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Research Findings: Few rating scales measure social competence in very young Spanish or Catalan children. We aimed to analyze the psychometric characteristics of the California Preschool Social Competence Scale (CPSCS) when applied to a Spanish- and Catalan-speaking population. Children were rated by their respective teachers within 6 months following their 4th birthday in two population-based birth cohorts in Spain (N = 378). A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to compare the underlying structure of the Spanish-Catalan version with that of the original version. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to determine the internal consistency of each of the confirmed factors. Cohen's kappa formula was used to calculate the test-retest reliability in a small subset of children who were rated again one month later. Five correlated factors (Considerateness, Task Orientation, Extraversion, Verbal Facility, and Response to Unfamiliar) were optimally confirmed as a result of CFA. The first three factors had robust internal consistency. The kappa coefficient was satisfactory in 29 items out of 30. Children's cognitive abilities as assessed by the McCarthy Scales, children's gender, maternal social class and level of education were related to the social competence scores as indicators of criterion-related factors. Practice or Policy: The bilingual version of the CPSCS has good psychometric properties allowing it to be used in further studies in either Spanish or Catalan populations. (Contains 5 tables.)

Background: Although previous studies have reported negative associations between exposure to air pollution and cognition, studies of the effects of prenatal and postnatal exposures in early childhood have been limited. Objectives: We sought to assess the role exposure to fine particulate matter ([PM.sub.2.5]) during different prenatal and postnatal windows may play in children's cognitive development at school age. Methods: Within the Brain Development and Air Pollution Ultrafine Particles in School Children (BREATHE) Project, we estimated residential [PM.sub.2.5] exposures by land use regression for the prenatal period and first seven postnatal years of 2,221 children from Barcelona, Spain. The participants (8.5 [+ or -] 0.9 y old) completed computerized tests assessing working memory, attentiveness, and conflict network during four visits in 2012-2013. We used linear mixed effects and distributed lag models to assess the period of exposure to [PM.sub.2.5] in association with cognitive development. Results: Inverse associations were identified between [PM.sub.2.5] exposure during the fifth and sixth postnatal years and working memory, with boys showing much higher vulnerability. Regarding attention functions, exposure to higher [PM.sub.2.5] levels during the prenatal period and from the fourth postnatal year were associated with a reduction in conflict network performance, though we found no association with attentiveness. The overall estimated cumulative effect of a 10 [micro]g [m.sup.-3] increase in [PM.sub.2.5] resulted in a reduction in the working memory d' score of -19.50 [95% confidence interval (CI): -31.44, -7.57] points and an increase in the conflict attentional network of 11.31 (95% CI: 6.05, 16.57) milliseconds, indicating a poorer performance. Conclusions: Early life exposure to [PM.sub.2.5] was associated with a reduction in fundamental cognitive abilities, including working memory and conflict attentional network., Introduction Air pollution is the main environmental contributor to the global burden of disease (GBD 2013 Risk Factor Collaborators 2015). Over the last few years, interest in investigating the associations [...]

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Overweight, obesity, and accelerated growth during early childhood have been associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in later life. Few studies have assessed whether trajectories of accelerated growth in early childhood are associated with preclinical cardiovascular measurements. We aimed to evaluate the associations between childhood body mass index (BMI) growth trajectories and measures of macro- and microvascular function in early adolescence. Measurements of macrovascular function (systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), pulse wave velocity (PWV), and microvascular function (central retinal arteriolar/veinular equivalent) were assessed at 11 years old in a Spanish birth cohort study (n = 489). BMI trajectories from birth to 9 years were identified using latent class growth analysis. Multiple linear regression assessed the associations between the BMI trajectories and macro- and microvascular function. Compared to children with average birth size and slower BMI gain (reference), children with a lower birth size and accelerated BMI gain had increased SBP [β = 6.57; (95% CI 4.00, 9.15)], DBP [β = 3.65; (95% CI 1.45, 5.86)], and PWV [β = 0.14; (95% CI 0.01, 0.27)]. Children with higher birth size and accelerated BMI gain had increased SBP [β = 4.75; (95% CI 1.79, 7.71) compared to the reference. No significant associations between BMI trajectories and the microvascular measurements were observed. In conclusion, we found that childhood BMI trajectories characterized by accelerated growth are associated with preclinical macrovascular measurements in young adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Prenatal and early-life periods may be critical windows for harmful effects of air pollution on infant health. OBJECTIVES: We studied the association of air pollution exposure during pregnancy and [...]

BACKGROUND: The mechanisms of particulate matter (PM)-induced health effects are believed to involve inflammation and oxidative stress. Increased intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) appears to have anti-inflammatory [...]

