Maternal employment, work schedules, and children's body mass index

Previous work has shown that mothers' employment is associated with increases in children's body mass index (BMI), a measure of weight for height. Nonstandard work (working evenings or nights, weekends, or an irregular shift) may also be associated with children's BMI. This article examines the association between maternal work and children's BMI and considers the influence of mothers' nonstandard work schedules. Using data from school-age children (approximately 8 to 12 years) in the NICHD's Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 990), this study found that an increase in the total time a mother is employed is associated with an increase in her child's BMI; additionally, the association between maternal employment and children's weight is much stronger at 6th grade relative to younger ages. There was no evidence that maternal or home characteristics or children's time use mediated these associations, nor was there any evidence that nonstandard work was associated with children's BMI. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.     

Effects of pre-pregnancy body mass index and gestational weight gain on neonatal birth weight

To evaluate the effects of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (pre-BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) on neonatal birth weight (NBW) in the population of Chinese healthy pregnant women, attempting to guide weight control in pregnancy. A retrospective cohort study of 3772 Chinese women was conducted. The population was stratified by maternal pre-BMI categories as underweight (<18.5 kg/m²), normal weight (18.5–23.9 kg/m²), overweight (24.0–27.9 kg/m²), and obesity (≥28.0 kg/m²). The NBW differences were tested among the four groups, and then deeper associations among maternal pre-BMI, GWG, and NBW were investigated by multivariate analysis. NBW increased significantly with the increase of maternal pre-BMI level (P<0.05), except overweight to obesity (P>0.05). The multivariate analysis showed that both pre-BMI and GWG were positively correlated with NBW (P<0.05). Compared with normal pre-BMI, underweight predicted an increased odds ratio of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and decreased odds ratio for macrosomia and large-for-gestational-age (LGA), and the results were opposite for overweight. With the increase of GWG, the risk of SGA decreased and the risks of macrosomia and LGA increased. In addition, in different pre-BMI categories, the effects of weight gain in the first trimester on NBW were different (P<0.05). NBW is positively affected by both maternal pre-BMI and GWG, extreme pre-BMI and GWG are both associated with increased risks of abnormal birth weight, and maternal pre-BMI may modify the effect of weight gain in each trimester on NBW. A valid GWG guideline for Chinese women is an urgent requirement, whereas existing recommendations seem to be not very suitable for the Chinese.     

Mediating effects of bullying involvement on the relationship of body mass index with social phobia,depression, suicidality,and self-esteem and sex differences in adolescents in Taiwan

The aims of this study were to examine the mediating effect of bullying involvement on the relationships between body mass index (BMI) and mental health problems, including social phobia, depression, suicidality, and low self-esteem among adolescents in Taiwan. The moderation effect of sex on the mediating role of bullying involvement was also examined. Five thousand two hundred and fifty-two students of high schools completed the questionnaires. Victimization and perpetration of passive and active bullying were assessed using the Chinese version of the School Bullying Experience Questionnaire. BMI was calculated from self-reported weight and height measurements. The Social Phobia Inventory, the Mandarin Chinese version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale, the suicidality-related questionnaire from the epidemiological version of the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were applied to assess social phobia, depression, suicidality, and low self-esteem, respectively. The mediating effect of bullying involvement on the associations between increased BMI and mental health problems was examined by the Sobel test. The moderation effect of sex on the mediating role of bullying involvement was tested by the multiple-group structural equation model. Victimization of passive and active bullying and perpetration of passive bullying, but not perpetration of active bullying, had a mediating effect on the relationships between increased BMI and all four mental health problems. Sex did not have a significant moderation effect on the mediating role of bullying involvement. Bullying involvement should be a target of prevention and intervention in developing a strategy to improve mental health among adolescents with increased BMI.     

Vitamin D status among infants,children, and adolescents in southeastern China

Objective

Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are global public health problems, which must first be identified before they can be appropriately addressed, and yet information is strikingly lacking in most parts of the Asia and Pacific region. The study aimed to document and account for the actual situation in Wenzhou on the southeastern coast of China.

