background: Higher maternal preconception body mass index (BMI) is associated with lower breastfeeding duration, which may contribute to the development of poor child eating behaviours and dietary intake patterns (components of nutritional risk). A higher maternal preconception BMI has been found to be associated with higher child nutritional risk. This study aimed to determine whether breastfeeding duration mediated the association between maternal preconception BMI and child nutritional risk.

Factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination in young children.

Objective: To examine factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination (time to vaccination and vaccination status) among healthy young children participating in primary healthcare.

Methods: A cohort study was conducted between November 2021 and September 2022 through the TARGet Kids! primary care research network in Toronto, Canada. Sociodemographic information, child and parent health characteristics, parental vaccine beliefs and child COVID-19 vaccine uptake were collected through parent-reported questionnaires.

Maternal Preconception Body Mass Index and Early Childhood Nutritional Risk.

Background: Risk factors for problematic child eating behaviors and food preferences are thought to begin during the preconception period. It is unknown if maternal preconception body mass index (BMI) is associated with child nutritional risk factors (eg, poor dietary intake and eating behaviors).

Objectives: We aimed to determine whether maternal preconception BMI was associated with child nutritional risk.

Changes in Pediatric Movement Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic by Stages of Lockdown in Ontario, Canada: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Background: Children's movement behaviors have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; however, little is known regarding movement behavior patterns over time by government-issued lockdowns. Our primary objective was to evaluate how children's movement behaviors changed by stages of lockdown/reopening in Ontario, Canada, from 2020 to 2021.

Methods: A longitudinal cohort study with repeated measures of exposure and outcomes was conducted.

Parents' perspectives on SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations for children: a qualitative analysis.

Background: Uptake of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for children aged 5-11 years has been lower than anticipated in Canada. Although research has explored parental intentions toward SARS-CoV-2 vaccination for children, parental decisions regarding vaccinations have not been studied in-depth. We sought to explore reasons why parents chose to vaccinate or not vaccinate their children against SARS-CoV-2 to better understand their decisions.

Body Weight at Age Four Years and Readiness to Start School: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Adolescents with obesity have lower academic performance, but little is known about the association between body weight in early childhood and school readiness. The objective was to examine the association between age- and sex-standardized body mass index (zBMI) and body weight status and school readiness in young children. A prospective cohort study in Toronto, Canada, was conducted in young children enrolled in TARGet Kids!.

Food insecurity during COVID-19 in a Canadian academic pediatric hospital: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Hospital-based food insecurity is defined as the inability of caregivers to obtain adequate food during their child's hospital admission. We aimed to measure the prevalence of household and hospital-based food insecurity, and to explore the associations with caregiver distress in an academic pediatric hospital setting.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of caregivers of children admitted to the general pediatric ward of an academic pediatric hospital in Toronto, Ontario, from April to October 2020.

Screen Use and Mental Health Symptoms in Canadian Children and Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance: Longitudinal research on specific forms of electronic screen use and mental health symptoms in children and youth during COVID-19 is minimal. Understanding the association may help develop policies and interventions targeting specific screen activities to promote healthful screen use and mental health in children and youth.

Objective: To determine whether specific forms of screen use (television [TV] or digital media, video games, electronic learning, and video-chatting time) were associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, conduct problems, irritability, hyperactivity, and inattention in children and youth during COVID-19.

The social determinants of health as predictors of adherence to public health preventive measures among parents and young children during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal cohort study.

Objectives: To investigate whether social determinants of health (SDOH) are predictive of adherence to public health preventive measures and to describe changes in adherence over time among parents and children.

Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted in children aged 0-10 years and their parents through the TARGet Kids! COVID-19 Study in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada (April-July 2020). This study included 335 parents (2108 observations) and 416 children (2632 observations).

Body Mass Index Mediates the Association between Growth Trajectories and Cardiometabolic Risk in Children.

Few studies have published mediation analyses to quantify the role concurrent BMI plays in the relationship between growth and cardiometabolic risk (CMR) outcomes. We used data from a longitudinal cohort study conducted in children aged 0-60 months through The Applied Research Group for Kids (TARGet Kids!) in Canada. Four age and sex standardized BMI (zBMI) trajectories were identified using latent class mixed models.

Long non-coding RNA X-inactive-specific transcript contributes to cisplatin resistance in gastric cancer by sponging miR-let-7b.

X-inactive-specific transcript (XIST) is a 19 kb noncoding RNA which is oncogenic in many cancers including gastric cancer. It is reported that XIST contributes to gastric cancer cells resistant to cisplatin, but specific mechanisms governing this resistance remain unclear. We firstly examined the XIST level in gastric cancer cells and tumor specimens.

The modifying effect of nutritional factors on the association between IL1-β single nucleotide polymorphism and serum CXCL10 levels in young Canadian adults.

Background: Genetic and nutritional factors play an important role in inflammatory response and diseases. CXCL10 is a critical biomarker that is involved in multiple inflammatory diseases, and elevated levels of CXCL10 have been associated with the development of several chronic and infectious diseases. In contrast, micronutrients can attenuate inflammatory responses.

The association between body mass index trajectories and cardiometabolic risk in young children.

Background: Rapid growth is associated with increased cardiometabolic risk (CMR) in adolescence and adulthood. Little is known about whether the association between rapid growth and increased CMR originates in early childhood.

Objectives: To identify age and sex standardized body mass index (zBMI) trajectories and to examine the association between zBMI trajectories and CMR outcomes in children 0 to 60 months.