Disparities in the frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption by socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics in Canada

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The health benefits of adequate fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption are significant and widely documented. However, many individuals self-report low F&V consumption frequency per day. This paper examines the disparities in the frequency of F&V consumption by socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>This study uses a representative sample of 93,719 individuals from the Canadian Community Health Survey (2007). A quantile regression model is estimated in order to capture the differential effects of F&V determinants across the conditional distribution of F&V consumption.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The conditional and unconditional analyses reveal the existence of a socioeconomic gradient in F&V consumption frequency, in which the low income-education groups consume F&V less frequently than the high income-education groups. We also find significant disparities in F&V consumption frequency by demographic and lifestyle characteristics. The frequency of F&V consumption is relatively lower among: males, those in middle age, singles, smokers, individuals with weak social interaction and households with no children. The quantile regression results show that the association between F&V consumption frequency, and socio-demographic and lifestyle factors varies significantly along the conditional F&V consumption distribution. In particular, individual educational attainment is positively and significantly associated with F&V consumption frequency across different parts of the F&V distribution, while the income level matters only over the lower half of the distribution. F&V consumption follows a U-shaped pattern across the age categories. Those aged 30-39, 40-49 and 50-59 years consume F&V less frequently than those aged 18-29 years. The smallest F&V consumption is among the middle aged adults (40-49).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Understanding the socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics of individuals with low F&V consumption frequency could increase the effectiveness of policies aimed at promoting F&V consumption. The differential effects of individual characteristics along the F&V consumption distribution suggest the need for a multifaceted approach to address the variation in F&V consumption frequency.</p

Diffusion in crowded biological environments: applications of Brownian dynamics

Biochemical reactions in living systems occur in complex, heterogeneous media with total concentrations of macromolecules in the range of 50 - 400 mgml. Molecular species occupy a significant fraction of the immersing medium, up to 40% of volume. Such complex and volume-occupied environments are generally termed 'crowded' and/or 'confined'. In crowded conditions non-specific interactions between macromolecules may hinder diffusion - a major process determining metabolism, transport, and signaling. Also, the crowded media can alter, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the reactions in vivo in comparison with their in vitro counterparts. This review focuses on recent developments in particle-based Brownian dynamics algorithms, their applications to model diffusive transport in crowded systems, and their abilities to reproduce and predict the behavior of macromolecules under in vivo conditions

BMC Psychiatry

BACKGROUND: Suicidal ideation and suicidal risk assessment are major concerns for health professionals. The perception of a low level of parental support is a risk factor for suicidal tendencies among adolescents, but little is known about its long-term impact on the vulnerability to suicidal behavior in young adults. We investigated whether the perceived level of parental support during childhood and adolescence was associated with current suicidal ideation in young adults. METHODS: We retrieved data collected in the i-Share study from February 1st, 2013 through January 30, 2017. This cross-sectional study included 10,015 French students, aged 18-24 years that completed an on-line self-reported questionnaire about suicidal ideation in the last 12 months and their perceived parental support in childhood and adolescence. We performed multinomial logistic regressions and sensitivity analyses to assess associations between the degree of perceived parental support and the frequency suicidal thoughts, after adjusting for the main known risk factors of suicidal ideation. We employed multiple imputations to account for missing data. RESULTS: The study sample included 7539 female (75.7%) and 2436 male (24.3%) students (mean [SD] age 20.0 [1.8] years). About one in five students reported occasional suicidal thoughts (n = 1775, 17.7%) and 368 students (3.7%) reported frequent suicidal thoughts. The adjusted multinomial logistic regression revealed a significant negative association between perceived parental support and suicidal thoughts. A lack of perceived parental support in childhood and adolescence was associated with > 4-fold elevated risk of occasional (adjusted OR, 4.55; 95% CI: 2.97-6.99) and nearly 9-fold elevated risk of frequent (adjusted OR, 8.58; 95% CI: 4.62-15.96) suicidal thoughts, compared to individuals that perceived extremely strong parental support. This association was strongest among students with no personal history of depression or suicide attempts. CONCLUSIONS: Students that perceived low levels of past parental support had a higher risk of suicidal ideation. Past perceived parental support appeared to be a potent marker of suicidal risk in young adults. This marker should be routinely collected in studies on suicidal risk in young adults, and it could be considered an additional screening tool

