A composite index; socioeconomic deprivation and coverage of reproductive and maternal health interventions.

Objective: To examine inequalities in the coverage of reproductive and maternal health interventions in low- and middle-income countries and territories using a composite index of socioeconomic deprivation status. Methods: We obtained data on education and living standards from national household surveys conducted between 2015 and 2019 to calculate socioeconomic deprivation status. We assessed the coverage of reproductive and maternal health interventions, using three indicators: (i) demand for family planning satisfied with modern methods; (ii) women who received antenatal care in at least four visits; and (iii) the presence of a skilled attendant at delivery. Absolute and relative inequalities were evaluated both directly and using the slope index of inequality and the concentration index. Findings: In the 73 countries and territories with available data, the median proportions of deprivation were 41% in the low-income category, 11% in the lower-middle-income category and less than 1% in the upper-middle-income category. The coverage analysis, conducted for 48 countries with sufficient data, showed consistently lower median coverage among deprived households across all health indicators. The coverage of skilled attendant at delivery showed the largest inequalities, where coverage among the socioeconomically deprived was substantially lower in almost all countries. Antenatal care visits and demand for family planning satisfied with modern methods also showed significant disparities, favouring the less deprived population. Conclusion: The findings highlight persistent disparities in the coverage of reproductive and maternal health interventions, requiring efforts to reduce those disparities and improve coverage, particularly for skilled attendant at delivery.

How much or how often? Examining the screening properties of the DSM cross-cutting symptom measure in a youth population-based sample.

BACKGROUND: The DSM Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure (DSM-XC) allows for assessing multiple psychopathological domains. However, its capability to screen for mental disorders in a population-based sample and the impact of adverbial framings (intensity and frequency) on its performance are unknown. METHODS: The study was based on cross-sectional data from the 1993 Pelotas birth cohort in Brazil. Participants with completed DSM-XC and structured diagnostic interviews (n = 3578, aged 22, 53.6% females) were included. Sensitivity, specificity, positive (LR+), and negative (LR-) likelihood ratios for each of the 13 DSM-XC domains were estimated for detecting five internalizing disorders (bipolar, generalized anxiety, major depressive, post-traumatic stress, and social anxiety disorders) and three externalizing disorders (antisocial personality, attention-deficit/hyperactivity, and alcohol use disorders). Sensitivities and specificities >0.75, LR+ > 2 and LR- < 0.5 were considered meaningful. Values were calculated for the DSM-XC's original scoring and for adverbial framings. RESULTS: Several DSM-XC domains demonstrated meaningful screening properties. The anxiety domain exhibited acceptable sensitivity and LR- values for all internalizing disorders. The suicidal ideation, psychosis, memory, repetitive thoughts and behaviors, and dissociation domains displayed acceptable specificity for all disorders. Domains also yielded small but meaningful LR+ values for internalizing disorders. However, LR+ and LR- values were not generally meaningful for externalizing disorders. Frequency-framed questions improved screening properties. CONCLUSIONS: The DSM-XC domains showed transdiagnostic screening properties, providing small but meaningful changes in the likelihood of internalizing disorders in the community, which can be improved by asking frequency of symptoms compared to intensity. The DSM-XC is currently lacking meaningful domains for externalizing disorders.

