Article Text
Abstract
Purpose Childcare has been associated with obesity in children in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, although some observed no association. Few studies have focused on care during infancy, a period when children may be especially vulnerable.
Participants The Nurture Study is an observational birth cohort designed to assess longitudinal associations of childcare and the presence of multiple caregivers on infant adiposity and weight trajectories throughout the first year of life. We examine as potential mediators feeding, physical activity, sleep and stress. We completed recruitment in 2015. Of the 860 women who enrolled during pregnancy, 799 delivered a single live infant who met our inclusion criteria. Of those, 666 mothers (77.4%) agreed to participate in the study for themselves and their infants.
Findings to date Among the 666 women in the study, 472 (71%) identified as black, 127 (19%) as white, 7 (1%) as Asian or Asian American, 6 (1%) as Native American and 49 (7%) as other race or more than one race; 43 (7%) identified as Hispanic/Latina. Just under half (48%) had a high school diploma or less, 61% had household incomes <$20 000/year and 59% were married or living with a partner. The mean (SD) infant gestational age was 41.28 weeks (2.29) and birth weight for gestational age z-score was −0.31 (0.93). Just under half (49%) of infants were females, 69% received some human milk and 40% were exclusively breast fed at hospital discharge. Data collection began in 2013, is currently underway, and is scheduled to conclude in late 2016.
Future plans Results will help assess the magnitude of associations between childcare in infancy and subsequent obesity. Findings will also inform intervention and policy efforts to improve childcare environments and help prevent obesity in settings where many infants spend time.
Trial registration number Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01788644.
- adiposity
- birth cohort
- child care
- obesity
- infancy
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Footnotes
Contributors SEBN conceived of the study and drafted the manuscript. TØ, GGB, RMK and EI contributed to the conception of the research questions and protocol and critically reviewed and provided comments on the manuscript drafts and agreed on the final submitted version. SMC and MS assisted with data collection and preparation of the table, provided comments on the manuscript draft and agreed on the final submitted version. EI drafted the analysis section of the manuscript.
Funding This study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (R01DK094841).
Disclaimer The funders did not play any role in the design or conduct of the study or the interpretation and presentation of results.
Competing interests None declared.
Ethics approval The study was approved by Duke University Medical Center IRB (human subjects committee) (Pro 00036242).
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Data sharing statement The Nurture team will consider requests to use de-identified data for additional analyses related to our research questions of interest and others by outside collaborators with appropriate permissions, agreements between institutions and documentation of ethical approval.