Mothers experiencing depression can still thrive as parents
Researcher explores how external supports offset the risks to children's health posed by maternal depression
August 8, 2023
Science Daily/University of British Columbia Okanagan campus
The proverb "It takes a village to raise a child" takes on new significance when a mother of a child is experiencing depression.
"Being a mother with depression carries increased risks for a child's physical and psychological health," says Dr. Sarah Dow-Fleisner, Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work and Director of the Centre for the Study of Services to Children and Families at UBC Okanagan. "But it's not fated to be, especially if mothers have external supports."
Dr. Dow-Fleisner's findings, recently published in the Journal of Family Issues, have important implications for how social workers and clinical practitioners -- as well as families and communities -- can help.
While a lot of research focuses on the postpartum period during which the rate of depression among mothers is highest, Dr. Dow-Fleisner wanted to focus on depression occurring later in childhood. Her team used data from a large longitudinal US study to compare depressed and non-depressed mothers of nine-year-old children.
Her analyses revealed that mothers with depression were more likely to report parenting stress and less likely to view themselves as competent parents as compared to non-depressed mothers. They also reported engaging in more disciplinary tactics, including nonviolent tactics like taking away privileges as well as aggressive tactics like cursing or threatening the child. In terms of involvement, they were less likely to be involved at the child's school, such as attending an open house. However, they were equally likely to be involved in home activities, such as helping with homework.
"Furthermore, mothers with depression reported fewer interpersonal supports and community resources than mothers without depression," says Dr. Dow-Fleisner. "This is consistent with previous research."
Interpersonal supports refer to both emotional and material help from others, such as a relative providing advice or emergency childcare. Community resources refer to safety and neighbourhood cohesion. Neighbourhood cohesion measures the willingness of neighbours to help and the shared values of the neighbourhood, among other social and trust factors.
"Notably, those mothers with depression who reported higher levels of support and cohesion felt less stressed and more competent in their parenting," says Dr. Dow-Fleisner. "These positive perceptions translated to less psychological aggression-based discipline and more home and school involvement with their children."
These findings fit with a resilience perspective, whereby mothers facing adversity like depression can still thrive as parents -- especially when these protective factors are present.
"We want to help moms both address their depression and improve the child's health and wellbeing -- this is known as a two-generation approach," says Dr. Dow-Fleisner. "As mothers may not seek out help for their depression alone, a child health check-up in a primary care setting is a good opportunity to screen for maternal depression and provide support in identifying interpersonal supports and community resources."
Dr. Dow-Fleisner adds that supportive programs should go beyond addressing immediate parenting problems and instead build capacity. For example, a community-based parenting support group could help a mother to build a network of people who could provide material and emotional support as needed. Dr. Dow-Fleisner cites Mamas for Mamas as one such community-based group. Mamas for Mamas, with branches in Kelowna and Vancouver, builds community and provides material as well as other supports for mothers and other caregivers.
"Further funding of programs that empower mothers -- including those experiencing mental health concerns -- would go a long way in improving the health and wellbeing of children, mothers and families," says Dr. Dow-Fleisner.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230808181910.htm
Women who consumed sugar sweetened beverage daily had higher risk of developing liver cancer and chronic liver disease
Approximately 65% of adults in the United States consume sugar sweetened beverages daily
August 8, 2023
Science Daily/Mass General Brigham
Approximately 65% of adults in the United States consume sugar sweetened beverages daily. Chronic liver disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and can result in liver cancer and liver disease-related mortality. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, led one of the first studies to look at the association between intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, artificially sweetened beverages, and incidence of liver cancer and chronic liver disease mortality. Results are published in JAMA.
"To our knowledge, this is the first study to report an association between sugar sweetened beverage intake and chronic liver disease mortality," said first author Longgang Zhao, PhD, of the Brigham's Channing Division of Network Medicine. Zhao is a postdoctoral researcher who works with senior author Xuehong Zhang, MBBS, ScD, in the Channing Division. "Our findings, if confirmed, may pave the way to a public health strategy to reduce risk of liver disease based on data from a large and geographically diverse cohort."
