A retrospective cohort study investigating the comparative effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccines against hospitalisation with otitis media and pneumonia in New Zealand.

BACKGROUND: Since 2008 New Zealand has used three different formulations of pneumococcal vaccines on the national infant schedule, PCV7, PCV10 and PCV13, switching between PCV10 and PCV13 twice in 10 years. We have used New Zealand's linkable, administrative health data to examine the comparative risk of otitis media (OM) and pneumonia hospitalisations among children receiving three different pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV). METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study using linked administrative data. Outcomes were otitis media, all cause pneumonia and bacterial pneumonia related hospitalisation for children in three cohorts representing periods where PCVs transitioned between PCV7, PCV10, PCV13 and back to PCV10 between 2011 and 2017. Cox's proportional hazard regression was used to provide hazard ratio estimates to compare outcomes for children vaccinated with different vaccine formulations and to adjust for different sub population characteristics. RESULTS: Each observation period, where different vaccine formulations coincided, and therefore comparable with respect to age and the environment, included over fifty-thousand infants and children. PCV10 was associated with a reduced risk for OM compared with PCV7 (Adjusted HR 0.89, 95 %CI 0.82-0.97). There were no significant differences between PCV10 and PCV13 in risk of hospitalisation with either otitis media or all-cause pneumonia amongst the transition 2 cohort. In the 18 -month follow-up, after transition 3, PCV13 was associated with a marginally higher risk of all-cause pneumonia and otitis media compared to PCV10. CONCLUSION: These results should offer reassurance about the equivalence of these pneumococcal vaccines against the broader pneumococcal disease outcomes OM and pneumonia.

Multi-decade national cohort identifies adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes associated with acute respiratory illness hospitalisations during the influenza season.

BACKGROUND: Despite the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation that pregnant women be prioritised for seasonal influenza vaccination, coverage in the Western Pacific Region remains low. Our goal was to provide additional data for the Western Pacific Region about the value of maternal influenza vaccination to pregnant women and their families. METHODS: We conducted a 16-year retrospective cohort to evaluate risks associated with influenza-associated maternal acute respiratory infection (ARI) in New Zealand. ARI hospitalisations during the May to September influenza season were identified using select ICD-10-AM primary and secondary discharge codes from chapter J00-J99 (diseases of the respiratory system). Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate crude and adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: We identified 822,391 pregnancies among New Zealand residents between 2003 and 2018; 5095 (0.6%) had ≥1 associated ARI hospitalisation during the influenza season; these pregnancies were at greater risk of preterm birth (aHR 1.50, 95% CI 1.39-1.61) and low birthweight (aHR 1.64, 95% CI 1.51-1.79) than pregnancies without such hospitalisations. We did not find an association between maternal ARI hospitalisation and fetal death (aHR 0.96, 95% CI 0.69-1.34) during the influenza season. Maternal influenza vaccination was associated with reduced risk of preterm birth (aHR 0.79, 95% CI 0.77-0.82), low birthweight (aHR 0.87, 95% CI 0.83-0.90) and fetal death (aHR 0.50%, 95% CI 0.44-0.57). CONCLUSION: In this population-based cohort, being hospitalised for an ARI during the influenza season while pregnant was a risk factor for delivering a preterm or a low birthweight infant and vaccination reduced this risk.

Evidence of suboptimal maternal vaccination coverage in pregnant New Zealand women and increasing inequity over time: A nationwide retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Adequate maternal vaccination coverage is critical for the prevention and control of infectious disease outbreaks such as pertussis, influenza, and more recently COVID-19. To guide efforts to increase vaccination coverage this study examined the extent of vaccination coverage in pregnant New Zealand women over time by area-level deprivation and ethnicity. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was used consisting of all pregnant women who delivered between 01 January 2013 and 31 December 2018, using administrative health datasets. Outcomes were defined as receipt of influenza or pertussis vaccination in any one of the relevant data sources (National Immunisation Register, Proclaims, or Pharmaceutical collection) during their eligible pregnancy. Ethnicity was prioritised as Maori (NZ indigenous), Pacific, Asian, and Other or NZ European and deprivation was defined using New Zealand Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). RESULTS: Between 2013 and 2018, Asian women had the highest maternal vaccination coverage (36%) for pertussis, while Maori and Pacific women had the lowest, 13% and 15% respectively. Coverage of pertussis vaccination during pregnancy in low deprivation Maori women was 24% and 28% in Pacific women. This is in comparison to 30% and 25% in high deprivation Asian and European/Other women, respectively. Similar trends were seen for influenza. CONCLUSION: Between 2013 and 2018 maternal vaccination coverage increased for pertussis and influenza. Despite this coverage remains suboptimal, and existing ethnic and deprivation inequities increased. There is an urgent need to focus on equity, to engage and support ethic communities by creating genuinely accessible, culturally appropriate health services.

