Search

This study examined children's exposure to family adversity, hostile reactivity to parental conflict, and negative family representations as mediators of the prospective relation between their temperamental exuberance and externalizing symptoms. Participants included 243 preschool children (M age = 4.60 years; 56% girls) and parents (48% Black; 16% Latinx) in a multi-method and multi-informant study with three annual measurement occasions. Structural equation model results specifically supported children's hostile reactivity to parental conflict and negative family representations as mediators. Exuberance predicted residualized increases in children's hostile reactivity and negative family representations over a 1-year period. In turn, children's hostile reactivity and negative family representations predicted their greater externalizing symptoms 1 year later after controlling for prior externalizing symptoms. Results are discussed in the context of their relation and refinement of temperamental models of developmental psychopathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess whether the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) is associated with lower micronutrients inadequacy in a sample of Spanish preschoolers. Design: We conducted a cross-sectional study with 4–5-year-old children participating in the SENDO project. Information was gathered through an online questionnaire completed by parents. Dietary information was collected with a previously validated semi-quantitative FFQ. The estimated average requirements or adequate intake levels as proposed by the Institute of Medicine were used as cut-off point to define inadequate intake. Statistical analyses: Crude and multivariable adjusted estimates were calculated with generalised estimated equations to account for intra-cluster correlation between siblings. Participants: We used baseline information of 1153 participants enrolled in the SENDO project between January 2015 and June 2022. Main outcomes measures: OR and 95 % CI of presenting an inadequate intake of ≥ 3 micronutrients associated with the MedDiet. Results: The adjusted proportion of children with inadequate intake of ≥ 3 micronutrients was 27·2 %, 13·5 % and 8·1 % in the categories of low, medium and high adherence to the MedDiet, respectively. After adjusting for all potential confounders, children who had a low adherence to the MedDiet showed a significant lower odds of inadequate intake of ≥ 3 micronutrients compared to those with a high adherence (OR 9·85; 95 % CI 3·33, 29·09). Conclusion: Lower adherence to the MedDiet is associated with higher odds of nutritional inadequacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The Swedish Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-IV) is commonly used for assessing young children belonging to the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland (Finland-Swedes), but there is no information about the generalizability of this test and its norms to this minority. Cross-cultural comparisons of WPPSI-IV are also scarce. We compared the performance of Finland-Swedish children to the Scandinavian norms of the Swedish WPPSI-IV and explored the relationship between sociodemographic factors (age, sex, parental education level, bilingualism) and the performance. Method: The Swedish WPPSI-IV was administered to 79 typically developing 5–6-year-old Finland-Swedish children assessed for The FinSwed Study. Their performance was compared to the Scandinavian norms using MANOVA, t -test, and confidence interval comparisons. Associations with sociodemographic variables were explored using regression analyses. Results: Finland-Swedish children performed, on average, 1/3 SD higher than the Scandinavian norms, a difference which was statistically significant with medium-sized effects. However, individual subtests and indexes did not differ significantly from the norms. Significant associations with sociodemographic factors were found for some but not all index scores. Conclusions: This study provides clinically important information for using the Swedish WPPSI-IV with the Finland-Swedish minority and demonstrates aspects that clinicians working with this minority should take into account. The results are presumably partly explained by characteristics of the present sample, and partly by cultural and linguistic differences between the Finland-Swedish population and the Scandinavian countries. The findings also illustrate that cross-cultural differences in cognitive performance may be present even between similar cultures with the same language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To nutritionally analyse lunches provided for 3–4-year-old children attending school nurseries. Energy and nutrient content are compared with nutrient frameworks underpinning voluntary guidelines for early years settings (EYS) and mandatory standards for infant schools (4–7-year-olds). Design: A cross-sectional study, recording all main meals, vegetarian meals, jacket potato options, sandwich options and all desserts and accompaniments provided over 5 consecutive days in each school. Two portions of each meal were collected each day and weighed. Recipe and portion weight data were entered into nutrient analysis software. Setting: School nurseries where lunch was provided by the school. Subjects: Nine schools, providing a total of 161 meals. Results: Lunches contained more energy (1881 kJ/450 kcal), fat (15·5 g), free sugars (10·5 g) and Na (424 mg) than suggested by the nutrient framework for EYS. Carbohydrate (60·6 g), protein (16·8 g), fibre (6·7 g), Fe (2·4 mg), Zn (2·0 mg), Ca (202 mg), vitamin A (304 µg) and vitamin C (19 mg) also exceeded minimum recommendations. Compared with a revised nutrient framework for infant schools, energy was within range, whilst saturated fat, free sugars and Na were above maximum recommendations for this age group, and Zn was below. Sandwich meals were lower in vitamin C (P < 0·001– P = 0·05) and Fe (P = 0·012– P = 0·017) and higher in Na (P < 0·001– P = 0·003) and Ca (P < 0·001– P = 0·05). Conclusion: Lunches provided for children attending school nurseries are more in line with the framework for 4–7-year-olds. Free sugars, saturated fat and Na are areas of concern consistent with previous studies. Protein is three times more than recommended. Large portions of cakes and biscuits contribute to excess energy provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: An annualised linear growth velocity (LGV) reference can identify groups of children at risk of growing poorly. As a single velocity reference for all preschool ages does not exist, we present an interim tool, derived from published, normative growth studies, for detecting growth faltering, illustrating its use in Nepali preschoolers. Design: The WHO Child Growth Velocity Standard was adapted to derive 12-month increments and conjoined to the Tanner-Whitehouse Height Velocity Reference data yielding contiguous preschool linear growth annualised velocities. Linear restricted cubic spline regressions were fit to generate sex-specific median and standard normal deviate velocities for ages 0 through 59 months. LGV Z -scores (LGVZ) were constructed, and growth faltering was defined as LGVZ < –2. Setting: Use of the reference was illustrated with data from Nepal's Tarai region. Participants: Children contributing the existing growth references and a cohort of 4276 Nepali children assessed from 2013 to 2016. Results: Fitted, smoothed LGV reference curves displayed monotonically decreasing 12-month LGV, exemplified by male/female annual medians of 26·4/25·3, 12·1/12·7, 9·1/9·4, 7·7/7·8 and 7/7 cm/years, starting at 0, 12, 24, 36 and 48 months, respectively. Applying the referent, 31·1 %, 28·6 % and 29·3 % of Nepali children <6, 6–11 and 12–23 months of age, and ∼6 % of children 24–59 months, exhibited growth faltering. Under 24 months, faltering velocities were more prevalent in girls (34·4 %) than boys (25·3 %) (P < 0·05) but comparable (∼6 %) in older preschoolers. Conclusions: A LGV reference, concatenated from extant data, can identify preschool groups at-risk of growth faltering. Application and limitations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children’s eating habits are established early in life and parents play a major role therein. Pregnancy is a teachable moment for the promotion of healthy eating because many women are concerned about their babies’ health and have frequent contact with healthcare providers. We aimed to investigate the association between diet quality during pregnancy and the offspring. A total of 691 sets of data on pregnant mothers and their 3-year-old offspring were obtained from the Seiiku Boshi cohort study. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire for mothers in mid-to-late pregnancy and a validated diet history questionnaire for Japanese preschool children at the 36-month checkup. Diet quality was scored using the Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top. Maternal diet quality score was categorised into quartiles, and the association between offspring and maternal diet quality score, adjusted for socioeconomic factors, was assessed using multiple linear regression. The total offspring diet quality score showed a linear trend with the maternal diet quality score (the mean increments (confidential intervals) for each quartile were –0.12 (–1.32–1.08), 1.54 (0.34–2.73), and 1.22 (0.03–2.42)). In particular, offspring vegetable dishes scored higher in all quartiles of maternal vegetable dish scores than in the lowest quartile (0.69 (0.21–1.17), 0.97 (0.50–1.45), and 1.36 (0.88–1.83)). A high diet quality score during pregnancy was positively associated with that of offspring, suggesting the importance of nutritional education in pregnant women to improve their diet quality.

