Reproductive and family planning history, knowledge, and needs: A community survey of low-income women in Beijing, China

10.1186/1472-6874-9-23BMC Women's Health923-BWHM

Generativity and Engagement in Grandparenting Activities Among Older Adults in Northern Sri Lanka

Generativity refers to the desire to pass on one's skills, knowledge, and wisdom to future generations; this may be a clear indicator of the likelihood of older adults investing time and effort in engagement with their grandchildren. This cross-sectional study examines the relationship between generative beliefs and an index of multiple potential grandparenting activities. The data come from a convenience sample of 79 grandparents (aged 55+) living in Sri Lanka, a society experiencing rapid growth in its population of older adults. Regression analyses demonstrate that more endorsement of generative beliefs among older adults is associated with increased engagement in various grandparenting activities, with the strongest associations with reading, singing songs, and helping grandchildren with schoolwork or teaching them. Our findings suggest that generativity may be important for understanding the relationship between grandparenting and improved well-being for older adults

A novel adaptation of the HOME inventory for elders: The importance of the home environment across the life course

The context in which dependents, regardless of age, receive care affects their health. This study adapted the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) Inventory, originally designed for child development research, to assess the quality of stimulation and support available to elders in their habitual households in Sri Lanka. Whether the adapted domains correlated with indicators of health and well-being in ways consistent with the child development literature was then examined. Through mixed-methods research based on 248 household surveys, four focus groups, and 15 interviews, three domains emerged: Physical Environment, Variety of Stimulation, and Emotional and Verbal Responsiveness. Regression modeling revealed that a higher quality physical home environment correlated with two measures of cognitive function after adjusting for covariates, but no consistent association with two psychological well-being scales. In contrast, higher Variety of Stimulation scores correlated with better cognitive function and lower psychological distress. There was no consistent correlation between Responsiveness and selected health outcomes. Qualitative data indicate that elders are active household contributors who strive to achieve harmonious relations with coresident kin. These findings reveal notable synergies between early and late life efforts to improve cognitive and psychological health, and highlight household considerations for future healthy aging research

A guide to assess the use of gene editing in aquaculture

publishedVersio

Selective agents in the adaptive radiation of Hebridean sticklebacks

Question: What selective agents underpin the adaptive radiation of threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) on the Outer Hebridean island of North Uist? Hypothesis: The chief agents of selection for lateral plate number and pelvic score are predatory trout, the availability of dissolved ions, or an interaction of both. Methods: Adult threespine sticklebacks were collected from 26 lochs on North Uist. Fish were killed, stained, and scored for lateral plate number and pelvic score. We also measured the pH and concentration of dissolved calcium and phosphorous of each loch. We assessed the abundance of predatory trout in a subset of lochs by ‘fly fishing’ using a lure that mimicked the appearance of sticklebacks. Results: Dissolved calcium and phosphorous predicted stickleback lateral plate number and pelvic score, while trout abundance failed to predict either. Attack rates by trout on stickleback lures were higher in lochs with higher numbers of trout, with high water clarity, and at higher water temperatures. Our findings implicate a role for the bioavailability of dissolved ions in selection for reduced lateral plate number and pelvic score evolution, with indirect evidence for an effect of trout predation on the adaptive radiation of stickleback populations on North Uist

Care-giving expectations and challenges among elders and their adult children in Southern Sri Lanka

The elderly population in Sri Lanka is growing rapidly. Elders are traditionally cared for in the homes of their adult children, but the shifting socio-economic environment in Sri Lanka challenges this arrangement. This paper describes the dynamics of elder-care-giver relationships in Southern Sri Lanka. Data included four focus group discussions and five in-depth interviews with elderly, and ten in-depth interviews with adult children of the elderly. Discussion guide topics included care-giving arrangements, and roles/responsibilities of elders and care-givers. Using a grounded theory approach, a comprehensive analytic memo was developed and discussed to explore emerging themes on the care-giver dynamic. Both elders and care-givers felt that elders should be taken care of in the home by their children. They pointed to a sense of duty and role modelling of parental care-giving that is passed down through generations. Even as elders desired support from their children, they feared losing their independence, and saw financial autonomy as important for maintaining relationship balance. Care-giving challenges included: households where both the adult child and his/her spouse worked outside the home; households where elders had a disproportionate amount of household work; economically stressed households; and lack of direct communication between elders and care-givers regarding conflicts. Results point to strong values around caring for elderly in the home, but identify challenges to this arrangement in the future

Grandparenting Activities and Mental Health in Northern Sri Lanka

Grandparenting activities are of increasing interest to researchers seeking to understand reduced social engagement and depression among aging adults. Heterogeneity in the population and caretaking roles complicate its measurement. We piloted a measure of grandparenting activities among 79 grandparents (aged 55+) in Sri Lanka and correlated those activity levels with psychological distress. Second, we explored whether the aforementioned correlation varied by grandparent functional limitations. We found that greater engagement in generative grandparenting activities was correlated with lower distress, and that association was stronger among grandparents with more functional limitations. We discuss possible explanations and implications of these findings

