Faculty Bibliography

OBJECTIVE:Prenatal maternal stresses have been associated with infant temperament patterns linked to later behavioral difficulties. Material hardships, defined as inability to meet basic needs, are important prenatal stressors. Our objective was to determine the associations between prenatal material hardships and infant temperament at 10 months. METHODS:This was a longitudinal study of mother-infant pairs in a randomized controlled trial of a primary care-based early obesity prevention program (Starting Early). Independent variables representing material hardship were: housing disrepair, food insecurity, difficulty paying bills and neighborhood stress (neighborhood safety). Dependent variables representing infant temperament were assessed using questions from three subscales of the Infant Behavior Questionnaire: orienting/regulatory capacity, negative affect, and surgency/extraversion. We used linear regression to investigate associations between individual and cumulative hardships and each temperament domain, adjusting for confounders, and testing for depression as a moderator. RESULTS:412 mother-infant pairs completed 10 month assessments. 32% reported food insecurity, 26% difficulty paying bills, 35% housing disrepair and 9% neighborhood stress. In adjusted analyses, food insecurity was associated with lower orienting/regulatory capacity scores (B=-0.25, 95% CI -0.47, -0.04), as were neighborhood stress (B=-0.50, 95% CI -0.83, -0.16) and experiencing 3-4 hardships (compared with none) (B=-0.54, 95% CI -0.83, -0.21). For neighborhood stress, the association was stronger among infants of mothers with prenatal depressive symptoms (interaction term p=0.06). CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Prenatal material hardships were associated with lower orienting/regulatory capacity. These findings support the need for further research exploring how temperament relates to child behavior, and for policies to reduce prenatal material hardships.

OBJECTIVE: To describe infant activity at 3 months old and to test the efficacy of a primary care-based child obesity prevention intervention on promoting infant activity in low-income Hispanic families. METHODS: This study was a randomized controlled trial (n = 533) comparing a control group of mother-infant dyads receiving standard prenatal and pediatric primary care with an intervention group receiving "Starting Early," with individual nutrition counseling and nutrition and parenting support groups coordinated with prenatal and pediatric visits. Outcomes included infant activity (tummy time, unrestrained floor time, time in movement-restricting devices). Health literacy was assessed using the Newest Vital Sign. RESULTS: Four hundred fifty-six mothers completed 3-month assessments. Infant activity results were: 82.6% ever practiced tummy time; 32.0% practiced tummy time on the floor; 34.4% reported unrestrained floor time; 56.4% reported >/=1 h/d in movement-restricting devices. Inadequate health literacy was associated with reduced tummy time and unrestrained floor time. The intervention group reported more floor tummy time (OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.44-3.23) and unrestrained floor time (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.14-2.49) compared to controls. No difference in the time spent in movement-restricting devices was found. CONCLUSIONS: Tummy time and unrestrained floor time were low. Primary care-based obesity prevention programs have potential to promote these activities.

Parent perception of weight and feeding styles are associated with obesity in other racial groups but have not been explored in-depth in Chinese-American preschoolers. Cross-sectional survey of 253 Chinese-American parents with preschoolers was performed in a community clinic. Regression analysis was used to assess relationships between parental perception of weight and feeding styles. Parent under-perception of weight was common but more likely in boys than girls (chi2 = 4.91, p = 0.03). Pressuring was also greater in boys [adjusted mean difference (95% CI) 0.24 (0.004, 0.49)]. In girls, pressuring was lower for children perceived as overweight [adjusted mean difference in CFQ scores -0.75 (-1.27, -0.23)]; in boys, pressuring was high regardless of perceived child weight. Weight perceptions and feeding styles related to childhood obesity in other groups were identified in Chinese-American families. Parent under-perception of child weight and pressure to eat were more common in boys. These factors should be addressed in Chinese-American preschooler obesity prevention programs.

OBJECTIVE: Determine maternal and infant characteristics associated with adding cereal into the bottle. DESIGN: Secondary data analysis. PARTICIPANTS: Study participants were immigrant, low-income, urban mother-infant dyads (n = 216; 91% Hispanic, 19% US-born) enrolled in a randomized controlled trial entitled the Bellevue Project for Early Language, Literacy and Education Success. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Maternal characteristics (age, marital status, ethnicity, primary language, country of origin, education, work status, income, depressive symptoms, and concern about infant's future weight) and infant characteristics (gender, first born, and difficult temperament). ANALYSIS: Fisher exact test, chi-square test, and simultaneous multiple logistic regression of significant (P < .05) variables identified in unadjusted analyses. RESULTS: Twenty-seven percent of mothers added cereal into the bottle. After adjusting for confounding variables identified in bivariate analyses, mothers who were single (P = .02), had moderate to severe depressive symptoms (P = .01) and perceived their infant had a difficult temperament (P = .03) were more likely to add cereal into the bottle. Conversely, mothers who expressed concern about their infants becoming overweight were less likely to add cereal (P = .02). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Health care providers should screen for adding cereal in infant bottles. Further research is needed to investigate the impact of adding cereal into the bottle on weight trajectories over time. Causal associations also need to be identified to effectively prevent this practice.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of a child obesity prevention intervention, beginning in pregnancy, on infant feeding practices in low-income Hispanic families. STUDY DESIGN: The Starting Early randomized controlled trial enrolled pregnant women at a third trimester visit. Women (n = 533) were randomly allocated to a standard care control group or an intervention group participating in prenatal and postpartum individual nutrition/breastfeeding counseling and subsequent nutrition and parenting support groups coordinated with well-child visits. Outcome measures included infant feeding practices and maternal infant feeding knowledge at infant age 3 months, using questions adapted from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II and an infant 24-hour diet recall. RESULTS: A total of 456 families completed 3-month assessments. The intervention group had higher prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding on the 24-hour diet recall (42.7% vs 33.0%, P = .04) compared with controls. The intervention group reported a higher percentage of breastfeeding vs formula feeding per day (mean [SD] 67.7 [39.3] vs 59.7 [39.7], P = .03) and was less likely to introduce complementary foods and liquids compared with controls (6.3% vs 16.7%, P = .001). The intervention group had higher maternal infant feeding knowledge scores (Cohen d, 0.29, 95% CI .10-.48). The effect of Starting Early on breastfeeding was mediated by maternal infant feeding knowledge (Sobel test 2.86, P = .004). CONCLUSIONS: Starting Early led to increased exclusive breastfeeding and reduced complementary foods and liquids in 3-month-old infants. Findings document a feasible and effective infrastructure for promoting breastfeeding in families at high risk for obesity in the context of a comprehensive obesity prevention intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01541761.