Ability‐grouping and problem behavior trajectories in childhood and adolescence: Results from a U.K. population‐based sample

Abstract Background Little is known about the progression of obesity from childhood to adolescence. This study aimed to longitudinally examine the obesity status in a cohort of children across their childhood and adolescence, and to identify the factors associated with persistent obesity. Methods The study used data from School Physical Fitness Award Scheme (SPFAS), a population-based programme in Hong Kong primary and secondary schools. Students were included if they participated in the SPFAS in both 2014 (Primary 1 and 2) and 2018 (Primary 5 and 6). Their anthropometric and physical fitness parameters were analyzed. Results A total of 18,863 students were included. The baseline prevalence of obesity was 5.7 %. After 4 years, the prevalence increased to 6.7 %. Among those with obesity at baseline, 35.3 % remained obese after 4 years. The addition of baseline physical fitness level did not improve the prediction for persistent obesity. Conclusions One-third of obese students in junior primary school remained to be obese into adolescence. Their baseline physical fitness level did not improve the predictive value for future obesity. Further studies should investigate the prognostic factors that may influence the natural course of childhood obesity.

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National record-linkage study of hospital admissions for schizophrenia in childhood and adolescence in England

European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry ◽

10.1007/s00787-021-01817-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Olena Seminog ◽

Uy Hoang ◽

Michael Goldacre ◽

Anthony James

Keyword(s):

Hospital Admissions ◽

Population Based ◽

Linkage Study ◽

Incidence Rates ◽

Childhood And Adolescence ◽

Childhood Onset ◽

Affective Psychosis ◽

Health Service Provision ◽

Childhood Onset Schizophrenia ◽

Icd 10

Abstract Background There is a lack of information on changes in hospital admission rates for childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS), or on patient characteristics, to inform clinical research and health service provision. Aims To report age- and sex-specific incidence rates of hospital admissions and day patient care for schizophrenia (ICD-10 F20) and non-affective psychosis (ICD-10 F20-29), by year of occurrence and age, in childhood and adolescence. Methods Population-based study using person-linked data for England (available 2001–2016); time-periods in single years and 4-year groups. Results Hospitalised incidence for schizophrenia increased with increasing age, from 0.03 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.02–0.05) and 0.01 (0–0.01) per 100,000 in, respectively, males and females aged 5–12 years, to 3.67 (3.44–3.91) in males and 1.58 (1.43–1.75) in females aged 13–17 years. There was no gender difference in hospitalised incidence rates in children aged 5–12, but in 13–17 years old, there was a male excess. Rates for schizophrenia were stable over time in 5–12 years old. In ages 13–17, rates for schizophrenia decreased between 2001–2004 and 2013–2016 in males, from 6.65 (6.04–7.31) down to 1.40 (1.13–1.73), and in females from 2.42 (2.05–2.83) to 1.18 (0.92–1.48). The hospitalisation rates for schizophrenia and non-affective psychosis, combined, in 13–17 years old decreased in males from 14.20 (13.30–15.14) in 2001–2004 to 10.77 (9.97–11.60) in 2013–2016, but increased in females from 7.49 (6.83–8.20) to 10.16 (9.38–11.00). Conclusions The study confirms that childhood-onset schizophrenia is extremely rare, with only 32 cases identified over a 15-year period in the whole of England. The incidence of schizophrenia and non-affective psychosis increased substantially in adolescence; however, the marked reduction in the proportion of those diagnosed with schizophrenia in this age group suggests a possible change in diagnostic practice.

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Excess mortality in Type 1 diabetes diagnosed in childhood and adolescence: a systematic review of population-based cohorts

Acta Diabetologica ◽

10.1007/s00592-014-0702-z ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 52 (4) ◽

pp. 801-807 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Eileen Morgan ◽

Christopher R. Cardwell ◽

Catherine J. Black ◽

David R. McCance ◽

Christopher C. Patterson

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Type 1 Diabetes ◽

Excess Mortality ◽

Population Based ◽

Childhood And Adolescence

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Adolescent religiousness and its influence on substance use: preliminary findings from the Mid-Atlantic School Age Twin Study

Twin Research ◽

10.1375/twin.2.2.156 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 156-168 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Brian M D'Onofrio ◽

Lenn Murrelle ◽

Lindon J Eaves ◽

Michael E McCullough ◽

Jessica L Landis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

Drug Use ◽

Problem Behavior ◽

Twin Study ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Population Based ◽

Spiritual Practices ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

School Age ◽

Attitudes And Practices

AbstractResearch has consistently shown that religiousness is associated with lower levels of alcohol and drug use, but little is known about the nature of adolescent religiousness or the mechanisms through which it influences problem behavior in this age group. This paper presents preliminary results from the Mid-Atlantic School Age Twin Study, a prospective, population-based study of 6–18-year-old twins and their mothers. Factor analysis of a scale developed to characterize adolescent religiousness, the Religious Attitudes and Practices Inventory (RAPI), revealed three factors: theism, religious/spiritual practices, and peer religiousness. Twin correlations and univariate behavior-genetic models for these factors and a measure of belief that drug use is sinful reveal in 357 twin pairs that common environmental factors significantly influence these traits, but a minor influence of genetic factors could not be discounted. Correlations between the multiple factors of adolescent religiousness and substance use, comorbid problem behavior, mood disorders, and selected risk factors for substance involvement are also presented. Structural equation modeling illustrates that specific religious beliefs about the sinfulness of drugs and level of peer religiousness mediate the relationship between theistic beliefs and religious/spiritual practices on substance use. Limitations and future analyses are discussed.

