Sex Of Parent Research Articles

Unravelling misinformation: investigating the associations between health literacy and resilience

Abstract Background Resilience, the capacity to adapt to adversity, encompasses navigating challenges in health information. Despite the profound impact of health misinformation on behavior and trust in healthcare systems, effective tools to enhance resilience against misinformation remain scarce. Health literacy (HL) is pivotal for adeptly navigating information landscapes. While HL principles facilitate critical evaluation of health information, their link to resilience against misinformation has received inadequate attention. This study delves into the associations between HL and resilience to misinformation. Methods Within the BeE-school project, a randomized controlled trial in primary schools serving vulnerable populations, we developed a questionnaire to assess parental resilience to misinformation. Two dimensions were examined: self-regulation regarding misinformation and stress resistance to misinformation, stratified into low and high resilience categories. Parental HL was evaluated using the HLS-Q12 tool. General HL and three specific domains-health promotion, disease prevention, and healthcare management-were assessed. HL scores ranged from 0 to 100. Binary regression analyses examined the association between HL and resilience to misinformation. Results Parents with higher HL levels demonstrated significantly greater resilience to misinformation, with odds ratios ranging from 1.039 to 1.049 across different HL dimensions. These associations persisted after adjusting for potential confounders, including parental education and respondent sex. Conclusions This study highlights the potential role of health literacy in enhancing individuals’ resilience to misinformation. By promoting HL, individuals can develop critical thinking abilities necessary for navigating complex information landscapes effectively. Empowering communities to critically assess health information fosters resilience to misinformation and informed decision-making, thereby advancing public health.

The FinSwed study: Using verbal NEPSY-II subtests with a cultural minority group

While it has been established that cultural differences in test performance are common, few studies have compared groups from different countries that speak the same language. The aim of this study was to investigate the generalizability of selected linguistic and verbal memory subtests from the Swedish NEPSY-II to the Finland-Swedish minority group. The participants were 275 Swedish-speaking children from Finland aged 5–16-years. The performance was compared to the U.S. norms used in the test. The Finland-Swedish children scored around scaled score 12 and significantly higher than the normative mean on the subtests Comprehension of Instructions, Phonological Processing, Word Generation Semantic, List Memory, and Sentence Repetition, whereas no significant differences to the norms emerged for the subtests Word Generation Initial Letter, Narrative Memory, and Word List Interference. There was a significant age effect for two subtests, with scaled scores increasing with age. Lower parental education and male sex were associated with lower test scores on some subtests, whereas bilingualism was not. The findings were viewed in relation to previous comparison studies involving the NEPSY-II/NEPSY. The differences were suggested to relate to cultural, educational, and test-related differences between Finland, Sweden, and the U.S. The results add to the clinical utility of the NEPSY-II.

A life-history perspective on the evolutionary interplay of sex ratios and parental sex roles

A life-history perspective on the evolutionary interplay of sex ratios and parental sex roles

Adolescent risk behaviours are associated with educational attainment in early adulthood: results from the Raine Study cohort

BackgroundHigher educational attainment is important for economic wellbeing and associated with better health and longevity. Previous research focused on intelligence, socioeconomic status and mental health or individual risk behaviours as predictors of educational attainment, but the role of multiple domains of adolescent risk behaviours is less clear. This study examined the association between multiple domains of risk behaviour in adolescence and educational attainment by 22 years-of-age.MethodsYoung people (Generation 2, Gen2) and their parents (Generation 1, Gen1) participating in the Raine Study completed questionnaires at years 1, 5, 8, 10 (Gen1 only), 14, 17 (both) and 22 (Gen2 only). The Raine Study is an ongoing longitudinal study initiated in Perth, Western Australia, between 1989 and 1991. The 1,102 Gen2 participants who responded to questions about highest educational attainment were included in this study. The association between Gen2 self-reported risk behaviours (including age at commencement of drinking alcohol, smoking, sexual intercourse and drug use) and educational attainment (defined as self-reported years of completed high school: ≤10, 11, 12 or tertiary education (> 12)) at year 22, after adjusting for mother’s age and combined parental education level, participant sex, and family income, educational performance and adolescent mental health, was explored using ordinal regression models and presented as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsOrdinal models suggested that never smoking or starting older than 18 compared with smoking before age 15 (OR 2.02, 95%CI: 1.28–2.14); first drinking alcohol between 15 and 17 years compared with younger than 15 (OR 1.52, 95%CI: 1.08–2.14); and, first sexual intercourse aged ≥ 18 years compared with under 15 (OR 1.67, 95%CI: 1.08–2.57) were associated with higher levels of educational attainment at 22-year follow-up. Additionally, lower (“better”) behavioural scores increased the odds of higher levels of attainment.ConclusionsAbsence of health risk behaviours at a younger age or later commencement was associated with higher educational attainment. Evidence-based interventions that address the societal influences underpinning risk behaviours in adolescents may support longer school retention.

