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Summary: We aimed to explore associations between the accessibility of fast‐food restaurants (FFRs) and weight‐related outcomes in children and adolescents through a systematic review and meta‐analysis of studies. We searched three databases for studies published before October 21, 2022. Study quality was assessed using the National Institutes of Health's Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross‐Sectional Studies. Meta‐analysis was performed, and the leave‐one‐out method was used for sensitivity analysis. A total of 60 studies were included. According to our analysis, FFRs within a smaller buffer radius from residences or that provide unhealthy foods may have a more significant influence on children's and adolescents' weight. Children of younger ages and girls may have a higher possibility of being overweight due to FFRs. Though we could hardly avoid bias, the estimates in low‐and middle‐income countries (only six studies) are much higher than those in high‐income countries (54 studies). More research analyses based on microscope data and individual economic levels are needed. This study yields quantitative results, provides policymakers and urban planners with a theoretical support for building resilient and sustainable human settlements, and promotes the translation of research findings from public health to environmental planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to explore the association between healthy lifestyle pattern and childhood early onset of puberty. Based on a cohort study in Xiamen of China, a total of 1294 children was followed for three and a half years. Children's lifestyles, including dietary behaviour, physical activity, sleep duration, smoking and drinking behaviour and sedentary behaviour, were collected by questionnaires. Healthy lifestyle pattern was determined mainly according to the recommendations by the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese school-age children and Canadian Guidelines for children and youth. The pubertal development was assessed by clinical examination according to Tanner stages. The association between pre-pubertal lifestyle and early onset of puberty was estimated using linear regression and log-binomial regression. We found that children who adhered to a healthy lifestyle had a 0·36-year delay of the age of puberty onset (coef = 0·36, 95 % CI (0·08, 0·65)) and 53 % lower risk of early onset of puberty (risk ratio = 0·47, 95 % CI (0·27, 0·80)), compared with those who had a poor lifestyle. However, the beneficial effect of favourable lifestyles on the early onset of puberty was found only in boys with normal weight. Boys who adhered to active physical activity and low sedentary behaviour had a relatively delayed age of puberty onset (coef = 0·49, 95 % CI (0·26, 0·72)). This is the first time to find that healthy lifestyle pattern was associated with a substantially lower risk of early onset of puberty, especially in boys with normal weight. Advocating an integrated healthy lifestyle is essential for the development of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed to investigate the associations between breastfeeding duration and blood pressure (BP) levels, BP Z scores and high BP (HBP) in children and adolescents. A total of 57,201 participants including 29,491 boys and 27,710 girls aged 7–18 years were recruited from seven provinces in China in 2012. HBP was defined as BP levels of ≥95th percentiles of the referent age-, sex-, and height-specific population. Breastfeeding duration was divided into non-breastfeeding, 0–5 months, 6–12 months, and >12 months. Information on demographic, parental or family factors and dietary behaviors was collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Multivariable linear regression and logistic regression models were applied to assess the relationships of breastfeeding duration with BP levels and BP Z scores and with HBP, respectively. Stratified analyses were performed to further investigate the potential subgroup-specific associations. The reported prolonged breastfeeding (>12 months) rate was 22.53% in the total population. After full adjustment, compared to the non-breastfeeding group, breastfeeding for 6–12 months was correlated with 0.43 (95% CI: −0.75, −0.11) and 0.36 (95% CI: −0.61, −0.12) mmHg lower levels of SBP and DBP, respectively. Similar decrease trends were found for BP Z scores. Prolonged breastfeeding (>12 months) was associated with 1.33 (95% CI: 1.12, 1.58) and 1.12 (95% CI: 0.94, 1.33) higher odds of HBP in boys and girls, respectively. Based on nationally representative data, there was no evidence that a longer duration of breastfeeding is protective against childhood HBP. Breastfeeding for 6–12 months may be beneficial to BP, while prolonged breastfeeding durations might increase the odds of HBP in children and adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aimed to investigate the associations between different growth patterns with high blood pressure, and further examine the mediation effect of BMI between growth patterns and high blood pressure among children and adolescents. A total of 31581 children and adolescents aged 7-18 years were selected based on the stratified cluster sampling method. Logistics regression models were used to calculate the odds rations (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) of the association between different growth patterns and high blood pressure. Mediation effect analyses were applied to estimate the effect of BMI on the increase of blood pressure levels in different growth patterns. In different sex and ages, compared to reference group of normal growth, blood pressure levels and prevalence of high blood pressure of the catch-up growth were higher, but that of the catch-down growth were lower. The prevalence of high blood pressure was 11.69%, 16.06%, and 9.68% in normal growth, catch-up growth, and catch-down growth, respectively. In total, compared with the normal growth pattern, the ORs (95%CI) of high blood pressure, high systolic blood pressure and high diastolic blood pressure in the catch-up growth were 1.171(1.073,1.280), 1.110(1.001,1.230) and 1.141(1.025,1.270) (p < .05), respectively. Additionally, the mediation effect of current BMI existed in the association between blood pressure levels and different growth patterns, particularly in boys. Our findings suggested that different growth patterns after birth could modify blood pressure, and the potential risks of high blood pressure could be increased by catch-up growth at childhood and adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood pressure (BP) increased