Subjects and methods

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels among a total of 5845 infants, preschool children, school children, and adolescents aged 1–18 years were examined between March 2014 and February 2015.

Results

Their mean levels were (110.2±26.8), (77.5±25.7), (55.6±15.4), and (47.2±13.9) nmol/L, respectively. Older age groups were involved in increasing risk of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency. There were significant seasonal differences in its median level and prevalence of deficiency and insufficiency among school children and adolescents, but there was no significant sex difference in mean level and prevalence in any age group.

Conclusions

Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were prevalent among infants, preschool children, school children, and adolescents in Wenzhou. A vitamin D-rich diet and outdoor activities for 1–2 h per day under the natural conditions favorable to its endogeous synthesis do not suffice. The vitamin D status in Wenzhounese infants excelling over that in the US was the result of its supplementation thanks to the Chinese Medical Association recommendations, which should be consequently extended to more age groups. Life style shaped by socio-economic environments affects vitamin D status. Knowledge on the importance of vitamin D for healthy growth should be popularized.

     

Prevalence of overweight among deaf children

The study examined the prevalence of overweight cases in a sample of 151 deaf children aged 6-11 years. Participants were deaf students attending six elementary schools, both regular and special, in four states. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using height and weight, plotted on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) U.S. BMI-for-age growth charts, then compared to national values for same age and gender (CDC, 2006a, 2006b; National Center for Health Statistics, 2005). The results indicated that the prevalence of overweight deaf children aged 6-11 years was above the national percentage for same age and gender. A larger percentage of boys was overweight (24.7%) than girls (20.4%). After age 8 years, girls showed a consistent decrease in BMI with increasing age, a trend not demonstrated by boys. As a group, deaf children demonstrate a higher prevalence of overweight than national averages.     

Exposure to violence in childhood is associated with higher body mass index in adolescence

To determine whether different types of childhood adversity are associated with body mass index (BMI) in adolescence, we studied 147 adolescents aged 13–17 years, 41% of whom reported exposure to at least one adversity (maltreatment, abuse, peer victimization, or witness to community or domestic violence). We examined associations between adversity type and age- and sex-specific BMI z-scores using linear regression and overweight and obese status using logistic regression. We adjusted for potential socio-demographic, behavioral, and psychological confounders and tested for effect modification by gender. Adolescents with a history of sexual abuse, emotional abuse, or peer victimization did not have significantly different BMI z-scores than those without exposure (p > 0.05 for all comparisons). BMI z-scores were higher in adolescents who had experienced physical abuse (β = 0.50, 95% CI 0.12–0.91) or witnessed domestic violence (β = 0.85, 95% CI 0.30–1.40). Participants who witnessed domestic violence had almost 6 times the odds of being overweight or obese (95% CI: 1.09–30.7), even after adjustment for potential confounders. No gender-by-adversity interactions were found. Exposure to violence in childhood is associated with higher adolescent BMI. This finding highlights the importance of screening for violence in pediatric practice and providing obesity prevention counseling for youth.     

The motor and cognitive development of overweight preschool children

The aim of this study was to investigate the development of overweight compared with healthy-weight children attending kindergartens in Munich, Germany. Mean age of the children at the beginning of the study was 53.2 months (SD?=?7.5); the duration of the study was 20 months. At the beginning of the study children were classified as overweight (n?=?32) or healthy weight (n?=?318) using BMI scores. Dependent variables were aspects of physical growth, physical fitness, body coordination, manual dexterity, and cognitive performance. A higher rate of socially disadvantaged children was overweight compared with socially advantaged children. There was no association between weight and sex. Motor skills improved over trials. Socially disadvantaged and overweight children performed less well in gross motor skills compared with children from backgrounds of higher socioeconomic (SE) status or healthy-weight children. There was also an association between weight and socioeconomic status: overweight children of lower SE status performed less well compared with overweight children of upper SE status in all gross motor tasks. No connection could be found between weight and manual dexterity and cognitive performance.     