Increasing Uptake of Maternal Pertussis Vaccinations through Funded Administration in Community Pharmacies.

Although maternal pertussis vaccination is recommended, uptake is suboptimal in New Zealand (NZ), despite full funding in general practice and hospitals. We determined whether funding maternal pertussis vaccination in community pharmacy increases its uptake. Pertussis vaccination during pregnancy was compared between non-contiguous, demographically similar regions of NZ. The pertussis vaccine was funded at pharmacies from Nov 2016 in one NZ region (Waikato), but not in comparator regions (Northland, Hawkes Bay). Vaccinations during pregnancy were determined from the National Immunisation Register, general practice and pharmacy claims data, and a maternity database. Comparisons were made using adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for Nov 2015 to Oct 2016 versus Nov 2016 to Oct 2019. The odds of pregnancy pertussis vaccination increased in the post-intervention versus pre-intervention period with this increase being larger (p = 0.0014) in the intervention (35% versus 21%, OR = 2.07, 95% CI 1.89-2.27) versus the control regions (38% versus 26%, OR = 1.67, 95% CI 1.52-1.84). Coverage was lower for Maori versus non-Maori, but increased more for Maori in the intervention versus control regions (117% versus 38% increase). It was found that funding maternal pertussis vaccination in pharmacy increases uptake, particularly for Maori women. Measures to increase coverage should include reducing barriers to vaccines being offered by non-traditional providers, including pharmacies.

Does the National Immunisation Register stack up? Quantifying accuracy when compared to parent-held health record books.

AIM: The National Immunisation Register (NIR), which is derived from general practice management systems, is an important tool for the provision of clinical services, national immunisation programme evaluation and immunisation research in New Zealand. However, the accuracy of the NIR data has not yet been quantified. This study aimed to examine, describe and quantify the extent of discrepancy in the NIR compared to Well Child Tamariki Ora parent-held health record books (Health Books). METHOD: Immunisation data for vaccinations given between birth and four years old for children born between 2006 and 2019 were compared between the Health Books and the NIR. Health Book records were used as the reference standard to calculate performance measures: sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for the NIR. RESULTS: Overall, NIR performance was high: sensitivity ranged from 90% to 93%, specificity from 78% to 85%, the positive predictive value from 91% to 94% and the negative predictive value from 77% to 84%. NIR performance was higher for National Immunisation Schedule (NIS) vaccines compared with non-NIS vaccines. CONCLUSION: This study indicates the NIR data accuracy generally performs well compared with international equivalents, especially for NIS vaccine records. Further work is required to ascertain why discrepancies between the Health Books and NIR continue to occur, with particular attention to important subgroups and translating records across from migrant populations. Also, future work is required to understand the accuracy of vaccination records for groups who experience lower-quality healthcare and a higher burden of infectious diseases.

Pertussis and influenza immunisation coverage of pregnant women in New Zealand.

BACKGROUND: Immunisation is an important public health policy and measuring coverage is imperative to identify gaps and monitor trends. New Zealand (NZ), like many countries, does not routinely publish coverage of immunisations given during pregnancy. Therefore, this study examined pregnancy immunisation coverage of all pregnant NZ women between 2013 and 2018, and what factors affected uptake. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of pregnant women who delivered between 2013 and 2018 was undertaken using administrative datasets. Maternity and immunisation data were linked to determine coverage of pertussis and influenza vaccinations in pregnancy. Generalised estimating equations were used to estimate the odds of receiving a vaccination during pregnancy. RESULTS: From 2013 to 2018 data were available for 323,622 pregnant women, of whom 21.7% received maternal influenza immunisations and 25.7% maternal pertussis immunisations. Coverage for both vaccines increased over time, pertussis increased from 10.2% to 43.6% and influenza from 11.2% to 30.8%. The odds of being vaccinated, with either vaccine, during pregnancy increased with increasing age and decreasing deprivation. Compared to NZ European or Other women, Maori and Pacific women had lower odds of receiving a maternal pertussis (OR:0.55, 95% CI: 0.54, 0.57; OR:0.60, 95% CI: 0.58, 0.62, respectively) and influenza (OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.67, 0.71; OR:0.90, 95% CI: 0.87, 0.94, respectively) immunisations during pregnancy. Women were also more likely to be vaccinated against pertussis if they received antenatal care from a General Practitioner or Obstetrician compared to a Midwife. A similar pattern was seen for influenza vaccination. CONCLUSION: Gaps in maternal coverage for pertussis and influenza exist and work is needed to reduce immunisation inequities.

