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Background: studies examining associations of early-life cat and dog ownership with childhood asthma have reported inconsistent results. Several factors could explain these inconsistencies, including type of pet, timing, and degree of exposure.Objective: our aim was to study associations of early-life cat and dog ownership with asthma in school-aged children, including the role of type (cat vs dog), timing (never, prenatal, or early childhood), and degree of ownership (number of pets owned), and the role of allergic sensitization.Methods: we used harmonized data from 77,434 mother-child dyads from 9 birth cohorts in the European Union Child Cohort Network when the child was 5 to 11 years old. Associations were examined through the DataSHIELD platform by using adjusted logistic regression models, which were fitted separately for each cohort and combined by using random effects meta-analysis.Results: the prevalence of early-life cat and dog ownership ranged from 12% to 45% and 7% to 47%, respectively, and the prevalence of asthma ranged from 2% to 20%. There was no overall association between either cat or dog ownership and asthma (odds ratio [OR] = 0.97 [95% CI = 0.87-1.09] and 0.92 [95% CI = 0.85-1.01], respectively). Timing and degree of ownership did not strongly influence associations. Cat and dog ownership were also not associated with cat- and dog-specific allergic sensitization (OR = 0.92 [95% CI = 0.75-1.13] and 0.93 [95% CI = 0.57-1.54], respectively). However, cat- and dog-specific allergic sensitization was strongly associated with school-age asthma (OR = 6.69 [95% CI = 4.91-9.10] and 5.98 [95% CI = 3.14-11.36], respectively). There was also some indication of an interaction between ownership and sensitization, suggesting that ownership may exacerbate the risks associated with pet-specific sensitization but offer some protection against asthma in the absence of sensitization.Conclusion: our findings do not support early-life cat and dog ownership in themselves increasing the risk of school-age asthma, but they do suggest that ownership may potentially exacerbate the risks associated with cat- and dog-specific allergic sensitization.

Background Mayotte is a French overseas territory with significant socio-economic and health challenges. This study updates the prevalence of hypertension in Mayotte to estimate the awareness, treatment and control of this disease and identify any associated factors. Methods Data were taken from the cross-sectional Unono Wa Maore survey conducted in Mayotte in 2019. Analyses were based on the adult population aged 18–69 years who underwent a clinical examination with at least two blood pressure measurements (n = 2620). Results In 2019, the prevalence of hypertension was estimated at 38.4% (36.1–40.7%) in the Mayotte population aged 18–69 years. The prevalence was similar in men (38.5%) and women (38.3%; P = 0.95). The prevalence of certain risk factors was high, with 75% of hypertensives being overweight or obese, 13% reporting diabetes and 69% being occupationally inactive. Among the hypertensives, 48% was aware of their diagnosis, with women more likely to be aware than men (P Conclusion The prevalence of hypertension remains high in Mayotte, where certain risk factors like obesity are particularly common in the population. Awareness, treatment and control remain insufficient. Primary prevention measures, access to a healthy food, and screening and treatment of hypertension should be encouraged by targeting the most affected populations.

Data de publicació electrònica: 07-02-2023 Short sleep duration has been linked to adverse behavioral and cognitive outcomes in schoolchildren, but few studies examined this relation in preschoolers. We aimed to investigate the association between parent-reported sleep duration at 3.5 years and behavioral and cognitive outcomes at 5 years in European children. We used harmonized data from five cohorts of the European Union Child Cohort Network: ALSPAC, SWS (UK); EDEN, ELFE (France); INMA (Spain). Associations were estimated through DataSHIELD using adjusted generalized linear regression models fitted separately for each cohort and pooled with random-effects meta-analysis. Behavior was measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Language and non-verbal intelligence were assessed by the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence or the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities. Behavioral and cognitive analyses included 11,920 and 2981 children, respectively (34.0%/13.4% of the original sample). In meta-analysis, longer mean sleep duration per day at 3.5 years was associated with lower mean internalizing and externalizing behavior percentile scores at 5 years (adjusted mean difference: - 1.27, 95% CI [- 2.22, - 0.32] / - 2.39, 95% CI [- 3.04, - 1.75]). Sleep duration and language or non-verbal intelligence showed trends of inverse associations, however, with imprecise estimates (adjusted mean difference: - 0.28, 95% CI [- 0.83, 0.27] / - 0.42, 95% CI [- 0.99, 0.15]). This individual participant data meta-analysis suggests that longer sleep duration in preschool age may be important for children's later behavior and highlight the need for larger samples for robust analyses of cognitive outcomes. Findings could be influenced by confounding or reverse causality and require replication. Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. This research (LifeCycle Project ID: ECCNLC201914) was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement N: 733206, LifeCycle project. Kathrin Guerlich was granted a LifeCycle Fellowship (Grant Agreement N: 733206, LifeCycle project). Berthold Koletzko is the Else Kröner Seniorprofessor of Paediatrics at LMU – University of Munich, financially supported by Else Kröner-Fresenius-Foundation, LMU Medical Faculty and LMU University Hospital. Deborah A Lawlor and Ahmed Elhakeem work in a Unit that receives support from the University of Bristol and UK Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00011/6). Deborah A Lawlor is a British Heart Foundation Chair (CH/F/20/90003) and a National Institute of Health Research Senior Investigator (NF-0616–10102). Mònica Guxens is funded by a Miguel Servet II fellowship (CPII18/00018) awarded by the Spanish Institute of Health Carlos III. Jordi Julvez holds Miguel Servet-II contract (CPII19/00015) awarded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Co-funded by European Social Fund "Investing in your future"). Tim Cadman was funded a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship. Funding details for each cohort are provided in Online Resource 1. No funder had any influence on the study design, data collection, statistical analyses or interpretation of findings. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and not necessarily of any funders.

BackgroundInternational sharing of cohort data for research is important and challenging. The LifeCycle project aimed to harmonise data across birth cohorts and develop methods for efficient federated analyses of early life stressors on offspring outcomes.AimTo explore feasibility of federated analyses of associations between four different types of pregnancy exposures (maternal education, area deprivation, proximity to green space and gestational diabetes) with offspring BMI from infancy to 17 years.MethodsWe used harmonised exposure and outcome data from 17 cohorts (n=200,650 mother-child pairs) from the EU Child Cohort Network. For each child, we derived BMI at five age periods: (i) 0-1 years, (ii) 2-3, (iii) 4-7, (iv) 8-13 and (v) 14-17 years. Associations were estimated using linear regression via one-stage individual participant data meta-analysis using the federated analysis platform DataSHIELD.ResultsAssociations between lower maternal education and higher child BMI emerged from age 4 years and increased with age (difference in BMI z-score comparing low with high education age 0-1 years = 0.02 [95% CI 0.00, 0.03], 2-3 years = 0.01 [CI -0.02, 0.04], 4-7 years = 0.14 [CI 0.13, 0.16], 8-13 years = 0.22 [CI 0.20, 0.24], 14-17 years = 0.20 [CI 0.16, 0.23]). A similar pattern was found for area deprivation. Gestational diabetes was positively associated with BMI from 8 years (8-13 years = 0.17 [CI 0.10, 0.24], 14-17 years = 0.012 [CI -0.13, 0.38]) but not at younger ages. The normalised difference vegetation index measure of maternal proximity to green space was weakly associated with higher BMI in the first year of life but not at older ages.ConclusionsAssociations between maternal education, area-based socioeconomic position and GDM with BMI increased with age. Maternal proximity to green space was not associated with offspring BMI, other than a weak association in infancy. Opportunities and challenges of cross-cohort federated analyses are discussed.

Background Early exposure to unhealthy lifestyles and environmental risk factors is known to affect health throughout the life-course. There is also evidence that the exposure patterns are influenced by the socioeconomic position (SEP). Methods We use the data of the Turin participants of the Italian NINFEA birth cohort (n∼2500) to study how family SEP drives the early life exposome. SEP at birth is measured through the EHII (Equivalized Household Income Indicator), while the exposome includes urban environment, diet and lifestyle exposures measured during infancy. We use standard regression models to evaluate the effect of EHII on each exposome variable accounting for multiple comparison and potential confounders (Drivers-Exposome Wide Association Study – DExWAS) and the hierarchical clustering on the principal components approach to identify groups with similar exposure pattern. Results The DExWAS show that low EHII is associated with lower consumption of fruit and vegetables, lower levels of NO2, building and facilities densities, traffic, walkability and connectivity index, higher land-use diversity index, and higher exposure to pets. The hierarchical cluster analysis identifies three groups, with subjects belonging to the cluster characterized by higher level of urban environment risk factors and a healthier diet having a higher mean EHII. Conclusions These SEP-early life exposome analyses will be replicated in several European birth cohorts participating in the H2020 ATHLETE and LifeCycle projects. Key messages In the Italian city of Turin children from low SEP family are exposed to higher levels of environmental risk factors and unhealthy lifestyles during infancy.

BackgroundPreterm birth is the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality, and is associated with adverse developmental and long-term health outcomes, including several cardio-metabolic risk factors. However, evidence about the association of preterm birth with later body size derives mainly from studies using birth weight as proxy of prematurity rather than actual length of gestation. We investigated the association of gestational age at birth (GA) with body size from infancy through adolescence.Methods and FindingsWe conducted a two-stage Individual Participant Data (IPD) meta-analysis using data from 253,810 mother-children dyads from 16 general population-based cohort studies in Europe, North America and Australasia to estimate the association of GA with standardized Body Mass Index (BMI) and overweight (including obesity) adjusted for confounders. Using a federated analytical tool (DataSHIELD), we fitted linear and logistic regression models in each cohort separately, and combined the regression estimates and standard errors through random-effects study-level meta-analysis providing an overall effect estimate at early infancy (>0.0-0.5 years), late infancy (>0.5-2.0 years), early childhood (>2.0-5.0 years), mid-childhood (>5.0-9.0 years), late childhood (>9.0-14.0 years) and adolescence (>14.0-19.0 years).GA was positively associated with BMI in the first decade of life with mean differences in BMI z-score (0.01-0.02) per week of increase in GA, however preterm infants reached similar levels of BMI as term infants by adolescence. The association of GA with risk of overweight revealed a similar pattern of results from late infancy through mid-childhood with an increased odds of overweight (OR 1.01-1.02) per week increase in GA. By adolescence, however, GA was slightly negatively associated with risk of overweight (OR 0.98 [95% CI: 0.97:1.00]) per week of increase in GA, and children born very preterm had increased odds of overweight (OR 1.46 [95% CI: 1.03; 2.08]) compared with term.The findings were consistent across cohorts and sensitivity analyses, despite considerable heterogeneity in cohort characteristics.ConclusionHigher GA is potentially clinically important for higher BMI in infancy, while the association attenuates consistently with age. By adolescence, preterm children have on average a similar mean BMI to those born term.