Early exposure to cannabis and bipolar disorder incidence: Findings from a 22-year birth cohort study in Brazil.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Bipolar disorder is a chronic condition affecting millions of people worldwide. Currently, there is some evidence to suggest that cannabis use during adolescence may be an environmental risk factor for its onset, however inconsistencies have been observed across the literature. Considering this, we aimed to assess whether early lifetime cannabis is associated with subsequent bipolar disorder in young adults between 18 and 22 years of age. METHODS: Using data from the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort (n = 5249), cannabis exposure was examined at age 18 by self-report, and bipolar disorder diagnosis was measured at age 22 using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). In order to control the analysis, we considered socioeconomic status index, sex, skin color, physical abuse by parents and lifetime cocaine use. RESULTS: A total of 3781 individuals were evaluated in 2015 aged 22 years, of whom 87 were diagnosed with the bipolar disorder onset after the age of 18. Lifetime cannabis use predicted bipolar disorder onset at 22 years old (OR 1.82, 95% CI [1.10, 2.93]), and the effect remained after adjusting for socioeconomic status, sex, skin color, and physical abuse by parents (OR 2.00, 95% CI [1.20, 3.25]). However, this association was attenuated to statistically non-significant after further adjustment for all available covariates, including lifetime cocaine use (OR 1.79, 95% CI [0.95, 3.19]). We also found similar results for early cocaine use, where the association with bipolar disorder onset did not maintain significance in the multivariate model (OR 1.35, 95% CI [0.62, 2.86]). Otherwise, when we considered cannabis or cocaine lifetime use as a unique feature, our findings showed that the adolescent exposure to cannabis or cocaine increased the odds by 1.95 times of developing bipolar disorder at 22 years age, even when controlling for all other study variables (OR 2.14, 95% CI [1.30, 3.47]). Finally, our models suggest that cocaine use may potentially exert a major influence on the effect of lifetime cannabis use on bipolar disorder onset, and that physical abuse by parents and sex may modify the effect of cannabis use for later bipolar disorder onset. CONCLUSION: Based on our findings, early cannabis exposure predicted bipolar disorder onset in young adults, but this association was confounded by cocaine use. Contrary to schizophrenia, cannabis as a sole exposure was not associated with bipolar disorder onset after adjusting for control variables.

Trends and Inequalities in Maternal and Newborn Health Services for Unplanned Settlements of Lusaka City, Zambia.

Living conditions and other factors in urban unplanned settlements present unique challenges for improving maternal and newborn health (MNH), yet MNH inequalities associated with such challenges are not well understood. This study examined trends and inequalities in coverage of MNH services in the last 20 years in unplanned and planned settlements of Lusaka City, Zambia. Geospatial information was used to map Lusaka's settlements and health facilities. Zambia Demographic Health Surveys (ZDHS 2001, 2007, 2013/2014, and 2018) were used to compare antenatal care (ANC), institutional delivery, and Cesarean section (C-section) coverage, and neonatal mortality rates between the poorer 60% and richer 40% households. Health Management Information System (HMIS) data from 2018 to 2021 were used to compute service volumes and coverage rates for ANC1 and ANC4, and institutional delivery and C-sections by facility level and type in planned and unplanned settlements. Although the correlation is not exact, our data analysis showed close alignment; and thus, we opted to use the 60% poorer and 40% richer groups as a proxy for households in unplanned versus planned settlements. Unplanned settlements were serviced by primary centers or first-level hospitals. ZDHS findings show that by 2018, at least one ANC visit and institutional delivery became nearly universal throughout Lusaka, but early and four or more ANC visits, C-sections, and neonatal mortality rates remained worse among poorer than richer women in ZDHS. In HMIS, ANC and institutional delivery volumes were highest in public facilities, especially in unplanned settlements. The volume of C-sections was much greater within facilities in planned than unplanned settlements. Our study exposed persistent gaps in timing and use of ANC and emergency obstetric care between unplanned and planned communities. Closing such gaps requires strengthening outreach early and consistently in pregnancy and increasing emergency obstetric care capacities and referrals to improve access to important MNH services for women and newborns in Lusaka's unplanned settlements.

Erosion of the Capital City Advantage in Child Survival and Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Intervention Coverage in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The place of residence is a major determinant of RMNCH outcomes, with rural areas often lagging in sub-Saharan Africa. This long-held pattern may be changing given differential progress across areas and increasing urbanization. We assessed inequalities in child mortality and RMNCH coverage across capital cities and other urban and rural areas. We analyzed mortality data from 163 DHS and MICS in 39 countries with the most recent survey conducted between 1990 and 2020 and RMNCH coverage data from 39 countries. We assessed inequality trends in neonatal and under-five mortality and in RMNCH coverage using multilevel linear regression models. Under-five mortality rates and RMNCH service coverage inequalities by place of residence have reduced substantially in sub-Saharan Africa, with rural areas experiencing faster progress than other areas. The absolute gap in child mortality between rural areas and capital cities and that between rural and other urban areas reduced respectively from 41 and 26 deaths per 1000 live births in 2000 to 23 and 15 by 2015. Capital cities are losing their primacy in child survival and RMNCH coverage over other urban areas and rural areas, especially in Eastern Africa where under-five mortality gap between capital cities and rural areas closed almost completely by 2015. While child mortality and RMNCH coverage inequalities are closing rapidly by place of residence, slower trends in capital cities and urban areas suggest gradual erosion of capital city and urban health advantage. Monitoring child mortality and RMNCH coverage trends in urban areas, especially among the urban poor, and addressing factors of within urban inequalities are urgently needed.

