Key risk factors of asthma-like symptoms are mediated through infection burden in early childhood.

BACKGROUND: Risk factors of asthma-like symptoms in childhood may act through an increased infection burden because infections often trigger these symptoms. OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate whether the effect of established risk factors of asthma-like episodes in early childhood is mediated through burden and subtypes of common infections. METHODS: The study included 662 children from the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood 2010 mother-child cohort, in which infections were registered prospectively in daily diaries from age 0 to 3 years. The association between established risk factors of asthma-like episodes and infection burden was analyzed by quasi-Poisson regressions, and mediation analyses were performed for significant risk factors. RESULTS: In the first 3 years of life, the children experienced a median of 16 (interquartile range, 12-23) infectious episodes. We found that the infection burden significantly (PACME < .05) mediated the association of maternal asthma (36.6% mediated), antibiotics during pregnancy (47.3%), siblings at birth (57.7%), an asthma exacerbation polygenic risk score (30.6%), and a bacterial airway immune score (80.2%) with number of asthma-like episodes, whereas the higher number of episodes from male sex, low birth weight, low gestational age, and maternal antibiotic use after birth was not mediated through an increased infection burden. Subtypes of infections driving the mediation were primarily colds, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, and fever, but not acute otitis media or acute tonsillitis. CONCLUSIONS: Several risk factors of asthma-like symptoms in early childhood act through an increased infection burden in the first 3 years of life. Prevention of infectious episodes may therefore be beneficial to reduce the burden of asthma-like symptoms in early childhood.

Asthma development is associated with low mucosal IL-10 during viral infections in early life.

BACKGROUND: Viral infection is a common trigger of severe respiratory illnesses in early life and a risk factor for later asthma development. The mechanism leading to asthma could involve an aberrant airway immune response to viral infections, but this has rarely been studied in a human setting. OBJECTIVES: To investigate in situ virus-specific differences in upper airway immune mediator levels during viral episodes of respiratory illnesses and the association with later asthma. METHODS: We included 493 episodes of acute respiratory illnesses in 277 children aged 0-3 years from the COPSAC2010 mother-child cohort. Levels of 18 different immune mediators were assessed in nasal epithelial lining fluid using high-sensitivity MesoScale Discovery kits and compared between children with and without viral PCR-identification in nasopharyngeal samples. Finally, we investigated whether the virus-specific immune response was associated with asthma by age 6 years. RESULTS: Viral detection were associated with upregulation of several Type 1 and regulatory immune mediators, including IFN-É£, TNF-α, CCL4, CXCL10 and IL-10 and downregulation of Type 2 and Type 17 immune mediators, including CCL13, and CXCL8 (FDR <0.05). Children developing asthma had decreased levels of IL-10 (FDR <0.05) during viral episodes compared to children not developing asthma. CONCLUSION: We described the airway immune mediator profile during viral respiratory illnesses in early life and showed that children developing asthma by age 6 years have a reduced regulatory (IL-10) immune mediator level. This provides insight into the interplay between early-life viral infections, airway immunity and asthma development.

Screen Time and Socioemotional and Behavioural Difficulties Among Indigenous Children in Canada: Temps d'écran et difficultés socio-émotionnelles et comportementales chez les enfants autochtones du Canada.

