Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology via MedWorm.com

Does children's energy intake at one meal influence their intake at subsequent meals? Or do we just think it does?

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Hanley JA, Hutcheon JA. Does children's energy intake at one meal influence their intake at subsequent meals? Or do we just think it does? Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2010. It is widely believed that young children are able to adjust their energy intake across successive meals to compensate for higher or lower intakes at a given meal. This conclusion is based on past observations that although children's intake at individual meals is highly variable, total daily intakes are relatively constant. We investigated how much of this reduction in variability could be explained by the statistical phenomenon of the variability of individual components (each meal) always being relatively larger than the variability of their sum (total daily intake), independent of any physiological compens...

Representativeness of child controls recruited by random digit dialling

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Bailey HD, Milne E, de Klerk N, Fritschi L, Bower C, Attia J, Armstrong BK. Representativeness of child controls recruited by random digit dialling. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2010. Recruiting control subjects who are representative of the population from which the cases are drawn is a challenge in case[ndash]control studies. This paper examines the performance of random digit dialling (RDD) in obtaining a control sample, and the sample's representativeness of the population with respect to socio-economic status. The study subjects were recruited from 2003 to 2006 for a national, population-based case[ndash]control study investigating causes of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in children (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

In this issue

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 16:14:16 +0100

(Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Introduction to Meta-Analysis

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

(Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Differences in exposure assignment between conception and delivery: the impact of maternal mobility

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Lupo PJ, Symanski E, Chan W, Mitchell LE, Waller DK, Canfield MA, Langlois PH. Differences in exposure assignment between conception and delivery: the impact of maternal mobility. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2010; 24: 200[ndash]208. In studies of reproductive outcomes, maternal residence at delivery is often the only information available to characterise environmental exposures during pregnancy. The goal of this investigation was to describe residential mobility during pregnancy and to assess the extent to which change of residence may result in exposure misclassification when exposure is based on the address at delivery. Maternal residential mobility was compared between neural tube defect cases and unaffected controls from Texas participants in the National Birth Defects Preven...

Antenatal and postpartum depressive symptoms are differentially associated with early childhood weight and adiposity

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, whereas antenatal depression was associated with smaller size and central adiposity at age 3 years, postpartum depression was associated with higher overall adiposity. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Effects of early cat or dog ownership on sensitisation and asthma in a high-risk cohort without disease-related modification of exposure

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, cat or dog ownership reduced the risk of subsequent atopy in this high-risk birth cohort. This cannot be explained by disease-related modification of exposure. Public health recommendations on the effect of cat and dog ownership should be based on birth cohort studies where possible selection bias has been taken into account. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

School attainment of children who had a single umbilical artery at birth

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In conclusion the children born with SUA are more likely than children born with three vessels to show impaired school achievements. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Population-attributable risk of low birthweight related to PM10 pollution in seven Korean cities

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Seo J-H, Leem J-H, Ha E-H, Kim O-J, Kim B-M, Lee J-Y, Park H-S, Kim H-C, Hong Y-C, Kim Y-J. Population-attributable risk of low birthweight related to PM10 pollution in seven Korean cities. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2010; 24: 140[ndash]148. To understand the preventable fraction of low birthweight (LBW) deliveries due to maternal exposure to air pollution during pregnancy in Korea, it is important to quantify the population-attributable risk (PAR). Thus, we investigated the association between maternal exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and LBW, and calculated the PAR for air pollution and LBW in seven Korean cities. We used birth records from the Korean National Birth Register for 2004. A geographic information system and kriging methods were used to construct exposure...

The predictive ability of conditional fetal growth percentiles

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Hutcheon JA, Egeland GM, Morin L, Meltzer SJ, Jacobsen G, Platt RW. The predictive ability of conditional fetal growth percentiles. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2010; 24: 131[ndash]139. Conditional fetal growth percentiles are percentiles that are calculated taking into account (conditional on) an infant's weight earlier in pregnancy. Although they have been proposed in the statistical literature as a more methodologically appropriate method of measuring fetal growth, their ability to predict adverse perinatal outcomes due to fetal growth restriction is unknown. Using a large, unselected clinical ultrasound database at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, Canada, we calculated conditional growth percentiles for infants' weight at birth, given their weight at the time of a rout...

Mifepristone-induced abortion and duration of third stage labour in a subsequent pregnancy

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, the data did not provide evidence that one MA was associated with the risk of prolonged third stage of labour in a subsequent pregnancy in primiparae. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Do we really need yet another paper on . . . . . . . . .

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

(Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Socio-economic inequalities in cerebral palsy prevalence in the United Kingdom: a register-based study

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Dolk H, Pattenden S, Bonellie S, Colver A, King A, Kurinczuk JJ, Parkes J, Platt MJ, Surman G. Socio-economic inequalities in cerebral palsy prevalence in the United Kingdom: a register-based study. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2010. Evidence is unclear as to whether there is a socio-economic gradient in cerebral palsy (CP) prevalence beyond what would be expected from the socio-economic gradient for low birthweight, a strong risk factor for CP. We conducted a population-based study in five regions of the UK with CP registers, to investigate the relationship between CP prevalence and socio-economic deprivation, and how it varies by region, by birthweight and by severity and type of CP. The total study population was 1 657 569 livebirths, born between 1984 and 1997. Wards of reside...

Descriptive epidemiology of birth trauma in the United States in 2003

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, additional research is necessary to identify ways to reduce birth trauma and subsequent infant morbidity and mortality. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Prenatal alcohol exposure and childhood balance: a systematic review

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, at present, there is limited evidence on the possible effects of alcohol exposure on childhood balance. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

A prospective study of maternal carboxyhaemoglobin and pre-eclampsia risk

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Rudra CB, Williams MA, Schiff MA, Koenig JQ, Dills R, Yu J. A prospective study of maternal carboxyhaemoglobin and pre-eclampsia risk. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. We aimed to measure the relationship between early-pregnancy maternal carboxyhaemoglobin and subsequent pre-eclampsia risk. A nested case[ndash]control analysis was conducted using data from a western Washington State cohort study (1996[ndash]2004). We measured maternal whole blood carboxyhaemoglobin in 128 women who developed pre-eclampsia and 419 normotensive controls (mean gestational age at blood draw, 14.8 weeks). After adjustment for confounders, high ([ge]1%) vs. low ( (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Survey of Neonates in Pomerania (SNiP): a population-based birth study – objectives, design and population coverage

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The objectives of SNiP are to establish (a) a population-based birth cohort providing detailed information about neonatal health, morbidity and mortality, (b) a biobank with newborn DNA and serum from cord blood, placenta tissue samples and DNA obtained from oral mucosal swabs of the mothers, (c) a prospective study design by re-examination of the SNiP population prior to attendance at primary school. From March 2003 until November 2008 all childbearing mothers in a well-defined region in North-Eastern Germany were asked to participate with their newborns. Detailed data on health status of the newborn, pregnancy, medical and family history, socio-economic status and maternal life style were obtained via face-to-face interview, standardised questionnaires and medical records. Placental tiss...

Characteristics of prospectively measured vaginal bleeding among women trying to conceive

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Previous research has described variability in menstrual cycle lengths within and across women, though less attention has focused on characterising patterns of bleeding. While clinical definitions for menstrual bleeding are often given in standard textbooks, the validity of conventional definitions has not been empirically evaluated in epidemiological studies. The definition of menstrual bleeding may affect the analysis of time to pregnancy and pregnancy dating that relies upon the last menstrual period. We used daily records of vaginal bleeding from a prospective cohort study that included 74 women trying to become pregnant who reported 430 bleeding episodes. A longitudinal mixture model (PROC TRAJ) was used to classify patterns of bleeding. Among the first 74 bleeding episodes, 15% compr...

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and intellectual performance in young adult Swedish male offspring

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Lundberg F, Cnattingius S, D'Onofrio B, Altman D, Lambe M, Hultman C, Iliadou A. Maternal smoking during pregnancy and intellectual performance in young adult Swedish male offspring. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. Smoking during pregnancy has been linked to an increased risk of several adverse birth outcomes. Associations with deficits in cognitive development have also been suggested. It is unclear whether these associations are due to genetic and/or environmental confounding. In a population-based Swedish cohort study on 205 777 singleton males born to Nordic mothers between 1983 and 1988, we examined the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and the risk of poor intellectual performance in young adult male offspring. In the cohort analyses, the risk of poor ...

Reproducibility of reported nutrient intake and supplement use during a past pregnancy: a report from the Children's Oncology Group

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Bosco JLF, Tseng M, Spector LG, Olshan AF, Bunin GR. Reproducibility of reported nutrient intake and supplement use during a past pregnancy: a report from the Children's Oncology Group. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. Maternal diet and nutrition have been thought to play a role in many childhood conditions. Studies using food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) have reported associations with maternal diet, but these findings are difficult to interpret because the reliability and validity of the FFQs for diet during a past pregnancy are not known. We determined the reproducibility of reported diet and supplement use during a past pregnancy in a subset of mothers interviewed for a case[ndash]control study of maternal diet in relation to the risk of childhood brain tumours. Cases were...