Identifying and Characterizing the Poorest Urban Population Using National Household Surveys in 38 Cities in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Identifying and classifying poor and rich groups in cities depends on several factors. Using data from available nationally representative surveys from 38 sub-Saharan African countries, we aimed to identify, through different poverty classifications, the best classification in urban and large city contexts. Additionally, we characterized the poor and rich groups in terms of living standards and schooling. We relied on absolute and relative measures in the identification process. For absolute ones, we selected people living below the poverty line, socioeconomic deprivation status and the UN-Habitat slum definition. We used different cut-off points for relative measures based on wealth distribution: 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60%. We analyzed all these measures according to the absence of electricity, improved drinking water and sanitation facilities, the proportion of children out-of-school, and any household member aged 10 or more with less than 6 years of education. We used the sample size, the gap between the poorest and richest groups, and the observed agreement between absolute and relative measures to identify the best measure. The best classification was based on 40% of the wealth since it has good discriminatory power between groups and median observed agreement higher than 60% in all selected cities. Using this measure, the median prevalence of absence of improved sanitation facilities was 82% among the poorer, and this indicator presented the highest inequalities. Educational indicators presented the lower prevalence and inequalities. Luanda, Ouagadougou, and N'Djaména were considered the worst performers, while Lagos, Douala, and Nairobi were the best performers. The higher the human development index, the lower the observed inequalities. When analyzing cities using nationally representative surveys, we recommend using the relative measure of 40% of wealth to characterize the poorest group. This classification presented large gaps in the selected outcomes and good agreement with absolute measures.

Investigating changes in IQ scores over a decade in Brazil: factors at play.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine whether the factors underlying potential differences between two birth cohorts, born in 1982 and 1993, influence the changes in IQ over time. METHODS: Data from two Brazilian birth cohorts were used (1993 and 1982 Pelotas Birth Cohorts). The IQ scores were assessed using the WAIS-III test. RESULTS: Results showed that women born in 1993 had a higher average IQ score than those born in 1982, but no difference was found among men. The increase in IQ scores was only limited to participants from families with an income ranging from 1.1 to 3 times the minimum wage at the time of birth. The mean IQ score of participants born to mothers below the age of 20 remained stable over time, but increase for participants whose mothers were 20 years of age or older at the time of birth. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasizes the importance of considering socio-economic and demographic factors when examining differences in IQ scores over time. Further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms of these findings.

Geographic and socioeconomic inequalities in the coverage of contraception in Uttar Pradesh, India.

BACKGROUND: Uttar Pradesh (UP) is the most populous state in India, with a historically lower level of family planning coverage than the national average. In recent decades, family planning coverage in UP has significantly increased, yet there are considerable geographic and socio-economic inequalities. METHODS: The data used for the study is derived from a cross-sectional quantitative survey of 12,200 currently married women conducted during December 2020-February 2021 in UP by the Technical Support Unit. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed and equiplots were used to make visualizing inequalities easy. RESULTS: The findings of the study reveal significant variation in family planning coverage indicators amongst currently married women in reproductive ages by administrative divisions in UP. For instance, in the Jhansi division, it was 72.4%, while in Faizabad, it was 39.3%. Jhansi division experienced the highest modern contraceptive coverage with the lowest inequity compared to other divisions. However, the range of coverage within the division by Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) areas is 25% to 75%. In fact, for some ASHA areas in the Jhansi division, the family planning demand satisfied for modern contraception ranged from more than 85% to less than 22%. On the other hand, the Gonda division with the lowest coverage and lowest inequity for demand satisfied for modern contraception has some ASHA areas with less than 5% and some with more than 36%. The study also revealed intersectionality of education, wealth, place of residence and geographic divisions in identifying inequity patterns. For instance, in case of Mirzapur and Varanasi, the demand satisfied among the illiterates was 69% and the corresponding percentage for literates was 49%. With respect to place of residence, Basti division, where the coverage for modern contraception is extremely low, demand satisfied for modern contraceptive methods is 16.3% among rural residents compared to 57.9% in the case of urban residents. CONCLUSIONS: The findings showed inequality in the modern family planning methods coverage in UP in both best and worst performing divisions. The inequalities exist even in extremely small geographies such as ASHA areas. Within the geographies as well, the socio-economic inequalities persisted. These inequalities at multiple levels are important to consider for effective resource allocation and utilization.