OBJECTIVES: To describe screen time levels and determine their association with socioemotional and behavioural difficulties among preschool-aged First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children. METHOD: Data were taken from the Aboriginal Children's Survey, a nationally representative survey of 2-5-year-old Indigenous children in Canada. Socioemotional and behavioural difficulties were defined using parent/guardian reports on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted separately for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit participants, and statistically adjusted for child age, child sex, and parent/guardian education. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.002 to adjust for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: Of these 2-5-year-old children (mean [M] = 3.57 years) 3,085 were First Nations (53.5%), 2,430 Métis (39.2%), and 990 Inuit (7.3%). Screen time exposure was high among First Nations (M = 2 h and 58 min/day, standard deviation [SD] = 1.89), Métis (M = 2 h and 50 min [SD = 1.83]), and Inuit children (M = 3 h and 25 min [SD = 2.20]), with 79.7% exceeding recommended guidelines (>1 h/day). After adjusting for confounders, screen time was associated with more socioemotional and behavioural difficulties among First Nations (total difficulties ß = 0.15 [95% CI, 0.12 to 0.19]) and Métis (ß = 0.16 [95% CI, 0.12 to 0.20]) but not Inuit children (ß = 0.12 [95% CI, 0.01 to 0.23]). CONCLUSIONS: Screen time exposure is high among Indigenous children in Canada, and is associated with more socioemotional and behavioural difficulties among First Nations and Métis children. Contributing factors could include enduring colonialism that resulted in family dissolution, lack of positive parental role models, and disproportionate socioeconomic disadvantage. Predictors of poor well-being should continue to be identified to develop targets for intervention to optimize the health and development of Indigenous children.

Relationship between sleep disturbance and developmental status in preschool-aged children with developmental disorder.

BACKGROUND: Sleep has been known to affect childhood development. Sleep disturbance is likely more common in children with developmental delay (DD) than in typical development. There are few studies on the correlation between sleep disturbance and developmental features in children with DD. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the associations between the two in children with DD. METHODS: A total of 45 children (age range 27.0 ± 11.1) with DD were recruited and evaluated using the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) and Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID-III). The outcomes are expressed as means and standard deviations. The correlation between SDSC and BSID-III was assessed using Spearman's rank correlation test. Multiple regression analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between BSID-III domains and SDSC questionnaire subscales. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Based on the correlation analysis and subsequent hierarchical regression analysis, cognition and socio-emotional domains of BSID-III were significantly associated with the DOES subscale of the SDSC questionnaire. In addition, the expressive language domain of the BSID-III was found to be associated with the DA subscale of the SDSC questionnaire. It seems that excessive daytime sleepiness might negatively affect emotional and behavioral problems and cognitive function. Also, arousal disorders seem to be related to memory consolidation process, which is thought to affect language expression. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that DA and DOES subscales of the SDSC questionnaire were correlated with developmental aspects in preschool-aged children with DD. Sleep problems in children with DD can negatively affect their development, thereby interfering with the effectiveness of rehabilitation. Identifying and properly managing the modifiable factors of sleep problems is also crucial as a part of comprehensive rehabilitation treatment. Therefore, we should pay more attention to sleep problems, even in preschool-aged children with DD.

Children's injuries in legislated types child-care institutions.

BACKGROUND: Severe injuries in child-care institutions are an important social issue. However, no reports on this matter have been made in Japan. This study examined trends in severe injuries at child-care institutions, including the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a serial cross-sectional study and interrupted time-series (ITS) analysis with a linear regression model to assess trends in the incidence rate of severe injuries using Japanese national open data between January or April 2017 and December 2021. Participants were individuals utilizing legislated types child-care institutions. The outcomes were annual and monthly incidence rates of severe injuries in legislated types child-care institutions. RESULTS: The number of legislated types child-care institutions increased from 32,793 facilities in 2017 to 38,666 facilities in 2021, and the number of participants rose from 2,802,228 in 2017 to 3,059,734 in 2021. The annual incidence rate of severe injuries in 2021 was 58.3 cases per 100,000 person-years, which is twofold higher than that in 2017. The ITS for the monthly incidence rate demonstrated an increasing trend before the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the monthly incidence rate of severe injuries in legislated types child-care institutions increased. The annual incidence rate in Japan may have also increased during the observation period.

[Association between auditory processing and problem behaviors in preschool children: the mediating role of executive function]. / å¬å¤„ç†ä¸Žå­¦é¾„å‰å„¿ç«¥é—®é¢˜è¡Œä¸ºçš„å ³ç³»ï¼šæ‰§è¡ŒåŠŸèƒ½çš„ä¸­ä»‹ä½œç”¨.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between auditory processing and problem behaviors in preschool children, as well as the mediating role of executive function. METHODS: A total of 2 342 preschool children were selected from 7 kindergartens in Nanjing, China from June to August 2021. They were evaluated using Preschool Auditory Processing Assessment Scale, Conners Parent Symptom Questionnaire, and Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning-Preschool version. Children with different demographic features were compared in the scores and the abnormality rates of auditory processing, problem behaviors, and executive function. The influencing factors of the total scores of auditory processing, problem behaviors, and executive function were evaluated using multiple linear regression analysis. Whether executive function was a mediating factor between auditory processing and executive function was examined. RESULTS: Sex and grade were the main influencing factors for the total score of auditory processing (P<0.05), and sex, grade, parental education level, and family economic status were the main influencing factors for the total scores of problem behaviors and executive function (P<0.05). The auditory processing score (rs=0.458, P<0.05) and problem behavior score (rs=0.185, P<0.05) were significantly positively correlated with the executive function score, and the auditory processing score was significantly positively correlated with the problem behavior score (rs=0.423, P<0.05). Executive function played a partial mediating role between auditory processing and problem behaviors, and the mediating effect accounted for 33.44% of the total effect. CONCLUSIONS: Auditory processing can directly affect the problem behaviors of preschool children and indirectly affect problem behaviors through executive function.

Effectiveness of a Mobile App Intervention for Preparing Preschool Children and Parents for Day Surgery: Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Day surgery allows families to return home quickly. Only a few approaches to preparing for day surgery have demonstrated how digital solutions can support families and children. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile app intervention on preschool children's fear and pain and parents' anxiety and stress in preparing children for day surgery. METHODS: This study was conducted at the Pediatric Day Surgical Department of a university hospital in Finland between 2018 and 2020. Parents of children (aged 2-6 y) who were in a queue for elective day surgery were randomized into the intervention group (IG; n=36) and control group (CG; n=34). The CG received routine preparations, whereas the IG was prepared using a mobile app. Parents' and children's outcomes were measured using validated scales at 4 different points: at home (T1 and T4) and at the hospital (T2 and T3) before and after surgery. Group differences were analyzed using statistical methods suitable for the material. RESULTS: Before surgery, parents in both groups experienced mild anxiety, which decreased after surgery. Parental anxiety did not differ between groups preoperatively (P=.78) or postoperatively (P=.63). Both groups had less anxiety at home after surgery compared with before. The IG showed a significant decrease (P=.003); the CG also improved (P=.002). Preoperatively at home, most parents in both groups experienced no stress or mild stress (P=.61). Preoperatively at the hospital, parents in both groups experienced mild stress; however, parents in the IG experienced more stress during this phase (P=.02). Parents in the IG experienced significantly less stress postoperatively than those in the CG (P=.05). Both groups showed decreased stress levels from before to after surgery (IG: P=.003; CG: P=.004) within each group. There were no significant differences in children's pain levels between the groups and measurement points. This was observed before surgery at home (P=.25), before surgery at the hospital (P=.98), and after surgery at the hospital (P=.72). Children's fear decreased more in the IG (P=.006) than in the CG (P=.44) comparing the phases before and after surgery at home. Fear did not differ between the IG and CG preoperatively at home (P=.20) or at the hospital (P=.59) or postoperatively at the hospital (P=.62) or at home (P=.81). CONCLUSIONS: The mobile app intervention did not reduce anxiety or pain. However, it was observed that parents in the IG experienced substantially heightened stress levels before surgery at the hospital, which decreased significantly after surgery at home. In addition, fear levels in children in the IG decreased over time, whereas no significant change was observed in the CG. These results are important for developing health care service chains and providing families with innovative and customer-oriented preparation methods. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03774303; https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03774303.