Code-switching, switching between different languages within the same conversation, is a prominent feature in bilingual communication. This study aimed to elucidate to what extent the linguistic abilities and age of dual-language-learning preschoolers influence the frequency and purposes of code-switching (compensatory, to bridge linguistic gaps; preferential, to express content as fluently as possible; pragmatic, to phrase something appropriately for the situation). Parental code-switching ratings of 101 German/French–Turkish/Italian dual-language learners aged 32–78 months were analyzed. Generalized linear mixed models revealed positive but no negative effects of societal- and heritage-language skills on children's code-switching frequencies independent of switching purposes and with no evidence of age effects. Hence, code-switching across the preschool age mainly reflects high linguistic competences. Models with linguistically and psychometrically parallelized language scores indicated a strong switching tendency toward the societal language when proficiency in both languages is high, and away from the societal language when language proficiencies are low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To conduct a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of the available literature on the anthropometric nutritional status of South African infants and children, 0–18 years old and to report on trends of changes in nutritional status over the period 1997–2022. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Setting: Review of the available literature on the anthropometric nutritional status of South African infants and children, 0–18 years old, over the period 1997–2022. Participants: South African infants and children, 0–18 years old. Results: Only quantitative data from ninety-five publications that described the nutritional status in terms of anthropometry were included. Most recent studies applied the WHO 2006 and 2007 definitions for malnutrition among children 0–5 years old and 5–19 years old, respectively. Meta-analysis of all prevalence data shows the highest stunting prevalence of 25·1 % among infants and preschool children, compared to 11·3 % among primary school-age children and 9·6 % among adolescents. Furthermore, the overweight and obesity prevalence was similar among children younger than 6 years and adolescents (19 %), compared to 12·5 % among primary school-age children. In national surveys, adolescent overweight prevalence increased from 16·9 % in 2002 to 23·1 % in 2011. Meta-regression analysis shows a decrease in stunting among children 6–18 years old and an increase in combined overweight and obesity in the 10–19 years age group. Conclusion: The double burden of malnutrition remains evident in South Africa with stunting and overweight/obesity the most prevalent forms of malnutrition among children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This work aims to demonstrate an original approach to identify links between locally situated shared values and contextual factors of stunting. Stunting results from multi-factorial and multi-sectoral determinants, but interventions typically neglect locally situated lived experiences, which contributes to problematic designs that are not meaningful for those concerned and/or relatively ineffective. Design: This case study investigates relevant contextual factors in two steps: by first facilitating local stakeholder groups (n 11) to crystallise their shared-values-in-action using a specialised method from sustainability studies (WeValue_InSitu (WVIS)). Secondly , participants (n 44) have focus group discussions (FGD) about everyday practices around child feeding/food systems, education and/or family life. Because the first step strongly grounds participants in local shared values, the FGD can reveal deep links between contextual factors and potential influences on stunting. Setting: Kaffrine, Senegal, an 'Action Against Stunting Hub' site. December 2020. Participants: Eleven stakeholder groups of mothers, fathers, grandmothers, pre-school teachers, community health workers, farmers, market traders and public administrators. Results: Local contextual factors of stunting were identified, including traditional beliefs concerning eating and growing practices; fathers as decision-makers; health worker trust; financial non-autonomy for women; insufficient water for preferred crops; merchants' non-access to quality produce; religious teachings and social structures affecting children's food environment. Conclusions: Local contextual factors were identified. Pre-knowledge of these could significantly improve effectiveness of intervention designs locally, with possible applicability at other sites. The WVIS approach proved efficient and useful for making tangible contextual factors and their potential links to stunting, via a lens of local shared values, showing general promise for intervention research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) and diet quality among preschool children and women of reproductive age from Argentina. Design: Cross-sectional and nationally representative survey. The food items were classified according to the NOVA system. Consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and wholegrains was estimated, and the energy and nutrients related to non-communicable disease (NCD) intake. Linear regression was used to assess the associations. Setting: Argentina. Participants: Children aged 2–5 years (n 7022), female adolescent aged 10–19 years (n 2165) and women aged 20–49 years (n 4414). Results: UPF represented more than a quarter of total energy intake, 27 % in children, 31 % in female adolescents and 26 % in women. Across all age groups, the major contributors to UPF consumption were cookies and pastries (about 6·0–7·0 %), soft drinks (about 2·7–3·7 %), candies (about 1·8–4·6 %), and juices (about 1·3–1·7 %). The consumption of fresh vegetables, fresh fruits and legumes was negatively associated with UPF consumption. A significant positive association was found between the dietary share of UPF and the dietary content of NCD-promoting nutrients such as free sugars and total saturated and trans -fats. In contrast, a significant negative association was found with the content of NCD-protective such as fibre and protein. Conclusions: UPF were associated with lower consumption of healthy foods and higher intake of nutrients related to NCD in children and women of reproductive age in Argentina. It is necessary to design food policies that simultaneously reduce the consumption of UPF while promoting the intake of fresh and whole foods to improve the dietary quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mind-mindedness (MM) is a caregiver's tendency to appreciate their infant's internal mental states. This longitudinal study investigated whether maternal MM (10 months) was linked with children's later behavioral problems (51 months) and the moderating role of maternal parenting distress (PD; 36 months) in a sample of 91 mother–infant dyads. Appropriate MM comments were coded from video-recorded, semi-structured play interactions between mothers and their infants; PD was obtained from maternal completion of the PD subscale of the Parenting Stress Index – Short Form (PSI-SF); and child internalizing and externalizing behavior problems were gathered from maternal report on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Moderated regression analyses revealed higher early appropriate MM was associated with significantly fewer internalizing emotional problems at 51 months among mothers with lower PD at 36 months, and higher early appropriate MM was associated with lower conduct problems at 51 months in mothers with higher PD at 36 months. Findings demonstrated the importance of considering nuanced contexts such as at-risk mothers and differential presentations of child difficulties in the analysis of the relationship between MM and child behavioral difficulties and the development of MM interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children's relationships inform their internal working models (IWMs) of the world around them. Attachment and emotional security theory (EST) emphasize the importance of parent–child and interparental relationships, respectively, for IWM. The current study examined (a) data-driven classes in child attachment and emotional security IWM, (b) associations between IWM classes and demographic variables, maltreatment, intimate partner violence (IPV), and maternal depressive symptoms, and (c) consistency in attachment and emotional security IWM classes, including as a function of maltreatment, IPV, and maternal depressive symptoms. Participants were 234 preschool-aged children (n = 152 experienced maltreatment and n = 82 had not experienced maltreatment) and their mothers. Children participated in a narrative-based assessment of IWM. Mothers reported demographics, IPV, and maternal depressive symptoms. Latent class analyses revealed three attachment IWM classes and three emotional security IWM classes. Maltreatment was associated with lower likelihood of being in the secure attachment class and elevated likelihood of being in the insecure dysregulated attachment class. Inconsistencies in classification across attachment and emotional security IWM classes were related to maltreatment, IPV, and maternal depressive symptoms. The current study juxtaposes attachment and EST and provides insight into impacts of family adversity on children's IWM across different family relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maladaptive offspring emotion regulation has been identified as one pathway linking maternal and child psychological well-being in school-aged children. Whether such a pathway is present earlier in life still remains unclear. The present study investigated the role of preschoolers' emotion reactivity and regulation in the association between maternal psychological distress and child internalizing and externalizing problems. Children's emotion reactivity and regulation were assessed through both observed behavior and physiology. At 42 months of age, children (n = 251; 128 girls) completed a fear induction task during which their heart-rate variability was assessed and their behavior was monitored, and maternal self-reports on depressive mood and anxiety were collected. At 48 months mothers and fathers reported on their children's internalizing and externalizing problems. Higher maternal depressive mood was associated with lower child fear-related reactivity and regulation, as indexed by heart-rate variability. The latter mediated the association between higher maternal depressive mood and higher preschoolers' externalizing