Woo, JG. Fast, Slow, High, and Low: Infant and Childhood Growth as Predictors of Cardiometabolic Outcomes. The Journal of Pediatrics. 2017; 186:14-16.
This editorial highlights the importance of early growth patterns in setting the conditions for cardiovascular and metabolic disease risk in adulthood. Whereas there is a large body of literature documenting the influence of infant body mass and early growth patterns on the risk of obesity in adulthood, fewer studies have addressed the impact of these growth patterns on other predictors of adverse outcomes such as insulin resistance, diastolic blood pressure and left ventricular mass. More research work needs done to fully characterize the causal pathways leading from fast and high growth patterns to adult obesity and cardiometabolic outcomes, and to identify early markers of high-risk growth trajectory that prevention programs can target.
Woo, JG; Sucharew, H; Su, W; Khoury, PR; Daniels, SR; Kalkwarf, HJ. Infant Weight and Length Growth Trajectories Modeled Using Superimposition by Translation and Rotation Are Differentially Associated with Body Composition Components at 3 and 7 Years of Age. The Journal of Pediatrics. 2018; 196:182-188.e1.
This study evaluated how infant weigh and length growth trajectories associate with body composition at 3 and 7 years. While previous studies noted that rapid infant weight gain increases risk for high body mass index in children, the methods employed in this project better characterize weight gain and growth during infancy. The findings indicate that greater average weight size and greater weight velocity in infancy are markers for greater overall body size at 3 and 7 years of age. Longer average lengths and later weight gain tempo between 0 and 2 years of age may help to establish a leaner body composition by 3 and 7 years of age.
Brokamp, C; Beck, AF; Muglia, L; Ryan, P. Combined sewer overflow events and childhood emergency department visits: A case-crossover study. Science of the Total Environment. 2017; 607-608:1180-1187.
This is the first report of an association between combined sewer overflow (CSO) events occurring near children’s homes and elevated risk for emergency department (ED) visits. Each year, over 11 billion gallons of untreated sewage empties into yards and waterways of Cincinnati, Ohio. We found a link between CSO events occurring within 500 meters of residences and childhood ED visits for gastrointestinal illnesses two and five days post CSO events as well as ED visits for skin and soft tissue infections three and four days post CSO events. Projects designed to mitigate CSO events and replace aging CSO infrastructure are ongoing in Cincinnati, and the Cincinnati Metropolitan Sewer District is working with us to identify areas with the highest risk of health effects.
Folger, AT; Eismann, EA; Stephenson, NB; Shapiro, RA; Macaluso, M; Brownrigg, ME; Gillespie, RJ. Parental Adverse Childhood Experiences and Offspring Development at 2 Years of Age. Pediatrics. 2018; 141(4).
A strong association exists between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and negative child psychological and developmental outcomes. However, we know little about the intergenerational effects of ACEs on early child development. To examine the relationship between parental ACEs and child development at 2-years, researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study of 311 mother-child and 122 father-child dyads who attended a large pediatric primary care practice. For each additional maternal ACE, there was an 18% increase in the risk for a suspected developmental delay (relative risk: 1.18, 95% confidence interval: 1.08–1.29); and found a similar trend for paternal ACEs. The study findings indicate that parental ACEs could have deleterious effects on offspring development across multiple domains, including problem solving, communication, personal-social, and motor skills. Parental ACE screening in the context of pediatric primary care may have utility for assessing the need for two-generation approaches to mitigate developmental risks.
Folger, AT; Bowers, KA; Dexheimer, JW; Sa, T; Hall, ES; Van Ginkel, JB; Ammerman, RT. Evaluation of Early Childhood Home Visiting to Prevent Medically Attended Unintentional Injury. Annals of Emergency Medicine. 2017; 70(3):302-310.e1.
In this study, we examined the association between postnatal participation in the Every Child Succeeds (ECS) home visiting program and the risk for medically-attended unintentional injury 0-5 years. Mother-child pairs who participated in ECS (births 2006-2012) were propensity-score matched with a comparison group of eligible non-ECS mother-child pairs sampled from Ohio birth records. The study sample of n=5,458 links to a population-based registry of injury outcomes including inpatient admissions and emergency department visits in Hamilton County, Ohio. The risk for injury 0-2 and 0-3 years was significantly higher among ECS participants relative to the comparison group; excess injuries were largely superficial in nature and treated in the emergency department. The findings suggest treatment for home visited children is more likely for unintentional injury. Implications include an increased need for injury prevention in the home and the existence of a potential surveillance effect, in which home visited families have increased health-seeking behavior.