Going deeper with health equity measurement: how much more can surveys reveal about inequalities in health intervention coverage and mortality in Zambia?

BACKGROUND: Although Zambia has achieved notable improvements in reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH), continued efforts to address gaps are essential to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Research to better uncover who is being most left behind with poor health outcomes is crucial. This study aimed to understand how much more demographic health surveys can reveal about Zambia's progress in reducing inequalities in under-five mortality rates and RMNCH intervention coverage. METHODS: Using four nationally-representative Zambia Demographic Health Surveys (2001/2, 2007, 2013/14, 2018), we estimated under-five mortality rates (U5MR) and RMNCH composite coverage indices (CCI) comparing wealth quintiles, urban-rural residence and provinces. We further used multi-tier measures including wealth deciles and double disaggregation between wealth and region (urban residence, then provinces). These were summarised using slope indices of inequality, weighted mean differences from overall mean, Theil and concentration indices. RESULTS: Inequalities in RMNCH coverage and under-five mortality narrowed between wealth groups, residence and provinces over time, but in different ways. Comparing measures of inequalities over time, disaggregation with multiple socio-economic and geographic stratifiers was often valuable and provided additional insights compared to conventional measures. Wealth quintiles were sufficient in revealing mortality inequalities compared to deciles, but comparing CCI by deciles provided more nuance by showing that the poorest 10% were left behind by 2018. Examining wealth in only urban areas helped reveal closing gaps in under-five mortality and CCI between the poorest and richest quintiles. Though challenged by lower precision, wealth gaps appeared to close in every province for both mortality and CCI. Still, inequalities remained higher in provinces with worse outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Multi-tier equity measures provided similarly plausible and precise estimates as conventional measures for most comparisons, except mortality among some wealth deciles, and wealth tertiles by province. This suggests that related research could readily use these multi-tier measures to gain deeper insights on inequality patterns for both health coverage and impact indicators, given sufficient samples. Future household survey analyses using fit-for-purpose equity measures are needed to uncover intersecting inequalities and target efforts towards effective coverage that will leave no woman or child behind in Zambia and beyond.

Coverage, Trends, and Inequalities of Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Indicators among the Poor and Non-Poor in the Most Populous Cities from 38 Sub-Saharan African Countries.

Rapid urbanization is likely to be associated with suboptimal access to essential health services. This is especially true in cities from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where urbanization is outpacing improvements in infrastructure. We assessed the current situation in regard to several markers of maternal, newborn, and child health, including indicators of coverage of health interventions (demand for family planning satisfied with modern methods, at least four antenatal care visits (ANC4+), institutional birth, and three doses of DPT vaccine[diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus]) and health status (stunting in children under 5 years, neonatal and under-5 mortality rates) among the poor and non-poor in the most populous cities from 38 SSA countries. We analyzed 136 population-based surveys (year range 2000-2019), contrasting the poorest 40% of households (referred to as poor) with the richest 60% (non-poor). Coverage in the most recent survey was higher for the city non-poor compared to the poor for all interventions in virtually all cities, with the largest median gap observed for ANC4+ (13.5 percentage points higher for the non-poor). Stunting, neonatal, and under-5 mortality rates were higher among the poor (7.6 percentage points, 21.2 and 10.3 deaths per 1000 live births, respectively). The gaps in coverage between the two groups were reducing, except for ANC4, with similar median average annual rate of change in both groups. Similar rates of change were also observed for stunting and the mortality indicators. Continuation of these positive trends is needed to eliminate inequalities in essential health services and child survival in SSA cities.

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and birthweight on the third generation: results from two birth cohort studies.

