Robert F. Corwyn

Weight Status in Young Girls and the Onset of Puberty

OBJECTIVE. We sought to examine the association between weight status in early childhood and onset of puberty. PATIENTS AND METHODS. The study included 354 girls from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Girls were followed longitudinally with height and weight measurements at 36 and 54 months and grades 1, 4, 5, and 6 and with assessment of pubertal stage by physical examination and maternal report in grades 4 through 6. The main outcome was the presence of early puberty, indexed as follows: (a) breast development at or more than Tanner stage 2 by physical examination at grade 4; (b) breast development at or more than Tanner stage 3 by physical examination at grade 5; (c) maternal report of breast development at or more than Tanner stage 3 at grade 5; and (d) maternal report of menarche having already occurred (yes versus no) at grade 6. Multiple logistic regression models predicting early versus late puberty were constructed by using the covariate BMI z score at 36 months, rate of change of BMI and accelerated BMI between 36 months and grade 1, race, maternal education, and maternal age of menarche. RESULTS. BMI z score at 36 months, rate of change of BMI between 36 months and grade 1, an earlier age of maternal menarche, and nonwhite race were each consistently and positively associated with an earlier onset of puberty across the various measures of puberty. CONCLUSIONS. Higher BMI z score in girls as young as 36 months of age and higher rate of change of BMI between 36 months old and grade 1, a period well before the onset of puberty, are associated with earlier puberty, which suggests that increasing rates of obesity in the United States may result in an earlier average age of onset of puberty for US girls.

Shorter sleep duration is associated with increased risk for being overweight at ages 9 to 12 years

OBJECTIVE. The potential association between short sleep duration or sleep problems and childhood overweight has not been well described. The objective of this study was to test the independent associations of sleep duration and problems with overweight risk in children. METHODS. Data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development were analyzed. In 3rd and 6th grades, sleep duration and problems were obtained by maternal report, and height and weight were measured, with overweight defined as a BMI of ≥95th percentile for age and gender. Logistic regression evaluated the association of sleep duration and problems with overweight at 6th grade cross-sectionally adjusting for gender, race, and maternal education. Additional covariates tested individually included the level of chaos at home, the quality of the home environment, the lax-parenting subscale score of the Raising Children Checklist, and the Child Behavior Checklist internalizing and externalizing subscale scores. Logistic regression also evaluated the relationship of sleep duration at 3rd grade and overweight at 6th grade, adjusting for gender, race, maternal education, and the childs BMI z score in 3rd grade. RESULTS. Of 785 children, 50% were male, 81% were white, and 18% were overweight in 6th grade. Shorter sleep duration in 6th grade was independently associated with a greater likelihood of overweight in 6th grade. Shorter sleep duration in 3rd grade was also independently associated with overweight in 6th grade, independent of the childs weight status in 3rd grade. Sleep problems were not associated with overweight. CONCLUSION. One preventive approach to overweight may be to ensure adequate sleep in childhood.

Infant temperament, parenting, and externalizing behavior in first grade: A test of the differential susceptibility hypothesis

BACKGROUND This study examines the differential susceptibility hypothesis as it pertains to relations between infant temperament, parenting, and behavior problems in first grade. METHOD Data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care were used in a series of hierarchical regression analyses focused on interactions between three aspects of parenting (harshness, sensitivity, productive activity) and temperament as they affect teacher-reported externalizing behavior in first grade. Step #1 included family income-to-needs, maternal education, gender, life events, and amount of child care as control variables, plus infant temperament and the three parenting variables. Step #2 included a single interaction term, the interaction between one of the key parenting variables and child temperament. RESULTS Results showed stronger relations between maternal sensitivity and behavior problems for children with difficult temperaments. Likewise, relations between opportunities for productivity and behavior problems were stronger for children with difficult temperaments. Trends were in the same direction for harsh parenting but did not quite reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS Having access to experiences that promote coping and build self-regulatory capacities seems particularly valuable for children with difficult temperaments.

Assessment of Sleep Hygiene Using the Sleep Hygiene Index

The Sleep Hygiene Index was developed to assess the practice of sleep hygiene behaviors. The Sleep Hygiene Index was delivered to 632 subjects and a subset of the subjects participated in a readministration of the instrument. Test–retest reliability analyses suggested that sleep hygiene behaviors are relatively stable over time for a nonclinical population. Results confirmed that sleep hygiene is strongly related to sleep quality and modestly related to perceptions of daytime sleepiness. As predicted, support of the sleep hygiene construct was also provided by strong correlations with the associated features of a diagnosis of inadequate sleep hygiene. The Sleep Hygiene Index, a much shorter sleep hygiene instrument than previously published, demonstrated comparable psychometric properties with additional evidence of validity and a clear item selection rationale.