Analysis of handling characteristics of all-wheel-drive off-road vehicles

his paper presents a 14-DOF mathematical model of an off-road vehicle, integrating terramechanics of tyre soil contact and vehicle dynamics. The model also includes all the other important sub-systems, such as the engine, driveline, steering and suspension systems. Different simulations are carried out, based on standard test manoeuvres, to investigate 4 × 4 vehicle handling performance under both transient and steady-state conditions. The results show better handling performance on clay than on loam and sand. This is mainly due to the high shearing strength of clay soil, compared with that of loam and sand

The Impact of a Patient Education Package on Outcomes of Pain Management Following Orthopaedic Surgery in a Tertiary Hospital in Malaysia

Kepercayaan pesakit terhadap pengurusan kesakitan boleh menjejaskan hasil pengurusan kesakitan dan kualiti hidup. Tujuan kajian ini dijalankan adalah untuk menentukan kesan pakej pendidikan pra-operasi sakit ke arah kepercayaan kesakitan dalam kalangan pesakit-pesakit yang menjalani pembedahan ortopedik di hospital tertiari. Reka bentuk kajian ‘pre-test pos-test’ satu-kumpulan dijalankan pada pesakit-pesakit untuk menentukan impak pakej pendidikan tentang kesakitan terhadap skor ‘post-test’ kepercayaan tentang kesakitan dalam kalangan pesakit yang menjalani pembedahan ortopedik. Tiga puluh responden telah diambil menggunakan ‘convenience sampling’. Pendidikan tentang kesakitan sebelum pembedahan berkaitan dengan pengurusan kesakitan diberikan kepada respons.Skor kepercayaan pra-operasi dan pos-operasi sakit, pengurusan markah dan kesan-kesan sampingan telah diukur dengan menggunakan borang soal-selidik halangan (BQ-13). Keputusan melaporkan perbezaan yang signifikan antara skor ‘pre-test’ (Mean = 41.87, Standard Deviation = 11.467) dan ‘post-test’ (Mean = 34,80, Standard Deviation = 13.026) kepercayaan terhadap kesakitan (t = 2.84, p =0.004). Terdapat juga perbezaan yang signifikan antara skor ‘pre-test’ (Mean = 37.10, Standard Deviation = 10.610) dan skor ‘post-test’ (Mean = 30.80, Standard Deviation = 11.424), pengurusan kesakitan (t = 3.856, p =0.0005). Responden dan jantina (t =-2.403, p =0.023) dan bangsa (F = 5.038, p =0.014) melaporkan perbezaan yang signifikan iaitu p 0.05. Kesimpulannya, terdapat kesan positif daripada pakej pendidikan kesihatan berkenaan kepercayaan kesakitan dan pengurusan kesakitan responden yang telah menjalani pembedahan ortopedik di hospital tertiari. Pengukuhan program pendidikan kesakitan adalah penting untuk mencapai matlamat pengurusan kesakitan pos-operasi yang optimum

Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Drives and Smart Grid Interfacing

Over the few last decades, the demand for electrical energy is rising remarkably. As a result, the usage of environmentally friendly and renewable energy sources has been increased. Parallel to these developments, the number of the gasoline-powered vehicle has been increased and therefore the energy shortages and environmental concerns increased as well. From this perspective, research into the usage of renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels in the automotive industry is proceeding fast. One of the most important issues, which play a significant role in overcoming the problem mentioned above, is the implementation of modern electrical networks including Electric Vehicle (EVs). In this chapter, the standard EVs applications in smart grids are presented and discussed. Besides, two novel low-impacts efficient Vehicle to Hybrid (V2H) battery and Hybrid Vehicle to Grid (V2G) smart grid battery are presented. The new schemes utilized switched filter-capacitive compensation to ensure fast multi-mode charging with enhanced power quality and power factor in addition to minimal inrush currents and improved energy utilization