Social jetlag is associated with cardiorespiratory fitness in male but not female adolescents.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is a vital sign that can improve risk classification for adverse health outcomes. While lifestyle-related factors are associated with CRF, few have examined the influence of sleep characteristics, especially in youths. Social jetlag, a mismatch between one's biological clock and sleep schedule, is prevalent in adolescents and associated with increased adiposity, though its relationship with CRF is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To quantify the relationship between social jetlag and CRF, independent of other sleep characteristics. METHODS: This cross-sectional sample includes 276 New Zealand adolescents (14-18 years, 52.5% female). CRF (VO2max) was estimated from a 20-m multi-stage shuttle run. Average sleep duration, sleep disturbances, social jetlag, physical activity, and the number of bedroom screens were estimated from validated self-report surveys. Social jetlag is the difference in hours between the midpoint of sleep during weekdays (school) and weekend days (free). Combined and sex-stratified linear regression assessed the association between sleep outcomes and CRF, controlling for relevant covariates. RESULTS: Males slept 17.6 min less, had less sleep disturbances, and a 25.1-min greater social jetlag than their female peers (all p < 0.05). A 1-h increase in social jetlag was associated with a 0.72 ml/kg/min decrease in VO2max (95% CI: -1.31, -0.14), independent of other sleep variables, which were not associated with CRF. Sex-specific models indicated an association in males (B -0.93, 95% CI: -1.76, -0.09), but not females (B -0.32, 95% CI: -1.18, 0.55). CONCLUSIONS: Social jetlag is negatively associated with CRF in adolescent males and may be a simple, measurable target for public health interventions.

Impact of rotavirus vaccine on paediatric rotavirus hospitalisation and intussusception in New Zealand: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Rotavirus results in a significant burden of hospitalisations and deaths globally. Rotavirus vaccine has been used in New Zealand since July 2014. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and effectiveness of RotaTeq® vaccine in New Zealand between 2006 and 2016. METHODS: A national cohort study of 723,695 children aged less than 6 years was carried out using linked administrative datasets. Study outcomes were hospitalisation for intussusception, rotavirus, and all-cause gastroenteritis. Intussusception hospitalisation rates were calculated from 2006 to 2016, and rotavirus and all-cause gastroenteritis hospitalisation rates from 2011 to 2016. We examined the effect of RotaTeq® vaccination on rotavirus and all-cause gastroenteritis hospitalisation rates using Poisson regression. Adjusted incidence rate ratios controlled for sex, year of birth, ethnicity, socioeconomic deprivation, and district health board area. RESULTS: Significant reductions in the incidence of rotavirus hospitalisation were seen in all age groups, ethnicities, and deprivation following the introduction of RotaTeq®. There was a 92.6% reduction in hospitalisation incidence in the vaccinated cohort (p < 0.0001). There was also a 48% reduction in all-cause gastroenteritis hospitalisation incidence in the vaccinated cohort (p < 0.0001). The average annual intussusception rate in children aged less than 3 years was 26.2 per 100,000, with no significant change over time (p = 0.847). CONCLUSIONS: In New Zealand the introduction of RotaTeq® resulted in a significant reduction in rotavirus hospitalisation, and a halving in all-cause gastroenteritis hospitalisation. There has been no change in the overall incidence of intussusception or clear change in patterns of cases, although intussusception cases did occur within risk period immediately post vaccine.

Comparative effectiveness of metformin versus insulin for gestational diabetes in New Zealand.