problems. Overall, our findings support the role of preschoolers' emotion reactivity and regulation in the relationship between maternal psychological distress and children's socio-emotional difficulties. This role may also depend on the discrete emotion to which children react or seek to regulate as, here, we only assessed fear-related reactivity and regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental and pregnancy characteristics can affect proportions and tissue composition of the child's bodyand thereforecan influence their present and future health, as well as overall wellbeing. The aim of this study was to examine the differences between selected parental and birth-related parameters among preschool (3-7 years of age) children of varying adiposity status (n=541 girls and n=571 boys).The research was carried out in 20 randomly selected kindergartens in Krakow (Poland). Thickness of 6 skinfolds (biceps, triceps, subscapular, suprailiac, abdominal and calf) was measured. Sum of skinfolds was calculated and participants were divided into low, normal or high body fat groups. Birth-related characteristics were obtained using a questionnaire filled out by the children's parents. Children of mothers who gained the most gestational weight were characterised by high adiposity. Preschoolers with the highest birth weight, body length and head circumference had the greatest adiposity. Children of relatively younger mothers had higher body fat, in comparison to the rest of the study group. Parents of preschoolers in the high adiposity category were characterised by a greater body mass, compared to the parents of children in other body fat groups and that boys with the highest adiposity relatively more often had a close relative with obesity. Children in varying adiposity categories differed in terms of some birth-related factors. Particular attention should be paid to familial and parental characteristics, because they may influence the child's predisposition to excess adiposity deposition later in life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To develop the methods for an extended reporting of anaemia and to measure the status of the key contextual underlying factors of anaemia. Design: Statistical appraisal of Hb v. key influencers of anaemia in Bangladesh – the intake of animal source food (ASF), concentration of Fe in the drinking groundwater (GWI) and the prevalence of congenital Hb disorder (CH) are conducted. The primary data of the National Micronutrient Survey 2011–2012 and the British Geological Survey 2001 are analysed to assess the intake of ASF and the GWI concentration, respectively. The prevalence of thalassaemia from a national survey is used to appraise the CH. ASF is evaluated relative to the 97·5th percentile intake and group scores are assigned. Association of the GWI and Hb is examined by the linear fit and the mspline fit and the group scores are allocated. Group score is allocated for the prevalence of thalassaemia. Inflammation-adjusted ferritin is considered to report Hb. Setting: A nationwide survey in Bangladesh. Participants: Preschool children (6–59 months), school-age children (6–14 years) and non-pregnant non-lactating women (NPNLW, 15–49 years). Results: The extended reporting to the prevalence of anaemia in Bangladeshi preschool children, school children and women is – anaemia 33 % (ASF: 2·08; GWI: 1·75; CH: 2), anaemia 19 % (ASF: 1·98; GWI: 1·56; CH: 2) and anaemia 26 % (ASF: 2·16; GWI: 1·58; CH: 2), respectively. Conclusion: The extended reporting of anaemia is a useful tool to understand the status of the key influencers of anaemia, to design the context-customised intervention and to monitor the intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental health problems often begin in early childhood. However, the associations of various individual and contextual risk factors with mental health in the preschool period are incompletely understood, particularly in low- to middle-income countries (LMICs) where multiple risk factors co-exist. To address this gap, we prospectively followed 981 children in a South African birth cohort, the Drakenstein Child Health Study, assessing pre-and postnatal exposures and risk factors. The predictive value of these factors for child mental health (assessed by the Child Behavior Checklist) was modeled using structural equation modeling. We identified two key pathways to greater externalizing behavior: (1) prenatal exposure to substances (alcohol and smoking) directly predicted increased externalizing behavior (β = 0.24, p < 0.001); this relationship was partially mediated by an aspect of infant temperament (negative emotionality; β = 0.05, p = 0.016); (2) lower socioeconomic status and associated maternal prenatal depression predicted more coercive parenting, which in turn predicted increased externalizing behavior (β = 0.18, p = 0.001). Findings in this high-risk LMIC cohort cohere with research from higher income contexts, and indicate the need to introduce integrated screening and intervention strategies for maternal prenatal substance use and depression, and promoting positive parenting across the preschool period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the early 2000s governments in Russia, Poland and Hungary declared demographic crises and adopted pro-natalist programmes to increase fertility, as well as policies to support families with children. Our article compares their 'flagship' pro-natalist programmes: Russia's Maternity Capital, Poland's Family 500+, and Hungary's enhanced earned income tax credit, all framed by governments' neo-familialist discourses. We confirm these policies had limited impacts on fertility, finding that their most significant and disparate effects were instead on childhood poverty. Provision of preschool public childcare and parental leaves with levels of mothers' employment across the cases were compared. We find no relationship between coverage of childcare institutions and employment rates of mothers with young children. Data show a weak relationship between length and compensation for parental leaves and maternal employment. We conclude that post-communist governments' flagship pro-natalist incentives, family policies and traditionalist rhetoric have had limited effects in reversing demographic decline or in re-traditionalising contemporary women's lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood obesity/overweight is a worldwide concern and its prevalence is increasing in many countries. The first aim of this study is to analyse the trends in overweight and obesity among children under the age of five in Turkey based on the new World Health Organization (WHO) standards, using data from the 'five-round of the Turkey Demographic and Health Surveys' (TDHSs). The second aim is to examine whether or not the maternal/household and individual-level factors are associated with overweight/obesity using TDHS 2003, 2008, and 2013 datasets. A total sample of 14,231 children under the age of five were extracted from the TDHS in 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013 to determine the prevalence of the trend. Pooled data from 8,812 children were included in the analysis to examine factors associated with overweight/obesity. Taking into account the clustered data structure, multilevel logistic regression models were utilised. In 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013 the prevalence of overweight children was 5.3%, 4.9%, 10.0%, 11% and 11.6%, respectively. The factors that were independently associated with overweight/obesity were as follows: living in single-parent households (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.27, 95%CI = 1.21–4.26), compared to living in dual-parent households; having an obese mother (aOR = 4.25, 95%CI = 1.73–10.44), overweight mother (aOR = 3.15, 95%CI = 1.29–7.69), and a normal-weight mother (aOR = 2.70, 95%CI = 1.11–6.59) compared to having an underweight mother; being aged between 13–24 months (aOR = 1.72, 95%CI = 1.30 to 2.27), compared to being aged 0-12 months; male gender (aOR = 1.30, 95%CI = 1.11 to 1.53); being stunted (aOR = 2.18, 95%CI = 1.74 to 2.73); high birth weight (aOR = 1.55, 95%CI = 1.08 to 2.23) compared to low birth weight. In addition, overweight was higher in children of mothers who had completed primary school (aOR = 1.21, 95%CI = 1.01 to 1.59) than children of mothers who had not completed primary school. These findings reveal that, over the years, there has been a substantial increase in obesity/overweight among children which demonstrates the importance of evaluating the overweight indicators at the maternal/household level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We characterized the patterns of agreement variation and consistency in three corpora of child and child-directed US English to better understand preschoolers' input and to compare preschoolers' own agreement production. We examined sentences with third-person subjects and tensed forms of be in two large single-family corpora and one cross-sectional corpus collected during a Search-and-Find activity. Caregivers' agreement variation consistently reflected patterns previously found in adult-to-adult speech. Children's variation was conditioned by many of the same factors (e.g., sentence type, pronoun subject, and order of subject and verb) and clearly demonstrated acquisition of the categorical-variable split. However, some children showed substantially higher rates of nonagreeing forms (There's the cherries) than their caregivers and differed in their ranking of conditioning factors. We suggest that this reflects children's developing production processing abilities: shorter sentence-planning spans may make nonagreement a useful strategy for avoiding early number commitments in verb-first sentences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This ethnographic study examines deaf or hard-of-hearing children's socialization in an oral classroom, a setting designed to promote spoken language as the primary mode of communication. Drawing from nine months of observations, I describe how the meanings assigned to children's vocalizations create a system of values and judgements that organizes and regulates classroom behavior. Specifically, vocalization itself is oriented to as a moral practice that is necessary for the mutual understanding and accomplishment of classroom activities. Informed by ethnomethodological and language-socialization perspectives, I illustrate how participants co-construct a local moral order wherein students are held accountable for 'using their words' to perform social actions. Analyses discuss three interactional contexts where moral issues are routinely