Influential Factors on Participation in Mental Health Research:Directing Future Research Methods.

Research on pediatric mental health treatment outcomes require continued participant engagement typically involving the caregivers; however, these studies report high rates of attrition. To increase participant retention, an understanding of participants' experiences that influence their participation is necessary. The current study employed qualitative methods to understand the reasons behind participation of parents enrolling in pediatric longitudinal mental health research targeting their child's mental health.

Screening for developmental delay at 18 months using the Infant Toddler Checklist: A validation study.

Objective: The Infant Toddler Checklist (ITC) may be promising as a single tool at the 18-month visit to detect a range of developmental concerns. We examined the predictive validity of the ITC; and the association between positive ITC screening and health care utilization (HCU).

Methods: Prospective cohort study of children at average-risk for developmental delay attending their 18-month visit in primary care in Toronto, Canada.

The influence of paternal preconception health on neonatal live birth and stillbirth outcomes: A scoping review.

Introduction: While evidence exists related to the impact of maternal preconception health on live birth and stillbirth outcomes, there is a lack of evidence on the role of paternal preconception health.

Objective: To identify, consolidate, and analyze the literature on paternal preconception health related to live births and stillbirths.

Data Sources: Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, Scopus and CINAHL databases were searched from January 1, 2013 through June 30, 2024.

Understanding the association of longitudinal body mass index patterns in children and their parents: A data-driven study from the TARGet Kids! cohort.

Background: Obesity remains a persistent global health issue across generations. Targeting family-level factors may help improve child and adolescent body mass index (BMI) outcomes. While associations between parental and offspring BMI are well-documented, the temporal patterns and risk factors driving these relationships remain unclear.

The association between learning models and child health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: This paper aimed to explore the association between school learning models (virtual vs. in-person) and child health behaviours (daily screen time, physical activity, outdoor time, sleep duration, and sleep onset time) during COVID-19, and whether these associations were modified by child's age, sex, and family income.

Methods: A longitudinal cohort study was conducted among children four to 13 years from the TARGet Kids! COVID-19 Study of Children and Families between November 2020 and July 2022.

Managing obesity in children: a clinical practice guideline.

Background: Obesity is a complex, chronic, stigmatized disease whereby abnormal or excess body fat may impair health or increase the risk of medical complications, and can reduce quality of life and shorten lifespan in children and families. We developed this guideline to provide evidence-based recommendations on options for managing pediatric obesity that support shared decision-making among children living with obesity, their families, and their health care providers.

Methods: We followed the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

Outcome measurement instruments used to measure diet-related outcomes in infancy: A scoping review.

Introduction: Supporting positive diet behaviours during infancy is essential to support child health and prevent childhood obesity. How infant diet-related outcomes are measured in trials is crucial to determining intervention effectiveness. This scoping review examined what and how outcome measurement instruments are currently used to measure 13 infant diet-related outcomes from a previously developed core outcome set.

Connecting Families: Poverty Screening and Financial Support Navigation for Families of Young Children in Primary Care: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To determine the feasibility of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the impact of community support worker (CSW) supported, structured review of financial supports and social system navigation.

Methods: A pilot RCT of parent-child dyads (1 parent and child aged 2-5 years old) endorsing the question "Do you ever have difficulty making ends meet at the end of the month?" was conducted in primary care in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Interventions included CSW-supported social system navigation or control; both groups received a written summary of available resources.

Weight status of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: A cross-sectional analysis of primary care electronic medical records and linked health administrative datasets in Ontario, Canada.

Background: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be at increased risk of both obesity and underweight.

Objective: To examine the association between ASD and weight status in children and adolescents, adjusting for individual- and neighbourhood-level sociodemographic factors.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of children and adolescents ≥2 and ≤18 years old using health administrative and demographic data from Ontario, Canada.

Parental employment quality and the mental health and school performance of children and youth.

Background: Lower-quality employment, characterised by excessive or part-time hours, irregular schedules and inadequate earnings, is a key social determinant of health among adults. Research examining parental employment quality in relation to the mental health and school performance of children is lacking. The study objective was to measure the associations between parental employment quality and child mental health symptoms and school performance.

Prospective harmonisation of four international randomised controlled trials in Canada, China, India and South Africa: the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative.

Objectives: The Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) is an international multistudy consortium that supports the development and integration of four randomised controlled trials (RCTs) conducted in South Africa, India, China and Canada. HeLTI aims to evaluate interventions to improve the health and well-being of mothers and children, starting from preconception through pregnancy and early childhood until age 5 years. This paper describes the process by which we prospectively harmonised the participating studies and provides a descriptive analysis of the study-specific harmonisation potential.

Breastfeeding Support Provided by Lactation Consultants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Importance: Breast milk offers numerous health benefits, yet breastfeeding recommendations are met less than half of the time in high-income countries.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of lactation consultant (LC) interventions on breastfeeding, maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy, and infant growth compared to usual care.

