Nutrition in Pediatrics

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 July 2023) | Viewed by 8522

Special Issue Editors

Pediatric Dietetics Laboratory, Department of Pediatrics, Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
Interests: children; nutrition; pediatrics; child obesity; complementary feeding; diet in diseases
Pediatric Dietetics Laboratory, Department of Pediatrics, Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
Interests: gastroenterology; children; nutrition; pediatrics; child obesity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is a great honor to serve as Guest Editors for this Special Issue of Children, entitled “Nutrition in Pediatrics”.

The adequate nutrition of children in their first year of life is crucial to their healthy growth and development. Metabolic programming via a proper diet is one of the methods used to prevent the development of diseases.

Unfortunately, the prevalence of diet-related diseases is increasing around the world. However, the act of educating children, not only via the dissemination of advice to the individual child, but also at the population level through various intervention and educational programs, is a means of education that can contribute to the prevention of these diseases. Adequate nutritional treatment is also crucial to chronic disease management, especially in regard to gastrointestinal tract diseases.

The present Special Issue invites submissions of research addressing a wide range of subjects associated with children's nutritional habits from infancy to adolescence, intervention studies, and observational studies and reviews that will encourage and contribute to the continuing efforts to improve the studies being conducted in this important field of research.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Agnieszka Kozioł-Kozakowska
Dr. Anna Stochel-Gaudyn
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • infant nutrition
  • complementary feeding
  • child nutrition
  • diet
  • pediatric
  • child obesity
  • nutrition in diseases

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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2 pages, 187 KiB  
Editorial
Adequate Nutrition in Early Childhood
by Agnieszka Kozioł-Kozakowska
Children 2023, 10(7), 1155; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10071155 - 30 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1462
Abstract
For children, receiving adequate nutrition in their first 1000 days of life is vital to ensuring their appropriate growth and preventing the future development of diseases [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition in Pediatrics)

Research

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19 pages, 317 KiB  
Article
Barriers to Exclusive Breastfeeding for Mothers in Tswelopele Municipality, Free State Province, South Africa: A Qualitative Study
by Simthandile Rebecca Quebu, Daphne Murray and Uchenna Benedine Okafor
Children 2023, 10(8), 1380; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10081380 - 13 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1811
Abstract
Despite the numerous advantages of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), the practice remains infrequently adopted in certain countries and is also associated with context-specific obstacles. Consequently, this study explores the experiences and opinions of mothers about the barriers and support systems of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), [...] Read more.
Despite the numerous advantages of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), the practice remains infrequently adopted in certain countries and is also associated with context-specific obstacles. Consequently, this study explores the experiences and opinions of mothers about the barriers and support systems of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), in a bid to promote this practice in the Tswelopele Municipality of the Free State Province of South Africa. In-depth individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 mothers, using an audio recorder after receiving their permission to record the interviews. The analysis of the collected data revealed that opinions clustered around four topics: mother-related barriers to EBF, baby-related barriers to EBF, support systems to enhance EBF, and complications caused by barriers to EBF. The findings from these themes and sub-themes imply that the maternal factor is strongly influenced by other factors regarding the success or failure of this practice. These include extreme breast discomfort, maternal illness, the fear that the mother’s milk supply is insufficient, a lack of understanding about EBF, and the influence of different cultural factors. When mothers encounter difficulties with breastfeeding, these challenges may impede their ability to practice EBF. In addition, while some participants were eager to breastfeed their babies and continued EBF for a period of six months, their infant’s health and behavioral issues prevented them from doing so. Some of these problems included infant sickness and crying. From the prenatal to the postnatal period, mothers and their families should have access to breastfeeding education and counseling, along with sufficient time to make informed infant nutrition decisions. During counseling sessions, conversations with these stakeholders should focus on fostering a realistic understanding regarding what to expect when breastfeeding for the very first time, debunking breastfeeding-related misconceptions, and addressing inaccurate information and concerns. In addition, health professionals must be empathic and respectful of the mother’s traditions and cultures and must also educate mothers and their families on the importance of EBF. Our list of themes and sub-themes could be utilized to enlighten exclusive breastfeeding challenges and potential mitigation efforts, not only in Tswelopele Municipality, South Africa but also in a number of other geographical contexts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition in Pediatrics)
11 pages, 582 KiB  
Article
Ten-Year Differences in Nutritional Status and Obesity-Related Risk Factors in Polish Preschool Children
by Marcela Zembura, Paweł Lula and Paweł Matusik
Children 2023, 10(4), 636; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10040636 - 28 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1197
Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess ten-year differences in nutritional statuses and obesity prevalences between populations of preschool children from Katowice, Poland, examined in 2007 and 2017, and to determine factors associated with overweight and obesity in preschool children. A cross-sectional [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to assess ten-year differences in nutritional statuses and obesity prevalences between populations of preschool children from Katowice, Poland, examined in 2007 and 2017, and to determine factors associated with overweight and obesity in preschool children. A cross-sectional questionnaire was conducted among parents and legal guardians of 276 preschool children in 2007 and 259 preschool children in 2017. Basic anthropometric measurements were performed. Overall, the prevalence of overweight and obesity among our sample of Polish preschool children (median age 5.25 year) was 16.82%, whereas 4.49% of children were obese. No significant differences in the number of overweight and obese children were observed when comparing the years 2017 to 2007. Overall body mass index (BMI) z-score was significantly lower in this group of children from 2017. However, median values of the BMI z-score were higher in two of the weight categories (overweight and obesity) in 2017. The child’s BMI z-score was positively correlated with birth weight (r = 0.1, p < 0.05). The BMI z-score was positively correlated with maternal BMI, paternal BMI, and maternal pregnancy weight gain, r = 0.24 p < 0.01; r = 0.16 p < 0.01; r = 0.12 p < 0.05, respectively. A decrease in overweight and obesity prevalence over the past decade and higher median values of BMI z-scores in the group of children with excessive weight in 2017 were observed. Birth weight, maternal BMI, paternal BMI, and maternal pregnancy weight gain all correlate positively with a child’s BMI z-score. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition in Pediatrics)
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15 pages, 1362 KiB  
Article
Dietary Intake by Toddlers and Preschool Children: Preliminary Results from a Michigan Cohort
by Natalie R. JaBaay, Nikita H. Nel and Sarah S. Comstock
Children 2023, 10(2), 190; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10020190 - 19 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1490
Abstract
Identifying the consumption patterns of toddlers and preschool children is critical to evaluating their potential for healthy development and future heath trajectories. The purpose of this longitudinal cohort study was to describe breastfeeding, nutritional trends, and dietary diversity in 12-to-36-month-old children in a [...] Read more.
Identifying the consumption patterns of toddlers and preschool children is critical to evaluating their potential for healthy development and future heath trajectories. The purpose of this longitudinal cohort study was to describe breastfeeding, nutritional trends, and dietary diversity in 12-to-36-month-old children in a Michigan cohort. Mothers completed surveys when their children were 12 (n = 44), 24 (n = 46) and 36 months old (n = 32). Mothers reported their child’s dietary intake in the past 24 h and intake of specific foods in the past year. About 95% of 12-to-24-month-old children in the study population were ever breastfed, with 70% consuming human milk at 6 months and just over 40% at 12 months. Over 90% of participants gave their child a bottle since birth, with 75% providing human milk and 69% giving formula. Consumption of juice significantly increased with age and ~55% of the 36-month-old children consumed juice. A larger proportion of children consumed soda, chocolate, and candy as they aged. Though dietary diversity numerically increased with child age, this did not reach significance. Gut microbiota composition and structure was not associated with diet diversity. This research lays the foundation for future work to determine which nutritional interventions may be most effective in this population. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition in Pediatrics)
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Review

