Bubble Wrap PLUS – February 2024

Can’t get enough of Bubble Wrap? The Bubble Wrap Plus is a monthly paediatric Journal Club reading list from Professor Jaan Toelen (University Hospitals Leuven) and Dr Anke Raaijmakers (Sydney Children’s Hospital). 

This comprehensive list is developed from 34 journals, including major and subspecialty paediatric journals. We suggest this list can help you discover relevant or interesting articles for your local journal club or allow you to keep a finger on the pulse of paediatric research.

In the review part of the list, we found an interesting systematic review in JAMA Pediatrics about the relationship between 100% juice consumption and weight gain. The authors concluded that one serving a day of 100% fruit juice was associated with increasing BMI. Their findings support guidance to limit the consumption of fruit juice and prevent excess calorie intake and weight gain. Although parents often think that 100% fruit juice is ‘healthy,’ we should remind them that the extra calories might outweigh the benefits.

Next in the ‘healthy eating habit literature’ is a study by Peprah and colleagues, published in the European Journal of Pediatrics, looking at the association between skipping breakfast and mental health. The study surveyed 2855 Canadian adolescents in 2018 and found that those who skipped breakfast were 2.55 times more likely to report higher psychosomatic symptoms (AOR = 2.55; 95% CI = 1.75-3.82). Intermittent fasting seems to be a trend among youth and adults to maintain a healthy weight, but as always, we must be cautious not to blindly follow trends and be aware of the impact on mental health.

But what if the eating habits of your adolescent patients are fine, but they are just not moving around enough? In the same journal, Kizilkan and colleagues examined the relationship between bone health and problematic video gaming (more than 2 hours a day). Although sedentary behaviours have been linked to decreased bone mass, there is limited research on how video gaming impacts bone health. The authors compared bone mineral densitometry of adolescents with and without problematic video gaming. They found that the gaming group had lower femoral neck z-scores and higher femoral neck BMD risk, yet the lumbar spine z-scores did not differ. Despite more symptoms of depression and lower sleep quality in the gaming group, they were not associated with low BMD risk.

On the other end of the paediatric age spectrum, a meta-analysis in the Journal of Pediatrics found inconsistencies between pictures on baby diaper packaging and safe infant sleep recommendations. They attempted to identify all images on the packaging of baby diapers sold across Europe. They looked at (i) non-supine sleeping position, (ii) soft objects or loose bedding with the child, and (iii) co-sleeping. Their main outcome measure was the proportion of pictures inconsistent with current safety recommendations. Half showed a picture of a sleeping baby. Most (80%) had at least one inconsistency with current infant sleep recommendations. They conclude that the prevention of sudden unexpected death in infancy requires action from manufacturers and legislators to minimize parents’ exposure to misleading images that may lead to dangerous practices.

Paediatric advocacy still has a long road ahead…

You will find the list is broken down into four sections:

If we have missed out on something useful or you think other articles are absolutely worth sharing, please add them in the comments!