Paediatric Hub - News and Research Archive

6th March 2023

The CO-CREATE project main aim is to decrease overweight and obesity among adolescents in Europe by using policies to increase healthier food and physical activity environments.

The CO-CREATE project aims to achieve this by: (1) developing methods for monitoring, benchmarking, and evaluating appropriate policies and (2) working with adolescents throughout Europe to develop policies that will assist in the prevention of overweight and obesity and also decrease inequalities in overweight and obesity.

27th February 2023

Weight perception is how a person perceives their weight or body size. This may or may not be different to their actual body weight or size. 

This study examined how adolescents perceive their weight. It also looked at whether their perceptions of their weight change during adolescence. It then examined if changes in weight perceptions have an association with disordered eating from late adolescence to young adulthood.

The aim of the study was to examine the experiences and perceptions of mothers who continued to breastfeed or provide breastmilk to their sick child in the  the paediatric ward or PICU (Paediatric Intensive Care Unit) of hospitals. The challenges of breastfeeding sick children in hospital are at present not considered clinical guidelines and policy.

20th February 2023

The aim of this review is to summarize the scientific literature on whole-of-population actions aimed at children that were designed/adapted to be of double or triple duty. 

20th February 2023

An investigation by The BMJ has shown that the Beano’s website, aimed at 6 to 12 year olds, displays fast food, soft drinks and ultra-processed food products from well known brands.

Forty seven million and nine hundred thousand children have visited beano.com since its launch in 2016. The website has included frequent references to high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) brands, states Mark Petticrew and Claire Mulrenan at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Harry Wallop, freelance journalist. 

In a phenylalanine restricted diet in infants, phenylalanine-free infant formula is a vital source of safe protein. However, its efficacy is seldom studied.

Researchers examined the growth, metabolic control, tolerability and acceptability of a phenylalanine-free, amino acid based infant formula for phenylketonuria (PKU). The formula was PKU Start: Vitafo International Ltd. The researchers used a multicentre, open, longitudinal, prospective intervention study. 

The aim of the study was to establish the optimum target populations and time of introduction of peanut products for the prevention of peanut allergies in the general population.

Peanut allergy was determined by skin prick test result or blinded peanut challenge.

It was found that targeting infants with the highest risk, with severe eczema, decreased peanut allergy by only 4.6%. There were greatest reductions in peanut allergy when the intervention was aimed only at the larger, lower-risk groups.

In NHD Dec/Jan 2023 digital magazine, Aliya Porter, RNutr (Public Health) has written an evidence-based article on Childhood Obesity: Everyone's Responsibility.

In this article – Aliya discusses how the number of children living with obesity in England is increasing (NCMP 2020/21 data).

Aliya examines government strategies in relation to children living with overweight/obesity, which have been failing. 

Aliya stresses the important role nutritional professionals have in supporting children in both the prevention and management of overweight and obesity.

Classical galactosaemia (CG) is a disorder caused by an inborn error in galactose metabolism. It is managed by life-long dietary restriction of lactose and galactose.

The aim of the study was to examine iodine intake in infants and children in the Republic of Ireland with CG and to examine the risk of insufficient intake of iodine. 

There were differences found between age groups for meeting dietary iodine recommendations. Infants on infant formula were likely to meet dietary iodine recommendations. However, over half of children aged 1–18 years had average iodine intakes below the iodine recommendations for their age. 

In NHD current online digital magazine, Farihah Choudhury, ANutr has written an evidence-based article on Nutrition in Schools.

Farihah is a Senior Public Health Nutritionist with Hampshire County Council Public Health.

In this article – Farihah discusses nutrition in the curriculum and how the teaching of nutrition has changed over the years.

Farihah also discusses school meals and the eligibility criteria for free school meals which is a very important topic with the current cost of living crisis.

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis were to examine the  relationship between dietary intake, nutritional status, symptoms of arthritis, disease activity and quality of life in children and young people with JIA, using the evidence. 

There was some evidence found of lower height and weight in studies of JIA.  However, an association between diet, symptoms and quality of life with JIA could not be confirmed. 

The position statement is based on evidence from systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials on the treatment of child and adolescent overweight and obesity, and also evidence from other peer-reviewed literature.

The evidence collated in this position statement has confirmed that dietary interventions can improve outcomes for children and adolescents with overweight and obesity. 

This study examined the nutritional status of critically ill paediatric patients with complex chronic conditions. It also evaluated the relationship between nutritional status and clinical outcomes.

Complex chronic conditions were found in 49.8% of the sample. It was found among children with complex chronic conditions - that 19.8% were underweight,  61.7% had appropriate weight and 18.4% were overweight.

H/A was not adequate in 32.2% of patients with complex chronic conditions. Underweight was independently associated with prolonged length of stay in children with complex chronic conditions in PICU.

The aim of this scoping review was to examine the effect of AHPs in preventing obesity in young children (mean age of children in studies under five years old).

It was found that AHP related interventions did show improvements in outcomes such as nutritional behaviour i.e. reduced intake of sweetened drinks and some decreases in screen time. However changes in body mass index (BMI) z score as a result of AHP interventions, were not consistent.

A chance to influence future research into the most premature babies

The National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit Clinical Trials Unit and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute have set up a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership (JLA PSP).

The aim of this collaboration is to survey a range of people for their views on research uncertainties in relation to the most premature babies i.e. babies born before 25 weeks of gestation. 

The initial survey closes at the end of January 2023.