This observational study included nearly 100,000 postmenopausal women from the large, prospective Women's Health Initiative study. Participants reported their usual soft drink, fruit drink (not including fruit juice) consumption, and then reported artificially sweetened beverage consumption after three years. Participants were followed for a median of more than 20 years. Researchers looked at self-reported liver cancer incidence and death due to chronic liver disease such as fibrosis, cirrhosis, or chronic hepatitis, which were further verified by medical records or the National Death Index.
A total of 98,786 postmenopausal women were included in the final analyses. The 6.8 percent of women who consumed one or more sugar-sweetened beverages daily had an 85 percent higher risk of liver cancer and 68 percent higher risk of chronic liver disease mortality compared to those who had fewer than three sugar sweetened beverages per month.
The authors note that the study was observational, and causality cannot be inferred, and relied on self-reported responses about intake, sugar content and outcomes. More studies are needed to validate this risk association and determine why the sugary drinks appeared to increase risk of liver cancer and disease. Furthermore, more research is needed to elucidate the potential mechanisms by integrating genetics, preclinical and experimental studies, and -omics data.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230808110942.htm
A mother's diet can protect her grandchildren's brains: genetic model study
August 3, 2023
Science Daily/Monash University
Mothers who eat apples and herbs in early pregnancy could be protecting the brain health of their children and grandchildren, a Monash University study using genetic models has found.
The discovery is part of a project that found a mother's diet can affect not just her child's brain but also those of her grandchildren.
Published in Nature Cell Biology, the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute study found that certain foods could help protect against the deterioration of brain function.
More specifically, the study used roundworms (Caenorhabditis elegans) as the genetic model because many of their genes are also found conserved in humans, allowing insights into human cells.
The researchers found that a molecule present in apples and herbs (basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage) helped reduce the breakdown of communication cables needed for the brain to work properly.
Senior author Professor Roger Pocock and his team were investigating nerve cells in the brain that connect and communicate with each other through about 850,000 kilometres of cables called axons. For axons to function and survive, essential materials need to be transported along an internal structure that contains microtubules.
Professor Pocock explained that a malfunction that caused the axons to become fragile led to brain dysfunction and neurodegeneration.
He said his team used a genetic model with fragile axons that break as animals age. "We asked whether natural products found in the diet can stabilise these axons and prevent breakage," he explained.
"We identified a molecule found in apples and herbs (ursolic acid) that reduces axon fragility. How? We found that ursolic acid causes a gene to turn on that makes a specific type of fat. This particular fat also prevented axon fragility as animals age by improving axon transport and therefore its overall health."
Professor Pocock said this type of fat, known as a sphingolipid, had to travel from the mother's intestine, where food is digested, to eggs in the uterus for it to protect axons in the next generation. He said while the results were promising, they still need to be confirmed in humans.
"This is the first time that a lipid/fat has been shown to be inherited," he said. "Further, feeding the mother the sphingolipid protects the axons of two subsequent generations. This means a mother's diet can affect not just their offspring's brain but potentially subsequent generations. Our work supports a healthy diet during pregnancy for optimal brain development and health."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230803213815.htm
Early-life lead exposure linked to higher risk of criminal behavior in adulthood
Still, multi-study review highlights need for more individual-level data to strengthen understanding
August 1, 2023
Science Daily/PLOS
An evaluation of 17 previously published studies suggests that exposure to lead in the womb or in childhood is associated with an increased risk of engaging in criminal behavior in adulthood -- but more evidence is needed to strengthen understanding. Maria Jose Talayero Schettino of the George Washington University, U.S., and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS Global Public Health.
Lead exposure can cause a variety of health challenges, such as cardiac issues, kidney damage, immune system dysfunction, reproductive problems, and impaired neurodevelopmental function in children. Research has also uncovered statistical associations between lead exposure and criminal behavior, both at the level of the entire population and at the level of individual people. However, the findings of individual-level studies have been inconsistent.
