The role of nutrition in integrated early child development in the 21st century: contribution from the Maternal and Child Nutrition journal

Even though it is widely recognized that early childhood development (ECD) is one of the most important predictors of future social capital and national productivity, the recently published ECD Lancet Series reports that about 250 million children under 5 years are at risk of not reaching their developmental potential, mainly as a result of poverty and social injustice. So why is this and what will it take to reverse this situation? The purpose of this special issue is to highlight important contributions from previously published articles in Maternal & Child Nutrition to the field of nutrition and ECD. The collection of papers presented in this special issue collectively indicates that although nutrition‐specific interventions are essential for child development, they are not sufficient by themselves for children to reach their full developmental potential. This is because ECD is influenced by many other factors besides nutrition, including hand washing/sanitation, parenting skills, psychosocial stimulation, and social protection. Future research should focus on mixed‐methods implementation science seeking to understand how best to translate evidence‐based integrated ECD packages into effective intersectoral policies and programs on a large scale. In addition to health and nutrition, these programs need to consider and include responsive parenting (including responsive feeding), learning stimulation, education, and social protection. Future studies should also address if and how childhood obesity affects human physical, socioemotional, and cognitive development.     

The growth and development of twins compared with singletons at ages 9 and 11

The growth and development of 9 and 11-year old twins who have been studied at birth, and at ages 3, 5, and 7 years was compared with that of a large group of singletons. The twins were not signficantly different to the singletons in language development, reading, spelling or Performance IQ. They remained significantly shorter, lighter and had smaller head circumferences. This difference was shown to have been fairly consistent from age 3. The twins had significantly lower Verbal and Full Scale IQ, but in view of a lack of disadvantage in educational progress this was not considered to be of any practical importance.     

Timing of infection and development of wheeze,eczema, and atopic sensitization during the first 2 yr of life: The KOALA Birth Cohort Study

Mommers M, Thijs C, Stelma F, Penders J, Reimerink J, van Ree R, Koopmans M. Timing of infection and development of wheeze, eczema, and atopic sensitization during the first 2 yr of life: The KOALA Birth Cohort Study.
Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2010: 21: 983–989.
© 2010 The John Wiley & Sons A/S To investigate if infections in pregnancy and very early in life present a risk for wheezing, eczema, or atopic sensitization in later infancy. A total of 2319 children enrolled before birth in the KOALA Birth Cohort Study were followed during their first 2 yr of life using repeated questionnaires. Information was obtained on common colds, fever, and diarrhea with fever as well as on wheeze and eczema at ages 3 and 7 months and 1 and 2 yr, respectively. Blood samples were collected from 786 children at age 2 yr for specific immunoglobulin E analyses. Children with a common cold [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.03 95% CI 1.21–3.41] or fever episode (aOR 1.81 95% CI 1.10–2.96) in the first 3 months of life had a higher risk of new onset wheeze in the second year of life compared to children who had not. For children with diarrhea with fever in the first 3 months of life, the aOR for new onset wheeze in the second year of life was 3.94 (95% CI 1.36–11.40) compared to children without diarrhea. Infections becoming clinically manifest during the first 3 months of life may be a general marker for a wheezy phenotype.     

Definition of respiratory symptoms and disease in early childhood in large prospective birth cohort studies that predict the development of asthma

We have reviewed the prospective value of early respiratory symptoms for determining the risk of development of asthma later in life by using data from studies based on the general population, hospital population, and general practices. Although 'wheezing' in infancy generally has a good prognosis, it is an important risk factor for the development of asthma later in life. The prognostic value of 'coughing' and 'shortness of breath' in infancy for the later development of asthma is less clear. Despite the fact that no internationally accepted criteria for the definition of asthma in early childhood are available, many studies have been performed on this topic. We also investigated the outcome variables that were used to describe respiratory symptoms and disease in early childhood in the publications of nine large prospective birth cohort studies on the development of asthma. From seven of these studies, we reviewed the original questionnaires. We found that various studies used different outcome variables, but the data actually collected were similar. This is an important observation because it implies that comparisons between studies can be markedly improved by data sharing among investigators.     

