title: Early malnutrition predicts parent reports of externalizing behaviors at ages 9-17.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether externalizing behaviors are more prevalent in youth who have experienced an episode of malnutrition in the first year of life than in healthy comparison youth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents of previously malnourished youth and a matched healthy comparison group completed a behavior rating scale when the youth were 9-15 years of age and again, 2 years later, when they were 11-17 years of age. Longitudinal multiple regression analysis was applied to evaluate group differences adjusted for baseline age, sex, household standard of living, and maternal depressive symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Early childhood malnutrition was associated with problems in executive functioning at both occasions. Malnutrition also predicted discernibly higher parent-reported levels of aggression toward peers at 9-15 years than at 11-17 years. These findings were independent of baseline age, sex, household standard of living, and maternal depressive symptoms. Problem behaviors in general decreased during follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parents report persisting problems with executive functioning through adolescence in youth who suffered an episode of moderate-to-severe protein-energy malnutrition in the first year of life, while reports of aggression, although more common when this cohort were younger, did not persist at follow-up.
authors: Judge Baker Children's Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02120, USA. jgaller@jbcc.harvard.edu
authors: Janina R
authors: JR
authors: Galler
authors: Cyralene P
authors: CP
authors: Bryce
authors: Deborah P
authors: DP
authors: Waber
authors: Gayle
authors: G
authors: Medford
authors: G David
authors: GD
authors: Eaglesfield
authors: Garrett
authors: G
authors: Fitzmaurice
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D010290:Parents; D015995:Prevalence; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires