Why was the cohort set up?Early childhood development (ECD) is defined as the period from conception up to school entry.It is a unique opportunity for children's cognitive, social, emotional and physical development. 1Neuroscientific evidence has proved that both adverse and positive experiences would affect brain development, influencing subsequent health and development. 2,3Thus, beneficial effect of intervention of this period has been shown in adult health, 4 competence, 5 reduction of violence and crime 6 and development of the subsequent generation. 7According to the global estimation, 43% of children in low-income and middleincome countries (LMICs) are at risk of poor development, 8 and they are subject to an average of 26% loss of adult income. 9Given the importance of ECD, it was included in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to ensure that all children have access to quality ECD, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education. 10lthough previous cohort studies have explored how early circumstances can influence later development, the risk factors and current levels of ECD have not been assessed systematically.The Millennium Cohort study, started in 2000, followed the lives of around 19 000 children born in the UK, which has found that circumstances such as child poverty and family issues influence later health and development and thus has informed the development of early years policy and practice and service provision in disadvantaged children. 11However, this cohort mostly focused on physical health and cognitive abilities in early years. 12In 2017, built on empirical evidence of ECD,
This was a cross-sectional survey to investigate the relationship of age, parent education, sleep duration, physical activity, and dietary habits with overweight or obesity in school-age children in Shanghai.The survey gathered information from 13,001 children in grades 1 through 5 (age 6 to 10 years) among 26 elementary schools in 7 districts. Activity level was evaluated using the International Children's Leisure Activities Study Survey Questionnaire (CLASS-C). The definitions of normal, overweight, and obese were adjusted for each age.Logistic regression analysis indicated that age, being male, having ≤10 hours of sleep on non-school days, eating ≥1 vegetable/day, or drinking ≥1 sugar-sweetened drink/day increased the risk for a child being overweight or obese compared with having >10 hours of sleep or ≤3 vegetables or ≤3 sugar-sweetened drinks/month (p ≤ .008). Having >2 hours of outdoor activities on non-school days reduced the risk of being overweight or obese compared with ≤2 hours of outdoor activities on non-school days (p < .001).We found that age, sex, sleep, and some dietary habits impacted weight, and suggests that specific cultural and economic factors may impact risk of a child being overweight or obese.
Abstract Physical activity, screen viewing, sleep, and homework among children have been independently linked to health outcomes. However, few studies have assessed the independent associations between time spent in daily activities and children’s physical and mental health. This study describes time spent in four activities among primary school students in Shanghai, and examines the relationship between daily time-use patterns and obesity and mental health. The representative sample consists of 17,318 children aged 6–11 years in Shanghai. Time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activities (MVPA), screen viewing, sleep, and homework was measured by validated questionnaires. Logistic regressions were performed. We also fitted generalized additive models (GAM) and performed two-objective optimization to minimize the probability of poor mental health and obesity. In 2014, 33.7% of children spent ˂1 hour/day on MVPA, 15.6% spent ≥ 2 hours/day on screen viewing, 12.4% spent ˂ 9 hours/day on sleep, and 27.2% spent ≥ 2 hours/day on homework. The optimization results suggest that considering the 24-hour time limit, children face trade-offs when allocating time. A priority should be given to the duration of sleep and MVPA. Screen exposure should be minimized to save more time for sleep and other beneficial activities.
Mutations in the human O-phosphoseryl-tRNA:selenocysteinyl-tRNA synthase gene (SEPSECS) are associated with progressive cerebello-cerebral atrophy (PCCA), also known as pontocerebellar hypoplasia type 2D (PCH2D). Early-onset profound developmental delay, progressive microcephaly, and hypotonia that develops toward severe spasticity have been previously reported with SEPSECS mutations. Herein we report a case with severe global developmental delay, myogenic changes in the lower limbs, and insomnia, but without progressive microcephaly and brain atrophy during infancy and toddlerhood in a child harboring the SEPSECS missense variant c.194A>G (p. Asn65Ser) and a novel splicing mutation c.701+1G>A. With these findings we communicate the first Chinese SEPSECS mutant case, and our report indicates that SEPSECS mutations can give rise to a milder phenotype.