To help clarify the existing evidence, Talayero Schettino and colleagues conducted a systematic review of studies that address links between individual lead exposure and crime or other antisocial behaviors. Their analysis included 17 studies, which employed a variety of methods for measuring lead exposure -- using blood, bones, or teeth -- and addressed the effects of exposure at different ages, including in the womb or early childhood, later childhood, and adolescence or adulthood.
The review highlighted a wide range of findings among the studies. For instance, in some cases, no statistical links were found between early childhood lead exposure and later delinquent behavior. One study showed a link between exposure and antisocial behavior, but not arrests. Still, several studies found links between early childhood exposure to lead and later arrests, including drug-related arrests. The authors also used a tool called ROBINS-E to evaluate each study for statistical bias, finding some studies to be more statistically robust than others.
Overall, in light of the known biological effects of lead, this review suggests that an individual exposed to lead in the womb or in early childhood may have a higher risk of engaging in criminal behavior as an adult.
On the basis of their findings, the researchers note a need for more individual-level evidence to be collected in order to deepen understanding of the associations seen in the 17 studies they reviewed. However, policy action to prevent lead exposure is of paramount importance to safeguard public health.
The authors add: "Policy action to prevent lead exposure is of utmost importance as our research shows an excess risk for criminal behavior in adulthood exists when an individual is exposed to lead in utero or during childhood. Preventing lead exposure is crucial to safeguard public health and promote a safer society for all."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230801152856.htm
Women and men react differently to strain and stress
July 31, 2023
Science Daily/University of Würzburg
Does anyone still remember the initial phase of the Corona pandemic in 2020? When shops, restaurants, cinemas, and theatres remained closed. When meetings with friends and relatives were prohibited. When school lessons had to take place at home in the children's rooms. When there was no question of traveling.
Presently, most people seem to have long forgotten these times. Yet, the various corona measures taken by politicians are likely to have caused enormous stress for many. The fear for the job, the worry about sick relatives, the nervous strain when parents and children sit together in a small apartment and have to reconcile home office and homeschooling: All this has not remained without effects, as numerous studies show.
The crucial factor is anxiety
How and to what extent have these experiences affected the mental health and quality of life of women and men in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic? This has been investigated by a research team of the University and the University Hospital Würzburg. In detail, the scientists were interested in the relationship between worries about the workplace and about other people with a person's own mental health problems such as anxiety and depression and with their quality of life in general, how these are influenced by the support from friends or at work -- and whether the results show differences between men and women.
The findings are unambiguous: in this complex of different variables and influencing factors, anxiety plays a central part. There are, however, distinct gender-specific differences: "In men, anxiety increases along with concerns about the job, an effect which does not show in women. On the other hand, we were able to register an increase in anxiety levels in women parallel to an increase in their worries about family and friends," says Grit Hein. In addition, the study shows that women in such times respond positively to support from friends and family by experiencing enhanced quality of life. In men, this phenomenon did not manifest itself.
Data on the influence of gender were lacking
Grit Hein is Professor of Translational Social Neuroscience at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy at the University Hospital. She and her postdoc Martin Weiß led the study, the results of which have now been published in the journal Scientific Reports.
"In the past, numerous studies have investigated the influence of psychosocial factors such as support from friends and colleagues and financial, professional or personal worries on mental health and the quality of life. Yet, data on whether these correlations are the same for men and women were lacking," says Grit Hein, explaining the background to the study. Broadening earlier studies, the Würzburg research team has therefore now examined the influence of these factors in relation to gender.
A study with around 2,900 participants
The team obtained the relevant information from a large group of test subjects: the participants of the so-called STAAB study. This study comprises a cohort of around 5,000 randomly selected volunteers from the general population of Würzburg and originally focused on the development of cardiovascular diseases. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the program was spontaneously expanded to include the psychosocial impacts of the pandemic, the lockdown, and other side effects.