Health disparities associated with access to disability evaluations for toddlers in Early Head Start.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this investigation was to examine developmental, sociodemographic and familial factors associated with parent reported access to an evaluation in an Early Head Start sample. Children with developmental disabilities often require evaluations to access early interventions, which can improve their long-term outcomes. METHODS: This study (n = 191) examined how developmental, sociodemographic and parent factors at age 2 were associated with parent reporting the child being evaluated by age 3. Two logistic regression analyses were conducted. The first model included children at age 2 with scores at least in the monitoring zone of developmental risk, and the second model included children with high developmental risk. RESULTS: The first model found that children in the monitoring zone of developmental risk were more likely to be evaluated per parent report if they were born preterm, male, with increased behaviour problems, higher economic risk, increased maternal education, increased parental depressive symptoms and in urban areas and less likely if they were of Black or Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, had no health insurance or more home disorganisation. The second model found that children with high developmental risk were less likely to be evaluated per parent report if they were female, of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, had better language skills and increased home disorganisation and more likely if their parents reported increased depressive symptoms or less economic risk. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights barriers associated with access to developmental and disability evaluations for children in at-risk families. Health disparities are negatively associated with children's access to evaluations, even when supported by systems like Early Head Start.

Maternal depression in first 1000 days of life and early childhood caries prevalence at 48 months of age.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of maternal's depression trajectory in the first 1000 days of the child's life on the prevalence of early childhood dental caries (ECC), in a birth cohort. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All infants born in Pelotas in 2015 were identified, and the mothers were invited to participate in the cohort. A total of 3645 children were included in the study. The outcome was ECC at 48 months of age assessed according to ICDAS. Maternal depression was collected using Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) antenatally, at 3, 12, and 24 months of age. Maternal depressive symptom trajectory variables were created using group-based trajectory models and adopting two cutoff points. Poisson regression model with robust variance was used to identify the total effect of maternal depressive symptom trajectories on ECC, adjusting by confounders. RESULTS: A total of 29.2% of the mothers presented a high trajectory for screening of depression, and 18.8% presented a high trajectory of depression diagnosis. The prevalence of ECC was 26.7%. After adjusted analysis, maternal depression trajectories (screening and diagnosis) from pregnancy to 24 months increased the risk for ECC at 48 months of age (RR = 1.14; 95% CI 1.02-1.28 and RR = 1.19; 95% CI 1.05-1.35). CONCLUSIONS: Children from mothers with high depression trajectory had higher risk of having dental caries at 48 months compared to children from mothers with low depression trajectory. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Strategies of early detection and treatment of maternal mental disorders during the Golden Period should be considered of high priority in health services since it could impact positively in children's life.

Parent-reported compared with researcher-measured child height and weight: impact on body mass index classification in Australian pre-school aged children.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: Parent-reported data may provide a practical and cheap way for estimating young children's weight status. This study aims to compare the validity and reliability of parent-reported height and weight to researcher-measured data for pre-school aged children (aged 2-6 years). METHODS: This was a nested study within a cluster randomised controlled trial (October 2016-April 2017), conducted within 32 Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services across New South Wales, Australia. Parents of children reported on demographics and child height and weight via a survey. For the same child, height and weight data were objectively collected by trained research staff at the service. We calculated mean differences, intra-class correlations, Bland-Altman plots, percentage agreement and Cohen's kappa coefficient (>0.8 = "excellent"; 0.61-0.8 = "good"; 0.41-0.60 = "moderate"; 0.21 and 0.4 = "fair [weak]"; <0.2 = "poor"). RESULTS: Overall, 89 children were included (mean age: 4.7 years; 59.5% female). The mean difference between parent-reported and researcher-measured data were small (BMI z-score: mean difference -0.01 [95% CI: -0.45 to 0.44]). There was "fair/weak" agreement between parent-categorised child BMI compared with researcher-measured data (Cohen's Kappa 0.24 [95% CI: 0.06 to 0.42]). Agreement was poor (Cohen's kappa <0.2) for female children, when reported by fathers or by parents with a BMI > 25 kg/m2 . CONCLUSION: There was "fair/weak" agreement between parent-reported and measured estimates of child weight status. SO WHAT?: Parent's report of weight and height may be a weak indicator of adiposity at the level of individuals however it may be useful for aggregate estimates.