Effects of a portion design plate on food group guideline adherence among hospital staff

Food group guideline adherence is vital to prevent obesity and diabetes. Various studies have demonstrated that environmental variables influence food intake behaviour. In the present study we examined the effect of a portion design plate with food group portion guidelines demarcated by coloured lines (ETE Plate™). A two-group quasi-experimental design was used to measure proportions of carbohydrate, vegetable and protein portions and user experience in a hospital staff lounge setting in Singapore. Lunch was served on the portion design plate before 12.15 hours. For comparison, a normal plate (without markings) was used after 12.15 hours. Changes in proportions of food groups from 2 months before the introduction of the design plate were analysed in a stratified sample at baseline (859 subjects, all on normal plates) to 1, 3 and 6 months after (in all 1016 subjects on the design plate, 968 subjects on the control plate). A total of 151 participants were asked about their experiences and opinions. Between-group comparisons were performed using ___t___ tests. Among those served on the portion design plate at 6 months after its introduction, the proportion of vegetables was 4·71 % (P < 0·001) higher and that of carbohydrates 2·83 % (P < 0·001) lower relative to the baseline. No significant change was found for proteins (−1·85 %). Over 6 months, we observed different change patterns between the different food group proportions. While participants were positive about the portion design plate, they did not think it would influence their personal behaviour. A portion design plate might stimulate food group guideline adherence among hospital staff and beyond

Effect of physical activity intervention based on a pedometer on physical activity level and anthropometric measures after childbirth: a randomized controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pregnancy and childbirth are associated with weight gain in women, and retention of weight gained during pregnancy can lead to obesity in later life. Diet and physical activity are factors that can influence the loss of retained pregnancy weight after birth. Exercise guidelines exist for pregnancy, but recommendations for exercise after childbirth are virtually nonexistent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of physical activity intervention based on pedometer on physical activity level and anthropometric measures of women after childbirth.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a randomized controlled trial in which 66 women who had given birth 6 weeks to 6 months prior were randomly assigned to receive either a 12 week tailored program encouraging increased walking using a pedometer (intervention group, n = 32) or routine postpartum care (control group, n = 34). During the 12-week study period, each woman in the intervention group wore a pedometer and recorded her daily step count. The women were advised to increase their steps by 500 per week until they achieved the first target of 5000 steps per day and then continued to increase it to minimum of 10,000 steps per day by the end of 12^thweek. Assessed outcomes included anthropometric measures, physical activity level, and energy expenditure per week. Data were analyzed using the paired t-test, independent t-test, Mann-Whitney, chi-square, Wilcoxon, covariance analysis, and the general linear model repeated measures procedure as appropriate.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After 12 weeks, women in the intervention group had significantly increased their physical activity and energy expenditure per week (4394 vs. 1651 calorie, <it>p </it>< 0.001). Significant differences between-group in weight (<it>P </it>= 0.001), Body Mass Index (<it>P </it>= 0.001), waist circumference (<it>P </it>= 0.001), hip circumference (<it>P </it>= 0.032) and waist-hip ratio (<it>P </it>= 0.02) were presented after the intervention. The intervention group significantly increased their mean daily step count over the study period (from 3249 before, to 9960 after the intervention, <it>p </it>< 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A physical activity intervention based on pedometer is an effective means to increase physical activity; reducing retention of weight gained during pregnancy and can improve anthropometric measures in postpartum women.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ISRCTN: <a href="http://www.controlled-trials.com/IRCT201105026362N1">IRCT201105026362N1</a></p

Multistate analysis from cross-sectional and auxiliary samples

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Leilei Zeng, Richard J. Cook and Jooyoung Lee, Multistate analysis from cross-sectional and auxiliary samples. Statistics in Medicine (2019), 39(4): 387–408 which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/sim.8411.Epidemiological studies routinely involve cross‐sectional sampling of a population comprised of individuals progressing through life history processes. We consider features of a cross‐sectional sample in terms of the intensity functions of a progressive multistate disease process under stationarity assumptions. The limiting values of estimators for regression coefficients in naive logistic regression models are studied, and simulations confirm the key asymptotic results that are relevant in finite samples. We also consider the need for and the use of data from auxiliary samples, which enable one to fit the full multistate life history process. We conclude with an application to data from a national cross‐sectional sample assessing marker effects on psoriatic arthritis among individuals with psoriasis.This work was supported by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada through grants RGPIN 115928 (LZ) and RGPIN 155849 (RJC) and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research through grant FRN 13887 (RJC). Richard Cook is a Tier I Canada Research Chair in Statistical Methods for Health Research