Search

Background: As breastfeeding duration increases, it is important to understand diets of breastfeeding women and other factors salient to maternal/offspring health, including stress. It is important to further consider sociodemographic factors, given their associations with nutritional deficiencies and perceived stress., Objective: We cross-sectionally compared breastfeeding women's dietary intakes from a food frequency questionnaire (assessing from pregnancy through 3 months postpartum) with Estimated Average Requirements (EARs). We hypothesized that dietary intake was related to sociodemographic variables and parenting stress., Design: We examined a cohort of predominately breastfeeding women. Food frequency questionnaire results were compared with EARs, the Parenting Stress Index: Short Form, and a demographic questionnaire., Participants/setting: Participants included 101 women (of 289 recruited) who breastfed singleton, full-term infants for the first 3 months while using <28 oz formula/wk. The study included community recruitment in rural Oklahoma from 2008 to 2012., Statistical Analyses: Mean and standard deviation or frequencies were reported. One-sample t tests compared EARs with mean dietary intakes over the past 12 months. Pearson correlations and one-way analyses of variance explored relationships among dietary, sociodemographic, and stress variables., Results: Twenty-two percent of women did not meet EAR minimum energy recommendations and >40% did not meet protein recommendations. Despite widespread supplement use, some consumed less than the EAR for vitamin E (35%), calcium (22%), and vitamin C (19%). Carbohydrate consumption was positively related to the difficult child scale (r=0.19; P=0.05). Dietary riboflavin (r=-0.19; P=0.05) and vitamin D intake (r=-0.19; P=0.05) were negatively related to the parent-child dysfunction scale., Conclusions: Despite efforts to enhance education and counseling regarding adequate perinatal nutrition-related practices, even well-educated women may not meet EARs. This poor dietary intake may be associated with parenting stress and have potential long-term implications for child health., (Copyright © 2015 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The objective of this study was to conduct a preliminary investigation of lead, zinc, and iron levels in relation to child cognition and behavior in a small sample of Head Start children. The design was cross-sectional and correlational. Participants were 42 3- to 5-year-old children attending rural Head Start centers. Nonfasting blood samples of whole blood lead, plasma zinc, and ferritin were collected. Teachers rated children's behavior on the California Preschool Social Competency Scale, Howes' Sociability subscale, and the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire. Children were tested individually with the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that zinc and ferritin jointly explained 25% of the variance in McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities verbal scores. Lead levels explained 25% of the variance in teacher ratings of girls' sociability and 20% of the variance in teacher ratings of girls' classroom competence. Zinc levels explained 39% of the variance in teacher ratings of boys' anxiety. Univariate analysis of variance revealed that the four children low in zinc and iron had significantly higher blood lead (median=0.23 micromol/L [4.73 microg/dL]) than the 31 children sufficient in zinc or iron (median=0.07 micromol/L [1.54 microg/dL]) or the 7 children sufficient in both (median=0.12 micromol/L [2.52 microg/dL]), suggesting an interaction among the three minerals. Within this small low-income sample, the results imply both separate and interacting effects of iron, zinc, and lead. They underscore the importance of studying these three minerals in larger samples of low-income preschool children to make more definitive conclusions.

Objective: To evaluate relations among measures of iron and zinc status, C-reactive protein (CRP), and leukocytes in low-income children participating in the Head Start program., Design: Cross-sectional correlational study with samples collected at Head Start centers in May 2003., Subjects/setting: Forty-seven children (aged 3 to 5 years) attending Head Start centers in three rural communities., Measures: Zinc, ferritin, CRP, and complete blood count were analyzed in nonfasting blood samples., Statistical Analyses: Correlations were computed among leukocyte levels, CRP levels, and measures of micronutrient status. Children having two abnormal measures (ie, leukocytes and CRP) were compared by univariate analysis of variance with children having zero or one abnormal measure., Results: Most (72%) of the children had elevated CRP levels. Four percent were anemic (hemoglobin<11.0 g/dL [<110 g/L]); 11% had low iron stores (serum ferritin