A review of the Caregiver\u27s Feeding Style Questionnaire (CFSQ): Differences in parent-child feeding styles across geographic location, caregiver roles, and Head Start samples

Introduction: The Caregiver’s Feeding Style Questionnaire (CFSQ) is a measure of parent feeding styles developed for low-income minority families. It is made up of four main categories which are associated with different child outcomes including childhood obesity. This review sought to describe the differences in child outcomes among international populations, maternal caregivers, and Head Start samples. Method: This review examined 683 publications that cited the 2005 Hughes article introducing the CFSQ measure. Of these, only 44 were relevant to our review because they met the inclusion criteria of 1) using the CFSQ measure and 2) providing a categorical breakdown of feeding styles. Results: A handful of these studies (k=5) were made up of international populations including England, Sri Lanka, and Mexico. The categorical breakdown for these studies was as follows (Authoritative=14.34%, Authoritarian=40.73%, Indulgent=30.01%, Uninvolved=14.94%). Studies including mothers (k=11) were categorized into different parent-feeding styles: (Michigan mothers: Authoritative=25%,American Indian mothers: Indulgent=52.2%). For studies involving populations of Head Start children there was a clear polarization where participants mainly fell into the categories of Authoritarian (30.8%) and Indulgent (32.5%). Discussion: The authoritative feeding style is associated with the most positive outcomes and Indulgent parenting styles are most consequential in terms of obesity risk. For many studies included in this review, parents less often fell into the category of authoritative, thus pointing to the importance in working with these populations to develop more effective and healthy feeding patterns

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

A community-based intervention for low-income families to reduce children’s blood lead levels between 3–9.9 μg/dl

Introduction: In 2012, the Center for Disease Control announced children’s blood lead levels (BLLs) above 5 μg/dL should be provided assistance, as no level of lead exposure is safe. Method: A community-based randomized controlled trial targeting children from low-income families (BLLs: 3–9.9 μg/dL) was implemented utilizing educational and environmental tactics. Results: All groups evidenced a significant decrease in children’s BLLs and a significant increase in lead knowledge, but no main effects based on group assignment. When compared to a post-hoc passive control group, all intervention groups evidenced significant BLL reduction. Discussion: Findings are discussed in terms of low-cost primary prevention initiatives and mechanisms explaining intervention efficacy

Differential social evaluation of pregnant teens, teen mothers and teen fathers by university students

Youth may be particularly attuned to social evaluation during the teen years with implications for physical and mental health. Negative attitudes and stereotypes constitute an important type of social evaluative threat. Pregnant and parenting teens not only encounter challenges associated with their early transition to parenthood, but also are confronted with unfavourable attitudes of others. A university sample of 255 men and women responded to surveys targeting their feelings and beliefs about pregnant teens, teen mothers and teen fathers. Teen mothers were generally perceived more positively than pregnant teens who were perceived more positively compared to teen fathers. Social evaluations were generally unrelated to respondents\u27 sex or race, but respondents who had contact with a friend or family member who had experienced a teen pregnancy were selectively more positive, as were freshmen compared to seniors. Risks attributed to early childbearing may be exacerbated by negative social evaluations

Validation and Assessment of Pediatric Lead Screener Questions for Primary Prevention of Lead Exposure

Objective. Pediatric lead screener questions have previously been evaluated for their ability to identify children whose blood lead levels (BLLs) are greater than 10 μg/dL. Based on recent policy changes stressing that there is no safe BLL for children, the current study reevaluates the screener questions for their ability to identify children with BLLs less than 2 μg/dL and the validity of the questions in positively identifying those at greater risk for exposure. Method. A total of 202 parents of children enrolled in Head Start programs were administered the pediatric lead screener, questions to validate the screener questions, and children\u27s BLLs were collected in Summer 2013. Pediatric screener questions were validated against children\u27s BLL and the more comprehensive questions on lead risk. Results. In predicting BLL greater than 2 μg/dL, the pediatrician screener tool had a sensitivity of 26.3% and specificity of 72.2%. Each of the screener questions had low sensitivities for identifying children with BLLs above 2 μg/dL. The screener questions did not demonstrate adequate validity when compared against a more comprehensive battery of lead exposure risk indicators. The validation questions improved sensitivity to detect children with BLL \u3e2 μg/dL and reduced the number of false positives. Conclusion. The pediatrician screener questions in their current format are not a useful primary prevention tool in identifying children at greater risk for lead exposure and in need of secondary prevention through the receipt of a blood lead test. A revision to the protocol for identifying children at risk could result in better primary and secondary prevention efforts

Attrition in developmental psychology: A review of modern missing data reporting and practices

Inherent in applied developmental sciences is the threat to validity and generalizability due to missing data as a result of participant drop-out. The current paper provides an overview of how attrition should be reported, which tests can examine the potential of bias due to attrition (e.g., t-tests, logistic regression, Little\u27s MCAR test, sensitivity analysis), and how it is best corrected through modern missing data analyses. To amend this discussion of best practices in managing and reporting attrition, an assessment of how developmental sciences currently handle attrition was conducted. Longitudinal studies (n = 541) published from 2009-2012 in major developmental journals were reviewed for attrition reporting practices and how authors handled missing data based on recommendations in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 2010). Results suggest attrition reporting is not following APA recommendations, quality of reporting did not improve since the APA publication, and a low proportion of authors provided sufficient information to convey that data properly met the MAR assumption. An example based on simulated data demonstrates bias that may result from various missing data mechanisms in longitudinal data, the utility of auxiliary variables for the MAR assumption, and the need for viewing missingness along a continuum from MAR to MNAR

