Background: Pediatric overweight and obesity has become a major public health problem in China. The goal of this study is to understand overweight and obesity in preschool children in Changsha City in the context of their sleep and physical activity. These results offer feasible proposals to reduce levels of overweight and obesity among preschool children. Methods: A total of 112 preschoolers aged three to six years old were investigated using multiple stage stratified cluster sampling and simple random sampling. Questionnaires were used to collect general information about children and their families. Body mass index (BMI) was used as an indicator of overweight and obesity. Age- and sex-specific cutoff values for Chinese children and adolescents were used to determine child weight status. Children’s sedentary time was reported by caregivers, while physical activity and sleep were recorded using fitness bracelets (Misfit Shine 2). Results: The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity were 15.2% and 9.8% respectively. Preschool-aged children travelled 11,111 ± 3357 and 10,350 ± 2973 steps per day on weekdays and weekends respectively. The number of daily steps was not statistically different between weekdays and weekends. The amount of time spent daily doing vigorous activity on weekdays and weekends was significantly different, with an average time of 20.5 ± 31.6 min and 10.3 ± 15.3 min respectively (p = 0.002). Furthermore, 10.7% and 50.9% of children used screens for more than two hours on weekdays and weekends respectively (p < 0.001). Children slept for significantly longer on weekends (8.3 ± 0.9 h) than on weekdays (8.1 ± 0.7 h) (p = 0.037). A significantly higher proportion of students also fell asleep before 10:00 p.m. on weekends (26.8%) compared to weekdays (15.2%) (p < 0.001). Parent’s BMI values were positively correlated with child BMI, the monthly household income was negatively associated with child BMI. Male children were more likely to have a higher BMI than female children. Children who were obese were also more likely to have shorter sleep times compared to children of normal weight (p = 0.047). Conclusions: There was a high prevalence of overweight and obesity among the Chinese preschool children in this study. Students also demonstrated poor sleep and physical activity habits. Future research is necessary to explore the relationship between sleep, physical activity and weight status for young children in China.

Left-behind children (LBC) are a newly emerged social group in China. Poor nutritional status is particularly prominent in this population. However, their food insecurity tends to attract very little attention. This study aims to investigate the relationship between food insecurity and undernutrition (stunting and anaemia) in 3 to 5-year-old LBC in rural China. Face-to-face interviews were administered to 553 LBC caregivers in 40 rural villages of Hunan Province, China. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) was used to assess household food insecurity (HFI). Dietary diversity score (DDS) and food group consumption frequency were measured by 24 h-recall and food frequency questionnaires (FFQ). Hemoglobin tests and anthropometric measurements including height and weight were measured by trained health professionals. Logistic regression was constructed to assess the association between household food insecurity and dietary diversity, stunting, and anaemia. A high prevalence of household food insecurity was determined (67.6%). The weighted prevalence of stunting and anaemia were 16.6% and 26.5%, respectively. Food insecurity was positively associate with LBC stunting (severe HFI: OR = 6.50, 95% CI: 2.81, 15.00; moderate HFI: OR = 3.47, 95% CI: 1.60, 7.54), and anaemia (severe HFI: OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.02, 3.57). LBC with food insecurity had significantly lower dietary diversity than those who were food-secure (p < 0.001). The prevalence of household food insecurity among LBC in poor rural China is high and is associated with low DDS, stunting, and anaemia. Nutritional intervention programs and policies are urgently needed to reduce household food insecurity and undernutrition for this vulnerable population.

Background: App-based interventions have the potential to reduce child injury in countries with limited prevention resources, but their effectiveness has not been rigorously examined. Objective: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an app-based intervention for caregivers of preschoolers to prevent unintentional injury among Chinese preschoolers. Methods: A 6-month cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted from December 2017 to June 2018. Recruitment was conducted through preschools, which were randomly allocated to either the control group (ie, app-based parenting education excluding unintentional injury prevention) or the intervention group (ie, app-based parenting education including unintentional injury prevention). A total of 2920 caregivers of preschoolers aged 3-6 years from 20 preschools in Changsha, China, were recruited offline through the schools. The primary outcome was unintentional injury incidences among preschoolers in the past 3 months; this measure was assessed through an online caregiver-report at the baseline visit and at 3-month and 6-month follow-up visits. Secondary outcome measures included caregivers’ self-reported attitudes and behaviors concerning child supervision during the last week. Generalized estimating equations (GEEs) were used to assess the effectiveness of the app-based intervention on responses at 3 and 6 months after adjusting for sociodemographic variables, baseline level of the outcome variable, and engagement with interventions in the assigned group. All analyses were intention-to-treat. A per-protocol sensitivity analysis was also conducted. Results: In total, 1980 of the 2920 caregivers completed the study. The mean age of participants was 32.0 years (SD 5.5) and 68.99% (1366/1980) of them were female. During the 6-month follow-up visit, unintentional injury incidence did not change significantly in either group: incidence in the intervention group went from 8.76% (94/1073) to 8.11% (87/1073), P=.59; incidence in the control group went from 9.4% (85/907) to 7.5% (69/907), P=.15. The changes did not differ between the groups (odds ratio [OR] 1.14, 95% CI 0.80-1.62). Changes in the average score in attitude concerning unintentional injury prevention were also similar between the groups (B .05, 95% CI -0.03 to 0.13). Changes in unintentional injury prevention behaviors were greater in the intervention group than in the control group after the intervention (B .87, 95% CI 0.33-1.42). Analyses of individual injury prevention behaviors showed that the intervention reduced three risky behaviors: unsafe feeding of children (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.60-0.89); incorrectly placing children in cars (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.57-0.93); and allowing children to ride bicycles, electric bicycles, or motorcycles unsupervised (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.64-0.99). The intervention also improved scores on three safety-focused behaviors: testing water temperature before giving children a bath (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.05-1.52); properly storing sharp objects (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.01-1.52); and safely storing medicines, detergents, and pesticides (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.02-1.51). Conclusions: The app-based intervention did not reduce unintentional injury incidence among preschoolers but significantly improved caregivers’ safety behaviors. This app-based intervention approach to improve caregiver behaviors surrounding child injury risk offers promise to be modified and ultimately disseminated broadly. Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR-IOR-17010438; http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=17376 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/75jt17X84) International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): RR2-10.1186/s12889-018-5790-1

Background: Household food insecurity is increasingly recognized as a global health problem, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to contextualize the associations between household food insecurity, dietary diversity and stunting in N’Djamena. Methods: This study is a community-based cross-sectional study, and the SMART (Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions) methodology was used to calculate the sample size. A total of 881 households were selected for the survey. A 24-h recall evaluated the dietary diversity score (DDS), the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) made it possible to assess household food insecurity (HFI), and stunting among children aged 12 to 59 months was assessed by anthropometric measurements. Logistic regression was constructed to determine the association between household food insecurity, dietary diversity, and stunting. The study was conducted from January to March 2022. Results: The prevalence of severe food insecurity was 16.6%, and that of stunting was 25.3%. The mean DDS was 6.5 ± 1.6. Severe food insecurity (OR 2.505, CI: 1.670–3.756) was significantly associated with stunting. The association between DDS and stunting was not significant. Conclusions: This study’s prevalence of household food insecurity and stunting was very high. Household food insecurity and household size were significantly associated with stunting.

Breast milk is a perfect food for infants; however, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding is low. The relationship between exclusive breastfeeding practices and influencing factors is complex and remains unclear. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Changsha County, China, and 414 mothers were enrolled. An online questionnaire was used to collect data on general information, obstetrics and gynecology characteristics, the initial breastfeeding intention, breastfeeding practice, frequency of attending conventional breastfeeding programs before delivery, the status of breastfeeding self-efficacy, and the status of perceived social support. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to estimate the association between exclusive breastfeeding and potential risk factors of failing to practice exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months. The rate of exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months was 46.1%. The median and interquartile range of the scores for breastfeeding self-efficacy and perceived social support were 51.0 (18.0) and 68.0 (20.0), respectively. Factors that were statistically significant in the univariate analysis were included in the SEM and model fitness was acceptable based on the results. Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months was directly associated with intention and self-efficacy, while it was indirectly associated with perceived social support and frequency of attending a breastfeeding program. The findings support the recommendation that comprehensive breastfeeding promotion strategies should be implemented to call on the intention and self-efficacy of breastfeeding mothers through various measures, such as education or providing medical and health services.

Background: Poor eating habits increase children’s risk of chronic diseases such as overweight and obesity, adult diabetes, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the eating habits of school-age children and their impact on children’s body mass index. Methods: Multistage cluster sampling was used to sample 2224 students in grades 4 to 6 from 16 primary schools in Changsha. A self-designed questionnaire was used to collect general demographic, eating habit, and snack consumption data from school-age children. Height and weight were measured so that the body mass index Z-score could be calculated and evaluated according to the 2007 World Health Organization’s Body Mass Index (BMI) reference standard. Results: The prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in school-age children were 17.0% and 8.3%, respectively. Boys had higher rates of overweight and obesity than girls (19.9% vs. 13.6%, 12.9% vs. 3.0%, respectively, p < 0.05). Among the total population of children, 71.6% reported picky eating habits, and 55.1% had late-night snacks. Children who skipped breakfast (OR 1.507 and 95% CI 1.116~2.035) and ate puffed food (OR 1.571 and 95% CI 1.170~2.110) were more likely to be overweight/obese. Conclusions: The eating habits of school-age children are closely related to their weight status. Poor eating habits can be risk factors for overweight and obesity. The dietary management of children should be strengthened so that they develop good eating habits and the incidence of overweight and obesity in school-age children decreases.