scholarly journals Changes in, and factors associated with, frequency of sex in Britain: evidence from three National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal)

BMJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. l1525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaye Wellings ◽  
Melissa J Palmer ◽  
Kazuyo Machiyama ◽  
Emma Slaymaker

AbstractObjectivesTo examine changes over time in the reported frequency of occurrence of sex and associations between sexual frequency and selected variables.DesignRepeat, cross sectional, population based National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-1, Natsal-2, and Natsal-3).SettingBritish general population.Participants18 876 men and women aged 16-59 and resident in Britain were interviewed in Natsal-1, completed in 1991; 11 161 aged 16-44 years in Natsal-2, completed in 2001, and 15 162 aged 16-74 years in Natsal-3, completed in 2012. Comparisons of actual and preferred sexual frequency in men and women aged 16-44 (the age range common to all surveys) between the three surveys. Factors associated with sexual frequency of at least once a week were examined using Natsal-3 data.Main outcome measuresSexual activity in the past month; frequency of sex in the past month; preferred frequency of sex.ResultsMedian number of occasions of sex in the past month was four in Natsal-1 and Natsal-2 and three in Natsal-3 among women; and three in Natsal-1, Natsal-2, and Natsal-3 among men. The proportion reporting no sex in the past month fell between Natsal-1 and Natsal-2 (from 28.5% to 23.0% in women and from 30.9% to 26.0% in men) but increased significantly in Natsal-3 (to 29.3% in women and 29.2% in men). The proportion reporting sex 10 times or more in the past month increased between Natsal-1 and Natsal-2, from 18.4% to 20.6% in women and from 19.9% to 20.2% in men, but fell in Natsal-3, to 13.2% in woman and 14.4% in men. Participants aged 25 and over, and those married or cohabiting, experienced the steepest declines in sexual frequency (P values for interaction <0.05). Alongside the declines in sexual frequency, there was an increase in the proportion reporting that they would prefer sex more often. Age adjusted odds ratios showed that men and women in better physical and mental health had sex more frequently, as did those who were fully employed and those with higher earnings.ConclusionsFrequency of sex has declined recently in Britain, more markedly among those in early middle age and those who are married or cohabiting. The findings and their implications need to be explained in the context of technological, demographic, and social change in Britain and warrant further investigation.

BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. e016942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia A Graham ◽  
Catherine H Mercer ◽  
Clare Tanton ◽  
Kyle G Jones ◽  
Anne M Johnson ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo investigate factors associated with reporting lacking interest in sex and how these vary by gender.SettingBritish general population.DesignComplex survey analyses of data collected for a cross-sectional probability sample survey, undertaken 2010–2012, specifically logistic regression to calculate age-adjusted OR (AOR) to identify associated factors.Participants4839 men and 6669 women aged 16–74 years who reported ≥1 sexual partner (opposite-sex or same-sex) in the past year for the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3).Main outcome measureLacking interest in sex for ≥3 months in the past year.ResultsOverall, 15.0% (13.9–16.2) of men and 34.2% (32.8–35.5) of women reported lacking interest in sex. This was associated with age and physical and mental health for both men and women, including self-reported general health and current depression. Lacking interest in sex was more prevalent among men and women reporting sexually transmitted infection diagnoses (ever), non-volitional sex (ever) and holding sexual attitudes related to normative expectations about sex. Some gender similarities in associated relationship and family-related factors were evident, including partner having had sexual difficulties in the last year (men: AOR 1.41 (1.07–1.86); women: AOR 1.60 (1.32–1.94)), not feeling emotionally close to partner during sex (men: 3.74 (1.76–7.93); women: 4.80 (2.99–7.69) and ease of talking about sex (men: 1.53 (1.23–1.90);women: 2.06 (1.77–2.39)). Among women only, lack of interest in sex was higher among those in a relationship of >1 year in duration and those not sharing the same level of interest (4.57 (3.87–5.38)) or preferences (2.91 (2.22–3.83)) with a partner.ConclusionsBoth gender similarities and differences were found in factors associated with lacking interest in sex, with the most marked differences in relation to some relationship variables. Findings highlight the need to assess, and if appropriate, treat lacking interest in sex in a holistic and relationship-specific way.


