To determine if nutritional risk in early childhood is associated with parent-reported school concerns.

A prospective cohort study conducted through the TARGet Kids! primary care research network (2011–2018). Nutritional risk was measured between 18 months and 5 years of age using validated parent-completed NutriSTEP® questionnaires with eating behaviour and dietary intake subscores (0 = lowest and 68 = highest total nutritional risk score). Parent-reported school concerns were measured at school age (4–10 years of age) and included: speech and language; learning; attention; behaviour; social relationships; physical coordination; fine motor coordination and self-help skills and independence. The primary outcome was any parent-reported school concerns, and individual school concerns were used as secondary outcomes. Multiple logistic regression models were conducted adjusting for clinically relevant confounders to assess the relationship between nutritional risk and school concerns.

Toronto, Canada.

Children aged 18 months to 10 years.

The study included 3655 children, 52 % were male, mean NutriSTEP® score was 14·4 (sd 6·4). Each 1 sd increase in NutriSTEP® total score was associated with a 1·18 times increased odds of school concerns (adj OR: 1·18, 95 % CI 1·07, 1·28, P = 0·0004), and high nutritional risk was associated with a 1·42 times increased odds of school concerns (adj OR: 1·42, 95 % CI 1·13, 1·78, P = 0·002).

Nutritional risk in early childhood was associated with school concerns. Nutritional interventions in early childhood may reveal opportunities to enhance school outcomes.

Upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) are the most common and costly condition of childhood. Low vitamin D levels have been hypothesized as a risk factor for URTI. The primary objective was to determine if serum vitamin D levels were associated with health-service utilization (HSU) for URTI including hospital admission, emergency department visits and outpatient sick visits. The secondary objectives were to determine whether oral vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy or childhood was associated with HSU for URTI.

Cohort study. HSU was determined by linking each child’s provincial health insurance number to health administrative databases. Multivariable quasi Poisson regression was used to evaluate the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D, vitamin D supplementation and HSU for URTI.

Toronto, Canada.

Children participating in the TARGet Kids! network between 2008 and 2013.

Healthy children aged 0–5 years (n 4962) were included; 52 % were male and mean 25-hydroxyvitamin D was 84 nmol/l (range 11–355 nmol/l). There were 105 (2 %), 721 (15 %) and 3218 (65 %) children with at least one hospital admission, emergency department visit or outpatient sick visit for URTI, respectively. There were no statistically significant associations between 25-hydroxyvitamin D or vitamin D supplementation and HSU for URTI.

A clinically meaningful association between vitamin D (continuously and dichotomized at <50 and <75 nmol/l) and HSU for URTI was not identified. While vitamin D may have other benefits for health, reducing HSU for URTI does not appear to be one of them.

Fe-deficiency anaemia (IDA) occurs in 1–2 % of infants in developed countries, peaks at 1–3 years of age and is associated with later cognitive deficits. The objectives of the present study were to describe the characteristics of young children with severe IDA and examine modifiable risk factors in a developed-country setting.

Two prospective samples: a national surveillance programme sample and a regional longitudinal study sample.

Canada, 2009–2011.

Two samples of young children recruited from community-based health-care practices: a national sample with severe anaemia (Hb<80 g/l) due to Fe deficiency and a regional sample with non-anaemic Fe sufficiency.

Children with severe IDA (n 201, mean Hb 55·1 g/l) experienced substantial morbidity (including developmental delay, heart failure, cerebral thrombosis) and health-care utilization (including a 42 % hospitalization rate). Compared with children with Fe sufficiency (n 597, mean Hb 122·4 g/l), children with severe IDA consumed a larger volume of cow’s milk daily (median 1065 ml v. 500 ml, P<0·001) and were more likely to be using a bottle during the day (78 % v. 43 %, OR=6·0; 95 % CI 4·0, 8·9) and also in bed (60 % v. 21 %, OR=6·5; 95 % CI 4·4, 9·5).

Severe IDA is associated with substantial morbidity and may be preventable. Three potentially modifiable feeding practices are associated with IDA: (i) cow’s milk consumption greater than 500 ml/d; (ii) daytime bottle use beyond 12 months of age; and (iii) bottle use in bed. These feeding practices should be highlighted in future recommendations for public health and primary-care practitioners.