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16 pages, 746 KiB  
Review
Beyond the Metabolic Syndrome: Non-Obvious Complications of Obesity in Children
by Agnieszka Kozioł-Kozakowska, Dominika Januś, Anna Stępniewska, Ewa Szczudlik, Anna Stochel-Gaudyn and Małgorzata Wójcik
Children 2023, 10(12), 1905; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10121905 - 09 Dec 2023
Viewed by 962
Abstract
Obesity is currently one of the most significant public health challenges worldwide due to the continuous increase in obesity rates among children, especially younger children. Complications related to obesity, including serious ones, are increasingly being diagnosed in younger children. A search was performed [...] Read more.
Obesity is currently one of the most significant public health challenges worldwide due to the continuous increase in obesity rates among children, especially younger children. Complications related to obesity, including serious ones, are increasingly being diagnosed in younger children. A search was performed from January 2023 to September 2023 using the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Science Direct, MEDLINE, and EBSCO databases. The focus was on English-language meta-analyses, systematic reviews, randomized clinical trials, and observational studies worldwide. Four main topics were defined as follows: disorders of glucose metabolism; liver disease associated with childhood obesity; the relationship between respiratory disorders and obesity in children; and the effects of obesity on the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis and puberty. Understanding potential complications and their underlying mechanisms can expedite the diagnostic process and enhance the effectiveness of treatment. We aspire that this study will bring insight into the often-overlooked complications associated with obesity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition in Pediatrics)
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Other

7 pages, 247 KiB  
Brief Report
P-Wave Axis of Schoolchildren Who Were Once Breastfed
by Juan-Antonio Costa, Carla Rodriguez-Trabal, Ignacio Pareja, Alicia Tur, Marianna Mambié, Mercedes Fernandez-Hidalgo and Sergio Verd
Children 2023, 10(7), 1255; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10071255 - 21 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 730
Abstract
Background. It has been known for decades that breastfeeding leads to a lower risk of asthma, respiratory infections, or metabolic syndrome at school age. In addition, evidence is now accumulating on the influence of breast milk on the shape, volume, or function of [...] Read more.
Background. It has been known for decades that breastfeeding leads to a lower risk of asthma, respiratory infections, or metabolic syndrome at school age. In addition, evidence is now accumulating on the influence of breast milk on the shape, volume, or function of the heart and lungs. Within this field of research into the effects of breast milk on the structure of the heart and lungs, we have set out to analyze the differential electrocardiographic characteristics of schoolchildren who were once breastfed. Method. This was an observational cross-sectional study, including 138 children aged 6 or 12 consecutively presenting to a well-child clinic between May and December 2022. Inclusion criteria. The ability to perform reproducible ECG records, the feasibility of weighing and measuring patient, and breastfeeding data collected from birth were used as the inclusion criteria. Results. Using the 40° cut-off value for the mean P-wave axis among schoolchildren, 76% of never-breastfed children in our sample have a P-wave axis in a more vertical position than the mean as compared to 58% of ever-breastfed children (OR: 2.25; 95% CI: 3.13–1.36); there was no other significant difference between infant feeding groups in somatometric characteristics or ECG parameters. Conclusion. We found a significant difference of the mean values of the P-wave axis between never- and ever-breastfed children. Although this report should be approached cautiously, these findings add to the renewed interest in discerning developmental interventions to improve cardiovascular health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition in Pediatrics)
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