BACKGROUND : Prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates may affect fetal growth; however, previous findings are inconsistent and based on few studies. OBJECTIVES : We assessed whether prenatal exposure to BPA and phthalates was associated with fetal growth in a Spanish birth cohort of 488 mother-child pairs. METHODS : We measured BPA and eight phthalates [four di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate metabolites (DEHPm), mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP), and three low-molecular-weight phthalate metabolites (LMWPm)] in two spot-urine samples collected during the first and third trimester of pregnancy. We estimated growth curves for femur length (FL), head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC), biparietal diameter (BPD), and estimated fetal weight (EFW) during pregnancy (weeks 12-20 and 20-34), and for birth weight, birth length, head circumference at birth, and placental weight. RESULTS : Overall, results did not support associations of exposure to BPA or DEHPm during pregnancy with fetal growth parameters. Prenatal MBzP exposure was positively associated with FL at 20-34 weeks, resulting in an increase of 3.70% of the average FL (95% CI: 0.75, 6.63%) per doubling of MBzP concentration. MBzP was positively associated with birth weight among boys (48 g; 95% CI: 6, 90) but not in girls (-27 g; 95% CI: -79, 25) (interaction p-value = 0.04). The LMWPm mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP) was negatively associated with HC at 12-20 pregnancy weeks [-4.88% of HC average (95% CI: -8.36, -1.36%)]. CONCLUSIONS : This study, one of the first to combine repeat exposure biomarker measurements and multiple growth measures during pregnancy, finds little evidence of associations of BPA or phthalate exposures with fetal growth. Phthalate metabolites MBzP and MnBP were associated with some fetal growth parameters, but these findings require replication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409190, Introduction Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates are a class of synthetic chemicals produced and used in large quantities worldwide and present in many kind of articles including plastics, cosmetics, carpets, [...]

Background: The available evidence of the effects of air pollution and noise on behavioral development is limited, and it overlooks exposure at schools, where children spend a considerable amount of time. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the associations of exposure to traffic-related air pollutants (TRAPs) and noise at school on behavioral development of schoolchildren. METHODS: We evaluated children 7-11 years of age in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain) during 2012-2013 within the BREATHE project. Indoor and outdoor concentrations of elemental carbon (EC), black carbon (BC), and nitrogen dioxide (N[O.sub.2]) were measured at schools in two separate 1-week campaigns. In one campaign we also measured noise levels inside classrooms. Parents filled out the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) to assess child behavioral development, while teachers completed the attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder criteria of the DSM-IV (ADHDDSM-IV) list to assess specific ADHD symptomatology. Negative binomial mixed-effects models were used to estimate associations between the exposures and behavioral development scores. RESULTS: Interquartile range (IQR) increases in indoor and outdoor EC, BC, and N[O.sub.2] concentrations were positively associated with SDQ total difficulties scores (suggesting more frequent behavioral problems) in adjusted multivariate models, whereas noise was significantly associated with ADHD-DSM-IV scores. CONCLUSION: In our study population of 7- to 11-year-old children residing in Barcelona, exposure to TRAPs at school was associated with increased behavioral problems in schoolchildren. Noise exposure at school was associated with more ADHD symptoms. http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409449, Introduction There is a growing body of evidence on associations between pre- and postnatal exposure to traffic-related air pollutants (TRAPs) and adverse impacts on cognitive development in children (Block and [...]

BACKGROUND: Prenatal exposure to air pollutants has been suggested as a possible etiologic factor for the occurrence of autism spectrum disorder. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess whether prenatal air pollution exposure is associated with childhood autistic traits in the general population. METHODS: Ours was a collaborative study of four European population-based birth/child cohorts--CATSS (Sweden), Generation R (the Netherlands), GASPII (Italy), and INMA (Spain). Nitrogen oxides ([NO.sub.2], [NO.sub.x]) and particulate matter (PM) with diameters of < 2.5 [micro]m ([PM.sub.2.5]), [less than or equal to] 10 [micro]m ([PM.sub.10]), and between 2.5 and 10 [micro]m (PMcoarse), and [PM.sub.2.5] absorbance were estimated for birth addresses by land-use regression models based on monitoring campaigns performed between 2008 and 2011. Levels were extrapolated back in time to exact pregnancy periods. We quantitatively assessed autistic traits when the child was between 4 and 10 years of age. Children were classified with autistic traits within the borderline/clinical range and within the clinical range using validated cut-offs. Adjusted cohort-specific effect estimates were combined using random-effects meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 8,079 children were included. Prenatal air pollution exposure was not associated with autistic traits within the borderline/clinical range (odds ratio = 0.94; 95% CI: 0.81, 1.10 per each 10-[micro]g/[m.sup.3] increase in [NO.sub.2] pregnancy levels). Similar results were observed in the different cohorts, for the other pollutants, and in assessments of children with autistic traits within the clinical range or children with autistic traits as a quantitative score. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal exposure to [NO.sub.2] and PM was not associated with autistic traits in children from 4 to 10 years of age in four European population-based birth/child cohort studies. http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1408483, Introduction Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are lifelong developmental disabilities characterized by social interaction impairment, communication deficits, and repetitive behaviors (van Engeland and Buitelaar 2008). The prevalence of ASD has increased [...]