Sharp rise in sedentary time among newly retired women evident 2 plus years later
Rise more gradual among men, but longer term pattern is similar
November 16, 2020
Science Daily/BMJ
The sharp rise of more than 20 minutes a day in average sedentary time among newly retired women seems to be maintained 2 or more years later, reveals research published online in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine.
The rise is more gradual among newly retired men, but the longer term pattern is similar, and a cause for concern for both sexes, given the harmful impact on health of too much time spent sitting down, warn the researchers.
A predominantly sedentary lifestyle is associated with a heightened risk of long term conditions and death. And serial bouts of prolonged sedentary time, lasting 30 minutes or more, are linked to a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease, they highlight.
Previous research indicates that daily total sedentary time tends to increase as people move into retirement, but it's not clear if this includes periods of prolonged sitting time and if such patterns are kept up.
And most studies on long-term changes in sedentary time in the transition to retirement have been based on subjective assessment which is unreliable.
The researchers therefore set out to assess changes in daily total and prolonged sedentary time among older workers transitioning into retirement and to find out if these changes were maintained over the longer term, using objective measurements taken at the same time each year.
They included 689 out of 908 eligible participants in the Finnish Retirement and Aging Study (FIREA), an ongoing long term cohort study of retiring municipal workers in Finland, which began in 2013. Most (85%) of the participants were women, and in admin roles or professional jobs, with an average retirement age of 63.
To track the amount of sedentary time, they each wore an activity tracker (ActiGraph accelerometer) for 10 or more waking hours for 7 consecutive days in each of the few years before, and after, retirement.
To track the amount of sedentary time, participants wore an activity monitor (ActiGraph) for 7 consecutive days and nights, twice before retirement and twice afterwards.
These measurements were used to calculate daily averages of total sedentary time and the amount of time spent in prolonged (30 minutes or more) and in highly prolonged (60 minutes or more) sedentary bouts at each time point.
Among the women, daily total sedentary time, and prolonged and highly prolonged sedentary time didn't change much before retirement, but rose sharply at retirement and then levelled off afterwards.
In the transition period, total sedentary time increased by 22 minutes a day. Prolonged sedentary time rose by 34 minutes a day, while highly prolonged sedentary time rose by 15 minutes a day.
Increases in total and prolonged sedentary time were sharpest among women retiring from manual jobs. These changes persisted 2 or more years after retirement.
Among the men, daily total sedentary time, and prolonged and highly prolonged sedentary time increased in the year leading up to retirement by 21, 23, and 11 minutes, respectively, but no statistically significant changes were observed at retirement.
However, an overall increase in prolonged sedentary time of 33 minutes a day was observed 2 years after retirement. Men had significantly more daily total and prolonged sedentary time than women at all time points.
This is an observational study, so can't establish cause. But, note the researchers: "Our results extend previous knowledge by showing that previously observed higher daily total sedentary time after retirement concerns particularly prolonged sedentary time, which is more harmful for health compared with short sedentary bouts."
By way of an explanation, they suggest that social connections and meaningful activities may diminish after retirement, leading to increased time spent at home and in sedentary activities, such as watching TV. Added to which, physical activity during commuting and lunch breaks no longer interrupt periods of sitting.
Since an increase in prolonged sedentary behaviour increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality dose dependently, retirees should be encouraged to break up sedentary activities," conclude the researchers.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201116184447.htm
Study of infants finds that sleep differences by race, income emerge early
November 13, 2020
Science Daily/Brigham and Women's Hospital
A new stud takes a look at 24-hour sleep-wake cycles for infants across racial/ethnic and socioeconomic categories. The team found several distinct differences in sleep-wake patterns, largely explained by discrepancies in socioeconomic status.