The purpose of this research is to investigate whether grandmother's smoking during pregnancy reduces the grandchildren's birthweight and whether maternal smoking during pregnancy modified this association. We also evaluated the effect of duration and intensity of smoking. This study included data from three generations from two birth cohorts carried out in Pelotas, a southern Brazilian city: women enrolled in the perinatal study in the 1982 and 1993 cohorts (G1); daughters (G2) of those G1 mothers who were followed to adulthood; and first children (G3) born from G2 women. Information on maternal smoking during pregnancy was obtained from women (G1) shortly after delivery of the two cohorts and from G2 in the follow-up in adulthood of the 1993 cohort. Mothers (G2) reported G3 birthweight during the follow-up visit at adulthood. Multiple linear regression was used to obtain effect measures adjusted for confounders. The study included 1602 grandmothers (G1), mothers (G2), and grandchildren (G3). Prevalence of maternal (G1) smoking during pregnancy was 43% and mean G3 birthweight was 3118.9 g (SD: 608.8). Grandmother's smoking in the pregnancy was not associated with grandchild's birthweight. However, offspring of both G1 and G2 smokers had lower mean birthweight than those whose mother and grandmother did not smoke (adjusted ß: - 223.05; 95% CI: - 415.16, - 32.76). CONCLUSION: No significant association was observed between grandmother's smoking in the pregnancy and grandchild's birthweight. But it seems that grandmother's smoking in pregnancy has an effect on grandchild's birthweight when the mother also smoked in the pregnancy. . WHAT IS KNOWN: • Most studies on the association of maternal tobacco smoking in pregnancy with offspring birthweight have been restricted to two generations, and an inverse association is well known. WHAT IS NEW: • Besides to investigate whether grandmother's smoking during pregnancy reduces the grandchildren's birthweight, we examined whether this association varied according to maternal smoking during pregnancy.

Child maltreatment associates with violent victimization in young adulthood: a Brazilian birth cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Maltreatment in childhood may leave people vulnerable to further experiences of violence and more severe effects of stress later in life. Longitudinal studies of risk for violent victimisation after maltreatment are lacking in low- and middle-income countries. The objective of this study was to quantify the risk for violent victimization in the family and community in young adulthood following experiences of childhood maltreatment (experiences of physical, emotional and sexual abuse and neglect) up to age 15 years in an urban Brazilian population. METHODS: 3246 participants in a prospective, population-based birth cohort study in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, were assessed at birth, 15 and 22 years. Sociodemographic factors were reported by mothers at birth and adolescents at age 15 years. Maltreatment and violent victimisation were self-reported in confidential questionnaires at 15 and 22, respectively. Multinomial logistic regression analyses estimated the association between having experienced any maltreatment and later experiences of family and community violence in young adulthood (no adult violence, violence only in the family context, only in the community, or both violence in the family and community), adjusting for sociodemographic factors. RESULTS: 39% of females and 27% of males reported any maltreatment up to age 15 years. At 22 years, rates of past year violence in the family or community were 17.6% for females and 20.2% for males. Maltreatment was strongly associated with community violence (Females: OR = 2.96, CI = 1.83-4.80; Males: OR = 2.01, 95%CI = 1.01-4.00) and its co-occurrence with family violence (Females: OR = 2.33, 95%CI = 1.34-4.04; Males: OR = 3.20, 95%CI = 1.82-5.65) in young adulthood, after adjustment for background sociodemographic factors. CONCLUSION: Childhood maltreatment is an important risk factor for later violent victimisation in both the family and community context. The effects of repeated trauma through the life-course needs research and clinical attention.

How Zambia reduced inequalities in under-five mortality rates over the last two decades: a mixed-methods study.

