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Objective. To assess whether dieting to control weight was associated with weight change among children and adolescents. Methods. A prospective study was conducted of 8203 girls and 6769 boys who were 9 to 14 years of age in 1996, were in an ongoing cohort study, and completed at least 2 annual questionnaires between 1996 and 1999. Dieting to control weight, binge eating, and dietary intake were assessed annually from 1996 through 1998 with instruments designed specifically for children and adolescents. The outcome measure was age- and sex-specific z score of body mass index (BMI). Results. In 1996, 25.0% of the girls and 13.8% of the boys were infrequent dieters and 4.5% of the girls and 2.2% of the boys were frequent dieters. Among the girls, the percentage of dieters increased over the following 2 years. Binge eating was more common among the girls, but in both sexes, it was associated with dieting to control weight (girls: infrequent dieters, odds ratio [OR]: 5.10; frequent dieters, OR: 12.4; boys: infrequent dieters, OR: 3.49; frequent dieters, OR: 7.30). During 3 years of follow-up, dieters gained more weight than nondieters. Among the girls, frequency of dieting was positively associated with increases in age- and sex-specific z scores of BMI ([beta] = 0.05 and [beta] = 0.04 for frequent and infrequent dieters vs nondieters). Among the boys, both frequent and infrequent dieters gained 0.07 z scores of BMI more than nondieters. In addition, boys who engaged in binge eating gained significantly more weight than nondieters. Conclusions. Although medically supervised weight control may be beneficial for overweight youths, our data suggest that for many adolescents, dieting to control weight is not only ineffective, it may actually promote weight gain. Pediatrics 2003;112:900-906; adolescents, weight gain, dieting, bingeing, girls, boys., ABBREVIATIONS. GUTS, Growing Up Today Study; BMI, body mass index; OR, odds ratio. Obesity is a growing and serious public health problem among both children and adults in the United [...]

To the Editor.-- The Working Group of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program recently published updated guidelines on the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of high blood pressure (BP) in [...]

Abstract. Previous studies of childhood blood pressure have shown tracking correlations, which estimate the magnitude of association between initial and subsequent measurements, to be lower than corresponding adult values. Inasmuch as this disparity could arise from failing to account for a larger week-to-week variability in children, blood pressure was measured for 4 successive years, on four weekly visits in each year, and with three measurements at each visit, using a random-zero sphygmomanometer, in a cohort of 333 schoolchildren aged 8 through 15 at entry. Ninety percent of subjects had measurements in 1 or more years of follow-up. For all follow-up periods (1, 2, and 3 years from baseline), the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure rose substantially with the number of weekly visits used to calculate each subject's yearly blood pressure (P < .0001). For systolic pressure, the 3-year r values for 1, 2, 3, and 4 visits were .45, .55, .64, and .69, respectively. For diastolic pressure (Korotkoff phase 4), the corresponding values were .28, .41, .47, and .54. These higher multiple-visit estimates of tracking approximate published adult values and raise the possibility that prediction of adult blood pressure from childhood measurements may be improved by averaging readings from multiple weekly visits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. The blood pressures and pulse rates of 257 normal full-term infants and their mothers were measured two to four days after birth. Birthweight was correlated with systolic (P = .038), but not with diastolic blood pressure. Infants who were asleep had significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure than infants who were awake (P < .001). Sex, body length, and feedings did not appear to influence infant's blood pressure nor did the anesthesia given to the mothers. Maternal diastolic pressure correlated with infant's diastolic pressure (regression coefficient, .128) (P < .01), whereas for systolic pressure the regression coefficient between maternal and infant pressure was .085 (P = NS). The aggregation between the diastolic blood pressures of infants and mothers was not influenced by birthweight, age of the mother, or medication administered to the mother. The pulse rates of black infants were significantly higher than those of white infants (P < .002). There was no correlation between the pulse rates and blood pressures in infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: An estimated 15 million neonates are born preterm annually. However, in low- and middle-income countries, the dating of pregnancy is frequently unreliable or unknown., Objective: To conduct a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to determine the diagnostic accuracy of neonatal assessments to estimate gestational age (GA)., Data Sources: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science, POPLINE, and World Health Organization library databases., Study Selection: Studies of live-born infants in which researchers compared neonatal signs or assessments for GA estimation with a reference standard., Data Extraction: Two independent reviewers extracted data on study population, design, bias, reference standard, test methods, accuracy, agreement, validity, correlation, and interrater reliability., Results: Four thousand nine hundred and fifty-six studies were screened and 78 included. We identified 18 newborn assessments for GA estimation (ranging 4 to 23 signs). Compared with ultrasound, the Dubowitz score dated 95% of pregnancies within ±2.6 weeks ( n = 7 studies), while the Ballard score overestimated GA (0.4 weeks) and dated pregnancies within ±3.8 weeks ( n = 9). Compared with last menstrual period, the Dubowitz score dated 95% of pregnancies within ± 2.9 weeks ( n = 6 studies) and the Ballard score, ±4.2 weeks ( n = 5). Assessments with fewer signs tended to be less accurate. A few studies showed a tendency for newborn assessments to overestimate GA in preterm infants and underestimate GA in growth-restricted infants., Limitations: Poor study quality and few studies with early ultrasound-based reference., Conclusions: Efforts in low- and middle-income countries should focus on improving dating in pregnancy through ultrasound and improving validity in growth-restricted populations. Where ultrasound is not possible, increased efforts are needed to develop simpler yet specific approaches for newborn assessment through new combinations of existing parameters, new signs, or technology., Competing Interests: POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.)

