Clinical, socio-demographic, and parental correlates of early autism traits in a community cohort of toddlers.

Identifying factors linked to autism traits in the general population may improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying divergent neurodevelopment. In this study we assess whether factors increasing the likelihood of childhood autism are related to early autistic trait emergence, or if other exposures are more important. We used data from 536 toddlers from London (UK), collected at birth (gestational age at birth, sex, maternal body mass index, age, parental education, parental language, parental history of neurodevelopmental conditions) and at 18 months (parents cohabiting, measures of socio-economic deprivation, measures of maternal parenting style, and a measure of maternal depression). Autism traits were assessed using the Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT) at 18 months. A multivariable model explained 20% of Q-CHAT variance, with four individually significant variables (two measures of parenting style and two measures of socio-economic deprivation). In order to address variable collinearity we used principal component analysis, finding that a component which was positively correlated with Q-CHAT was also correlated to measures of parenting style and socio-economic deprivation. Our results show that parenting style and socio-economic deprivation correlate with the emergence of autism traits at age 18 months as measured with the Q-CHAT in a community sample.

Home Visiting in California During the First Two Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study of Low-Income Pregnant and Parenting Caregivers.

CONTEXT: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, home visiting services for low-income children and families were provided almost entirely in person. Little is known about clients' experience of home visiting provided virtually by video or phone instead of, or in addition to, in-person home visiting. OBJECTIVE: To explore the views of clients in the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) Home Visiting Program (HVP) across California during the first 2 years of the pandemic. SETTING: Forty counties in California. PARTICIPANTS: CalWORKs HVP clients, currently enrolled or who left the program in the 6 months prior to each survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clients' ratings of participation in and experiences with the CalWORKs HVP services, as well as unmet needs. RESULTS: We collected 1617 surveys from clients across 3 survey rounds. Pandemic-related restrictions resulted in decreased frequency of home visits and a shift from in person to primarily virtual visits. As in-person home visit frequency decreased, there were significant declines in clients' level of agreement that they learned child development skills (P = .04), received parenting services (P = .015) or activities (P < .001), or received infant and child nutrition services (P = .003). There were no declines in level of agreement that the CalWORKs HVP improved the quality of life of clients and their children. DISCUSSION: Clients consistently rated the CalWORKs HVP as positively contributing to their and their children's well-being, regardless of the shift from in person to virtual visits. Clients' participation in some program components decreased over the evaluation. However, it is unknown if clients received fewer referrals, were hesitant to pursue the referrals, or if fewer services were available. Continued research is needed to evaluate the merits and disadvantages of virtual visits as in-person home visits resume postpandemic.

[Men working through mobile applications in Brazil: Reflections from occupational health]. / Hombres que trabajan a través de aplicaciones móviles en Brasil: reflexiones desde la salud ocupacional.

Work through mobile applications emerged as an alternative for many Brazilian men during the economic crisis and rising unemployment. However, these workers operate informally, without a formal employment relationship, leading to labor precariousness and a lack of workers' rights. Using a theoretical-reflexive, this study analyzes the intersection between occupational health, the platformization of work, and the specific challenges faced by male delivery app workers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reflective categories are divided into two thematic sections: "Labor insertion through mobile applications in Brazil and the algorithmic work model" and "men, health, and motorcycles: occupational health and male behavior in app-based delivery work." The study examines the expansion of this type of work in the Brazilian socio-economic context, the lack of security and labor protection for these workers, as well as the risks faced, particularly during the pandemic, within a male-centric culture.

El trabajo a través de aplicaciones móviles surgió como una alternativa para muchos hombres brasileños durante la crisis económica y el aumento del desempleo. Sin embargo, estos trabajadores operan de manera informal, sin relación laboral, lo que genera precariedad laboral y falta de derechos laborales. Desde un abordaje teórico-reflexivo, este artículo analiza la intersección entre la salud ocupacional, la plataformización del trabajo y los desafíos específicos que enfrentan los hombres repartidores de aplicaciones, especialmente durante la pandemia de covid-19. Las categorías reflexivas se dividieron en dos secciones temáticas: "La inserción laboral a través de aplicaciones móviles en Brasil y el modelo de trabajo mediante algoritmos" y "hombres, salud y motocicletas: la salud ocupacional y el comportamiento masculino en el trabajo a través de aplicaciones de entrega". Se examina la expansión de este tipo de trabajo en el contexto socioeconómico brasileño, la falta de seguridad y protección laboral para estos trabajadores, así como los riesgos enfrentados, especialmente durante la pandemia, en el marco de una cultura masculina.

Connecting families: a qualitative study examining the experiences of parenting young children under financial strain in Ontario, Canada.

BACKGROUND: There is little research investigating the subjective experiences of parenting young children while living in poverty and experiencing financial strain using qualitative methodologies. Therefore, the objective of this study was to employ a qualitative approach to provide a nuanced and balanced view on the topic of parenting young children under financial strain in the Canadian context. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews between July and August 2021 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Sixteen participants aged 20-39 self-identified as living under financial strain while parenting a child aged 2-5 years. A qualitative inductive thematic analysis was undertaken with a focus on describing the contents of the data. RESULTS: Four major themes emerged from the data: experience of being a parent, impact of financial strain on the family unit, impact of financial strain on the children, and impact of financial strain on the parent. Numerous deleterious physical, mental, and material impacts on the family unit and parent were identified, however parent-perceived impacts of financial strain on their children were minimal. Parents described striking levels of resourcefulness and resiliency in providing the necessities for their families, absorbing the most significant impacts of financial strain through the phenomenon of self-sacrifice. CONCLUSION: The impacts of financial strain on families with young children are far reaching. Further research into the impacts of self-sacrifice on parents experiencing financial strain are needed to better understand this issue, and to inform social programming and resources that could help alleviate the deleterious impacts of poverty on parent mental, social, and physical health.

Children's perception of food parenting practices: adaptation and validation of the comprehensive feeding practices questionnaire in Chilean adolescents.

Introduction: Assessment of the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire in adolescents (CFPQ-Teen) is still limited, with no evaluation of the measurement invariance. The participants comprised 473 Chilean adolescents of both sexes from dual-income nuclear families. The aims of this study were: (1) to adapt to Spanish and validate a model of five-factor version the CFPQ-Teen; (2) to examine the psychometric properties, (3) to evaluate the measurement invariance according to the adolescents' gender; and (4) to compare the scores of each factor between female and male adolescents. Methods: The instrument was translated, back-translated, and adapted from the CFPQ-Teen, confirming the equivalence, conceptual, and face validity in a pilot sample of 40 adolescents. An exploratory factor analysis was performed on the five-factor model of the CFPQ-Teen: Monitoring, Adolescent Control, Restriction for weight control, Parental Modeling, and Environment. The Environment factor was eliminated as a result. Results: The confirmatory factor analysis presented good reliability, convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity values. In addition, medium to high goodness-of-fit levels were obtained by eliminating an item from the Adolescent Control factor. These results confirm a final 20-item model representing four factors. The multigroup invariance analysis of the measurement model verified configural, metric, scalar, and partial strict invariance. No significant differences were found between females and males in the scores on the four factors. Discussion: These results enable comparisons by sex on the perceptions of Food Parenting Practices from the analyzed factors, primarily within the context of the Chilean sample.

Family and community resilience: a Photovoice study.

BACKGROUND: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), in combination with adverse community environments, can result in traumatic stress reactions, increasing a person's risk for chronic physical and mental health conditions. Family resilience refers to the ability of families to withstand and rebound from adversity; it involves coping with disruptions as well as positive growth in the face of sudden or challenging life events, trauma, or adversities. This study aimed to identify factors contributing to family and community resilience from the perspective of families who self-identified as having a history of adversity and being resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This study used Photovoice, a visual participatory research method which asks participants to take photographs to illustrate their responses to a research question. Participants consisted of a maximum variation sample of families who demonstrated family level resilience in the context of the pair of ACEs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Family members were asked to collect approximately five images or videos that illustrated the facilitators and barriers to well-being for their family in their community. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted using the SHOWeD framework to allow participants to share and elucidate the meaning of their photos. Using thematic analysis, two researchers then independently completed line-by-line coding of interview transcripts before collaborating to develop consensus regarding key themes and interpretations. RESULTS: Nine families were enrolled in the study. We identified five main themes that enhanced family resilience: (1) social support networks; (2) factors fostering children's development; (3) access and connection to nature; (4) having a space of one's own; and (5) access to social services and community resources. CONCLUSIONS: In the context of additional stresses related to the COVID-19 pandemic, resilient behaviours and strategies for families were identified. The creation or development of networks of intra- and inter-community bonds; the promotion of accessible parenting, housing, and other social services; and the conservation and expansion of natural environments may support resilience and health.

