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Few studies have examined the effects of in utero exposure to organophosphate and carbamate pesticides on neurobehavioral development in infants and young children. This study considers the potential effects of maternal occupation in the cut-flower industry during pregnancy on neurobehavioral development in Ecuadorian children.Data were collected during 2003-2004 for 121 children aged 3-23 months and living in the rural highland region of Cayambe, Ecuador. Children were administered the Ages and Stages Questionnaire and were given specific developmental tests including prehension (reach-and-grasp) and visual skills. Information was gathered on maternal health and work characteristics, the home environment, and child health status. Growth measurements and a hemoglobin finger-prick blood test were obtained. We conducted multiple linear and logistic regression analyses.Children whose mothers worked in the flower industry during pregnancy scored lower on communication (8% decrease in score, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -16% to 0.5%) and fine motor skills (13% decrease, 95% CI: -22% to -5), and had a higher odds of having poor visual acuity (odds ratio = 4.7 [CI =1.1-20]), compared with children whose mothers did not work in the flower industry during pregnancy, after adjusting for potential confounders.Maternal occupation in the cut-flower industry during pregnancy may be associated with delayed neurobehavioral development of children aged 3-23 months. Possible hazards associated with working in the flower industry during pregnancy include pesticide exposure, exhaustion, and job stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children may be at higher risk than adults from pesticide exposure, due to their rapidly developing physiology, unique behavioral patterns, and interactions with the physical environment. This preliminary study conducted in Ecuador examines the association between household and environmental risk factors for pesticide exposure and neurobehavioral development.We collected data over 6 months in the rural highland region of Cayambe, Ecuador (2003-2004). Children age 24-61 months residing in 3 communities were assessed with the Ages and Stages Questionnaire and the Visual Motor Integration Test. We gathered information on maternal health and work characteristics, the home and community environment, and child characteristics. Growth measurements and a hemoglobin finger-prick blood test were obtained. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted.Current maternal employment in the flower industry was associated with better developmental scores. Longer hours playing outdoors were associated with lower gross and fine motor and problem solving skills. Children who played with irrigation water scored lower on fine motor skills (8% decrease; 95% confidence interval = -9.31 to -0.53), problem-solving skills (7% decrease; -8.40 to -0.39), and Visual Motor Integration test scores (3% decrease; -12.00 to 1.08).These results suggest that certain environmental risk factors for exposure to pesticides may affect child development, with contact with irrigation water of particular concern. However, the relationships between these risk factors and social characteristics are complex, as corporate agriculture may increase risk through pesticide exposure and environmental contamination, while indirectly promoting healthy development by providing health care, relatively higher salaries, and daycare options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine how mothers' nurturant and, separately, hostile parenting mediate the effects of young children's inattentiveness and hyperactivity on risk behaviors in adolescence., Method: Data were analyzed from 920 healthy Chilean children, studied at 5.5, 10 years, and adolescence. Children's hyperactivity and inattentiveness at 5.5 years were assessed by mother ratings on the Children's Adaptive Behavior Inventory. Mothers' nurturance and hostility toward the child at 10 years were assessed by maternal interview on the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment. Youth's delinquent and aggressive behaviors in adolescence were compiled from the Youth Self-Report questionnaire, and youth's substance use in adolescence was assessed by an extensive self-report substance use inventory. Structural equation modeling was used to identify direct and indirect effects., Results: Findings supported a mediating effect, with more severe child hyperactivity at 5.5 years leading to mothers' greater hostility toward her child at age 10, which, in turn, led to greater delinquency and aggression in adolescence. Marginal mediating effects were also found from child hyperactivity and inattention at 5.5 years to mothers' lower nurturance at 10 years to youth substance use in adolescence., Conclusion: Mothers' hostile treatment of children with hyperactive or inattentive behaviors contributed to adolescent risk behaviors and is an area of intervention.

Iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) continues to be the most common single nutrient deficiency in the world. Infants are at particular risk due to rapid growth and limited dietary sources of iron. An estimated 20% to 25% of the world's infants have IDA, with at least as many having iron deficiency without anemia. High prevalence is found primarily in developing countries, but also among poor, minority, and immigrant groups in developed ones. Infants with IDA test lower in mental and motor development assessments and show affective differences. After iron therapy, follow-up studies point to long-lasting differences in several domains. Neurofunctional studies showed slower neural transmission in the auditory system despite 1 year of iron therapy in IDA infants; they still had slower transmission in both the auditory and visual systems at preschool age. Different motor activity patterning in all sleep-waking states and several differences in sleep states organization were reported. Persistent sleep and neurofunctional effects could contribute to reduced potential for optimal behavioral and cognitive outcomes in children with a history of IDA.

Five-year-old Costa Rican children, who had either chronic, severe iron deficiency or good iron status in infancy, were observed with their mothers during a structured interaction task in a laboratory setting and everyday interactions in their home. Child affect and behavior as well as the quality of mother-child interaction of the formerly chronic iron-deficient children (n = 40) were compared to those with good iron status in infancy (n = 102). Children who had chronic iron deficiency in infancy were more likely to display lower levels of physical activity, positive affect, and verbalization during the structured task at 5 years, despite iron therapy that corrected their iron deficiency anemia in infancy. Mother-child reciprocity during the structured task (e.g., eye contact, shared positive affect, turn taking) was more likely to be lower in the chronic iron deficiency group compared to the good iron group. Mothers of children in the chronic iron deficiency group showed less responsivity in both settings. These results show that children with chronic, severe iron deficiency in infancy continue at behavioral disadvantage relative to their peers at school entry. Sustained differences in mother-child interaction might contribute to the long-lasting behavioral and developmental alterations reported in children with chronic, severe iron deficiency in infancy.