Maureen Black

• University of Maryland, Baltimore

Growing evidence shows parents’ exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and lifetime experiences of racial discrimination (EOD) negatively impacts not only their own health, but also their children’s health. ACEs and EOD can be conceptualized as a reflection of shared underlying adversities and structural injustices that manifest in inequi...

Feeding behaviours are established early in life, with lifelong influences on children's appetite, growth and health, emphasizing the importance of understanding how parent–child feeding interactions relate to children's eating and growth patterns. The objective was to examine reciprocity between parent‐reported feeding practices and children's obs...

Background Cross‐sectional research has suggested associations between diet, sleep and obesity, with sparse longitudinal research. Objectives To identify longitudinal mechanistic associations between sleep, diet and obesity. Methods We used longitudinal data from a sample of Black adolescent girls. At T1 (enrolment), 6 months (T2) and 18 months (...

The lack of a valid and interpretable score to track early child development over time is a primary reason for neglecting child development in policymaking. Many instruments exist, but there is no accepted method for comparing their scores across different ages, samples, and instruments. This paper aims (1) to enhance the Development Score (D-score...

Bundling multiple interventions have been implemented and evaluated in response to global recognition that young children benefit from the multiple components of nurturing care. Engaging Fathers for Effective Child Nutrition and Development in Tanzania Study evaluated the impact of adding a parenting intervention to a nutrition program and involvin...

Background Lack of childcare for children aged 0–3 years has emerged as a global crisis, accentuated by women’s increasing workforce participation and recognition that young children require nurturing care. Through this systematic review, we sought to examine associations between childcare centre attendance in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC...

Objectives Preschoolers' self-regulation is partially developed through home and child care routines. COVID-19-related child care closures increased caregiver depressive symptoms, household chaos, and children's behavior problems. This longitudinal study examined how preschoolers' prepandemic self-regulation was related to behavior problems early i...

OBJECTIVES To measure associations between residential moves because of unaffordable housing costs and disruptions in access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; and Medicaid in a health care-based sample of families with young children. METHODS We used cross...

Background To assess the neurodevelopment of children under three years, a multinational team of subject matter experts (SMEs) led by the World Health Organization (WHO) developed the Global Scales for Early Development (GSED). The measures include 1) a caregiver-reported short form (SF), 2) a directly administered long form (LF), and 3) a caregive...

Because healthy psychosocial development in the first years of life is critical to lifelong well‐being, governmental, and nongovernmental organizations are increasingly interested in monitoring psychosocial behaviors among populations of children. In response, the World Health Organization is developing the Global Scales of Early Development Psycho...

Early adversities, including prenatal drug exposure (PDE) and a negative postnatal emotional caregiving environment, impact children’s long-term development. The protracted developmental course of memory and its underlying neural systems offer a valuable framework for understanding the longitudinal associations of pre- and postnatal factors on chil...

Food insecurity (FI) prevalence was consistently >10% over the past 20 years, indicating chronic economic hardship. Recession periods exacerbate already high prevalence of FI, reflecting acute economic hardship. To monitor FI and respond quickly to changes in prevalence, an abbreviated food security scale measuring presence and severity of househol...

Background: The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is the primary national program that enables child care settings to provide healthy meals for children. Associations between CACFP participation and child health and development and health care utilization are understudied. Objective: To assess associations between children's health, deve...

Objectives: Limited evidence is available on mechanisms linking integrated, multisector interventions with early childhood development. The Integrated Early Childhood Development program aims to improve children's development by promoting targeted caregiving behaviors beginning prenatally through age 5 years, in partnership with the Royal Governme...

Undernutrition and a lack of learning opportunities can jeopardize long-term growth and development among infants in low- and middle-income countries. We conducted a 6-month 2 × 2 cluster-randomized trial to assess the effects of multiple micronutrient-fortified beverages and responsive caregiving interventions among infants 6–18 months in 72 commu...

Importance: Even brief periods of hardship during early childhood may have lifelong consequences. Prior cross-sectional research limited to respondents with English proficiency and internet access during the COVID-19 crisis documented families with young children that struggled to afford basic needs like food and rent. Few studies have examined ex...

Objective We examined associations of past year household hardships (housing, energy, food, and healthcare hardships) with postnatal growth, developmental risk, health status, and hospitalization among children 0–36 months born with very low birth weight (VLBW) and the extent that these relationships differed by receipt of child supplemental securi...