A total of 2,890 people (1,520 women and 1,370 men) took part in the survey. Their ages ranged from 34 to 85 years, with a median of 60 years. Between June and October 2020, they had to fill out an extensive questionnaire about their mental health. Among other things, they were asked to provide information about how strongly they felt supported by their social environment, their colleagues and superiors, and whether they had someone with whom they could discuss their problems. They were also asked to what extent bans on the contact with parents and grandparents burdened them and how much stress they felt at work or at school. Financial problems or worries about them were the subject of further questions.
To evaluate the data, Hein and her team used a special method: the so-called network analysis. "Analyses based on a network approach enable a graphical representation of all variables as individual nodes," Hein explains. Thus, it is possible to identify variables that are particularly related to other variables. The network can, for example, show complex relationships between symptoms of different mental disorders and thus explain possible comorbidities.
Results fit traditional gender norms
Grit Hein and Martin Weiß were hardly surprised by the results. "The observation that men are more strongly associated with work and women more strongly with family and friends can be traced back to traditional gender norms and roles," Hein explains. Hence, men usually feel more affected by job insecurity and unemployment, which leads to higher psychological stress. Women, on the other hand, experience more strain when they feel that they are neglecting their family.
It is also plausible that women cope better psychologically when they receive support from friends and family: "This is in line with the traditional female family role, which includes a stronger tendency to maintain close social contacts and to seek social support in order to reduce stress and increase well-being," says Hein.
Even though these findings are unambiguous, the study leaders point to a number of limitations. The most important: "Since the COVID-19 pandemic presented a very specific context, it remains to be clarified whether our results are transferable to general pandemic-independent situations." One finding, however, is indisputable: "Our results underline the need to consider social aspects in therapeutic interventions in order to improve the mental health of women and men."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230731110718.htm
How mother and infant sleep patterns interact during the first two years of life
July 22, 2023
Science Daily/University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
New mothers can expect sleep deprivation in the first few years of baby's life. But too little sleep can take a toll on the health of both mother and child. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looks at maternal and infant sleep patterns, identifying predictors and providing recommendations for instilling healthy habits.
"The first two years is a really critical period where a lot of development is going on, and sleep is important for health. We wanted to look at the association of mother and infant sleep and whether it changes over time," said Tianying Cai, now a postdoctoral researcher at Northwestern University. She worked on the research as a doctoral student in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS), part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the U. of I.
"We identified two distinct groups, a low maternal sleep group where the mothers get 5 to 6 hours of sleep per night, and an average maternal sleep group, which meets the national recommended sleep guidelines with 7 to 8 hours per night. Children in the low maternal sleep group also slept less, although the difference wasn't as large as for the mothers," Cai stated.
The research team followed parents of 464 infants in the first two years of life. Mothers completed surveys about bedtime routines, their child's sleep duration, nighttime waking, and sleep problems at 3, 12, 18, and 24 months of age.
The families were part of STRONG Kids 2, a program at the U. of I. that promotes nutrition and healthy habits in families with young children. STRONG Kids 2 co-directors Barbara Fiese, professor emerita of HDFS, and Sharon Donovan, professor of food science and human nutrition, also contributed to the study.
Mothers who fit the low maternal sleep profile got an average of 5.74 hours of sleep per night at 3 months and 5.9 hours at 12 to 24 months, while their children got 9.6 and 10.52 hours, respectively. In the average sleep profile, mothers got 7.31 hours at 3 months and 7.28 hours at 12 to 24 months, while child sleep averaged 9.99 hours at 3 months and 11 hours at 12 to 24 months.
The research team also identified factors that influence the amount of sleep a mother gets. Not surprisingly, one of the strongest predictors is infant-signaled nighttime waking, which means the infant is more likely to alert the parent at night. This could be either because these infants woke more frequently, or because the mothers were more likely to wake up when infants stirred, Cai noted.
Mothers who had longer employment hours were more likely to be in the low sleep group at 3 months, although that was no longer a factor by 12 months. Furthermore, those who breastfed their infant at 12 months were more likely to be in the average sleep group.
Over time, many families transitioned from the low to the average sleep group as infant sleep patterns consolidated. At 3 months, 60% were in the low maternal sleep group and 40% were in the average group, while at 12 months the numbers were reversed. Most of those who were in the average sleep group at 3 months continued to be so throughout the study period.