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Multiple developmental pathways underlying conduct problems: A multitrajectory framework

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579420001650 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Jules R. Dugré ◽

Stéphane Potvin

Keyword(s):

Conduct Disorder ◽

Conduct Problems ◽

Latent Class ◽

Population Based ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Behavioral Approach ◽

Parameter Estimates ◽

Childhood And Adolescence ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Psychological Features

Abstract In the past decades, there has been an overemphasis of a descriptive/behavioral approach to study conduct disorder. In an equifinal perspective, we aimed to examine the developmental multitrajectory groups of psychological features (irritability, interpersonal callousness, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and depressive–anxiety symptoms) and their associations with conduct problems. In a population-based cohort (n = 1,309 participants followed from 5 months to 17 years old), latent-class growth analysis was performed for each psychological feature to identify a two-trajectory model (from ages 6 to 12 years). Based on parameter estimates of the two-trajectory models for each of the four psychological features, a parallel process growth mixture model identified eight significant developmental patterns that were subsequently compared with typically developing children. Furthermore, we observed that while interpersonal callousness conferred an increased risk for childhood and adolescence conduct problems, its co-occurrence with hyperactivity/impulsivity, irritability, and/or depressive–anxiety symptoms heightened the general risk, but also predicted distinct subtypes of conduct problems (i.e., aggressive and rule-breaking behaviors). Thus, by studying complex developmental combinations of psychological features, we observed qualitatively distinct pathways towards conduct problems. A multitrajectory framework of psychological features should be considered as a significant step towards unveiling the multiple etiological pathways leading to conduct disorder and its substantial clinical heterogeneity.

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Exposure to air pollution and development of asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis throughout childhood and adolescence: a population-based birth cohort study

The Lancet Respiratory Medicine ◽

10.1016/s2213-2600(15)00426-9 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 3 (12) ◽

pp. 933-942 ◽

Cited By ~ 99

Author(s):

Ulrike Gehring ◽

Alet H Wijga ◽

Gerard Hoek ◽

Tom Bellander ◽

Dietrich Berdel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Population Based ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

Childhood And Adolescence

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Clinicopathological significance of psychotic experiences in non-psychotic young people: evidence from four population-based studies

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.bp.111.101543 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 201 (1) ◽

pp. 26-32 ◽

Cited By ~ 255

Author(s):

I. Kelleher ◽

H. Keeley ◽

P. Corcoran ◽

F. Lynch ◽

C. Fitzpatrick ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychotic Disorder ◽

Early Adolescence ◽

Longitudinal Research ◽

Age Groups ◽

Population Based ◽

Diagnostic Interview ◽

Psychotic Symptoms ◽

Childhood And Adolescence ◽

Wide Range ◽

Clinicopathological Significance

BackgroundEpidemiological research has shown that hallucinations and delusions, the classic symptoms of psychosis, are far more prevalent in the population than actual psychotic disorder. These symptoms are especially prevalent in childhood and adolescence. Longitudinal research has demonstrated that psychotic symptoms in adolescence increase the risk of psychotic disorder in adulthood. There has been a lack of research, however, on the immediate clinicopathological significance of psychotic symptoms in adolescence.AimsTo investigate the relationship between psychotic symptoms and non-psychotic psychopathology in community samples of adolescents in terms of prevalence, co-occurring disorders, comorbid (multiple) psychopathology and variation across early v. middle adolescence.MethodData from four population studies were used: two early adolescence studies (ages 11–13 years) and two mid-adolescence studies (ages 13–16 years). Studies 1 and 2 involved school-based surveys of 2243 children aged 11–16 years for psychotic symptoms and for emotional and behavioural symptoms of psychopathology. Studies 3 and 4 involved in-depth diagnostic interview assessments of psychotic symptoms and lifetime psychiatric disorders in community samples of 423 children aged 11–15 years.ResultsYounger adolescents had a higher prevalence (21–23%) of psychotic symptoms than older adolescents (7%). In both age groups the majority of adolescents who reported psychotic symptoms had at least one diagnosable non-psychotic psychiatric disorder, although associations with psychopathology increased with age: nearly 80% of the mid-adolescence sample who reported psychotic symptoms had at least one diagnosis, compared with 57% of the early adolescence sample. Adolescents who reported psychotic symptoms were at particularly high risk of having multiple co-occurring diagnoses.ConclusionsPsychotic symptoms are important risk markers for a wide range of non-psychotic psychopathological disorders, in particular for severe psychopathology characterised by multiple co-occurring diagnoses. These symptoms should be carefully assessed in all patients.

