Dataset Information

Is early childhood development impeded by the birth timing of the younger sibling?

ABSTRACT:

Background

This study investigated whether the timing of birth of the younger siblings was associated with the risk of the older siblings' developmental vulnerability in early childhood.

Methods

Linkage of population-level birth registration, hospital, and perinatal datasets to Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) records (2009-2015), enabled follow-up of a cohort of 32,324 Western Australia born singletons. Children with scores <10th percentile on an individual AEDC domain (Physical Health and Wellbeing; Social Competence; Emotional Maturity; Language and Cognitive Skills (school-based); and Communication Skills and General Knowledge) were classified as developmentally vulnerable. Modified Poisson Regression was used to estimate relative risks (RR) for associations between post-birth interpregnancy intervals (IPIs) and developmental vulnerability.

Results

Relative to post-birth IPIs of 18-23 months, post-birth IPIs of <6 and 6-11 months were associated with an increased risk of children being classified as DV1 (aRR 1.21, 95% CI: 1.11-1.31) and DV2 (aRR 1.31, 95% CI: 1.15-1.49); and DV1 (aRR 1.10, 95% CI: 1.03-1.17) and DV2 (aRR 1.21, 95% CI: 1.09-1.34), respectively. Post-birth IPIs of <6 months were associated with an increased risk on four of the five AEDC domains. Post-birth IPIs of 48-60 months were associated with an increased risk of developmental vulnerability; however, the risk was statistically significant for DV1, DV2 and the domains of Emotional Maturity and Language and Cognitive Skills (school-based).

Conclusions

Developmental vulnerability was associated with having a closely spaced younger sibling (<12 months post-birth IPIs). Optimising birth spacing should be further investigated as a potential means for improving child development outcomes.

SUBMITTER: Dhamrait G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9089893 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Is early childhood development impeded by the birth timing of the younger sibling?

Dhamrait Gursimran G O'Donnell Melissa M Christian Hayley H Pereira Gavin G

PloS one 20220510 5

<h4>Background</h4>This study investigated whether the timing of birth of the younger siblings was associated with the risk of the older siblings' developmental vulnerability in early childhood.<h4>Methods</h4>Linkage of population-level birth registration, hospital, and perinatal datasets to Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) records (2009-2015), enabled follow-up of a cohort of 32,324 Western Australia born singletons. Children with scores <10th percentile on an individual AEDC domain ...[more]

PMID: 35536788

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Project description:RationaleThe prevalence of childhood asthma has been increasing worldwide in parallel with childhood obesity.ObjectivesWe investigated whether there is a temporal relationship between early life weight gain (reflecting growth velocity) and early life body mass index (BMI) attained status (reflecting accumulative weight) with future risk of asthma in the Boston Birth Cohort.MethodsThis report includes 1,928 children from the Boston Birth Cohort with a mean age of 7.8 years (standard deviation, 3.3 yr), enrolled at birth and followed prospectively. Asthma was defined using physician diagnosis code (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code 493.xx) in children 2 years and older. We categorized the children by their weight gain trajectory on the basis of changes in z-scores: slow (less than -0.67), on track (-0.67 to 0.67), rapid (0.67-1.28), and extremely rapid (>1.28); and by their BMI attained status (underweight, normal weight, and overweight) during the first 4, 12, and 24 months. Poisson regression models with robust variance estimation were applied to examine the relationship between early life weight gain/attained BMI and asthma.ResultsDuring the first 4 months of life, 37% had on-track weight grain, 22% had slow weight gain, 15% had rapid weight gain, and 26% had extremely rapid weight gain. At 4 months, 61% were normal weight, 7% were underweight, and 32% were overweight. In adjusted analyses, extremely rapid early life weight gain during the first 4 and 24 months of life were each associated with increased risks of asthma (risk ratio, 1.34 for extremely rapid weight gain at 4 months; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-1.70; risk ratio, 1.32 for extremely rapid weight gain at 24 months; 95% CI, 1.00-1.75) Similarly, overweight at 4, 12, and 24 months were each associated with an increased risk of asthma. Analyses that further adjusted for birthweight or preterm birth showed similar findings.ConclusionsIn this predominantly urban U.S. low-income minority birth cohort, excessive early life weight gain and overweight status were both associated with an increased risk of asthma in childhood.

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Dataset Information

Is early childhood development impeded by the birth timing of the younger sibling?

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Is early childhood development impeded by the birth timing of the younger sibling?

Similar Datasets

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