The researchers found that an earlier bedtime and consistent routines were associated with better sleep patterns, corroborating a previous study from Fiese and Cai.
"If parents can establish early bedtime routines at three months, it improves sleep duration and reduces sleep problems," Fiese said. "Parents may feel overwhelmed and don't realize that they have this in their toolkit. Something as simple as setting a regular bedtime early on and having routines, like reading a story to your child before they go to bed. You may not think they're understanding, but the rhythm of your voice establishes predictability, and you can expand this bedtime routine over the first few years of life."
The researchers noted they did not observe any significant differences due to demographic characteristics in the sample.
"Maternal education, income, or ethnicity did not predict sleep group memberships across 3 to 24 months; all parents were facing similar challenges. I think having a baby is a great equalizer for a lot of things, although moms who have to go back to work or work longer hours may have more pressures," Donovan said.
Even so, there are steps everyone can take to improve bedtime habits and sleep patterns.
"Getting kids to bed earlier and trying to meet the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines is really important because studies have shown that sleep is associated with a lot of neurocognitive outcomes and health in kids. The parents can be quite proactive even early in life to get their kids off on the right foot," she concluded.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230722004656.htm
Hardship affects the gut microbiome across generations
Adversity experienced by mothers during their childhood or pregnancy is reflected in their children's gut microbiomes
July 21, 2023
Science Daily/University of California - Los Angeles
A new study has shown that hardship experienced by mothers during their own childhood or during pregnancy is reflected in the composition of their 2-year-old children's gut microbiome. It was previously understood that in rodents, prenatal stress affects microbiomes into adulthood, but how long after birth the effects lasted in humans was unknown. The changes to this community of microorganisms are likely among the ways that hardship affects a child's socioemotional development.
Hardship experienced by mothers during their own childhood or during pregnancy is reflected in the composition of their 2-year-old children's gut microbiomes, reports an international team of scientists led by UCLA psychologists.
The researchers found small to medium changes in the children's microbiomes. The research is the first to document the transgenerational effects of adversity on the human gut microbiome.
A growing body of evidence links the gut microbiome to brain and immune functioning, and according to the researchers, changes to that community of microorganisms is likely among the ways that hardship affects children's socioemotional development.
The study, which is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, builds on previous research in rodents, which has shown that that prenatal stress disrupts maternal vaginal and gut microbiomes. Because babies acquire their first gut microbes passing through their mother's birth canal, mothers' microbiomes form the basis of their offspring's.
Previous research in humans has shown that shortly after birth, stress experienced by the infant while in the womb and the mother's own psychological distress influence the infant microbiome. And while it was known that the effects of prenatal stress on rodent microbiomes persist into adulthood, scientists did not yet know how long after birth the disturbances remain in humans, or whether they affected the next generation.
The study investigated the consequences of maltreatment to mothers during their childhoods, anxiety while pregnant and their children's exposure to stressful life events in 450 mother-child pairs in Singapore when the children were 2 years old. The researchers asked mothers to recall abuse, neglect or other maltreatment they experienced during childhood, and mothers were screened for anxiety during the second trimester of pregnancy.
Researchers also interviewed the children's primary caregivers to learn about stressful events that the children had experienced, and their general behavior and health, during their first two years of life, and researchers collected stool samples from the children. The researchers controlled for family income, which often serves as a proxy for childhood adversity.
Children whose mothers reported more anxiety in pregnancy had microbiomes in which the species of microorganisms had populations of similar sizes, a metric biologists call "evenness," which had not been found before. Typically, the populations of the various species that make up the gut's microflora are "lumpier," with some species being abundant and others less common. In the study sample, however, those differences were less prominent, and populations were of similar sizes.
The gut microbes of children who experienced stressful life events after birth also had less genetic diversity, meaning that the microbes living in each child's gut were more closely related to each other than such microbes usually are.
However, while more experiences of adversity were correlated with less microbial genetic diversity in each child, the amount of adversity did not seem to affect how similar children's gut microbiomes were to each other. There was still variation among the children.