Limited sex differences in spatial language in parent-child dyads

BackgroundThere is a complex pattern of sex differences in spatial abilities, yet there is limited knowledge of sex differences in children's exposure to, and children's use of, spatial language. The aim of this study was to directly compare mother-child and father-child interactions to investigate differences by child and parent sex in spatial language. MethodsThe first 3-min of mother-child and father-child DUPLO® play sessions were coded for spatial language when the child was 24 months (N = 187 families; 105:82 boys:girls) and two years later at 48 months (N = 115 families; 66:49 boys:girls). ResultsThere were no sex differences in children's or parents' spatial language use at 24 months or 48 months. Regardless of socioeconomic status or parent talkativeness, parents showed more variety of spatial language (quality) with their daughters than their sons, but a similar quantity of spatial language with their daughters and sons. Associational analyses revealed a concurrent association between parent and child spatial language use at 48 months, but parent spatial language at 24 months did not predict child spatial language 2 years later. No direct sex effects were observed for cross-sectional or longitudinal associational analyses. ConclusionsHigher spatial language quality with daughters could reflect a higher (perceived) need to provide conceptual support to daughters than sons. Beyond this, we found limited evidence of sex effects. Our findings represent an important contribution, demonstrating comparable levels of exposure to spatial language to sons and daughters, and comparable elicitation of spatial language from young boys and girls.

Report: Parental Risk Factors and Children Entering Care: Risk and Parent's Sex

Report: Parental Risk Factors and Children Entering Care: Risk and Parent's Sex

Parental Investment, Status, and Child Gender: Some Evidence for the Trivers–Willard Hypothesis from a Survey Experiment

This study critically evaluates and empirically tests the Trivers–Willard (TW) hypothesis, which proposes a relationship between parental socioeconomic status and sex: Parents with higher status are expected to be more likely to have male offspring and to preferentially invest in male offspring, whereas parents with lower status are expected to be more likely to have female offspring and to preferentially invest in daughters. Although the TW hypothesis has been explored in terms of offspring sex ratio and parental investment, findings in modern developed societies generally show null results, with notable exceptions in the domain of parental investment in their children’s education. Previous studies have often not explicitly addressed the potential underlying mechanisms of the TW effect. This includes the authors of the original hypothesis (Trivers and Willard 1973), who discussed some potential mechanisms but ultimately left the question of mechanisms unanswered. Building on Matthews’s (2011) proposition to explore psychological underpinnings, this paper posits that the TW effect, if present, may be rooted in general parental preferences. To investigate this, a factorial survey experiment was designed to measure respondents’ preferences in parental investment while minimizing social desirability bias. The study specifically examines the extent to which respondents’ assessments of favorability and fairness in various parental investment scenarios depend on child characteristics believed to influence differential parental behavior. The findings reveal patterns that are somewhat in line with the TW hypothesis but are minor and lack statistical significance. The article concludes by proposing three future research directions aimed at further unraveling the intricacies of the TW effect.

Reciprocal prospective effects among parental psychological distress, family cohesion, and child socioemotional behavior within families.

