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Studies have examined the association between parental body mass index (BMI) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring, with inconsistent results, especially regarding maternal obesity, overweight and underweight. Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed and PsycINFO databases were searched up to March 2018 for relevant observational studies with no language restriction. Our literature search identified 13 eligible studies for meta-analysis (involving 943,293 children and 30,337 cases). For maternal BMI (13 studies), both maternal obesity [OR 1.41 (95% CI 1.19–1.67)] and maternal overweight [OR 1.16 (95% CI 1.05–1.27)] were significantly associated with ASD, while maternal underweight was not associated with ASD [OR 1.08 (95% CI 0.98–1.20)]. For paternal BMI (three studies), no association was found (paternal obesity: OR 1.28, 95% CI 0.94–1.74; overweight: OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.99–1.15; underweight: OR 1.12, 95% CI 0.87–1.44). Pooled estimates were robust in sensitivity analysis and subgroup analyses. Publication bias may exist for studies assessing maternal BMI and ASD risk, but the filled estimates were not altered. Relative to normal weight, maternal obesity and overweight were significantly associated with increased ASD risk, while maternal underweight was not associated with ASD. Although no association between paternal BMI and ASD was found, current evidence is limited (three studies). Future studies are warranted to address more confounding factors and to identify potential mediators of the association, but pre-pregnancy weight control is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Depression is a major mental health issue worldwide, and university students with heavy burdens of study are at a high risk for depression. While a number of studies have been conducted regarding depression among university students in China, there is a lack of information regarding the national prevalence of depression among Chinese university students. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to statistically pool the prevalence of depression among Chinese university students. Methods: A systematic search of scientific databases was conducted, including Chinese Web of Knowledge, Embase, PubMed, Wanfang (a Chinese database) and Weipu (a Chinese database) to find relevant publications published between 1995 and December 2015. This was supplemented by a secondary review of the reference lists of all retrieved papers to find additional relevant citations. Studies published in either English or Chinese that provided prevalence estimates of depression in Chinese university students were considered. Prevalence estimates of each eligible study were extracted and pooled in our meta-analysis using a random-effects model. Results: A total of 39 studies conducted between 1997 and 2015 including 32,694 university students were analyzed. Our results indicate that the overall prevalence of depression among Chinese university students is 23.8% (95% CI: 19.9%–28.5%). Substantial heterogeneity in prevalence estimates was noted. Subgroup analysis revealed that the prevalence of depression among medical students is higher than among other students. Conclusions: Overall, the prevalence of depression among Chinese university students is exceedingly high. This suggests that it is imperative that more attention be given to the development of appropriate mental healthcare strategies for university students in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: About 1 million people worldwide commit suicide each year, and college students with suicidal ideation are at high risk of suicide. The prevalence of suicidal ideation in college students has been estimated extensively, but quantitative syntheses of overall prevalence are scarce, especially in China. Accurate estimates of prevalence are important for making public policy. In this paper, we aimed to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation in Chinese college students. Objective and Methods: Databases including PubMed, Web of Knowledge, Chinese Web of Knowledge, Wangfang (Chinese database) and Weipu (Chinese database) were systematically reviewed to identify articles published between 2004 to July 2013, in either English or Chinese, reporting prevalence estimates of suicidal ideation among Chinese college students. The strategy also included a secondary search of reference lists of records retrieved from databases. Then the prevalence estimates were summarized using a random effects model. The effects of moderator variables on the prevalence estimates were assessed using a meta-regression model. Results: A total of 41 studies involving 160339 college students were identified, and the prevalence ranged from 1.24% to 26.00%. The overall pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation among Chinese college students was 10.72% (95%CI: 8.41% to 13.28%). We noted substantial heterogeneity in prevalence estimates. Subgroup analyses showed that prevalence of suicidal ideation in females is higher than in males. Conclusions: The prevalence of suicidal ideation in Chinese college students is relatively high, although the suicide rate is lower compared with the entire society, suggesting the need for local surveys to inform the development of health services for college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]