To determine if children aged 1–6 years from non-Western immigrant families have lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels than children from Western-born families and examine which factors influence this relationship.

Cross-sectional study.

Toronto, Canada.

Healthy children (n 1540) recruited through the TARGet Kids! practice-based research network. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations of non-Western immigrants were compared with those of children from Western-born families. Children from non-Western immigrant families were defined as those born, or their parents were born, outside a Western country. Univariate and multiple linear regression analyses were used to identify factors which might influence this relationship.

Median age was 36 months, 51 % were male, 86 % had ‘light’ skin pigmentation, 55 % took vitamin D supplements, mean cow's milk intake was 1·8 cups/d and 27 % were non-Western immigrants. Median serum 25(OH)D concentration was 83 nmol/l, with 5 % having 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/l. Univariable analysis revealed that non-Western immigrant children had serum 25(OH)D lower by 4 (95 % CI 1·3, 8·0) nmol/l (P = 0·006) and increased odds of 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/l (OR = 1·9; 95 % CI 1·3, 2·9). After adjustment for known vitamin D determinants the observed difference attenuated to 0·04 (95 % CI −4·8, 4·8) nmol/l (P = 0·99), with higher cow's milk intake (P < 0·0001), vitamin D supplementation (P < 0·0001), summer season (P = 0·008) and increased age (P = 0·04) being statistically significant covariates. Vitamin D supplementation was the strongest explanatory factor of the observed difference.

There is an association between non-Western immigration and lower 25(OH)D in early childhood. This difference appears related to known vitamin D determinants, primarily vitamin D supplementation, representing opportunities for intervention.

To systematically review the efficacy and safety of oral Fe therapy in pre-school children (1–5 years) with non-anaemic Fe deficiency, determined by children's developmental and haematological status and the incidence of reported side-effects.

A random-effects model was used to show mean differences with 95 % confidence intervals of developmental and haematological scores between Fe-treated and non-treated groups.

MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane library and bibliographies of identified articles were searched up to September 2011. Randomized and observational studies were assessed by two reviewers independently. Quality of the trials was assessed on the basis of concealment of allocation, method of randomization, masking of outcome assessment and completeness of follow-up.

From the titles of 743 articles, full text review was completed on forty-six and two randomized trials of acceptable quality met the inclusion criteria. The two trials included a total of sixty-nine children.

One study showed a statistically significant difference in the post-treatment Mental Developmental Index score among children who received oral Fe therapy v. no therapy (mean difference = 6·3, 95 % CI 1·5, 11·0, P value not provided). Both studies showed significant improvement in serum ferritin level (μg/l: mean difference = 51·1, 95 % CI 33·6, 68·6, P < 0·01 and mean difference = 17·1, 95 % CI 7·5, 26·6, P value not provided, respectively) in children who received Fe therapy.

Evidence is insufficient to recommend oral Fe therapy to children with non-anaemic Fe deficiency. There is urgent need of conducting adequately powered, randomized trials examining the efficacy of oral Fe therapy in pre-school children with non-anaemic Fe deficiency.

To identify child and parental factors associated with screen time in 3-year-old children.

Observational study.

Participants were recruited from a large primary-care paediatric group practice in Toronto, Canada.

Healthy 3-year-old children were included. A questionnaire was completed by their parents on screen time. Descriptive statistics and linear regression models were used to assess associations between child screen time and selected factors. Multivariable models included factors from the univariate analysis with P < 0·1. Estimated effects and 95 % CI are reported.

A total of 157 children were enrolled (91 % recruitment). The mean screen time per weekday was 104 min (similar for weekend day). In all, 10 % of children had a television (TV) in their bedroom; 59 % consumed at least one meal while watching TV; and 81 % of parents had household rules about screen time. Controlling for maternal education and age, eating lunch and dinner in front of the screen and mother being employed were associated with an increase in child weekday screen time of 96 (95 % CI 30, 192), 42 (95 % CI 12, 90) and 36 (95 % CI 6, 72) min/d, respectively. Eating lunch in front of the screen and an increase of 1 h of parental screen time were associated with an increase of 78 (95 % CI 36, 132) and 12 (95 % CI 6, 18) min/d in child weekend screen time. Family rules decreased child weekend screen time by 30 (95 % CI 6, 54) min/d.

Interventions that include these important parental factors should be evaluated for their effectiveness in reducing screen time.