The association between maternal serious psychological distress and child obesity at 3 years: a cross-sectional analysis of the UK Millennium Cohort Data.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of child obesity is increasing rapidly worldwide. Early childhood has been identified as a critical time period for the development of obesity. Maternal mental health and early life environment are crucial factors and have been linked to adverse child outcomes. The objective of the study was to examine the relationship between maternal serious psychological distress and obesity in early childhood. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of data from the Millennium Cohort Study was conducted. Subjects consisted of all natural mothers (n= 10 465) who had complete and plausible data for Kessler-6 scores, socio-demographic and anthropometric variables, and their children for whom anthropometric measurements were completed at age 3. Maternal serious psychological distress was defined as a score of 13 or more on the Kessler-6 scale. Obesity was defined as body mass index ≥95th centile of the 1990 reference chart for age and sex in children. The data were analysed using spss 16. Maternal socio-demographic factors that are known to influence maternal mental health and child obesity were identified and adjusted using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the 10 465 mother-child dyads, 3.5% of mothers had serious psychological distress and 5.5% of children were obese at 3 years of age. Logistic regression analysis showed that maternal serious psychological distress was associated with early childhood obesity (P= 0.01; OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.11, 2.37). After adjusting for potential confounding factors using multivariate logistic regression, maternal serious psychological distress remained significantly associated with early childhood obesity (P= 0.01; OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.08, 2.34). CONCLUSIONS: The results show that maternal serious psychological distress is independently associated with early childhood obesity.

Effect of calcium on the physical properties of stirred probiotic yogurt.

The effect of calcium on the viscosity, firmness, and smoothness, as determined by extent of nodulation, of stirred probiotic yogurt produced by bacterial fermentation was investigated. Standardized milk for yogurt manufacture was prepared, and calcium was added or removed from the system. Calcium was added as Ca(2+) in the form of CaCl(2) (up to 13.6 mM) or nonionic calcium as Gadocal-K (calcium potassium citrate; up to 49.8 mM). Calcium was removed by chelating with sodium citrate (up to 16 mM) or by cation exchange with Amberlite IR-120 plus (sodium form) resin (up to 10 g/L). Calcium chloride and sodium citrate were added either before or after heat treatment of milk, and nonionic calcium was added before heat treatment. Calcium removal by ion exchange was performed before heat treatment. Neither Ca(2+) addition nor removal by chelation with citrate resulted in stirred yogurt with viscosity, firmness, and smoothness superior to those of the control yogurt, whereas addition of 49.8 mM nonionic calcium and removal of calcium (5.6 mM or ~10% of total calcium) by cation exchange improved the firmness and viscosity without affecting yogurt smoothness. The study identified Gadocal-K as a possible source of calcium fortification of stirred yogurt without loss of texture.

The impacts of a school closure on neighbourhood social cohesion: narratives from Invercargill, New Zealand.

We propose that, beyond their educational function, schools can serve as catalysts for community participation, social cohesion and the vitality of neighbourhoods. The paper explores the impacts of a school closure on families in an urban neighbourhood in Invercargill, New Zealand. The highest urban depopulation rate in the country has had implications for the viability of Invercargill schools. We present a qualitative study of narratives gathered during an interview-based study of the closure of Surrey Park School. Our analysis highlights the impact of school closure for low-income families and more generally reflects on the place of schools in contributing to social cohesion and the broadly defined health of a community.

Participatory environmental health research in Aotearoa/New Zealand: constraints and opportunities.

Within the Aotearoa/New Zealand context, this article identifies opportunities for, as well as constraints on, using participatory research to address environmental health concerns. In New Zealand, principles of partnership fundamental to the Treaty of Waitangi, and the requirements for consultation within the Resource Management Act, provide a framework for participatory approaches. Participatory environmental health research integrates knowledge from various scientific and community sources. It also fosters the innovation, evaluation, and sharing of information that new public health approaches demand. As an emerging field in Aotearoa/New Zealand, it must draw on experience from resource management, rural development, and public health research and practice. Water quality is used as an example of the complexity of environmental health issues and of the potential benefits of engaging stakeholders where long-term health and well-being require balancing ecosystem integrity, economic viability, and social processes.