OBJECTIVE Obesity is a growing epidemic and public health problem in children. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of body mass index (BMI) on the gross motor development. MATERIALS & METHODS In this cross-sectional study conducted in 2012-13 in Gorgan, northern Iran, the gross motor development of 90 children 3-5 yr old in three groups of lean, normal and obese/overweight w...

BACKGROUND Vitamin-D deficiency has been linked with impaired development in animal studies; however, the evidence from human studies is scanty. Evidence as to whether vitamin-D deficiency during early childhood affects growth is also limited and conflicting. We examined the extent to which vitamin-D deficiency (<10 ng/ml) is associated with neurodevelopment and physical growth in young childre...

AIM To describe the characteristics, developmental status and severity of head shape deformation in infants presenting to a plagiocephaly clinic. METHODS Head shape was measured and neck function assessed in 287 consecutive infants presenting to a plagiocephaly outpatient clinic. Information was obtained on demographic and obstetric factors, plagiocephaly history and current positioning strat...

AIM In 2005, we changed our minimally invasive departmental policy for infants born before 26 weeks of gestation to a proactive approach. This included structured guidelines as well as intubation and surfactant in the delivery room, if the parents agreed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of this change of policy. METHOD We compared the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) score...

AIM The aim of this study was to establish the construct validity of the Focus on the Outcomes of Communication Under Six (FOCUS(©) ),a tool designed to measure changes in communication skills in preschool children. METHOD Participating families' children (n=97; 68 males, 29 females; mean age 2y 8mo; SD 1.04y, range 10mo-4y 11mo) were recruited through eight Canadian organizations. The childr...

This study investigated the features of developmental difficulties combined with sensory defects in children with congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). Following a large rubella outbreak in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, in 2011, we enrolled 41 children with CRS from September 2011 through May 2013. Fourteen participants died and six became untraceable by October 2013; the remaining 21 children were...

BACKGROUND There is a growing global acknowledgement that improving child survival rates is no longer sufficient. Emphasis is shifting to the improvement of health and developmental trajectories in early childhood. Screening and measurement of these trajectories in low and middle income countries is difficult, however, as they currently rely on developmental tests standardised among populations...

While studies have shown the disastrous effects of post-partum depression (PPD) on children's behaviors, there is relatively lack of reliable data in Asian countries. This study examined the relative significance of maternal PPD in children's developmental disabilities at age four. In a longitudinal study design (2009), 1801 pregnant women attending in primary health centers of Mazandaran provi...