Relationship between physical growth and motor development in the WHO Child Growth Standards

Aim: To examine relationships among physical growth indicators and ages of achievement of six gross motor milestones in the WHO Child Growth Standards population. Methods: Gross motor development assessments were performed longitudinally on the 816 children included in the WHO Child Growth Standards. Six milestones (sitting without support, hands-and-knees crawling, standing with assistance, walking with assistance, standing alone, walking alone) were assessed monthly from 4 until 12 mo of age and bimonthly thereafter until children could walk alone or reached 24 mo. Failure time models were used 1) to examine associations between specified ages of motor milestone achievement and attained growth z scores and 2) to quantify these relationships as delays or accelerations in ages of milestone achievement. Results: Statistically significant associations were noted between ages of achievement of sitting without support and attained weight-for-age, weight-for-length and BMI-for-age z scores. An increase of one unit z score in these indicators was associated with 3 to 6 d acceleration in the respective achievement age. Statistically significant associations also were noted between various milestone achievement ages and growth when 3- or 6-mo and birth length-for-age z scores were entered jointly in the failure time models. In these analyses, one unit z-score increase in length-for-age was associated with 1 to 3 d delay in the respective achievement age.
Conclusion: Sporadic, significant associations were observed between gross motor development and some physical growth indicators, but these were quantitatively of limited practical significance. These results suggest that, in healthy populations, the attainment of these six gross motor milestones is largely independent of variations in physical growth.     

The effect of breastfeeding on child development at 5 years: a cohort study

OBJECTIVE: It is uncertain to what degree the relationship between breastfeeding and later cognitive development is a true biological effect, or is confounded by psychosocial factors. The study aim was to further investigate this relationship and the effect of duration of breast feeding on cognitive development. METHODS: A total of 3880 children were followed from birth. Breastfeeding duration was measured by questionnaire at 6 months of age and a Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Revised (PPVT-R) was administered at 5 years. PPVT-R scores were adjusted for the effects of a large array of biological and psychosocial confounders. The relationship between breastfeeding and the mean PPVT-R scores were examined using analysis of variance and multiple linear regression. RESULTS: A strong positive relationship was demonstrated between breastfeeding and the PPVT-R scores with increasing scores with increased duration of breastfeeding. After adjusting for a wide range of biological and social factors, the adjusted mean for those breastfed for 6 months or more was 8.2 points higher for females and 5.8 points for males when compared to those never breastfed. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest a significant benefit to child development is conferred by breastfeeding and is related independently to longer periods of breastfeeding.     

Maternal mental health modifies the association of food insecurity and early child development

We examined the association between household food insecurity and early child development and whether or not maternal depression and anxiety modifies this association. The cross‐sectional study included 468 mother–infant pairs recruited at primary health centers of the Federal District, Brazil. Mothers answered a questionnaire that evaluated early child development (outcome), household food insecurity (independent variable), maternal depression and trait anxiety (effect modifiers). Variables were collected with validated questionnaires for the Brazilian population. Pearson's χ² test and logistic regression analyses were conducted. Infants who lived in a moderate or severe food insecure household had 2.52 times (95% confidence interval [CI] [1.13, 5.65]) the odds of having early child development delays compared with infants in secure households. Maternal depression and anxiety modified the strength of association between household food insecurity and early child development, which is an innovative finding. Among infants with depressed mothers, those experiencing mild (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.33, 95% CI [1.17, 9.46]) and moderate/severe household food insecurity (aOR 10.13, 95% CI [2.18, 47.10]) had higher odds of having early child development delays, compared with infants in food secure households. Among infants with both anxious and depressed mothers, these associations were even stronger for mild (aOR 4.69, 95% CI [1.41, 15.59]) and moderate/severe household food insecurity (aOR 16.07, 95% CI [2.70, 95.66]). In conclusion, household food insecurity is a risk factor for early child development delays, and this association is modified by maternal depression and anxiety. Future studies should evaluate the impact of intervention packages that address maternal depression and anxiety and household food insecurity on preventing early child development delays.     