Parental intention on getting children COVID-19 vaccinations: Invariance evaluation across parenting roles and COVID-19-like symptoms experiences among Iranians during the pandemic period.

Countries worldwide are facing challenges with increasing the COVID-19 vaccination rates for children. This study examined associations between perceived knowledge, coping appraisal, threat appraisal, adaptive response, maladaptive response, and intention, and possible variance across parents (mother or father) and COVID-19-like symptoms experiences regarding parental intentions to vaccinate their children. A total of 836 Iranian parents with children between the ages of 6 and 12 y completed measures assessing perceived knowledge, coping appraisals, threat appraisals, intentions, adaptive responses, and maladaptive responses. Multigroup structural equation modeling revealed that perceived knowledge was positively associated with both coping and threat appraisals, coping appraisals positively associated with adaptive responses, maladaptive responses, and intentions to vaccinate, threat appraisals positively associated with adaptive and maladaptive responses, and adaptive responses positively associated with intentions to vaccinate. The invariance evaluation revealed no differences across parents or COVID-19-like symptoms experiences in parental intentions to get their children vaccinated. The findings suggest that cogent information regarding childhood COVID-19 vaccination may boost parents' knowledge influencing their appraisals, adaptive responses and intentions to vaccinate their children. Specifically, coping appraisals and adaptive responses appeared to be important mediators between knowledge and intentions to vaccinate. Furthermore, intentions to vaccinate children may not be strongly influenced by parental roles or COVID-19-like symptoms experiences. These findings may help multiple stakeholders promote COVID-19 vaccination rates among children, and countries should further examine ways of increasing rates based on their specific needs.

Home and wild food procurement were associated with improved food security during the COVID-19 pandemic in two rural US states.

Both food insecurity and home and wild food procurement (HWFP), including gardening, increased in many countries during the COVID-19 pandemic; yet little evidence has demonstrated what impact HWFP had on food security. Using data from a representative sample of nearly 1000 residents in the two most rural US states (Vermont and Maine) conducted via an online survey in Spring/Summer 2021, as well as matching techniques, we compare food security outcomes among households who did and did not participate in HWFP in the first year of the pandemic. Nearly 60% of respondents engaged in HWFP in some way during the first year of the pandemic, with food insecure households more likely to do HWFP. Furthermore, HWFP early in the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with improved food security in the 9-12 months later, though these improvements were primarily associated with newly, not chronically, food insecure households. Newly and chronically food insecure households were more likely to want to continue these activities in the future, but also exhibited greater barriers to land access and costs associated with these activities. These results suggest that HWFP may provide food security improvements for certain households that utilize them, especially during crisis situations. Future research about HWFP should continue to explore multiple HWFP strategies, their barriers, and their potentially myriad relationships to food security, diet, and health outcomes, especially with longitudinal data.

Domestication of the Maputo Protocol in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Leveraging regional human rights commitments for abortion decriminalization and access.

The Maputo Protocol, adopted over 20 years ago, is a promising regional treaty for advancing gender equity and sexual and reproductive health and rights. This instrument has driven progress in women's health and rights across Africa, with much remaining to achieve to realize its full potential for women and girls, including access to safe abortion. The present paper shares the strategies and lessons from the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) reform centered on the domestication of the Protocol, specifically applying its commitments on abortion decriminalization and access. With a vision of addressing maternal mortality and rectifying the impacts of widespread sexual violence against women during war, abortion as a human right and health imperative was at the heart of the DRC's reform. Governmental commitment, broad coalition building, evidence generation, and an intersectional advocacy agenda were critical to overcoming opposition, stigma, and other challenges. This paper shares key learnings from the DRC's complex yet collaborative reform strategies and its processes. The strategy prioritized domestication of the Protocol for numerous reforms, including paving the path to legal abortion on the broad grounds of rape or incest, and saving women's health and/or life. With a commitment to maximizing quality, access, task sharing, and equity, progressive national comprehensive abortion guidelines were created alongside an implementation roadmap for accountability. The DRC's experience leveraging the Maputo Protocol's obligations to advance abortion rights and access offers valuable insights for consideration globally.

