Risk factors for low bone mineral density and the 6-year rate of bone loss among premenopausal and perimenopausal women

Risk factors that are associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD) may not necessarily be associated with increased bone loss among premenopausal and perimenopausal women. We determined risk factors for lower premenopausal and perimenopausal BMD while simultaneously determining risk factors for increased 6-year rate of bone loss among women aged 24–50 years within a population-based prospective cohort study. BMD of the lumbar spine and femoral neck, reported as t scores, were measured five times within the 6-year study among 614 women who were between the ages of 24 and 44 in 1992/1993. Rates of bone loss were calculated from the repeated BMD measurements. Risk factors for lower BMD over time at the lumbar spine included history of any fracture ( P =0.005). The major risk factor for lower BMD over time at the femoral neck was family history of osteoporosis ( P <0.002). The major protective factor for greater BMD over time at both skeletal sites was additional body weight ( P <0.0001). Other protective factors for greater BMD over time at the femoral neck were modest alcohol consumption ( P =0.0002) and high-school sports participation ( P =0.002). Risk factors for greater bone loss at either skeletal site included postmenopausal status ( P <0.0001 at the lumbar spine; P =0.01 at the femoral neck), and the reporting of a reproductive cancer ( P <0.0001 at the lumbar spine; P =0.0008 at the femoral neck). Body weight was protective against bone loss at both skeletal sites ( P <0.0001). Baseline age, calcium intake, smoking, and current physical activity were not associated with BMD or bone loss. The understanding of the relative importance of risk factors for both low BMD and bone loss may assist in the identification of women at greater risk for subsequent low postmenopausal BMD.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45909/1/198_2003_Article_1562.pd

Risk factors for hearing impairment among adults with diabetes: The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)

Aim: The aim was to examine risk factors for hearing impairment among Hispanic/Latino adults with diabetes. Methods: Findings are based on 3384 participants aged 18–76 years with diagnosed or previously undetected diabetes who completed audiometric testing as part of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. We defined hearing impairment as the pure-tone average (PTA) >25 decibels hearing level [dB HL] of pure-tone thresholds at high frequencies (3000, 4000, 6000, and 8000 Hz) in the worse ear and defined a second hearing impairment outcome with the additional requirement of PTA >25 dB HL of low/mid-frequency (500, 1000, and 2000 Hz) thresholds in the worse ear. We identified independent associations using logistic regression. Results: Controlling for age and Hispanic/Latino background, prevalence ratios for hearing impairment in the high plus low/mid frequencies were 1.35 (95% CI 1.07, 1.71) for current smoking, 1.64 (1.14, 2.38) for alcohol consumption (≥14 drinks/week for men or ≥ 7 drinks/week for women), and 1.29 (1.06, 1.56) for triglycerides ≥ 150 mg/dL. For high-frequency only hearing impairment, the prevalence ratio for estimated glomerular filtration rate 30–59 mL/min/1.73 m2 was 1.23 (1.03, 1.47) adjusted for age and sex. People with family income less than $20,000 had almost twice the prevalence of hearing impairment (PR = 1.93 (1.34, 2.78)) as people with income over$40,000. Conclusions: Current smoking, alcohol consumption, high triglycerides, and chronic kidney disease are potentially preventable correlates of hearing impairment for persons with diabetes. Low income is a marker of increased likelihood of hearing impairment

Artificial Social Intelligence

Sociologists have begun to explore the gains for theory and research that might be achieved by artificial intelligence technology: symbolic processors, expert systems, neural networks, genetic algorithms, and classifier systems. The first major accomplishments of artificial social intelligence (ASI) have been in the realm of theory, where these techniques have inspired new theories as well as helping to render existing theories more rigorous. Two application areas for which ASI holds great promise are the sociological analysis of written texts and data retrieval from the forthcoming Global Information Infrastructure. ASI has already been applied to some kinds of statistical analysis, but how competitive it will be with more conventional techniques remains unclear. To take advantage of the opportunities offered by ASI, sociologists will have to become more computer literate and will have to reconsider the place of programming and computer science in the sociological curriculum. ASI may be a revolutionary approach with the potential to rescue sociology from the doldrums into which some observers believe it has fallen

Factors Associated With Self-Perceived Hearing Handicap in Adults From Hispanic/Latino Background: Findings From the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos

Objectives: We sought to determine what factors, including acculturation (language and social contact preferences), were associated with self-perceived hearing handicap among adults from Hispanic/Latino background. We utilized the Aday-Andersen behavioral model of health services utilization to frame our hypotheses that predisposing characteristics (age, sex, education, city of residence, Hispanic/Latino background, and acculturation), enabling resources (annual income and current health insurance coverage), and need (measured hearing loss and self-reported hearing loss) would be related to clinically-significant self-perceived hearing handicap as measured by the Hearing Handicap Inventory – Screening (HHI-S) version. Design: We analyzed baseline data collected from 2008 to 2011 as part of the multisite Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. Data were from 6585 adults with hearing loss (defined by a worse-ear 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz pure-tone average [PTA] of ≥25 dB HL and/or a 4000, 6000, and 8000 Hz high-frequency PTA of ≥25 dB HL) aged 18 to 74 years from various Hispanic/Latino backgrounds. We conducted a series of multivariable logistic regression models examining the roles of independent variables of interest representing predisposing, enabling, and need indicators on the occurrence of clinically-significant self-perceived hearing handicap (e.g., HHI-S score \u3e 8). Results: Among included participants, 953 (14.5%) had an HHI-S score \u3e8. The final model revealed significant associations between predisposing characteristics, enabling resources, need, and HHI-S outcome. Predisposing characteristics and need factors were associated with higher odds of reporting self-perceived hearing handicap (HHI-S score \u3e8) including acculturation as measured by the Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (odds ratio [OR] = 1.28, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09–1.50), female sex (OR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.27–2.33), and poorer worse ear 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz PTA (OR = 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01-1.03); suggesting that a 5-decibel increase in a person’s PTA was consistent with 10% higher odds of a HHI-S score of \u3e8. Greater enabling resources were associated with lower odds of reporting clinically-significant self-perceived hearing handicap: compared with individuals with income \u3c$10,000/year, the multivariable-adjusted OR among individuals with income$40,000 to $7500/year was 0.55 (95$75,000/year was 0.28 (95% CI: 0.13–0.59]; p-trend \u3c 0.0001). Conclusions: Our findings suggest there are associations between predisposing, enabling and need variables consistent with the Aday-Andersen model and self-perceived hearing handicap among adults from Hispanic/Latino background. The influence of language and culture on perceived hearing loss and associated handicap is complex, and deserves more attention in future studies. Our findings warrant further investigation into understanding the role of language and language access in hearing health care utilization and outcomes, as the current body of literature is small and shows mixed outcomes

Collaborating for community-engaged scholarship in health and wellbeing: a co-autoethnographic study of an Indigenous self-determined researcher development

Daniels, CR ORCiD: 0000-0002-0672-0450In this article, we provide an emic perspective of being uniquely positioned as part of Australia’s only multidisciplinary Indigenous research network, the National Indigenous Research and Knowledges Network (NIRAKN). We used collaborative autoethnography and reflection in our practices and experiences. Our purpose was to better understand and improve the functionality of our research network and practice, and to offer some direction for the growth and sustainability of NIRAKN and similar networks. Our narratives strongly demonstrate that mainstream models of support for Indigenous researchers have major limitations for professional development and cultural safety, and do not meet our needs and realities. The significant message is that we need appropriately resourced exclusive spaces and must lead, develop and define the theoretical and cultural specifications and applications of Indigenous researcher support models in higher education institutions. The model should be cross-disciplinary, have national and international reach and be characterised by connectedness, cultural safety and self-determination, and be located in a resource-rich environment