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Patterns and determinants of exhaled nitric oxide trajectories in schoolchildren over a 7-year period

European Respiratory Journal ◽

10.1183/13993003.00011-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 56 (1) ◽

pp. 2000011

Author(s):

Erika Garcia ◽

Yue Zhang ◽

Edward B. Rappaport ◽

Kiros Berhane ◽

Patrick Muchmore ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitric Oxide ◽

Clinical Care ◽

Somatic Growth ◽

Allergic Airway Inflammation ◽

Population Based ◽

Exhaled Nitric Oxide ◽

Childhood And Adolescence ◽

Additive Mixed Models ◽

Healthy Participants ◽

Hispanic White

Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO50), a marker of allergic airway inflammation, is used in respiratory research and asthma clinical care; however, its trajectory with increasing age during childhood has not been well characterised. We examined FENO50 longitudinally during a period of important somatic growth to describe trajectories across childhood and adolescence in healthy participants and evaluate clinical factors as potential determinants of trajectories.FENO50 was collected at six visits over 8 years in a population-based cohort of 1791 schoolchildren without asthma (median age at entry 8.4 years). Smooth sex-specific FENO50 trajectories were estimated using generalised additive mixed models, with participant-level random effects. We evaluated whether sex-specific trajectories were influenced by race/ethnicity, body mass index (BMI) percentile, allergic rhinitis or puberty.Different FENO50 patterns were observed by sex in later childhood and several factors were associated with either FENO50 level or change in FENO50 as participants aged. FENO50–age trajectories were similar by sex until age ∼11.5 years, after which males had greater FENO50 change than females. This divergence in FENO50–age trajectories coincides with puberty. Males with higher starting BMI percentile had attenuated FENO50–age slopes. Among males, FENO50 levels were lower in non-Hispanic white subjects. Among both sexes, participants with rhinitis had higher FENO50. FENO50 levels within individuals tracked over time; however, there was considerable variation in FENO50 patterns across participants.FENO50 trajectories from longitudinal data provide evidence of sex differences coinciding with puberty, suggesting potential hormone link. Improved understanding of determinants of FENO50 trajectories is needed to realise the potential for using individualised predicted FENO50 trajectories.

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ALT Trends Through Childhood and Adolescence and Association with Hepatic Steatosis at 24 Years

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzaa063_084 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 1686-1686

Author(s):

Ahlia Sekkarie ◽

Janet Figueroa ◽

Kate Northstone ◽

Jean Welsh ◽

Miriam Vos

Keyword(s):

Hepatic Steatosis ◽

Population Based ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

Childhood And Adolescence ◽

Chi Square ◽

Alcoholic Fatty Liver ◽

Funding Sources ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Uk ◽

University Of Bristol

Abstract Objectives Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome and is characterized by elevated levels of fat in the liver. NAFLD can begin in childhood, although the origins of the disease are not well characterized. Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is often used to screen for NAFLD. Our objectives are to 1) examine whether elevated ALT at 24 y is associated with hepatic steatosis and 2) describe whether ALT trends from 9 to 24 y differ by hepatic steatosis grade at 24 y. Methods We used data from a UK population-based birth cohort study (ALSPAC). Patients with 2 to 4 ALT measurements (at 9, 15, 17, 24 y) were included; pregnant women and high alcohol consumers were excluded. To assess hepatic steatosis, controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) scores from Fibroscan were measured at 24 y. We categorized CAP scores into steatosis grades [none (S0: < 248 dB/m), mild/moderate (S1-S2: 248–279 dB/m), and severe (S3: >279 dB/m)]. We used a Pearson's chi-square test to determine whether elevated ALT at 24 y (>19 U/L in women, >30 U/L in men) was associated with steatosis grade. We used sex-stratified linear mixed models to assess trend differences of log-transformed ALT levels from 9 to 24 y between the different steatosis grades at 24 y. Results The final sample size was 1156 (41.4% male). At 24 y, among those with elevated ALT, 17.5% had severe steatosis (S3), while among those with normal ALT only 4.8% had S3 (P < 0.001). In both sexes, there was a more rapid increase in ALT from 9 to 24 y in those with S3 vs S0 at 24 y (P < 0.001). In boys and girls at 9 y, there was no significant difference between ALT values for those with subsequent S3 v S0. In boys at 15 y, ALT was mean (95% CI) 19.1 U/L (17.4–20.9) for S3 vs 15.5 U/L (15.0–16.1) for S0; at 17 y, ALT was 25.4 U/L (23.3–27.8) for S3 vs 18.1 U/L (17.5–18.7) for S0; at 24 y, ALT was 45.2 U/L (40.6–50.4) at S3 vs 24.5(23.5–25.6) at S0 (P < 0.001 for all differences). In girls there were smaller but still significant differences in ALT values between those with S3 and S0 at 15, 17, and 24 y. Conclusions Higher ALT levels from childhood to adolescence were associated with severe hepatic steatosis at 24 years. Diverging ALT trends prior to NAFLD diagnosis may allow for the identification and prevention of NAFLD. Funding Sources The UK Medical Research Council and Wellcome and the University of Bristol Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

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