Breast feeding very-low-birthweight infants at discharge: a multicentre study using WHO definitions

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Davanzo R, Ronfani L, Brovedani P, Demarini S for the Breastfeeding in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Study Group. Breast feeding very-low-birthweight infants at discharge: a multicentre study using WHO definitions. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009; 23: 591[ndash]596. Human milk has several advantages in the nutrition of very-low-birthweight (VLBW) infants. However, there are limited data on breast feeding (BF) in neonatal intensive care units (NICU). The aim of this study was to identify a practical definition of BF rate in VLBW infants and to test its applicability and reproducibility in Italian NICUs. The study population included all VLBW infants discharged from 12 level 3 NICUs, over a 12-month period. Type of feeding was recorded according to the World Health Organisation (WH...

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia and brain white matter damage in the preterm infant: a complex relationship

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Gagliardi L, Bellù R, Zanini R, Dammann O and the Network Neonatale Lombardo Study Group. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia and brain white matter damage in the preterm infant: a complex relationship. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009; 23: 582[ndash]590. We analysed the relationship between bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and brain white matter damage (WMD) in very preterm infants, adjusting for common risk factors and confounders. We studied a cohort of infants (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Understanding the factors associated with differences in caesarean section rates at hospital level: the case of Latin America

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Taljaard M, Donner A, Villar J, Wojdyla D, Faundes A, Zavaleta N and Arnaldo Acosta for the World Health Organization 2005 Global Survey on Maternal and Perinatal Health Research Group. Understanding the factors associated with differences in caesarean section rates at hospital level: the case of Latin America. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009; 23: 574[ndash]581. As in many other regions of the world, caesarean section (CS) rates in Latin America are increasing. Studies elsewhere have shown that providing feedback to caregivers regarding their own performance relative to their peers can significantly reduce the rates. Our objectives are to calculate risk-adjusted CS rates for hospitals in Latin America and to identify factors associated with differences among risk-adjusted rates....

Relationships between birthweight and biomarkers of chronic disease in childhood: Aboriginal Birth Cohort Study 1987–2001

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Sayers S, Singh G, Mott S, McDonnell J, Hoy W. Relationships between birthweight and biomarkers of chronic disease in childhood: Aboriginal Birth Cohort Study 1987[ndash]2001. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009; 23: 548[ndash]556. Reports of relationships between lower birthweight and later chronic diseases are mainly from populations with low rates of low birthweight (LBW) and growth-restricted births. A prospective study of an Australian Aboriginal birth cohort with a mean birthweight of 3050 g (SD 630), 16% LBW and 28% fetal growth restriction was used to examine the relationships between birthweight and selected biomarkers of chronic adult disease. At a mean age of 11.4 years (range 8.9[ndash]14), the mean weight was 35.7 kg (SD 11.8) and the mean height was 143.8 cm (SD 10.6)....

Trends in birth size and macrosomia in Queensland, Australia, from 1988 to 2005

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

This study used data from the Queensland Perinatal Data Collection, including singleton livebirths (n = 831 375) from 1988 to 2005. Recorded birthweight (BW, g), birth length (BL, cm), gestational age (weeks), maternal age, ethnic origin and calculated ponderal index (PI, kg/m3) were used. Temporal trends were assessed over the intervals 1988[ndash]2005 for BW and 2001[ndash]2005 for BW, BL and PI. Mean BW increased during the 17-year interval by [sim]1.9 g/year at a relatively low rate compared with reports from other countries. The proportion of high BW infants ([ge]4000 g) rose by 0.8% per year. Stratification by Indigenous status indicated that the increase in mean BW and prevalence of high BW was confined to non-Indigenous newborns only. The secular increase in BW was further modified...

Trends in preterm births in Flanders, Belgium, from 1991 to 2002

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

We examined their contribution to the frequencies of preterm ( (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Trait anxiety in pregnant women predicts offspring birth outcomes

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Hosseini SM, Biglan MW, Larkby C, Brooks MM, Gorin MB, Day NL. Trait anxiety in pregnant women predicts offspring birth outcomes. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. The goal of our study was to characterise the relationships between trait anxiety symptoms of women during their pregnancies and birth outcomes of their offspring using a longitudinal cohort from the Maternal Health Practices and Child Development Project. We used the State-Trait Personality Index anxiety measure that is based on Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory to measure self-reported trait anxiety at two gestational assessments (fourth and seventh months, representing the first and second trimesters, respectively) and at a third assessment shortly after delivery (representing the third trimester). Demogra...

Birthweight and early neonatal health: Bangladesh perspective

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Ullah A, Barman A, Haque J, Khanum M, Bari I. Birthweight and early neonatal health: Bangladesh perspective. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. It has been suggested that a birthweight limit of 2.5 kg should not be regarded as valid for all populations as the cut-off point of low-weight births because of demographic, genetic and environmental differences. Countries often choose alternative cut-off values for low birthweight for clinical purposes. Bangladesh also needs to choose a convenient cut-off value for low birthweight. A total of 770 live singleton full-term normal newborns were included in this study by stratified sampling; birthweight was measured using the Detecto-type baby weight machine. Newborns were followed up to the end of their first week of life. For data collecti...

Previous maternal oral contraception and the risk among subsequent offspring of asthma diagnosis in early childhood

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

We examined maternal OCP exposure in relation to asthma in the offspring (n = 6730) compared with offspring with no asthma (n = 6730) further stratifying by eczema, age group, treatment category and gender of the offspring. Maternal use of OCP was classified as: no OCP use in the 2 years prior to conception; past OCP use within 2 years but >6 months before conception; and recent OCP use within 6 months of conception. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for asthma in the offspring was 1.16 [95% confidence interval 1.06, 1.27] among mothers who were recent users of the OCP when compared with mothers who had not used the OCP. Past OCP use was not associated with asthma in the offspring. In the stratified analyses, we observed weak but statistically significant associations between recent maternal OC...

In this issue

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Self-selection and bias in a large prospective pregnancy cohort in Norway

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Nilsen RM, Vollset SE, Gjessing HK, Skjærven R, Melve KK, Schreuder P, Alsaker ER, Haug K, Daltveit AK and Magnus P. Self-selection and bias in a large prospective pregnancy cohort in Norway. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. Self-selection in epidemiological studies may introduce selection bias and influence the validity of study results. To evaluate potential bias due to self-selection in a large prospective pregnancy cohort in Norway, the authors studied differences in prevalence estimates and association measures between study participants and all women giving birth in Norway. Women who agreed to participate in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (43.5% of invited; n = 73 579) were compared with all women giving birth in Norway (n = 398 849) using data from the popul...

Changes in the prevalence of asthma, eczema and hay fever in pre-pubertal children: a 40-year perspective

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100

McNeill G, Tagiyeva N, Aucott L, Russell G, Helms PJ. Changes in the prevalence of asthma, eczema and hay fever in pre-pubertal children: a 40-year perspective. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. Surveys of primary schools children in Aberdeen carried out in 1964, 1989, 1994 and 1999 suggested a slowing of the increase in parent-reported wheeze between 1994 and 1999. To assess whether this pattern had continued, questionnaires were distributed to 5712 children aged 7[ndash]12 years in the same schools in 2004. A total of 3271 (57.3%) completed questionnaires were returned. As in earlier surveys the results were divided into those for younger children (school years 3[ndash]4; age 7[ndash]9 years) and older children (school years 5[ndash]7; age 9[ndash]12 years). Compared with 1999,...

Children with cerebral palsy: severity and trends over time

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Surman G, Hemming K, Platt MJ, Parkes J, Green A, Hutton J, Kurinczuk JJ. Children with cerebral palsy: severity and trends over time. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. Increasingly, more very-low-birthweight infants in the developed world are now expected to survive the neonatal period than was previously the case. There are concerns that there may be a related increase in the number of infants developing severe sensorimotor impairments. Pooled data from five registers contributing to the UK Network of Cerebral Palsy Registers, Surveys and Databases were used to identify patterns of motor impairment in relation to additional impairments and to birthweight, and to assess whether prevalence of cerebral palsy (CP) by birthweight and by severity of motor impairment had changed over ...