Impact of COVID-19 on food security and diet quality in Chilanga District, Zambia.

INTRODUCTION: Food security and nutrition have been severely impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We aimed to quantify the impacts of the pandemic on food security and diet diversity within Chilanga District in Zambia and identify target areas for high-impact social protection and safety net programs. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study in Chilanga district immediately after the Omicron variant surge in February 2022. Diet quality and food security were assessed based on a household diet questionnaire and a Minimum Dietary Diversity-Women (MDD-W) score was calculated. A paired t-test was used to determine whether there was a statistically significant change in the MDD-W score and McNemar test was used to investigate the change in food security between the pre- and peri-COVID-19 period. RESULTS: Compared to the pre-COVID-19 period, there were increases in food prices across the board in the peri-COVID-19 period and decreased consumption of key food categories including legumes, dairy and vitamin A rich foods. Despite high rates of food insecurity, only 6.6% of surveyed households received any cash or in-kind assistance from a government agency, non-profit, or other organization in the post-COVID-19 period. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic had significant impacts on food security and dietary diversity in Chilanga district. This is particularly relevant in the low-income communities that we surveyed, which had pre-existing challenges with food security. Additional resources must be invested in Chilanga District and similarly affected areas to address this gap in access to food and promote national equity. Trial Registration N/A.

Longitudinal Associations of Food Security with Health and Dietary Factors among Food FARMacy Participants during COVID-19 in New York City.

In cross-sectional studies, food insecurity is associated with adverse health and dietary outcomes. Whether self-reported health and dietary outcomes change in response to improvements in food security has not been examined. We sought to examine how increases in food security are related to changes in health and dietary factors. In this longitudinal, observational study, we included adult participants in a clinical-community emergency food assistance program in New York City from July 2020 to November 2021. Program staff measured food security with a validated six-item measure at program enrollment and six-month re-enrollment. Participants self-reported health and dietary factors (vegetable, fruit, juice, and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption frequency). We used multivariable regression to examine associations between change in food security with change in health and dietary factors over six months. Among 310 participants, the mean food security score improved by 1.7 ± 2.3 points over six months. In unadjusted models, each point improvement in food security was associated with increased vegetable (ß = 0.10 times; 95% CI: 0.05-0.15); fruit (ß = 0.08 times; 95% CI: 0.03-0.14); and juice (ß = 0.10 times; 95% CI: 0.05-0.15) consumption. In adjusted models, results remained significant for vegetable and fruit consumption, but not juice. Change in food security was not associated with change in health or SSB outcomes. In this cohort during COVID-19, improved food security was associated with improved vegetable and fruit consumption. Randomized trials that examine the effectiveness of clinical-community partnerships focused on improving food security and nutrition are warranted.

Adolescent Mental Health Before and During COVID-19: Longitudinal Evidence From the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort in Brazil.

PURPOSE: There is great interest in examining the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent mental health, but most studies were conducted in high-income countries. The identification of overall effects and protective factors is essential to understand the determinants of mental wellbeing in contexts of stress. We aimed to study changes in adolescent mental health during the pandemic and the risk and protective factors associated with these changes in a Brazilian birth cohort. METHODS: One thousand nine hundred forty nine adolescents from the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort were assessed prepandemic (T1, November 2019 to March 2020, mean age 15.69 years) and mid-pandemic (T2, August to December 2021, mean age 17.41 years). Mental health was assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Prepandemic and pandemic-related predictors were examined as predictors of change in multivariate latent change scores models. RESULTS: There was a mean increase in adolescent total mental health difficulties (M = 1.071, p < .001), hyperactivity/inattention (M = 0.208, p < .001), emotion symptoms (M = 0.409, p < .001), and peer problems (M = 0.434, p < .001) during the pandemic. This increase was associated with several negative family context variables, including harsh parenting and maternal depressive symptoms at T2. Higher emotion regulation levels protected against increases in adolescent mental health difficulties related to the COVID-19 pandemic. DISCUSSION: Family-context variables emerged as important risk factors for the deterioration of adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interventions promoting emotion regulation strategies are a promising approach to protecting adolescent wellbeing in periods of stress.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on new parents enrolled in the 'BABY1000' birth cohort study in Sydney, Australia: A mixed-methods study.

