Pia Venice R.

Labay October 7, 2022

PSY1201 - Section 9 Formative Assessment 3
Journal about Infancy
Ethnic variation in unexplained deaths in infancy, including sudden infant death
syndrome (SIDS), England and Wales 2006–2012: national birth cohort study
using routine data
The article, “Ethnic variation in unexplained deaths in infancy, including
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), England and Wales 2006–2012: national birth
cohort study using routine data”, by Kroll, Quigley, Kurinczuk, Dattani, Li, and
Hollowell (2018) sought to explain how ethnic differences in the syndrome of sudden
infant death relate to one another (SIDS). There are two different categories of
unexplained newborn deaths: those caused by sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
and those for unknown reasons. From 2006 to 2012, 4.6 million live singleton births,
involving seven non-White ethnic groups, were the subject of the study. Additionally,
between 2006 and 2012, this study intends to assess the number of UDI cases by
various ethnic groups. Using administrative data on births in England and Wales from
1 January 2006 to 31 December 2012, the researchers carried out a national birth
cohort analysis. To distinguish UDIs from other ambiguous and unpredictable causes
of mortality, the study's authors defined UDI as death at an age of less than one year.
The researchers' method of choice was logistic regression and employed a two-sided
test with a level of significance of 5% along with the Stata software version 13.
Overall, according to a study, cultural disparities in infant care between
England and Wales may play a role in the ethnic discrepancy in the risk of infant
fatalities that cannot be explained. It may be possible to prevent such deaths from
occurring in the broader population more effectively with the help of further study
into baby care methods in low-risk ethnic groups. As a result, the adjustments for
gestational age at birth, maternal age, and regional deprivation had no impact. And
there were 1559 unexplained infant deaths. In addition, according to the study's
findings, newborns from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, white non-British people, and
black Africans had a low chance of SIDS, but white British babies have an average
risk. The authors advise readers and aspiring researchers to focus their subsequent
research on investigating ethnically distinctive newborn care methods and protective
customs of families in south Asian families.
Pia Venice R. Labay October 7, 2022
PSY1201 - Section 9 Formative Assessment 3
Journal about Childhood
Early life cognitive function and health behaviours in late childhood: testing the
neuroselection hypothesis
The article, “Early life cognitive function and health behaviours in late
childhood: testing the neuroselection hypothesis”, by Aggio, Smith, and Hamer
(2017), conducted a study to investigate the neuroselection theory and see whether the
cognitive function of children aged 3 to 7 is related to the health behaviors of children
aged 11 years. Higher cognitive function throughout childhood is linked to healthier
behaviors and a lower chance of developing chronic diseases as an adult, however it is
unclear whether this choice of healthier behaviors is made during infancy or later in
life. The current study looked at the relationship between cognitive ability between
the ages of 3 and 7 and health-related behaviors between those ages of 11 and 12.
Using the British Ability Scales, children aged 3 to 7 had their verbal, nonverbal, and
spatial abilities evaluated. Children aged 11 reported how frequently they engaged in
sport or physical exercise, sedentary activities (such as reading and using video games
consoles), cigarette smoking, and alcohol use. The Millennium Cohort Study was
used by the researchers to select the sample of kids who were born between
September 2000 and January 2002. To ensure that everyone would be fairly
represented, the researchers employed strata sampling and oversampled people from
impoverished communities and ethnic groups. According on early childhood
cognition, logistic regression was used to evaluate the likelihood that individuals at
age 11 will engage in healthy behaviors. Data was collected on 18,818 infants with a
9-month old were gathered from 18,552 families. Children aged 3, 5, 7, and 11 were
also given surveys to complete. Using the British Ability Scales, the verbal,
nonverbal, and spatial skills of children aged 3 to 7 were assessed. The statistical
evaluation of 11-year-olds' health-related behaviors was done using binary logistic
regressions.
Some, but not all, better behaviors may result from neuroselection occurring
throughout early childhood by the time a child is 11 years old. However, according to
a study, participation in healthy behaviors when a person is 11 years old is associated
to their early childhood cognition. The findings show that higher cognitively capable
kids tend to choose behaviors that are good for them most of the time. There are
instances, though, when they decide to engage in unhealthy behaviors. Moreover, in
 Pia Venice R. Labay October 7, 2022
PSY1201 - Section 9 Formative Assessment 3
the study's findings, early cognitive development was linked to the adoption of
healthy behaviors by 11-year-olds. Participation in healthy behaviors when a person is
11 years old is associated with their early childhood cognition. In addition, it is clear
that, in contrast to spatial and non-verbal skills, verbal skills showed a stronger
correlation with healthy behaviors at the age of 11. Future researchers are advised by
the authors to investigate further and look for causes and justifications for the
observations made in this study.

References:

Aggio, D., Smith, L., & Hamer, M. (2018). Early life cognitive function and health

behaviours in late childhood: testing the neuroselection hypothesis. Journal of

Epidemiology and Community Health (1979-), 72(1), 41–46.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/26896134?

fbclid=IwAR2A99xxGCl3dJHXZDaYfxbccYCGwoHdubCXY_JydjjZNH3n_1Hma_

B1KNY&seq=4#metadata_info_tab_contents

Kroll, M. E., Quigley, M. A., Kurinczuk, J. J., Dattani, N., Li, Y., & Hollowell, J. (2018).
Ethnic variation in unexplained deaths in infancy, including sudden infant death
syndrome (SIDS), England and Wales 2006–2012: national birth cohort study using
routine data. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health (1979-), 72(10), 911–
918. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26896297?seq=1&cid=pdf-
reference#references_tab_contents