Objective: Few prospective studies have examined separate forms of screen time in relation to adiposity. Our objective was to assess independent relations of television, electronic games (video/computer), and digital versatile disc (DVD)/videos and total screen time with change in adolescent BMI., Methods: Using data from the 2004, 2006, and 2008 waves of the ongoing Growing up Today Study II, we assessed baseline and 2-year change in reported screen time in relation to concurrent change in BMI among 4287 girls and 3505 boys aged 9 to 16 years in 2004. Gender-specific models adjusted for previous BMI, age, race/ethnicity, growth/development, months between questionnaires, and physical activity., Results: Among girls and boys, each hour per day increase in reported television viewing was associated with a 0.09 increase in BMI (Ps < .001), and each hour per day increase in total screen time was associated with a 0.07 increase among girls and 0.05 increase among boys (Ps < .001). Among girls only, greater baseline television, games, and total screen time and change in DVDs/videos were associated with gains in BMI (Ps < .05). BMI gains associated with change in television and total screen time were stronger among overweight girls than lean girls (Ps-heterogeneity < .001)., Conclusions: Television, which remains the steadiest source of food advertising, was most consistently associated with BMI gains. Among girls, electronic games and DVDs/videos were also related to increased BMI, possibly due to influences of product placements and advergames on diet and/or distracted eating. Adolescents, especially overweight adolescents, may benefit from reduced time with multiple types of media.

Objective: To investigate prospectively, using alcoholic beverage consumption data collected in real time, the association between adolescent drinking and risk of biopsy-confirmed benign breast disease (BBD) in young women., Participants and Methods: The Growing Up Today Study is a prospective cohort study of US girls, aged 9 to 15 years at baseline, with annual questionnaires from 1996 through 2001, followed by questionnaires in 2003, 2005, and 2007. On the 2003 survey, the participants (then aged 16-23 years) provided information about their alcoholic beverage consumption in the previous year. On the 2005 and 2007 surveys, a total of 6899 women (aged 18-27 years) reported whether a health care provider had ever diagnosed them with BBD (n = 147 cases) and whether it was confirmed by biopsy (n = 67 cases); 6752 women reported never being diagnosed with BBD., Results: Adjusted for age and BMI, quantity of alcohol consumed was associated with increased risk of biopsy-confirmed BBD (odds ratio: 1.50 per drink per day [95% confidence interval: 1.19-1.90]). Girls who typically drank 6 or 7 days/week were at higher risk (odds ratio: 5.50 [95% confidence interval: 1.23-24.53]) compared with those who never drank or who drank less than once per week., Conclusions: Higher amounts consumed, and more frequent consumption, of alcoholic beverages in adolescence may increase the occurrence of BBD in young women. Advising teenagers to avoid alcoholic beverages, along with smoking and sun exposure, may reduce cancer incidence in adulthood.