Mortality experiences among 15+ year survivors of childhood and adolescent cancers

BACKGROUND: Studies of childhood and adolescent cancer survivorship have tended to focus on limited survival intervals (e.g., 5 and 10 years). Our report evaluates gender-specific overall mortality, as well as mortality by age group, and by cause, among 15+ year survivors of cancer diagnosed during childhood or adolescence. PROCEDURE: This was a retrospective cohort study of 565 15+ year childhood cancer survivors from Roswell Park Cancer Institute's Long-Term Follow-Up Project. Sex- and age-specific person-years at risk were accumulated and applied to age-specific mortality rates for New York State, excluding New York City. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), and 95% confidence intervals, were calculated and compared to mortality risks of the general population. RESULTS: Second malignancy was the leading cause of death among male and female survivors (15/38 deaths, 39%). Excess overall mortality was noted among both males (SMR = 284) and females (SMR = 371). Significant mortality excesses were seen in both genders for deaths due to primary malignant neoplasms and secondary malignancies, as well as cardiac deaths among males. Excess mortality was noted across most age strata. In the scenario of no cancer relapse, overall mortality in both genders did not differ significantly from the general population. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term survivors of childhood and adolescent cancers continue to demonstrate significant excess mortality. However, overall mortality among 15+ year survivors without a relapse appears to be comparable to the general population. The leading cause of death among 15+ year survivors is second malignancy in this study, which represents a novel and important finding in terms of long-term follow-up.     

The timing of maternal depressive symptoms and child cognitive development: a longitudinal study

Background: Maternal depression is known to be associated with impairments in child cognitive development, although the effect of timing of exposure to maternal depression is unclear. Methods: Data collected for the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a longitudinal study beginning in pregnancy, included self‐report measures of maternal depression the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, completed on 6 occasions up to 3 years of age, and IQ of the index child (WISC) measured at aged 8 years. We used these data to assign women to 8 groups according to whether depression occurred in the antenatal, postnatal, preschool period, any combination of these times, or not at all. We compared a model comprising all patterns of depression (saturated model) with models nested within this to test whether there is a relationship between depression and child cognitive development and, if so, whether there is a sensitive period. We then investigated the relationship with child IQ for each model, following adjustment for confounders. Results: Six thousand seven hundred and thirty‐five of 13,615 children from singleton births (49.5%, of eligible core sample) attended a research clinic at 8 years and completed a WISC with a score ≥ 70. A total of 5,029 mothers of these children had completed mood assessments over the 3 time periods. In unadjusted analyses, all three sensitive period models were as good as the saturated model, as was an accumulation model. Of the sensitive period models, only that for antenatal exposure was a consistently better fit than the accumulation model. After multiple imputation for missing data (to n = 6,735), there was no effect of postnatal depression on child IQ independent of depression at other times [?0.19 IQ points, 95% confidence interval (CI) ?1.5 to 1.1 points]. There was an effect of antenatal depression (?3.19 IQ points, 95% CI: ?4.33 to ?2.06) which attenuated following adjustment (?0.64 IQ points, 95% CI: ?1.68 to 0.40). Conclusions: The postnatal period is not a sensitive one for the effect of maternal depression on child cognitive development.     

The quality of preterm infants' spontaneous movements: an early indicator of intelligence and behaviour at school age