"There are lot of questions around whether more diversity or evenness is better or worse when the gut microbiome is developing during childhood, so we don't know if more is better at 2 years old," said Francesca Querdasi, a UCLA doctoral student and the paper's lead author.
"But many of the species we found to be related to adversity are known to interact with the immune system in some way, suggesting that maybe the way the gut microbiome interacts with the immune system is different after adversity. There's a lot that we need to explore in the future."
The researchers also found some kinds of behavior and mental health problems associated with an abundance of certain species in the gut microbiome. Although none of those species were the same ones related to adversity in this study, the authors noted that some have been associated with adversity in past studies and may perform similar functions as the species that are related to adversity.
The brain-gut microbiome connection develops rapidly during the first two to three years of life, and it is likely that the changes due to adversity demonstrated in the new study have some influence on children's socioemotional development.
A nascent area of study called nutritional psychiatry, which researches how changes to diet could affect mental health, is developing as scientists learn more about the brain-gut microbiome connection.
"The microbiome gets a lot of attention and is very exciting, but it really is just one piece of the large and complicated puzzle of human health," said Bridget Callaghan, a UCLA assistant professor of psychology and the paper's senior author.
"Our study is part of a growing body of research showing the effects of early exposure and transgenerational experience on the microbiome. When we understand how experiences of hardship can influence the gut microbiome, we can then try to manipulate diet, supplements and lifestyle to make positive impacts on an individual's gut microbiome and broader developmental trajectory."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230721113127.htm
Baby opera: Study finds babies get a kick out of live music
July 14, 2023
Science Daily/University of Toronto
Study findings suggest that even babies feel the impact of being at a live show, through both musicians' interactions with an audience and the social experience of being in a crowd
When infants watch a live performance of a baby opera, their heart rates synchronized and they were significantly more engaged than babies who watched a recording of the same show -- even though the recording was identical to the live version.
"Their heart rates were speeding up and slowing down in a similar fashion to other babies watching the show," says Laura Cirelli, assistant professor in the department of psychology at U of T Scarborough and co-author of a new study.
"Those babies were dealing with all these distractions in the concert hall, but still had these uninterrupted bursts of attention."
The findings suggest that even babies feel the impact of being at a live show, through both musicians' interactions with an audience and the social experience of being in a crowd. Cirelli recalls moments during the performance when a calm would sweep over the babies, and other times when a change in pitch or vocal riff would excite them all.
She says this may offer insights into why humans are hardwired to consume music and attend live shows in the first place.
"If there's something happening that we collectively are engaging with, we're also connecting with each other. It speaks to the shared experience," says Cirelli, director of the TEMPO Lab, which studies how infants and children respond to music.
"The implication is that this is not necessarily specific to this one performance. If there's these moments that capture us, then we are being captured together."
It's well established that socialization is crucial during early childhood development -- an infant's brain is laying the groundwork for future life skills and abilities as it grows. Cirelli says music can play a powerful part in making those important bonds. She points to research finding infants are more likely to socialize with someone after hearing them sing a familiar song or dancing to music with them, and that infants have strong emotional reactions to music and song even before their first birthday.
"We consistently find that music can be a highly social and emotional context within which infants can foster connections to their caregivers, other family members and even new acquaintances," she says. "This audience study shows that even in a community context, infants are engaging with the music and connecting to their fellow audience members."
For the study, published in the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts, researchers examined 120 babies ages six to 14 months as they watched a children's opera performed at a concert hall that doubles as a research facility at McMaster University (61 babies watched in person, the other 59 watched a recorded version).The researchers meticulously broadcast the recording so the performers were at the same size, distance and volume as the live version. The babies' responses were tracked through heart monitors and tablets mounted on the backs of concert seats, and then afterward student research assistants combed through the footage to note when babies were looking at the stage versus when they looked away.
The live performance captured their attention for 72 per cent of the 12-minute show while the recording held their attention for 54 per cent. The live show also had them continually watching for longer bouts of time.