constructed as contingent on and resolvable through vocalization—children's help-seeking, children's disputes, and negotiations of classroom participation—thereby shaping children's understanding of language use and reflecting broader institutional expectations and ideology regarding oral communication. (Moral order, preschool children, socialization) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Test a culturally tailored obesity prevention intervention in low-income, minority preschool-age children.Design: A three-group clustered randomized controlled trial.Setting: Twelve Head Start Centers were randomly assigned to a center-based intervention, a combined center- and home-based intervention, or control using a 1:1:1 ratio. The center-based intervention modified center physical activity and nutrition policies, staff practices, and child behaviors, while the home-based intervention supported parents for obesity prevention at home.Study Outcomes: The primary endpoint was change in children's body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) at posttest immediately following completion of the 8-month intervention. Secondary endpoints included standardized scores for BMI (BMIz) and body weight (WAZ), and BMI percentiles (BMI pctl).Participants: Three-year-old children enrolled in Head Start in San Antonio, Texas, with written parent consent (N=325), 87% Latino; 57% female with mean age (SD) of 3.58 years (0.29).Results: Change in BMI at posttest was 1.28 (0.97), 1.28 (0.87), and 1.41 (0.71) in the center+home-based intervention, center-based intervention, and control, respectively. There was no significant difference in BMI change between center+home-based intervention and control or center-based intervention and control at posttest. BMIz (adjusted difference -0.12 [95% CI, -0.24 to 0.01], p = .06) and WAZ (adjusted difference, -0.09 [-0.17 to -0.002], p = .04) were reduced for children in center+home-based intervention compared to control group.Conclusions: There was no reduction in BMI at posttest in children who received the intervention. Findings shed light on methodological challenges in childhood obesity research and offer future directions to explore health equity-oriented obesity prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This pilot study provides preliminary insights into whether Latino preschool children living in an emerging Latino community (ELC) are meeting recommendations for healthy diet and activity behaviours and whether those behaviours are associated with sociodemographic or home environment variables. Secondary data analysis was conducted utilising cross-sectional baseline survey data from ANDALE Pittsburgh, a home-based intervention study. Measures included parent-reported information on child dietary intake, screen time and the home environment, and objectively measured physical activity and anthropometry. χ² and Fischer’s exact tests were used to determine associations. The study was conducted in an ELC in western Pennsylvania in the US. Fifty-one Latina mothers (age: 33⋅5±6⋅1 years; 63 % Mexican origin; 86 % low acculturation) and their children (age: 3⋅9±1⋅3 years; 55 % male) 2–5 years of age. On average, children consumed 2⋅25 ± 1⋅44 cups of fruits/vegetables, viewed 98⋅7 ± 74⋅2 min of screen time, accumulated 12⋅9±2⋅9 min/h of total physical activity and consumed 15⋅5 ± 26⋅0 kcals of sugar-sweetened beverages per day. Forty-one percent met the fruit/vegetable recommendation, 54 % met the screen time recommendation, 27 % met the physical activity recommendation and 58 % met the sugary drink recommendation. Country of origin (P = 0⋅032) and acculturation (P = 0⋅048) were significantly associated with children meeting sugary drink recommendations. No other relationships were significant. The proportion of children in this sample meeting diet and activity recommendations was mixed. More research with larger sample sizes is needed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the critical importance of complementary feeding, large proportions of children in developing countries are sub-optimally fed during 6–23 months of age. In Ethiopia, even though the government has been rolling out infant and young child feeding (IYCF) guidelines, the proportion of mothers adhering to the recommended optimal practices and its associated factors have not been assessed in different agro-ecological areas. Hence, the present study aimed to determine optimal complementary feeding practices and associated factors in three agro-ecological rural districts (high, mid and lowland) of southwest Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among 845 mothers-index young children 6–23 months Jimma zone. Multistage sampling was employed to select the study participants. Structured and pretested questionnaires were used to collect data and entered into Epi Data V.1.4.4.0. The data were analysed using SPSS version 20. Binary and multivariable logistic regressions were used to identify factors associated with optimal childfeeding practices. The significance of the association was determined at P < 0⋅05. The overall proportion of optimal complementary feeding practice (OCFP) was 9⋅4 % at 95 % CI (7⋅19, 11⋅08). The timely initiation of complementary feeding, minimum meal frequency, minimum dietary diversity and minimum acceptable diet was 52⋅2, 64⋅1, 17⋅2 and 12⋅2 %. Multivariable logistic regression showed that being in the highland districts, having good maternal knowledge, and mothers having primary school education, having a family size of less than six were positively associated with optimal complementary feeding practices. The findings showed that OCFP was low, especially in the midland agro-ecological districts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to develop a quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to assess free sugar intake as a whole and at the food group levels, retrospectively, over the past 3 months among 4 to 5-year-old preschool children in the Colombo district, Sri Lanka. Then, to assess its reliability and relative validity. In the development phase, three 24-hour dietary recalls (24 hDRs) of 518 preschool children were collected from caregivers. Based on that, a 67-item FFQ was developed, including commonly consumed free sugar-containing food items. The validation study was conducted among another 108 preschool children. The relative validity of the FFQ was assessed by comparing it with the 24 hDRs. The test–retest reliability was assessed by repeated application of the FFQ to the same population after 6 weeks. Wilcoxon sign rank test, cross-classification with weighted Kappa statistic, Spearman rank correlation and Bland–Altman plots were used for comparison. Comparing the free sugar intake calculated by the two methods showed no difference (P = 0⋅13), a good correlation (0⋅89), good agreement in cross-classifying participants (78⋅4 % correctly classified) and a good agreement in Bland–Altman plots. Repeated application of the FFQ yielded; no differences in free sugar intake values (P = 0⋅45) a good correlation (0⋅71), acceptable agreement in crossclassifying participants (52⋅3 % correctly classified) and acceptable agreement in the Bland–Altman plot. Results were the same for all food groups. According to the results, the newly developed quantitative FFQ provides a relatively valid and reliable measure for quantifying free sugar intake among preschool children as a whole or by food group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the association of household food insecurity (HFI) with developmental delays in 36–59-month-old preschool children (n 7005) using cross-sectional data from the 2018 Ecuadorian National Health and Nutrition Survey. HFI was assessed with the Food Insecurity Experience Scale and developmental delays with the Early Childhood Development Index. Log-binomial regression models estimated the association of HFI with global (overall) developmental delay (GDD) and delays in four individual developmental domains, adjusting for covariates. Nearly half of the children lived in households with marginal (24⋅5 %) or moderate-severe HFI (21⋅7 %). Eighteen percent were identified with GDD. Delays in the individual domains of literacy-numeracy, social-emotional, physical and cognitive development were identified for 64, 21⋅5, 3⋅3 and 3⋅1 %, respectively. GDD was more likely among preschool children from households with marginal (aPR = 1⋅29; 95 % C.I. = 1⋅10, 1⋅49) and moderate-severe HFI (aPR = 1⋅30; 95 % C.I. = 1⋅11, 1⋅51). Social-emotional development delays were also more likely among those from households with marginal (aPR = 1⋅36; 95 % C.I. = 1⋅19, 1⋅56) and moderate-severe HFI (aPR = 1⋅33; 95 % C.I. = 1⋅15, 1⋅54) different from the other three domains. Several other potentially modifiable risk (violent discipline, maternal depressive symptoms) and protective factors (adequate child stimulation, higher maternal education, handwashing with soap/detergent) were also independently associated with GDD and/or literacy-numeracy and cognitive delays. Our findings suggest that HFI is an independent risk factor for GDD and social-emotional developmental delays in Ecuadorian preschoolers. They underscore the importance of strengthening and expanding poverty reduction, food security and early childhood development policies and interventions to improve the opportunities for children to achieve their full developmental potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A child's world is full of cues that may help to learn about decision options by providing valuable predictions. However, not all cues are always equally valid. To enhance decision-making, one should use cue validities as weights in decision-making. Prior research showed children's difficulty in doing so. In 2 conceptual replication studies, we investigated preschoolers' competencies when they encounter a cue whose prediction is always correct. We assessed 5-to 6-year-olds' cue evaluations and decision-making in an information-board-game. Participants faced 3 cues when repeatedly choosing between 2 locations to find treasures: A nonprobabilistic, high-validity cue that always provided correct predictions (p = 1) paired with 2 probabilistically correct (Study 1: p = .34, p = .17) or 2 nonprobabilistic, incorrect cues (Study 2: p = 0). Participants considered cue validities--albeit in a rudimentary form. In their cue evaluations, they preferred the high-validity cue, indicating their ability to understand and use cue validity for evaluations. However, in their decision-making, they did not prioritize the high-validity cue. Rather, they frequently searched and followed the predictions of less valid (Study 1) and incorrect cues (Study 