BACKGROUND: Zambia experienced a major decline in under-five mortality rates (U5MR), with one of the fastest declines in socio-economic disparities in sub-Saharan Africa in the last two decades. We aimed to understand the extent to which, and how, Zambia has reduced socio-economic inequalities in U5MR since 2000. METHODS: Using nationally-representative data from Zambia Demographic Health Surveys (2001/2, 2007, 2013/14 and 2018), we examined trends and levels of inequalities in under-five mortality, intervention coverage, household water and sanitation, and fertility. This analysis was integrated with an in-depth review of key policy and program documents relevant to improving child survival in Zambia between 1990 and 2020. RESULTS: The under-five mortality rate (U5MR) declined from 168 to 64 deaths per 1000 live births between 2001/2 and 2018 ZDHS rounds, particularly in the post-neonatal period. There were major reductions in U5MR inequalities between wealth, education and urban-rural residence groups. Yet reduced gaps between wealth groups in estimated absolute income or education levels did not simultaneously occur. Inequalities reduced markedly for coverage of reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH), malaria and human immunodeficiency virus interventions, but less so for water or sanitation and fertility levels. Several policy and health systems drivers were identified for reducing RMNCH inequalities: policy commitment to equity in RMNCH; financing with a focus on disadvantaged groups; multisectoral partnerships and horizontal programming; expansion of infrastructure and human resources for health; and involvement of community stakeholders and service providers. CONCLUSION: Zambia's major progress in reducing inequalities in child survival between the poorest and richest people appeared to be notably driven by government policies and programs that centrally valued equity, despite ongoing gaps in absolute income and education levels. Future work should focus on sustaining these gains, while targeting families that have been left behind to achieve the sustainable development goal targets.

Association between preterm infant size at 1 year and ADHD later in life: data from 1993 and 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohorts.

The objective of this study is to examine the association between preterm infants' size at 1 year and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessed categorically and dimensionally in childhood and adolescence. We studied infants born < 37 weeks' gestation from two Brazilian birth cohorts (n = 653). ADHD was evaluated using the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA) interview at the age of 6 years in one cohort and by a structured interview according to DSM-5 criteria at 18 years in the other one. The presence of child attention difficulties was measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) at 6 and 11 years in the 2004 and 1993 cohorts, respectively. We estimated associations of weight, length, head circumference, and BMI z-scores at 1-year chronological age with ADHD using Poisson Regression Model; and with attention difficulties using Linear Regression, adjusting for covariates. Mean birth weight was 2500 g and gestational age was 34.5 weeks. The aggregated ADHD prevalence in the two cohorts was 2.7%, and the median score for attention difficulties was 3.0. We found that increased head circumference at 1 year was associated with a lower risk of ADHD diagnosis (RR = 0.7, 95% CI 0.4, 0.9; p = 0.04 per standard deviation difference) and with fewer dimensional attention symptoms. In sensitivity analysis with other mental disorders, head circumference was associated with depression, but not with anxiety. Our findings emphasize poor head growth in the first year of life as a potential determinant of attentional difficulties in the preterm infant population.

ADHD in childhood predicts BMI and body composition measurements over time in a population-based birth cohort.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Obesity has been reported as an attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) comorbidity. So far, few studies have aimed to explore the potential causal relationship between ADHD and obesity, as well as used other measures of body composition like fat-free mass (FFM) and fat mass (FM) as measures of obesity. This study aimed to test the association between ADHD and body composition (body mass index [BMI] and others) and to evaluate the potential causal relationship with obesity. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Data from the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort at age 11-, 15-, 18-, and 22-year follow-up was used. We performed a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) analysis between ADHD symptoms and BMI to explore the causal relationship between both traits. Finally, we tested whether ADHD, inattention, and hyperactivity symptom scales were associated with BMI, FM, and FFM at 22 years. RESULTS: In the CLPM, higher ADHD scores at age 11 predicted higher BMI at age 15 (ß = 0.055, 95% CI [0.037; 0.073]). ADHD symptoms at age 11 was also associated with a decrease in the FFM (ß = -0.16, 95% CI [-0.28; -0.05]), and an increase in the BMI (ß = 0.17, 95% CI [0.10; 0.23]) and FM (ß = 0.17, 95% CI [0.06; 0.29]) at 22 years. At 22 years of age, ADHD was associated with FFM and FM. Moreover, an increase in BMI was observed with an increase in several symptoms of ADHD in general (ß = 0.06, 95% CI [0.004; 0.12]), and hyperactivity symptoms (ß = 0.15, 95% CI [0.05; 0.25]). CONCLUSION: ADHD at 11 years predicted a higher BMI at 15 years, and body fat composition in adulthood, suggesting higher scores on ADHD symptoms in early life may be a critical point for body composition in early adulthood. The hyperactivity symptoms may play an important role in the BMI increase.

