Loneliness and intersectionality: A progressive conditional approach

Both loneliness and intersectionality have become well established areas of academic research since the 1970s and 1980s. Nevertheless, only very recently some meaningful connections were made between the two, although researchers have paid attention to the interactive effects of two or more socio-demographic attributes on loneliness. For intersectionality, much of academic research is invested in establishing it as a theoretical approach in tackling social injustice, whilst how it should be studied empirically remains a major challenge. In contrast, research on loneliness has been predominantly empirical, and the small number of studies on loneliness from the intersectional perspective have adopted different research methodologies. This paper proposes and illustrates an approach loyal to the fundamental principles of intersectionality and simple to conduct in empirical investigations at the same time. First, it focuses exclusively on intersectional cross-classifications rather than both the main and the interactional effects; second, it demands a rationale of starting from one attribute and then moving on to include an additional attribute at a time; third, it examines the intersectional cross-classifications and their relationships with the interested outcome systematically without transforming the data in set memberships. The approach is illustrated with analyses of the data collected in Great Britain in the seventh round (2014/15) of European Social Survey. Young people (under 30) of ethnic minority and born inside Great Britain suffered from the highest percentage of frequent loneliness (15%), whilst their counterparts born outside the country enjoyed the lowest rate. Among the middle-aged, ethnicity determined how vulnerable they were to frequent loneliness. For older people (60+) born outside Great Britain, regardless of ethnicity, the percentage of frequent loneliness was 10%

Meta‐analysis of the association between sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitors and risk of skin cancer among patients with type 2 diabetes

A slight increase in melanoma risk was observed among sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 (SGLT‐2) inhibitor users in the regular reports. However, the association remains uncertain. To address this issue, we performed a systematic search of electronic databases up to May 2, 2018 and a meta‐analysis of 21 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 20 308 patients. We did not find a significant increase in risk of melanoma among SGLT‐2 inhibitor users (Peto odds ratio [OR], 2.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80‐5.89; I2, 0%). Similar results were observed in the subgroup analyses according to the type of SGLT‐2 inhibitor, type of control, ages of patients, race/ethnicity, and trial durations. For non‐melanoma skin cancer risk, no significant difference was observed when all trials were combined (Peto OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.47‐1.07; I2, 0%), while a significantly decreased risk was observed among trials with duration <52 weeks (Peto OR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.02‐0.59; I2, 0%). No evidence of publication bias was detected in the analyses. Current evidence from RCTs did not support a significantly increased risk of skin cancer associated with SGLT‐2 inhibitors

Community‐based responses to loneliness in older people: A systematic review of qualitative studies

In many countries across the world, older people are one of the groups most vulnerable to loneliness. Community-based responses are well placed to support and enhance pre-existing coping strategies in older people. However, the evidence base of these responses remain scattered and obscured, particularly in relation to their design and reasons behind their success. In this systematic review, we focus on qualitative studies on community-based responses to loneliness among older people to learn how these responses work in practice with in-depth details. At the end of a systematic searching and screening process, 17 studies conducted in five countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Spain and the UK) published in English were selected and reviewed initially in October 2020 and then updated at the end of August 2021. Three themes were identified as being most valuable to addressing loneliness in a specific community, namely, autonomy, new social connections, and belonging. These interventions were also employed according to three primary considerations: what the community lacked, how that community experienced loneliness, or a combination of both. Several implications for policymakers and future research emerged, urging future interventions to take a more contextual approach that encompasses community-level considerations before establishing a user-led and tailored setting that facilitates social engagement

Quota Sampling as an Alternative to Probability Sampling? An Experimental Study

In spite of the establishment of probability sampling methods since the 1930s, non-probability sampling methods have remained popular among many commercial and polling agents, and they have also survived the embarrassment from a few incorrect predictions in American presidential elections. The increase of costs and the decline of response rates for administering probability samples have led some survey researchers to search for a non-probability sampling method as an alternative to probability sampling. In this study we aim to test whether results from a quota sample, believed to be the non-probability sampling method that is the closest in representativeness to probability sampling, are statistically equivalent to those from a probability sample. Further, we pay special attention to the effects of the following two factors for understanding the difference between the two sampling methods: the survey's topic and the response rate. An experimental survey on social capital was conducted in a student society in Northeast England. The results suggest that the survey topic influences who responded and that the response rate was associated with the sample means as well. For these reasons, we do not think quota sampling should be taken as an acceptable alternative to probability sampling

An Epidemiological Review of Diet and Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma

Incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma has continued to rise despite public efforts to promote sun protection behaviors among populations at risk. However, dietary factors may also affect the development of melanoma. In the past few decades, findings from epidemiologic and experimental research have linked consumption of several foods and other nutrients to the risk of melanoma. Caffeine has been associated with a lower risk of melanoma, and citrus fruits and alcohol with increased risk. Associations between polyunsaturated fatty acid, niacin/nicotinamide, folate, and vitamin D with melanoma remain controversial. Diet likely influences melanoma development through several potential mechanisms, such as enhancing UV-induced apoptosis and increasing photosensitivity. We conducted a narrative review to summarize recent epidemiologic studies of diet and melanoma based on published literature. Given the high prevalence of the food items and nutrients covered in this review and the decades-long rising melanoma incidence worldwide, the associations we discuss may have important public health implications in terms of reducing melanoma incidence through dietary modification

Statin use and non-melanoma skin cancer risk: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and observational studies

Background Existing evidence of the association between statin use and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) risk has been inconsistent. Objective To maximize statistical power to synthesize prospective evidence on this relationship. Materials and Methods PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrial.gov were systematically searched up to December 11, 2016. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to calculate summary estimates. Results Our meta-analysis of 14 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including 63,157 subjects showed no significant association between statin use and NMSC risk (RR = 1.09, 95%CI = 0.85–1.39). However, meta-analysis of four observational studies including 1,528,215 participants showed significantly increased risk of NMSC among statin users compared to non-users (RR = 1.11, 95%CI = 1.02–1.22). Furthermore, ever using lipophilic statins (RR = 1.14, 95%CI = 1.04–1.24) or lower-potency statins (RR = 1.14, 95%CI = 1.03–1.26), as well as usage of any statin longer than one year (RR = 1.14, 95%CI = 1.09–1.18) were significantly associated with increased NMSC risk based on observational studies. Conclusions Evidence from observational studies supported an association between statin use and increased NMSC risk. This finding should be interpreted with caution due to modest number of included studies, possible between-study heterogeneity and inherent limitations of observational studies

The role of school connectedness and friend contact in adolescent loneliness, and implications for physical health

JI was supported by the Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00022/1) and the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (SPHSU16). The HBSC 2013/14 study in Scotland was funded by NHS Health Scotland (now Public Health Scotland).The current study investigated how adolescents' loneliness relates to school connectedness, classmate support, teacher support, and offline and online communication with friends. We also examined the association between loneliness, physical health, and sleep. Data came from the Scottish Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC). The total sample was 2983 adolescents (F = 1479 [49.6%]) aged 14-17 years (M = 15.66, SD = 0.39) from 117 secondary schools in Scotland. Results showed that (1) higher teacher support, classmate support, and offline contact with friends predicted lower levels of loneliness, (2) online friendship engagement predicted higher levels of loneliness, and (3) poor health and sleep were positively associated with loneliness. The study offers new findings, highlighting the role played by classmates/peers and teachers in reducing loneliness. Supporting previous research, we also found associations between loneliness, poor sleep, and worse physical health.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe