Parents of autistic children report barriers to engaging in physical activity, which may be exacerbated during subsequent pregnancies. We aimed to describe physical activity of parents caring for an autistic child, before and during a subsequent pregnancy, and to explore whether physical activity was associated with the autistic child's Social…

Objectives: Obesity in children with Down syndrome (DS) has negative implications for behavior. The aim was to assess the influence of weight reduction by diet modification with and without physical therapy sessions on adaptive behavior and some biochemical measures in children with DS with obesity. Methods: The study included 100 children with DS…

Mobile phone interventions are evidence-based methods for preventing obesity among Latino adults and school-aged children; however, few such interventions exist to improve the obesogenic behaviors of children in the developmentally critical preschool years (ages 2-5). Focusing on this age group is important since over one-quarter of 2- to…

The COVID-19 outbreak affected the daily lives of individuals with Down syndrome, who were considered to have a higher risk of severe infection. While several studies have reported mental health issues in children and/or parents in the general population, no study has focused on people with Down syndrome and their caregivers. This study…

This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of sleep and eating problems in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the factors associated with these problems, and the relationship with the risk of developing depression and anxiety in their parents. In the study, 156 children with ASD and their parents were included. The Brief Autism Mealtime…

Objective: Despite public health efforts, most children in the USA do not meet nutrition and physical activity guidelines. Moreover, there are nutrition-related health disparities between non-Hispanic and Hispanic communities. Caregivers are critical role models that shape health behaviours in children. To promote healthy behaviours, health…

The purpose of this study was to explore parents' common experiences with healthy eating and physical activity-focused (HE-PA) programming in one Head Start (HS) program (two centers) in eastern North Carolina (NC). Researchers conducted 13 in-depth semi-structured telephone interviews November 2017-May 2018. Participants were parents of preschool…

This research brief draws on data from the 2021-2022 Study of Family and Staff Well-Being in Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey Programs (the 2021-2022 Study) to investigate associations between the well-being of Head Start children and families and factors related to the pandemic. Based on data collected from October 2021 to January…

The impact of COVID-19 stressors on young children and families may differ based on pre-pandemic factors, including family race/ethnicity, financial stability, and pre-existing child developmental or social-emotional difficulties. The authors draw from their work with families with toddlers and preschool-aged children to explore experiences of the…