Maternal Depressive Symptoms in the First Year after Childbirth Predict Long-Term Developmental Risks in Sons and Daughters.

Under-diagnosed and thus under-treated, maternal depression remains the most common complication of childbearing. Varying symptoms suggest persistence up to more than a decade following childbirth. This implies distinct vulnerabilities for the physical and emotional care of children. Using a prospective-longitudinal sex-stratified birth cohort of 2120 infants, we examined the relationship between early maternal depression symptoms and subsequent child psycho-social and relational characteristics. Mothers self-reported the severity and frequency of depressive symptoms 5 months after childbirth. Parents, teachers, and target participants reported on child mental health and relationships with adults, from kindergarten to tenth grade. A series of least-squares regressions were estimated, while controlling for pre-existing/concurrent child and family confounds. Both sons and daughters of mothers with more depressive symptoms were at risk of experiencing greater psycho-social impairment, classroom rule defiance, difficult relationships with teachers, less enjoyable mealtimes (age 6 years) and sleep, and coercive or inconsistent parenting practices in childhood and adolescence. For boys, these prospective associations were mostly consistent through ages 12 and 15 years. Girls also experienced more problematic interactions through to age 15 years. This study provides observations of distinct long-term vulnerabilities for sons and daughters in association with early maternal distress at important transitional periods of development in early, middle, and later childhood.

Associations Between Weight-Loss Attempts, Weight-Related Stress, and Body Image During Childhood and Adolescence in Children With Parental Obesity.

Background: Few longitudinal studies have investigated the role of weight-loss attempts or weight-related stress on body image during childhood. We examined whether weight-loss attempts and weight-related stress are associated with weight misperception and body dissatisfaction across childhood and adolescence. Methods: Data were drawn from the Quebec Adipose and Lifestyle InvesTigation in Youth (QUALITY) cohort of Canadian children with parental obesity (8-10 years: n = 630; 10-12 years: n = 564; 15-17 years: n = 377). We assessed weight-loss attempts and weight-related stress at baseline and first follow-up, and perceived and desired silhouettes at first and second follow-up with questionnaires. Weight misperception consisted of the difference in BMI z-score (zBMI) from the perceived silhouette and the measured zBMI. Body dissatisfaction consisted of the discordance between perceived and desired silhouettes. We estimated multivariable mixed-effects regression models adjusting for age, sex, pubertal stage, parental BMI and education, and sport-based teasing. Results: Weight loss attempts were associated with a higher weight misperception score (ever tried, beta [95% confidence intervals; CI]: 0.13 [0.01-0.24]) and with 2.13 times higher desire to be thinner (95% CI: 1.39-3.26) at the subsequent follow-up. Similarly, children stressed by their weight had a higher misperception score (beta [95% CI]: 0.15 [0.02-0.27]) and greater desire to be thinner at the next follow-up (odds ratio [95% CI]: 1.73 [0.999-3.00]). Conclusions: Weight-loss attempts and weight-related stress in children and adolescents are associated with weight misperception and body dissatisfaction, supporting empowerment and counseling focusing on healthy eating behaviors and a positive body image. Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT03356262.

Prospective Associations between Maternal Depressive Symptoms during Early Infancy and Growth Deficiency from Childhood to Adolescence.

Maternal health represents an important predictor of child development; yet it often goes unnoticed during pediatric visits. Previous work suggests that mental state affects parenting. The relationship between infant exposure to maternal depressive symptoms suggests conflicting findings on physical growth. Body mass index (BMI) has not been rigorously examined across development. Using a prospective-longitudinal birth cohort of 2120 infants (50.7% boys), we estimated the prospective relationship between symptoms of maternal depressive symptoms at 5 months postpartum and later BMI in typically developing children. We hypothesized that maternal depressive symptom severity would predict later BMI through to adolescence. Mothers self-reported depressive symptoms at 5 months. Child BMI was measured by a trained research assistant at ages 6, 8, 10, 13, and 15 years. We estimated a series of sex-stratified regressions in which BMI was linearly regressed on maternal symptoms, while controlling for potential pre-existing/concurrent individual and family confounding factors. Boys born to mothers with more severe depressive symptoms at age 5 months had a significantly lower BMI than other boys at subsequent ages. There were no such associations observed for girls. Maternal depressive symptoms were prospectively associated with later BMI for sons and not daughters, predicting risk of faltering in growth through to adolescence. Health practitioners should routinely assess maternal psychological functioning during pediatric visits to optimize parent and child flourishment.