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic was, and continues to be, uniquely experienced by women in the perinatal period and their families. Whilst long-term impacts of the pandemic are unknown, exposures in pregnancy and early life have impacts across the life-course and future generations. The objective of this manuscript was to explore how the pregnancy, postpartum and parenting experiences of a subset of participants from the 'BABY1000' cohort in Sydney, Australia, were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and explore associations between these experiences and state anxiety. METHODS: Mixed methods were used. Participants were requested to complete an online survey including the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory short form (STAI-6), followed by an invitation to participate in focus group discussions (FGDs). RESULTS: From September to November 2021, 88 parents completed the survey (mean age 33.5 years, 60% born in Australia, 58% primiparous). Twenty-two parents participated in FGDs. Six themes were identified regarding the experience of parents: (1) Maternal support, (2) Family relationships, (3) Stress and mental health, (4) Healthcare, (5) Family lifestyle and routine, and (6) Long-term impacts. The mean STAI-6 score was 40 (SD 12.3), representing high anxiety. High anxiety was significantly associated with concern regarding COVID-19 and feeling overburdened and lonely. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health orders significantly impacted participants' pregnancy, postpartum and parenting experiences. Whilst these experiences included some unexpected positives, for many, these were outweighed by negative impacts on mental health, social support, health behaviours, and family relationships. IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH: Ongoing longitudinal research is imperative to identify potential long-term effects of the pandemic across the life-course, better support families in the short and long-term, and plan for public health crises in the future.

Complementing the United States Household Food Security Survey Module with Items Reflecting Social Unacceptability.

BACKGROUND: Social unacceptability of food access is part of the lived experience of food insecurity but is not assessed as part of the United States Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM). OBJECTIVES: The objectives were as follows: 1) to determine the psychometric properties of 2 additional items on social unacceptability in relation to the HFSSM items and 2) to test whether these 2 items provided added predictive accuracy to that of the HFSSM items for mental health outcomes. METHODS: Cross-sectional data used were from the Intersection of Material-Need Insecurities and HIV and Cardiovascular Health substudy of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study/Women's Interagency HIV Study Combined Cohort Study. Data on the 10-item HFSSM and 2 new items reflecting social unacceptability were collected between Fall 2020 and Fall 2021 from 1342 participants from 10 United States cities. The 2 social unacceptability items were examined psychometrically in relation to the HFSSM-10 items using models from item response theory. Linear and logistic regression was used to examine prediction of mental health measured by the 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale and the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale. RESULTS: The social unacceptability items were affirmed throughout the range of severity of food insecurity but with increasing frequency at higher severity of food insecurity. From item response theory models, the subconstructs reflected in the HFSSM-10 and the subconstruct of social unacceptability were distinct, not falling into one dimension. Regression models confirmed that social unacceptability was distinct from the subconstructs reflected in the HFSSM-10. The social unacceptability items as a separate scale explained more (∼1%) variation in mental health than when combined with the HFSSM-10 items in a single scale, and the social unacceptability subconstruct explained more (∼1%) variation in mental health not explained by the HFSSM-10. CONCLUSIONS: Two social unacceptability items used as a separate scale along with the HFSSM-10 predicted mental health more accurately than did the HFSSM-10 alone.