As almost any new parent will attest, the issue of infant sleep can be a nightmare. But the challenges and consequential health effects of infant sleep problems may, like so many other health disparities, disproportionately affect families of different racial/ethnic backgrounds and household socioeconomic statuses. A new study led in part by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital takes a look at 24-hour sleep-wake cycles for infants across racial/ethnic and socioeconomic categories. The team found several distinct differences in sleep-wake patterns, largely explained by discrepancies in socioeconomic status. Findings are published in Sleep.
"What we knew before this study was that, in general, individuals with low socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as children and adults who are minorities, had shorter sleep than white individuals and higher socioeconomic individuals," said senior author Susan Redline, MD, MPH, of Brigham's Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders. "What wasn't so clear was when those differences first emerged."
Previous studies have used responses from surveys of parents to draw conclusions about how sleep duration varies by race and socioeconomic status, but when such disparities arise was previously unknown. This study characterized sleep-wake patterns in infants at 1- and 6-months old using ankle-placed actigraphs and parent-completed sleep diaries, examining differences among infants with different racial/ethnic backgrounds and household socioeconomic statuses.
The study consisted of 306 infants -- 42.5 percent non-Hispanic white, 32.7 percent Hispanic, 17.3 percent Asian, and 7.5 percent Black. Between the ages of 1 and 6 months, night sleep duration increased by 65.7 minutes, night awakenings decreased by 2.2 episodes, and daytime sleep duration decreased by 73.3 minutes, confirming that night sleep increases and day sleep decreases overall in the first six months of life.
The team found several distinct differences in sleep-wake patterns across these categories:
Black and Hispanic infants experienced less of an increase in night sleep length when compared to white infants;
infants in families with lower maternal education and household income experienced less of an increase in night sleep duration;
Asian infants exhibited more frequent night awakenings than all other racial categories.
Additionally, Asian infants were the only group to still have a night sleep duration deficit compared to white infants at 6 months after adjusting for household socioeconomic status, meaning, unlike Hispanic and Black infants, Asian infant night sleep duration may not be explained by corresponding SES.
Car rides, parental rocking, and other environmental factors may reduce the accuracy of a sleep-wake assessment. Additionally, the numbers of Black and Asian families were relatively low, driving Redline to conclude that the disproportionate night awakenings recorded in Asian infants may have been by sheer chance. Such discrepancies still intrigue Redline, as they point to other avenues for exploration: parenting styles, environmental cues, maternal stress, and more.
"We know that there are these significant differences in sleep duration and sleep consolidation in older children and adults; we know those are associated with negative health outcomes and behaviors," said Redline. "Now we see that they emerge early in life, pointing to a totally new set of risk factors."
This study is one of four in a longitudinal collaborative effort to investigate the sleep-wake cycles of children ages 1 month through 2 years, with the primary goal of tracking weight gain.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201113154613.htm
Children born extremely preterm are more likely to be diagnosed with depression
November 12, 2020
Science Daily/University of Turku
A study using extensive nationwide registry data showed that girls born extremely preterm, earlier than 28 weeks gestational age, were three times more likely to be diagnosed with depression than peers born close to the expected date of delivery. Increased risk of depression also applied to girls and boys with poor fetal growth born full-term and post-term. The effects of poor fetal growth were more evident with increasing gestational age.
All the results were adjusted for paternal psychopathology, paternal immigrant status, maternal psychopathology, maternal depression, maternal substance abuse, number of previous births, maternal marital status, maternal socio-economic status, maternal smoking during pregnancy, and the infant's birthplace.
Childhood depression can be addressed preventively
Depression is a common psychiatric disorder that has been reported to affect 1-2 percent of preschool and prepubertal children and 3-8 percent of adolescents. However, childhood depression is a severe disorder and its prevention can be advanced with the identification of at-risk groups.
"The study highlights the need for preventive interventions for high-risk infants and support programmes for parental mental health during pregnancy and neonatal care, especially for extremely preterm infants and growth-retarded full-term infants. Follow-up care practices should include psychosocial screening and developmental testing for children born preterm and their families, with appropriate support for sound mental health," says researcher Subina Upadhyaya from the Research Centre for Child Psychiatry, University of Turku.
