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Background: Low food security during pregnancy can negatively affect women's physical and mental health. Although many women make a greater effort to eat a healthy diet during pregnancy, the influence of low food security during pregnancy on maternal diet is not well understood., Objective: This study aimed to assess the association between adult food security and maternal diet during pregnancy in a sample from North Carolina., Design: This was a cross-sectional, secondary data analysis of food security (marginal, low, and very low vs high) and maternal diet during pregnancy., Participants and Setting: This study included 468 predominantly Black/African American women during pregnancy from the Nurture cohort, enrolled through prenatal clinics in central North Carolina between 2013 and 2016., Main Outcome Measure: Diet quality was assessed using the Alternate Healthy Eating Index-Pregnancy and the Mediterranean Diet Score. Dietary intake from seven food groups included in the Alternate Healthy Eating Index-Pregnancy and/or Mediterranean Diet Score was assessed as well., Statistical Analysis Performed: Multiple linear regression models were used to examine the association between food security and diet quality and dietary intake during pregnancy, adjusting for race/ethnicity; participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; education; prepregnancy body mass index; age; parity; and mean daily energy intake., Results: In this study, there was no association between maternal food security status and diet quality during pregnancy. However, researchers observed an association between low and marginal food security and greater intake of red and processed meats (marginal: β = 2.20 [P = 0.03]; low: β = 2.28 [P = 0.04]), as well as an association between very low food security and decreased vegetable consumption (β = -.43; P = 0.03)., Conclusions: Very low food security was associated with reduced vegetable intake. In addition, low and marginal food security were associated with greater red and processed meat intake. Future research should focus on nationally representative populations and include longitudinal assessments to allow for the study of the influence of food security on health during pregnancy., (Copyright © 2022 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To determine the associations between screen media use and sleep throughout infancy (3-12 months)., Design: Prospective Nurture birth cohort., Setting: North Carolina, USA, 2013-2015., Participants: Women enrolled in their second to third trimester, completed a phone interview after birth, and completed home visits at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months post partum., Primary and Secondary Outcome Measures: Women reported the usual hours their infants slept during the day and night and their infants' usual use of five screen media activities at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months post partum. Adjusted mixed-effects regression analyses modelled the associations between infant screen time and sleep outcomes while disaggregating the between-infant and within-infant effects., Results: Among 558 mother-infant dyads, 374 (67.0%) infants were black and 304 (54.5%) households earned <$20 000 per year. Half (254, 50.2%) of the infants engaged with screens at 3 months of age, while 326 (72.9%) engaged at 12 months. The median value of the average daily screen time over the study period was 50 (IQR: 10-141) min. Infant screen time was inversely associated with night-time sleep duration only when considering between-infant effects (adjusted beta: -2.9; 95% CI -5.9 to 0.0; p=0.054 for log-transformed screen time). Effects were stronger for television+DVD viewing specifically (adjusted beta: -5.2; 95% CI -9.1 to -1.4; p<0.01 for log-transformed television+DVD time). For example, an infant who averaged 1 hour of television+DVD viewing over the study period slept, on average, 9.20 (95% CI 9.02 to 9.37) hours per night by 12 months compared with 9.60 (95% CI 9.41 to 9.80) hours per night for an infant with no screen time over the study period. There were no significant within-infant effects between screen time and night-time sleep, and screen time was not associated with daytime sleep or night-time awakenings., Conclusions: Screen time during infancy was inversely associated with night-time sleep duration; however, causal associations remain uncertain., Trial Registration Number: NCT01788644., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Previous studies show inconsistent relations between child care and obesity, but few assessed longitudinal associations during infancy and even fewer included racially diverse children. We examined associations of time infants spent in child care, both overall and in different types of care, with weight status at 6 and 12 months. Methods: We examined 664 infants living in central North Carolina. We conducted adjusted multivariable linear regressions examining (1) child care from birth to 6 months and 6-month weight-for-length (WFL) z -score, and (2) child care from birth to 12 months and 12-month WFL z -score. We assessed any child care and child care by type, including relative care, informal care by a nonrelative, formal child care, and a combination of care ( e.g. , relative and informal care). Results: Nearly 70% of infants were black and 49% were female. After adjustment for potential confounders, any child care was not associated with WFL z -score at 6 months (0.07; 95% confidence intervals [CI] -0.02 to 0.16; p  = 0.13) or 12 months (0.05; 95% CI -0.02 to 0.12; p  = 0.19). However, greater combination care was associated with higher WFL z -score at 6 months (0.68; 95% CI 0.23-1.13; p  = 0.003) and greater care by a relative was associated with higher WFL z -score at 12 months (0.16; 95% CI 0.05-0.26; p  = 0.005). Conclusions: Although we did not observe associations with any child care, combination care and relative care during infancy were associated with higher weight. Interventions aimed at preventing excessive weight gain in early life may target relatives who provide regular care for infants.