2). Our studies strengthen the current state of decision research suggesting that the systematic use of cue validities in decision-making develops throughout childhood. Apparently, having appropriate cue evaluations that reflect cue validities is not sufficient for their use in decision-making. We discuss our findings while considering the importance of learning instances for the development of decision competencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. There was no previous meta-analysis investigating the efficacy/tolerability of psychostimulants for symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in preschool children. Methods. Databases including PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception to March 2022 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on therapeutic efficacy of psychostimulants against ADHD symptoms in preschool children (age ≤6 years) compared with placebos. Primary outcomes were (a) changes in ADHD symptoms evaluated by validated rating scales from parents’/teacher’s observation, or (b) postintervention improvements in neuropsychological performance. Secondary outcomes were risks of adverse events. Results. Meta-analysis of nine eligible trials including 544 preschool children (mean age=4.86 years, female=11.98%, median treatment duration=4.33 weeks) supported the efficacy of psychostimulants against global symptoms from observations of parents (Hedges’ g=0.6152, p<0.0001) and teachers (Hedges’ g=0.6563, p=0.0039). Efficacy of psychostimulants was also noted against symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity, especially the latter (i.e., main symptoms in preschool children). Moreover, male gender, older age, and longer treatment duration were associated with better efficacy. Regarding adverse events, only the risk of poor appetite was higher in the psychostimulant group (odds ratio [OR]=2.39). However, the qualities of evidence were low to very low, indicating potential discrepancy between the true and estimated effect. Conclusions. Our results showed that psychostimulants might be beneficial for preschool children with ADHD, especially hyperactivity/impulsivity from teachers’ observation, with tolerable side effects. Nevertheless, the true magnitude of the effect needs to be confirmed with more research due to low to very low certainty of the evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over recent decades much research has analyzed the relevance of 9- to 20- month-old infants' early imitation skills (object- and language-based imitation) for language development. Yet there have been few systematic comparisons of the joint relevance of these imitative behaviors later on in development. This correlational study investigated whether multimodal imitation (gestural, prosodic, and lexical components) and object-based imitation are related to narratives and sociopragmatics in preschoolers. Thirty-one typically developing 3- to 4-year-old children performed four tasks to assess multimodal imitation, object-based imitation, narrative abilities, and sociopragmatic abilities. Results revealed that both narrative and sociopragmatic skills were significantly related to multimodal imitation, but not to object-based imitation, indicating that preschoolers' ability to imitate socially relevant multimodal cues is strongly related to language and sociocommunicative skills. Therefore, this evidence supports a broader conceptualization of imitation behaviors in the field of language development that systematically integrates prosodic, gestural, and verbal linguistic patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine associations among neighbourhood food environments (NFE), household food insecurity (HFI) and child's weight-related outcomes in a racially/ethnically diverse sample of US-born and immigrant/refugee families.Design: This cross-sectional, observational study involving individual and geographic-level data used multilevel models to estimate associations between neighbourhood food environment and child outcomes. Interactions between HFI and NFE were employed to determine whether HFI moderated the association between NFE and child outcomes and whether the associations differed for US-born v. immigrant/refugee groups.Setting: The sample resided in 367 census tracts in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN metropolitan area, and the data were collected in 2016-2019.Participants: The sample was from the Family Matters study of families (n 1296) with children from six racial/ethnic and immigrant/refugee groups (African American, Latino, Hmong, Native American, Somali/Ethiopian and White).Results: Living in a neighbourhood with low perceived access to affordable fresh fruits and vegetables was found to be associated with lower food security (P < 0·01), poorer child diet quality (P < 0·01) and reduced availability of a variety of fruits (P < 0·01), vegetables (P < 0·05) and whole grains in the home (P < 0·01). Moreover, residing in a food desert was found to be associated with a higher child BMI percentile if the child's household was food insecure (P < 0·05). No differences in associations were found for immigrant/refugee groups.Conclusions: Poor NFE were associated with worse weight-related outcomes for children; the association with weight was more pronounced among children with HFI. Interventions aiming to improve child weight-related outcomes should consider both NFE and HFI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the association between food security and feeding practices in Latinx parents of pre-school-aged children and examine possible effect modification by parental self-efficacy. Design: Cross-sectional assessment using the US Department of Agriculture screener for food insecurity as the exposure and sub-scales of the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire as the outcome with the General Self-Efficacy Scale as an effect modifier. Non-parametric descriptive statistics were used to compare groups based on food security status. Setting: Two Latinx communities with low-socioeconomic status in Texas in 2017 and in Oregon in 2018–2019. Participants: Latinx parents of preschool aged children, English and Spanish speaking. Dyads were excluded if they had moderate-severe developmental disabilities, a seizure disorder with a restrictive diet or taking medications known to influence typical growth. Results: Of the 168 families in Oregon, 65 (38 %) reported food insecurity, and 10 (21 %) of the 48 families in Texas reported food insecurity. Food security was associated with greater parental monitoring practices in both the Texas and Oregon samples. We observed no differences in creating a healthy home food environment by food security status in either sample. Parental general self-efficacy showed evidence of effect modification in Oregon - only parents with lower self-efficacy showed a significant association between food security and feeding practices. Conclusions: Latinx parents of preschool children experience high levels of food insecurity, which are associated with maladaptive parental feeding practices. Greater parental general self-efficacy moderates this association and could buffer the effects of food insecurity on children's health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the prevalence of overweight or obesity (ow/ob) with WHO BMI cut-off points, International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) cut-off points and Chinese BMI criteria and examine its potential factors among preschool children in Hunan Province. Design: A cross-sectional survey including anthropometric measurements and questionnaires about children's information, caregivers' socio-demographic characteristics and maternal characteristics. χ 2 tests and univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression were performed to evaluate the possible factors of ow/ob. Setting: Hunan, China, from September to October 2019. Participants: In total, 7664 children 2 to 6 years of age. Results: According to Chinese BMI criteria, about 1 in 7–8 children aged 2–6 years had ow/ob in Hunan, China. The overall estimated prevalence of ow/ob among 2- to 6-year-old children was significantly higher when based on the Chinese BMI criteria compared with the WHO BMI cut-off points and IOTF cut-off points. According to Chinese BMI criteria, ow/ob was associated with residing in urban areas, older age, male sex, eating snacking food more frequently, macrosomia delivery, caesarean birth, heavier maternal prepregnancy weight and pre-delivery weight. Conclusion: The prevalence of ow/ob in preschool children in Hunan Province remains high. More ow/ob children could be screened out according to Chinese BMI cut-offs compared with WHO and IOTF BMI criteria. In the future, targeted intervention studies with matched controls will be needed to assess the long-term effects of intervention measures to provide more information for childhood obesity prevention and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to develop a quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to assess free sugar intake as a whole and at the food group levels, retrospectively, over the past 3 months among 4 to 5-year-old preschool children in the Colombo district, Sri Lanka. Then, to assess its reliability and relative validity. In the development phase, three 24-hour dietary recalls (24 hDRs) of 518 preschool children were collected from caregivers. Based on that, a 67-item FFQ was developed, including commonly consumed free sugar-containing food items. The validation study was conducted among another 108 preschool children. The relative validity of the FFQ was assessed by comparing it with the 24 hDRs. The test–retest reliability was assessed by repeated application of the FFQ to the same population after 6 weeks. Wilcoxon sign rank test, cross-classification with weighted Kappa statistic, Spearman rank correlation and Bland–Altman plots were used for comparison. Comparing the free sugar intake calculated by the two methods showed no difference (P = 0⋅13), a good correlation (0⋅89), good agreement in cross-classifying participants (78⋅4 % correctly classified) and a good agreement in Bland–Altman plots. Repeated application of the FFQ yielded; no differences in free sugar intake values (P = 0⋅45) a good correlation (0⋅71), acceptable agreement in cross-classifying participants (52⋅3 % correctly classified) and acceptable agreement in the Bland–Altman plot. Results were the same for all food groups. According to the results, the newly developed quantitative FFQ provides a relatively valid and reliable measure for quantifying free sugar intake among preschool children as a whole or by food group.