This study explores the dyadic longitudinal interplay among parents' psychological distress, family cohesion, children's internalizing/externalizing behaviors, and peer-related social competence within individual and dyadic relationships. Data came from a nationally representative longitudinal cohort study of children in South Korea. The analyses included 1,779 families across three annual timepoints. Children were 4 years old (48.6% girls) and the mean ages of mothers and fathers were 34.8 and 37.3 years, respectively, at baseline. At each assessment point, mothers completed questionnaires regarding their psychological distress, cohesion, and their child's internalizing/externalizing behaviors, while fathers provided information on their psychological distress and family cohesion. Preschool teachers also evaluated children's peer social competence at each measurement timepoint. The results revealed bidirectional associations between maternal ratings of psychological distress and children's internalizing/externalizing behaviors as well as between maternal ratings of cohesion and children's internalizing/externalizing behaviors. Paternal ratings of psychological distress were longitudinally related to maternal ratings of children's internalizing behaviors. Teacher ratings of children's peer social competence were associated with maternal ratings of internalizing/externalizing behaviors and paternal ratings of psychological distress and cohesion. Teacher ratings of peer social competence and maternal ratings of internalizing and externalizing behaviors were reciprocally associated. Maternal and paternal ratings of psychological distress and cohesion were prospectively and bidirectionally associated. The findings demonstrate prospective transactions among family subsystems, some of which were moderated by child sex, while highlighting the importance of obtaining data on each family member and considering interactive effects of both parent and child sex in this line of inquiry. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Management of Bilateral Congenital and Juvenile Cataracts in a Low-Income Country: Patient Identification, Treatment Outcomes, and Follow Up.

Childhood blindness remains a neglected issue in eye care within low-income countries, with congenital and juvenile cataracts being the most common treatable causes. This study aims to investigate the factors influencing the management of congenital and juvenile bilateral cataracts, provide data on general outcomes and postoperative findings, and discuss treatment in a low-income country context. In this prospective study, data from clinical care were continuously entered into a database, and one follow-up examination of a cohort of 91 patients with congenital and juvenile bilateral cataracts in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, was conducted. Multiple factors that affect the first clinical presentation, the clinical management, and outcome were investigated. Most patients (88.5%) who received medical treatment were identified by cataract finders. A patient's presentation time was independent of the parent's education, social status, income, and sex of the child. The median age at first presentation was 5.8 years (ranging from 0 days to 17.3 years). The best visual acuity outcomes were achieved by patients who underwent surgery during early childhood. According to WHO grades and on an eye level basis, 51.1% (93 out of 182 eyes) showed improvement, while 34.6% (63 eyes) had unchanged results post-surgery. Among the cases without improvement, 76.2% were blind prior to surgery. Postoperative findings were observed in 56% of the patients, with secondary cataracts being the most common, affecting 26.37% of the operated eyes. Optimal management of childhood cataracts involves early identification, efficient hospital infrastructure, high-quality medical care, and long-term follow up. In sub-Saharan Africa, this approach must be adapted to the context of available resources, which differs significantly from those in high- and middle-income countries.

Brooding duration does not depend on cat predation risk but is related to weather and phenology in the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans).

Parental investment increases offspring fitness at the expense of the parent's ability to invest in other offspring. In many animal species, parents guard their offspring after birth. The parental decision over the duration of this period is expected to be triggered by the associated fitness costs and benefits for both offspring and parents. Here, we evaluated the relevance of several intrinsic and environmental variables in determining brooding period duration in the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) and questioned whether brooding duration was related to chick subsequent survival and biometry prior to fledging. We used a semi-experimental design to increase the variance in cat abundance, a recent predator of albatross chicks, and predicted that an increased predation risk at the nest scale would trigger longer chick brooding and thus, protection. In addition, we questioned the influence of weather conditions, hatching date, and characteristics of chicks (sex and biometry) and parents (sex and age) on brooding duration. We report no effect of predation risk or parental characteristics on brooding duration. However, the probability for a parent to end brooding decreased with forthcoming unfavorable weather. Our data also revealed reduced brooding duration for late-hatched chicks and a positive association between brooding duration and chick structural size, and between the frequency of shifts between parents and chick structural size. Finally, brooding duration was not associated with chick survival or with chick biometry prior to fledging. We discuss these results in light of pre-existing hypotheses on fitness costs and benefits associated with brooding duration for chicks and parents.

Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction in Adolescents: What Parents Care About.

Numerous techniques exist for pediatric medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction (MPFL-R). Pediatric orthopaedic surgeons and patient families must navigate choices between allograft and autograft, incision type, and surgery cost. While previous research has found similar surgical outcomes among different MPFL-R techniques, minimal data exists on what patients and their families prefer. To engage in shared decision-making (SDM), pediatric orthopaedic surgeons must understand family preferences, including between incision type and cost. We conducted a study utilizing choice-based conjoint (CBC) analysis to explore these preferences. A survey was developed using Sawtooth Software (Lighthouse Studio version 9.2.0) to gather demographic information and preferences on surgical scenarios via CBC analysis. Anonymous participants, recruited via the Prolific crowdsourcing platform, qualified if they were US residents over 18 years of age with children aged 13 to 17. Data analysis involved the Hierarchical Bayes (HB) method to generate utility scores to determine the desirability of attributes. The study included 496 participants who prioritized surgical success (average importance 48.8%) followed by co-pay amount (21.5%), incision size (17.4%), and return to sport (12.3%). Participants earning over $200,000 annually prioritized incision size over cost (25.8% vs. 12.1%, P<0.0053). Those with incomes below $50,000 valued recovery time at a lesser extent than other income groups (10.4% than 12.3% overall importance P<0.0003). The sex of the child significantly influenced preferences: incision size was more important to parents of girls (21.1%) than boys (14.0%, P<.0001). The importance of surgery success and recovery time also differed by sex, being higher for boys (50.4%, 13.1%) than girls (47.0%, 11.7%; P=0.025, 0.026, respectively). This CBC analysis suggests parents of adolescent patients undergoing MPFL-R most value surgical success (avoiding revision surgery), followed by copay, incision size, and time to return to sport. Of note, parent income level and sex of the child significantly influenced parental preferences. We hope this information will assist orthopaedic surgeons in SDM in MPFL-R surgery. Level III.

Parental Influence on Intracerebral Hemorrhage Onset in Hereditary Dutch-Type Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy.

Dutch-type cerebral amyloid angiopathy (D-CAA) is an autosomal dominant hereditary form of CAA causing intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and cognitive decline. The age of onset of ICH in D-CAA mutation carriers is strikingly variable and ranges from late thirties up to 70 years. We investigated the presence of genetic anticipation and assessed the influence of parental age at onset and sex on age of ICH onset in offspring. We included (potential) D-CAA mutation carriers from our prospective D-CAA family database. Participants were sent a questionnaire by mail and asked for the onset age of symptomatic ICH and the onset age of symptomatic ICH of their affected first-degree relative(s), their siblings and affected parent. We used a Cox regression model with the age of onset of the parent as the covariate and the sex of the offspring as the factor. Next, we replaced the sex of the offspring with a factor with four levels: mother/daughter, mother/son, father/daughter, and father/son. We used a random effect per household. A total of 66 respondents completed the questionnaire. Reported mean age of first symptomatic ICH was similar (both 52 years, p = 0.87) for D-CAA parents (n = 60) and their offspring (n = 100). Offspring with a mother with D-CAA seemed to have an earlier ICH onset (50 years, standard deviation [SD] ± 7) than offspring with a paternal inheritance (54 years, SD ± 6, p = 0.03). There was no association between onset of first ICH of the parent and offspring after adding sex of the offspring to the Cox regression model: hazard ratio 0.99, 95% CI: 0.94-1.03, p = 0.51. The interaction between parent's sex and child's sex was not significant (p = 0.70). The results with and without random effect were essentially identical. We found no indication for genetic anticipation in D-CAA in general, although maternal inheritance seemed to be associated with an earlier ICH onset.

Assessing the Subjective Happiness of Parents of Children With Severe Motor and Intellectual Disabilities Receiving Home Care.

