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Wang ML, Gago CM. Shifts in Child Health Behaviors and Obesity After COVID-19. JAMA Pediatr 2024; 178:427-428. [PMID: 38436952 DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.0027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
This Viewpoint examines recent COVID-19–related behavioral shifts in children’s diet, physical activity, sleep, and screen time from a health equity perspective and provides upstream interventions to support overall child health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica L Wang
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Cristina M Gago
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
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Yepez CE, Anderson CE, Frost E, Whaley SE, Koleilat M. Sleep Duration Is Associated with Household Food Insecurity and Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake Among Women, Infants and Children Participating Children Ages 0-5. Am J Health Promot 2024; 38:492-502. [PMID: 38155440 DOI: 10.1177/08901171231225289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To determine associations between child and household characteristics and sleep duration among low-income children in Los Angeles County. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Survey data collected in 2017 and 2020 in Los Angeles County, California. SAMPLE Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) households with children ages 4-60 months. MEASURES Sleep duration for children 4-60 months old (less than recommended (LTR), recommended range, more than recommended (MTR)), household food insecurity (HFI), sociodemographics, and daily servings of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB). ANALYSIS Multinomial logistic regression, stratified by child age, was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations between household/child characteristics and LTR or MTR sleep compared to recommended duration among WIC participating children 4-60 months old. RESULTS The final sample included 3512 children ages 4-23 months and 6035 children ages 24-60 months. In the study population, 32% (3-5 years old) to 44% (4-11months) of children under 5 did not meet the recommended hours of sleep per night. HFI was associated with higher odds of LTR (OR 1.27, CI 1.12-1.45) and MTR (OR 1.46, CI 1.15-1.87) sleep among 24-60 month-old children. Each additional daily SSB serving was associated with higher odds of LTR sleep (4-23 months: OR 1.10, CI 1.02-1.19; 24-59 months: OR 1.12, CI 1.08-1.17). CONCLUSIONS HFI and SSB intake are associated with not getting the recommended amount of sleep among low-income WIC participating children. Nutrition assistance program participants may benefit from receiving information about recommended sleep duration for young children and how to establish sleep routines to optimize sleep duration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine E Yepez
- Public Health Foundation Enterprises (PHFE) WIC, a Program of Heluna Health, City of Industry, CA, USA
| | - Christopher E Anderson
- Public Health Foundation Enterprises (PHFE) WIC, a Program of Heluna Health, City of Industry, CA, USA
| | - Erin Frost
- Department of Public Health, College of Health and Human Development, California State University, Fullerton, CA, USA
| | - Shannon E Whaley
- Public Health Foundation Enterprises (PHFE) WIC, a Program of Heluna Health, City of Industry, CA, USA
| | - Maria Koleilat
- Department of Public Health, College of Health and Human Development, California State University, Fullerton, CA, USA
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Marcotullio C, Attanasi M, Porreca A, Di Filippo P, Matricardi S, Venanzi A, Schiavo M, Paone A, Rossi N, Chiarelli F, Prezioso G. Neuropsychological Symptoms and Quality of Life during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Children: A Survey in a Pediatric Population in the Abruzzo Region, Italy. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 11:532. [PMID: 38790527 PMCID: PMC11119843 DOI: 10.3390/children11050532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has significantly affected the pediatric population. Long-term sequelae (Long COVID-19) may particularly involve the central nervous system, with possible effects on psychological well-being and quality of life (QoL), aspects that were already influenced by the restrictive measures and general social impact of the pandemic. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional survey that aims at investigating the neuropsychological effects and the QoL impairment of SARS-CoV-2 on a cohort of children and adolescents in the Abruzzo region (Italy). A questionnaire was submitted to caregivers with the help of the PEDIATOTEM platform. A control group of healthy subjects was also included to distinguish between the effects of infection from the general influence of the pandemic. RESULTS A total of 569 subjects responded: 396 COVID-19 patients (99 of whom had Long COVID-19) and 111 controls. After the pandemic, when compared with the COVID-19 group, the controls reported significantly increased appetite, sleeping habits, and time spent remotely with friends and a reduction in physical activity and time spent in person with friends. A significant higher rate of controls asked for psychological/medical support for emotional problems. On the other hand, the Long COVID-19 group showed more fatigue and emotional instability with respect to non-Long-COVID-19 subjects. No differences in QoL results (EuroQOL) were found between the COVID-19 patients and controls, while the Long-COVID-19 subgroup showed significantly higher rates of pain/discomfort and mood instability, as confirmed by the analysis of variation of responses from the pre-COVID-19 to the post-COVID-19 period. CONCLUSIONS Among COVID-19 patients, neuropsychological and QoL impairment was more evident in the Long COVID-19 subgroup, although emotional and relational issues were also reported by uninfected patients, with a growing request for specialist support as a possible consequence of social restriction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Marcotullio
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (C.M.); (M.A.); (P.D.F.); (S.M.); (A.V.); (M.S.); (N.R.); (F.C.)