Ability to Categorize Food Predicts Hypothetical Food Choices in Head Start Preschoolers

Objective: To investigate whether preschoolers are able to identify and categorize foods, and whether their ability to classify food as healthy predicts their hypothetical food choice. Design: Structured interviews and body measurements with preschoolers, and teacher reports of classroom performance. Setting: Six Head Start centers in a large southeastern region. Participants: A total of 235 preschoolers (mean age [SD], 4.73 [0.63] years; 45.4% girls). Intervention(s): Teachers implemented a nutrition education intervention across the 2014–2015 school year in which children were taught to identify and categorize food as sometimes (ie, unhealthy) and anytime (ie, healthy). Main Outcome Measures: Preschooler responses to a hypothetical snack naming, classifying, and selection scenario. Analysis: Hierarchical regression analyses to examine predictors of child hypothetical food selection. Results: While controlling for child characteristics and cognitive functioning, preschoolers who were better at categorizing food as healthy or unhealthy were more likely to say they would choose the healthy food. Low-contrast food pairs in which food had to be classified based on multiple dimensions were outside the cognitive abilities of the preschoolers. Conclusions and Implications: Nutrition interventions may be more effective in helping children make healthy food choices if developmental limitations in preschoolers’ abilities to categorize food is addressed in their curriculum. Classification of food into evaluative categories is challenging for this age group. Categorizing on multiple dimensions is difficult, and dichotomous labeling of food as good or bad is not always accurate in directing children toward making food choices. Future research could evaluate further preschoolers’ developmental potential for food categorization and nutrition decision making and consider factors that influence healthy food choices at both snack and mealtime

The roles of child temperament, parent stress, and parenting style in family mealtimes

Family mealtimes are associated with benefits for children, including healthy eating, fewer behavior problems, and healthy psychological well-being. However, the interactions during family mealtimes, and the parent and child characteristics, which may affect both the family mealtime environment and the associated benefits in children are not fully understood. The goal of this study was to examine the role of child and parent characteristics on the family mealtime environment. We tested several mediation models to explain how child temperament (negative affectivity), parent stress, and the dimensions of parent feeding style (responsiveness and demandingness) interact and influence each other to impact the structure and quality of the mealtime environment. Parents (68 mothers; 82 fathers) of children between 2 and 6 years completed an online survey. Measures included the Children\u27s Behavior Questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale, Caregiver\u27s Feeding Styles Questionnaire, and The Meals in Our Household Questionnaire. Child negative affectivity was associated with poorer mealtime quality and structure. These associations were mediated through parent responsiveness, but not demandingness. The role of demandingness in family mealtimes may depend on parent responsiveness. When examined together in a serial mediation model, child negative affectivity increased parent stress, which reduced responsiveness, and led to poorer mealtime quality and structure. These results emphasize the complex relationships between child temperament, parent stress, and the dimensions of parenting styles that occur within the mealtime context. This line of research is essential for understanding family mealtime dynamics and informing future studies aimed at creating positive interactions between parents and children during mealtimes

Full and home smoking ban adoption after a randomized controlled trial targeting secondhand smoke exposure reduction

Introduction: The current study examined home and full (i.e., home plus car) smoking ban adoption as secondary outcomes to a randomized controlled trial targeting reduced secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe) for children under treatment for cancer. Methods: Families with at least 1 adult smoker who reported SHSe for their children (n = 119) were randomized to control or intervention conditions and followed for 1 year with 5 assessments. Both groups were advised of the negative health outcomes associated with SHSe; the intervention group provided more in-depth counseling from baseline to 3 months. Parents reported on household and car smoking behavior, demographic, psychosocial, and medical/treatment-related information. Results: Regardless of group assignment, there was an increase in home (odds ration [OR] = 1.16, p = .074) and full (OR = 1.37, p = .001) smoking ban adoption across time. Families in the intervention group were more likely to adopt a full ban by 3 months, but this difference was nonsignificant by 12 months. Married parents (OR = 2.33, p = .006) and those with higher self-efficacy for controlling children\u27s SHSe (OR = 1.11, p = .023) were more likely to have a home smoking ban; parents who reported smoking fewer cigarettes were more likely to adopt a home (OR = 1.62, p \u3c .0001) or full (OR = 7.32, p = .038) ban. Conclusions: Smoking bans are in-line with Healthy People 2020\u27s tobacco objectives and may be more feasible for parents with medically compromised children for immediate SHSe reduction. Furthermore, interventions targeting full smoking bans may be a more effective for comprehensive elimination of SHSe. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco 2014. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US

Tobacco Use and Exposure Among Youth Undergoing Cancer Treatment

Introduction: Adolescents with cancer are susceptible to the health consequences associated with secondhand smoke exposure (SHSE) and tobacco use. The present study compared tobacco use, exposure, and risk factors between patients and population peers. Method: Self-reported data on tobacco use, SHSE, and tobacco-related risk factors were drawn from a pediatric oncology hospital and the National Youth Tobacco Survey. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios for patients and control subjects. Results: Patients were as likely to have tried tobacco and report home SHSE as control subjects. Patients were more likely to report car SHSE, less likely to report that SHSE is harmful, and less likely to report home smoking bans. Discussion: Patients experienced SHSE, tobacco use, and tobacco-related risk factors at rates greater than or equal to control subjects. These results provide support for consideration of intervention targets, health status, and delivery mechanisms, particularly by health care providers, when developing comprehensive tobacco control strategies