"Future studies should examine the risk associated with preterm birth and infant long-term outcomes in the present era of family centered neonatal care practices," she continues.
The study included 37,682 children born in Finland between January 1987 and December 2007 and diagnosed with depression. They were compared with 148,795 matched controls without depression.
The study is part of a larger body of research that investigates the associations between antenatal risk factors and major psychiatric disorders.
"The results are significant both for understanding the risk factors for psychiatric disorders and for prevention, notes the primary investigator," Professor Andre Sourander.
The study belongs to the INVEST Research Flagship funded by the Academy of Finland Flagship Programme. INVEST aims at providing a new model for the welfare states that is more equal, better targeted to at risk groups, more anticipatory as well as economically and socially sustainable.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201112103511.htm
High blood pressure complications in US pregnancies have nearly doubled
November 9, 2020
Science Daily/American Heart Association
Researchers found high blood pressure complicated about 80,000 pregnancies in 2018, nearly twice as many as in 2007. Women living in rural areas continue to be approximately 20% more likely to have high blood pressure before pregnancy than women living in urban communities.
Nearly twice as many pregnancies were complicated by high blood pressure in 2018 than in 2007, and women living in rural areas continue to have higher rates of high blood pressure compared to their urban counterparts, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2020. The meeting will be held virtually, Friday, November 13 -- Tuesday, November 17, 2020.
Pre-pregnancy hypertension is a well-established risk to the health of both mothers and infants, and mortality rates of mothers are increasing in the U.S. with significant rural-urban disparities. The goal of the study, "Trends and Disparities in Pre-pregnancy Essential Hypertension Among Women in Rural and Urban United States, 2007-2018," was to detail trends in maternal pre-pregnancy high blood pressure so geographically targeted prevention and policy strategies can be developed.
"We were surprised to see the dramatic increase in the percentage over the last 10 years of women entering pregnancy with hypertension. It was also shocking to see women as young as 15 to 24 years old with high blood pressure, and the statistics were worse in rural areas, leading us to be concerned these numbers may, in part, be driven by hospital closures and difficulty accessing care," said the study's lead author Natalie A. Cameron, M.D., a resident in the department of medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
Researchers collected maternal data from almost 50 million live births in women ages 15 to 44, between 2007 and 2018, from the national CDC Natality Database. They calculated rates of pre-pregnancy hypertension per 1,000 live births overall and by the type of community the women lived in (rural or urban). The annual percentage change was calculated to compare yearly rates between rural and urban settings.
Results from the analysis indicate:
The rate of pre-pregnancy hypertension per 1,000 births nearly doubled in both rural (13.7 to 23.7) and urban (10.5 to 20) women.
In both rural and urban areas, hypertension rates were lower among younger women (ages 15-19) than in older women (40-44), yet all age groups experienced similar rate increases between 2007 and 2018.
The greatest annual percentage change of pre-pregnancy hypertension was nearly 10% for women in rural areas and 9% for women in urban areas.
"These data demonstrate unacceptable increases in the number of women with hypertension that need to be addressed urgently," says Cameron. "Preventive care must start before pregnancy. This is especially important in rural communities where there is a far greater burden of high blood pressure and much higher risks to the health of mother and baby. We also must address the structural and systemic racism that can be barriers to high quality care."
Important limitations of this work include the lack of data on continuous blood pressure measurements, as well as other important factors that can be related to high blood pressure such as body mass index.