Introduction Children’s early development is affected by caregiving experiences, with lifelong health and well-being implications. Governments and civil societies need population-based measures to monitor children’s early development and ensure that children receive the care needed to thrive. To this end, the WHO developed the Global Scales for Ear...

Introduction With the ratification of the Sustainable Development Goals, there is an increased emphasis on early childhood development (ECD) and well-being. The WHO led Global Scales for Early Development (GSED) project aims to provide population and programmatic level measures of ECD for 0–3 years that are valid, reliable and have psychometrically...

BACKGROUND Families with versus without children are at greater eviction risk. Eviction is a perinatal, pediatric, and adult health concern. Most studies evaluate only formal evictions. METHODS Using cross-sectional surveys of 26 441 caregiver or young child (<48 months) dyads from 2011 to 2019 in emergency departments (EDs) and primary care clini...

Young children’s growth is influenced by food and feeding behavior. Responsive feeding has been shown to promote healthy growth and development, to prevent under- and overfeeding, and to encourage children’s self-regulation. However, most measures of responsive feeding do not incorporate bidirectional mother-infant responsivity or early learning pr...

Background: Childhood obesity is a major health concern. Caregivers' feeding practices are modifiable targets of obesity prevention. The study tested two hypotheses: (1) autonomy-promoting feeding practices are associated with lower BMI; and (2) diet mediates the association. We also explored examined whether feeding practices and BMI z-score (BMIz...

A student-friendly adaptation of Nutrition in adolescent growth and development Norris, Shane A et al.The Lancet, Volume 399, Issue 10320, 172 - 184 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01590-7

Family child care homes (FCCHs) are a favored child care choice for parents of young children in the U.S. Most FCCH providers purchase and prepare foods for the children in their care. Although FCCH providers can receive monetary support from the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), a federal subsidy program, to purchase nutritious foods, lit...

This study investigated the association between food insecurity at the household or the child level and young children’s weight trajectory during their first two years of life in a diverse cohort sample of 814 households with children seeking health care from EDs in four US cities.

A recent policy in the U.S. authorized monthly benefits from a nutrition assistance program - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - to be used online to increase grocery access and promote healthy eating. This study examined online grocery attitudes and purchasing behaviors among low-income SNAP-eligible households with young children...

Optimal health and development from preconception to adulthood are crucial for human flourishing and the formation of human capital. The Nurturing Care Framework, as adapted to age 20 years, conceptualises the major influences during periods of development from preconception, through pregnancy, childhood, and adolescence that affect human capital....

Objective To examine the relationship of individual and composite number of unmet basic needs (housing, energy, food, and healthcare hardships) in the past year with preterm birth status among children aged 0–24 months. Study design We examined cross-sectional 2011–18 data of 17,926 families with children aged 0–24 months. We examined children bor...

Background: Family Child Care Homes (FCCHs) are the second-largest childcare option in the US. Given that young children are increasingly becoming overweight and obese, it is vital to understand the FCCH mealtime environment. There is much interest in examining the impact of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), a federal initiative to sup...

We examined whether dietary intake differs across household and child food security (FS) status, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation among Black children (ages 9–15) in a low-income urban setting. This cross-sectional survey used the USDA 18-item Household Food Security Survey, which includes the 8-item Child Module,...

Background The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) improves health outcomes for participating mothers and children. Recent immigration policy changes increased chilling effects on WIC access and utilization. Associations between WIC participation and neonatal outcomes among infants born to immigrant parent(...

Objective To identify longitudinal bidirectional associations between unique sleep trajectories and obesity and hypertension among Black, adolescent girls. Design, setting, and participants Longitudinal data were from a randomized controlled trial (2009-2013) implemented in schools serving low-income communities aimed at preventing obesity among a...

Objective Little is known about the association between maternal depressive symptoms and attendance at safety promotion interventions. This study used latent class analysis (LCA) to identify the profile of attendance within a toddler safety intervention and assessed its relation with maternal depressive symptoms at baseline and reduction of home sa...

This study examined pre-pandemic (2017-early March 2020) to early-pandemic (Spring 2020) changes in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), light PA (LPA), and sedentary behavior/sleep (SS), by weekday/weekend, and age (preschool, elementary, middle school). We re-enrolled children from two pre-pandemic obesity prevention trials and examined differences in...

