The childhood composite index of anthropometric failure (CIAF) effectively identifies multiple anthropometric deficits among under-five children. This study aimed to analyze undernutrition among under-five children, as measured by childhood CIAF, to evaluate trends, determinants, and disparities in Bangladesh between 2007-2022.

The study utilized data from five rounds of the nationally representative cross-sectional Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) conducted in 2007, 2011, 2014, 2017–18, and 2022. The CIAF was estimated using six mutually exclusive anthropometric failure categories in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) child growth standards. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to explore determinants of CIAF. The concentration index and concentration curve were used to assess the changes in inequity.

Bangladesh.

32,096 under-five children.

The prevalence of childhood CIAF declined significantly from 56% (95% CI: 55–58) in 2007 to 35% (95% CI: 33–36) in 2022. The significant reduction in “stunting and underweight” from 23% (95% CI: 22–24) in 2007 to 11% (95% CI: 10–12) in 2022 was a major contributor to the decrease in childhood CIAF. Child age, household socioeconomic status (SES), and mother’s education were significant determinants of childhood CIAF across all study periods. Negative concentration index for SES, residence, mother’s and father’s education indicate pro-poor inequality in childhood CIAF, which declined from 2007 to 2022.

Despite significant progress, disparities in childhood CIAF across SES, residence, and parental education persist in Bangladesh. Targeted policy interventions are crucial to mitigating childhood undernutrition and achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2.2.

Switching is one of three primary executive functions alongside inhibitory control and updating but remains relatively understudied in childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared to investigations into working memory and inhibitory control deficits. Where extant literature in adults suggests that switch costs are due to a combination of task set inertia and task set reconfiguration costs, it is not clear which of these is most relevant to explaining ADHD-related atypicalities in performance.

Children with (N = 34) and without ADHD (N = 28) aged 8–12 (average age = 9.45) completed a 192-trial computerized cued switching paradigm. Diffusion model decomposition of the data was performed to identify cognitive subprocesses responsible for the switch.

Consistent with the switching literature in adults, switch costs for children were due to a combination of both task set inertia (reduced drift rate) as well as slower task set reconfiguration (Ter) on switch versus repeat trials. Children with ADHD were less accurate than non-ADHD controls, but the ADHD × Switch interactions were not significant for any variable, indicating that the deficit was general and not switch-specific. Lower accuracy was in turn attributed to slower general drift rate among children with ADHD.

This study contributes to a growing literature finding that the performance deficits in children with ADHD across executive and non-executive function tasks are related to lower-level perceptual decision-making weaknesses that have downstream effects on higher-order processing.

Our study aimed to explore risk factors for medium–giant coronary artery aneurysms in children with Kawasaki disease.

6,540 eligible children with Kawasaki disease who were diagnosed in Wuhan Children’s Hospital from January 2011 to December 2023 were retrospectively analysed. The clinical and laboratory data were compared between medium–giant group and non–medium–giant group.

A total of 6,540 patients with Kawasaki disease were included, and 162 (2.5%) developed medium–giant coronary artery aneurysms, of whom 56 (0.9%) were giant. Univariate analysis showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups in 22 variables (P< 0.05). The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression analysis revealed that intravenous immunoglobulin resistance, haemoglobin, platelet count, and albumin were the most significant risk factors for medium–giant coronary artery aneurysms. The result of binary logistic regression analysis showed that intravenous immunoglobulin resistance (OR = 6.474, 95%CI = 4.399 ∼ 9.528, P< 0.001), platelet count elevation (OR = 1.003, 95%CI = 1.002 ∼ 1.004, P< 0.001), and albumin reduction (OR = 0.912, 95%CI = 0.879 ∼ 0.946, P< 0.001) were independent risk factors affecting the occurrence of medium–giant coronary artery aneurysms, and the area under the curve of the regression model was 0.75, with a sensitivity of 62.3% and a specificity of 79.2%.

Intravenous immunoglobulin resistance, platelet counts elevation, and albumin levels reduction may be significant predictors of medium–giant coronary artery aneurysms and can serve as a reference for early diagnosis of medium–giant coronary artery aneurysms.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) may coexist in children and adolescents and present with several overlapping features.

