Publications by authors named "Megan G Bragg"
Background: Previous research on the role of maternal diet in relation to autism has focused on examining individual nutrient associations. Few studies have examined associations with multiple nutrients using mixtures approaches, which may better reflect true exposure scenarios.
Objectives: This study aims to examine associations of nutrient mixtures with children's autism diagnosis and trait scores within a large, diverse population.
Article Synopsis
- A study investigated how prenatal dietary patterns affect child outcomes related to autism, analyzing data from up to 6084 participants across 14 cohorts.
- Results showed that higher scores on healthy eating indices were linked to lower scores on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), indicating a potential connection between better prenatal diets and social behaviors in children.
- However, there were no significant links found between prenatal diets and official autism diagnoses, suggesting that while diet may influence some traits, more research is needed to clarify its effects on autism-related conditions.
Article Synopsis
- Parents of autistic children often struggle to find time and resources for physical activity, which is crucial for health.
- Previous research has primarily focused on mothers and overlooked fathers, especially during subsequent pregnancies.
- Our study revealed that both mothers and fathers caring for an autistic child had lower physical activity levels than the national average, with pregnant mothers being particularly inactive, highlighting the need for family-oriented interventions to improve their physical activity.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigated how maternal nutrient intake affects the relationship between air pollution and autism-related traits in children.
- The research included 126 mothers with previous autism diagnoses in their families and utilized sophisticated statistical models to analyze nutrient intake and pollutant exposure.
- Findings showed no significant joint effects of nutrition and pollution on autism-related traits, suggesting a need for further research in larger, more diverse populations.
Background: Longitudinal measures of diet spanning pregnancy through adolescence are needed from a large, diverse sample to advance research on the effect of early-life nutrition on child health. The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program, which includes 69 cohorts, >33,000 pregnancies, and >31,000 children in its first 7-y cycle, provides such data, now publicly available.
Objectives: This study aimed to describe dietary intake data available in the ECHO Program as of 31 August, 2022 (end of year 6 of Cycle 1) from pregnancy through adolescence, including estimated sample sizes, and to highlight the potential for future analyses of nutrition and child health.
Measures of attention and memory were evaluated in 6- to 9-month-old infants from two diverse contexts. One sample consisted of African infants residing in rural Malawi (N = 228, 118 girls, 110 boys). The other sample consisted of racially diverse infants residing in suburban California (N = 48, 24 girls, 24 boys).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCholine is an essential micronutrient that may influence growth and development; however, few studies have examined postnatal choline status and children's growth and development in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this observational analysis was to examine associations of plasma choline with growth and development among Malawian children aged 6-15 months enrolled in an egg intervention trial. Plasma choline and related metabolites (betaine, dimethylglycine and trimethylamine N-oxide) were measured at baseline and 6-month follow-up, along with anthropometric (length, weight, head circumference) and developmental assessments (the Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool [MDAT], the Infant Orienting with Attention task [IOWA], a visual paired comparison [VPC] task and an elicited imitation [EI] task).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Eggs are a rich source of choline, an essential nutrient important for child growth and development. In a randomized trial of 1 egg/d in young children in Ecuador, an egg intervention led to significant improvements in growth, which were partially mediated by increased plasma choline concentration. A similar trial in Malawi (clinicaltrials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Choline and DHA are crucial nutrients during the first 1000 days of life, affecting child neurodevelopment and overall health outcomes.
- Many pregnant women and young children in low- and middle-income countries may not get enough of these nutrients since they are primarily found in animal-source foods.
- This review highlights the need for more research on the impacts of choline and DHA on child development in different settings, particularly in lower-income regions.
Background: Eggs are a rich source of nutrients important for brain development, including choline, riboflavin, vitamins B-6 and B-12, folate, zinc, protein, and DHA.
Objective: Our objective was to evaluate the effect of the consumption of 1 egg per day over a 6-mo period on child development.
Methods: In the Mazira Project randomized controlled trial, 660 children aged 6-9 mo were randomly allocated into an intervention or control group.