Objective The objective was to examine risk and protective factors associated with pre- to early-pandemic changes in risk of household food insecurity (FI). Design We re-enrolled families from two statewide studies (2017-2020) in an observational cohort (May-August 2020). Caregivers reported on risk of household FI, demographics, pandemic-related...

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between parental anxiety (father-only, mother-only, or both) and infant weight change. We performed a secondary data analysis among 551 children in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a birth cohort with weight measurements collected prospectively at 4, 8, and 12 months of age....

During early childhood, caregiver feeding practices (FP) influence children's diet and eating habits. Inconsistent methods of operationalizing FP have resulted in limited evidence regarding simultaneous FP patterns. This study examined the heterogeneity in FP among caregivers of preschoolers, along with the child, caregiver, and family characterist...

During adolescence, growth and development are transformative with profound consequences for later-life health, and for the children today’s adolescents will eventually parent. This adolescent generation is growing up at a time of unprecedented change in food environments: older nutritional problems of micronutrient deficiency and food insecurity p...

Background: Anemia is a global public health problem that undermines childhood development. India provides

Objectives The USDA is partnering with retailers to authorize online EBT card use to increase grocery store access and promote healthy eating. We examined online grocery shopping behaviors among households with children (< age 8), including SNAP recipients and SNAP-eligible non-recipients (income < 130% of federal poverty level). Methods Mixed-met...

Objectives To examine how children's willingness to try new foods (WTNF) is related to diet quality and body mass index. Methods Participants included children (n = 402), ages 3–5 y, recruited from childcare centers participating in baseline assessment of a randomized controlled trial to evaluate strategies to promote the development of healthy ea...

Objectives To examine the associations between childcare staff feeding practices and preschool children's willingness to try new foods (WTNF). Methods Participants included children (n = 460), ages 3–5 years, and childcare staff (n = 91) recruited from childcare centers in Maryland participating in baseline assessment of a randomized controlled tr...

Objectives During early childhood, eating habits are formed, and excess weight gain may begin. Caregivers' feeding practices (FP) influence childhood obesity and may get influenced by cultural and economic considerations5 6, as well as caregivers' perception of child's size and temperament7 8. FP are employed simultaneously, thus influencing each o...

Based on the ecological model of active living, the neighborhood environment may relate to individual physical activity (PA) behaviors. The purposes of this study were to (1) generate a replicable neighborhood-level physical activity location availability score (PALAS) from data variables associated with physical activity among adolescents and adul...

Objective: To evaluate demographic differences in parent website engagement in a child care-based wellness intervention. Design: Parent-reported demographic characteristics and observed website engagement were averaged by child care centers participating in the web-based intervention arm of a cluster randomized controlled trial of wellness inter...

Background Anemia is a global public health problem that undermines childhood development. India provides government-sponsored integrated nutrition/child development preschools. Objectives This double-masked, cluster-randomized controlled trial examines whether point-of-use multiple micronutrient powder (MNP) compared with placebo fortification of...

A comprehensive evidence-based framework is needed to guide policies and programmes that enable children and adolescents to accrue the human capital required to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper proposes a comprehensive, multisectoral, multilevel life-course conceptualisation of human capital development by building on the N...

Background Mothers of young children from low-income communities may be vulnerable to barriers associated with low physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between home environment factors and maternal physical activity among mothers of toddlers. Methods Mothers of toddlers (n = 200) recruited from low-income commun...

African American caregivers in low-income, urban communities have high rates of food insecurity. Unemployment, education, smoking, stress, and depressive symptoms are associated with household food insecurity. A cumulative risk model suggests that accumulation of risk may compound food insecurity risk, and certain risk factors are more likely to co...

Background Millions of children globally are at risk of not reaching their developmental potential because of early adversities. We hypothesised that responsive caregiving and learning opportunities, components of nurturing care, at pre-school ages might mitigate the effects of adversities. Methods We analysed longitudinal birth cohort data from Br...

Introduction: Housing insecurity is increasingly commonplace among disadvantaged women and children. We measured the individual- and population-level impact of severe housing insecurity during pregnancy on adverse birth and infant outcomes. Methods: We analyzed data from 3428 mother–infant dyads enrolled in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing...

Global physical activity guidelines for preschoolers include 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) daily. This study, based on the developmental model of motor skill competence, examines how motor competence relates to preschoolers’ likelihood of meeting global guidelines using ankle accelerometry. We measured physical activity us...