| | - Marina Attanasi
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (C.M.); (M.A.); (P.D.F.); (S.M.); (A.V.); (M.S.); (N.R.); (F.C.)
| | - Annamaria Porreca
- Laboratory of Biostatistics, Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy;
| | - Paola Di Filippo
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (C.M.); (M.A.); (P.D.F.); (S.M.); (A.V.); (M.S.); (N.R.); (F.C.)
| | - Sara Matricardi
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (C.M.); (M.A.); (P.D.F.); (S.M.); (A.V.); (M.S.); (N.R.); (F.C.)
| | - Annamaria Venanzi
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (C.M.); (M.A.); (P.D.F.); (S.M.); (A.V.); (M.S.); (N.R.); (F.C.)
| | - Marco Schiavo
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (C.M.); (M.A.); (P.D.F.); (S.M.); (A.V.); (M.S.); (N.R.); (F.C.)
| | - Antonio Paone
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Science, University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy;
| | - Nadia Rossi
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (C.M.); (M.A.); (P.D.F.); (S.M.); (A.V.); (M.S.); (N.R.); (F.C.)
| | - Francesco Chiarelli
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (C.M.); (M.A.); (P.D.F.); (S.M.); (A.V.); (M.S.); (N.R.); (F.C.)
| | - Giovanni Prezioso
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy; (C.M.); (M.A.); (P.D.F.); (S.M.); (A.V.); (M.S.); (N.R.); (F.C.)
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Bekelman TA, Trasande L, Law A, Blackwell CK, Jacobson LP, Bastain TM, Breton CV, Elliott AJ, Ferrara A, Karagas MR, Aschner JL, Bornkamp N, Camargo CA, Comstock SS, Dunlop AL, Ganiban JM, Gern JE, Karr CJ, Kelly RS, Lyall K, O’Shea TM, Schweitzer JB, LeWinn KZ. Opportunities for understanding the COVID-19 pandemic and child health in the United States: the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program. Front Pediatr 2023; 11:1171214. [PMID: 37397146 PMCID: PMC10308998 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2023.1171214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective Ongoing pediatric cohort studies offer opportunities to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's health. With well-characterized data from tens of thousands of US children, the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program offers such an opportunity. Methods ECHO enrolled children and their caregivers from community- and clinic-based pediatric cohort studies. Extant data from each of the cohorts were pooled and harmonized. In 2019, cohorts began collecting data under a common protocol, and data collection is ongoing with a focus on early life environmental exposures and five child health domains: birth outcomes, neurodevelopment, obesity, respiratory, and positive health. In April of 2020, ECHO began collecting a questionnaire designed to assess COVID-19 infection and the pandemic's impact on families. We describe and summarize the characteristics of children who participated in the ECHO Program during the COVID-19 pandemic and novel opportunities for scientific advancement. Results This sample (n = 13,725) was diverse by child age (31% early childhood, 41% middle childhood, and 16% adolescence up to age 21), sex (49% female), race (64% White, 15% Black, 3% Asian, 2% American Indian or Alaska Native, <1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 10% Multiple race and 2% Other race), Hispanic ethnicity (22% Hispanic), and were similarly distributed across the four United States Census regions and Puerto Rico. Conclusion ECHO data collected during the pandemic can be used to conduct solution-oriented research to inform the development of programs and policies to support child health during the pandemic and in the post-pandemic era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Traci A. Bekelman
- Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes (LEAD) Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Leonardo Trasande
- Department of Pediatrics, Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Andrew Law
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Courtney K. Blackwell
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Lisa P. Jacobson
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Theresa M. Bastain
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Carrie V. Breton
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Amy J. Elliott
- Avera Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of South Dakota School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD, United States
| | - Assiamira Ferrara
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, United States
| | - Margaret R. Karagas
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States
| | - Judy L. Aschner
- Departments of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, NJ, United States
| | - Nicole Bornkamp
- Division of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Carlos A. Camargo
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Sarah S. Comstock
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Anne L. Dunlop
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Jody M. Ganiban
- Department of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - James E. Gern
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Catherine J. Karr
- Departments of Pediatrics & Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Rachel S. Kelly
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Kristen Lyall
- AJ Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - T. Michael O’Shea
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Julie B. Schweitzer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - Kaja Z. LeWinn
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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Nasui BA, Ungur RA, Nasui GA, Popescu CA, Hofer AM, Dersidan S, Popa M, Silaghi H, Silaghi CA. Adolescents' Lifestyle Determinants in Relation to Their Nutritional Status during COVID-19 Pandemic Distance Learning in the North-Western Part of Romania-A Cross-Sectional Study. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 10:922. [PMID: 37371154 DOI: 10.3390/children10060922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2023] [Revised: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Several studies have examined how the lockdown restrictions enforced to halt the spread of COVID-19 have affected adults' movement behaviors; however, there is limited information regarding the effects on youth. This study aimed to report on the lifestyle habits of adolescents during COVID-19 pandemic remote learning and explore associations between the participants' bodyweight and lifestyle behaviors. We used a cross-sectional study applied to 285 students studying in the gymnasium. The response rate was 74.21%. They completed an online questionnaire regarding lifestyle, eating habits, and nutritional status (assessed by the Body Mass Index-BMI). The study was conducted in January-February 2021. The percentage of overweight and obese was higher among boys (p = 0.001). The mean sleep duration was 8.12 (SD:1.284) hours per night, and was higher in boys than in girls. The respondents met the physical activity (PA) recommendation for their age, based mainly on unorganized PA. The screen time was 4-6 h or more for the majority of the respondents. Dietary habits included a high consumption of comfort food, like cereals, sweets, soft drinks, snacks, and fried food, but a lower consumption of vegetables and fast food. The regression analyses showed that the BMI was correlated with the BMI of the parents and the number of hours spent in front of the computers in free time. The study identified behavioral and environmental factors that can be modified with effective strategies to reduce overweight and obesity among school students and to promote a healthy lifestyle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bogdana Adriana Nasui
- Department of Community Health, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Louis Pasteur Street, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Rodica Ana Ungur
- Department of Medical Specialties, "Iuliu Hațieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Victor Babeș Street, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Gabriel Adrian Nasui
- Law Faculty, Dimitrie Cantemir University, Teodor Mihali Street, No 60, 400591 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Codruta Alina Popescu
- Department of Practical Abilities-Human Sciences, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Louis Pasteur Street, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Ana Maria Hofer
- Department of Community Health, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Louis Pasteur Street, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Sebastian Dersidan
- Department of Community Health, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Louis Pasteur Street, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Monica Popa
- Department of Community Health, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Louis Pasteur Street, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Horatiu Silaghi
- Department of Surgery V, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Victor Babes Street 8, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Cristina Alina Silaghi
- Department of Endocrinology, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Victor Babes Street 8, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Health (ARPA-H): a new model for research in child health. Pediatr Res 2023; 93:451-452. [PMID: 36481786 PMCID: PMC9735209 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-022-02405-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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