Early years caregivers can play a key role in young children's eating and the prevention of childhood obesity. The UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) is a large representative survey collecting detailed food and nutrition consumption data. Using these data, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between dietary intake of preschool children in the UK aged 2 to 4 years and accompanying adult/s. Nutrition consumption data from 1218 preschool children from years 1 to 8 of the 2008–2016 NDNS were accessed. Dietary data were captured using 3 or 4 day estimated food diaries. Regression analyses revealed significant differences in consumption when children were not accompanied by their parents. Compared with when children were with parents, children consumed significantly more energy dense meals (0·32 kJ/g, 95% CI 0·1–0·6 kJ/g), energy (62 kJ/g, (95% CI 27–97 kJ)) Na (19 mg, (95 % CI 6, 32)), added sugars (0·6 g, (95 % CI 0·1, 1·1)), vegetables (3 g, (95 % CI 1, 4)), total grams (12 g, (95 % CI 3, 21)) and saturated fat (0·2 g, (95 % CI 0·1, 0·4)) per eating occasion when accompanied by wider family. When children were accompanied by a formal childcare provider, they consumed significantly lower energy dense meals (−0·9 kJ/g, (95% CI −1·4 – −0·3 kJ/g)), less added sugars (−1·6 g, (95 % CI −2·4, −0·8)) and more fruit (12 g, (95 % CI 3, 21)) per eating occasion than when they were with their parents. The results demonstrate that non-parental caregivers might be an important target to promote healthy eating in young children. Further research is needed to establish which caregivers would benefit most. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined children's duration of attention to negative emotions (i.e., anger, sadness, fear) as a mediator of associations among maternal and paternal unsupportive parenting and children's externalizing symptoms in a sample of 240 mothers, fathers, and their preschool children (Mage = 4.64 years). The multimethod, multi-informant design consisted of three annual measurement occasions. Analysis of maternal and paternal unsupportive parenting as predictors in latent difference changes in children's affect-biased attention and behavior problems indicated that children's attention to negative emotions mediated the specific association between maternal unsupportive parenting and children's subsequent increases in externalizing symptoms. Maternal unsupportive parenting at Wave 1 predicted decreases in children's attention to negative facial expressions of adults from Wave 1 to 2. Reductions in children's attention to negative emotion, in turn, predicted increases in their externalizing symptoms from Wave 1 to 3. Additional tests of children's fearful distress and hostile responses to parental conflict as explanatory mechanisms revealed that increases in children's fearful distress reactivity from Wave 1 to 2 accounted for the association between maternal unsupportive parenting and concomitant decreases in their attention to negative emotions. Results are discussed in the context of information processing models of family adversity and developmental psychopathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Childhood obesity is considered one of the most important public health problems around the world. Chile is currently one of the Latin American countries with a high prevalence of childhood obesity. Given that parents' food parenting practices shape their children's lifelong eating habits, addressing those practices is key to curbing later problems of obesity. However, studies of the influences on Chilean parents' food parenting practices are scarce. Hence, this study explores factors that influence food parenting practices of preschool-aged children in Chile.Design: Qualitative research, using interviews with the photo-elicitation technique.Setting: Metropolitan Region, Chile.Participants: Twenty-five parents from families recruited from public childcare centres.Results: Through a thematic analysis with an inductive approach, we identified five themes that influence food parenting practices: (1) parents' previous experiences and how they determine their current goals and beliefs; (2) responses to the child's characteristics; (3) the influences of other family members, especially grandparents; (4) parents' nutritional knowledge; and (5) living contexts, especially limited budgets and lack of time.Conclusions: The study reveals multilevel influences, which converge at the family level, on food parenting practices. A family-centrerd approach that addresses the mentioned influences is necessary to improve the management of the childhood obesity problem in Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to compare the demographic, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of burn injuries in toddler and preschool children, and to validate the American Burn Association (ABA) Burn Triage Decision Matrix in the Turkish pediatric population., Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 684 pediatric burn patients (494 toddlers, 190 preschoolers) admitted to our burn center over a 5-year period. Variables including gender, burn etiology, burn area, depth, treatment modalities, complications, length of hospital stay, and mortality were analyzed. The performance of the ABA Burn Triage Decision Matrix was evaluated in both groups., Results: Scalding was the predominant cause of burns in both groups, with a significant difference in the involvement of anterior trunk ( p = 0.027). The mean Total Body Surface Area (TBSA) was comparable between the groups ( p = 0.286). There was no significant difference in mortality rates ( p = 0.385), treatment modalities, and complications. The ABA Burn Triage Decision Matrix demonstrated consistency in triaging the severity of burn injuries, with a notable discrepancy observed in the moderate risk category of toddler group., Conclusions: This study highlights the distinct characteristics and outcomes of burn injuries in different pediatric age groups. The ABA Burn Triage Decision Matrix's validation suggests its utility in enhancing triage accuracy and resource allocation in pediatric populations, especially in disaster-prone regions.

Moral emotions such as shame, guilt and pride are crucial to young children's social-emotional development. Due to the restrictions caused by hearing loss in accessing the social world, deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children may encounter extra difficulties in their development of moral emotions. However, little research so far has investigated the development trajectory of moral emotions during preschool years in DHH children. The present study used a longitudinal design to explore the development trajectories of shame, guilt, and pride, in a sample of 259 Chinese DHH and typically hearing (TH) preschoolers aged 2 to 6 years old. The results indicated that according to parent reports, DHH children manifested lower levels of guilt and pride compared to their TH peers, yet the manifested levels of shame, guilt, and pride increased throughout the preschool time at a similar pace in all children. Moreover, whilst guilt and pride contributed to increasing levels of psychosocial functioning over the preschool years, shame contributed to lower social competence and more externalizing behaviors in DHH and TH preschoolers. The outcomes imply that early interventions and adjustment to hearing loss could be useful to safeguard the social development of children with severe hearing loss, and cultural variances shall be taken into consideration when studying moral emotions in a Chinese cultural background.

