scholarly journals Do country-level environmental factors explain cross-national variation in adolescent physical activity? A multilevel study in 29 European countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Weinberg ◽  
Gonneke W. J. M. Stevens ◽  
Jens Bucksch ◽  
Jo Inchley ◽  
Margaretha de Looze
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Multilevel Study ◽  
Adolescent Physical Activity ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Cross National

scholarly journals Physical activity in adolescence: cross-national comparisons of levels, distributions and disparities across 52 countries

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Bann ◽  
Shaun Scholes ◽  
Meg Fluharty ◽  
Nikki Shure
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Income Inequality ◽  
Time Allocation ◽  
Socioeconomic Disparities ◽  
Moderate Activity ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Low Middle Income Countries ◽  
Cross National

AbstractIntroduction:Despite global concerns regarding physical inactivity, limited cross-national evidence exists to compare adolescents’ physical activity participation. We analysed 52 high- and low-middle income countries, with activity undertaken inside and outside of school in 2015. We investigated gender- and socioeconomic-disparities, and additionally examined correlations with country-level indices of physical education (PE) curriculum time allocation, wealth, and income inequality.Methods:We used the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of 15-year-olds (N=347,935). Students reported average attendance (days/week) in PE classes, and the days/week engaged in moderate activity (MPA) and vigorous activity (VPA) outside of school. Both the mean and distributions of outcomes were evaluated, as were gender- and socioeconomic-disparities. Pearson’s correlations (r) between the physical activity outcomes and PE curriculum time allocation, wealth (indexed by GDP) and income inequality (indexed by the Gini coefficient) were calculated.Results:Activity levels inside and outside of school were higher in Eastern Europe than Western Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East/North Africa. Comparisons of average levels masked potentially important differences in distributions. For example, activity levels inside school showed a bimodal distribution in the US (mean PE class attendance 2.4 days/week; 41.3%, 6.3% and 33.1% of students attended PE classes on 0, 2 and 5 days/week respectively). In contrast, most other countries exhibited more centrally shaped distributions. Pro-male and pro-high socioeconomic disparities were modest for participation inside school, but higher for MPA and VPA outside of school. The magnitude of these also differed markedly by country. Activity in school was weakly positively correlated with PE curriculum time allocation (r=0.33); activity outside of school was strongly negatively correlated with income inequality (e.g. r=-0.69 for MPA).Conclusion:Our findings reveal extensive cross-country differences in adolescents’ physical activity; in turn, these highlight policy areas that could ultimately improve global adolescent health, such as the incorporation of minimum country-level PE classes, and the targeting of gender- and socioeconomic- disparities in activity conducted outside of school. Our findings also highlight the utility of educational databases such as PISA for use in global population health research.

scholarly journals Cross-National Variation in the Link Between Parental Socio-Economic Status and Union Formation and Dissolution Processes

2021 ◽  
pp. 17-34
Author(s):  
M. D. (Anne) Brons
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Union Formation ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Union Dynamics ◽  
Analytical Tools ◽  
Cross National

AbstractThe main objective of this chapter is to understand the link between parental socio-economic status (SES) and union formation and dissolution processes from a cross-national comparative perspective. According to the Second Demographic Transition (SDT) theory, it can be expected that the impact of parental background on these union dynamics differs across societal contexts. Integrated results from prior studies using meta-analytical tools indicate that in many European countries, young adults from advantaged backgrounds delay their first co-residential union and have a higher risk to dissolve their union compared to young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds. The strength of this link between parental SES and union dynamics varies across countries. There is suggestive evidence that the link between parental SES and union dynamics is weakest in North-Western European countries that are most advanced in the SDT. However, next to these SDT-related indicators that focus more on cultural change, institutional country-level indicators, like the extent of educational expansion, and economic country-level indicators, such as the level of economic uncertainty, might also play a role.

scholarly journals Cross-national differences in the association between retirement and memory decline

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Mäcken ◽  
Alicia Riley ◽  
Maria M Glymour
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Stressful Life Event ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Word Recall ◽  
Memory Decline ◽  
Country Level ◽  
National Differences ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Eastern European Countries ◽  
Cross National

Abstract Objective Retirement is a potential trigger for cognitive aging as it may be a stressful life event accompanied by changes in everyday activities. However, the consequences of retirement may differ across institutional contexts which shape retirement options. Comparing memory trajectories before and after retirement in 17 European countries, this study aims to identify cross-national differences in the association between retirement and memory decline. Methods Respondents to the longitudinal Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE; N=8,646) aged 50+ who were in paid work at baseline and retired during the observation period completed up to 6 memory assessments (immediate and delayed word recall) over 13 years. Three-level (time-points, individuals, countries) linear mixed models with country level random slopes for retirement were estimated to evaluate whether memory decline accelerated after retirement and if this association differed between countries. Results On average, retirement was associated with a moderate decrement in word recall (b= -0.273, 95% CI -0.441, -0.104) and memory decline accelerated after retirement (b= -0.044, 95% CI -0.070, -0.018). Significant between-country heterogeneity in memory decline after retirement existed (variance=0.047,95% CI (0.013,0.168). Memory decline after retirement was more rapid in Italy, Greece, Czech Republic, Poland, Portugal, and Estonia compared to Northern and Central European countries. Discussion Memory decline post-retirement was faster in Mediterranean and eastern European countries, which are characterized by less generous welfare systems with comparatively low pension benefits. Evaluation of resources that could protect retirees from memory decline would be valuable.