In this issue

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:25:11 +0100

(Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Quality and equality in obstetric care: racial and ethnic differences in caesarean section delivery rates

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Bryant AS, Washington S, Kuppermann M, Cheng YW, Caughey AB. Quality and equality in obstetric care: racial and ethnic differences in caesarean section delivery rates. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. We sought to examine racial/ethnic differences in deliveries by caesarean section (CS) over time, particularly among women at low risk for this procedure. To do so, we conducted a retrospective cohort study at the University of California, San Francisco, a tertiary care academic centre. Births occurring between 1980 and 2001 were included in the analyses. Women with multiple gestations, fetuses in other than the cephalic presentation or with other known contraindications to vaginal birth were excluded. A total of 28 493 African American, Asian, Latina and White women were studied. ...

Commentary: Exegesis of effect modification – biological or spurious?

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Reply to Commentaries: Biology and methodology – the quest for parsimonious models of a complex reality

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Timing of maturation and predictors of menarche in girls enrolled in a contemporary British cohort

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

This study describes the timing of puberty in 8- to 13-year-old girls enrolled in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) and identifies factors associated with earlier achievement of menarche. Women were enrolled during pregnancy and their offspring were followed prospectively. We analysed self-reported Tanner staging and menstrual status information collected annually from daughters up to age 13. We used survival models to estimate median age of attainment of stage >1 and stage >2 of breast and pubic hair development and of menarche. We also constructed multivariable logistic regression models to identify factors associated with earlier achievement of menarche. About 12% of girls reported Tanner breast stage >1 at age 8; 98% of girls were above stage 1 by age 13. For...

Attitudes of pregnant women towards participation in perinatal epidemiological research

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, 9[ndash]34% of pregnant women, depending on procedure, stated they would not participate in non-invasive research procedures such as medical record abstraction and infant examination, even with compensation. Resistance to these research procedures was especially noted among more highly educated women. Planning for the National Children's Study will have to address potential resistance to research among pregnant women. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Z-scores and the birthweight paradox

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Schisterman EF, Whitcomb BW, Mumford SL, Platt RW. Z-scores and the birthweight paradox. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. Investigators have long puzzled over the observation that low-birthweight babies of smokers tend to fare better than low-birthweight babies of non-smokers. Similar observations have been made with regard to factors other than smoking status, including socio-economic status, race and parity. Use of standardised birthweights, or birthweight z-scores, has been proposed as an approach to resolve the crossing of the curves that is the hallmark of the so-called birthweight paradox. In this paper, we utilise directed acyclic graphs, analytical proofs and an extensive simulation study to consider the use of z-scores of birthweight and their effect on statistical anal...

Commentary: Biology vs. methodology in investigating causal pathways for infant mortality

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

(Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Quantification of collider-stratification bias and the birthweight paradox

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Whitcomb BW, Schisterman EF, Perkins NJ, Platt RW. Quantification of collider-stratification bias and the birthweight paradox. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. The 'birthweight paradox' describes the phenomenon whereby birthweight-specific mortality curves cross when stratified on other exposures, most notably cigarette smoking. The paradox has been noted widely in the literature and numerous explanations and corrections have been suggested. Recently, causal diagrams have been used to illustrate the possibility for collider-stratification bias in models adjusting for birthweight. When two variables share a common effect, stratification on the variable representing that effect induces a statistical relation between otherwise independent factors. This bias has been proposed to exp...

The role of birth cohorts in studies of adult health: the New York women's birth cohort

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Terry MB, Flom J, Tehranifar P, Susser E. The role of birth cohorts in studies of adult health: the New York women's birth cohort. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. Epidemiological studies investigating associations between early life factors and adult health are often limited to studying exposures that can be reliably recalled in adulthood or obtained from existing medical records. There are few US studies with detailed data on the pre- and postnatal environment whose study populations are now in adulthood; one exception is the Collaborative Perinatal Project (CPP). We contacted former female participants of the New York site of the CPP who were born from 1959 to 1963 and were prospectively followed for 7 years to examine whether the pre- and postnatal environment is associated ...

The effect of maternal smoking during pregnancy on intellectual disabilities among 8-year-old children

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Braun JM, Daniels JL, Kalkbrenner A, Zimmerman J, Nicholas JS. The effect of maternal smoking during pregnancy on intellectual disabilities among 8-year-old children. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. Prenatal tobacco smoke exposure has been implicated as a risk factor for cognitive deficits in children. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between prenatal tobacco smoke exposure and diagnosis of intellectual disabilities (ID) among 8-year-old children living in Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina and Utah. In 2002 and 2004, 965 ID case children were identified through a surveillance network and compared with the population of children born in the surveillance region during the same period (n = 104 607). Prenatal tobacco smoke exposure was determined from birth c...

The impact of children's emotional and behavioural difficulties on their lives and their use of mental health services

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Simpson GA, Cohen RA, Bloom B, Blumberg SJ. The impact of children's emotional and behavioural difficulties on their lives and their use of mental health services. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. This paper examines the relationship between the impact of children's emotional and behavioural difficulties and the use of mental health services, using 3 years of nationally representative data from the National Health Interview Survey. Data for the years 2001, 2003 and 2004 were combined (n = 29 265) to identify a sample of 1423 children aged 4[ndash]17 years with emotional/behavioural difficulties. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used. About 5% of U.S. children had emotional or behavioural difficulties. Children whose difficulty was a burden on their family were almo...

Risk of second malignant neoplasms among childhood cancer survivors treated with radiotherapy: meta-analysis of nine epidemiological studies

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Sat, 16 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Doi K, Mieno MN, Shimada Y, Yoshinaga S. Risk of second malignant neoplasms among childhood cancer survivors treated with radiotherapy: meta-analysis of nine epidemiological studies. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. In the light of notable advances made in childhood cancer therapies, an understanding of the late effects of treatment is important for continued medical care. We conducted a meta-analysis of studies on the excess relative risk (ERR) of second malignant neoplasm (SMN) among childhood cancer survivors treated with radiotherapy. Relevant studies were retrieved by searching the PubMed database, supplemented by hand-searching of reference lists of already retrieved papers. Nine studies were identified and overall ERR estimates were calculated using a fixed effects model ...

Investigating socio-economic disparities in preterm birth: evidence for selective study participation and selection bias

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 14 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Kramer MS, Wilkins R, Goulet L, Séguin L, Lydon J, Kahn SR, McNamara H, Dassa C, Dahhou M, Masse A, Miner L, Asselin G, Gauthier H, Ghanem A, Benjamin A, Platt RW, for the Montreal Prematurity Study Group. Investigating socio-economic disparities in preterm birth: evidence for selective study participation and selection bias. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. Selective study participation can theoretically lead to selection bias. We explored this issue in the context of a multicentre cohort study of socio-economic disparities in preterm birth. Women with singleton pregnancies were recruited from four large Montreal maternity hospitals and invited to return for an interview, vaginal examination and venepuncture at 24[ndash]26 weeks of gestation. We compared the observed preterm b...

Do differences in maternal age, parity and multiple births explain variations in fetal and neonatal mortality rates in Europe? – Results from the EURO-PERISTAT project

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 14 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Anthony S, Jacobusse GW, van der Pal-de Bruin KM, Buitendijk S, Zeitlin J and the EURO-PERISTAT Working Group on Risk Factors. Do differences in maternal age, parity and multiple births explain variations in fetal and neonatal mortality rates in Europe? [ndash] Results from the EURO-PERISTAT project. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. Perinatal mortality rates differ markedly between countries in Europe. If population characteristics, such as maternal age, parity or multiple births, contribute to these differences, standardised rates may be useful for international comparisons of health status and especially quality of care. This analysis used aggregated population-based data on fetal and neonatal mortality stratified by maternal age, parity and multiple birth from 12 countries pa...

Maternal residential proximity to waste sites and industrial facilities and conotruncal heart defects in offspring

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 14 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

In this study population, maternal residential proximity to waste sites or industries with reported air emissions was not associated with conotruncal heart defects or its subtypes in offspring, with the exception of truncus arteriosus. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Comparing methods of analysing datasets with small clusters: case studies using four paediatric datasets

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 14 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Marston L, Peacock JL, Yu K, Brocklehurst P, Calvert SA, Greenough A, Marlow N. Comparing methods of analysing datasets with small clusters: case studies using four paediatric datasets. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. Studies of prematurely born infants contain a relatively large percentage of multiple births, so the resulting data have a hierarchical structure with small clusters of size 1, 2 or 3. Ignoring the clustering may lead to incorrect inferences. The aim of this study was to compare statistical methods which can be used to analyse such data: generalised estimating equations, multilevel models, multiple linear regression and logistic regression. Four datasets which differed in total size and in percentage of multiple births (n = 254, multiple 18%; n = 176, multiple 9%;...