PURPOSE: To measure the comparative effectiveness of metformin versus insulin for initial pharmacological management of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). METHODS: We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using administrative claims, maternity care, and laboratory result data from New Zealand. We followed pregnant women aged 15 to 45 from GDM diagnosis through delivery and assessed outcomes using maternity care and hospitalization data. We adjusted for covariates using inverse probability of treatment weights and multiple imputation for missing covariate information. We estimated unadjusted and adjusted risk ratios (RRs), risk differences (RDs) per 100, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Linear regression was used to estimate the association of treatment with birthweight. We stratified analyses by ethnicity and infant sex in prespecified sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: We compared 3818 metformin-treated pregnancies with 3450 insulin-treated pregnancies. We observed differences in treatment initiation by ethnicity, socioeconomic status, region, and calendar year. Treatment groups were similar in age, body mass index (BMI), and timing of diagnosis/treatment initiation. After adjustment, metformin was associated with reduced absolute risk of planned elective c-section (RD = -2.3, 95% CI, -4.3 to -0.3), large for gestational age (RD = -3.7, 95% CI, -5.5 to -1.8), and neonatal hypoglycemia (RD = -5.0, 95% CI, -6.9 to -3.2) compared with insulin. There were no clinically meaningful differences in average birthweight between metformin- and insulin-treated pregnancies. We observed variation in estimates by ethnicity and infant sex for some neonatal outcomes. CONCLUSION: Metformin appears to be an effective treatment for women with GDM and may reduce risk of some adverse neonatal outcomes when compared with insulin.

A Retrospective Cohort Study of Safety Outcomes in New Zealand Infants Exposed to Tdap Vaccine in Utero.

We aimed to evaluate the safety of maternal Tdap; thus, we assessed health events by examining the difference in birth and hospital-related outcomes of infants with and without fetal exposure to Tdap. This was a retrospective cohort study using linked administrative datasets. The study population were all live-born infants in New Zealand (NZ) weighing at least 400 g at delivery and born to women who were eligible for the government funded, national-level vaccination program in 2013. Infants were followed from birth up to one year of age. There were a total of 69,389 eligible infants in the cohort. Of these, 8299 infants were born to 8178 mothers exposed to Tdap (12%), primarily between 28 and 38 weeks gestation as per the national schedule. Among the outcomes, we found a reduced risk for moderate to late preterm birth, low birth weight, small for gestational age, large for gestational age, respiratory distress syndrome, transient tachypnea of newborn, tachycardia or bradycardia, haemolytic diseases, other neonatal jaundice, anaemia, syndrome of infant of mother with gestational diabetes, and hypoglycemia in infants born to vaccinated mothers. There was no association between maternal Tdap, infant Apgar score at 5 min after birth, asphyxia, sepsis or infection, or hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Infant exposure to Tdap during pregnancy was associated with a higher mean birthweight (not clinically significant) and higher odds for ankyloglossia and neonatal erythema toxicum diagnoses. There were insufficient observations to allow examination of the effect of Tdap on extreme preterm and very preterm birth, and stillbirth, infant death, or microcephaly. Overall, we found no outcomes of concern associated with the administration of Tdap during pregnancy. NZ Health and Disability Ethics Committee Approval #14/N.T.A/169/AM05.

Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines Turning the Tide on Inequity: A Retrospective Cohort Study of New Zealand Children Born 2006-2015.

BACKGROUND: Hospitalization rates for infectious diseases in New Zealand (NZ) children have increased since 1989. The highest burden is among Maori and Pacific children, and the most socioeconomically deprived. New Zealand introduced pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV)7 in June 2008, PCV10 in 2011, and PCV13 in 2014. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of NZ children aged <6 years between 2006 and 2015 was performed using administrative databases. Demographics and hospitalizations were linked to evaluate the impact of the PCV vaccination program on cases of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), all-cause pneumonia (ACP), and otitis media (OM), defined by ICD-10-AM codes, and to explore the effect by ethnicity and deprivation. RESULTS: Between 2006 and 2015, there were 640 children hospitalized with IPD, 26589 for ACP, and 44545 for OM. IPD hospitalizations declined by 73% between 2005 and 2015 for children <6 years of age, whereas ACP and OM declined by 8% and 25%, respectively. The highest rates for all diseases were among Maori and Pacific children and those from high deprivation. However, the declines were highest among Maori and Pacific children and those from socioeconomically deprived areas. IPD hospitalizations declined by 79% and 67% for Maori and Pacific children, respectively, between 2006 and 2015. ACP declined by 12% in Maori and 21% in Pacific children. OM declined by 51% in Maori children. CONCLUSION: In contrast to the increasing trend of hospitalization rates for infectious disease in New Zealand, the use of PCV appears associated with reductions in ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in hospitalization for IPD, ACP, and OM.

Suboptimal performance of rotavirus testing in a vaccinated community population should prompt laboratories to review their rotavirus testing algorithms in response to changes in disease prevalence.

Rotavirus vaccine has reduced disease prevalence in many countries. Consequently, we aimed to assess the reliability of a rotavirus immunoassay in the community population of Auckland and Northland, New Zealand. Between 22 October 2015 and 31 December 2016, 2873 fecal samples were tested by enzyme immunoassay (EIA, Rotascreen II, Microgen, UK) from 2748 patients (median age 8 years, range 0-101 years). Eighty-nine (3.1%) samples were reactive; 86 samples were tested by a second method. Rotavirus was confirmed in 49/86 (57%). Positive rotavirus EIAs were more likely to be confirmed in samples from cases ≥1 year of age (positive predictive value [PPV] 61%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 50-72%, P = 0.049) and in spring/summer (PPV 67%, 95% CI 55-78%, P = 0.003). Reactive rotavirus tests required confirmatory testing regardless of demographic, vaccine, or seasonal factors; a review of rotavirus testing algorithms may be necessary in other vaccinated community populations.

Association of Long-term Child Growth and Developmental Outcomes With Metformin vs Insulin Treatment for Gestational Diabetes.

Importance: Metformin is an emerging option for treating gestational diabetes (GDM). However, because metformin crosses the placenta, patients and clinicians are concerned with its long-term effect on child health. Objective: To estimate the association of treating GDM with metformin vs insulin with child growth and development. Design, Setting, and Participants: Population-based cohort study of New Zealand women treated with metformin or insulin for GDM from 2005 to 2012 and their children. This study linked national health care data to create a cohort of mothers and their children, including data from maternity care, pharmaceutical dispensing, hospitalizations, demographic records, and the B4 School Check (B4SC) preschool health assessment. Women treated pharmacologically with metformin or insulin during pregnancy were included. We excluded pregnancies with evidence of diabetes and deliveries prior to 2013. Liveborn infants were linked to their B4SC results. Data were analyzed between January 2017 and May 2018. Exposures: Pharmacologic treatment for GDM with metformin or insulin, measured using pharmaceutical claims data. Main Outcomes and Measures: Child growth (weight and height) and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) scores for behavioral development. All outcomes were derived from the B4SC screening program. Linear and log-binomial regression with inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to estimate the association of child growth and psychosocial outcomes with metformin vs insulin treatment for GDM. Results: In both treatment groups, the mean (SD) maternal age was 32 (5) years. A large proportion of mothers who were treated with insulin identified as New Zealand European (867 [44.9%]) while 576 mothers who were treated with metformin (28.9%) identified as New Zealand European. Approximately one-third of mothers who were treated with metformin (n = 639) identified as Asian. We identified 3928 pregnancies treated with metformin (n = 1996) or insulin (n = 1932). After adjustment, we observed no meaningful difference in weight for height z scores between children exposed to metformin compared with insulin (mean difference, -0.10; 95% CI, -0.20 to 0.01). Risk of being 85th percentile or greater for weight for height was similar between treatment groups (adjusted risk ratio, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.83-1.02). Mean SDQ scores were not meaningfully different between the treatment groups, Children of metformin-treated mothers were not significantly more likely to have parent-reported SDQ scores of 14 or more (adjusted risk ratio, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.88-1.46) than those of insulin-treated mothers. Conclusions and Relevance: Our study compares long-term outcomes among school-aged children following maternal use of metformin vs insulin treatment for GDM. Children of metformin-treated mothers were indistinguishable on growth and developmental assessments from those of insulin-treated mothers. These results will help inform future GDM treatment guidelines.

Pertussis Immunisation in Pregnancy Safety (PIPS) Study: A retrospective cohort study of safety outcomes in pregnant women vaccinated with Tdap vaccine.