Longitudinal change in physical activity and adiposity in the transition from adolescence to early adulthood: the 1993 Pelotas cohort study.

BACKGROUND: In the current Physical Activity Guidelines (PAG) for moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA), abrupt transition from ≥ 60 min/day [youth PAG] to ≥ 150 min/week (≥ 22 min/day on average) [adult PAG] during emerging adulthood is poorly justified. The aim of this study was to examine body fat mass changes according to whether meeting the youth and adult PAGs in late adolescence (age 18 years) to early adulthood (age 22 years). METHODS: The study sample included 2,099 participants (1,113 females) from the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) Study. At ages 18 and 22 years, MVPA was measured using wrist-worn accelerometry and fat mass was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. MVPA at age 18 was categorized into two groups: 0-59 or ≥ 60 min/day (no [N] or yes [Y] for meeting the youth recommendation, respectively). MVPA at age 22 was categorized into three groups: 0-21, 22-59, or ≥ 60 min/day (N, Y22, or Y60 for not meeting the adult recommendation, meeting the adult recommendation, or meeting the youth recommendation, respectively). The combination of these groups created six MVPA groups (N&N, N&Y22, N&Y60, Y&N, Y&Y22, and Y&Y60). Sex-specific multivariable linear regression analyses were conducted to estimate change in fat mass index (FMI) from age 18 to 22 years in the six MVPA groups. RESULTS: Among males, compared to Y&Y60 (FMI increase = 1.2 kg/m2 [95% CI = 1.0, 1.4]), Y&Y22 and Y&N had larger FMI increases (1.9 [1.6, 2.1] and 1.9 [1.2, 2.5], respectively). Among females, Y&Y60 and Y&Y22 had an equal FMI increase (1.6 [1.4, 1.9] for both groups), while Y&N had a larger FMI increase (2.4 [1.8, 3.0]). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that among those who were active in late adolescence, engaging in ≥ 22 min/day of MVPA in adulthood is associated with lower body fat gain for females, but not for males.

Multimorbidity and simultaneity of health risk factors, from adolescence to early adulthood: 1993 Pelotas Birth Cohort.

The co-occurrence of two or more diseases is called multimorbidity, and the occurrence of two or more risk factors is called simultaneity of risk factors. Multimorbidity and simultaneity of risk factors are not widely understood in adolescence and early adulthood. This paper aims to describe how multimorbidity and simultaneity of risk factors are distributed throughout adolescence and early adulthood, considering demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, among the 1993 Pelotas Birth Cohort members. This study was carried out using data from the 11, 15, 18, and 22y of the 1993 Pelotas Birth Cohort, Brazil (n = 5249). A self-reported questionnaire assessed allergies, asthma/bronchitis/wheezing, diabetes, vision problems, hypertension, common mental disorders, other mental disorders, physical inactivity, sedentary behaviour, insufficient sleep time, smoking, alcohol abuse behaviour, and illicit drugs. Glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure, weight, and height were objectively collected. The prevalence of multimorbidity was 26.3%, 31.3%, 37.9%, and 44.4% at 11, 15, 18, and 22y, respectively. Around 70% of all ages presented simultaneity of risk factors. Women presented a higher prevalence of simultaneity of risk factors, and the multimorbidity gradually increased from 11 to 22y. The presence of both multimorbidity and simultaneity of risk factors was 19.7% at 11 and 35.4% at 22y. Less than 2% have no morbidity and no risk factors at each age assessed. This study highlighted the early emergence and accelerated growth of diseases and risk factors in a young population, especially their co-occurrence.

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and intelligence quotient of offspring aged 18 and 30 years: Evidence from two birth cohorts in southern Brazil.