Co-authors are Rebecca Molsberry, M.P.H.; Jacob B. Pierce, B.A.; Amanda M. Perak, M.D., M.S.; William A. Grobman, M.D., M.B.A.; Norrina B. Allen, Ph.D.; Philip Greenland, M.D.; Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, M.D., Sc.M.; and Sadiya S. Khan, M.D., M.Sc. Author disclosures are in the abstract.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201109074122.htm
Mothers' lifestyle predicts when offspring will have first heart attack or stroke
November 4, 2020
Science Daily/European Society of Cardiology
Offspring of mothers with heart healthy lifestyles live nearly a decade longer without cardiovascular disease than those whose mothers have unhealthy lifestyles. That's the finding of a study published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
"Our study suggests that mothers are the primary gatekeepers of their children's health," said study author Dr. James Muchira of Vanderbilt University, Nashville and the University of Massachusetts, Boston. "This maternal influence persists into the adulthood of their offspring."
Previous research has shown that parents pass on health to their offspring through both genes and shared environment/lifestyle. This was the first study to examine whether parents' heart health was associated with the age at which offspring develop cardiovascular disease. In addition, it investigated the influence of each parent separately.
The study was conducted in offspring-mother-father trios from the Framingham Heart Study -- a total of 1,989 offspring, 1,989 mothers, and 1,989 fathers. Offspring were enrolled at an average age of 32 years and followed over 46 years (1971-2017) for the development of cardiovascular events. "Crucially, the study followed offspring into most of their adult life when heart attacks and strokes actually occur," explained Dr. Muchira.
Cardiovascular health of mothers and fathers was rated according to their attainment of seven factors: not smoking, healthy diet, physically active, and normal body mass index, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood glucose. The three categories of cardiovascular health were: poor (0 to 2 factors achieved), intermediate (3 to 4), and ideal (5 to 7).
The researchers assessed the association between parental cardiovascular health and how long their offspring lived without cardiovascular disease. Links between each pair were assessed, i.e. mother-daughter, mother-son, father-daughter, and father-son.
Offspring of mothers with ideal cardiovascular health lived nine more years free of cardiovascular disease than offspring of mothers with poor cardiovascular health (27 versus 18 years, respectively). Poor maternal cardiovascular health was linked with twice the hazard of early onset cardiovascular disease compared with ideal maternal cardiovascular health. Fathers' heart health did not have a statistically significant effect on the length of time offspring lived without cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Muchira said the strong contribution of mothers was likely a combination of health status during pregnancy and environment in early life. He said: "If mothers have diabetes or hypertension during pregnancy, those risk factors get imprinted in their children at a very early age. In addition, women are often the primary caregivers and the main role model for behaviours."
Sons were more affected than daughters by the mother's unhealthy lifestyle. Dr. Muchira said: "This was because sons had more unfavourable lifestyle habits than daughters, making the situation even worse. It shows that individuals can take charge of their own health. People who inherit a high risk from their mother can reduce that risk by exercising and eating well. If they don't, the risk will be multiplied."
The authors state that optimising cardiovascular health among women of reproductive age and mothers with young children has the potential to break the intergenerational cycle of preventable cardiovascular disease.
"Family-based interventions should occur during pregnancy and very early in the child's life, so that the real impact of protective cardiovascular health tracks into adulthood," said Dr Muchira. "For example, pairing mothers and young children in an exercise or diet improvement programme. If children grow into healthy adults, they will not acquire the same cardiovascular risk as their parents, a situation that will raise the chances of having even healthier grandchildren."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201104194708.htm
Vitamin D levels during pregnancy linked with child IQ
November 2, 2020
Science Daily/Seattle Children's
A study showed that mothers' vitamin D levels during pregnancy were associated with their children's IQ, suggesting that higher vitamin D levels in pregnancy may lead to greater childhood IQ scores.
Vitamin D is a critical nutrient and has many important functions in the body. A mother's vitamin D supply is passed to her baby in utero and helps regulate processes including brain development. A study published today in The Journal of Nutrition showed that mothers' vitamin D levels during pregnancy were associated with their children's IQ, suggesting that higher vitamin D levels in pregnancy may lead to greater childhood IQ scores. The study also identified significantly lower levels of vitamin D levels among Black pregnant women.