Modeling Individual and Physical Environmental Factors with Adolescent Physical Activity

2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 507-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gert-Jan de Bruijn ◽  
Stef P.J. Kremers ◽  
Gerty Lensvelt-Mulders ◽  
Hein de Vries ◽  
Willem van Mechelen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Adolescent Physical Activity ◽  
Physical Environmental Factors

scholarly journals Adolescents’ physical activity: cross-national comparisons of levels, distributions and disparities across 52 countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Bann ◽  
Shaun Scholes ◽  
Meg Fluharty ◽  
Nikki Shure
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Income Inequality ◽  
Time Allocation ◽  
Socioeconomic Disparities ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Low Middle Income Countries ◽  
Cross National

Abstract Background Despite global concerns regarding physical inactivity, limited cross-national evidence exists to compare adolescents’ physical activity participation. We analysed data from 52 high- and low-middle income countries, with activity undertaken inside and outside of school in 2015. We investigated gender and socioeconomic disparities, and additionally examined correlations with country-level indices of physical education (PE) curriculum time allocation, wealth, and income inequality. Methods We compared adolescents’ reported activity levels inside and outside of school using nationally representative cross-sectional data from 52 high- and low-middle income countries (N = 347,935)—the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2015. Students reported average attendance (days/week) in PE classes, and the days/week engaged in moderate activity (MPA) and vigorous activity (VPA) outside of school. We also compared gender and socioeconomic disparities, and additionally examined correlations with purported determinants—country-level estimates of PE curriculum time allocation, wealth, and income inequality. Results Average activity levels differed substantially both between and within regions, with potentially important differences in distributions identified—such as a bimodal distribution in the U.S. and Canada in PE. Males were more active than females, as were those from households with higher rather than lower household wealth; these disparities were modest for PE, but higher for moderate and vigorous activity outside school—there was strong evidence for heterogeneity in the magnitude of these disparities (e.g., I2 > 95% for gender differences across all countries). PE class attendance was positively correlated with PE curriculum time allocation (rho = 0.36); activity outcomes were inconsistently associated with country-level wealth and income inequality. Conclusions Our findings reveal extensive cross-country differences in adolescents’ physical activity; in turn, these highlight policy areas that could ultimately improve global adolescent health, such as the incorporation of minimum country-level PE classes, and the targeting of gender and socioeconomic disparities in activity conducted outside of school. Our findings also highlight the utility of educational databases such as PISA for use in global population health research.

Individual and Country-Level Effects of Cannabis-Related Perceptions on Cannabis Use. A Multilevel Study Among Adolescents in 32 European Countries

2013 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Piontek ◽  
Ludwig Kraus ◽  
Thoroddur Bjarnason ◽  
Zsolt Demetrovics ◽  
Mats Ramstedt
Keyword(s):  
Cannabis Use ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Multilevel Study ◽  
Country Level

scholarly journals MACRO FACTORS INFLUENCING THE FORMATION OF STANDARDIZED MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS OF AN ENTERPRISE

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (48) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olena Gorlova
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
External Environment ◽  
Subsequent Development ◽  
Iso 14001 ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Distinctive Type

This article is devoted to the environmental factors, influencing the implementation of standardized management systems of the enterprise at the country level. The problem is considered from the perspective of systems theory and complexity theory. The research focuses on management systems created following ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards and their relationship with the external environment. The study involved 20 European countries with different levels of economic and innovative development. The formation and subsequent development of standardized management systems (SMSs) require considering environmental factors, the context of the enterprise, which is reflected in the provisions of standards for management systems. However, the issues of the influence of environmental factors on the decision of enterprises to implement standardized management systems have been insufficiently studied. The work contains three hypotheses: a) about the connection between environmental factors and the introduction of SMSs by enterprises; b) about the diversity and uniqueness of the configurations of environmental factors affecting the spread of the SMSs in different countries; c) regarding the presence of similar structures of environmental factors influencing the spread of the SMSs in separate countries, which would make it possible to identify the basic types of such configurations. The study resulted in confirmation that a connection between environmental factors on the implementation of the SMSs exists, and groups of aggregated factors along with their components were identified. The features of the configurations of factors influencing the SMSs in different countries were considered. A distinctive type of influence of the external environment on the SMSs board, common for several European countries, was revealed, and called as ‘denying’. Correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between the factorial and the resulting characteristics, the results of which were subjected to qualitative discussion. Further research in this direction should cover a larger number of countries and factors influencing the formation of the SMSs. This will allow identifying a greater number of basic types of external environment influence on the formation of SMSs for enterprises in different countries and regions

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