Effects of probiotics on preventing caries in preschool children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This paper systematically evaluate the effects of probiotics on preventing caries in preschool children. The present systematic review was conducted following the Transparent Reporting of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and recorded in the International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO) database (registration no: CRD42022325286). Literature were screened from PubMed, Embase, Web of Sciences, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang and other databases from inception to April 2022 to identify randomized controlled trials on the clinical efficacies of probiotics in preventing dental caries in preschool children and extract relevant data. The meta-analysis was performed using the RevMan5.4 software and the Stata16. Cochrane handbook was used to assess the risk of bias. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADEprofiler 3.6) was used to determine the evidence quality. A total of 17 randomized controlled trials were eligible, of which two trials had certain levels of bias and 15 had a low risk of bias. Evidence quality assessment showed that the included trials were of medium quality. The meta-analysis results showed that Lactobacillus rhamnosus was associated with a reduced incidence (p = 0.005) and progression (p < 0.001) of caries in preschool children. Probiotics could reduce the number of high-level Streptococcus mutans in saliva (p < 0.00001) but could not reduce the number of Streptococcus mutans in dental plaque nor the amount of Lactobacillus in the saliva and dental plaque. Current evidence shows that probiotics could prevent caries in preschool children, but Lactobacillus rhamnosus was more effective in preventing caries than others. Although probiotics could reduce high levels of Streptococcus mutans in saliva, they could not reduce the amount of Lactobacillus in saliva and dental plaque.

Screen time and preschool children: Promoting health and development in a digital world.

COVID-19 transformed the family media environment and spurred research on the effects of screen media exposure and use on young children. This update of a 2017 CPS statement re-examines the potential benefits and risks of screen media in children younger than 5 years, with focus on developmental, psychosocial, and physical health. Four evidence-based principles-minimizing, mitigating, mindfully using, and modelling healthy use of screens-continue to guide children's early experience with a rapidly changing media landscape. Knowing how young children learn and develop informs best practice for health care providers and early years professionals (e.g., early childhood educators, child care providers). Anticipatory guidance should now include child and family screen use in (and beyond) pandemic conditions.

[Application of Preschool Auditory Processing Assessment Scale in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder]. / å­¦é¾„å‰å„¿ç«¥å¬å¤„ç†è¯„ä¼°é‡è¡¨åœ¨æ³¨æ„ç¼ºé™·å¤šåŠ¨éšœç¢å„¿ç«¥ä¸­çš„åº”ç”¨ç ”ç©¶.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the characteristics of auditory processing (AP) in preschool children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using Preschool Auditory Processing Assessment Scale (hereafter referred to as "auditory processing scale"). METHODS: A total of 41 children with ADHD and 41 typically developing (TD) children were assessed using the auditory processing scale, SNAP-IV rating scale, and Conners' Kiddie Continuous Performance Test (K-CPT). The auditory processing scale score was compared between the TD and ADHD groups. The correlations of the score with SNAP-IV and K-CPT scores were assessed. RESULTS: Compared with the TD group, the ADHD group had significantly higher total score of the auditory processing scale and scores of all dimensions except visual attention (P<0.05). In the children with ADHD, the attention deficit dimension score of the SNAP-IV rating scale was positively correlated with the total score of the auditory processing scale (rs30=0.531, P<0.05; rs27=0.627, P<0.05) as well as the scores of its subdimensions, including auditory decoding (rs=0.628, P<0.05), auditory attention (rs=0.492, P<0.05), and communication (rs=0.399, P<0.05). The hyperactivity-impulsivity dimension score of the SNAP-IV rating scale was positively correlated with the hyperactivity-impulsivity dimension score of the auditory processing scale (rs=0.429, P<0.05). In the children with ADHD, the attention deficit dimension score of the K-CPT was positively correlated with the total score (rs30=0.574, P<0.05; rs27=0.485, P<0.05) and the hyperactivity-impulsivity dimension score (rs=0.602, P<0.05) of the auditory processing scale. CONCLUSIONS: Preschool children with ADHD have the risk of AP abnormalities, and the auditory processing scale should be used early for the screening and evaluation of AP abnormalities in children.