Melissa Melough, the lead author of the study and research scientist in the Department of Child Health, Behavior, and Development at Seattle Children's Research Institute, says vitamin D deficiency is common among the general population as well as pregnant women, but notes that Black women are at greater risk. Melough says she hopes the study will help health care providers address disparities among women of color and those who are at higher risk for vitamin D deficiency.
"Melanin pigment protects the skin against sun damage, but by blocking UV rays, melanin also reduces vitamin D production in the skin. Because of this, we weren't surprised to see high rates of vitamin D deficiency among Black pregnant women in our study. Even though many pregnant women take a prenatal vitamin, this may not correct an existing vitamin D deficiency," Melough said. "I hope our work brings greater awareness to this problem, shows the long-lasting implications of prenatal vitamin D for the child and their neurocognitive development, and highlights that there are certain groups providers should be paying closer attention to. Wide-spread testing of vitamin D levels is not generally recommended, but I think health care providers should be looking out for those who are at higher risk, including Black women."
Addressing disparities
According to Melough, as many as 80% of Black pregnant women in the U.S. may be deficient in vitamin D. Of the women who participated in the study, approximately 46% of the mothers were deficient in vitamin D during their pregnancy, and vitamin D levels were lower among Black women compared to White women.
Melough and her co-authors used data from a cohort in Tennessee called the Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood (CANDLE) study. CANDLE researchers recruited pregnant women to join the study starting in 2006 and collected information over time about their children's health and development.
After controlling for several other factors related to IQ, higher vitamin D levels in pregnancy were associated with higher IQ in children ages 4 to 6 years old. Although observational studies like this one cannot prove causation, Melough believes her findings have important implications and warrant further research.
Vitamin D deficiency
"Vitamin D deficiency is quite prevalent," Melough said. "The good news is there is a relatively easy solution. It can be difficult to get adequate vitamin D through diet, and not everyone can make up for this gap through sun exposure, so a good solution is to take a supplement."
The recommended daily intake of vitamin D is 600 international units (IU). On average, Americans consume less than 200 IU in their diet, and so if people aren't making up that gap through sun exposure or supplementation, Melough says people will probably become deficient. Foods that contain higher levels of vitamin D include fatty fish, eggs and fortified sources like cow's milk and breakfast cereals. However, Melough notes that vitamin D is one of the most difficult nutrients to get in adequate amounts from our diets.
Additional research is needed to determine the optimal levels of vitamin D in pregnancy, but Melough hopes this study will help to develop nutritional recommendations for pregnant women. Especially among Black women and those at high risk for vitamin D deficiency, nutritional supplementation and screening may be an impactful strategy for reducing health disparities.
Key takeaways
Melough says there are three key takeaways from the study:
Vitamin D deficiency is common during pregnancy, and Black women are at greater risk because melanin pigment in the skin reduces production of vitamin D
Higher vitamin D levels among mothers during pregnancy may promote brain development and lead to higher childhood IQ scores
Screening and nutritional supplementation may correct vitamin D deficiency for those at high risk and promote cognitive function in offspring
"I want people to know that it's a common problem and can affect children's development," Melough said. "Vitamin D deficiency can occur even if you eat a healthy diet. Sometimes it's related to our lifestyles, skin pigmentation or other factors outside of our control."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201102142242.htm
Prenatal cannabis exposure linked to cognitive deficits, altered behavior
October 14, 2020
Science Daily/Washington State University
Regular cannabis exposure in rats during pregnancy may cause their offspring to have long-term cognitive deficiencies, asocial behavior, and anxiety later in adulthood.
That's according to a new study by neuroscientists in Washington State University's Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience unit that provides a rare look at the effects of using cannabis during pregnancy.
"The reality of cannabis research is there's not a lot of it," said Halle Weimar, first author on the paper and graduate student in the neuroscience program. "This research helps get information out to women so they can make an educated decision that is best for them."
Weimar and her colleagues found the offspring of pregnant rats exposed to cannabis vapor were more likely to make regressive errors after they were trained new methods to receive sugar pellets. They were also less social and more anxious when placed in new environments.
