scholarly journals Effect of iron supplementation during pregnancy on the behaviour of children at early school age: long-term follow-up of a randomised controlled trial

2008 ◽  
Vol 99 (5) ◽  
pp. 1133-1139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie G. Parsons ◽  
Shao J. Zhou ◽  
Nicola J. Spurrier ◽  
Maria Makrides

Although routine Fe supplementation in pregnancy is a common practice, its clinical benefits or risks are uncertain. Children born to mothers in the Fe group in a trial of Fe supplementation in pregnancy have been found to have a significantly higher risk of abnormal behaviour at 4 years of age than those born to mothers in the placebo group. The objective of the present study therefore was to determine whether Fe supplementation in pregnancy influences child behaviour at early school age. The study was a follow-up of children at 6–8 years of age after women (n 430) were randomly allocated to receive a daily Fe supplement (20 mg) or placebo from 20 weeks gestation until delivery. The supplement reduced the incidence of Fe-deficiency anaemia at delivery from 9 % to 1 %. Child behaviour and temperament were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Short Temperament Scale for Children. Of the children, 264 (61 %) participated in the follow-up. Mean behaviour and temperament scores and the proportion of parent-rated and teacher-rated abnormal total difficulties scores did not differ between the Fe and placebo groups. However, the incidence of children with an abnormal teacher-rated peer problems subscale score was higher in the Fe group (eleven of 112 subjects; 8 %) than in the placebo group (three of 113 subjects; 2 %); the relative risk was 3·70 (95 % CI 1·06, 12·91; P = 0·026). We conclude that prenatal Fe supplementation had no consistent effect on child behaviour at early school age in this study population. Further investigation regarding the long-term effects of this common practice is warranted.

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Amalia Londono Tobon ◽  
Eileen Condon ◽  
Lois S. Sadler ◽  
Margaret L. Holland ◽  
Linda C. Mayes ◽  
...  

Abstract Multiple interventions have been developed to improve the caregiver–child relationship as a buffer to the effects of early life adversity and toxic stress. However, relatively few studies have evaluated the long-term effects of these early childhood interventions, particularly on parenting and childhood behaviors. Here we describe the early school-age follow-up results of a randomized controlled trial of Minding the Baby ® (MTB), a reflective, attachment-based, trauma-informed, preventive home-visiting intervention for first-time mothers and their infants. Results indicate that mothers who participated in MTB are less likely to show impaired mentalizing compared to control mothers two to eight years after the intervention ended. Additionally, MTB mothers have lower levels of hostile and coercive parenting, and their children have lower total and externalizing problem behavior scores when compared to controls at follow-up. We discuss our findings in terms of their contribution to understanding the long-term parenting and childhood socio-emotional developmental effects of early preventive interventions for stressed populations.


Author(s):  
Mikael Sonesson ◽  
Anna Brechter ◽  
Rolf Lindman ◽  
Salem Abdulraheem ◽  
Svante Twetman

Summary Background Topical fluorides are commonly recommended to prevent the development of white spot lesion (WSL) during treatment with fixed orthodontic appliances (FOAs), but the certainty of evidence is low, and long-term effects of fluoride preventive methods to reduce lesions seem to be rare. Objective To evaluate the long-term effectiveness of professional applications of a fluoride varnish containing 1.5% ammonium fluoride in preventing WSL development in adolescents undergoing multi-bracket orthodontic treatment. Subjects and methods We performed a randomized controlled trial in which 166 healthy adolescents (12–18 years) from three different clinics were enrolled and randomly allocated to a test or a placebo group. The randomization was performed by a computer program, generating sequence numbers in blocks of 15. The fluoride varnish or the non-fluoride placebo varnish was applied in a thin layer around the bracket base every sixth week during the course of the orthodontic treatment (mean duration 1.7 years). We scored the prevalence of WSL on the labial surfaces of the maxillary incisors, canines and premolars immediately after debonding (baseline) and approximately 1 year after debonding, from digital photos with aid of a four-step score. The examiners were not involved in the treatment of the patients and blinded for the group assignment. Results One hundred and forty-eight patients were available at debonding and 142 of them could be re-examined after 1 year (71 in the test and 71 in the placebo group). The 1-year attrition rate was 4.0%. On patient level, the prevalence of post-orthodontic WSLs (score ≥ 2) dropped by over 50% during the follow-up with no significant difference between the groups. On surface level, there were significantly fewer remaining WSLs in the test group compared with the placebo group (4.5% versus 10.4%; relative risk 0.44, 95% confidence interval 0.28–0.68). Limitations The compliance with fluoride toothpaste was not checked, and the patients’ general dentists may have instigated additional risk-based preventive measures. No cost–benefit analysis was carried out. Conclusions This follow-up study displayed a small beneficial long-term effect of fluoride varnish in reducing WSL development during treatment with FOA. Registration NCT03725020. Protocol The protocol was not published before trial commencement.


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