[Relationship between home literacy environment and emotional regulation in children: the mediating effect of the parent-child relationship]. / å®¶åº­é˜ è¯»çŽ¯å¢ƒä¸Žå„¿ç«¥æƒ ç»ªè°ƒèŠ‚èƒ½åŠ›çš„å ³ç³»ï¼šäº²å­å ³ç³»çš„ä¸­ä»‹ä½œç”¨.

OBJECTIVES: To study the impact of the home literacy environment on children's emotional regulation skills and the mediating role of the parent-child relationship between them. METHODS: A stratified cluster sampling approach was employed to select 1 626 preschool children from five kindergartens in Nanjing. Questionnaires were used to collect detailed information on the home literacy environment, children's emotional regulation skills, and the parent-child relationship. A mediation model was established using the Process program in SPSS macro, and the significance of the mediation effect was tested using the Bootstrap method. RESULTS: The findings revealed a positive correlation between the home literacy environment and children's emotional regulation skills (r=0.217, P<0.001), as well as parent-child intimacy (r=0.065, P<0.01). Conversely, a negative correlation was found between the home literacy environment and parent-child conflict (r=-0.129, P<0.001). Additionally, parent-child conflict demonstrated a negative correlation with children's emotional regulation skills (r=-0.443, P<0.001), while parent-child intimacy exhibited a positive correlation (r=0.247, P<0.001). The home literacy environment exerted a significant direct effect on children's emotional regulation skills (ß=0.162, P<0.001), and the mediating effect of the parent-child relationship accounted for 25.54% of the total effect. CONCLUSIONS: The home literacy environment significantly influences children's emotional regulation skills, with the parent-child relationship partially mediating this relationship.

[The role of mother-child relationship in the association between maternal parenting stress and emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children]. / æ¯å­å ³ç³»åœ¨æ¯äº²å »è‚²åŽ‹åŠ›ä¸Žå­¦é¾„å‰å„¿ç«¥æƒ ç»ªè¡Œä¸ºé—®é¢˜å ³è”ä¸­çš„ä½œç”¨.

OBJECTIVES: To study the moderating effect of mother-child relationship in the association between maternal parenting stress and emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children, and to provide reference for the prevention and control of emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children. METHODS: Using a stratified cluster sampling method, 2 049 preschool children were surveyed from November to December 2021, who sampled from 12 kindergartens in Wuhu City, Anhui Province. The emotional and behavioral problems of preschool children were assessed with the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire. Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship of maternal parenting stress and mother-child relationship with children's emotional and behavioral problems. The PROCESS Macro was used to analyze the moderating effect of conflicted and dependent mother-child relationships in the association between maternal parenting stress and emotional and behavioral problems in these preschool children. RESULTS: Among these preschool children, maternal parenting stress was positively correlated with the scores of emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems subscales and total difficulty scores (P<0.001); intimate mother-child relationships were negatively correlated with the scores of conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems subscales and total difficulty scores (P<0.001); conflicted and dependent mother-child relationships were positively correlated with the scores of emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems subscales and total difficulty scores (P<0.001). After controlling for relevant confounding factors, conflicted mother-child relationship (ß=0.05, P=0.001) and dependent mother-child relationship (ß=0.04, P=0.012) were found to have a moderating effect on the association between maternal parenting stress and total difficulty scores in these preschool children. CONCLUSIONS: Negative mother-child relationships play a moderating role in the association between maternal parenting stress and emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children. Prevention of emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children should focus on reducing maternal parenting stress and improving negative mother-child relationships.