Construct validity of the childbirth trauma index for adolescents

The potentially traumatic nature of childbirth for adult mothers has been confirmed in research; however, adolescent childbirth trauma is unexplored. This article presents research on the construct validity of the Childbirth Trauma Index by providing a conceptual analysis of psychological childbirth trauma, factor validity of the Childbirth Trauma Index, and discussion of testing the Childbirth Trauma Index via contrasted-groups approach. Childbirth trauma can result in an acute stress reaction or actual posttraumatic stress disorder. Using subjective reports, the Impact of Event Scale, and the Childbirth Trauma Index, an appraisal of birth trauma, trauma impact, and indicators associated with childbirth trauma were revealed among 112 adolescents. Clinical implications and research recommendations are offered.     

Stability of the adjustment scales for children and adolescents

Investigation of the short‐term (90‐day) stability of the Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents is reported for 124 randomly selected children in grades ranging from kindergarten to grade 12. Significant test‐retest stability coefficients were obtained and mean differences across the retest interval did not exceed .8 raw score points. The Solitary Aggressive‐Impulsive, Diffident, and Lethargic/Hypoactive syndromes and the global Underactivity scale showed significant raw score and T score changes across the retest interval, but the effect strengths were small. Syndromic Profile Classifications and Discriminant Classifications were also significantly consistent across the retest interval. Results were similar to those obtained in other stability studies of teacher report behavior rating scales. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Factors underlying the association of body mass index with serum ALT in Chinese hypertensive adults without known hepatic diseases

Objective:High body mass index (BMI) is considered as the most important risk factor for elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) concentration. This study examined an array of factors, including waist circumference (WC) and folate deficiency, which may mediate the association of BMI with serum ALT concentration in Chinese hypertensive adults without known hepatic diseases. Methods:A multicenter, cross-sectional study was carried out. A total of 378 patients with mild or moderate hypertension and without known hepatic diseases were recruited from five hospitals in Harbin, Shanghai, Beijing, Xi’an, and Nanjing. Results:Of the 360 hypertensive patients with complete data in our final analysis, 13.6% had high ALT concentrations (>40 IU/L). Factors including BMI, WC, triglyceride level, and folate concentration were associated with ALT concentration in univariate analysis. Consistently higher prevalence rates of elevated ALT were observed in subjects with lower folate concentrations (≥12 vs. <12 nmol/L, 9.9% vs. 17.8%, P=0.03), with higher BMI (≥28 vs. <28 kg/m2, 21.5% vs. 11.4%, P=0.02) or higher WC (≥90 vs. <90 cm, 18.5% vs. 10.0%, P=0.02). However, in multivariate analysis, the association between BMI and ALT concentration disappeared (P=0.802 in males and 0.369 in females), while WC in females (P<0.001) and folate concentration (P=0.036 in males and 0.044 in females) remained as significant predictors for ALT concentration. Conclusions:This multicenter study demonstrated that WC and low folate concentration were important factors underlying the association between BMI and ALT concentrations in Chinese hypertensive adults without known hepatic diseases.     

Sleep disturbances in adolescents with symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

We evaluated 32 nonmedicated male adolescents diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood, 35 male adolescents similarly diagnosed who were receiving methylphenidate (MPH), and 77 control boys. Both ADHD groups completed self-report questionnaires assessing sleep disturbances; weekday and holiday sleep duration; and symptoms of ADHD, anxiety, and depression. Parents and teachers rated the severity of the participants' ADHD. The control group completed self-report questionnaires assessing sleep disturbances. We found that nonmedicated participants and controls did not differ in the severity of sleep disturbance. In contrast, the medicated participants demonstrated a significantly greater severity of sleep disturbance compared with the nonmedicated participants and reported elevated levels of symptoms of ADHD, anxiety, and depression. Specific analyses showed that depressive symptoms contributed significantly to the degree of sleep disturbance when controlling for ADHD diagnosis and MPH treatment. These findings suggest that among adolescents with ADHD symptoms, the severity of symptoms of depression may contribute to the degree of sleep disturbance in addition to the effect of their primary disorder and MPH treatment.     

Socioeconomic status and health in adolescents: the role of stress interpretations

The role of psychological interpretations in the relationship between low socioeconomic status (SES) and physiological responses was tested. One hundred high school students (ages 15–19) watched videos of ambiguous and negative life situations, and were interviewed about their interpretations. Lower SES was associated with greater threat interpretations during ambiguous (but not negative) situations and with greater diastolic blood pressure and heart rate reactivity. Threat interpretations partially mediated relationships between SES and reactivity. General life events (e.g., lack of positive life events), rather than specific life events (e.g., exposure to violence), partially explained the relationship between low SES and threat interpretations. Results suggest that the larger social environment helps explain how adolescents approach new social situations, which in turn has implications for adolescent physical health.     

Conceptions of athletic excellence among children and adolescents

Youth in grades 3, 6, 9, and 12 were interviewed about their beliefs regarding athletic excellence. A set of open-ended questions assessed beliefs about the source of athletic ability and the differences between excellent athletes and others. Respondents also rated excellent athletes on a checklist containing various physical, cognitive, emotional, and interpersonal traits. Younger children were less likely than adolescents to differentiate excellent athletes. All participants, but especially adolescents, attributed greater physical skills to highly competent athletes. All but the third graders thought excellent athletes were different from others in terms of cognitive skills (e.g., attention, concentration), and adolescents believed excellent athletes also differed from others in terms of attitudes (e.g., motivation, determination). Older males were more likely to believe that athletic excellence was due to natural ability, whereas older females were more likely to attribute excellence to early social support and facilitation.     

Developmental trends in eating rates of normal and overweight preschool children.

Eating rates (bites per interval) and other meal behaviors (number of chews, sips, talks with a neighbor, and chews per bite) were observed for 30 normal and 30 overweight white preschool children in their school cafeterias. Children were classified according to weight (overweight or normal), age (1 1/2--2 years, 3--4 years, or 5--6 years) and sex. Analysis of variance revealed that overweight preschool children demonstrated a somewhat higher rate of distinctly fewer chews per bite. Boys showed increasing chew rates with increasing age. Talk rates also increased with age but were unrelated to sex or weight status. Sip rates were not significantly associated with age, sex, or weight status. These results support the hypothesis that overweight persons are characterized by an increased eating rate and show that it is apparent even around the time of first self-feeding.     

Perpetrator status and the personality characteristics of molested children

The personality and intellectual characteristics of three groups of children, one molested by a teacher (n = 16), a second group (n = 16) where the offender was a member of the child's family, and a non-molested control group (n = 16) were contrasted. The children were evaluated using the Personality Inventory for Children (PIC), the Children's Personality Questionnaire (CPQ), and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-R). There were few differences between the two molested groups or between boys and girls. However, comparisons of molested and non-molested children showed significant differences on 23 of 34 scales on the PIC and CPQ combined. WISC-R verbal IQs were also lower for the molested groups. While the lack of differences between the two molested groups may have been due to the parent-like relationship between the teacher and the children he molested, the results suggest that a relatively noncoercive style of abuse can still produce significant psychological impairment.     

Factors affecting probabilistic judgements in children and adolescents

Six hundred and eighteen pupils, enrolled in elementary and junior-high-school classes (Pisa, Italy) were asked to solve a number of probability problems. The main aim of the investigation has been to obtain a better understanding of the origins and nature of some probabilistic intuitive obstacles. A linguistic factor has been identified: It appears that for many children, the concept of certain events is more difficult to comprehend than that of possible events. It has been found that even adolescents have difficulties in detaching the mathematical structure from the practical embodiment of the stochastic situation. In problems where numbers intervene, the magnitude of the numbers considered has an effect on their probability: bigger numbers are more likely to be obtained than smaller ones. Many children seem to be unable to solve probability questions, because of their inability to consider the rational structure of a hazard situation: chance is, by itself, an equalizing factor of probabilities. Positive intuitive capacities have also been identified: some problems referring to compound events are better solved when addressed in a general form than when addressed in a particular way.