Patterns and correlates of physical activity: a cross-sectional study in urban Chinese women

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Inactivity is a modifiable risk factor for many diseases. Rapid economic development in China has been associated with changes in lifestyle, including physical activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the patterns and correlates of physical activity in middle-aged and elderly women from urban Shanghai.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Study population consisted of 74,942 Chinese women, 40–70 years of age, participating in the baseline survey of the Shanghai Women's Health Study (1997–2000), an ongoing population-based cohort study. A validated, interviewer-administered physical activity questionnaire was used to collect information about several physical activity domains (exercise/sports, walking and cycling for transportation, housework). Correlations between physical activity domains were evaluated by Spearman rank-correlation coefficients. Associations between physical activity and socio-demographic and lifestyle factors were evaluated by odds ratios derived from logistic regression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>While more than a third of study participants engaged in regular exercise, this form of activity contributed only about 10% to daily non-occupational energy expenditure. About two-thirds of women met current recommendations for lifestyle activity. Age was positively associated with participation in exercise/sports and housework. Dietary energy intake was positively associated with all physical activity domains. High socioeconomic status, unemployment (including retirement), history of chronic disease, small household, non-smoking status, alcohol and tea consumption, and ginseng intake were all positively associated with exercise participation. High socioeconomic status and small household were inversely associated with non-exercise activities.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study demonstrates that physical activity domains other than sports and exercise are important contributors to total energy expenditure in women. Correlates of physical activity are domain-specific. These findings provide important information for research on the health benefits of physical activity and have public health implications for designing interventions to promote participation in physical activity.</p

Prevalence, and associated risk factors, of self-reported diabetes mellitus in a sample of adult urban population in Greece: MEDICAL Exit Poll Research in Salamis (MEDICAL EXPRESS 2002)

BACKGROUND: The continuous monitoring and future prediction of the growing epidemic of diabetes mellitus worldwide presuppose consistent information about the extent of the problem. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes and to identify associated risk factors in a sample of adult urban Greek population. METHODS: A cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted in municipality of Salamis, Greece, during an election day (2002). The study sample consisted of 2805 participants, aged 20–94 years. Data were collected using a standardized short questionnaire that was completed by a face-to-face interview. Multiple regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association of diabetes with potential risk factors. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of diagnosed diabetes was 8.7% (95% CI 7.7–9.8%). After age adjustment for the current adult population (2001 census) of Greece, the projection prevalence was calculated to 8.2%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified as independent risk factors: increasing age (odds ratio, OR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.06–1.08), male sex (OR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.04–1.95), overweight and obesity (OR = 1.97, 95% CI 1.29–3.01 and OR = 3.76, 95% CI 2.41–5.86, respectively), family history of diabetes (OR = 6.91, 95% CI 5.11–9.34), hypertension (OR = 2.19, 95% CI 1.60–2.99) and, among women, lower educational level (OR = 2.62, 95% CI 1.22–5.63). The prevalence of overweight and obesity, based on self-reported BMI, were 44.2% and 18.4%, respectively. Moreover, the odds for diabetes in obese subjects with family history were 25-fold higher than those with normal weight and without family history of diabetes, while the odds in overweight subjects with family history of diabetes were 15-fold higher. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicated that the prevalence of diabetes is high in Greek population. It is suggested that the main modifiable contributing factor is obesity, whose effect is extremely increased upon positive heredity presence

Wellbeing and chronic lung disease incidence: The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe

Judith A. Okely and Catharine R. Gale are members of the University of Edinburgh Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, part of the cross council Lifelong Health and Wellbeing Initiative (MR/K026992/1). Funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC) is gratefully acknowledged

Cardiovascular risk factor profile in Greece: Results from the CARD102000 and ATTICA epidemiological studies

During the past decades several epidemiological studies have provided a ‘portrait’ of the potential candidate for cardiovascular disease, introducing many emerging life-style risk factors such as obesity, unhealthy diet, exposure to passive smoking, lack of exercise, psychosocial stress, and depression, as well as elevated levels of triglycerides and clotting factors in the blood. Additionally, many differences have arisen in the estimated risk models, between populations as well as among individuals within populations, that make it difficult to generalise the results. This variation could be attributed to several geographical, cultural, social and behavioural differences between the investigated populations. Thus, the development of local epidemiological studies is considered essential. We present the results from two major epidemiological projects conducted in Greece during 2000-2002, the CARDIO2000 and the ATTICA studies. Among several investigated parameters that were assessed for their influence on the risk of developing non-fatal acute coronary syndromes (CARDIO2000) we selected to present in this report the adverse effect of passive smoking, short-term depressive episodes and the protective effect of moderate alcohol consumption on coronary risk. Moreover, from the ongoing population-based survey (ATTICA) we selected to present our findings regarding the protective effect of the Mediterranean diet as well as the J-shape association between alcohol intake and several clinical and biochemical markers related to cardiovascular disease. Finally, we present the results from the Corfu cohort of the Seven Countries Study that completed four decades of prospective evaluation in the summer of 2001

REGRESSION OF LEFT-VENTRICULAR HYPERTROPHY WITH ISRADIPINE ANTIHYPERTENSIVE THERAPY

To assess left ventricular (LV) structural and functional changes, 45 hypertensive patients were studied by echocardiography after 2 weeks of placebo and 6 months of isradipine monotherapy. Although LV cavity size did not change, LV wall thickness decreased dramatically (P &lt; .0001), producing a significant decrease in LV mass index (from 158 g/m2 to 136 g/m2; P &lt; .0001). In addition, LV fractional shortening (FS) did not change (1.2%; P = NS) whereas the cardiac index increased (6.4%; P = .0007) due to a modest tachycardia accompanied by a reduction in total peripheral resistance (-22.1 %; P &lt; .0001). The magnitude of the reduction of LV mass was related to the degree of FS increase (r = -0.70; P &lt; .0001), an indication of beneficial LV remodeling. It can be concluded that isradipine antihypertensive therapy leads to regression of LV hypertrophy without depression of LV pump function

DYSLIPIDEMIC EFFECTS OF CIGARETTE-SMOKING ON BETA-BLOCKER-INDUCED SERUM-LIPID CHANGES IN SYSTEMIC HYPERTENSION

To assess the effects of beta-blockers on lipids and apolipoproteins in cigarette smokers and non-smokers, 330 patients with systemic hypertension received 1 month of placebo and 6 months of beta-blocker monotherapy. Serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and apolipoproteins A1 and B were measured. Total cholesterol increased with propranolol (smokers vs nonsmokers, 8 vs 2%); increased for smokers and decreased for nonsmokers with atenolol (8 vs -3%), metoprolol (6 vs - 1%) and pindolol (7 vs -6%); and decreased for both groups with celiprolol (-3 vs -10%). HDL cholesterol decreased with propranolol (smokers vs nonsmokers, -8 vs -18%), atenolol (-7 vs -2%) and metoprolol (-12 vs -1%); increased for smokers and decreased for nonsmokers with pindolol (11 vs -2%); and increased for both groups with celiprolol (5 vs 6%). Similar trends were observed with LDL cholesterol and the total/HDL cholesterol ratio. It is concluded that early noncardioselective beta-blockers such as propanolol have significant dyslipidemic effects in both smokers and nonsmokers. Cardioselective drugs such as atenolol and metoprolol, or drugs with partial agonist activity such as pindolol, have variable effects. Celiprolol, a new, highly cardioselective beta-1 blocker with partial beta-2 agonist activity and vasodilatory properties, has favorable effects on lipids and minimizes the dyslipidemic effects associated with smoking

Microalbuminuria is associated with abnormal thoracic aortic mechanics in essential hypertension

Microalbuminuria (MA) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk in diabetic patients,(1,2) in the elderly,(3) and possibly in patients with essential hypertension.(4,5) Cross-sectional analyses have identified associations between MA and clinically overt or subclinical atherosclerotic disease of small and medium-sized arteries,(6-9) implicating MA as a marker of vascular damage that is not confined to the renal arterial bed alone. In this study, we describe an association between the presence of MA and abnormal aortic root mechanics in patients with currently untreated essential hypertension