Evidence suggests that children with psychosocial problems face a higher risk of cardiometabolic diseases in adulthood. However, this may already be evident prior to adulthood. In this study, the associations between psychosocial problems at preschool age and cardiometabolic outcomes 6 years later were investigated.

Data from 936 participants from the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development (ABCD) study was used. Psychosocial problems were assessed using the Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) when the children were 5-6 years old, reported by both mothers and teachers. Cardiometabolic parameters, including body mass index, waist circumference, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting glucose, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and carotid intima-media thickness were subsequently measured at ages 11-12 years. The associations between psychosocial problems and cardiometabolic outcomes were assessed using multivariable linear and logistic regression models.

In model 1, adjusted for age, sex, and puberty status, and in model 2, for sociodemographic and biological predisposition factors, the combined mother-teacher score yielded a positive association with clustered cardiometabolic score (b = 0.05, 95% confidence interval = 0.03-0.10) 6 years later. Adjusting for lifestyle factors rendered this association nonsignificant. Significant associations between mother-reported SDQ scores and most cardiometabolic parameters, except for triglycerides, diminished after controlling for confounders. Children with higher total SDQ score (by mother) had 1.31 times higher odds of developing metabolic syndrome (95% confidence interval = 1.05-1.62).

This study established a small inverse association between mother-reported psychosocial problems at ages 5-6 years and cardiometabolic health profile at ages 11-12 years.

The American Heart Association defines cardiovascular health in terms of four behaviors (smoking, diet, physical activity, and body weight) and three factors (plasma glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure). By this definition, the prevalence of ideal cardiovascular health behaviors and factors (ICHBF) is negatively correlated with all-cause mortality and risks of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and malignancy.

To investigate the changing trends of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health scores in the Kailuan study population from 2006 to 2011.

The Kailuan population data from three health checkups held in 2006-2007, 2008-2009, and 2010-2011 were analyzed, and the constituent ratios of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health behaviors and factors at ideal, intermediate, and poor levels were calculated by using Huffman and Capewell method. Simultaneously, the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health behavior and factor scores were calculated.

From 2006 to 2007, the proportion of people with ideal physical exercise, low salt diet, ideal body mass index, ideal total cholesterol level, no smoking, ideal blood sugar, and ideal blood pressure was 13.12%, 9.34%, 49.17%, 64.20%, 49.27%, 69.99%, and 20.55%, respectively, in men with a health score of 8.46, and 12.00%, 9.13%, 61.60%, 64.28%, 98.19%, 78.90% and 36.92% in women, with a score of 10.02. From 2008 to 2009, the proportion was 16.09%, 14.04%, 51.94%, 65.02%, 40.18%, 66.44%, and 17.04% in men, with a score of 8.18, and 16.860%, 17.360%, 64.010%, 67.433%, 98.220%, 76.370%, and 42.340% in women, with a score of 10.12. From 2010 to 2011, the proportion was 12.22%, 17.65%, 49.40%, 68.33%, 48.17%, 64.67%, and 14.68% in males, having a score of 8.21, while in females, the proportion was 11.83%, 18.09%, 49.40%, 67.85%, 98.82%, 74.52%, and 37.78%, with a score of 9.90.

The prevalence of ideal cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health behaviors and factors is low in the Kailuan study population due to inadequate scores of relevant health metrics.

Despite the high prevalence of obesity and the clustering of risk by neighborhood, few studies have examined characteristics which promote healthy child weight in neighborhoods with high obesity risk. We aimed to identify protective factors for children living in neighborhoods with high obesity risk.

We identified neighborhoods with high obesity risk using geolocated electronic health record data with measured body mass index (BMI) from well-child visits (2012-2017). We then recruited caregivers with children aged 5 to 13 years who lived in census tracts with mean child BMI percentile ≥72 (February 2020-August 2021). We used sequential mixed methods (quantitative surveys, qualitative interviews) to compare individual, interpersonal, and perceived neighborhood factors among families with children at a healthy weight (positive outliers [PO]) versus families with ≥1 child with overweight or obesity (controls). Regression models and comparative qualitative analysis were used to identify protective characteristics.

Seventy-three caregivers participated in the quantitative phase (41% PO; 34% preferred Spanish) and twenty in the qualitative phase (50% PO; 50% preferred Spanish). The frequency of healthy caregiver behaviors was associated with being a PO (Family Health Behavior Scale Parent Score adjusted β 3.67; 95% CI 0.52-6.81 and qualitative data). Protective factors also included caregivers' ability to minimize the negative health influences of family members and adhere to family routines.

There were few differences between PO and control families. Support for caregiver healthy habits and adherence to healthy family routines emerged as opportunities for childhood obesity prevention in neighborhoods with high obesity risk.

Maintaining ideal cardiovascular health scores (CHS) may indirectly contribute to reducing the risk of perioperative acute kidney injury (AKI), which has never been explored previously. In this study, we aimed to explore the relationship between CHS and AKI and provide new ideas for AKI prevention and treatment.

We examined the effects of CHS on the occurrence of AKI among 2783 participants from the Kailuan study, who received general anesthesia during noncardiac surgery from 2016 to 2020. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for AKI were calculated by using the logistic regression.

Among 2783 participants 187 were diagnosed with perioperative AKI. We found an inverse relationship between the CHS scores and the risk of AKI. Participants with CHS score ≥ 10 had 57% decreased risk of AKI (OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.23, 0.79), compared with participants with CHS score ≤ 7, especially in men (OR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.20, 0.76). In addition, participants who never smoked, exercised frequently, and had normal blood pressure had decreased risk of AKI, with corresponding ORs (95% CIs) of 0.66 (0.47, 0.91), 0.73 (0.60, 0.92), and 0.46 (0.28, 0.75), respectively.

CHS was strongly associated with the risk of perioperative AKI, and higher CHS scores were associated with a lower risk of AKI. Further research is needed to explore the long-term effects of achieving and maintaining an ideal CHS on AKI risk.

Since it was first defined by the American Heart Association in 2010, cardiovascular health (CVH) has been extensively studied across the life course. In this review, we present the current literature examining early life predictors of CVH, the later life outcomes of child CVH, and the relatively few interventions which have specifically addressed how to preserve and promote CVH across populations. We find that research on CVH has demonstrated that prenatal and childhood exposures are consistently associated with CVH trajectories from childhood through adulthood. CVH measured at any point in life is strongly predictive of future cardiovascular disease, dementia, cancer, and mortality as well as a variety of other health outcomes. This speaks to the importance of intervening early to prevent the loss of optimal CVH and the accumulation of cardiovascular risk. Interventions to improve CVH are not common but those that have been published most often address multiple modifiable risk factors among individuals within the community. Relatively few interventions have been focused on improving the construct of CVH in children. Future research is needed that will be both effective, scalable, and sustainable. Technology including digital platforms as well as implementation science will play key roles in achieving this vision. In addition, community engagement at all stages of this research is critical. Lastly, prevention strategies that are tailored to the individual and their context may help us achieve the promise of personalized prevention and help promote ideal CVH in childhood and across the life course.