407 research outputs found
Unstable employment and health in middle age in the longitudinal 1970 British Birth Cohort Study
Effects of Conception Using Assisted Reproductive Technologies on Infant Health and Development: An Evolutionary Perspective and Analysis Using UK Millennium Cohort Data
Motherâinfant co-sleeping and maternally reported infant breathing distress in the UK millennium cohort
Mother–infant co-sleeping or bed sharing is discouraged by health organisations due to evidence that it is associated with unexplained sudden infant death. On the other hand, there is evidence that it should theoretically be beneficial for infants. One line of this evidence concerns breathing regulation, which at night is influenced by the rocking movement of the mother’s chest as she breathes. Here, the hypothesis that mother–infant co-sleeping will be associated with a lower probability of infant breathing distress is tested in the UK Millennium Cohort Study (n = 18,552 infants). Maternal, infant, family, and socio-economic covariates were included in logistic regression analysis, and in a machine learning algorithm (Random Forest) to make full use of the number of variables available in the birth cohort study data. Results from logistic regression analysis showed that co-sleeping was associated with a reduced risk of breathing difficulties (OR = 0.69, p = 0.027). The Random Forest algorithm placed high importance on socio-economic aspects of infant environment, and indicated that a number of maternal, child, and environmental variables predicted breathing distress. Co-sleeping by itself was not high in the Random Forest variable importance ranking. Together, the results suggest that co-sleeping may be associated with a modest reduction in risk of infant breathing difficulties
Identifying Risk Factors for Premature Birth in the UK Millennium Cohort Using a Random Forest Decision-Tree Approach
Prior research on causes of preterm birth has tended to focus on pathophysiological processes while acknowledging the role of socioeconomic indicators. The present research explored a wide range of factors plausibly associated with preterm birth informed by pathophysiological and evolutionary life history perspectives on gestation length. To achieve this, a machine learning ensemble classification data analysis approach, random forest (RF), was applied to the UK Millennium Cohort (18,201 births). The results highlighted the importance of socioeconomic variables and parental age in predicting preterm (before 37 completed weeks) and very preterm (before 32 weeks) birth. Infants born in households with low income and with young fathers had an increased risk of both very preterm and preterm birth. Maternal health and health problems during pregnancy were not found to be useful predictors. The best-performing algorithm was for very preterm birth and had 93% sensitivity and 100% specificity using six variables. Algorithms predicting preterm birth before 37 weeks showed increased error, with out-of-bag error rates of about 7% versus only 1% for those predicting very preterm birth. The poorer performance of algorithms predicting preterm births to 37 weeks of gestation suggests that some preterm birth may not result from pathology related to poor maternal health or social or economic disadvantage, but instead represents normal life-history variation
Influences of zero hour contracts and disability â Analysis of the 1970 British Cohort study
RATIONALE: In recent decades, there has been a rise of the âgig-economyâ where workers are given non-standard work agreements, and work is completed in an ad-hoc nature. It was believed people this would create greater access to employment for people with disability as there would no longer be a need to disclose disability and could âpick and chooseâ work. Although, little research has been done on the health-outcomes of working in non-standard agreements compared to traditional employment, and in particular it's impact on disability. OBJECTIVE: This study examines one particular non-standard workplace agreement, working under zero hour contracts as the main source of income as a predictor for disability at age 46 and how income levels effect this, while controlling for pre-existing illness at age 34. METHOD: This study used existing data made available in the 1970 British Cohort study. Age 46 and Age 34 sweeps were used, including predictors for disability such as zero hour work, sex, and income, and binary multiple logistic regression was used. RESULTS: This study was able to demonstrate that there is an association between working under a zero hour contract as the main source of income and disability. Further, this study shows that this association is statistically significant at low incomes but not at high incomes. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between zero hour work and disability presented in this study may suggest that zero hour work will produce a burden on healthcare systems and limit further economic outputs by limiting individual's capacity for work
Test-enhanced learning improves learner attendance during a laparoscopic box trainer simulation program
BACKGROUND: Laparoscopy is the gold standard approach for many surgical procedures, but it is a complex skill to learn. Laparoscopic simulation training may help, but it is unclear how to best engage trainees in these programs. Testâenhanced learning (TEL) uses regular, wellâdefined assessments of performance throughout the training phase of learning. AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the effects of TEL on a laparoscopic simulation program involving a cohort of medical student volunteers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study was performed with a convenience sample of 40 medical students. Students were recruited to participate in a tenâweek laparoscopic simulation program. Twenty students participated in a laparoscopic surgical program with TEL (âTEL groupâ), and 20 students participated in a standard laparoscopic simulation program (âcontrol groupâ). RESULTS: Attendance in the TEL group was significantly higher than in the standard group (71 vs 51.5%, PÂ =â0.03). There was no difference between groups in mean time scores. Four themes were identified in qualitative data drawn from student surveys â personal traits and motivators, training context, clear goals and feedback enabling understanding of one's own performance. CONCLUSION: Testing laparoscopic skills throughout a learning program, in conjunction with individualised feedback and tracking of learning trajectory, increases trainee attendance. Laparoscopic simulation training programs are encouraged to reflect on the pedagogic framework in which their procedural skills training operates
I like who you like, but only if I like you: Female character affects mate-choice copying.
Mate-choice copying is shown when women imitate the mate-choice preferences of other women. We propose that the preferences of women with a pleasant character should be more influential than those of women with an unpleasant character and further suggest that this should apply only when the female demonstrates active interest in the male, rather than disinterest. Here, we presented women as having either a pleasant or unpleasant character and found that observing pleasant women looking at men increased womenâs preferences for those men, while observing unpleasant women looking at men had no effect on womenâs preferences. Furthermore, the effect of being looked at by a pleasant woman was heightened when she was smiling. This suggests that judgements of facial attractiveness can be socially influenced and that character affects the degree of influence
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