"Even little babies who may or may not have experienced music in a community context before are already engaging more when it's delivered this way," Cirelli says. "That's one question we have as music cognition researchers: What is it about the live experience that's worth it? Why would people go if there's not something fundamental about that live music experience that's above and beyond listening to music by yourself?"
That's not to say babies find virtual performances boring; after the onset of the pandemic, the researchers virtually studied one group of babies as they watched the same recording in their homes over Zoom. Those babies paid about as much attention as the ones who attended the live show -- watching about 64 per cent on average -- but they were more likely to get distracted throughout and have shorter bursts of attention.
"The babies watching at home didn't have the distraction of being in a new place, they were in their comfort zone. But even without distractions the quality of their attention was still not nearly as strong as the audience in the live condition."
The study, which was co-authored by former TEMPO Lab postdoc Haley Kragness, now an assistant professor at Bucknell University, will also feed into some of Cirelli's other work. In a different study, she and a team of researchers are exploring whether a live performance over Zoom has the same impact on engagement as a live performance in person, and whether musicians' interactions with an audience can play a similarly powerful role in capturing attention.
Another study will investigate whether live performances impact their memory of the event and how watching a live performance versus a recorded version affects how they feel about the performer.
"If a baby is frequently brought to these kinds of events, will that shape their foundation for engaging in music and the community later in childhood?" Cirelli says. "It speaks to why we even engage with music at all."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230714113454.htm
Juggling multiple young children hinders vigorous physical activity for parents
Adults with multiple kids get 50-80 fewer minutes of vigorous physical activity each week
July 12, 2023
Science Daily/University of Houston
Physical activity is a crucial component of a healthy lifestyle, yet only one in three adults in the United States meets the weekly recommendation for exercise. The struggle to stay fit is complicated even further for parents, who often prioritize their children's needs over their own.
A new study, titled "The Association between Adult Sport, Fitness, and Recreational Physical Activity and Number and Age of Children Present in the Household," reveals that adults with multiple young children engage in significantly less vigorous physical activity compared to those with fewer or no children. The findings have important implications for adults who aspire to be more physically active but struggle to find the time due to their caregiving responsibilities.
Published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, the study is based on an analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning from 2007-2016, and included 2,034 adults aged 22 to 65.
The researchers examined the association between moderate and vigorous physical activities and the number and age of children in their household. Among the findings, adults with two or more children aged 0-5 reported 80 fewer minutes of weekly vigorous physical activity compared to those with no children or just one child in this age group. Similarly, adults with three or more children aged 6-17 reported 50 fewer minutes of weekly vigorous physical activity compared to those with no children, one or just two kids in the household. However, there were no significant differences in weekly moderate physical activity regardless of the number of children in the household.
"Parents often face numerous challenges in finding the time and energy to engage in regular physical activity while caring for their children. By understanding these barriers, we can develop targeted interventions to help parents lead healthier and more active lives," said study co-author Bettina Beech, Chief Population Health Officer at the University of Houston, and clinical professor of population health at the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine.
The lead author of the study is Jerraco Johnson, an assistant professor of kinesiology, health promotion and recreation at the University of North Texas.
"Parents typically serve as the primary role models of health behaviors for their children. Finding ways to increase parents' physical activity could potentially influence the health trajectories these young children begin on, especially for those parents with multiple kids," he said.
Other researchers include Ailton Coleman, James Madison University; Jamila Kwarteng, Medical College of Wisconsin; Ahondju Holmes, University of Oklahoma; Dulcie Kermah, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science; and Marino Bruce, University of Houston.
The implications of these findings are significant for interventions and policies aimed at promoting physical activity among parents with multiple children. The study highlights the need for family based physical activity interventions to expand their focus beyond parent-child dyads or triads. Including multiple children in these interventions may have a more significant impact on overall physical activity levels, according to the researchers.
"Workplace wellness programs have been shown as effective avenues for intervention," said study co-author Marino Bruce, director of UH Population Health Collaboratories and associate dean of research at the Fertitta Family College of Medicine. "Parents often spend a majority of their time outside of parenting in the workplace, making it an ideal setting to promote physical activity. By offering incentives, feedback mechanisms and short bouts of physical activity throughout the workday, employers can support parents in achieving their activity goals and overcoming time-related barriers."