Pneumococcal concentration and serotype distribution in preschool children with radiologically confirmed pneumonia compared to healthy controls prior to introduction of pneumococcal vaccination in Zanzibar: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization recommends pneumococcal vaccination (PCV) in the first year of life. We investigated pneumococcal serotypes in children with clinical or radiologically confirmed pneumonia and healthy controls prior to PCV13 vaccine introduction in Zanzibar. METHODS: Children (n = 677) with non-severe acute febrile illness aged 2-59 months presenting to a health centre in Zanzibar, Tanzania April-July 2011 were included. Nasopharyngeal swabs collected at enrolment were analysed by real-time PCR to detect and quantify pneumococcal serotypes in patients (n = 648) and in healthy asymptomatic community controls (n = 161). Children with clinical signs of pneumonia according to the Integrated Management of Childhood illness guidelines ("IMCI pneumonia") were subjected to a chest-X-ray. Consolidation on chest X-ray was considered "radiological pneumonia". RESULTS: Pneumococcal DNA was detected in the nasopharynx of 562/809 (69%) children (70% in patients and 64% in healthy controls), with no significant difference in proportions between patients with or without presence of fever, malnutrition, IMCI pneumonia or radiological pneumonia. The mean pneumococcal concentration was similar in children with and without radiological pneumonia (Ct value 26.3 versus 27.0, respectively, p = 0.3115). At least one serotype could be determined in 423 (75%) participants positive for pneumococci of which 33% had multiple serotypes detected. A total of 23 different serotypes were identified. One serotype (19F) was more common in children with fever (86/648, 13%) than in healthy controls (12/161, 7%), (p = 0.043). Logistic regression adjusting for age and gender showed that serotype 9A/V [aOR = 10.9 (CI 2.0-60.0, p = 0.006)] and 14 [aOR = 3.9 (CI 1.4-11.0, p = 0.012)] were associated with radiological pneumonia. The serotypes included in the PCV13 vaccine were found in 376 (89%) of the 423 serotype positive participants. CONCLUSION: The PCV13 vaccine introduced in 2012 targets a great majority of the identified serotypes. Infections with multiple serotypes are common. PCR-determined concentrations of pneumococci in nasopharynx were not associated with radiologically confirmed pneumonia. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01094431).

Association between prenatal exposure to indoor air pollution and autistic-like behaviors among preschool children.

Indoor air pollution is a recognized risk factor for a range of negative health outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the association between maternal prenatal exposure to indoor air pollution and the presence of autistic-like behaviors among preschool children. Data were obtained from the Longhua Child Cohort Study in 2017, in which we enrolled a total of 65 317 preschool children. Associations between maternal exposure to four sources of indoor air pollution (e.g., cooking, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), mosquito coils, and home decoration) during pregnancy and preschool children's autistic traits were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Our results showed that maternal exposure to indoor air pollution from four different sources during pregnancy was associated with the presence of children's autistic-like behaviors. There was dose-response relationship between the accumulative exposure to the four different indoor air pollution sources and the risk of autistic-like behaviors. Furthermore, we found a significant additive interaction between prenatal exposure to both cooking and mosquito coil incense on the risk of autistic-like behaviors. Maternal prenatal exposure to the indoor air pollution from four sources might increase with the risk of autistic-like behaviors being present among preschool children, with an additive interaction effect between some pollution sources.

Associations between Inhaled Corticosteroid Use in the First 6 Years of Life and Obesity-related Traits.