Home care for children with severe motor and intellectual disabilities (SMID) is challenging for parents because it is highly intensive and long-lasting. The pursuit of happiness is an essential goal for everyone. However, only a few studies have focused on the happiness of families with such children. The study aimed to examine the subjective happiness of parents of children with SMID receiving home care and identify the factors associated with their happiness. We conducted a cross-sectional online questionnaire-based survey of 23 parents of children with SMID and nurses with children without disabilities as controls at Tottori University Hospital,Yonago, Japan from July 1 to August 31, 2023. We set the subjective happiness scale (SHS) scores as the outcomes. We used the Mann-Whitney U test to compare the SHS scores between the two groups. Moreover, we extracted the clinical and demographic factors affecting the SHS scores of parents of children with SMID using univariate linear regression analysis. We obtained responses from 12 parents with SMID and 105 controls. The average SHS scores of parents with SMID and controls were 4.8 and 4.7, respectively, and both groups did not differ significantly. Univariate analysis showed that parental male sex and the presence of a tracheostomy were negatively associated with the SHS scores of parents. The SHS scores did not differ significantly between parents with SMID and controls. However, more attention seemed necessary for fathers and parents of children who have undergone tracheostomies. Given the exploratory nature of this study and its small sample size, larger-scale investigations are warranted. Additionally, qualitative research conducted after establishing trustful relationships could provide further insights.

Childhood motor difficulties and cognitive impairment in midlife: A 40-year cohort study.

We aimed to examine the association of childhood motor difficulties (MD) with cognitive impairment in midlife. We studied 357 participants from a cohort born in 1971-1975. At age 9, they had completed the Test of Motor Impairment, which classified them into three groups: childhood MD (cMD), borderline cMD (bcMD), or no cMD. Participants with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder were excluded. At age 40, participants comprised 18 (5.0%) with cMD, 43 (12.0%) with bcMD, and 296 (82.9%) with no cMD. They underwent neuropsychological assessment covering six domains: executive functions, processing speed, attention and working memory, learning and memory, verbal symbolic abilities, and visuoperceptual and visuospatial abilities. A participant was considered to have an impairment if their performance was in the 15th percentile of a normative group. Participants with cMD were more likely than those with no cMD to have an impairment in executive functions (OR = 6.73, p < .01), processing speed (OR = 3.85, p < .05), attention and working memory (OR = 4.79, p < .01), and a cross-domain impairment (OR = 3.62, p < .01). These differences remained significant after adjusting for parents' occupation, sex, and low birth weight and after multiple imputation. No consistent difference emerged between participants with bcMD and no cMD. Childhood MD are associated with midlife cognitive impairment, which underscores their long-term implications. In the neuropsychological assessment of an adult patient, information on childhood motor development is of value. The assessment may help adapt the patient's physical or occupational therapy to the patient's cognitive profile. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Food Parenting Practices Mediate Relationships Between Parent Sex and Adolescent Food Intake During Independent Eating Occasions

Food Parenting Practices Mediate Relationships Between Parent Sex and Adolescent Food Intake During Independent Eating Occasions

Early‐life demographic processes do not drive adult sex ratio biases and mating systems in sympatric coucal species

