Public Health Nutrition: 15(9), 1601–1602 doi:10.1017/S1368980012003710 Editorial Nutrition of infants and young children The journal is receiving many papers on childhood nutrition. The editorial board has therefore decided to dedicate a number of issues of the journal to research on children’s nutritional health, interventions in children, and policy implications. This issue is especially targeting research on children of pre-school age or younger. The first paper involves monitoring and surveillance from the perspective of child growth (1) . It is a very important paper, pointing at the large number of countries that have adopted the new growth standards based on breast-fed children. Assessment is dealt with in papers related to physical activity (2) , possession score v. poverty index (3) and a nutrition knowledge questionnaire (4) . Breast-feeding is of course an important part of this issue, looking at links between breast-feeding and adiposity (5) and the father’s role in breast-feeding support (6) . The very hot topic of cognition and nutrition is dealt with in two papers (7,8) . Childhood nutrition of course includes issues of undernutrition (9,10) , stunting (11) , general growth (12) and nutrient status (13,14) . Among the interventions, the interested reader can find a folic acid intervention during pregnancy (8) and a nutrition and physical activity interven- tion in 2–4-year-olds (15) . Effects of a change in foods approved by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) on food sales are described (16) , and last but not least, an important paper on the targeting of children in marketing of foods (17) is included in this issue. We wish you a good time reading this issue; and trust that you will find good use for the included papers and perhaps of the complete issue in teaching or in your own research. Agneta Yngve Editor-in-Chief Marilyn Tseng Irja Haapala Allison Hodge Deputy Editors References 1. de Onis M, Onyango A, Borghi E et al. (2012) Worldwide implementation of the WHO Child Growth Standards. Public Health Nutr 15, 1603–1610. 2. Bayer O, Jarczok M, Fischer J et al. (2012) Validation and extension of a simple questionnaire to assess physical activity in pre-school children. Public Health Nutr 15, 1611–1619. 3. Rohner F, Tschannen AB, Northrop-Clewes C et al. (2012) Comparison of a possession score and a poverty index in predicting anaemia and undernutrition in pre-school children and women of reproductive age in rural and urban Cote d’Ivoire. Public Health Nutr 15, 1620–1629. 4. Vereecken C, De Pauw A, Van Cauwenbergh S et al. (2012) Development and test–retest reliability of a nutrition knowledge questionnaire for primary-school children. Public Health Nutr 15, 1630–1638. 5. Gopinath B, Subramanian I, Flood VM et al. (2012) Relationship between breast-feeding and adiposity in infants and pre-school children. Public Health Nutr 15, 1639–1644. 6. Nickerson LE, Sykes AC & Fung TT (2012) Mothers’ experience of fathers’ support for breast-feeding. Public Health Nutr 15, 1780–1787. 7. McAfee AJ, Mulhern MS, McSorley EM et al. (2012) Intakes and adequacy of potentially important nutrients for cognitive development among 5-year-old children in the Seychelles Child Development and Nutrition Study. Public Health Nutr 15, 1670–1677. 8. Chatzi L, Papadopoulou E, Koutra K et al. (2012) Effect of high doses of folic acid supplementation in early preg- nancy on child neurodevelopment at 18 months of age: the mother–child cohort ‘Rhea’ study in Crete, Greece. Public Health Nutr 15, 1728–1736. 9. Zongrone A, Winskell K & Menon P (2012) Infant and young child feeding practices and child undernutrition in Bangladesh: insights from nationally representative data. Public Health Nutr 15, 1697–1704. 10. Masibo PK & Makoka D (2012) Trends and determinants of undernutrition among young Kenyan children: Kenya Demographic and Health Survey; 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008–2009. Public Health Nutr 15, 1715–1727. 11. Fenn B, Bulti AT, Nduna T et al. (2012) An evaluation of an operations research project to reduce childhood stunting in a food-insecure area in Ethiopia. Public Health Nutr 15, 1746–1754. 12. Thakwalakwa CM, Ashorn P, Jawati M et al. (2012) An effectiveness trial showed lipid-based nutrient supplement- ation but not corn–soya blend offered a modest benefit in weight gain among 6- to 18-month-old under- weight children in rural Malawi. Public Health Nutr 15, 1755–1762. 13. Abdul-Razzak KK, Khoursheed AM, Altawalbeh SM et al. (2012) Hb level in relation to vitamin D status in healthy infants and toddlers. Public Health Nutr 15, 1683–1687. 14. Hotz C, Chileshe J, Siamusantu W et al. (2012) Vitamin A intake and infection are associated with plasma retinol among pre-school children in rural Zambia. Public Health Nutr 15, 1688–1696. 15. De Coen V, De Bourdeaudhuij I, Vereecken C et al. (2012) Effects of a 2-year healthy eating and physical activity intervention for 3–6-year-olds in communities of high and low socio-economic status: the POP (Prevention of Overweight among Pre-school and school children) project. Public Health Nutr 15, 1737–1745. r The Authors 2012