Rationale: Infants and young children might be particularly likely to experience the potential clinical side effects of inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) on body mass index (BMI), adiposity rebound (AR), and body composition, but this has rarely been studied in long-term studies in this age group. Objectives: To determine the association between ICS exposure in the first 6 years of life and the BMI, AR, body composition, and blood lipid concentrations. Methods: Children from the two mother-child cohorts of the COPSAC (Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood) were included. ICS use was registered prospectively to age 6 years, and the cumulative dose was calculated. Multiple linear regression models were used for analysis. Measurements and Main Results: A total of 932 (84%) of the 1,111 children from the COPSAC cohorts had BMI data, 786 (71%) had dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan data at the age of 6 years, and 815 (73%) had an AR age calculated. Two hundred ninety-one children (31%) received a cumulative ICS dose higher than that from 10 weeks of standard treatment before the age of 6. ICS treatment during 0-6 years of age was associated with an increased BMI z-score (0.05 [95% confidence interval, 0.005 to 0.09] SDs per each year of standard treatment; P = 0.03) an earlier age at AR (-0.18 [95% confidence interval, -0.28 to -0.08] yr; P = 0.0006), and a 2% increased geometric mean android fat percentage (P = 0.05). ICS exposure and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan data were not associated. Conclusions: ICS use in early childhood was associated with an increased BMI z-score at age 6, an earlier AR, and a trend of association with an increased android body fat percentage.

Multi-professional and multi-agency model PLUSS to facilitate early detection and support of pre-school children with neurodevelopmental difficulties - a model description.

BACKGROUND: Neurodevelopmental difficulties, such as problems in social inter-relatedness, communication, motor coordination, and attention, are frequent in preschoolers and constitute a risk for later negative consequences. This article describes the development of a multi-professional and multi-agency model, PLUSS, to facilitate care and interventions for preschoolers with neurodevelopmental difficulties. METHODS: The PLUSS model was developed for children aged 1.5-5 years with a need for a further assessment of neurodevelopmental symptoms. The model is evaluated using a quasi-experimental study design along with qualitative interviews that study preschool teacher, and parent experiences of PLUSS. Outcomes of interest are a) implementation, b) effectiveness related to processes and multi-agency collaboration, c) capacity building among professionals, d) child-related outcomes with a longitudinal follow-up as well as d) parental wellbeing and satisfaction. RESULTS: The model was launched in 2019 and so far, approximately 130 children have been assessed. Results from a pilot study with 62 children (27-72 months; boys: girls 2.65:1) show that the total mean SDQ score in parental rating was 15 ± 6 and in preschool teacher ratings 14 ± 7, exceeding the Swedish cut-off of 12. 54 parents have participated in parental training and rate high levels of satisfaction (mean score 4.5, max 5.0). In addition, 74 pre-school professionals have been trained in early signs of neurodevelopmental difficulties to facilitate early detection. Feedback from participants indicates high satisfaction with educational activities (mean score 4.2, max 5.0 = very satisfied). CONCLUSIONS: The pilot study shows that the screening procedure can detect children with clinically significant problems. In addition, participant satisfaction is high in parent- and preschool teacher training. The longitudinal study approach enables both child follow-up and evaluation of interventions provided by the working model. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials 2021, PLUSS identifier, NCT04815889 . First registration 25/03/2021.

Factors related to parenting stress among fathers of preschool children in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Even though fathers participate in childcare at a higher rate than before, there remains a lack of research on the factors that contribute to parenting stress among fathers. This study explored the socioeconomic and demographic factors associated with parenting stress among fathers of preschool children. METHODS: Our study included 17 645 fathers who participated in the 2016 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions in Japan. Parenting stress was assessed using a single question. Socioeconomic and demographic factors were predictors. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for parenting stress. RESULTS: Overall, 6.6% fathers experienced parenting stress. Fathers with a youngest child aged 0-2 years were more likely to experience parenting stress than those with a youngest child aged 3-6 (OR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.25-1.68). Compared with fathers who lived in two-parent households without grandparents, those who lived in single-father households (both with and without grandparents) were more likely to experience parenting stress (OR: 12.13, 95% CI: 5.60-26.29 and OR: 4.19, 95% CI: 2.04-8.60, respectively). Furthermore, there was a significant negative association between education and parenting stress. CONCLUSIONS: Having a child aged 0-2 years, single fatherhood, and higher education were associated with parenting stress among fathers of preschool children. Healthcare professionals need to be aware of these factors when supporting fathers in raising their children.