Risk factors for wheezing in Ukrainian children: Ukraine European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood Group

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Hryhorczuk D, Dardynskaia I, Lukyanova E, Matwyshyn-Fuoco M, Friedman L, Shkiryak-Nizhnyk Z, Zvinchuk A, Chislovska N, Antipkin Y. Risk factors for wheezing in Ukrainian children: Ukraine European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood Group. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. The prevalence of wheezing in children varies widely around the world. The reasons for this geographic variability remain unclear but may be related in part to exposures in the home environment during pregnancy and early childhood. We investigated the prenatal and early childhood risk factors for wheezing symptoms among 2127 children aged 6[ndash]8 years who were participants in the Ukrainian component of the European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ELSPAC). Cases included the 169 child...

A case–control study of infant, maternal and perinatal characteristics associated with deformational plagiocephaly

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 01:57:16 +0100

McKinney CM, Cunningham ML, Holt VL, Leroux B, Starr JR. A case[ndash]control study of infant, maternal and perinatal characteristics associated with deformational plagiocephaly. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. Deformational plagiocephaly, an abnormal asymmetric flattening of infants' heads, is diagnosed in approximately 10% of infants. The prevalence of plagiocephaly has increased dramatically since 1992 when it was first recommended that infants be placed to sleep in a non-prone position to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. The authors conducted a case[ndash]control study to evaluate associations between plagiocephaly and perinatal characteristics. The authors assessed whether risk factors for plagiocephaly have changed since 1992. Cases were born 1987[ndash]20...

Prevalence and risk factors for anaemia in pregnant women: a population-based prospective cohort study in China

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

This study was designed to explore the epidemiology and risk factors of anaemia during pregnancy. A prospective cohort study was conducted, using data from a population-based pregnancy-monitoring system in 13 counties in East China (1993[ndash]96). Women who delivered singleton infants at 20[ndash]44 weeks with at least one haemoglobin assessment during pregnancy were included (n = 164 667). The prevalence of anaemia (haemoglobin < 10 g/dL) during pregnancy as well as in each trimester was estimated. Multivariable log-binomial regression models were used to evaluate risk factors. The overall prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy was 32.6%, with substantial variations across trimesters (11.2%, 20.1% and 26.2% in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters respectively). Risk factors for anaemia included o...

Maternal obesity in pregnancy and respiratory health in early childhood

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

We examined the relationship between a high maternal body mass index (BMI) in pregnancy and lower respiratory tract infections and wheeze up to 18 months of age in the Norwegian Mother and Child Study (MoBa), a population-based cohort study that includes 100 000 pregnant women, conducted at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. We analysed data from the first 33 192 children, born between 1999 and 2005. In unadjusted analyses maternal obesity in pregnancy was related to both respiratory infections and wheeze in the children. In multivariable analyses, only an effect on wheeze remained. The risk of wheeze increased linearly with maternal BMI in pregnancy, and was 3.3% higher [95% CI 1.2, 5.3] for children with mothers who were obese during pregnancy, than for children of mothers with no...

Distribution of fasting plasma glucose and prevalence of impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes in the Mexican paediatric population

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Guerrero-Romero F, Violante R, Rodríguez-Morán M. Distribution of fasting plasma glucose and prevalence of impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, and type 2 diabetes in the Mexican paediatric population. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. Published data on the distribution of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) in children are scarce. We therefore set out to examine the distribution of FPG and determine the prevalence of impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and type 2 diabetes (T2-DM) in Mexican children aged 6[ndash]18 years in a community-based cross-sectional study. A total of 1534 apparently healthy children were randomly enrolled and underwent an oral glucose tolerance test. IFG was defined by an FPG value between [ge]100 and (Source: Pae...

Do women change their health behaviours in pregnancy? Findings from the Southampton Women's Survey

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

The objective of the analyses presented here is to describe the degree to which women comply with diet and life style recommendations before and during pregnancy, and changes between these time points. The analyses are based on 1490 women who delivered between 1998 and 2003 and who provided information before pregnancy and at 11 and 34 weeks' gestation. At each time point a trained research nurse ascertained smoking status and assessed food and drink consumption using a food frequency questionnaire. We derived the proportions of women who complied with recommendations not to smoke, to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables per day and to drink no more than four units of alcohol per week and 300 mg of caffeine per day. There was a notable reduction in smoking when women became pregnant: ...

Linear growth in early life is associated with suicidal ideation in 18-year-old Filipinos

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, postnatal growth stunting is an important predictor of suicidal ideation in later life. It also affects the association between birth length and suicidal ideation. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Maternal use of folic acid supplements during pregnancy and four-year-old neurodevelopment in a population-based birth cohort

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Julvez J, Fortuny J, Mendez M, Torrent M, Ribas-Fitó N, Sunyer J. Maternal use of folic acid supplements during pregnancy and four-year-old neurodevelopment in a population-based birth cohort. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. The use of folic acid supplements during very early pregnancy is recommended in order to reduce the incidence of neural tube defects. Little is known about the possible benefits of folic acid on child neurodevelopment. A total of 420 children (87% of those eligible) from a birth cohort had complete data for final analyses at age 4 years. Information about folic acid and other over-the-counter dietary supplements was obtained prospectively using interviewer-administered questionnaires at the end of the first trimester of pregnancy. Psychological outcomes we...

Explaining educational inequalities in birthweight: the Generation R Study

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Jansen PW, Tiemeier H, Looman CWN, Jaddoe VWV, Hofman A, Moll HA, Steegers EAP, Verhulst FC, Mackenbach JP, Raat H. Explaining educational inequalities in birthweight: the Generation R Study. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. Although low socio-economic status has consistently been associated with lower birthweight, little is known about the factors whereby socio-economic disadvantage influences birthweight. We therefore examined explanatory mechanisms that may underlie the association between the educational level of pregnant women, as an indicator of socio-economic status, and birthweight. The study was embedded within a population-based cohort study in the Netherlands. Information on maternal education, offspring's birthweight and several determinants of birthweight was availa...

Risk factors for oral clefts: a population-based case-control study in Shenyang, China

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Wang W, Guan P, Xu W, Zhou B. Risk factors for oral clefts: a population-based case-control study in Shenyang, China. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. Shenyang in Northern China has one of the highest reported prevalence rates of oral clefts in the world. To explore the risk factors for oral clefts in Shenyang, we carried out a population-based case-control study. A total of 360 990 births in 2000 to 2007 were screened for oral clefts; the overall prevalence was 1.76 per 1000. The ratio of cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL ± P) : cleft palate only (CP) was 5.60:1. The overall male : female ratio was 2.02:1. CLP and CL were more common in males than in females with a sex ratio (SR) of 2.88:1 and 1.86:1 respectively, whereas CP was more common in females with an SR of 0....

Modelling the association of blood pressure during pregnancy with gestational age and body mass index

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Thompson ML, Williams MA, Miller RS. Modelling the association of blood pressure during pregnancy with gestational age and body mass index. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. Improved understanding of the determinants of blood pressure (BP) changes during pregnancy is essential for decreasing the morbidity and mortality borne by women and their families worldwide. While most epidemiological studies consider associations based on categorical risk factor classifications, using measurements on a continuous scale has been advocated as a means of gaining richer insights into biological processes. We modelled the relationship during pregnancy of continuous systolic (S) and diastolic (D) BP distributions with gestational age and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) using fractional polyno...

Gender-specific selection in utero among contemporary human birth cohorts

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Catalano R, Ahern J, Bruckner T, Anderson E, Saxton K. Gender-specific selection in utero among contemporary human birth cohorts. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. Much literature argues that natural selection has conserved mechanisms by which stressed females cull frail males in utero. This argument implies that males from low sex ratio birth cohorts should, on average, live longer than those from high sex ratio cohorts. Research reports such associations but these tests use completed lifespan as the outcome and, therefore, must end with cohorts born in 1913 because too many males survive from more contemporary cohorts to determine average lifespan. The empirical literature does not, therefore, address whether selection affects male mortality in contemporary cohorts. We apply ti...

Pre-pregnancy body mass index change between pregnancies and preterm birth in the following pregnancy

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

This study involved mainly low-to-normal weight women with spontaneous deliveries, and might suffer from type II error owing to small sample size. The effect of BMI change in overweight and obese women needs to be studied using contemporary data. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Anonymous non-response analysis in the ABCD cohort study enabled by probabilistic record linkage

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Tromp M, van Eijsden M, Ravelli ACJ, Bonsel GJ. Anonymous non-response analysis in the ABCD cohort study enabled by probabilistic record linkage. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. Selective non-response is an important threat to study validity as it can lead to selection bias. The Amsterdam Born Children and their Development study (ABCD-study) is a large cohort study addressing the relationship between life style, psychological conditions, nutrition and sociodemographic background of pregnant women and their children's health. Possible selective non-response and selection bias in the ABCD-study were analysed using national perinatal registry data. ABCD-study data were linked with national perinatal registry data by probabilistic medical record linkage techniques. Differences in ...