Queering food security research: A critical analysis of 2SLGBTQ+ People's experiences of food insecurity in Toronto during the COVID-19 pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: Household food insecurity (HFI), stress, isolation, and discrimination are major determinants of health that disproportionately affect 2SLGBTQ + people. The COVID-19 pandemic potentially exacerbated these inequities. This study investigates HFI rates among 2SLGBTQ + adults living in diverse household conditions during the pandemic and explores the idea that heteronormative conceptions of the "household" may affect measurement of HFI. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey responses were collected from 437 self-identified 2SLGBTQ + people from Toronto, Canada between March and July 2021. The survey measured HFI, sexual/gender identities, socio-demographic factors, household composition, and psycho-social stress/distress. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess variation in odds of marginal, moderate, and severe HFI in relation to sexual/gender identities, household composition, psycho-social distress, and socio-demographic covariates. RESULTS: Forty-two percent of respondents reported some level of HFI, with severe HFI higher among respondents who were bisexual, transgender/gender diverse, and/or assigned-female-at-birth. Living alone was associated with decreased odds of reporting marginal HFI but increased odds of moderate or severe HFI compared to living with a partner, family, or roommates; living with children was associated with decreased odds of both marginal and severe HFI. One indicator of psycho-social distress (perceived discrimination) was associated with higher odds of all levels of HFI, while the other (isolation) was associated with decreased odds of marginal HFI. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the high prevalence of HFI linked with discrimination among 2SLGBTQ + individuals during the pandemic. The complicated results regarding household composition and social isolation may suggest a need to revise definitions of the household when measuring, monitoring, and seeking to mitigate HFI in 2SLGBTQ + communities.

Cognitive and motivational numeracy parenting practices: Implications for children's numeracy engagement during early elementary school.

Parents are considered a major resource in children's numeracy development. The relative role of cognitive and motivational parenting practices, however, is unclear given that the two types of practices have largely been studied in isolation. The current study simultaneously estimated the contributions of several cognitive and motivational parenting practices hypothesized to be important, but which may have overlapping effects. To capture parents' cognitive practices, the level and structure (i.e., prompts vs. statements) of 529 American parents' (80% mothers; 65% White, 20% Black; 33% less than a bachelor's degree) numeracy talk was coded during a challenging numeracy activity. Parents' motivational practices were assessed by coding their autonomy support and control in the activity. Children's (Mage = 7.5 years; 49% girls) engagement of numeracy strategies was also coded. Multilevel minute-to-minute modeling predicting children's engagement from both cognitive and motivational parenting practices indicated that parents' cognitive practices, particularly advanced prompts, predicted children's subsequent engagement of numeracy strategies, which were often advanced. Parents' motivational practices, as reflected in their autonomy support (vs. control), also foreshadowed children's engagement. These effects of the two types of practices were independent of one another. Taken together, the findings are consistent with the idea that cognitive and motivational parenting practices provide distinct resources that can benefit children's math learning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Socioeconomic shocks, social protection and household food security amidst COVID-19 pandemic in Africa's largest economy.

Africa has been known to experience series of problems among which are poverty, food insecurity, lack of access to energy, lack of infrastructure among others. These problems were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a severe impact on the socioeconomic status of households in Africa. This paper examines the relationship between socioeconomic shocks, social protection, and household food security during the pandemic in Nigeria, the Africa's largest economy. Using the World Bank's COVID-19 national longitudinal baseline phone survey (2020) for the analysis and applied the multinomial logit regression, the study finds that socioeconomic shocks resulting from the pandemic have led to an increased level of food insecurity. Social protection programmes have played a crucial role in mitigating the impact of these shocks on households. However, the study also highlights the need for more targeted and effective social protection policies to ensure that vulnerable households are adequately protected from the adverse effects of the pandemic. The findings of this study have important implications for policymakers and stakeholders in Africa's largest economy, as they seek to address the challenges posed by the pandemic and promote household food security for the actualisation the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of food and nutrition security (SDG2). The study, therefore, recommends that efforts be made to preserve food supply chains by mitigating the pandemic's effect on food systems, increasing food production, and looking forward beyond the pandemic by building resilient food systems with the use of social protection interventions.

Parenting and disruptive child behavior: A daily diary study during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We examined how mothers' daily parenting cognitions and behaviors implicated by different theoretical perspectives (i.e., relational, learning theory, and cognitive perspectives) associated in linear or nonlinear ways with disruptive child behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined levels of heterogeneity between families in these patterns and whether this heterogeneity could be explained by mother and child characteristics. Mothers of 150 children, 3-8 years; 48% girls; 68% (sub)clinical conduct problems, completed 14 daily assessments (Nassessments = 1,993). Multilevel models indicate significant associations with daily disruptive child behavior for each of the parenting indicators, except for lax discipline. Positive involvement-implicated by relational perspectives-had a consistent, negative cubic association across families. Other associations were quadratic (for parental self-efficacy) or linear (for positive reinforcement, harsh discipline, and nonviolent discipline) and differed between families. Parenting behaviors indicative of learning theory and cognitive perspectives appeared more important in families with more maternal and child mental health problems; learning theory perspectives appeared more important also in families with older children. Our findings indicate the importance of considering nonlinear patterns of parent-child interactions in the context of disruptive behavior, at least in times where families are under pandemic-related stress. The identified between-family variation could potentially provide guidance as to what parenting support is most likely to benefit different families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Parenting young children during COVID-19: Parenting stress trajectories, parental mental health, and child problem behaviors.