Abstract Sex differences in early‐life survival can drive skewed adult sex ratios (ASR), which play an important role in mating tactics and parental sex roles. Among birds, cuckoos exhibit the largest diversity in mating systems and thus represent an interesting system to study sex‐specific demography. Here we investigate the early‐life survival pathways shaping ASR using long‐term field data and sex‐ and stage‐specific demographic modelling of black coucals and white‐browed coucals—two sympatric Centropus cuckoo species differing in mating system and the extent of sexual size dimorphism. We hypothesized that sexual size dimorphism would lead to differential juvenile mortality due to the greater energy demands and predation risk of the larger sex during maturation. We expected higher early‐life mortality among large‐bodied females in the sexually dimorphic and classically polyandrous black coucal, whereas no bias should exist in the less dimorphic and monogamous white‐browed coucal. Both species had balanced hatching sex ratios, but in black coucals, female survival (μ = 0.64 ± 0.061 SD) was lower during the ‘groundling’ phase (i.e. a flightless 3‐week period following nest departure) than male survival (0.70 ± 0.066). Yet, this sex difference in survival was not strong enough to account for the species' male‐biased ASR where 70% of the adult population is male. In white‐browed coucals, survival during maturation exhibited high inter‐individual variation but lacked clear sex differences, reflecting the emergence of a balanced ASR. In summary, we found no evidence that the strongly male‐biased ASR of black coucals is driven by sex‐specific survival during maturation. In black coucals, the male‐biased ASR must therefore stem from processes occurring later in life: possibly, larger females are more likely to die during migration and/or the recruitment of young females is delayed due to competitive exclusion by more experienced females. Our results differ from studies on shorebirds, in which sex‐specific mortality of precocial young is related to ASR and mating dynamics. Hence, early‐life sex biases in survival of precocial shorebirds cannot be generalized to other taxonomic groups. Factors other than early‐life sex biases in survival are likely to be important in shaping adult sex ratios and the associated mating dynamics and social behaviours in altricial coucals. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Normative data for executive function tests in an Ecuadorian Waranka minority population

Objective: To generate normative data (ND) for executive functions tests in the Waranka minority population of Ecuador. Method: Four-hundred participants aged 6–17 completed the Symbol-Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), Trail-Making Test (TMT), Modified-Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (M-WCST), and Test of Colors-Words (STROOP). Scores were normed using multiple linear regressions, including age, age2, natural logarithm of mean parent education (MPE), sex, bilingualism, and two-way interactions as predictors. Results: Age by MPE and Age2 by MPE interactions arose for SDMT, so that children with illiterate parents scored lower than those with literate parents. Girls scored higher in SDMT. All TMT and M-WCST scores were influenced by age2. Age by MPE interaction was found for TMT–A, so that children with higher MPE went faster; and age by bilingualism interaction for TMT–B, so that more bilingual children needed less time. Stroop-Word and Color were influenced by age2 by MPE interaction, so that children, while older, scored higher, especially those with higher MPE. Also, age2 by sex interaction arose, so that girls increased scores curvilinearly while boys linearly. Word-Color was influenced by age, while Stroop-interference by age2. Age by MPE interaction was found for MCST-Categories and Perseveration, so that perseverations decreased to then increased, especially in those with illiterate parents. M-WCST-Category scores increased to then decrease later on age in children with illiterate parents. Z-scores calculated through indigenous ND were significantly lower than generated through non-indigenous norms. Conclusions: ND for minority populations are critical since Waranka sample performed worse when using non-indigenous norms for z-score calculation.

Metabolic profiles of children aged 2-5 years born after frozen and fresh embryo transfer: A Chinese cohort study.

Frozen embryo transfer (FET) has become a widely employed assisted reproductive technology technique. There have historically been concerns regarding the long-term metabolic safety of FET technology in offspring due to pregnancy-induced hypertension and large for gestational age, both of which are well-recognized factors for metabolic dysfunction of children. Therefore, we aimed to compare the metabolic profiles of children born after frozen versus fresh embryo transfer at 2 to 5 years of age. This was a prospective cohort study. Using data from the "Assisted Reproductive Technology borned KIDs (ARTKID)," a birth cohort of offspring born from assisted reproductive technology at the Institute of Women, Children and Reproductive Health, Shandong University, China. We included 4,246 singletons born after FET (n = 2,181) and fresh embryo transfer (n = 2,065) enrolled between 2008 and 2019 and assessed the glucose and lipid variables until the age of 2 to 5 years. During a mean follow-up of 3.6 years, no significant differences were observed in fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance Index, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels between offspring conceived by fresh and frozen embryo transfer in the crude model and adjusted model (adjusted for parental age, parental body mass index, parental education level, paternal smoking, parity, offspring age and sex). These results remained consistent across subgroup analyses considering offspring age, the stage of embryo transfer, and the mode of fertilization. Results from sensitivity analysis on children matched for age within the cohort remains the same. The main limitation of our study is the young age of the offspring. In this study, the impact of FET on glucose and lipid profiles during early childhood was comparable to fresh embryo transfer. Long-term studies are needed to evaluate the metabolic health of offspring born after FET.

