Highlights in this issue

Abstract

Contrary to the default assumption that parents and children share preferences for the ways in which food is presented on plates, a study by Francesca Zampollo et al. showed that children differ from adults. The most remarkable finding was that children seem to prefer plates with seven different elements and six different colours on their ideal plates, while adults tended to prefer three different colours and three different items. These findings suggest new windows for encouraging diverse childhood nutrition (pp. 61–66). In developed countries, SIDS is the most common cause of death in children aged between 1 and 12 months. Various infant home monitoring devices are in use, with the aim to prevent SIDS. However, in a systematic literature review by Eugen Strehle et al., there was no high-level evidence that home monitoring devices reduce mortality in infants at increased risk of SIDS. But as the authors conclude, the lack of evidence may be a reflection of the difficulty in designing a rigorous controlled study in this sensitive area (pp. 8–13). In this article, May Chiu et al. have reviewed cases of SUDI in the first 28 days of life referred to the Wellington coronial perinatal forensic pathology service over a 10-year period. Of 16 unexplained SUDI cases occurring over the time period, 14 (87.5%) were found dead while co-sleeping with an adult. White matter gliosis was found post-mortem in 10 (62.5%) of the cases. The presence of gliosis indicates a previous insult of prenatal onset (pp. 30–33). The yearly incidence of diabetes mellitus type 1 (T1DM) varies significantly between different populations. Sweden has a very high incidence rate. In a register study of 1.9 million 6–25-year-old Swedish residents, Ulf Söderström et al. compared the prevalence of T1DM in international adoptees and offspring of immigrant parents with an origin in low-incidence countries. Being Swedish born, but not being adopted by Swedish parents, carried a higher risk for T1DM. This suggests that exposures in utero or very early life are important risk factors for T1DM (pp. 73–77). In this Dutch study by Eefje Verhoof et al., young adults (22–31 years) with disability benefits because of a chronic somatic disease or disability since childhood completed a Course of Life Questionnaire (CoLQ) assessing the achievements of milestones on autonomy, psychosexual and social development and risk behaviour. The result showed that the beneficiaries achieved fewer milestones or achieved the milestones at a later age than peers. It is a social responsibility to support these children and adolescents in achieving academic and vocational success (pp. e19–e26). See also commentary by Jan W Gorter (pp. 2–3).