Parenting stress reflects a discrepancy between a parent's perception of their resources, the demands of their child's needs, and the caregiving relationship and contexts (Abidin, 1992). Parenting stress can increase the risk of issues in the parent-child relationship, as well as child behavioral and emotional outcomes (Neece et al., 2012; Spinelli et al., 2021). Chronic stressors, such as living through the COVID-19 pandemic, have the potential to increase the demands of parenting and thus parenting stress. Using latent growth curve modeling, we examined parenting stress trajectories of 298 American parents with young children (Mage = 15.02 months, range = 1-34 months) over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also examined the effects of parental mental health on parenting stress, and the effects of parental mental health and parenting stress on child problem behaviors using data gathered through the Prolific survey platform. Parental mental health, measured by depressive symptoms Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale-10, anxiety symptoms Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and overall stress levels 10-item Perceived Stress Scale, was related to higher initial parenting stress index-short form. Changes in parenting stress over time were linked with higher levels of children's problem behaviors (CBCL). Child temperament was also related to initial parenting stress. Lower levels of household income were linked with higher levels of parental mental health symptoms and higher rates of parenting stress increases over time. These results highlight the importance of considering the well-being of all family members in child outcomes, and the ways in which different experiences and resources during the COVID-19 pandemic affect parental and child well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Trends and disparities in prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases by food security status in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have demonstrated the association between food security and cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs), yet none have investigated trends in prevalence of CMDs by food security status in the United States (US). METHODS: Serial cross-sectional analysis of the US nationally representative data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2018) was conducted among adults aged 20 years or older. Food security status was defined by the US Household Food Security Survey Module (full, marginal, low, and very low food security). We estimated the age-adjusted prevalence of CMDs including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and coronary heart disease by food security status. Racial and ethnic disparities in age-adjusted prevalence of CMDs by food security status were also assessed. RESULTS: A total of 49,738 participants were included in this analysis (weighted mean age 47.3 years; 51.3% women). From 1999 to 2018, the age-adjusted prevalence of CMDs was lower in full food secure group as compared with other groups. For example, trends in hypertension decreased from 49.7% (47.5-51.8%) to 45.9% (43.8-48.0%) (P-trend = 0.002) among the full and from 54.2% (49.9-58.5%) to 49.7% (46.8-52.6%) (P-trend = 0.02) among the marginal but remained stable among the low at 49.7% (47.9-51.6%) and among the very low at 51.1% (48.9-53.3%) (P-interaction = 0.02). Prevalence of diabetes increased from 8.85% (8.15-9.60%) to 12.2% (11.1-13.5%) among the full (P-trend < 0.001), from 16.5% (13.2-20.4%) to 20.9% (18.6-23.5%) (P-trend = 0.045) among the marginal and from 14.6% (11.1-19.0%) to 20.9% (18.8-23.3%) (P-trend = 0.001) among the low but remained stable at 18.8% (17.0-20.9) among the very low (P-trend = 0.35) (P-interaction = 0.03). Racial and ethnic differences in prevalence of CMD by food security status were observed. For example, among individuals with full food secure status, the prevalence of diabetes was 9.08% (95% CI, 8.60-9.59%) for non-Hispanic whites, 17.3% (95% CI, 16.4-18.2%) for non-Hispanic blacks, 16.1% (95% CI, 15.0-17.4%) for Hispanics and 14.9% (95% CI, 13.3-16.7%) for others. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Prevalence of CMDs was greatest among those experiencing food insecurity, and food insecurity disproportionately affected racial/ethnic minorities. Disparities in CMD prevalence by food security status persisted or worsened, especially among racial/ethnic minorities.