Adolescents' reports of chaos within the family home environment: Investigating associations with lifestyle behaviours and obesity.

OBJECTIVE: Disorganised and chaotic home environments may hinder the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviours and contribute to excessive weight gain among adolescents. We examined whether self-reported level of chaos within the family home environment is associated with lifestyle behaviours and obesity in adolescent girls and boys. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from the 3rd wave of the Québec Adipose and Lifestyle Investigation in Youth (QUALITY) study were analyzed. The sample consisted of n = 377 White adolescents with a history of parental obesity. Home environment chaos was measured using the Confusion, Hubbub, and Order Scale (CHAOS) analyzed both continuously and dichotomized as high vs. low chaos. Body Mass Index z-scores (zBMI) were computed using WHO standards from measured weight and height. Physical activity (7-day accelerometry), vegetable and fruit intake (three 24-hour diet recalls), and leisure screen time and sleep duration (questionnaire) were assessed. Sex-specific linear regression models were used to estimate associations between level of family home environment chaos, lifestyle behaviours and zBMI. RESULTS: The overall level of chaos was low in our study sample, with higher reported levels among girls compared to boys. Among girls, high (vs low) chaos was associated with shorter sleep duration (hours/day) (B = - 0.44, 95% CI: -0.75, -0.14). No associations were observed for other lifestyle behaviours or for zBMI. CONCLUSION: In this sample of adolescents with a parental history of obesity, higher household chaos was not associated with obesity or lifestyle behaviours, except for sleep duration among girls. Replication of findings in more diverse samples is indicated.

Associations Between Kindergarten Participation in Organized Physical Activity and Subsequent Healthy Body Weight and Leg Strength by the End of Second Grade.

BACKGROUND: Childhood sport helps children develop growth and maturation, while simultaneously offering self-regulation, motor, and social skills training. This study aims to estimate the influence of sport participation at age 6 years on indicators of health at age 8 years, using a prospective longitudinal birth cohort design. METHODS: Participants were 1492 children aged 6-8 years from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. Lower muscular power was measured with the standing long jump test. Girth used the children's waist circumference in centimeters. Body mass index was computed from child height and weight. We regressed these directly measured health indicators at age 8 years on parent-reported physical activity at age 6 years using linear Ordinary Least Squares regression. RESULTS: Boys who participated in more physical activity at age 6 years had better lower muscular power (b = 2.368; 95% CI, 0.341 to 4.395) and higher body mass index (b = 0.340; 95% CI, 0.055 to 0.626). No significant results were found for girls. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that physical activity in kindergarten has a positive impact on muscular power by the end of the second grade in boys. This supports the pertinence of implementing physical activity to a routine early in life to help children improve their general health.

Physical Activity as Both Predictor and Outcome of Emotional Distress Trajectories in Middle Childhood.

OBJECTIVE: This prospective longitudinal study assesses the reciprocal relationship between physical activity, including sport participation, and depressive and anxiety symptoms, conceptualized as emotional distress, over time. METHOD: Boys and girls are from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development birth cohort (N = 1428). Trajectories of emotional distress symptoms from ages 6 to 10 years, assessed by teachers, were generated using latent class analysis. Multinomial logistic regression analyses examined sport participation at age 5 years, measured by parents, as a predictor of emotional distress trajectory outcomes. Analyses of covariance compared physical activity, measured by children at age 12 years, across different trajectories of emotional distress. RESULTS: We identified 3 emotional distress trajectories: "low" (77%), "increasing" (12%), and "declining" (11%). Boys who never participated in sport at age 5 years were more likely to be in the "increasing" (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01-2.63) or "declining" (adjusted OR = 2.19, 95% CI = 1.28-3.75) emotional distress trajectories compared with boys who participated in any sporting activity. Furthermore, boys in the "low" emotional distress trajectory demonstrated better physical activity outcomes at age 12 years (F(2, 1438) = 6.04, p < 0.05). These results, exclusively for boys, are above and beyond pre-existing individual and family factors. CONCLUSION: This study supports the relevance of enhancing current public health strategies to understand and promote physical activity and emotional adjustment in early childhood to achieve better a more active lifestyle and overall health across development. We underscore male needs for physical activity for health promotion.

