Sex differences in the association between educational level and specific domains of physical activity: a Brazilian cross-national survey

Behavioral research increasingly uses accelerometers to provide objective estimates of physical activity. This study extends research on methods for collecting accelerometer data among youth by examining whether the amount of a monetary incentive affects enrollment and compliance in a mail-based accelerometer study of adolescents. We invited a subset of adolescents in a national web-based study to wear an accelerometer for seven days and return it by mail; participants received either $20 or $40 for participating. Enrollment did not significantly differ by incentive amount. However, adolescents receiving the $40 incentive had significantly higher compliance (accelerometer wear and return). This difference was largely consistent across demographic subgroups. Those in the $40 group also wore the accelerometer for more time than the $20 group on the first two days of the study. Compared to $20, a $40 incentive may promote youth completion of mail-based accelerometer studies.

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Common Mental Disorders, Functional Limitation and Diet Quality Trends and Related Factors among COPD Patients in Spain, 2006–2017: Evidence from Spanish National Health Surveys

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10112291 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 2291

Author(s):

Silvia Portero de la de la Cruz ◽

Jesús Cebrino

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Diet Quality ◽

Educational Level ◽

Chronic Conditions ◽

Health Surveys ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

Smoking Status ◽

Functional Limitation ◽

Copd Patients ◽

National Health Surveys

Certain conditions such as common mental disorders (CMDs), functional limitation (FL) and poor diet quality may affect the lives of individuals who suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study sought to examine time trends in the prevalence of CMDs, FL and diet quality among male and female COPD patients living in Spain from 2006 to 2017 and to identify which factors were related to CMDs, FL and a poor/improvable diet quality in these patients. We performed a cross-sectional study among COPD patients aged ≥ 40 years old using data from the Spanish National Health Surveys conducted in 2006, 2011 and 2017, identifying a total of 2572 COPD patients. Binary logistic regressions were performed to determine the characteristics related to CMDs, FL and poor/improvable diet quality. Over the years of the study, the prevalence of FL among female COPD patients increased (p for trend <0.001). In addition, CMDs were associated to body mass index (BMI), educational level, physical activity, smoking status, occupation, chronic conditions and alcohol consumption; FL was related to age, living with a partner, educational level, physical activity and chronic conditions; and poor/improvable diet quality was associated to age, smoking status, BMI and physical activity.

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Do we really need high frequency of physical activity to keep blood pressure at good levels? Results of the Brazilian national survey

Sport Sciences for Health ◽

10.1007/s11332-021-00811-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Wesley S. Vale ◽

Inácio Crochemore-Silva ◽

A. L. B. Silveira ◽

M. V. F. Rodrigues ◽

C. S. Lopes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Blood Pressure ◽

National Survey ◽

High Frequency

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The mediating effect of lifestyles on the association between social factors and DNA methylation

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.230 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

A Maugeri ◽

M Barchitta ◽

G Favara ◽

C La Mastra ◽

MC La Rosa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Dna Methylation ◽

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Mediterranean Diet ◽

Educational Level ◽

Methylation Level ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

High Educational Level ◽

Age Related ◽

High Educational

Abstract Background Social disadvantage and unhealthy lifestyles may induce molecular changes associated with aging and age-related diseases. For instance, previous studies reported socioeconomic difference in DNA methylation, which in turn led to aberrant gene expression and genome instability. Socioeconomic status (SES) alone, however, does not completely explain this difference, and further studies are needed to unveil what factors contribute to it. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study on 349 Italian women, aged 25-64 years, to assess SES differences in LINE-1 methylation level - a surrogate marker of global DNA methylation - and to examine the mediating effect of lifestyles (i.e. diet, smoking habits, physical activity, and weight status). Educational level was used as SES indicator. The adherence to Mediterranean diet (MD) was assessed by the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS). Leukocyte LINE-1 methylation was assessed by pyrosequencing. Mediation analysis was conducted using the PROCESS macro for the SPSS software. Results We first observed that women with high educational level were more likely to be normal weight (p < 0.001) and to adhere to MD (p = 0.018), and less likely to perform physical activity (p = 0.012) than their less educated counterpart. Moreover, age-adjusted linear regression demonstrated that LINE-1 methylation level increased with increasing educational level (β = 0.016; SE = 0.003; p < 0.001). In line, mediation analysis demonstrated an indirect effect of high educational level on LINE-1 methylation through the adherence to MD (β = 0.003; 95%CI=0.001-0.006). Specifically, the mediator could account for 9.5% of the total effect. None of the other lifestyles, instead, exhibited a significant mediating effect. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating the mediation of diet in the relationship between SES and DNA methylation. Thus, our findings add even more value to the promotion of healthy dietary habits among social disadvantaged people. Key messages Social disadvantage is associated with epigenetic changes related to aging and age-related diseases. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet might mediate the association between socioeconomic status and DNA methylation.

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Predicting Physical Activity and Lifelong Health Through Personal Control and Educational Attainment

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.1177/00315125211029237 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 003151252110292

Author(s):

Jinyi Zhou ◽

Xuesong Ding ◽

Yuefan Zhai ◽

Qing Yi

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Educational Level ◽

Personal Development ◽

Educational Achievement ◽

Personal Control ◽

Well Being ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Data Set ◽

Education And Health ◽

Proposed Model

Prior studies have shown that physical activity (PA) is strongly associated with lifelong health and well-being. Thus, analyses of relationships among individual differences, PA, education, and health may provide important insights into the sustainability of PA-related personal development efforts. In this longitudinal study, we tested a proposed model in a data set of 12,686 participants from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY 79). We used hierarchical regressions and bootstrapping to test hypotheses concerning the main effect of personal control on lifetime health, the mediating effect of PA, and the moderating effect of educational achievement. We found that individuals’ self-reported PA was positively related to their health status. Additionally, there was a positive mediating effect of self-reported PA on the relationship between personal control and health when the individual’s educational level was high, and there was a negative mediating effect of self-reported PA when an individual’s educational level was low. Based on these results, we provide relevant government policy suggestions for increasing fitness participation, constructing sports facilities, and encouraging educational institutions to include health education in their efforts.

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