Children’s sex composition and transition to higher-order birth among Turkish migrants in Europe and their non-migrant counterparts in Turkey: does having a son matter?

ABSTRACT A growing literature examines parental sex preferences for their children among migrant communities in Western countries and investigates whether migrants’ preferences align with those of the native population. Changes in preference may indicate cultural and structural assimilation into the destination country. We adopted a dissimilation from origins conceptual perspective and compared migrants’ behavior to that of their non-migrant peers in the origin country. We used the unique 2000 Families dataset, which includes multi-generational data on both early labor migrants to Europe and non-migrants from the same regions of origin in Turkey. The study provides the first examination of parental sex preferences for their children and fertility among Turkish migrants and their descendants in Europe and their non-migrant counterparts in Turkey. The findings show ongoing son preference among first-generation migrants and their children, thus supporting the theory of cultural persistence.

The risk of asthma in singletons conceived by ART: a retrospective cohort study.

Do singleton children conceived by ART have a higher asthma risk than naturally conceived (NC) singletons? The asthma risk was similar for ART-conceived singletons and NC singletons, and there were no clear differences between the various types of ART. Whether ART increases asthma risk in offspring is questionable. The evidence is inconsistent and limited by ethnicity, geographic distribution, inadequate confounder adjustment, unsatisfactory control groups, and specific methods of ART. Furthermore, the mediating effects of obstetric and neonatal outcomes on the association between ART and asthma remain unclear. This observational, single-centre study was conducted at a reproductive centre of an affiliated university hospital between September 2009 and April 2023. A total of 3227 singletons aged 3-6 years conceived by IVF versus ICSI or fresh versus frozen embryo transfer were retrospectively enrolled, and a total of 1206 NC singletons of the same age were subsequently recruited. Asthma was defined as a self-reported physician diagnosis or wheezing in the past 12 months. We performed multivariable logistic regression analyses to examine associations between asthma in offspring and ART use, adjusting for parental characteristics (age, education level, occupation type, BMI, asthma), smoking exposure, residence type, child sex, child age, and year of follow-up. Mediating effects were explored using longitudinal mediation structural equation modelling. Asthma was reported for 51 (4.2%) of the 1206 NC singletons (median [interquartile range] age 5 [4-5] years; 48.1% females) and 169 (5.2%) of the 3227 ART-conceived singletons (5 [5-5] years; 47.6% females). We found that risks of childhood asthma in singletons conceived by ART were, overall, similar to those of NC singletons before (odds ratio [OR], 1.25 [95% CI, 0.92-1.74]; P = 0.170) and after adjustment (adjusted OR [aOR], 0.66 [95% CI, 0.44-1.03]; P = 0.126). The results were similar in multiple sensitivity analyses, and there were no clear differences in asthma risks according to the method of ART. Mediation analysis revealed a significant positive indirect effect of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission (standard path coefficient, b = 0.025, P < 0.05) and a negative indirect effect of breastfeeding (b = -0.012, P < 0.05) on the association between ART and asthma in singleton offspring. This study is limited to singletons only and cannot be generalized. The study is also limited by its retrospective observational single-centre nature and sample size. Mediation analyses were exploratory. Therefore, the findings need to be interpreted with caution. These findings can help infertile couples undergoing ART be reassured about the risk of childhood asthma in singleton offspring. Breastfeeding is recommended as a potentially feasible intervention to reduce the asthma risks in ART-conceived children who are at increased potential risk of asthma, such as those with NICU admissions. This work was supported by the Key Research and Development Program of Zhejiang Province (2021C03100), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFC2700603), and the Program for Key Subjects of Zhejiang Province in Medicine and Hygiene to Y. Z., the Zhejiang Province Natural Science Foundation (No. LQ22H040006) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.82101759) to M.T., and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82201860) to J.Y. The authors declare no competing interests. ChiCTR2300069906.