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Multimodal brain features at 3 years of age and their relationship with pre-reading measures 1 year laterPre-reading language skills develop rapidly in early childhood and are related to brain structure and functional architecture in young children prior to formal education. However, the early neurobiological development that supports these skills is not well understood.
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Movement behavior policies in the early childhood education and care setting: An international scoping reviewMeeting 24-h movement behavior guidelines for the early years is associated with better health and development outcomes in young children. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) is a key intervention setting however little is known about the content and implementation of movement behavior polices in this context. To inform policy development this international scoping review examined the prevalence, content, development and implementation of ECEC-specific movement behavior policies.
Research
The moderating role of parent perceptions in relationships between objectively measured neighbourhood environment attributes and pre-schooler's physical activity: Findings from the PLAYCE studyWe examined the moderating effects of parent perceptions of the neighbourhood environment on associations between objectively measured neighbourhood environment attributes and physical activity among pre-schoolers. The number of neighbourhood parks was positively associated with pre-schooler energetic play when parents had above average perceptions of access to services.
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Epigenomic variability is associated with age-specific naïve CD4 T cell response to activation in infants and adolescentsChildhood is a critical period of immune development. During this time, naïve CD4 T cells undergo programmed cell differentiation, mediated by epigenetic changes, in response to external stimuli leading to a baseline homeostatic state that may determine lifelong disease risk. However, the ontogeny of epigenetic signatures associated with CD4 T cell activation during key developmental periods are yet to be described.
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Powerful promotions: An investigation of the teen-directed marketing power of outdoor food advertisements located near schools in AustraliaAdolescents are heavily exposed to unhealthy outdoor food advertisements near schools, however, the marketing power of these advertisements among adolescents has not yet been explored. This study aimed to investigate the teen-directed marketing features present and quantify the overall marketing power of outdoor food advertisements located near schools to explore any differences by content (ie, alcohol, discretionary, core and miscellaneous foods) school type (ie, primary, secondary, K-12) and area-level socio-economic status (SES; ie, low vs high).
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Health Outcomes of Children Living in Out-of-Home Care in Metropolitan Western Australia: A Sequential Mixed-Methods Study—A Protocol PaperThe research protocol described aims to examine and establish the health outcomes of children and young people living in Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) in Perth, Western Australia from the perspective of the care recipients and service providers. A Study Advisory Panel will be established comprised of Aboriginal Elders (because of the over-representation of Aboriginal children in OOHC), health professionals and other relevant stakeholders to help co-design all phases of the study.
Research
Airway smooth muscle thickness and contraction are enhanced by intra-amniotic lipopolysaccharide in an ovine model of premature birthAbnormalities of the airway smooth muscle (ASM) layer in asthma may develop before birth. We hypothesize that antenatal inflammation causes physiological abnormalities of the ASM that predisposes asthma. This study determined the short-term effects of antenatal inflammation on the developing ASM.
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Examining the relationship between maternal mental health-related hospital admissions and childhood developmental vulnerability at school entry in Canada and AustraliaIt is well established that maternal mental illness is associated with an increased risk of poor development for children. However, inconsistencies in findings regarding the nature of the difficulties children experience may be explained by methodological or geographical differences.
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Associations between School Readiness and Student Wellbeing: A Six-Year Follow Up StudyIt is well established that children’s school readiness is associated with their later academic achievement, but less is known about whether school readiness is also associated with other measures of school success, such as students’ social and emotional wellbeing. While some previous research has shown a link between early social and emotional development and student wellbeing, results are mixed and the strength of these relationships vary depending on whether data is based on child, teachers or parents ratings and which specific student wellbeing outcomes are measured.
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The role of social support in differentiating trajectories of adolescent depressed moodThis study explored the extent to which disaggregated support from family, peers, close friendships, teachers, and schools predicted membership into identified, sex-specific trajectories of depressed mood in 3210 Australian adolescents (49% females) based on self-report data collected at four annual time points from school Grade 6 to 9 (ages 10–16).