Introduction: The use of technology in many areas of daily life is widespread among both children and adults. Excessive and inappropriate use of technological aids causes significant problems in physical, psychomotor, psychological and social stages of development, especially in childhood. One of the reasons for some problems that arise in adulthood, such as communication problems, anxiety disorders, obesity, musculoskeletal disorders and tendency to violence is the excessive and inappropriate use of technology in childhood. For this reason, it is of great importance to complete the developmental stages in childhood in a healthy way. Objectives: The aim of this study was to qualitatively assess the technology use habits of 48-72 month old preschool children and their parents. Methods: The study is a qualitative research conducted among the parents of children in Eskişehir and Bolu between March and June 2023. A semi-structured form was used for the personal interviews with the 25 parents who constituted the study group. The interviews were recorded. The audio recordings were then transcribed and a thematic content analysis was conducted. The main themes of the interviews concerned the habits of parents' and children's in the use of technology at home, the content used on technological devices and how it is controlled, and the arrangements for technology use at home. Results: In the interviews, parents reported that when they needed to use technological devices, they most often chose a time and place when the children were not present or asleep. When children spent more time at home, this was the most common reason for increased technology use, while the most common reason for decreased use was that children spent more time outside the home. Most parents limited the amount of time their children's daily technology using time. It was found that children generally complied with these restrictions, and when they did not, they often expressed themselves with reactions such as sulking/angry/crying. Conclusions: This study emphasizes that the most important factor determining children's attitudes towards technology use is their parents' attitudes towards technology use In order for children to develop a positive attitude towards technology use, it can be beneficial for parents to regulate and control their children's technology use as well as their own. Disclosure of Interest: None Declared [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Linear growth is controlled by several factors, malnutrition is one of the leading causes of stunted child growth. The objective of this study was to determine the dietary intakes associated with stunting among pre-school children in rural Upper Egypt. Design: Community-based cross-sectional study Setting: Data were collected by interviewing the children's caregivers in the rural household setting. Participants: The study included 497 pre-school children aged 2–5 years in rural Upper Egypt. Food intake data were estimated using 24-h recall method. Anthropometric measurements of children were taken and then converted to z-scores for weight-for-age Z-score, height-for-age Z-score and weight-for-height Z-score. Results: The study included 497 children of which 19·1 % were stunted, 76·3 % did not meet recommended energetic intake and 13·7 % did not meet recommended protein intake and this was significantly higher than non-stunted children. Children who were stunted significantly consumed poultry, eggs and fruits less often than non-stunted children, by regression; male sex (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1·91), mother's age (0·93), lower socio-economic status (SES); and not meeting recommended protein intake (aOR = 2·26) were found to be associated with stunting. Conclusion: Male sex, younger mothers, lower SES and not meeting recommended energy and protein were statistically associated with stunting. Nutrition education messages encouraging adequate and healthy eating are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incremental prediction of aggression from callous–unemotional (CU) traits is well established, but cross-cultural replication and studies of young children are needed. Little is understood about the contribution of CU traits in children who are already aggressive. We addressed these issues in prospective studies in the United Kingdom and Colombia. In a UK epidemiological cohort, CU traits and aggression were assessed at age 3.5 years, and aggression at 5.0 years by mothers (N = 687) and partners (N = 397). In a Colombian general population sample, CU traits were assessed at age 3.5 years and aggression at 3.5 and 5.0 years by mother report (N = 220). Analyses consistently showed prediction of age-5.0 aggression by age-3.5 CU traits controlling for age-3.5 aggression. Associations between age-3.5 CU traits and age-5.0 aggression were moderated by aggression at 3.5 years, with UK interaction terms, same informant, β =.07 p =.014 cross-informant, β =.14 p =.002, and in Colombia, β =.09 p =.128. The interactions arose from stronger associations between CU traits and later aggression in those already aggressive. Our findings with preschoolers replicated across culturally diverse settings imply a major role for CU traits in the maintenance and amplification of already established aggression, and cast doubt on their contribution to its origins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the effect of early life stress (ELS) on the glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) methylation, the associations between NR3C1 methylation and behavior problems, and the effect of the program Parents as Teachers (PAT) on NR3C1 methylation. Participants included 132 children, 72 assigned to the PAT intervention group and 60 to the PAT control group. Children were aged 3 years, and were living in psychosocially at-risk families. We assessed NR3C1 methylation of the NGFI-A binding regions of exon 1F via sodium bisulfite sequencing from saliva DNA. Results indicated that (a) children living in families receiving PAT had decreased methylation at one single cytosine–guanine dinucleotides (CpG) site; (b) current maternal depressive symptoms and parental disagreement were predictive of increased methylation of mean NGFI-A and three single CpG sites; and (c) increased methylation of mean NGFI-A and one single CpG site was significantly associated with increased internalizing and externalizing symptoms. In addition, mean NGFI-A was a mediator of the association between parental disagreement and a child's affective problems. These results suggest that PAT may contribute to preventing NR3C1 methylation in preschool children living in psychosocially at-risk situations, and confirm previous findings on the associations between ELS, NR3C1 methylation, and behavior problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the developmental value of parsing different forms of children's risky involvement in interparental conflict as predictors of children's subsequent psychological adjustment. Participants included a diverse sample of 243 preschool children (Mage = 4.6 years) and their mothers across two measurement occasions spaced 2 years apart. Three forms of risky involvement (i.e., cautious, caregiving, and coercive) were identified using maternal narratives describing children's emotional and behavioral reactivity during and immediately following interparental conflict. Utilizing a multimethod, multi-informant design, findings revealed that each form of involvement prospectively predicted unique configurations of children's developmental outcomes. Greater coercive involvement was associated with higher levels of externalizing problems, callous and unemotional traits, and extraversion. Higher levels of caregiving involvement were linked with greater separation anxiety. Finally, cautious involvement predicted more separation anxiety and social withdrawal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the mediating effects of maternal perception of child weight (weight perception) and concern about overweight (weight concern) on the paths between child weight and maternal feeding practices. Setting: Pudong District, Shanghai, China. Participants: A convenience sample of 1164 mothers who were primary caregivers of preschool children. Results: Sixty per cent of the mothers perceived their overweight/obese children as normal weight or even underweight. The disagreement between actual child weight and maternal weight perception was statistically significant (Kappa = 0·212, P < 0·001). Structural equation modelling indicated that weight perception fully mediated the relationship between child BMI Z-scores and pressure to eat. Weight concern fully mediated the relationships between child BMI Z-scores and the other three feeding practices. The serial mediating effects of weight perception and concern were statistically significant for the paths between child BMI Z-score and monitoring (β = 0·035, P < 0·001), restriction (β = 0·022, P < 0·001), and food as a reward (β = –0·017, P < 0·05). Conclusion: Child weight may influence maternal feeding practices through weight perception and concern. Thus, interventions are needed to increase the accuracy of weight perception, which may influence several maternal feeding practices and thereby contribute to child health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine the differences between selected lifestyle and socioeconomic parameters among preschool (3–7 years of age) children of differing adiposity status. The study was conducted from February to June 2018 in 20 randomly selected kindergartens in Kraków, Poland. Triceps, biceps, subscapular, suprailiac, abdominal and calf skinfold thicknesses were measured. The sum of all six skinfolds was calculated and the children were subsequently characterized by low (≤–1 SD [standard deviation]), normal (–1 to 1 SD) or high body fat (≥1 SD). Socioeconomic and lifestyle characteristics were obtained using a questionnaire filled out by the children's parents or legal guardians. Preschool children in the high