The aim of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of capillary hemoglobin (Hb) measurements in detecting anemia among low-income toddlers (aged 12-35 months) and pregnant women. In analyses of data among toddlers from Kansas City (n = 402) and St. Louis, Missouri (n = 236), and pregnant women at <20 weeks gestation from Cleveland, Ohio (n = 397), we compared subjects' anemia status based on cap...

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic (ADOS-G) classifications in children born very preterm during their toddler years. METHODS Two birth cohorts of toddlers (2 and 4 years old) each recruited over 12 months and born at <29 weeks' gestation were administered the Modified Checklist o...

BACKGROUND Childhood obesity due to the consumption of excess calories is a severe problem in developed countries. In a previous investigation on toddlers, hospital laboratory measurements showed an association of food-demand behavior with constant lower blood glucose before meals than for scheduled meals. We hypothesize that maternal scheduling of meals for toddlers results in excess energy in...

IMPORTANCE The identification of genomic signatures that aid early identification of individuals at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the toddler period remains a major challenge because of the genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity of the disorder. Generally, ASD is not diagnosed before the fourth to fifth birthday. OBJECTIVE To apply a functional genomic approach to identify a biolog...

BACKGROUND Little evidence exists on the physical activity and sedentary time of Canadian toddlers; this study objectively measured such behaviors and compared participants' activity levels to national guidelines. Levels of screen-viewing among toddlers were also explored. METHODS Forty toddlers (mean age = 25.7 months) wore Actical accelerometers for seven consecutive days (15 s epoch). Pare...

Mechanical energy expenditure was investigated in children who are just learning to walk and compared with adult mechanical energy expenditure during walking. First, we determined whether the inverted pendulum (IP) mechanism of energy exchange was present in toddlers. It seems that new walkers partially make use of this energy saving mechanism, but it is less efficient than in adults. The reduc...

BACKGROUND Home hazards are associated with toddlers receiving unintentional home injuries (UHI). These result in not only physical and psychological difficulties for children, but also economic losses and additional stress for their families. Few researchers pay attention to predictors of home hazards among toddlers in a systematic way. The purpose of this study is firstly to describe the char...

BACKGROUND Sleep is important for children as it directly impacts their mental and physical development. Sleep is not only influenced by the timing but also the macronutrient (carbohydrate and protein) content of meals. Glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL) describe the quality of carbohydrates in a food and the burden of these foods on the body's blood glucose response. Diets with a hig...

BACKGROUND An increasing number of empirical studies indicate that infants, toddlers and preschoolers may suffer from non-transient mental illnesses featuring developmental psychopathology. A few innovative child psychiatric approaches have been developed to treat infants, toddlers and preschoolers and their families, but have not yet been conceptually presented and discussed in the framework o...

Early language intervention is required soon after the surgery for children with cleft lip and palate (CLP) and extensive research has documented the usefulness of the same. The present study attempts to provide an insight on the efficacy of speech and language therapy using focused stimulation approach by involving mothers. The different parameters such as phonemic inventory and vocabulary of ...