To compare the secular trends of sleep/wake patterns in school-aged children in Hong Kong and Shanghai, two major metropolitan cities in China with two different policies that school start time was delayed in Shanghai, but advanced in Hong Kong in 10 years' time. Participants were from two waves of cross-sectional school-based surveys of children aged 6 to 11 years. In Shanghai, 4,339 and 13,795 children participated in the 2005 and 2014 surveys, respectively. In Hong Kong, 6,231 and 4,585 children participated in the 2003 and 2012 surveys, respectively. Parents reported their children's bedtime and wakeup time, and thus sleep duration, short sleep (≤ 9 hours) and weekend oversleep (difference in sleep duration between weekday and weekend > 2 hours) were determined. Hong Kong children had later bedtime and wakeup time and slept consistently less than their Shanghai counterparts at both survey time points. The shorter sleep duration was particularly marked during weekdays. Over the interval period, weekday sleep duration significantly decreased from 9.2 to 8.9 hours as wakeup time became earlier for Hong Kong children, but increased from 9.4 to 9.6 hours as wakeup time became later for children in Shanghai. Children from both cities slept longer on the weekends. Prevalence of weekend oversleep significantly increased in Hong Kong children, but no interval change was found in Shanghai children. The findings indicate subcultural differences in sleep/wake patterns in Shanghai and Hong Kong school-aged children. In particular, sleep duration had increased for Shanghai children, but decreased for Hong Kong children over 10 years. The benefits and barriers of delaying school start time for optimizing sleep health in school-aged children should be further explored.
Abstract Introduction Although depression has shown a strong familial aggregation tendency, there are some moderators between parental and offspring’s depression. Meanwhile, it is known that evening chronotype is a risk factor for depression. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the moderating role of chronotype in the relationship between maternal and adolescent depressive symptoms in a clinical sample. Methods Seventy-five adolescents who visited a sleep or psychiatric clinic with a major complaint of sleep disturbance or emotional problems agreed to participate, 51 adolescents and at least one biological parent who completed questionnaires were included in the current analysis (17 male adolescents, aged 9-17 yrs). Adolescent’s chronotype were measured by the reduced Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (rMEQ). Depressive symptoms in adolescents and parents were assessed by the Depression Self-Rating Scale for Children (DSRSC) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), respectively. General linear models were applied to examine the interaction between parental depression and adolescent’s chronotype on adolescent’s depression, in which age and gender were entered as covariates. Results Mothers of adolescents with clinical depression (DSRSC>15, n=38) also reported more depressive symptoms (PHQ-9: 4.81±4.37 vs. 2.69±2.46, t=-2.14, p=0.039). But father’s depressive symptoms were not related with adolescent’s depression. In the current clinical sample, the prevalence of evening chronotype in adolescents was up to 45.1% (n=23). Adolescents with either non-evening or evening chronotype reported comparable level of depressive symptoms (DSRSC: 20.37±6.26 vs. 19.00±8.42, t=0.66, p=0.513). There was a significant interaction between maternal depressive symptoms and chronotype on offspring’s depressive symptoms (F=4.05, p=0.044). Specifically, maternal depressive symptoms were associated with offspring’s depressive symptoms only in adolescents with evening chronotype. Conclusion Our study suggested that adolescents with evening chronotype might be at an elevated risk of the transgenerational transmission of depression. Hence, our findings supported the need to consider circadian factors and maternal depression in identifying at-risk adolescents. Support (If Any) This work was supported by the Shanghai Sailing Program awarded to Dr. Wanqi Sun (Shanghai Science and Technology Committee, 19YF1442200).
In this issue of Behavioral Sleep Medicine, Quick et al. found that a nocturnal sleep duration of less than 8 hr appears to contribute to the development of maladaptive eating behaviors and attitud...
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