adiposity category had, on average, fewer siblings and longer screen time; additionally, their parents had lower education and more often worked in manual jobs, in comparison to the children in the low and average adiposity categories. In conclusion, it was observed that children in different adiposity categories varied in terms of some socioeconomic as well as lifestyle characteristics. Knowledge regarding the influence that those factors can have on the metabolic health of children is essential for children's present as well as future well-being. Moreover, it can help health care professionals and parents decide what intervention and/ or preventive measures should be undertaken to ensure the best possible outcomes, as the development of successful obesity prevention strategies should rely on evidence-based information. Nonetheless, future research examining the issue of factors influencing the metabolic health of children, as well as these outcomes later in life, is crucial. Well-planned studies including a large number of individuals, as well as longitudinal research, will be particularly beneficial in this regard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated whether cross-linguistic differences in causal expressions influence the mapping of causal language on causal events in three- to four-year-old Swiss-German learners and Turkish learners. In Swiss-German, causality is mainly expressed syntactically with lexical causatives (e.g., ässe 'to eat' vs. füettere 'to feed'). In Turkish, causality is expressed both syntactically and morphologically – with a verbal suffix (e.g., yemek 'to eat' vs. yeDIRmek 'to feed'). Moreover, unlike Swiss-German, Turkish allows argument ellipsis (e.g., 'The mother feeds [∅]'). Here, we used pseudo-verbs to test whether and how well Swiss-German-learning children inferred a causal meaning from lexical causatives compared to Turkish-learning children tested in three conditions: lexical causatives, morphological causatives, and morphological causatives with object ellipsis. Swiss-German-learning children and Turkish-learning children in all three conditions reliably inferred causal meanings, and did so to a similar extent. The findings suggest that, as young as age 3, children learning two different languages similarly make use of language-specific causality cues (syntactic and morphological alike) to infer causal meanings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine whether the 'Read for Nutrition' programme would increase liking and consumption of broccoli (a target vegetable) in preschool children and test acceptability and practicality of the programme. Design: Pilot pre-post intervention study, where childcare teachers received training and coaching followed by reading the book 'Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli' multiple times with the children during a three-week intervention. Setting: Five classrooms of Educare, Lincoln, Nebraska in 2018. Participants: Sixty-nine (11 to 16 children per classroom) preschool-aged children and sixteen teachers (minimum, three per classroom). Results: Average total consumption of broccoli increased 35 % (0·14 ounces or 0·05th cup) after the 'Read for Nutrition' programme (t = 2·66; P = 0·01; 95 % CIs (0·035, 0·246)) for all children. Proportional consumption increased for children who received ≥ five exposures to the book (t46 = 2·77; P = 0·008). Exposures to the book predicted proportional consumption (β = 0·365; P = 0·002). Liking of broccoli increased (W69 = 2·2, P = 0·03) as well. Teachers rated the programme as acceptable, practical and enjoyable to children and to themselves. Conclusions: Programmes such as 'Read for Nutrition' have the potential to improve children's vegetable liking and consumption in early care and education settings with only book readings and no exposure to a real vegetable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The presence of excessive mirror overflow in children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is discussed in numerous published reports. These reports, however, include a limited age range in their samples. The objective of this study is to examine the effects of diagnosis and sex on mirror overflow and standard deviation (SD) of tap time in children with and without ADHD across a larger age range (5–12 years) of children. Methods: One-hundred and forty-eight children with ADHD and 112 age- and sex-matched typically developing (TD) children completed a finger sequencing task. Mirror overflow, SD of tap time, and mean tap time were measured using finger twitch transducers. Results: Results reveal a significant diagnostic effect on mirror overflow such that boys and girls with ADHD demonstrate increased overflow compared to same-sex TD children. Boys with ADHD demonstrated more variable tap times compared to TD boys; no diagnostic effect was observed in the girls. Conclusions: Boys with ADHD exhibit anomalous motor variability; girls with ADHD show similar levels of variability as TD girls. Boys and girls with ADHD exhibit similar levels of excessive mirror overflow. This lack of sex differences on mirror overflow is distinct from reports finding sex effects on overflow and could result from an examination of a broader age range than is included in prior reports. Adolescent data would provide a greater understanding of the trajectory of anomalous mirror overflow across development. Examination of functional and structural connectivity would expand the current understanding of the neurobiological foundation of motor overflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To test the efficacy of three nutrition education strategies on the intake of different vegetables in preschool children.Design: This is an experimental study conducted in four Portuguese preschools. The intervention consisted of 20-min educational sessions, once a week, for 5 weeks, with one of the following randomised educational strategies: Portuguese Food Wheel Guide (control), digital game, storybook, storybook and reward (stickers). All groups had repeated exposure to vegetables in all sessions. A pre- and post-test were conducted to determine vegetable intake, and a 6-month follow-up was realised.Setting: Preschools of Leiria district, Portugal.Participants: A sample of 162 children aged 3 to 6 years. All eligible children attending the preschools were invited to participate.Results: All interventions tested were effective in increasing vegetable consumption both in the short and medium term, without statistically significant differences, compared to the control group. Stickers were more effective in the short term than in the medium term.Conclusions: The nutritional education strategies associated with repeated exposure tested in this study were effective in promoting vegetable consumption in preschool children. The use of stickers may be a valid strategy to promote the consumption of vegetables less recognised by children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Food literacy (FL) and nutrition literacy (NL) are concepts that can help individuals to navigate the current food environment. Building these skills and knowledge at a young age is important for skill retention, confidence in food practices and supporting lifelong healthy eating habits. The objectives of this systematic review were to: (i) identify existing tools that measure FL and NL among children and/or adolescents and (ii) describe the psychometric properties. Design: A 4-phase protocol was used to systematically retrieve articles. The search was performed in May 2021. Study characteristics and psychometric properties were extracted, and a narrative synthesis was used to summarise findings. Risk of bias was assessed using the COSMIN checklist. Setting: Six databases were searched to identify current tools. Participants: Children (2–12 years) and adolescents (13–18 years) participated in this study. Results: Twelve tools were identified. Three tools measured FL, 1 tool measured NL, 4 tools measured both FL and NL, and 4 tools measured subareas of NL—more specifically, critical NL, food label and menu board literacy. Most tools were self-reported, developed based on a theoretical framework and assessed some components of validity and/or reliability for a specific age and ethnic group. The majority of tools targeted older children and adolescents (9–18 years of age), and one tool targeted preschoolers (3–6 years of age). Conclusions: Most widely used definitions of FL and NL do not acknowledge life-stage specific criterion. Continued efforts are needed to develop a comprehensive definition and framework of FL and NL appropriate for children, which will help inform future assessment tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the association between the amount of time spent at childcare and diet quality in 668 Japanese children aged 1·5–6 years. Design: A cross-sectional design was used. Dietary information was collected using dietary records (1 d for children aged 1·5–2 years and 2 d for children aged 3–6 years). Diet quality was assessed by counting the number of nutrients not meeting the Japanese Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI). Each child's guardian reported the average amount of time spent at childcare per d for the previous 1 month. Setting: In total, 315 childcare centres located in twenty-four areas in Japan. Participants: In total, 753 children aged 1·5–6 years who attend childcare facilities. Results: After adjustment for potential confounders, OR for the low diet quality (≥ 5 of twenty nutrients not meeting DRI) in long (≥10 h/d) v. medium (8–10 h/d) childcare hours was 4·81 (95 % CI 1·96, 11·8) among children aged 5–6 years. There was no significant association in children aged 1·5–2 and 3–4 years. Conclusion: This study showed that long time spent at childcare was strongly associated with low diet quality among children aged 5–6 years, but not those aged 1·5–2 and 3–4 years. More research is needed to clarify different associations in each age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]