Author(s):  
Junko Yamasaki ◽  
Kayako Sakisaka ◽  
Parolita A. Mission ◽  
Nasudi G. Soluta ◽  
Norre Jean V. delos Santos ◽  
...  

The prevalence of overweight/obesity in the adult population in the Philippines has doubled in the past 20 years. Zumba exercise has recently been implemented throughout the Philippines. However, there is scarce information on the effects of Zumba on obesity and Zumba participants’ characteristics in the Philippines. This study described the current practice of Zumba in the Philippines, along with the practitioners’ characteristics, and identified factors associated with Zumba participation. In this observational, cross-sectional study, a structured questionnaire was used to survey 10 Zumba locations in September 2019. Anthropometric measurements of participants were assessed. Respondents included 171 women (88.6%) and 22 men (11.4%), with a mean (±standard deviation [SD]) age of 44.1 (±8.9) years. All respondents answered that Zumba was enjoyable, and some answered “very enjoyable”. Determinants of frequent participation were as follows: being older than the mean age of participants, starting Zumba to enjoy dancing, starting Zumba not to lose weight, shopping mall location, and participation fee required. “To enjoy dance” being a motivation for Zumba practice was identified as a determinant of frequent participation rather than “to lose weight.” The element of “enjoyable” may strongly influence the continuation and frequent participation of Zumba exercise in the Philippines.


2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 503-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Martins Barroso ◽  
Ana Paula Melo ◽  
Mark Drew Crosland Guimarães

INTRODUCTION: The Quilombola population is subject to numerous sources of social vulnerability, but few studies investigate their physical or mental health conditions. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the factors associated with depression in men and women, separately. METHODOLOGY: Cross-sectional population-based study with 764 randomly selected participants from five quilombo communities in Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil. The cutoff point for depression was ≥ 10 points, assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire score (PHQ-9), and the presence of five or more symptoms. We estimated the prevalence ratio with 95% confidence intervals using Poisson regression models with robust estimators stratified by gender. RESULTS: Among men, factors associated with depression were previous diagnosis of chronic illnesses, poor/very poor health self-assessment, and poor access to health services. Among women, the associated factors were previous diagnosis of psychiatric disorders, poor/very poor health self-perception, history of tobacco smoking, and self-declaration of race as not black. CONCLUSION: Factors associated with depression differ between men and women and must be considered in interventions to fight depression within this population.


Author(s):  
Junko Yamasaki ◽  
Kayako Sakisaka ◽  
Parolita A. Mission ◽  
Nasudi G. Solute ◽  
Norre Juan V. Delos Santos ◽  
...  

The prevalence of overweight/obesity in the adult population in the Philippines has doubled in the past 20 years. Zumba exercise has recently been implemented throughout the Philippines. However, there is scarce information on the effects of Zumba on obesity and Zumba participants&rsquo; characteristics in the Philippines. This study described the current practice of Zumba in the Philippines, along with the practitioners&rsquo; characteristics, and identified factors associated with Zumba participation. In this observational, cross-sectional study, a structured questionnaire was used to survey 10 Zumba locations in September 2019. Anthropometric measurements of participants were assessed. Respondents included 171 women (88.6%) and 22 men (11.4%), with a mean (&plusmn;SD) age of 44.1 (&plusmn; 8.9) years. All respondents answered that Zumba was enjoyable, and some answered &ldquo;very enjoyable.&rdquo; Determinants of frequent participation were as follows: being older than the mean age of participants, starting Zumba to enjoy dancing, starting Zumba not to lose weight, shopping mall location, and participation fee required. &ldquo;To enjoy dance&rdquo; being a motivation for Zumba practice was identified as a determinant of frequent participation, rather than &ldquo;to lose weight.&rdquo; The element of &ldquo;enjoyable&rdquo; may strongly influence continuation and frequent participation of Zumba exercise in the Philippines.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daiki Watanabe ◽  
Tsukasa Yoshida ◽  
Takashi Nakagata ◽  
Naomi Sawada ◽  
Yosuke Yamada ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundPrevious epidemiological studies have demonstrated the prevalence and relationship of various factors associated with sarcopenia in older adults; however, few have examined the status of sarcopenia in middle-aged adults. In this study, we aimed to, 1) evaluate the validity of the finger-circle test, which is potentially a useful screening tool for sarcopenia, and 2) determine the prevalence and factors associated with sarcopenia in middle-aged and older adults.MethodsWe conducted face-to-face surveys of 525 adults, who were aged 40–91 years and resided in Settsu City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan to evaluate the validity of finger-circle test. The finger-circle test evaluated calf circumference by referring to an illustration printed on the survey form. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC) was plotted to evaluate the validity of the finger-circle test for screening sarcopenia and compared to that evaluated by skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) measured using bioimpedance. We also conducted multisite population-based cross-sectional anonymous mail surveys of 9337 adults, who were aged 40–97 years and resided in Settsu and Hannan Cities, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Participants were selected through stratified random sampling by sex and age in the elementary school zones of their respective cities. We performed multiple logistic regression analysis to explore associations between characteristics and prevalence of sarcopenia.ResultsSarcopenia, defined by SMI, was moderately predicted by a finger-circle test response showing that the subject’s calf was smaller than their finger-circle (AUROC: 0.729, < 65 years; 0.653, ≥65 years); such subjects were considered to have sarcopenia. In mail surveys, prevalence of sarcopenia screened by finger-circle test was higher in older subjects (approximately 16%) than in middle-aged subjects (approximately 8–9%). In a multiple regression model, the factors associated with sarcopenia were age, body mass index, smoking status, self-reported health, and number of meals in all the participants.ConclusionsSarcopenia, screened by the finger-circle test, was present not only among older adults but also among middle-aged adults. These results may provide useful indications for developing public health programs, not only for the prevention, but especially for the management of sarcopenia.Trial registrationUMIN000036880, registered prospectively May 29, 2019, https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000042027


2021 ◽  
pp. 146531252110333
Author(s):  
Keelin Fox ◽  
Parmjit Singh

Objective: To profile the posts on open orthodontic Facebook groups and identify which communication strategies and media modalities generate the most engagement from users. Design: A cross-sectional content analysis. Setting: Facebook Internet-based search. Methods: Post data were collected over a one-month period from the 10 largest public orthodontic Facebook groups. Evaluation of group characteristics included membership levels, number of administrators, time each group had been in existence and growth rate of each group. The number of posts, the numbers and types of engagement (likes, emojis, comments, shares) and engagement rate were calculated. The communication strategies (e.g. case presentation, course promotion, etc.) and media modalities (e.g. plain text, photograph, etc.) were recorded. Results: The study identified 190,268 Facebook members from the 10 largest orthodontic Facebook groups (median 17,811; interquartile range [IQR] 11,977). The median time the groups had existed was six years (median 2175 days; IQR 2311 days) and the median number of new group members in the past month was 1257 (IQR 2773). The median number of new group members in the past month was 1257 (IQR 2773). There were 227 postings during the study period with 2546 engagements. The overall median number of engagements was 196 (IQR 445) and the engagement rate of posts was 1.3% overall. Posts relating to course promotion (n = 63, 28%) followed by product promotion (n = 42, 19%) were the most common. Case presentation style posts accounted for 15% (n = 35). The level of engagement was greater for posts that had a clinical component compared to posts that did not ( P < 0.001). For media modality, posts that included a photograph had greater engagement ( P < 0.001). Conclusion: There are frequent posts on course and product promotion in orthodontic Facebook groups; however, these are associated with low levels of engagement. Posts that are clinically orientated and include photographs have higher levels of engagement.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Katana ◽  
Bob Omoda Amodan ◽  
Lilian Bulage ◽  
Alex R. Ario ◽  
Joseph Nelson Siewe Fodjo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda inclusive, implemented lockdowns, curfew, banning of both private and public transport systems, and mass gatherings to minimize spread. Social control measures for COVID-19 are reported to increase violence and discrimination globally, including in Uganda as some may be difficult to implement resulting in the heavy deployment of law enforcement. Media reports indicated that cases of violence and discrimination had increased in Uganda’s communities following the lockdown. We estimated the incidence and factors associated with experiencing violence and discrimination among Ugandans during the COVID-19 lockdown to inform control and prevention measures. Methods In April 2020, we conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data under the International Citizen Project (ICP) to assess adherence to public health measures and their impact on the COVID-19 outbreak in Uganda. We analyzed data on violence and discrimination from the ICP study. We performed descriptive statistics for all the participants’ characteristics and created a binary outcome variable called experiencing violence and/or discrimination. We performed logistic regression analysis to identify the factors associated with experiencing violence and discrimination. Results Of the 1726 ICP study participants, 1051 (58.8%) were males, 841 (48.7%) were currently living with a spouse or partner, and 376 (21.8%) had physically attended work for more than 3 days in the past week. Overall, 145 (8.4%) experienced any form of violence and/or discrimination by any perpetrator, and 46 (31.7%) of the 145 reported that it was perpetrated by a law enforcement officer. Factors associated with experiencing violence or discrimination were: being male (AOR = 1.60 CI:1.10–2.33), having attended work physically for more than 3 days in the past week (AOR = 1.52 CI:1.03–2.23), and inability to access social or essential health services since the epidemic started (AOR = 3.10 CI:2.14–4.50). Conclusion A substantial proportion of Ugandan residents experienced violence and/or discrimination during the COVID-19 lockdown, mostly perpetrated by law enforcement officers. We recommend mitigation of the collateral impact of lockdowns with interventions that focus on improving policing quality, ensuring continuity of essential services, and strengthening support systems for vulnerable groups including males.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Telma de Almeida Busch ◽  
Yeda Aparecida Duarte ◽  
Daniella Pires Nunes ◽  
Maria Lucia Lebrão ◽  
Michel Satya Naslavsky ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Vol 32 (9) ◽  
pp. 780-785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel C Carlsson ◽  
Per E Wändell ◽  
Gunilla Journath ◽  
Ulf de Faire ◽  
Mai-Lis Hellénius

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e040865
Author(s):  
Weicong Cai ◽  
Shangmin Chen ◽  
Liping Li ◽  
Pengying Yue ◽  
Xiaofan Yu ◽  
...  

ObjectivesData on the problem of physical activity-related injury (PARI) in university students and the risk factors for PARI among different genders are rare. We conducted a multicentre population-based study to investigate the occurrence of PARI and to explore the gender-specific risk factors for PARI among Chinese university students.DesignCross-sectional study.ParticipantsA total of 5341 students in grades 1–3 at eight universities in four Chinese cities were selected to complete the online questionnaires during March and April 2017. The questionnaires assessed sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity PA) involvement, sleep duration, sedentary behaviour and PARI experiences in the past 12 months.Main outcome measuresPARI during the past 12 months.ResultsAmong the 5341 participants, 1293 suffered from at least one PARI in the past 12 months, with an overall incidence rate of 24.2% (males: 26.2%, females: 23.2%) and an injury risk of 0.38 injuries/student/year (males: 0.48, females: 0.32). Over half of the injured (57.3%) experienced a withdrawal time of PA and nearly two-fifths (39.6%) required medical attention. Irrespective of gender, Shantou and Xi’an students, sports team members and those who engaged in sports and leisure-time vigorous-intensity PA (VPA) at a higher frequency were more likely to suffer from PARI. Male students who participated in sports and leisure-time VPA for long durations had a greater likelihood of sustaining PARI, while having a chronic condition and being involved in sports and leisure-time moderate-intensity PA at a higher frequency and longer duration were potential contributors to PARI among females.ConclusionsThe occurrence of PARI and its risk factors differed by gender, which provides a direction towards developing targeted and effective gender-specific preventative programmes to protect Chinese university students from PARI.


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