Maternal smoking during pregnancy causes several harmful effects, including deficits in the intelligence quotient (IQ), a measure associated with academic achievements and higher socioeconomic position. We aimed to measure the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and offspring's IQ in two birth cohorts from Pelotas, Brazil. Data from the 1982 and 1993 birth cohorts were analyzed. Smoking during pregnancy was ascertained at the perinatal follow-up, and IQ was measured at 30 years (1982) and 18 years (1993). Simple and multiple linear regressions were used for crude and adjusted analysis. Mediation analysis was performed using birth weight and breastfeeding as possible mediators. Data analysis was conducted in 2020. There were 3611 and 4050 participants from the 1982 and 1993 cohorts, respectively. After adjustment for potential confounders, the inverse association between smoking during pregnancy and children's IQ remained significant in both cohorts. Offspring of mothers who smoked during pregnancy had an average of 1.32 less IQ points (95%CI: -2.23, -0.242) in the 1982 cohort, and an average of 1.66 less IQ points (95%CI: -2.42, -0.90) in the 1993 cohort. Neither cohort showed association with paternal smoking (negative controls) after adjustment. Breastfeeding's mediated effects accounted for 26.2% and 23.9% of the association in the 1982 and 1993 cohorts, respectively, while birth weight's accounted for 6.8% and 30.1%, respectively; indirect effects were not significant. The inverse association between maternal smoking and IQ and the lack of association with paternal smoking reinforces our findings of a negative association between exposure and outcome.

Exploring the potential for a new measure of socioeconomic deprivation status to monitor health inequality.

BACKGROUND: Monitoring health inequalities is an important task for health research and policy, to uncover who is being left behind - and where - and to inform effective and equitable policies and programmes to tackle existing inequities. The choice of which measure to use to monitor and analyse health inequalities is thereby not trivial. This article explores a new measure of socioeconomic deprivation status (SDS) to monitor health inequalities. METHODS: The SDS measure was constructed using the Alkire-Foster method. It includes eight indicators across two equally weighted dimensions (education and living standards) and specifies a four-level gradient of socioeconomic deprivation at the household-level. We conducted four exercises to examine the value-added of the proposed SDS measure, using Demographic and Health Surveys data. First, we examined the discriminatory power of the new measure when applied to outcomes in four select reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health (RMNCH) indicators across six countries: skilled birth attendance, stunting, U5MR, and DTP3 immunisation. Then, we analysed the behaviour and association of the new SDS measure vis-à-vis the DHS Wealth Index, including chi-squared test and Pearson correlation coefficient. Third, we analysed the robustness of the SDS measure results to changes in its structure, using pairwise comparisons and Kendal Tau-b rank correlation. Finally, we illustrated some of the advantageous properties of the new measure, disaggregation and decomposition, on Haitian data. RESULTS: 1) Higher levels of socioeconomic deprivation are generally consistently associated with lower levels of achievements in the RMNCH indicators across countries. 2) 87% of all pairwise rank comparisons across a range of SDS measure structures were robust. 3) SDS and DHS Wealth Index are associated, but with considerable cross-country variation, highlighting their complementarity. 4) Haitian households in rural areas experienced, on average, more severe socioeconomic deprivation as well as lower levels of RMNCH achievement than urban households. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed SDS measure adds analytical possibilities to the health inequality monitoring literature, in line with ethically and conceptually well-founded notions of absolute, multidimensional disadvantage. In addition, it allows for breakdown by its dimensions and components, which may facilitate nuanced analyses of health inequality, its correlates, and determinants.

Effect Modification of Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Obesity, and Physical Activity in Adults.

We investigated if cardiorespiratory fitness modifies the association between obesity and the level of physical activity. In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed data from 746 adults, free of diagnosed cardiorespiratory or locomotor diseases. We analyzed sociodemographic and clinical information, cardiovascular risk factors, cardiorespiratory fitness, anthropometry, and level of physical activity (time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity). Those that spent more time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were younger, male, with lower body mass index, without self-reported arterial blood hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia, non-smokers, and presented with better cardiorespiratory fitness. The linear regression coefficients showed that cardiorespiratory fitness changes according to the level of physical activity and body mass index (obesity in low cardiorespiratory fitness: ß 6.0, p=0.213, 95%CI-3.5 to 15.6; in intermediate cardiorespiratory fitness: ß 6.3, p=0.114, 95%CI-1.5 to 14.2; in high cardiorespiratory fitness: ß-6.3, p=0.304, 95%CI-18.4 to 5.8). This effect modification trend was present after adjusting the model by covariates. Cardiorespiratory fitness potentially modifies the association between body mass index and the level of physical activity. It should be routinely assessed to identify persons with overweight/ obesity with low/ intermediate cardiorespiratory fitness to prescribe individualized training.