38 research outputs found
Child homicides by stepfathers: A replication and reassessment of the British evidence
Daly and Wilson (1994, 2008) reported that rates of fatal assaults of young children by stepfathers are over 100 times those by genetic fathers, and they explain the difference in evolutionary terms. Their study was replicated by comparing updated homicide data and population data from 3 surveys. This indicated that the risk to young stepchildren was approximately 16 times that to genetic children, and stepfathers were twice as likely to kill by beating. However, when we controlled for fatherâs age, the risk from cohabiting stepfathers was approximately 6 times greater. Above the age of 4 years, stepchildren were at no greater risk than genetic children. Children are at risk from fathers primarily when both are young and they do not live together; stepfathersâ apparent overrepresentation results largely from their relative youth and from many nonresidential perpetrators being labeled stepfathers. Other factors are also influential, but if these include stepparenthood, its impact is considerably less than previous researchers have claimed
Ethnic variations in mental health among 10â15-year-olds living in England and Wales: The impact of neighbourhood characteristics and parental behaviour
Several studies indicate that young people from certain ethnic minority groups in Britain have significant mental health advantages over their White majority counterparts, but the reasons for these differences have not been adequately explored. This work analyses the impact of neighbourhood characteristics, measured by socioeconomic deprivation; crime; living conditions; ethnic density and parenting behaviour on the mental health of young people. To determine the impact of these factors on mental health among young people, geocoded data from waves 1, 3 and 5 of the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) are merged with small area statistics from the 2011 census, and multilevel linear regression models are fitted to the sample of 5513 (7302 observations) 10â15-year-olds of varying ethnicity residing in England and Wales. We find that mental health is generally poorer for White British youths, even after accounting for individual/family-level predictors, neighbourhood characteristics and parental behaviour than it is for minority youths. In keeping with results from studies of adult populations, neighbourhoods with high levels of deprivation are associated with poorer mental health. However, some aspects of parenting behaviour appear to have a more significant impact on the mental health of young people from ethnic minority backgrounds than on White British youths. Further research into factors that influence inter-ethnic disparities in mental health among young people is warranted, given that clear differences remain after the models in this study are fully adjusted
Does the ethno-religious diversity of a neighbourhood affect the perceived health of its residents?
Concerns about the diversification of Britain, and its impact on social capital and health are widely debated. The literature has however produced a fuzzy discourse, full of assumptions and claims that are rarely tested. We attempt to disentangle some of these assumptions by providing empirical evidence on the mediating and moderating influence of inter-ethnic conflict and contact, and examine whether they underlie the erosion of health among minorities and White British respondents residing in diverse local areas. Analyses were conducted using multilevel models that relied on geocoded data from a random stratified sample of adults 16â75 years collected in the 2009â2010 Citizenship Survey merged to small area aggregated statistics from the 2011 UK census. The final sample comprised of minorities (nâŻ=âŻ13,236) and White British (nâŻ=âŻ15,021) residing in England. We find that local area deprivation matters much more for the health of minorities and Whites than diversity. Yet, residing in diverse areas can be problematic for Whites if it is accompanied by high levels of social distance measured by negative attitudes towards immigrants (ÎČ: 0.30, SE: 0.09). Greater contact among minorities [informal social interactions (ISI) (ÎČ:â0.04,SE:0.08)] diverse friendship network (DFN) (ÎČ:â0.04, SE:0.07) and civic engagement CE (ÎČ: 0.07, SE:0.10)] and Whites [ISI (ÎČ: â0.12, SE: 0.06), DFN (ÎČ: â0.05, SE:0.09) and CE (ÎČ:0.02, SE:0.10)], residing in more diverse areas appears to have no significant effect on health. The findings supported our hypothesis that residing in areas of greater diversity has a differential impact on minorities when compared to Whites. In particular, diversity appear to be more beneficial for minorities, especially newly arriving migrants. The effect of contact as measured by social capital is dwarfed in comparison to the effect of deprivation, underlying the importance for policy makers to tackle structural inequalities
Social Capital, Deprivation and Psychological Well-Being among Young Adolescents: A Multilevel Study from England and Wales.