BACKGROUND: New Zealand has funded the administration of tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine during pregnancy to prevent infant pertussis since 2013. The aim of this study was to assess the safety of Tdap vaccine administered to pregnant women as part of a national maternal immunisation programme. METHODS: We conducted a national retrospective observational study using linked administrative New Zealand datasets. The study population consisted of pregnant women eligible to receive funded Tdap vaccination from 28 to 38 weeks gestation in 2013. Primary study outcomes were based on prioritised adverse events for the assessment of vaccine safety in pregnant women, as defined by WHO and Brighton Collaboration taskforces. We examined the effect of Tdap vaccination on prioritised maternal outcomes using Cox proportional hazard models. Adjusted hazard ratios controlled for key confounding variables. RESULTS: In the cohort of 68,550 women eligible to receive funded antenatal Tdap vaccination during 2013, 8178 (11.9%) were vaccinated and 60,372 (88.1%) were unvaccinated. The use of Tdap in pregnancy was not associated with an increase in the rate of primary outcomes, including preterm labour; pre-eclampsia; pre-eclampsia with severe features; eclampsia; gestational hypertension; fetal growth restriction; or post-partum haemorrhage. Tdap also did not increase secondary outcomes, including gestational diabetes mellitus; antenatal bleeding; placental abruption; premature rupture of membranes; preterm delivery; fetal distress; chorioamnionitis; or, maternal fever during or after labour. Lactation disorders was the only secondary maternal outcome with a significantly increased hazard ratio. Tdap vaccine had a protective effect on pre-eclampsia with severe features, preterm labour, preterm delivery, and antenatal bleeding. CONCLUSION: We did not detect any biologically plausible adverse maternal outcomes following Tdap vaccination during pregnancy. This study provides further assurance that Tdap administration during pregnancy is not associated with unexpected safety risks.

RETRACTED: Association of prior HPV vaccination with reduced preterm birth: A population based study.

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal). This paper is being retracted at the request of the authors. The authors report that there was an incorrect interpretation of the odds ratio meaning that instead of HPV vaccination potentially being protective, there may be an associated increased risk of preterm delivery. The authors believe that an increased risk of preterm delivery is unlikely and not consistent with the evidence to date. Further, the authors have not been able to access the original source data as per protocol to check the data validity. The authors wish to repeat the study to reassure themselves that there were no data processing or other errors in the databases in order to reach definitive conclusions. Lastly, it is of serious concern to the Editor-in-Chief that the Conflict of Interest statement was only added to the paper by the authors after acceptance and was not made visible to the editor or reviewers prior to acceptance. The authors state that there was no input to the methodology, implementation and results of this study by any commercial entity. The pharma distribution company CSL mentioned in the conflict of interest statement only knew about the study after publication.

Parenting style and family type, but not child temperament, are associated with television viewing time in children at two years of age.

OBJECTIVES: Despite the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommending that electronic media be avoided in children under two years of age, screen use is common in infants and toddlers. The aims of this study were to determine how parenting style, infant temperament, and family type are associated with television viewing in two-year-old children. STUDY DESIGN: Participants were from the Prevention of Overweight in Infancy (POI) randomized controlled trial (n = 802) (Dunedin, New Zealand). Demographic information was collected at baseline (late pregnancy), and television and other screen time assessed by questionnaire at 24 months of age. Parenting style (Parenting Practices Questionnaire), infant temperament (Colorado Childhood Temperament Inventory), and family type (7 categories) were reported by both parents. RESULTS: Data were available for 487 participants (61% of the original participants). Median television viewing was relatively low at 21 minutes per day, or 30 minutes in those watching television (82%). Children who watched television played with mobile phones (12% of children) or iPads/tablets (22% of children) more frequently than children who did not (6% of children). In terms of parenting style, children of more authoritarian mothers (ß = 17, 95% CI: 6-27 minutes), more authoritarian partners (ß = 14, 95% CI: 2-26 minutes), or more permissive mothers (ß = 10, 95% CI: 3-17 minutes) watched significantly more television. No significant relationships were observed between child temperament and time watching television after adjustment for confounding variables. Children from "active" families (as rated by partners) watched 29 minutes less television each day (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Parenting style and family type were associated with television viewing time in young children, whereas child temperament was not.

Development of a Healthy Dietary Habits Index for New Zealand Adults.

Healthful dietary habits are individually associated with better nutrient intake and positive health outcomes; however, this information is rarely examined together to validate an indicator of diet quality. This study developed a 15-item Healthy Dietary Habits Index (HDHI) based on self-reported dietary habits information collected in the 2008/09 New Zealand Adult Nutrition Survey. The validity of HDHI as a diet quality index was examined in relation to sociodemographic factors, 24-diet recall derived nutrient intakes, and nutritional biomarkers in a representative sample of adults aged 19 years and above. Linear regression models were employed to determine associations between HDHI quintiles and energy-adjusted nutrient data and nutritional biomarkers. Significantly higher HDHI scores were found among women, older age groups, Non-Maori or Pacific ethnic groups, and less socioeconomically-deprived groups (all p < 0.001). Increasing quintiles of HDHI were associated with higher intakes of dietary fibre and seven micronutrients including calcium, iron, and vitamin C, and lower intakes of energy, macronutrients, sodium, zinc, vitamins B6 and B12. Associations in the expected directions were also found for urinary sodium, whole blood folate, serum and red blood cell folate, and plasma selenium (all p < 0.001). The present findings suggest that the HDHI is a valid measure of diet quality as it is capable of discerning quality of diets of subgroups and ranking nutrient intakes among NZ adults.

Vitamin D status and weight loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized and nonrandomized controlled weight-loss trials.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with lower concentrations of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D; however, uncertainty exists as to the direction of causation. To date, meta-analyses of randomized controlled vitamin D-supplementation trials have shown no effect of raising circulating vitamin D on body weight, although several weight-loss-intervention trials have reported an increase in circulating vitamin D after weight reduction. OBJECTIVE: We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized and nonrandomized controlled trials to determine whether weight loss compared with weight maintenance leads to an increase in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D. DESIGN: A systematic search for controlled weight-loss-intervention studies published up to 31 March 2016 was performed. Studies that included participants of any age with changes in adiposity and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D as primary or secondary outcomes were considered eligible. RESULTS: We identified 4 randomized controlled trials (n = 2554) and 11 nonrandomized controlled trials (n = 917) for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Random assignment to weight loss compared with weight maintenance resulted in a greater increase in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D with a mean difference of 3.11 nmol/L (95% CI: 1.38, 4.84 nmol/L) between groups, whereas a mean difference of 4.85 nmol/L (95% CI: 2.59, 7.12 nmol/L) was observed in nonrandomized trials. No evidence for a dose-response effect of weight loss on the change in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D was shown overall. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that vitamin D status may be marginally improved with weight loss in comparison with weight maintenance under similar conditions of supplemental vitamin D intake. Although additional studies in unsupplemented individuals are needed to confirm these findings, our results support the view that the association between obesity and lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D may be due to reversed causation with increased adiposity leading to suboptimal concentrations of circulating vitamin D. This trial was registered at www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/ as CRD42015023836.

Cardiorespiratory fitness is positively associated with a healthy dietary pattern in New Zealand adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and dietary patterns in adolescents. DESIGN: Food choice was assessed using the validated New Zealand Adolescent FFQ. Principal components analysis was used to determine dietary patterns. Trained research assistants measured participants' height and body mass. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed in a subset of participants using the multistage 20 m shuttle run. The level and stage were recorded, and the corresponding VO2max was calculated. Differences in mean VO2max according to sex and BMI were assessed using t tests, while associations between cardiorespiratory fitness and dietary patterns were examined using linear regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, school attended, socio-economic deprivation and BMI. SETTING: Secondary schools in Otago, New Zealand. SUBJECTS: Students (n 279) aged 14-18 years who completed an online lifestyle survey during a class period. RESULTS: Principal components analysis produced three dietary patterns: 'Treat Foods', 'Fruits and Vegetables' and 'Basic Foods'. The 279 participants who provided questionnaire data and completed cardiorespiratory fitness testing had a mean age of 15·7 (sd 0·9) years. Mean VO2max was 45·8 (sd 6·9) ml/kg per min. The 'Fruits and Vegetables' pattern was positively associated with VO2max in the total sample (ß=0·04; 95%CI 0·02, 0·07), girls (ß=0·06; 95% CI 0·03, 0·10) and boys (ß=0·03; 95% CI 0·01, 0·05). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that increase in cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with a healthier dietary pattern, suggesting both should be targeted as part of a global lifestyle approach. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm this association in relation to health outcomes in New Zealand adolescents.