Background: The quality of very preterm infants’ spontaneous movements at 11 to 16 weeks post‐term age is a powerful predictor of their later neurological status. This study investigated whether early spontaneous movements also have predictive value for the intellectual and behavioural problems that children born very preterm often experience. Methods: Spontaneous movement quality was assessed, using Prechtl’s method, at 11 to 16 weeks post‐term in 65 infants born at ≤ 33 weeks of gestation in a single centre. Intelligence and behaviour were assessed with standardised tests at 7 to 11 years of age. Neurological status was assessed with Touwen’s test. Multiple regression was used to determine the predictive value of movement quality for intelligence and behavioural problems. The Sobel test was used to determine if neurological status mediated associations found between early movement quality and outcome. Results: Spontaneous movement quality at 11 to 16 weeks post‐term was significantly, positively associated with later intelligence. The number of normal postural patterns displayed contributed most strongly to the association, which was not mediated by neurological status. Fidgety movements, strong predictors of later neurological dysfunction, were not associated with intelligence. Spontaneous movement quality was not associated with internalising or externalising problems but showed a trend to an association with attention problems. Conclusion: These findings suggest that, in children born preterm, early spontaneous movement quality has clear prognostic value for neurological and intellectual outcome, and to a lesser extent, for attentional outcome. However, cognitive outcome was associated with the presence of specific, age‐appropriate postural patterns, while neurological outcome has been associated with the presence of global movement abnormalities. The presence of specific, age‐appropriate postural patterns may reflect the integrity of areas of the brain involved in cognitive processing and the regulation of attention later in childhood. Alternately, it may facilitate cognitive and attentional development.     

Leaving home after cancer in childhood: a measure of social independence in early adulthood

BACKGROUND: Previous studies on psychosocial outcomes for childhood and adolescent cancer survivors have found diverse results concerning social independence. As a measure of social independence, we investigated whether cancer survivors displayed the same patterns of leaving home as population-based control group. PROCEDURE: We identified 1,597 patients in the Danish Cancer Register, born in 1965-1980, in whom a primary cancer was diagnosed before they reached the age of 20 in the period 1965-1995. The patients were compared with a random sample of the general population (n = 43,905) frequency matched on sex and date of birth. By linking the two cohorts to registers in Statistics Denmark, we obtained socioeconomic data for the period 1980-1997. The relative risk for leaving home was estimated with discrete-time Cox regression models. RESULTS: The risk for leaving home of survivors of hematological malignancies and solid tumors did not differ significantly from that of the control cohort. Adjustments for possible socioeconomic confounders did not change this pattern. In contrast, survivors of central nervous system (CNS) tumors had a significantly reduced risk for leaving home, which was most pronounced for men (relative risk, men: 0.66; 95% confidence interval, 0.55-0.80; women: 0.88, 95% confidence interval, 0.80-0.97). CONCLUSION: Overall, the psychosocial effects of cancer in childhood or adolescence and its treatment on the survivor and family did not appear to impede social independence in early adulthood, except for survivors of CNS tumors.     

Parental depressive and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy and attention problems in children: a cross‐cohort consistency study

Background: Maternal depression and anxiety during pregnancy have been associated with offspring‐attention deficit problems. Aim: We explored possible intrauterine effects by comparing maternal and paternal symptoms during pregnancy, by investigating cross‐cohort consistency, and by investigating whether parental symptoms in early childhood may explain any observed intrauterine effect. Methods: This study was conducted in two cohorts (Generation R, n = 2,280 and ALSPAC, n = 3,442). Pregnant women and their partners completed questionnaires to assess symptoms of depression and anxiety. Child attention problems were measured in Generation R at age 3 with the Child Behavior Checklist, and in ALSPAC at age 4 with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results: In both cohorts, antenatal maternal symptoms of depression (Generation R: OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.05–1.43; ALSPAC: OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.19–1.48) and anxiety (Generation R: OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.06–1.46; ALSPAC: OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.19–1.47) were associated with a higher risk of child attention problems. In ALSPAC, paternal depression was also associated with a higher risk of child attention problems (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.00–1.24). After adjusting for maternal symptoms after giving birth, antenatal maternal depression and anxiety were no longer associated with child attention problems in Generation R. Moreover, there was little statistical evidence that antenatal maternal and paternal depression and anxiety had a substantially different effect on attention problems of the child. Conclusions: The apparent intrauterine effect of maternal depression and anxiety on offspring‐behavioural problems may be partly explained by residual confounding. There was little evidence of a difference between the strength of associations of maternal and paternal symptoms during pregnancy with offspring‐attention problems. That maternal symptoms after childbirth were also associated with offspring‐behavioural problems may indicate a contribution of genetic influences to the association.