Interestingly, the study also found that the impact of children on physical activity did not significantly differ between mothers and fathers, despite previous studies which suggested that mothers might be more affected by parental responsibilities. This discrepancy could be attributed to the differing measurements of physical activity used in the studies, with the current research relying on self-reported sport, fitness and recreational activities.
The researchers note that further research is needed to explore this relationship among parents with children of various ages. The study's findings underscore the importance of addressing the specific needs of parents with multiple children to promote a healthier and more active population.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230712165203.htm
THC use during pregnancy linked to changes in fetal development
July 6, 2023
Science Daily/Oregon Health & Science University
Researchers showed that consuming THC while pregnant could potentially affect development of the fetus and lead to life-long health impacts for offspring.
Oregon Health & Science University researchers showed that consuming THC while pregnant could potentially affect development of the fetus and lead to life-long health impacts for offspring.
The preclinical study was published today in the journal Clinical Epigenetics.
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, a substance growing in popularity and availability in the United States. The prevalence of cannabis use in pregnancy is also rapidly increasing, especially during the first trimester -- a time when the fetus is most vulnerable to environmental exposures -- to mitigate common symptoms like morning sickness. However, the potential effects of prenatal cannabis use on fetal development remain inconclusive, in part due to a lack of safety data. This study aimed to identify the potential long-term health impacts of THC use during pregnancy.
In a non-human primate model, OHSU researchers found that exposing a pregnant subject to THC altered the placental and fetal epigenome -- including the chemical modifications to DNA responsible for gene regulation and expression, that is telling genes what, where and when to do something. Researchers also found that that these changes to gene regulation and expression are consistent with those seen with many common neurobehavioral conditions, including autism spectrum disorder.
"Cannabis is one of the most commonly used drugs and is widely available across the country, so there is a common perception that its completely safe to use," said the study's lead author Lyndsey Shorey-Kendrick, Ph.D., a computational biologist in the Division of Neurosciences at OHSU's Oregon National Primate Research Center, or ONPRC. "The reality is that cannabis still carries many health risks for certain populations, including those who are pregnant. If we're able to better understand the impacts, we can more effectively communicate the risks to patients and support safer habits during the vulnerable prenatal period."
In a model using nonhuman primates, researchers administered THC in a daily edible and compared its effects to a group receiving a placebo. Specifically, researchers evaluated the epigenetic changes in several key areas that indicate healthy prenatal development: the placenta -- the disc of tissue that connects the umbilical cord and uterus -- and fetal lung, brain and heart.
When looking at these areas, analyses showed that THC exposure altered the epigenome, meaning a process in which the information encoded in a gene is turned into a function or observable trait. Genes -- the segments which make up DNA -- are all specifically coded to contribute to different functions of the body and brain, so any impact on epigenetic processes due to drug exposure is concerning, especially during a critical developmental window such as pregnancy.
Researchers found that significant changes involved genes associated with common neurobehavioral disorders, including autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. These conditions are linked to adverse health outcomes in childhood and adolescence, including poorer memory and verbal reasoning skills, and increased hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention.
The research team, which includes Eliot Spindel, M.D., Ph.D., Elinor Sullivan, Ph.D., Owen McCarty, Ph.D., and Jason Hedges, M.D., Ph.D., hopes findings from this study will add to the limited existing literature on THC use during pregnancy, and help guide patient counseling and public health polices focused on cannabis in the future.
"It's not common practice for providers to discuss cannabis use with patients who are pregnant or trying to conceive," said the study's corresponding author, Jamie Lo, M.D., M.C.R., associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology (maternal-fetal medicine), OHSU School of Medicine, and Division of Reproductive and Developmental Sciences at the ONPRC. "I hope our work can help open up a broader dialogue about the risks of cannabis use in the preconception and prenatal period, so we can improve children's health in the long run."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230706160116.htm