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To determine follow-up rates for the high-risk infant follow-up (HRIF) visit at 18-36 months among infants with very low birthweights and identify factors associated with completion. In a California very low birthweight cohort, maternal education, race, and distance from the clinic were associated with sustained HRIF participation, but attendance at a visit by 12 months was the most significantly associated factor. These findings highlight the importance of early engagement with all families to ensure equitable follow-through for children born preterm. Read More
Prenatal chemical exposures can influence maternal and child health; however, few industrial chemicals are routinely biomonitored. We assessed an extensive panel of contemporary and emerging chemicals in 171 pregnant women across the United States (U.S.) and Puerto Rico in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program Read More
Venue-based versus Geosocial Networking Application-based Recruitment of Young Men Who Have Sex with Men: An Examination of Feasibility The aim of this study is to… Read More
Emerging research has found that some young adults report vaping nicotine to control appetite and lose weight. Yet, there is little research on how young adults use vaping to manage weight, where they learn about weight-motivated vaping, and the role that food and weight motivations play in decisions to vape. Nicotine vaping was used as a tool to control weight and suppress appetite, paralleling food- and weight-related behaviors associated with cigarette use. Findings suggest a need for targeted interventions that address the role of nicotine vaping in eating/weight-related behaviors. Read More
The purpose of this qualitative study was to capture the perspectives of individuals representing an urban, predominantly Latinx community who are underresourced by mental health services about the use of telehealth to deliver mental health treatment. Read More
Behavioral inhibition (BI) is an infant temperament characterized by heightened reactivity and negative affect in response to novel people and situations. BI is among the earliest and strongest predictors of future anxiety problems. However, not all children with a history of BI will manifest anxiety problems. A growing body of evidence suggests that proactive control skills may help buffer youth with BI from future anxiety difficulties; yet, it remains unclear how temperament may interact with the development of cognitive control to influence anxiety risk. The present study tested whether enhancements in proactive control occurring during adolescence may reduce risk for anxiety among youth with a history of BI. Read More
Exposure to lipophilic persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is ubiquitous. POPs are metabolic disrupting chemicals and are potentially diabetogenic. Our results suggest that childhood exposure to lipophilic POPs is associated with dysregulated glucose metabolism. Read More
The COVID-19 pandemic has left millions of children and adolescents grieving the sudden death of a grandparent. Yet, we lack knowledge of the mental health implications of a grandparent's death for youth. This study uses longitudinal data to examine if the loss of a grandparent increases adolescent grandchildren's likelihood of experiencing their mothers' major depressive disorder, and of having depressive symptoms themselves. Read More
We leverage a natural experiment in combination with data on adolescents’ time preferences to assess whether there is heterogeneity in place effects on adolescent obesity. We exploit the plausibly exogenous assignment of military servicemembers, and consequently their children, to different installations to identify place effects. Adolescents’ time preferences are measured by a validated survey scale. Using the obesity rate in the assigned installation county as a summary measure of its obesity-related environments, we show that exposure to counties with higher obesity rates increases the likelihood of obesity among less patient adolescents but not among their more patient counterparts. Read More
Military families are exposed to a unique constellation of risk factors, which may impact maltreatment outcomes. The present study examined prospective relationships between demographic, health, birth-related, and military-specific risk factors identified prior to a child’s birth on their risk for maltreatment in the first two years of life. Data from the Millennium Cohort Study, Department of Defense (DoD) operational records and Family Advocacy Program data on met-criteria maltreatment, and Birth and Infant Health Research program data on suspected maltreatment were linked for 9076 service member parents. Discrete time survival analysis showed that preterm birth increased risk of maltreatment while parents’ older age, physical health, and service in the Navy or Air Force decreased risk. Building on DoD’s New Parent Support Program, findings suggest the need for universal and targeted prevention efforts, beginning during pregnancy, which limit or eliminate risk factors for maltreatment in military families. Read More