Examining the mechanisms influencing mental health and life satisfaction simultaneously allows for a better understanding of adolescents psychological well-being. Six indicators of neighbourhood social capital (NSC), neighbourhood socioeconomic deprivation (SecD) and their association with psychological well-being among young adolescents aged 10-15 from England and Wales were investigated. Using a random sample of 5201 adolescents (7253 observations) from the UK Household Longitudinal Study merged to aggregated local area census measures, we fitted a series of multilevel models. The findings showed that not being worried about crime and friendship networks mitigated the negative effects of deprivation on adolescent's psychological well-being. These findings suggest that some forms of NSC may have a buffering and protective function, with the strongest effects in deprived neighbourhoods. We further found that psychological well-being of adolescents is dependent on both individual vulnerabilities and neighbourhood context. However caution is required if, and when public health policies are formulated to address this issue, given significant variations (27-36%) in the inter- and intra-individual psychological well-being were found among this group over time. Thus, policies designed to improve psychological well-being among adolescents should take into account the role of social processes in transmitting deprivation's effects, as well as the various forms of social capital
Socioeconomic inequalities in overweight and obesity among 6â to 9âyearâold children in 24 countries from the World Health Organization European region
Childhood overweight and obesity have significant short- and long-term negative impacts on children's health and well-being. These challenges are unequally distributed according to socioeconomic status (SES); however, previous studies have often lacked standardized and objectively measured data across national contexts to assess these differences. This study provides a cross-sectional picture of the association between SES and childhood overweight and obesity, based on data from 123,487 children aged 6â9 years in 24 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) European region. Overall, associations were found between overweight/obesity and the three SES indicators used (parental education, parental employment status, and family-perceived wealth). Our results showed an inverse relationship between the prevalence of childhood overweight/obesity and parental education in high-income countries, whereas the opposite relationship was observed in most of the middle-income countries. The same applied to family-perceived wealth, although parental employment status appeared to be less associated with overweight and obesity or not associated at all. This paper highlights the need for close attention to context when designing interventions, as the association between SES and childhood overweight and obesity varies by country economic development. Population-based interventions have an important role to play, but policies that target specific SES groups are also needed to address inequalities.The authors gratefully acknowledge support through a grant from the
Russian Government in the context of the WHO European Office for
the Prevention and Control of NCDs. The Ministries of health of Austria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Malta, Norway, and the Russian Federation
provided financial support for the meetings at which the protocol,
data collection procedures, and analyses were discussed. Data collection in the countries was made possible through funding from: Albania: World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office Albania and
the WHO Regional Office for Europe. Bulgaria: WHO Regional Office
for Europe. Croatia: Ministry of Health, Croatian Institute of Public
Health and WHO Regional Office for Europe. Czechia: Ministry of
Health of the Czech Republic, grant nr. 17-31670A and MZCRâRVO
EU 00023761. Denmark: The Danish Ministry of Health. France: Santé
publique France, the French Agency for Public Health. Georgia: WHO.
Ireland: Health Service Executive. Italy: Italian Ministry of Health; Italian National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di SanitĂ ). Kazakhstan: the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan within the
scientific and technical program. Kyrgyzstan: World Health Organization.
Latvia: Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health,
Latvia. Lithuania: Science Foundation of Lithuanian University of Health
Sciences and Lithuanian Science Council and WHO. Malta: Ministry of
Health; Montenegro: WHO and Institute of Public Health of Montenegro. Poland, National Health Program, Ministry of Health. Portugal: Ministry of Health Institutions, the National Institute of Health, Directorate
General of Health, Regional Health Directorates and the kind technical
support from the Center for Studies and Research on Social Dynamics
and Health (CEIDSS). Romania: Ministry of Health; Russian Federation:
WHO. San Marino: Health Ministry, Educational Ministry, Social Security
Institute and Health Authority. Spain: the Spanish Agency for Food
Safety & Nutrition. Tajikistan: WHO Country Office in Tajikistan and
Ministry of Health and Social Protection. Turkmenistan: WHO Country
Office in Turkmenistan and Ministry of Health. Turkey: Turkish Ministry
of Health and World Bank.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Determinants and impact of role-related time use allocation on self-reported health among married men and women: a cross-national comparative study
Background Research on the effects of marriage on health maintains that there is a gender-specific gradient, with men deriving far greater benefits than women. One reason provided for this difference is the disproportionate amount of time spent by women on housework and childcare. However, this hypothesis has yet to be explicitly tested for these role-related time use activities. This study provides empirical evidence on the association between role-related time use activities (i.e. housework, childcare and paid work) and self-reported health among married men and women.
Methods Data from the Multinational Time Use Study (MTUS) on 32,881 men and 26,915 women from Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US were analyzed. Seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) models and multivariable logistic regression were used to estimate the association between role-related time use activities and self-reported health among married men and women.
