Low maternal vitamin D status in pregnancy increases the risk of childhood obesity.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D may modulate adipogenesis. However, limited studies have investigated the effect of maternal vitamin D during pregnancy on offspring adiposity or cardiometabolic parameters with inconclusive results. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to examine the association of maternal 25(OH)-vitamin D [25(OH)D] status with offspring obesity and cardiometabolic characteristics in 532 mother-child pairs from the prospective pregnancy cohort Rhea in Crete, Greece. METHODS: Maternal 25(OH)D concentrations were measured at the first prenatal visit (mean: 14 weeks, SD: 4). Child outcomes included body mass index standard deviation score, waist circumference, skin-fold thickness, blood pressure and serum lipids at ages 4 and 6 years. Body fat percentage was also measured at 6 years. Body mass index growth trajectories from birth to 6 years were estimated by mixed effects models with fractional polynomials of age. Adjusted associations were obtained via multivariable linear regression analyses. RESULTS: About two-thirds of participating mothers had 25(OH)D concentrations <50 nmol L-1 . Offspring of women in the low 25(OH)D tertile (<37.7 nmol L-1 ) had higher body mass index standard deviation score (ß 0.20, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.37), and waist circumference (ß 0.87 95% CI: 0.12, 1.63) at preschool age, compared with the offspring of women with higher 25(OH)D measurements (≥37.7 nmol L-1 ), on covariate-adjusted analyses. The observed relationships persisted at age 6 years. We found no association between maternal 25(OH)D concentrations and offspring blood pressure or serum lipids at both time points. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to very low 25(OH)D concentrations in utero may increase childhood adiposity indices. Given that vitamin D is a modifiable risk factor, our findings may have important public health implications.

Early life determinants of dietary patterns in preschool children: Rhea mother-child cohort, Crete, Greece.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The determination of dietary patterns in children examines the effects of the overall diet at early ages, instead of looking at individual foods or energy providing nutrients. The present analysis aims to identify the dietary patterns of preschool children and to examine their associations with multiple socio-economic and lifestyle characteristics. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Dietary data were collected for 1081 children participating in the Rhea mother-child cohort in Crete, Greece. Diet was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire, and dietary patterns were identified with principal component analysis. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine factors associated with each dietary pattern. RESULTS: Three dietary patterns were identified explaining 45.8% of the total diet variation. The 'Mediterranean' pattern was based on pulses, olive oil, vegetables, fish and fruits; the 'Snacky' pattern included potatoes and other starchy roots, salty snacks, sugar products and eggs; the 'Western' pattern contained cereals, cheese, added lipids, beverages and meat. Preschool attendance and increased time spent with the mother (⩾2 h/day) were positively associated with the 'Mediterranean' pattern, whereas watching TV was inversely associated with this pattern. Lower parental education, maternal age and earlier introduction to solid foods were positively associated with the 'Snacky' pattern. Higher scores on the 'Western' type diet were associated with exposure to passive smoking and watching TV. No variation in energy providing nutrient intake was observed across tertiles of the identified dietary patterns. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this analysis indicate the important role of socio-demographic factors on children's dietary preferences in early age.

Reliability of drug dependents' self-reports.

Among 936 demands for treatment by drug users in Greece in 7 months in 1994, 78 subjects making at least two demands were identified by code numbers. The median time between demands was 50 days (range 2-219). The data obtained by interview at the first two demands were compared to estimate the reliability of the interview schedule of the First Treatment Demand protocol of the Pompidou Group of the Council of Europe. Subjects were 84.6% male, with a median age of 27 years (range 14-43) and median duration of use 11 years (range 2-27). The primary substance of use was mainly heroin (88.5%). The percentage of agreement between interviews was highest for lifetime history of injecting (100%), urban residence (98.7%) and mode of use of heroin (94.3%). Percentages of agreement were close to 90% for most other items of socio-demographic data and drug use history, whether or not the correct response to the item could logically change between interviews. It is concluded that reliability of the data is around 90% and short-term behaviour in this population is rather stable. Only employment status (52.9% agreement) and secondary substance of abuse (25.5%) appeared to be exceptions. It is noteworthy that HIV and hepatitis serostatuses were reported less reliably than most other items.