We aimed to assess the prevalence of ASD traits and diagnosis in children and adolescents with OCD, explore the correlation between OCD severity and ASD traits/diagnosis, and examine the impact of ASD traits/diagnosis on global functioning in this population.

Electronic searches were carried out on Pubmed, Embase and PsycINFO, using selected keywords and specified inclusion and exclusion criteria. Meta-analysis was performed with R Version 4.3.1.

Of 1410 studies initially identified, 29 reported on the prevalence of ASD traits or diagnosis. Pooled mean prevalence rate was 8.0% (95% CI 5.0–13%). ASD questionnaire scores were higher in OCD versus control groups (standardised mean difference: 1.23; 95% CI 0.76–1.69). There was limited significant correlation between ASD questionnaire scores and OCD questionnaire scores, and no significant differences in these scores were demonstrated between OCD samples and samples diagnosed with comorbid OCD and ASD (mean difference −0.41; 95% CI −1.23 to 0.40). Functional impairment appeared elevated with ASD traits/diagnosis in OCD, but meta-analysis feasibility was limited.

This review indicates higher ASD traits and diagnosis in children and adolescents with OCD compared with the general population. Limited data and methodological constraints in trials limit generalisability, warranting further research.

The Dutch Children’s Food Literacy Questionnaire (DCFLQ) was developed and validated to assess food literacy among children aged 8–12 years. The DCFLQ is structured around farm-to-fork principles, including questions on food production, distribution, consumption, waste, and sustainability.

After initial item pool creation, the DCFLQ was developed in collaboration with experts and children. The validation process included assessments of reliability and construct validity, as well as a test–retest evaluation in a subgroup of children.

The expert panel consisted of domain-related researchers, a pedagogue, a paediatrician, dietitians and a primary school teacher. Children were recruited via primary schools and a sports club.

A total of eleven experts and twenty-seven children participated in the development process; 608 children participated in the validation process.

The final questionnaire comprised twenty-nine questions and demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0·80) and test–retest reliability (ICC = 0·81). DCFLQ scores positively correlated with age, indicating that food literacy is higher in older children.

The DCFLQ is a valuable tool for assessing the effectiveness of nutrition intervention programmes and monitoring Dutch children’s food literacy over time. International expert consensus on developing food literacy instruments is needed, as diversity in assessment tools impedes cross-cultural comparisons.

This study assessed iron-rich food consumption and its associated factors among children aged 6–23 months in South and Southeast Asia.

A cross-sectional study from the Standard Demographic and Health Survey (2015–2022).

South and Southeast Asian countries.

Data collected from 95 515 children aged 6–23 months, including information from their parents or caregivers.

The overall proportion of children, aged 6–23 months, consuming iron-rich foods in the region was 29·87 % (95 % CI: 29·58, 30·16). Higher odds of iron-rich food consumption were observed among children aged 12–23 months (adjusted OR (AOR) = 3·59; 95 % CI: 3·45, 3·76), had history of exclusive breast-feeding (AOR = 1·17; 95 % CI: 1·12, 1·23), born to teenage motherhood (AOR = 1·09; 95 % CI: 1·02, 1·17), born in health institution (AOR = 1·10; 95 % CI: 1·02, 1·19) and had pregnant mother at the time of the survey (AOR = 1·60; 95 % CI: 1·50, 1·72). Children of birth order 2–4 (AOR = 1·26; 95 % CI: 1·20, 1·32) and 5+ (AOR = 1·29; 95 % CI: 1·18, 1·43), from female-headed households (AOR = 1·06; 95 % CI: 1·01, 1·12) and those with household mass media exposure (AOR = 1·27; 95 % CI: 1·19, 1·36) also had significantly higher odds of iron-rich food consumption. Additionally, higher odds ratio (OR) (AOR > 1) of iron-rich food consumption were observed in Cambodia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, Maldives, Philippines, Pakistan and Timor-Leste.

Across countries, only about 30 % of children consumed iron-rich foods, with significant variation. Targeted public health efforts are essential to address maternal, child and household factors that influence intake.