Results The findings showed that education, occupation and number of children under 18 years old in the household were the most consistent predictors of time allocation among married men and women. Significant gender differences were also found in time allocation, with women sacrificing paid working time or reducing time devoted to housework for childcare. Men, in contrast, were less likely to reduce paid working hours to increase time spent on childcare, but instead reduced time allocation to housework. Allocating more time to paid work and childcare was associated with good health, whereas time spent on housework was associated with poor health, especially among women.
Conclusions Time allocation to role-related activities have differential associations on health, and the effects vary by gender and across countries. To reduce the gender health gap among married men and women, public policies need to take social and gender roles into account
Socioeconomic disparities in physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep patterns among 6- to 9-year-old children from 24 countries in the WHO European region
Physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep are important predictors of children's health. This paper aimed to investigate socioeconomic disparities in physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep across the WHO European region. This cross-sectional study used data on 124,700 children aged 6 to 9 years from 24 countries participating in the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative between 2015 and 2017. Socioeconomic status (SES) was measured through parental education, parental employment status, and family perceived wealth. Overall, results showed different patterns in socioeconomic disparities in children's movement behaviors across countries. In general, high SES children were more likely to use motorized transportation. Low SES children were less likely to participate in sports clubs and more likely to have more than 2 h/day of screen time. Children with low parental education had a 2.24 [95% CI 1.94-2.58] times higher risk of practising sports for less than 2 h/week. In the pooled analysis, SES was not significantly related to active play. The relationship between SES and sleep varied by the SES indicator used. Importantly, results showed that low SES is not always associated with a higher prevalence of "less healthy" behaviors. There is a great diversity in SES patterns across countries which supports the need for country-specific, targeted public health interventions.The authors gratefully acknowledge support from a grant from the
Russian Government in the context of the WHO European Office for
the Prevention and Control of NCDs. Data collection in the countries
was made possible through funding from: Croatia: Ministry of Health,
Croatian Institute of Public Health and WHO Regional Office for
Europe. Albania: World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office
Albania and the WHO Regional Office for Europe. Bulgaria: WHO
Regional Office for Europe. Czech Republic: Ministry of Health of the
Czech Republic, grant nr. AZV MZÄR 17-31670 A and MZÄRâRVO
EĂ 00023761. Denmark: The Danish Ministry of Health. France:
Santé publique France, the French Agency for Public Health. Georgia:
WHO. Ireland: Health Service Executive. Italy: Italian Ministry of
Health; Italian National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di
SanitĂ ). Kazakhstan: the Ministry of Health of the Republic of
Kazakhstan within the scientific and technical program. Kyrgyzstan:
World Health Organization. Latvia: Centre for Disease Prevention and
Control, Ministry of Health, Latvia. Lithuania: Science Foundation of
Lithuanian University of Health Sciences and Lithuanian Science
Council and WHO. Malta: Ministry of Health. Montenegro: WHO and
Institute of Public Health of Montenegro. Poland: National Health
Programme, Ministry of Health. Portugal: Ministry of Health Institutions, the National Institute of Health, Directorate General of Health,
Regional Health Directorates and the kind technical support from the
Center for Studies and Research on Social Dynamics and Health
(CEIDSS). Romania: Ministry of Health. Russian Federation: WHO. San Marino: Health Ministry. Spain: the Spanish Agency for Food
Safety & Nutrition. Tajikistan: WHO Country Office in Tajikistan and
Ministry of Health and Social Protection; Turkmenistan: WHO
Country Office in Turkmenistan and Ministry of Health. Turkey:
Turkish Ministry of Health and World Bank. Austria: Federal Ministry
of Labor, Social Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection of Austria.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Parental Perceptions of Childrenâs Weight Status in 22 Countries: The WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative: COSI 2015/2017
Introduction: Parents can act as important agents of change
and support for healthy childhood growth and development. Studies have found that parents may not be able to
accurately perceive their childâs weight status. The purpose
of this study was to measure parental perceptions of their
childâs weight status and to identify predictors of potential
parental misperceptions. Methods: We used data from the
World Health Organization (WHO) European Childhood
Obesity Surveillance Initiative and 22 countries. Parents
were asked to identify their perceptions of their childrenâs
weight status as âunderweight,â ânormal weight,â âa little
overweight,â or âextremely overweight.â We categorized
childrenâs (6â9 years; n = 124,296) body mass index (BMI) as
BMI-for-age Z-scores based on the 2007 WHO-recommended growth references. For each country included in the analysis and pooled estimates (country level), we calculated the
distribution of children according to the WHO weight status
classification, distribution by parental perception of childâs
weight status, percentages of accurate, overestimating, or
underestimating perceptions, misclassification levels, and
predictors of parental misperceptions using a multilevel logistic regression analysis that included only children with
overweight (including obesity). Statistical analyses were performed using Stata version 15 1. Results: Overall, 64.1% of
parents categorized their childâs weight status accurately
relative to the WHO growth charts. However, parents were
more likely to underestimate their childâs weight if the child
had overweight (82.3%) or obesity (93.8%). Parents were
more likely to underestimate their childâs weight if the child
was male (adjusted OR [adjOR]: 1.41; 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.28â1.55); the parent had a lower educational level
(adjOR: 1.41; 95% CI: 1.26â1.57); the father was asked rather
than the mother (adjOR: 1.14; 95% CI: 0.98â1.33); and the
family lived in a rural area (adjOR: 1.10; 95% CI: 0.99â1.24).
Overall, parentsâ BMI was not strongly associated with the
underestimation of childrenâs weight status, but there was a
stronger association in some countries. Discussion/Conclusion: Our study supplements the current literature on factors
that influence parental perceptions of their childâs weight
status. Public health interventions aimed at promoting
healthy childhood growth and development should consider parentsâ knowledge and perceptions, as well as the sociocultural contexts in which children and families live.The authors gratefully acknowledge support from a grant from
the Russian Government in the context of the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of NCDs. Data collection in the
countries was made possible through funding by: Albania: World
Health Organization through the Joint Programme on Children,
Food Security and Nutrition âReducing Malnutrition in Children,â funded by the Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund, and the Institute of Public Health; Bulgaria: Ministry
of Health, National Center of Public Health and Analyses, World
Health Organization Regional Office for Europe; Croatia: Ministry of Health, Croatian Institute of Public Health and World
Health Organization Regional Office for Europe; Czechia: Grants
AZV MZÄR 17-31670 A and MZÄR â RVO EĂ 00023761; Denmark: Danish Ministry of Health; France: French Public Health
Agency; Georgia: World Health Organization; Ireland: Health
Service Executive; Italy: Ministry of Health; Istituto Superiore di
sanitĂ (National Institute of Health); Kazakhstan: Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan and World Health Organization Country Office; Latvia: n/a; Lithuania: Science Foundation of
Lithuanian University of Health Sciences and Lithuanian Science
Council and World Health Organization; Malta: Ministry of
Health; Montenegro: World Health Organization and Institute of
Public Health of Montenegro; Poland: National Health Programme, Ministry of Health; Portugal: Ministry of Health Institutions, the National Institute of Health, Directorate General of
Health, Regional Health Directorates and the kind technical support of Center for Studies and Research on Social Dynamics and
Health (CEIDSS); Romania: Ministry of Health; Russia (Moscow): n/a; San Marino: Health Ministry; Educational Ministry; Social Security Institute; the Health Authority; Spain: Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN); Tajikistan: World
Health Organization Country Office in Tajikistan and Ministry of
Health and Social Protection; and Turkmenistan: World Health
Organization Country Office in Turkmenistan and Ministry of
Health. The authors alone are responsible for the views expressed
in this article and they do not necessarily represent the views, decisions, or policies of the institutions with which they are affiliated.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Methodology and implementation of the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI)
Establishment of the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI)has resulted in a surveillance system which provides regular, reliable, timely, andaccurate data on children's weight statusâthrough standardized measurement ofbodyweight and heightâin the WHO European Region. Additional data on dietaryintake, physical activity, sedentary behavior, family background, and schoolenvironments are collected in several countries. In total, 45 countries in the EuropeanRegion have participated in COSI. The first five data collection rounds, between 2007and 2021, yielded measured anthropometric data on over 1.3 million children. In COSI,data are collected according to a common protocol, using standardized instrumentsand procedures. The systematic collection and analysis of these data enables inter-country comparisons and reveals differences in the prevalence of childhood thinness,overweight, normal weight, and obesity between and within populations. Furthermore,it facilitates investigation of the relationship between overweight, obesity, and poten-tial risk or protective factors and improves the understanding of the development ofoverweight and obesity in European primary-school children in order to supportappropriate and effective policy responses.The authors gratefully acknowledge support through a grant from
the Russian Government in the context of the WHO European
Office for the Prevention and Control of NCDs. The ministries of
health of Austria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Malta, Norway, and the
Russian Federation provided financial support for the meetings at
which the protocol, data collection procedures, and analyses were
discussed. Data collection in countries was made possible through
funding from the following: Albania: WHO through the Joint
Programme on Children, Food Security and Nutrition âReducing
Malnutrition in Children,â funded by the Millennium Development
Goals Achievement Fund, and the Institute of Public Health. Austria:
Federal Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Health and Consumer
Protection of Austria. Bulgaria: Ministry of Health, National Center
of Public Health and Analyses, and WHO Regional Office for
Europe. Bosnia and Herzegovina: WHO country office support for
training and data management. Croatia: Ministry of Health, Croatian
Institute of Public Health, and WHO Regional Office for Europe.