Early school-age family meal characteristics matter for the later development of boys and girls.

Objective: Sharing a meal together offers an innovative approach to study the family environment. How often families eat together may not capture the distinct experience for sons and daughters. Instead, studying family meal characteristics might be more enlightening. This study aims to examine the prospective associations between family meal environment quality at age 6 years and later well-being at age 12 years in 734 boys and 758 girls. Method: Participants are from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development birth cohort. When children were aged 6 years, parents reported on their family meal environment experience. At age 12 years, child outcomes included parent-reported healthy lifestyle habits, teacher-reported academic achievement, and self-reported social adjustment. The relationship between early family meal environment quality and later child outcomes were analyzed using multivariate linear regressions. Results: For girls, better family meal environment quality at age 6 years predicted an earlier bedtime, a lower consumption of soft drinks and sweet snacks, more classroom engagement, and fewer behavior problems at age 12 years. For boys, better family meal environment quality at age 6 years predicted an earlier bedtime and less anxiety and more prosocial behaviour at age 12 years. These significant relationships were adjusted for a multitude of child/family characteristics. Conclusion: From a population-health perspective, our findings suggest that family meals represent a cost-efficient, effective protective factor that likely has long-term influences on bio-psycho-social development. Information campaigns that promote family meals as a health intervention could optimize the well-being of boys and girls.

Healthy body, healthy mind: Long-term mutual benefits between classroom and sport engagement in children from ages 6 to 12 years.

Past research suggests that the relationship between health and schooling is axiomatic. Physical activity, including sport participation, putatively facilitates school performance. However, the direction of this link lacks clarity. We examine the mutual links between sport and classroom engagement in 452 boys and 514 girls from ages 6 to 12 years. Participants are from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, a prospective-longitudinal birth cohort. First, trajectories of classroom engagement from ages 6 to 10 years, assessed by teachers, were generated using latent class analysis. Second, analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) compared leisure time physical activity, self-reported by children at age 12 years, across trajectories of classroom engagement. Third, ANCOVAs compared classroom engagement, measured by teachers at age 12 years, across trajectories of extracurricular sport between ages 6 to 10 years. We identified two classroom engagement trajectories: 'High' (77%) and 'Moderate' (23%). For girls, being in the 'High' trajectory predicted significantly higher levels of physical activity (F(1, 966) = 5.21, p < .05). For boys, being in the 'Consistent participation' extracurricular sport trajectory predicted significantly higher levels of classroom engagement (F(1, 966) = 6.29, p < .05). Our analyses controlled for pre-existing individual and family factors. Our findings suggest that sport participation and engaged classroom behavior positively influence each other during childhood. They support the pertinence of investing financial resources in youth intervention so that children can develop their potential both in sporting contexts and in the classroom to foster optimal growth and development.

Childhood exercise as medicine: Extracurricular sport diminishes subsequent ADHD symptoms.

Extracurricular sport has been a valued educational investment to promote both physical and mental health in children and adolescents. Few longitudinal studies have tested whether extracurricular sport is associated with inattentive/hyperactive symptoms. Using a prospective-longitudinal birth cohort of 758 girls and 733 boys, we examined the prospective relationship between consistent middle childhood participation in extracurricular sport and subsequent ADHD symptoms. We hypothesized that engaging in extracurricular sport will promote reductions in symptoms. As a predictor, mothers reported on whether the child participated in sport or organized physical activities with a coach/instructor at ages 6, 7, 8, and 10 years. Developmental trajectories of the sport predictor, from ages 6 to 10 years, were generated using longitudinal latent class analysis. At age 12 years, sixth grade teachers reported on child ADHD symptom outcomes observed in the school setting over the last 6 months. ADHD symptoms were linearly regressed on trajectories of participation in organized sport in boys and girls, while controlling for pre-existing child and family characteristics. For girls, consistent participation in organized sport significantly predicted lower subsequent ADHD symptoms, compared with girls with low-inconsistent participation (unstandardized B = 0.07, p ≤ .05, 95% CI, 0.01-0.14). Early sustained middle childhood involvement in organized sport seems beneficial for the subsequent behavioral development of girls but no associations were found for boys. Middle childhood participation in structured venues that demand physical skill and effort with a coach or instructor may thus represent a valuable policy strategy to promote this aspect of behavioral development for girls.