Weimar said the research is especially significant as recreational and medicinal cannabis use continues to increase among pregnant women as well as the general population.
The study, recently published in the journal Neuropharmacology, utilized a first-of-its-kind e-cigarette technology to deliver cannabis vapor to pregnant female rats before and throughout their entire gestation period.
"The idea was to use a more clinically relevant model to mirror how humans use cannabis, specifically how pregnant women use cannabis," Weimar said.
Researchers also delivered propylene glycol vegetable glycerol mixture, commonly found in vape juice, to explore its effects in rats. A control group was left in their home cage and not exposed to any vapor.
Vapor was administered twice daily to rats in one-hour sessions during mating and pregnancy.
The research team found significant behavioral changes and cognitive deficits that persisted into adulthood in the offspring of the pregnant rats exposed to cannabis.
Using different levers and a cue light, researchers trained and rewarded rats with sugar pellets for pressing a lever paired with the cue light. The rats were then required to change their strategy during test day and instead ignore the cue, which was used as a measure of cognitive flexibility.
"While rats eventually caught on, those whose mothers were exposed to cannabis were more likely to revert to the old pattern and make regressive errors," Weimar said. "They also took more trials to learn the rules."
Male and female juvenile rats whose mothers were exposed to cannabis also engaged in far fewer play behaviors. The male rats were especially hesitant to engage with other rats in their initial social introductions.
Moreover, adult rats whose mothers were exposed to cannabis exhibited anxiety-like behavior in new environments.When placed in a large, elevated maze with open and closed arms, the rats were more likely to stay in the closed arms of the maze and explore the open, exposed arms less.
"They tend to feel safer in closed arms as opposed to rats that are less anxious and willing to venture into open spaces and take more risks," Weimar said.
She said the finding is significant because it shows cannabis vapor administered to a rat during pregnancy may cause its offspring to have age-dependent effects well into adulthood, noting the observation wasn't noted in rats when they were juveniles.
The researchers noticed changes in the rats' behavior as pups as well.
Weimar said rats whose mothers were exposed to cannabis made more than 100 more ultrasonic vocalizations, or cries for their mother, compared to the control group, days after birth.
"It's pretty noteworthy because this is one of the only tests you can do that looks at emotional reactivity in neonates and they were far more reactive than the other groups," Weimar said.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201014095130.htm
Exposure to vitamin D in the womb might minimize risk of high blood pressure for children born to mothers with preeclampsia
Findings come from new analysis of large epidemiological dataset
October 5, 2020
Science Daily/Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
Children appear to be at greater risk of having high blood pressure when their mothers had the high blood pressure condition called preeclampsia during pregnancy -- but this adverse association may be reduced or even eliminated for children who were exposed to higher levels of vitamin D in the womb, according to a study from researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The findings, based on an analysis of data on 754 mother-child pairs in Massachusetts, suggest that higher vitamin D levels in pregnancy may help protect children born to preeclamptic women from developing high blood pressure. High blood pressure in childhood is associated in turn with hypertension and heart disease in adulthood.
The study was published online October 5 in JAMA Network Open.
"There is increasing evidence that cardiovascular disease risk is, to a great extent, programmed in the womb, and we now see that it may be vitamin D that alters this programming in a beneficial fashion," says study senior author Noel Mueller, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Bloomberg School.
Preeclampsia, which can lead to strokes and/or organ failure, is a major cause of illness and death for pregnant women, and also is associated with a greater risk of stillbirth and preterm birth. Researchers have estimated that preeclampsia occurs in 2-8 percent of pregnancies worldwide. It is associated with maternal obesity, and the rate of severe preeclampsia in the U.S. has risen sharply since the 1980s.
At the same time, the rate of high blood pressure among children in the U.S. has risen by about 40 percent between 1988 and 2008. Studies have suggested that maternal preeclampsia may be a factor in that increase.