Czechia: Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, grant number
17-31670A and MZCRâRVO EU 00023761. Denmark: Danish
Ministry of Health. Estonia: Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of
Education and Research (IUT 42-2), WHO Country Office, and
National Institute for Health Development. Finland: Finnish Institute
for Health and Welfare. France: Santé publique France (the French
Agency for Public Health). Georgia: WHO. Greece: International
Hellenic University and Hellenic Medical Association for Obesity.
Hungary: WHO Country Office for Hungary. Ireland: Health Service
Executive. Italy: Ministry of Health. Kazakhstan: Ministry of Health
of the Republic of Kazakhstan, WHO, and UNICEF. Kyrgyzstan:
World Health Organization. Latvia: Ministry of Health and Centre
for Disease Prevention and Control. Lithuania: Science Foundation
of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences and Lithuanian Science
Council and WHO. Malta: Ministry of Health. Montenegro: WHO
and Institute of Public Health of Montenegro. North Macedonia:
Government of North Macedonia through National Annual Program
of Public Health and implemented by the Institute of Public Health
and Centers of Public Health; WHO country office provides support
for training and data management. Norway: the Norwegian Ministry
of Health and Care Services, the Norwegian Directorate of Health,
and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Poland: National
Health Programme, Ministry of Health. Portugal: Ministry of Health Institutions, the National Institute of Health, Directorate General of
Health, Regional Health Directorates, and the kind technical support
from the Center for Studies and Research on Social Dynamics and
Health (CEIDSS). Romania: Ministry of Health. Russian Federation:
WHO. San Marino: Health Ministry, Educational Ministry, and Social
Security Institute and Health Authority. Serbia: WHO and the
WHO Country Office (2015-540940 and 2018/873491-0). Slovakia:
Biennial Collaborative Agreement between WHO Regional Office
for Europe and Ministry of Health SR. Slovenia: Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia within the SLOfit
surveillance system. Spain: Spanish Agency for Food Safety and
Nutrition. Sweden: Public Health Agency of Sweden. Tajikistan:
WHO Country Office in Tajikistan and Ministry of Health and Social
Protection. Turkmenistan: WHO Country Office in Turkmenistan
and Ministry of Health. Turkey: Turkish Ministry of Health and
World Bank.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Physical activity, screen time, and sleep duration of children aged 6-9 years in 25 countries:An analysis within the WHO european childhood obesity surveillance initiative (COSI) 2015-2017
BACKGROUND: Children are becoming less physically active as opportunities for safe active play, recreational activities, and active transport decrease. At the same time, sedentary screen-based activities both during school and leisure time are increasing. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate physical activity (PA), screen time, and sleep duration of girls and boys aged 6-9 years in Europe using data from the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI). METHOD: The fourth COSI data collection round was conducted in 2015-2017, using a standardized protocol that included a family form completed by parents with specific questions about their children's PA, screen time, and sleep duration. RESULTS: Nationally representative data from 25 countries was included and information on the PA behaviour, screen time, and sleep duration of 150,651 children was analysed. Pooled analysis showed that: 79.4% were actively playing for >1 h each day, 53.9% were not members of a sport or dancing club, 50.0% walked or cycled to school each day, 60.2% engaged in screen time for 1 h/day, 8.2-85.6% were not members of a sport or dancing club, 17.7-94.0% walked or cycled to school each day, 32.3-80.0% engaged in screen time for <2 h/day, and 50.0-95.8% slept for 9-11 h/night. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of engagement in PA and the achievement of healthy screen time and sleep duration are heterogenous across the region. Policymakers and other stakeholders, including school administrators and parents, should increase opportunities for young people to participate in daily PA as well as explore solutions to address excessive screen time and short sleep duration to improve the overall physical and mental health and well-being of children