Prospective associations between television in the preschool bedroom and later bio-psycho-social risks.

BACKGROUND: North American child media guidelines suggest screen-free zones without offering clear evidence and alternative harm-reduction strategies. Our hypothesis is that having a bedroom television during the preschool years will be prospectively associated with mental and physical health risks in adolescence. METHODS: Participants are from a prospective-longitudinal birth cohort of 907 girls and 952 boys from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. Child outcomes at ages 12 and 13, measured by multiple sources, were linearly regressed on having a bedroom television at age 4. RESULTS: Bedroom television at age 4 predicted a higher body mass index at age 12 (standardized B = 0.10, p < 0.001), more unhealthy eating habits at age 13 (B = 0.10, p < 0.001), higher levels of emotional distress (B = 0.12, p < 0.001), depressive symptoms (B = 0.08, p < 0.001), victimization (B = 0.07, p < 0.001), physical aggression (B = 0.09, p < 0.001), and lowers levels of sociability (B = -0.09, p < 0.001) at age 12, above and beyond pre-existing individual and family factors. CONCLUSION: The bedroom as a screen-based preschool zone does not bode well for long-term cardio-metabolic wellness, mental health, and social relationships.

Prospective associations between sport participation and psychological adjustment in adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Engaging in sport has been suggested to be mitigate against psychological distress. Using a prospective-longitudinal design, we examine whether sport participation is associated with reduced psychological difficulties in adolescents and whether associations differ by sport and personal characteristics. METHODS: 17 550 adolescents from grade 7 to 10 (mean age=14.4 years old) self-reported on sport participation, depressive symptoms, social anxiety symptoms and loneliness in Spring 2007 and 1 year later. Analyses tested the association between sport participation and subsequent psychological difficulties using linear regression, while adjusting for pre-existing psychological and sociodemographic characteristics. Analyses also verified whether associations differed by sport frequency (weekly/more than weekly) and type (team/individual) using Wald tests of parameter constraints, as well as sex, age and pre-existing psychological difficulties using interaction terms. RESULTS: After adjusting for potential confounders, sport participation predicted lower social anxiety symptoms (beta=-0.02 (-0.04, -0.01)) and loneliness (beta=-0.04 (-0.05, -0.02)), but not depressive symptoms. Moderation analyses showed that sport participation predicted greater reductions in depressive symptoms, social anxiety symptoms and loneliness in adolescents with higher baseline scores on each outcome. Associations did not differ by sport frequency and type, sex and age. Post hoc analyses revealed bidirectional associations between sport participation and social anxiety symptoms and loneliness. CONCLUSIONS: Sport participation predicts small reductions in adolescent psychological distress. Reductions seem most important in youth experiencing greater pre-existing psychological difficulty. Our findings suggest that sport participation represents a protective factor that supports psychological resilience in at-risk youth.

Associations Between Early Family Meal Environment Quality and Later Well-Being in School-Age Children.

OBJECTIVE: Past research suggests a positive link between family meals and child and adolescent health. Although researchers have often relied on how often families eat together, this may not capture the complexity of the experience. Using a birth cohort, this study examines the prospective associations between the environmental quality of the family meal experience at age 6 years and child well-being at age 10. METHODS: Participants are 1492 children of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. When children were age 6, parents reported on their typical family meal environment quality. At age 10, parents, teachers, and children themselves provided information on lifestyle habits, academic achievement, and social adjustment, respectively. The relationship between early family meal environment quality and later child outcomes was analyzed using a series of multivariate linear regression. RESULTS: Family meal environment quality at age 6 predicted higher levels of general fitness and lower levels of soft drink consumption, physical aggression, oppositional behavior, nonaggressive delinquency, and reactive aggression at age 10. These relationships were adjusted for child characteristics (sex, temperament problems and cognitive abilities, and baseline body mass index [BMI]) and family characteristics (family configuration and functioning, maternal education, depression, and BMI). CONCLUSION: From a population-health perspective, our findings suggest that family meals have long-term influences on children's biopsychosocial well-being. At a time when family meal frequency is on a natural decline in the population, this environmental characteristic can become a target of home-based interventions and could be featured in information campaigns that aim to optimize child development.