Studies also have linked maternal vitamin D deficiency to a higher risk of preeclampsia, and have suggested that lower levels of vitamin D in adulthood or even early in life bring a greater risk of hypertension.
"We wanted to know if vitamin D levels in the womb would modify this association between maternal preeclampsia and hypertension in childhood," says study first author Mingyu Zhang, a PhD candidate in Mueller's research group.
To investigate this question, the team analyzed data that had been gathered on 754 mother-child pairs from 1998 to 2018 in a large epidemiological study conducted at the Boston Medical Center in Massachusetts. The dataset included information on preeclampsia during pregnancy, tests on blood from the umbilical cord at birth, and the children's blood pressure from age 3 to 18.
About 62 percent of the mothers in the study group were Black, and 52 percent were overweight or obese. Previous studies suggest that mothers who were Black or overweight or obese were at higher risk for preeclampsia. Darker-skinned people living in higher latitudes also are more likely to be deficient in vitamin D -- a cholesterol-derived molecule that is present in some foods but also is synthesized in skin with the help of ultraviolet light.
Roughly ten percent of the women in the study group had preeclampsia, and the analysis revealed that their children on average had higher systolic blood pressure than the children born to non-preeclamptic mothers -- about 5 percentile points higher, when all the blood pressure readings were arranged on a 0 to 100 percentile scale.
Cord-blood vitamin D levels clearly modified these associations, and in a dose-related manner. Children in the lowest 25 percent range of vitamin D levels (lowest "quartile") were about 11 percentile points higher in blood pressure, on average, if their mothers had had preeclampsia, compared to children of non-preeclamptic mothers.
For children in the highest vitamin D quartile, there appeared to be no difference in average blood pressure if their mothers had had preeclampsia -- in other words, the results suggest that having relatively high vitamin D levels at birth, which could be achieved through dietary supplements, may completely mitigate the risk brought by preeclampsia.
"If other epidemiological studies confirm these findings, then randomized trials would be needed to determine conclusively if higher vitamin D in mothers at risk of preeclampsia protects against childhood high blood pressure," Mueller says.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201005144631.htm
Low level alcohol use during pregnancy can impact child's brain development
September 25, 2020
Science Daily/University of Sydney
New research from the University of Sydney finds that even low levels of alcohol consumption during pregnancy can have an impact on a child's brain development and is associated with greater psychological and behavioural problems in youth including anxiety, depression and poor attention.
Published today in the American Journal of Psychiatry, the study was led by the University's Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use.
The impact of low-level alcohol use during pregnancy on child development is relatively unknown and there has been extensive debate about whether there is a safe level of consumption.
The researchers investigated whether any alcohol consumption in pregnancy was related to psychological, behavioural, neural and cognitive differences in children aged nine to ten years. With a sample of 9,719 youth, this is the largest study to investigate the impacts of low-level alcohol use during pregnancy. Low levels of drinking were considered one to two drinks per occasion with maximum of six drinks per week.
"Our research found that even small amounts of alcohol consumed while pregnant can have a significant impact on a child's brain development," said lead author Ms Briana Lees, PhD candidate at the Matilda Centre.
"Previous research has shown that very heavy alcohol use, such as binge drinking, during pregnancy can cause harm to the baby. However, this study shows that any alcohol use during pregnancy, even low levels, is associated with subtle, yet significant behavioural and psychological effects in children including anxiety, depression and poor attention.
"This study is so important because in Australia, around 50 percent of women drink alcohol before they know they are pregnant, and 25 percent do so after they know. The vast majority consume one or two standard drinks per occasion which this study shows is enough to impact the baby's brain."
Study findings
In the study, 25 percent of children had been exposed to alcohol in utero (in the womb), 60 percent of these children had been exposed to low-level alcohol use, and 40 per cent had been exposed to heavier levels. Heavier exposure being three or more drinks per occasion or seven or more drinks per week.
Children who were exposed to low levels of alcohol in-utero at any time during pregnancy experienced more psychological/emotional problems (including anxiety, depression and being withdrawn) and behavioural problems (including poor attention and being impulsive) than unexposed children. There was a 25 percent increased likelihood of an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis in children who were exposed to slightly heavier levels of alcohol (approximately 36 drinks) in the first 6-7 weeks of pregnancy. Heavier alcohol use during early pregnancy was also associated with rule breaking behaviour and aggression, with a 30 percent higher risk of the child being diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder than unexposed youth.
There were differences observed in brain volume and surface area among the exposed children which contributed to the psychological and behavioural problems. The estimated number of drinks consumed during pregnancy ranged from 0-90 with the average being 27. The majority of drinks were consumed in the first 6-7 weeks prior to pregnancy knowledge.
"Generally, the more a child was exposed to alcohol in utero the more severe the outcomes were," said Ms Lees.
"Children experienced negative effects even if they were only exposed to low levels of alcohol during very early pregnancy (approximately 16 drinks in the first six to seven weeks) and then the mother stopped drinking. The difficulty is many women don't know they are pregnant at that early stage.
Senior author Professor Maree Teesson, Director of the Matilda Centre said these findings are important for families, clinicians and policy makers moving forward.
"This research highlights the importance for women to be aware of the effects that even low levels of drinking can have on the brain development of babies," she said.
"The safest option during pregnancy is to abstain from drinking any alcohol.
"This information is also important for women planning pregnancies. Even when planning pregnancy, it is safer to abstain from any drinking. Any alcohol consumption from conception throughout the entire pregnancy can impact the brain development of their baby."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200925113422.htm
Helicopter parents should step back and watch
July 30, 2020
Science Daily/Edith Cowan University
Researchers conducted the world's first data-driven study of parenting classes based on the Respectful Approach intervention. The Respectful Approach, modeled on Resources for Infant Educators (RIE)TM, guides parents to treat young children as capable and independent humans who can flourish if given safe space and freedom from too much adult direction.
Sitting back and watching your toddler explore their world is good for parent mental health, a new study has found.
As part of her PhD at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia, Mandy Richardson conducted the world's first data-driven study of parenting classes based on the Respectful Approach intervention.
The Respectful Approach, modelled on Resources for Infant Educators (RIE)TM, guides parents to treat young children as capable and independent humans who can flourish if given safe space and freedom from too much adult direction.
Parents were invited to take part in a class for infants or toddlers over six weeks where they observed their children in uninterrupted play in a room with age appropriate toys.
The infants and toddlers were free to investigate their environment and interact with other children while parents sat in the room and watched with a facilitator. After an observation period, each class introduced and discussed a topic related to the Respectful Approach.
At the end of the program, parents reported significantly lower stress levels, with more confidence and a better understanding of their children's capabilities.
Children make progress when given space and time
Ms Richardson said the Respectful Approach is ultimately about building a trusting, lasting bond with positive communication between parents and children. There is less focus on checklists and achieving milestones, with acknowledgement that each child is different.
"Participants in the study reported worrying less about performance pressure after attending the classes, which let them refocus on their relationship with their children," she said.
"As parents we tend to go and 'save' our children when they start to struggle with something, instead of letting them try to resolve their own challenges. But if the children aren't looking for help, perhaps they can be left to do their own thing and work it out themselves."
Ms Richardson explained the Respectful Approach helps to establish good patterns in early years so children learn to build confidence in their abilities and to deal with conflict in emotionally intelligent ways.
"Traditionally early behavioural interventions have predominantly focused on modifying undesirable child behaviours," Ms Richardson said.
"By building good communication and a close parent-child bond, we can potentially prevent problems occurring in the long term."
Ms Richardson and her research supervisor Associate Professor Therese O'Sullivan are now expanding the pilot study to track parents and children over three years to determine whether the decline in parental stress levels has a lasting impact and investigate long term outcomes in child development.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200730110121.htm