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Urine is an attractive biospecimen for nutritional status and population health surveys. It is an excellent non-invasive alternative to blood for appropriate biomarkers in young children and is suitable for home-based collection, enabling representative collections across a population. However, the bulk of literature in this population is restricted to collection in primary care settings.

Early infancy is a critical period for immune development. In addition to being the primary food source during early infancy, human milk also provides multiple bioactive components that shape the infant gut microbiome and immune system and provides a constant source of exposure to maternal microbiota. Given the potential interplay between allergic diseases and the human microbiome, this study aimed to characterise the milk microbiome of allergic mothers.

Cohort studies investigating respiratory disease pathogenesis aim to pair mechanistic investigations with longitudinal virus detection but are limited by the burden of methods tracking illness over time. In this study, we explored the utility of a purpose-built AERIAL TempTracker smartphone app to assess real-time data collection and adherence monitoring and overall burden to participants, while identifying symptomatic respiratory illnesses in two birth cohort studies.

Family-based lifestyle interventions for children/adolescents with severe levels of obesity are numerous, but evidence indicates programs fail to elicit short- or longer-term weight loss outcomes. Families with lived experience can provide valuable insight as we strive to improve outcomes from programs. Our aim was to explore elements that families desired in a program designed to treat severe levels of obesity in young people.

Although many mothers initiate breastfeeding, supplementation with human-milk substitutes (formula) during the birth hospitalization is common and has been associated with early breastfeeding cessation. Colostrum hand expressed in the last few weeks before birth, known as antenatal colostrum expression (ACE), can be used instead of human-milk substitutes. However, evidence is lacking on the efficacy of ACE on breastfeeding outcomes and in non-diabetic mothers. 

IgE-mediated sensitisation to egg is common in infants. In some cases, the processes leading to egg sensitisation are established in early life, even before introduction to solid foods. The underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. 

The transition to motherhood can be challenging, especially for first-time mothers, and can accompany maternal distress. Social support—such as that offered by peers—can be important in assisting mothers to manage such distress.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted new mothers’ wellbeing and breastfeeding experience. Women have experienced changes in birth and postnatal care and restricted access to their support network. It is unclear how these impacts may have changed over time with shifting rates of infection and policies restricting movement and access to services in Australia and New Zealand.

Clinical studies supported by immunological data indicate early life intervention strategies to be promising in reducing the growing global burden of food allergies. The events that predispose to food allergy, including the induction of allergen-specific immune responses, appear to be initiated early in development.

To reduce peanut allergy prevalence, infant feeding guidelines now recommend introducing peanuts in an age-appropriate form (such as peanut butter) as part of complementary feeding. However, due to a lack of randomized trial evidence, most infant feeding and food allergy prevention guidelines do not include tree nuts. The aims of this trial were to determine safety and feasibility of dosage consumption recommendations for infant cashew nut spread introduction.