Incidence and pattern of unintentional injuries and resulting disability among children under 5 years of age: results of the National Health Survey of Pakistan

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100

This study estimated the annual incidence, pattern and distribution of unintentional injuries according to age, gender, socio-economic status, urban/rural residence and disability caused among children aged under 5 years in Pakistan. The National Health Survey of Pakistan (NHSP 1990[ndash]94) is a nationally representative survey of households to assess the health profile of the country. A two-stage stratified design was used to select 3223 children under 5 years of age for interview and examination. Data were used for boys and girls in urban and rural areas over the preceding year. A community development index was developed to assess the relationship between socio-economic status and injuries. Weighted estimates were computed adjusting for complex survey design using surveyfreq and surve...

A population-based study of repeat hospital admissions due to interpersonal violence for children aged 0–9 years

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100

To assess the magnitude and nature of interpersonal violence resulting in hospitalisation of children and to identify subgroups at risk of repeat hospital admissions, a population-based, retrospective study of all violence hospitalisations in Western Australia for children aged 9 years or less was undertaken, using the 1990[ndash]2004 linked data retrieved from the Western Australian Mortality Database and the Hospital Morbidity Data System. Of the 747 patients aged (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

The importance of biological samples in longitudinal birth cohort studies

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Here we describe how measurements in biological samples can be used to provide direct measures of exposures to environmental pollutants, nutrients, infectious organisms and drugs of abuse, and to validate other less direct measures of exposure such as questionnaire responses. They can also be used as measures of outcome traits or intermediate phenotypes which may lie on the pathways to disease. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Choosing the types of biological sample to collect in longitudinal birth cohort studies

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100

There are a variety of biological samples that can be collected from participants in longitudinal studies. Here we outline those that are particularly useful in longitudinal birth cohort studies starting in pregnancy, and discuss their advantages and disadvantages. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Taking and storing biological samples for longitudinal birth cohorts

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Biological samples collected as part of a longitudinal birth cohort study can add a wealth of detailed information on environmental exposures and outcome traits, and the mechanisms by which they occur. Here we advise on methods for collecting, labelling and storing different types of sample so that they can be retrieved for analysis in the future. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

The costing and funding of longitudinal birth cohort studies

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Key to the success of any longitudinal birth cohort study is the availability of appropriate and long-term levels of funding. The ease or difficulty of obtaining necessary funds to carry out data collection, preparation and documentation efficiently will determine the quality of data and the ease with which it is made available for collaborators. Various strategies for acquiring funding are outlined. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Associations between birthweight and weight change during infancy and later childhood, and systolic blood pressure at age 15 years: the COMPASS study

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 04:59:26 +0100

This study analysed the impact of weight change during fetal life, infancy and later childhood on systolic blood pressure (SBP) in adolescence. A longitudinal population-based study was conducted in Stockholm, Sweden. Weight, length at birth and gestational age were extracted from the Medical Birth Register, weight and height in childhood was collected from child health records, and body size and SBP were measured during a health examination at 15 years of age. Complete data on 2438 individuals were analysed using linear regression. In fully adjusted models SBP increased 0.99 mmHg [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.27, 1.71] in girls and 1.02 mmHg [0.31, 1.73] in boys per 1 SD increase in weight during the first year of life. The effect on SBP of weight change from 10 to 15 years among boys ...

Disparities in the prevalence of cognitive delay: how early do they appear?

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100

The objective of this study was to determine when sociodemographic disparities in cognitive functioning emerge, and identify predictors of low cognitive functioning in early childhood. Data were from 7308 singleton and 1463 multiple births in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), a nationally representative cohort of children born in the USA in 2001. Multiple logistic regression analyses examined associations between sociodemographic characteristics and low cognitive functioning at 9 and 24 months, and tested whether gestational and birth-related factors mediate these associations. Sociodemographic characteristics were statistically significant predictors of low cognitive functioning among singletons at 24 months, including the three lowest quintiles of socio-econom...

Enrolment and response rates in a longitudinal birth cohort

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100

For the scientific credibility of study results, longitudinal cohort studies need to invest time, money and creative thought in establishing and maintaining the maximum number of study participants. Although success depends to a large extent on the resources available, much can be achieved by establishing a culture of integrity and enthusiasm among study staff that is conveyed to participants at all times. In this paper we outline various strategies that can be included in order to maximise the response rates. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Infertility, infertility treatment and psychomotor development: the Danish National Birth Cohort

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100

We examined developmental milestones in singletons as a function of parental infertility [time to pregnancy (TTP) > 12 months] and infertility treatment. From the Danish National Birth Cohort (1997[ndash]2003), we identified 37 897 singletons born of fertile couples (TTP [le] 12 months), 4351 born of infertile couples conceiving naturally (TTP > 12 months), and 3309 born after infertility treatment. When the children were about 18 months old, mothers reported 12 developmental milestones by responding to structured questions. We defined a failure to achieve the assessed milestone or the minimal numbers of milestones in a summary (motor, or cognitive/language skills) as delay. Naturally conceived children born of infertile couples had a pattern of psychomotor development similar to that of c...

Who should be studied and when in a longitudinal birth cohort?

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100

A longitudinal birth cohort study is uniquely able to collect information on exposures that antecede signs and symptoms leading to diagnoses, and on the development of neurocognitive and behaviour traits. Here we discuss the optimal time to start such a study, and criteria for inclusion and exclusion of subjects. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

The overall placing and management structure of a longitudinal birth cohort

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100

In planning a longitudinal birth cohort study it is important to decide where the target population should be resident and where the organisation should be based, as well as how the study should be directed. In this paper we discuss the ways in which other birth cohort studies have made these choices and outline the advantages and disadvantages of different scenarios. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Why carry out a longitudinal birth survey?

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100

In spite of technological progress throughout the world, ill health, both physical and mental, is widespread [ndash] but much of this is preventable. With rapid globalisation, populations in both industrialised and developing countries are being exposed to various stresses and to new environmental factors, such as those related to climate change and to an increasing range of chemicals of unknown effect. There is substantial evidence that exposures to environmental risk factors in pregnancy and childhood have a major influence on health and development even into adulthood and future generations. In this paper we discuss the importance of longitudinal studies in identifying the processes underlying health and developmental problems and thus, by using the strengths of birth cohort studies, id...

Foreword

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100

(Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Nesting sub-studies and randomised controlled trials within birth cohort studies

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Although birth cohort studies can stand on their own, there are a number of different types of sub-studies that can add value to the overall project. These can be summarised within four main categories: (A) more detailed observations of relatively small subgroups aimed at describing mechanisms and processes; (B) nested case[ndash]control studies; (C) use of detailed observations to validate data collection by questionnaire or interview; (D) randomised controlled trials. For each category we give examples of ways in which they have been employed in current pregnancy birth cohort studies. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Ethics and governance of a longitudinal birth cohort

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100

All longitudinal birth cohorts should be undertaken with a detailed ethical strategy and policy on governance. Here we outline the various factors that should be taken into consideration and describe ways in which these issues may be addressed. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Sources of data for a longitudinal birth cohort

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100

This paper outlines the variety of data sources which can be utilised in a longitudinal study. Although a longitudinal study could be carried out using just one type of data, greater depth and accuracy can be achieved by including a variety of different sources of information. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

How many subjects are needed in a longitudinal birth cohort study?

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100

One of the first decisions that needs to be taken when planning a birth cohort concerns the size of the study. This in turn will depend on the research questions to be answered and thence whether environmental exposures and outcomes are measured on a continuum or as dichotomous variables. Here we describe ways in which different birth cohorts have addressed this issue and explore the advantages of smaller detailed studies over larger less-detailed studies. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Consanguinity and reproductive wastage in the Palestinian Territories

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, consanguinity was found to be a significant risk factor for reproductive wastage. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Risk factors for croup in children with recurrent respiratory infections: a case-control study

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Pruikkonen H, Dunder T, Renko M, Pokka T, Uhari M. Risk factors for croup in children with recurrent respiratory infections: a case-control study. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2009. Croup accounts for approximately 15% of all lower respiratory disease in children, but little is known about risk factors or its recurrence rate. The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors for croup and recurrent croup and to find out whether it is possible to predict the course of the disease. We considered croup patients who visited the Paediatric Department of Oulu University Hospital as primary health care patients at night during 1996[ndash]2000. For most analyses we used sex- and age-matched control patients who had had other respiratory infection but for environmental factors we use...

BioCycle study: design of the longitudinal study of the oxidative stress and hormone variation during the menstrual cycle

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100

This report describes the study design, baseline characteristics and visit completion rate for the BioCycle study. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Neural tube defects: an analysis of neighbourhood- and individual-level socio-economic characteristics

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0100

This study investigated the relationship between individual- and neighbourhood-level SES and the risk of an NTD-affected pregnancy. Data were drawn from a population-based case-control study of fetuses and infants among a cohort of California births between July 1999 and June 2003. Information on individual SES was obtained via telephone interviews with mothers of 337 (76% of eligible) cases and 626 (79% of eligible) non-malformed liveborn controls. Respondents' addresses were linked to the 2000 US Census to characterise six measures of neighbourhood SES (education, poverty, unemployment, occupation, crowding and rental occupancy). The analyses indicated that relative to women with a high school education, those with less than a high school education had a 1.7-fold increased risk of delive...

The epidemiology of neuroblastoma: a review

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Heck JE, Ritz B, Hung RJ, Hashibe M, Boffetta P. The epidemiology of neuroblastoma: a review. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. Neuroblastoma is the most common tumour in children less than 1 year of age. The goal of this review was to summarise the existing epidemiological research on risk factors for neuroblastoma. A comprehensive search of the literature was undertaken using PubMed for epidemiological studies on neuroblastoma risk factors. We ascertained 47 articles which examined the risk factors. Ten studies employed population-based case-control designs; six were hospital-based case-control studies; two were cohort studies; and five employed ecological designs. Studies ranged in size from 42 to 538 cases. Three studies showed evidence of an increased risk of disease with us...

Descriptive epidemiology of congenital heart disease in Northern England

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Dadvand P, Rankin J, Shirley MDF, Rushton S, Pless-Mulloli T. Descriptive epidemiology of congenital heart disease in Northern England. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most prevalent group of congenital anomalies. There is considerable variation in the reported epidemiology of CHD, mainly attributable to methodological differences. Using register-based data, the current study describes the epidemiology of CHD in a geographically well-defined population of the North of England during 1985[ndash]2003. The total prevalence of CHD was 85.9 per 10 000 births and terminations of pregnancy for fetal anomaly. Livebirth prevalence was 79.7 per 10 000 livebirths. Both total and livebirth prevalence increased during the study period. Ninety-two per ce...

Neighbourhood deprivation and small-for-gestational-age term births in the United States

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Elo IT, Culhane JF, Kohler IV, O'Campo P, Burke JG, Messer LC, Kaufman JS, Laraia BA, Eyster J, Holzman C. Neighbourhood deprivation and small-for-gestational-age term births in the United States. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. Residential context has received increased attention as a possible contributing factor to race/ethnic and socio-economic disparities in birth outcomes in the United States. Utilising vital statistics birth record data, this study examined the association between neighbourhood deprivation and the risk of a term small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth among non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks in eight geographical areas. An SGA birth was defined as a newborn weighing (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

The joint effects of maternal prepregnancy body mass index and age on the risk of gastroschisis

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Siega-Riz AM, Herring AH, Olshan AF, Smith J, Moore C, The National Birth Defects Prevention Study. The joint effects of maternal prepregnancy body mass index and age on the risk of gastroschisis. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. Young maternal age has been associated with an increased risk of gastroschisis, while high maternal weight status has been associated with a decreased risk. We were interested in investigating the joint effect of these two risk factors to identify thresholds in risk associated with body mass index (BMI) for a given age. Data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study included 464 case infants with gastroschisis and 4842 healthy controls. A generalised additive model with a bivariate spline for continuous maternal age and prepregnancy BMI was used ...

Parental age as a risk factor for isolated congenital malformations in a Polish population

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Materna-Kiryluk A, Wiśniewska K, Badura-Stronka M, Mejnartowicz J, Wi[ecedil]ckowska B, Balcar-Boroń A, Czerwionka-Szaflarska M, Gajewska E, Godula-Stuglik U, Krawczyński M, Limon J, Rusin J, Sawulicka-Oleszczuk H, Szwalkiewicz-Warowicka E, Walczak M, Latos-Bieleńska A. Parental age as a risk factor for isolated congenital malformations in a Polish population. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. Currently available data on the relationship between the prevalence of isolated congenital malformations and parental age are inconsistent and frequently divergent. We utilised the data from the Polish Registry of Congenital Malformations (PRCM) to accurately assess the interplay between maternal and paternal age in the risk of isolated non-syndromic congenital m...

Monitoring the quality of maternity care: how well are labour and delivery events reported in population health data?

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

Roberts CL, Bell JC, Ford JB, Morris JM. Monitoring the quality of maternity care: how well are labour and delivery events reported in population health data? Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. Administrative or population health data sets (PHDS), such as birth and hospital discharge data, are used increasingly to evaluate maternity care. Use of PHDS requires reliable identification of diagnoses and procedures. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy and reliability of the reporting of diagnoses and procedures related to childbirth in both individual and linked, birth and ICD10-coded hospital discharge data. Data from a population-based validation study of 1200 women provided the 'gold standard' for labour and delivery events and were compared with the hospital dischar...

Association between maternal seafood consumption before pregnancy and fetal growth: evidence for an association in overweight women. The EDEN mother-child cohort

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, high seafood consumption before pregnancy is positively associated with fetal growth in overweight women. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Antibiotics potentially used in response to bioterrorism and the risk of major congenital malformations

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, these data suggest that ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, doxycycline or amoxicillin use by pregnant women should not result in a greater incidence of overall major congenital malformations in infants whose mothers take these medications, though a large increase in risk cannot be ruled out. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Socio-economic inequality in preterm birth: a comparative study of the Nordic countries from 1981 to 2000

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Petersen CB, Mortensen LH, Morgen CS, Madsen M, Schnor O, Arntzen A, Gissler M, Cnattingius S, Nybo Andersen A-M. Socio-economic inequality in preterm birth: a comparative study of the Nordic countries from 1981 to 2000. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. During the 1980s and 1990s, there were large social and structural changes within the Nordic countries. Here we examine time changes in risks of preterm birth by maternal educational attainment in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Information on gestational age and maternal socio-economic position was obtained from the NorCHASE database, which includes comparable population-based register data of births from Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway from 1981 to 2000. The risks of very preterm birth (12 years of education, mothers w...

Maternal exposure to tobacco smoke, alcohol and caffeine, and risk of anorectal atresia: National Birth Defects Prevention Study 1997–2003

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Miller EA, Manning SE, Rasmussen SA, Reefhuis J, Honein MA and the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Maternal exposure to tobacco smoke, alcohol and caffeine, and risk of anorectal atresia: National Birth Defects Prevention Study 1997[ndash]2003. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. Anorectal atresia is a congenital anomaly with mostly unknown risk factors. Studies have provided evidence of teratogenic effects of alcohol and tobacco, and animal studies have suggested that caffeine may potentiate their teratogenicity. However, it is unclear how these factors affect the risk of anorectal atresia. We analysed data from maternal telephone interviews in a multistate case-control study with 464 infants with anorectal atresia and 4940 infants with no major birth defects. We used unc...

The prevalence and predictors of anencephaly and spina bifida in Texas

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100

This study describes the occurrence and the predictors of neural tube defects (anencephaly and spina bifida) in Texas between 1999 and 2003. Birth prevalence, crude and adjusted prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using Poisson regression, for each defect, by fetal/infant sex, delivery year and maternal sociodemographic characteristics. Among approximately 1.8 million livebirths, a total of 1157 neural tube defects cases were ascertained by the Registry, resulting in an overall prevalence of 6.33 cases per 10 000 livebirths. The prevalences of anencephaly and spina bifida were 2.81 and 3.52 per 10 000 livebirths respectively. Prevalences of both defects were highest in Hispanics, among mothers living along the border with Mexico, among women of higher parity and ...

The Collaborative Perinatal Project: a 50-year retrospective

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100

(Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

From birth to adulthood in rural Ethiopia: the Butajira Birth Cohort of 1987

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Byass P, Fantahun M, Mekonnen W, Emmelin A, Berhane Y. From birth to adulthood in rural Ethiopia: the Butajira Birth Cohort of 1987. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. Long-term birth cohorts from developing countries are uncommon. Here a unique birth to 18-years cohort based on all births during 1987 in a rural area of Ethiopia is presented. This was the first year of the ongoing Butajira Rural Health Programme, since when the sampled population has been followed up in regular household visits. A total of 1884 livebirths in 1987 formed the cohort, corresponding to a birth rate of 0.31 per woman per year; the male : female ratio was 1.10. Perinatal mortality was 22 per 1000 livebirths, and infant mortality 65 per 1000 livebirths. Survival from birth to 18 years was 760 per 1000. L...