Data Sources: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, and the gray literature were searched for articles published between January 1985 and July 2024.

Childhood dyslipidemia: Clinician management practices in the primary care setting.

Objectives: To describe clinician management practices for childhood dyslipidemia in the community setting.

Methods: A descriptive study was conducted for children aged 2 to 10 years with dyslipidemia as defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Cholesterol in Children criteria. A convenience sample of participants from the TARGet Kids! cohort study (Toronto, Canada) was used.

Parental use of routines, setting limits, and child screen use during COVID-19: findings from a large Canadian cohort study.

Background: An increase in child screen time has been observed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Home environment and parenting practices have been associated with child screen time. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between parental use of routines, limit setting, and child screen time during the (COVID-19) pandemic to inform harm-reducing strategies to limit the potential harms ensued by excessive screen use.

The association between self-reported total gestational weight gain by pre-pregnancy body mass index and moderate to late preterm birth.

Background: Inadequate and excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) defined by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has been associated with preterm birth. However, studies demonstrate inconsistent associations.

Objectives: We examined the associations between categorical and continuous total GWG and moderate to late preterm birth (32-<37 weeks), and evaluated differences in these associations by pre-pregnancy BMI.

The association between maternal depression and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy and child sleep patterns at age 3 years.

Background: Childhood sleep problems are common and impact physical and emotional health. Prior work suggests that prenatal maternal depression and anxiety associate with disturbed child sleep in infancy. The current study evaluated whether these same associations extend to children at 3 years of age, and if so, whether the timing of symptoms in pregnancy is relevant.

Initial Effectiveness of mRNA-1273 Against SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Hospitalization in Young Children.

Background: Data on mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccine effectiveness (VE) in children aged 6 months to 5 years are limited. The objectives of this study were to assess mRNA-1273 vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related hospitalization among children aged 6 months to 5 years during the initial 5 months of the vaccination campaign rollout, as well as to determine whether VE varied by age group (6 months to <2 years vs 2 to 5 years).

Methods: We used a test-negative study with linked health administrative data in Ontario, Canada, to evaluate vaccine effectiveness of mRNA-1273 against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19-related hospitalization from July 28 to December 31, 2022.

Early childhood body mass index growth and school readiness: A longitudinal cohort study.

Background: Child growth influences future health and learning. School readiness refers to a child's ability to meet developmental expectations at school entry. The association of early growth rate and patterns with school readiness remains unknown.

Oops, we missed a spot: Comparing data substitution methods for non-random missing survey data in a longitudinal study.

Imputation methods for missing data may not always be applicable, namely, when the data were completely missing for the whole sample. To estimate the missing data, we compared three missing item substitution methods: (1) mean substitution; (2) last observation carried forward (LOCF); and (3) regression-predicted values. A total of 384 parents reported their 8- to 18-year-old children's anxiety level using the 9-item Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders at baseline (Time 1) and two later time points, drawing from a larger longitudinal study (Ontario COVID-19 and Kids' Mental Health Study).

The Effect of Screen Time and Positive School Factors in the Pathway to Child and Youth Mental Health Outcomes.

Beyond achievement, educational settings offer informal supports that may be critical for child and youth mental health. However, children's educational environments have experienced significant disruption with the coronavirus pandemic. School settings offer unique opportunities to support children's mental health, but research must identify powerful points of intervention.

Effectiveness of surgical interventions for managing obesity in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis framed using minimal important difference estimates based on GRADE guidance to inform a clinical practice guideline.

Objective: To summarize the literature on bariatric surgery for managing pediatric obesity, including intervention effects to improve patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), cardiometabolic risk factors, anthropometry, and assess adverse events (AEs).

Methods: Eligible studies were published between January 2012 and January 2022 and included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational (controlled and uncontrolled) studies before and after surgery with a mean age <18 years old. Outcomes and subgroups were selected a priori by stakeholders; estimates of effect for outcomes were presented relative to minimal important differences (MIDs) and GRADE certainty of evidence.

Effectiveness of pharmacological interventions for managing obesity in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis framed using minimal important difference estimates based on GRADE guidance to inform a clinical practice guideline.

Objective: To summarize the literature on pharmacotherapy for managing paediatric obesity.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with <18-year-olds of pharmacotherapeutic agents published up to November 2022. Estimates of effect for outcomes were presented relative to minimal important differences and GRADE certainty of evidence.

Reliability of Anthropometric Measurement of Young Children with Parent Involvement.

The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of anthropometric measurements between two trained anthropometrists working in a team and one trained anthropometrist working with a child's parent/caregiver in a primary health care setting. An observational study to determine measurement reliability was conducted in a primary care child research network in Canada. In total, 120 children 0-5 years old had their anthropometric measurement taken twice by two trained anthropometrists working in a team and twice by one trained anthropometrist working with a child's parent/caregiver.