with age and height development, but little was known about the effect of pubertal development on blood pressure in children. A cross-sectional study was performed among 4146 children aged 7-12 years old in China. Pubertal development was assessed based on breast stages and testicular volume. The associations of pubertal development with BP levels and the rate of elevated blood pressure (EBP) were quantified using multiple linear and logistic regressions. We found that pubertal developmental level was positively correlated with BP, and children who experienced puberty onset and early pubertal timing had higher BP levels and prevalence of EBP. After adjusting for covariates, children experienced puberty onset had 3.84 and 2.24 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure, and 70%, 53%, and 62% increased odds of EBP, ESBP, and EDBP, respectively, compared with those without puberty onset. Similar results were observed for children who had early pubertal timing. The change of BP in puberty is greater and the association between pubertal development and BP is stronger in girls than boys. These findings suggested that pubertal development could be an important independent factor and one critical period for the EBP progress. Monitoring and management of pubertal development are necessary particularly among girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate associations between fruit consumption and lipid profiles, and to further explore a satisfactory level of frequency and daily fruit intake for children and adolescents. A national sample of 14,755 children and adolescents aged 5–19 years from seven provinces in China were recruited. Fasting blood samples were collected to test the lipid profile. Information regarding fruit consumption and other characteristics was collected by questionnaires. Logistic regression models adjusting for confounding covariates were applied to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Participants who consumed fruits for 6–7 days per week had lower risks of high triglycerides (OR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.58–0.75), dyslipidemia (OR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.68–0.86), and hyperlipidemia (OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.63–0.81), compared to fruit consumption of 0–2 days per week. Risks of high triglycerides, dyslipidemia and hyperlipidemia of those who consumed fruits for 0.75–1.5 servings each day also decreased, compared to the insufficient fruit intake. The combined effects of high frequency and moderate daily intake of fruit on lipid disorders did not change essentially. The associations were more evident in girls, younger children and those whose families had higher educational levels. Moderate fruit consumption was associated with lower odds of lipid disorders, predominantly in girls, younger participants, and those came from higher-educated families. These findings supported the health effect of moderate fruit intake frequently to improve the childhood lipid profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the relationship between breastfeeding duration and lipid profile among children and adolescents, a cross-sectional survey using random cluster sampling was performed, and a national sample of 12,110 Chinese children and adolescents aged 5–19 years were collected. Breastfeeding duration and sociodemographic factors were collected by questionnaires. Fasting blood samples were obtained to test the lipid profile. Linear regression and logistic regression models were employed to evaluate the association between breastfeeding duration and lipid profile. We found that prolonged breastfeeding was related with a low level of total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, HDL-C, and TC/HDL-C in children and adolescents. With an increased duration of breastfeeding, the magnitude of the association between breastfeeding and lipid profile enlarged. The levels of TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, and TC/HDL-C in participants who were breastfed for more than 12 months decreased by 6.225 (95% CI: −8.390, −4.059), 1.956 (95% CI: −3.709, −0.204), 1.273 (95% CI: −2.106, −0.440) mg/dL, and 0.072 (95%CI: −0.129, −0.015), respectively, compared with those who were not breastfed. The corresponding risk of high TC declined by 43% (aOR: 0.570, 95% CI: 0.403, 0.808). The association was similar in both boys and girls, but only statistically significant in children and young adolescents aged 5–14 years. This suggested that prolonged breastfeeding duration was related with low lipid levels and decreased abnormal lipid risk, especially in children and young adolescents. These findings support the intervention of prompting a prolonged duration of breastfeeding to improve the childhood lipid profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Knowledge remains limited about dairy consumption and childhood depression and social anxiety, which is our purpose.Methods: A cross-sectional study including children and adolescents aged 7-17 years was conducted in 2020 in Beijing. Depression and social anxiety were assessed using the Children's Depression Inventory and the social anxiety scale for children. Habitual dairy consumption was defined as ≥6 days/week. Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were employed to analyze the associations between dairy consumption and depression and social anxiety. Subgroup analyses were conducted to test the robustness of the main results.Results: A total of 1353 participants were included, with a mean age of 12.06 (SD = 3.10) years old. There were 53.58 % habitual dairy consumers and nearly 11.01 % consumed of ≤1 day/week. The prevalence of depression and social anxiety was 14.04 % and 29.64 %. Compared to participants with less dairy intake, the scores of depression and social anxiety in habitual dairy consumers decreased by 1.725 (95 % CI: -2.939, -0.512) and 1.083 (95 % CI: -1.821, -0.345). Correspondingly, habitual dairy consumption was inversely correlated with depression (OR = 0.602, 95%CI: 0.369-0.982) and social anxiety (OR = 0.622, 95%CI: 0.418-0.923). Such inverse associations were more pronounced in younger participants, those without siblings, with higher parental education and higher consumption of fruits or vegetables.Limitations: Conclusions about causality remain speculative due to the cross-sectional design.Conclusions: Habitual dairy consumption is inversely associated with childhood depression and social anxiety. A potential attempt could be implemented when recommending dairy products as an adjuvant therapy for childhood mental disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]