The prevalence of preterm birth and season of conception

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Bodnar LM, Simhan HN. The prevalence of preterm birth and season of conception. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. Preterm birth is a major obstetric problem. An exploration of the season of conception in relation to preterm birth may provide direction in the search for risk factors. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 82 213 singleton livebirths (20[ndash]45 weeks' gestation) to 61 630 women at Magee-Womens Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA, from 1995 to 2005. Conception was estimated based on gestational age determined by best obstetric estimate. Fourier series analysis was used to model seasonal trends. Spontaneous preterm birth at (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Comparison of gestational age at birth based on last menstrual period and ultrasound during the first trimester

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Hoffman CS, Messer LC, Mendola P, Savitz DA, Herring AH, Hartmann KE. Comparison of gestational age at birth based on last menstrual period and ultrasound during the first trimester. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. Reported last menstrual period (LMP) is commonly used to estimate gestational age (GA) but may be unreliable. Ultrasound in the first trimester is generally considered a highly accurate method of pregnancy dating. The authors compared first trimester report of LMP and first trimester ultrasound for estimating GA at birth and examined whether disagreement between estimates varied by maternal and infant characteristics. Analyses included 1867 singleton livebirths to women enrolled in a prospective pregnancy cohort. The authors computed the difference between LMP and ul...

Human inheritance, differences and diseases: putting genes in their place. Part II

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100

(Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Neonatal jaundice: a risk factor for infantile autism?

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Maimburg RD, Væth M, Schendel DE, Bech BH, Olsen J, Thorsen P. Neonatal jaundice: a risk factor for infantile autism? Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. In a previous study, we found that infants transferred to a neonatal ward after delivery had an almost twofold increased risk of being diagnosed with infantile autism later in childhood in spite of extensive controlling of obstetric risk factors. We therefore decided to investigate other reasons for transfer to a neonatal ward, in particular hyperbilirubinaemia and neurological abnormalities. We conducted a population-based matched case[ndash]control study of 473 children with autism and 473 matched controls born from 1990 to 1999 in Denmark. Cases were children reported with a diagnosis of infantile autism in the Danish Psychiat...

Alteration in vaginal microflora, douching prior to pregnancy, and preterm birth

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Thorp JM, Dole N, Herring AH, McDonald TL, Eucker B, Savitz DA, Kaczor D. Alteration in vaginal microflora, douching prior to pregnancy, and preterm birth. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. We aimed to determine the relationship of douching prior to pregnancy and bacterial vaginosis (BV) during pregnancy on preterm birth, addressing individual and joint effects. We used a prospective cohort study and assessed vaginal microflora using gram stains and Nugent's criteria. Douching behaviour was based on self-report about the 12 months prior to pregnancy. Preterm births were categorised as spontaneous or medically indicated. A total of 2561 women provided vaginal specimens and 1492 provided self-reports on douching behaviour. Bacterial vaginosis assessed at 24[ndash]28 weeks' gestatio...

Assays with lower detection limits: implications for epidemiological investigations

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Whitcomb BW, Schisterman EF. Assays with lower detection limits: implications for epidemiological investigations. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. Epidemiological investigations of health effects related to chronic low-level exposures or other circumstances often face the difficult task of dealing with levels of biomarkers that are hard to detect and/or quantify. In these cases instrumentation may not adequately measure biomarker levels. Reasons include a failure of instruments to detect levels below a certain value or, alternatively, interference by error or 'noise'. Current laboratory practice determines a 'limit of detection (LOD)', or some other detection threshold, as a function of the distribution of instrument 'noise'. Although measurements are produced above and below th...

Multifarious terminology: multivariable or multivariate? univariable or univariate?

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100

(Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Periconceptional glycaemic load and intake of sugars and their association with neural tube defects in offspring

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Shaw GM, Carmichael SL, Laurent C, Siega-Riz AM, the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Periconceptional glycaemic load and intake of sugars and their association with neural tube defects in offspring. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. In a California population, we previously observed increased neural tube defect (NTD) risks associated with maternal intakes of periconceptional diets predicting higher glycaemic responses and higher sucrose. Our objective here was to replicate these results in a larger study of multiple regions within the United States. This population-based case[ndash]control study included deliveries from 1997 to 2003 from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. NTD cases were infants or fetuses born with spina bifida or anencephaly. Infants without m...

Haemangiomas and associated congenital malformations in a large population-based sample of infants

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100

This study aimed to describe haemangioma cases and to identify patterns of congenital malformations associated with these diagnoses in a large population. Diagnoses of haemangiomas and 21 congenital malformations were extracted from electronic medical records of 467 295 singleton infants born to US military families from 1998 to 2003. Cluster analysis was used to group cases according to these diagnoses. Multivariable logistic regression was used to further explore the associations of the 21 congenital malformations with the diagnosis of haemangioma and to assess the adjusted relationships between a number of characteristics of interest and diagnosis of haemangioma. Clusters found to be associated with haemangioma were characterised by anomalies of the cervix, vagina, and external female g...

Milk feeding and dietary patterns predict weight and fat gains in infancy

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Baird J, Poole J, Robinson S, Marriott L, Godfrey K, Cooper C, Inskip H, Law C, The Southampton Women's Survey Study Group. Milk feeding and dietary patterns predict weight and fat gains in infancy. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. Current guidelines recommend that infants are exclusively breast fed for the first 6 months of life, with particular solid foods being gradually introduced from 6 months. Our objective was to compare the growth of infants whose feeding most closely followed current guidelines with the growth of infants with other feeding practices. Participants were 1740 infants in a prospective cohort study in Southampton, UK. At 6 and 12 months, infants' milk feeding was recorded, diets assessed using food frequency questionnaires (FFQ), and anthropometry performed....

Maternal smoking, demographic and lifestyle factors in relation to daughter's age at menarche

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Windham GC, Zhang L, Longnecker MP, Klebanoff M. Maternal smoking, demographic and lifestyle factors in relation to daughter's age at menarche. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. A previous study suggested a younger age at menarche (AAM) among daughters of heavy prenatal smokers, especially among non-Whites. The present study was designed to evaluate that association in another population and to examine other factors that may be related to AAM. We analysed data from the Collaborative Perinatal Project, a nationwide longitudinal study of pregnant women and their children conducted in 1959[ndash]66. At three sites, with a predominance of Black participants (80%), AAM was ascertained in the offspring when they were young adults. We included data on 1556 daughters who had a mean AAM o...

Did you spot?

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:38:44 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 4, Page 359, July 2008. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

In this issue

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:38:28 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 4, Page 313, July 2008. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Prospective community-based cluster census and case-control study of stillbirths and neonatal deaths in the West Bank and Gaza Strip

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 20 May 2008 20:11:18 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page ???, OnlineEarly Articles. Summary Kalter HD, Khazen Rahil R, Barghouthi M, Odeh M. Prospective community-based cluster census and case-control study of stillbirths and neonatal deaths in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. Obstetric ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Dental caries in 3-year-old children and smoking status of parents

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 20 May 2008 10:58:23 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page ???, OnlineEarly Articles. Summary Hanioka T, Nakamura E, Ojima M, Tanaka K, Aoyama H. Dental caries in 3-year-old children and smoking status of parents. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. An association has been suggested between environmental tobacco smoke and oral ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Health-risk behaviours: examining social disparities in the occurrence of stillbirth

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 20 May 2008 10:58:18 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page ???, OnlineEarly Articles. Summary Goy J, Dodds L, Rosenberg MW, King WD. Health-risk behaviours: examining social disparities in the occurrence of stillbirth. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. While an association between low socio-economic status (SES) and increased ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Maternal smoking, demographic and lifestyle factors in relation to daughter's age at menarche

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 20 May 2008 10:58:15 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page ???, OnlineEarly Articles. Summary Windham GC, Zhang L, Longnecker MP, Klebanoff M. Maternal smoking, demographic and lifestyle factors in relation to daughter's age at menarche. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. A previous study suggested a younger age at menarche (AAM) ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Ethnic differences in term birthweight: the role of constitutional and environmental factors

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Mon, 19 May 2008 18:43:53 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page ???, OnlineEarly Articles. Summary Goedhart G, van Eijsden M, van der Wal MF, Bonsel GJ. Ethnic differences in term birthweight: the role of constitutional and environmental factors. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. It is not clear to what extent ethnic differences in ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Associations of birthweight and infant growth with body composition at age 15 – the COMPASS study

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Mon, 19 May 2008 09:10:36 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page ???, OnlineEarly Articles. Summary Eriksson M, Tynelius P, Rasmussen F. Associations of birthweight and infant growth with body composition at age 15 – the COMPASS study. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. Size at birth and postnatal growth have been positively associated ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Depressive symptoms during pregnancy in relation to fish consumption and intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:42:50 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page ???, OnlineEarly Articles. Summary Sontrop J, Avison WR, Evers SE, Speechley KN, Campbell MK. Depressive symptoms during pregnancy in relation to fish consumption and intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. An inverse association ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Within prisons, is there an association between the quantity of prenatal care and infant birthweight?

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:26:43 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page ???, OnlineEarly Articles. Summary Howard DL, Strobino D, Sherman S, Crum R. Within prisons, is there an association between the quantity of prenatal care and infant birthweight? Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. There is still controversy surrounding the effectiveness ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

The impact of past pregnancy experience on subsequent perinatal outcomes

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:22:22 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page ???, OnlineEarly Articles. Summary Hutcheon JA, Platt RW. The impact of past pregnancy experience on subsequent perinatal outcomes. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. In perinatal epidemiology, the basic unit of analysis has traditionally been the individual pregnancy. In ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Degree of rural isolation and birth outcomes

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:21:53 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page ???, OnlineEarly Articles. Summary Luo Z-C, Wilkins R. Degree of rural isolation and birth outcomes. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. Little is known about how birth outcomes vary in rural areas by degree of rural isolation. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Maternal use of oral contraceptives and risk of fetal death

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:46:54 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page ???, OnlineEarly Articles. Summary Jellesen R, Larsen KS, Jørgensen T, Olsen J, Thulstrup AM, Andersen A-MN. Maternal use of oral contraceptives and risk of fetal death. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. Intrauterine exposure to artificial sex hormones such as oral ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Associated factors and consequences of late preterm births: results from the 2004 Pelotas birth cohort

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:43:12 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page ???, OnlineEarly Articles. Summary Santos IS, Matijasevich A, Silveira MF, Sclowitz IKT, Barros AJD, Victora CG, Barros FC. Associated factors and consequences of late preterm births: results from the 2004 Pelotas birth cohort. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. Although ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Vitamin supplement use among children with Down's syndrome and risk of leukaemia: a Children's Oncology Group (COG) study

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:46:36 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 3, Page 288-295, May 2008. Summary Blair CK, Roesler M, Xie Y, Gamis AS, Olshan AF, Heerema NA, Robison LL, Ross JA. Vitamin supplement use among children with Down's syndrome and risk of leukaemia: a Children's Oncology Group (COG) study. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Comparison of urinary and plasma cotinine levels during the three trimesters of pregnancy

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:46:28 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 3, Page 296-301, May 2008. Summary Wu FY, Chiu HT, Wu HDI, Lin CJ, Lai JS, Kuo H-W. Comparison of urinary and plasma cotinine levels during the three trimesters of pregnancy. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008; 22: 296–301. Assays of metabolised cotinine are considered to ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Measuring dietary sodium intake in infancy: a review of available methods

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:46:20 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 3, Page 261-268, May 2008. Summary Sutton E, Emmett P, Lawlor DA. Measuring dietary sodium intake in infancy: a review of available methods. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008; 22: 261–268. It has been hypothesised that infancy may be a particularly sensitive period with ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Pre-conception counselling in primary care: prevalence of risk factors among couples contemplating pregnancy

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:46:19 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 3, Page 280-287, May 2008. Summary van der Pal-de Bruin KM, le Cessie S, Elsinga J, de Jong-Potjer LC, van Haeringen A, Knuistingh Neven A, Verloove-Vanhorick SP, Assendelft P. Pre-conception counselling in primary care: prevalence of risk factors among couples contemplating ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Correspondence between Helicobacter pylori antibodies and urea breath test results in a US – Mexico birth cohort

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:46:01 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 3, Page 302-312, May 2008. Summary Nurgalieva Z, Goodman KJ, Phillips CV, Fischbach L, Manuel de la Rosa J, Gold BD. Correspondence between Helicobacter pylori antibodies and urea breath test results in a US – Mexico birth cohort. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008; 22: ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Placental characteristics and birthweight

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:45:56 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 3, Page 229-239, May 2008. Summary Salafia CM, Zhang J, Charles AK, Bresnahan M, Shrout P, Sun W, Maas EM. Prenatal characteristics and birthweight. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008; 22: 229–239. Standard gross placental measures capture dimensions relevant to specific ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

In this issue

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:45:17 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 3, Page 201, May 2008. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Erratum: Erratum

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:45:13 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 3, Page 312, May 2008. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Trends in stillbirths, early and late neonatal mortality in rural Bangladesh: the role of public health interventions

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:45:04 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 3, Page 269-279, May 2008. Summary Ronsmans C, Chowdhury ME, Alam N, Koblinsky M, El Arifeen S. Trends in stillbirths, early and late neonatal mortality in rural Bangladesh: the role of public health interventions. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008; 22: 269–279. Trends ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Did you spot?

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:44:57 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 3, Page 228, May 2008. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Influences of study design and location on the relationship between particulate matter air pollution and birthweight

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:44:51 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 3, Page 214-227, May 2008. Summary Parker JD, Woodruff TJ. Influences of study design and location on the relationship between particulate matter air pollution and birthweight. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008; 22: 214–227. A large number of studies have identified a ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Prenatal polychlorinated biphenyl exposures in eastern Slovakia modify effects of social factors on birthweight

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:44:47 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 3, Page 202-213, May 2008. Summary Sonneborn D, Park H-Y, Petrik J, Kocan A, Palkovicova L, Trnovec T, Nguyen D, Hertz-Picciotto I. Prenatal polychlorinated biphenyl exposures in eastern Slovakia modify effects of social factors on birthweight. Paediatric and Perinatal ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Biopsychosocial determinants of pregnancy length and fetal growth

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:44:40 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 3, Page 240-248, May 2008. Summary St-Laurent J, De Wals P, Moutquin J-M, Niyonsenga T, Noiseux M, Czernis L. Biopsychosocial determinants of pregnancy length and fetal growth. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008; 22: 240–248. The causes and mechanisms related to preterm ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Maternal diet and the risk of hypospadias and cryptorchidism in the offspring

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:05:48 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page ???, OnlineEarly Articles. Summary Giordano F, Carbone P, Nori F, Mantovani A, Taruscio D, Figà-Talamanca I. Maternal diet and the risk of hypospadias and cryptorchidism in the offspring. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008. Male genital tract birth defects have been ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

In this issue

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:49:54 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 2, Page 113, March 2008. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Risk factors for not delivering in a level III unit before 32 weeks of gestation: results from a population-based study in Paris and surrounding districts in 2003

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:59:43 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 2, Page 126-135, March 2008. Summary Zeitlin J, Gwanfogbe CD, Delmas D, Pilkington H, Jarreau P-H, Chabernaud J-L, Bréart G, Papiernik E. Risk factors for not delivering in a level III unit before 32 weeks of gestation: results from a population-based study in Paris and surrounding ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Determinants of caesarean section in Lebanon: geographical differences

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:59:41 +0100

This study, based on the Lebanese National Perinatal Survey ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Birthweight percentiles by gestational age and gender for children in the North of Mexico

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:59:39 +0100

The objective of this ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Did you spot?

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:59:39 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 2, Page 154, March 2008. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Variation in season of birth in singleton and multiple births concordant for autism spectrum disorders

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:59:38 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 2, Page 172-179, March 2008. Summary Lee L-C, Newschaffer CJ, Lessler JT, Lee BK, Shah R, Zimmerman AW. Variation in season of birth in singleton and multiple births concordant for autism spectrum disorders. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008; 22: 172–179. Patterns of ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Screening for developmental problems at primary care level: a field programme in San Isidro, Argentina

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:59:37 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 2, Page 180-187, March 2008. Summary Lejarraga H, Menendez AM, Menzano E, Guerra L, Biancato S, Pianelli P, Del Pino M, Fattore MJ, Contreras MM. Screening for developmental problems at primary care level: a field programme in San Isidro, Argentina. Paediatric and Perinatal ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

So, you want to get pregnant? How good is our advice for couples?

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:59:36 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 2, Page 114-115, March 2008. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Unintended pregnancy rates among a US military population

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:59:33 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 2, Page 195-200, March 2008. Summary Custer M, Waller K, Vernon S, O’Rourke K. Unintended pregnancy rates among a US military population. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008; 22: 195–200. Unintended pregnancy among military women influences their lives and has implications ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Maternal smoking during pregnancy: a comparison between concurrent and retrospective self-reports

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:59:31 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 2, Page 155-161, March 2008. Summary Post A, Gilljam H, Bremberg S, Galanti MR. Maternal smoking during pregnancy: a comparison between concurrent and retrospective self-reports. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2008; 22: 155–161. Retrospective reports of smoking in pregnancy ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Do celebrities’ cosmetic breast augmentations jeopardise their fans’ willingness to breast feed?

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:59:31 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 2, Page 116, March 2008. (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)

Intracluster correlation coefficients from the 2005 WHO Global Survey on Maternal and Perinatal Health: implications for implementation research

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:59:30 +0100

Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 2, Page 117-125, March 2008. Summary Taljaard M, Donner A, Villar J, Wojdyla D, Velazco A, Bataglia V, et al. Intracluster correlation coefficients from the 2005 WHO Global Survey on Maternal and Perinatal Health: implications for implementation research. Paediatric and Perinatal ... (Source: Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology)