Characterization of Early Life Growth: Implications for Lifelong Health

Evidence that early life experiences play an important role in the long-term health of individuals holds promise for the identification of public health strategies to modify prenatal and perinatal determinants of adverse adult health outcomes. Although plausible mechanisms for the role of early life experiences in the development of adult health and disease exist, methodological limitations in human epidemiological studies need to be addressed before this field can adequately inform policy recommendations. Our research specifically addressed two such methodological challenges: how best to estimate the effect of growth in one period while appropriately accounting for final attained size, and how to evaluate the impact of overall patterns of growth on later disease. Our specific aims were to: 1) Assess the relationship between infant weight velocity and adult insulin resistance, specifically evaluating whether adult whether adult body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) mediate the association, and 2) Assess the relationship between trajectories of early life growth and adult anthropometric measures of body composition. We used over 22 years of follow-up data from The Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (CLHNS), a community-based cohort study of children born from 1982-1983 in a metropolitan region of the Philippines. We found minimal associations between immediate postnatal weight velocity and adult insulin resistance and no associations between accelerated BMI gain in early infancy and anthropometric indicators of adult body composition. After controlling for BMI at two years of age, infant BMI trajectory classes were associated with anthropometric measures of body composition in adulthood, suggesting that overall patterns of BMI change in infancy have long-term implications for the development of body composition. Taken together, these results suggest that in this cohort early postnatal growth is not necessarily pathological and that growth patterns over the entire infancy period are important for the development of body composition

Infant temperament contributes to early infant growth: A prospective cohort of African American infants

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Prospective studies linking infant temperament, or behavioral style, to infant body composition are lacking. In this longitudinal study (3 to 18 months), we seek to examine the associations between two dimensions of infant temperament (<it>distress to limitations </it>and <it>activity level</it>) and two anthropometric indicators (weight-for-length z-scores (WLZ) and skin fold (SF) measures) in a population at high risk of overweight.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data are from the Infant Care and Risk of Obesity Project, a longitudinal study of North Carolina low income African American mother-infant dyads (n = 206). Two temperament dimensions were assessed using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised. A high <it>distress to limitations </it>score denotes an infant whose mother perceives that s/he often cries or fusses, and a high <it>activity level </it>score one who moves his/her limbs and squirms frequently. Cross-sectional analyses were conducted using ordinary least squares regression. Fixed effects longitudinal models were used to estimate anthropometric outcomes as a function of time varying infant temperament.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In longitudinal models, increased <it>activity levels </it>were associated with later decreased fatness and WLZ. In contrast, high levels of <it>distress to limitations </it>were associated with later increased fatness at all time points and later increased WLZ at 12 months.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Infant temperament dimensions contribute to our understanding of the role of behavior in the development of the risk of overweight in the formative months of life. Identification of modifiable risk factors early in life may help target strategies for establishing healthy lifestyles prior to the onset of overweight.</p

Trends in intakes and sources of solid fats and added sugars among U.S. children and adolescents: 1994-2010: Child dietary intakes: 1994-2010

There are increasing global concerns about improving the dietary intakes of children and adolescents. In the United States (U.S.) the focus is on reducing energy from foods and beverages that provide empty calories from solid fats and added sugars (SoFAS). We examine trends in intakes and sources of solid fat and added sugars among U.S. 2- to 18- year olds from 1994-2010

Review of childcare educators’ practices

Abstract: The role of childcare educators is important given that 81% of preschoolers living in developed countries receive childcare outside their home. Since children learn by observing and imitating others, childcare educators may play a role in promoting healthy eating behaviours and physical activity in young children. Six databases were searched for quantitative peer-reviewed, English or French primary studies reporting the correlates, predictors or effectiveness of childcare educators’ practices and behaviours on preschoolers’ healthy eating and physical activity behaviours. Risk of bias was assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. Fifteen articles were included in this review: ten measured physical activity levels and five assessed eating behaviours. The quality score was rated as low for eight of these articles, and as moderate for the remaining seven. Two of four cross-sectional studies reported a positive relationship between educators and children’s behaviours. Eleven intervention studies reported significant favourable effects of interventions. Educators may play a positive role in promoting healthy behaviours in children, but this is mainly based on few intervention type studies of low or moderate quality. The influence of specific components of educators’ practices and behaviours on children’s healthy eating and physical activity behaviours remains inconclusive

Food Companies' Calorie-Reduction Pledges to Improve U.S. Diet

Heretofore, corporate voluntary pledges to improve the health of Americans have been linked neither to explicit measurable commitments nor to a framework for an independent evaluation. The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF), whose members include 16 of the nation’s leading consumer packaged goods food and beverage manufacturers, voluntarily pledged to collectively remove 1 trillion calories from their products by 2012 (against a 2007 baseline), and 1.5 trillion calories by 2015. The pledge is designed to reduce the calorie gap commensurate with the HWCF companies’ role in the U.S. diet. To date, no system exists for documenting the nutritional and public health impacts of industry-led changes in the food supply on individual diets

Turning point for US diets? Recessionary effects or behavioral shifts in foods purchased and consumed

Background: In the past decade, the United States has seen declining energy intakes and plateauing obesity levels

Foods and Beverages Associated with Higher Intake of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages

Although consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is associated with higher caloric intakes, the amount SSBs contribute to higher intakes has not been addressed

Use of Caloric and Noncaloric Sweeteners in US Consumer Packaged Foods, 2005-2009

Our understanding of the use of caloric (CS) and non-caloric sweeteners (NCS) in the US food supply is limited. This study utilizes full ingredient list and nutrition facts panel (NFP) data from Gladson Nutrition Database, and nationally representative purchases of consumer packaged foods from Nielsen Homescan in 2005 through 2009 to understand the use of CS (including FJC) and NCS in CPG foods

Trends in Dietary Intake among US 2- to 6-Year-Old Children, 1989-2008

Between 1989 and 2008, obesity increased markedly in children of all ages. We examine changes in the diets of children ages 2-6 in the US between 1989 and 2008. Our study provides new insight into diet changes that may have contributed to the sharp rise in obesity during this period

LiveWell in Early Childhood: Results from a Two-year Pilot Intervention to Improve Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies, Systems and Environments among Early Childhood Education Programs in South Carolina

Background Early childhood education (ECE) settings are critical intervention targets for obesity prevention. This study evaluated a pilot two-year community-based participatory research (CBPR) project designed to assist ECE center directors and caregivers in policy, systems and environmental (PSE) change for improving healthy eating (HE) and physical activity (PA). Methods A two-year CBPR study was conducted in 10 licensed ECE centers in Greenville, South Carolina. The intervention consisted of five steps: [1] baseline data collection and self-assessment using the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go-NAP SACC), [2] tailored goal setting and action planning, [3] technical assistance and access to resources, [4] post intervention data collection and re-assessment, and [5] celebration of success. Main outcome measures (HE and PA environments, practices and policies) were assessed using the Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation (EPAO) tool at baseline and 24 months. One classroom of 3–5-year-olds was randomly selected for observation from each center (mean of 12 children per classroom). Means and standard deviations were calculated for total PA, total nutrition and each subscale of PA and nutrition. Paired sample t-tests were calculated to assess changes in EPAO scales from baseline to post intervention. Results Ten ECE centers enrolled in the pilot study and eight completed the two-year intervention. Center-based goals were accomplished across all 8 ECE centers over the two-year intervention: 16 child nutrition goals, 6 outdoor play goals, 11 physical activity goals and 8 screen time goals across the entire sample. Nutrition policy and PA policy significantly improved (p \u3c 0.05), with greater improvements in PA (10.0 point increase, p = .048) as compared to nutrition (3.3 point increase, p = 0.02). Conclusions Utilizing a CBPR approach, this two-year nutrition and PA PSE intervention in ECE centers improved ECE center HE and PA policies