Weight Status as a Predictor of Being Bullied in Third Through Sixth Grades

OBJECTIVES: Childhood obesity and bullying both are pervasive public health problems. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between childhood obesity and being bullied in third, fifth, and sixth grades while testing for potential confounding and moderation. METHODS: A total of 821 children who were participating in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (50% male, 81% white, 17% obese, 15% overweight in third grade) were studied. Generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate the relationship between child weight status and the odds of being bullied as reported by child, mother, and teacher, accounting for repeated measures and adjusting for grade level in school, child gender, child race, family income-to-needs ratio, school racial and socioeconomic composition, and mother- and teacher-reported child social skills and child academic achievement. RESULTS: In sixth grade, 33.9%, 44.5%, and 24.9% of the children were reported to be bullied per teacher-, mother-, and self-report, respectively. There was a significant independent association between being obese and being bullied (odds ratio: 1.63 [95% confidence interval: 1.18–2.25]). The relationship between being obese and being bullied was attenuated but not eliminated by all covariates except gender. The relationship was not moderated by any of the covariates. CONCLUSIONS: Children who are obese are more likely to be bullied, regardless of a number of potential sociodemographic, social, and academic confounders. No protective factors were identified. Effective interventions to reduce bullying of obese children need to be identified.

Caring for children around the world: A view from HOME

This review examines cultural and socioeconomic variations in parenting as represented by the original and adapted versions of the HOME Inventory. There was specific focus on three aspects of the family environment where cultural models of parenting and access to resources are thought to be operative and for which there is evidence of impact on child well-being: parental responsiveness, discipline practices, and exposure to stimulating materials and experiences. Findings revealed meaningful impacts of culture and SES in all three areas. Not only did mean differences emerge across countries but different alliances between indicators, presumably representing the same parenting construct, also emerged. The review also revealed a tendency for researchers to modify the HOME consistent with local beliefs and practices concerning what children need, what families need, and the role of parents in fostering particular aspects of development. Despite differences in cultural models of parenting around the world, the studies showed rather consistent relations between exposure to stimulation and parental responsiveness and childrens adaptive functioning. Associations with physical punishment were somewhat less clear.

Ability to Delay Gratification at Age 4 Years and Risk of Overweight at Age 11 Years

OBJECTIVES To determine if limited ability to delay gratification (ATDG) at age 4 years is independently associated with an increased risk of being overweight at age 11 years and to assess confounding or moderation by child body mass index z score at 4 years, self-reported maternal expectation of child ATDG for food, and maternal weight status. DESIGN Longitudinal prospective study. SETTING Ten US sites. PARTICIPANTS Participants in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Main Exposure Ability to delay gratification at 4 years, measured as pass or fail on a validated task. OUTCOME MEASURES Overweight at 11 years, defined as a body mass index greater than or equal to the 85th percentile based on measured weight and height. RESULTS Of 805 children, 47% failed the ATDG task. Using multiple logistic regression, children who failed the ATDG task were more likely to be overweight at 11 years (relative risk, 1.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.58), independent of income to needs ratio. Body mass index z score at 4 years and maternal expectation of child ATDG for food did not alter the association, but maternal weight status reduced the association significantly. CONCLUSIONS Children with limited ATDG at age 4 years were more likely to be overweight at age 11 years, but the association was at least partially explained by maternal weight status. Further understanding of the association between the childs ATDG and maternal and child weight status may lead to more effective obesity intervention and prevention programs.

Religion and delinquency : The relationship after considering family and peer influences

This study of 724 adolescents from four public high schools indicated that any relationship between religion and delinquency is complex. Indeed, it indicates that the significance of the relationship depends on what measures of religion are used, on whether other important familial and peer influences are considered, and on the form of delinquency analyzed. When only controlling for demographics, while examining measures of church attendance and religiosity, the present study supports the usual conclusion that religion is related to status offenses and not to crime (see reviews, Burkett 1993; Cochran et al. 1994). However, evangelism is not related to either form of delinquency when only considering the effects of demographic variables. On the other hand, when elements of control theory were added to demographic factors with hierarchical regression procedures, church attendance and religiosity ceased to be relevant to status offenses and remained irrelevant to crime, whereas evangelism was related to crime. The implications of those findings for future investigations were discussed.

Recidivism Among Adolescent Serious Offenders Prediction of Entry Into the Correctional System for Adults

This is a 2-year follow-up study of 414 adolescents, age 17 years, to determine what static and dynamic factors predict recidivism or entry into the correctional system for adults. The strongest predictor is prior incarcerations, followed by age persons started committing crime, gang membership, age they started using alcohol/drugs, their MMPIpd scores, and chemical abuse score. The denial and asocial subscales of the Jesness Inventory and all the subscales of the Carlson Psychological Inventory are significantly associated with recidivism. Implications of the study are discussed.

Life at Home: Same Time, Different Places — An Examination of the HOME Inventory in Different Cultures

In this paper we review literature on the use of the HOME Inventory across cultures. We address issues pertaining to measurement equivalence and validity. Specifically, we focus on: (a) changes in the content of HOME made by researchers, (b) distributional properties of HOME scores, (c) the factor structure of HOME, and (d) correlations between HOME, family characteristics, child characteristics and environmental conditions. In most affluent, western countries, with their individualist orientations, HOME was used essentially as it was originally constructed. Researchers in less industrialized, more collectivist countries tended to express greater scepticism about the appropriateness of some HOME items, and several teams of researchers made modifications in the instrument. The HOME total score showed theoretically meaningful (and similar) correlations with family structure, family status and child outcome measures across many cultures. Evidence attesting to the cultural equivalence (and validity) of HOME subscales was far less plentiful and compelling. In general, there seemed greater cross-cultural equivalence for items assessing cognitively stimulating aspects of the environment than for items assessing socioemotional support. The usefulness of the Inventory in other cultures and for cross-cultural comparisons depends on the purposes one has for using a measure of the home environment.