Background Habits surrounding health behaviors (i.e., sleep, physical activity, diet) are developed in toddlerhood. Lack of consistent health habits may increase obesity risk among toddlers in low-income families. Purpose To compare the role of sleep onset consistency, physical activity and diet quality as mediators between household poverty and t...

Building on the successes of child survival, we review the evidence needed to ensure both that children who survive also thrive and that recommendations promote equity, with no child left behind. To illustrate the critical roles played by nutrition and child development, we revise the Conceptual Framework for the Causes of Malnutrition and Death an...

Rapid weight gain increases risks of obesity and associated co-morbidities. The objective was to reduce the rate of body mass index (BMI) growth (BMI z score), relative to control. Secondary outcomes were toddler-mother physical activity, mealtime interactions and fruit/vegetable intake. The randomized three-arm, eight-session, 4-month trial, condu...

Recovery from nutritionally induced height deficits continues to garner attention. The current literature on catch-up growth, however, has 2 important limitations: wide-ranging definitions of catch-up growth are used, and it remains unclear whether children can recover from the broader consequences of undernutrition. We addressed these shortcomings...

Objectives To examine associations between parental feeding behaviors and preschool children's willingness to try new foods (WTNF) and body mass index (BMI). Methods This study used baseline data collected from parents and children in childcare centers. Parents completed the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire (CFPQ). We measured childre...

Objectives Parental feeding behaviors influence the development of children's dietary behaviors. Less is known about the influence of feeding behaviors used by childcare staff. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the feeding-related subscales of the Childcare Food and Activity Practices Questionnaire (CFAPQ), a scale develope...

Objectives Overweight/obesity (OO) among preschoolers is a major public health issue that has been linked to many factors. Food neophobia is an important factor in children's diet but has inconsistent associations with obesity. Intersectionality affects the outcome of any childhood events. This study examines: 1) direct association of FN and presch...

Background Research is needed to identify how food insecurity affects maternal eating behavior and child feeding practices, factors that may pose intergenerational risks for obesity. Objectives This longitudinal study investigated whether maternal restrained eating mediated the association between household food insecurity and feeding practices....

Eviction affects a substantial share of U.S. children, but its effects on child health are largely unknown. Our objectives were to examine how eviction relates to 1) children's health and sociodemographic characteristics at birth, 2) neighborhood poverty and food security at age 5, and 3) obesity in later childhood and adolescence. We analyzed data...

We evaluated the association between maternal anxiety score and diet quality over time among mothers and toddlers in low‐income families. Longitudinal data were collected from 267 mother–toddler dyads in an obesity prevention trial. Participants were recruited from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children and paedi...

Objective To assess the variation in body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms by weight status and the bi-directional relations between body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms by weight status among Black adolescents. Methods A sample of 153 Black adolescents aged 12–13 years, either overweight/obese (n = 57, 37%) or healthy weight (n = 9...

The first 1,000 days are a critical period in children’s early growth and development, with long lasting negative consequences for children who do not reach their developmental potential. The nurturing care framework has been proposed as a blueprint for policies, programs, and services to provide an enabling environment for caregivers and communiti...

Objectives: Toddlers are vulnerable to unintentional injuries. A safety intervention targeting low-income families of toddlers, was effective at improving home safety. The current study examined whether the effect varies by initial home safety problems. Methods: 277 mother-toddler dyads recruited in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States d...

Introduction Early childhood development can be described by an underlying latent construct. Global comparisons of children’s development are hindered by the lack of a validated metric that is comparable across cultures and contexts, especially for children under age 3 years. We constructed and validated a new metric, the Developmental Score (D-sco...

This protocol is 1) To compare body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms by weight status (overweight/obesity vs. healthy weight) among Black adolescents 12-13 years old. 2) To investigate the relationship between body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms among Black adolescents 12-13 years old, who were overweight or obese. 3) To investigate...

One in four children younger than age five in Guatemala experiences anaemia (haemoglobin <11.0 g/dl). This study characterized the factors and micronutrient deficiencies associated with anaemia in a baseline cross-sectional sample of 182 Guatemalan infants/toddlers and 207 preschoolers, using generalized linear mixed models. Associations between an...

Introduction: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest nutrition assistance program in the U.S. This study's objective was to examine the associations between SNAP participation and young children's health and development, caregiver health, and family economic hardships. Methods: Cross-sectional data from 2006 to 2016...

Objective To determine the magnitude of relationships of early life factors with child development in low/middle-income countries (LMICs). Design Meta-analyses of standardised mean differences (SMDs) estimated from published and unpublished data. Data sources We searched Medline, bibliographies of key articles and reviews, and grey literature to...

Background and objectives: Food insecurity and pediatric obesity affect young children. We examine how food insecurity relates to obesity, underweight, stunting, health, and development among children <4 years of age. Methods: Caregivers of young children participated in a cross-sectional survey at medical centers in 5 US cities. Inclusion crite...

Foundational elements of lifelong health are formed during the preschool years. Child care attendance has nearly doubled in the past 5 years making child care centers an ideal setting to establish healthy habits that prevent pediatric obesity. Despite the promising evidence of efficacy of child care-based obesity prevention interventions, limited a...

Background and objective: Children with special health care needs (SHCNs) have significant medical and educational expenses affecting household finances. Housing instability can be detrimental to family well-being. Our objective was to evaluate housing instability in households of children with and without SHCNs. Methods: Cross-sectional surveys...

BACKGROUND: While maternal depression has been linked to impaired child growth, the relationship between anxiety and child weight gain is unknown. The study objective was to investigate maternal pre- and post-natal anxiety in relation to child weight gain. METHODS: Data included 1168 children in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children....

The first 1000 days (conception to age 24 months) represent a foundational period for lifelong health, well-being, and productivity linked to development of human capital (the knowledge, skills, and competencies that influence individual productivity). Prenatal stress and lack of adequate nutrients can disrupt fetal physiologic processes, leading t...

Background: While maternal depression has been linked to impaired child growth, the relationship between anxiety and child weight gain is unknown. The study objective was to investigate maternal pre- and post-natal anxiety in relation to child weight gain. Methods: Data included 1168 children in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Childre...

Experiences during early childhood shape biological and psychological structures and functions in ways that affect health, well-being and productivity throughout the life course. The science of early childhood and its long-term consequences have generated political momentum to improve early childhood development and elevated action to country, regi...

India's Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) provides daily supplementary nutrition and other public‐health services to women and children. We estimated associations between exposure to early childhood ICDS nutrition and adult reproductive outcomes. During 1987‐1990, a balanced protein‐calorie supplement called ‘upma' – made from locally av...

Objectives: Poverty is a risk for short sleep duration and limited physical activity. This study describes sleep, physical activity, and sedentary behavior of Women, Infants, and Children-eligible toddlers and the proportion of toddlers meeting recommendations for sleep and physical activity, and examines associations with body mass index z scores...

Objectives: Systematic reviews were completed to examine the relationships between maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation; amniotic fluid flavor; breast milk flavor, and children's food acceptability and overall dietary intake into adulthood. Methods: A literature search was conducted in 10 databases (e.g., Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane, and CI...

Objectives: This study assessed food insecurity in relation to academic performance and behavior problems among kindergarten children from low-income families and the moderating effect of neighborhood food access (NFE). Methods: Dataset of ECLS-K:2011, a nationally representative sample of kindergarten children attending elementary schools in 20...

Objectives: To examine if food neophobia (willingness to try new foods) is associated with children's weight status, and to assess the association between children's food knowledge and number of foods tried among preschoolers attending childcare centers in low-income communities. Methods: Children (n = 222) ages 3-5 were recruited from23 childca...

Objectives: Nutritional deficiency and lack of early learning opportunities contribute to the loss of developmental potential. The objective is to evaluate the effects of an integrated nutrition and early learning intervention (ELI) on micronutrient status and the development of infants in rural India. Methods: 513 infants (6-12mo) were enrolled...

Objectives: To assess the relationship between maternal employment and children's dietary diversity in rural Guatemala. Methods: A mixed-method design was used to compare quantitative findings on children's dietary diversity collected from Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQs) (n = 802), with qualitative data from in-depth interviews (IDIs) with...

Objectives: In low and middle-income countries, early child development (ECD) is associated with stunting, but the association with length-for-age z-scores (LAZ) is understudied. The objective is to examine whether the association with ECD among infants extends beyond stunting to LAZ and whether it is altered by nurturance or inflammation. Method...

Objectives: Anemia is a major public health problem among young children. In addition to iron deficiency, other micronutrient deficiencies have been associated with anemia. The purpose of this study was to identify biomarkers associated with anemia in children <5 years from rural Guatemala. Methods: A total of 182 infants (6-24 m) and 207 presch...