Individual Environmental Factors Research Articles

Effects of Individual and Environmental Factors on GPS-Based Time Allocation in Urban Microenvironments Using GIS

Time-activity patterns are an essential part of personal exposure assessment to various environmental factors. People move through different environments during the day and they have different daily activity patterns which are significantly influenced by individual characteristics and the residential environment. In this study, time spent in different microenvironments (MEs) were assessed for 125 participants for 7 consecutive days to evaluate the impact of individual characteristics on time-activity patterns in Kaunas, Lithuania. The data were collected with personal questionnaires and diaries. The global positioning system (GPS) sensor integrated into a smartphone was used to track daily movements and to assess time-activity patterns. The study results showed that behavioral and residential greenness have a statistically significant impact on time spent indoors. These results underline the high influence of the individual characteristics and environmental factors on time spent indoors, which is an important determinant for exposure assessment and health impact assessment studies.

Gentle Handling Attenuates Innate Defensive Responses to Visual Threats.

Innate defensive responses to threats are essential for animal survival. The complexity and variability of innate defensive behaviors can be due to individual experiences, environmental factors, and internal states. However, it is not completely understood if the gentle handling involved in sensory processing affects innate defensive responses to visual threats. Here, we report attenuation of innate defensive responses after gentle handling accompanied by de-excitation of the intermediate layer (IL) and deep layer (DL) of the superior colliculus (SC) but not of the superficial layer (SL). Our theoretical analysis of the c-Fos network revealed an increased correlation in module 1, which maybe generally functionally associated with fear emotional, a decreased correlation in module 2, which maybe generally functionally associated with sensory processing. The IL of the SC appeared to have the highest correlation with the two modules. We verified the dynamic activities of the IL of SC in response to overhead looming stimulus using fiber photometry. Retrograde labeling of 18 regions of interest (ROIs) showed that the IL received significant inputs from the cortical areas, thalamus, hypothalamus, and brainstem. These data suggest the sensory processing involved in the modulatory roles of the SC in innate fear processing.

Environmental drivers of varying selective optima in a small passerine: A multivariate, multiepisodic approach.

In changing environments, phenotypic traits are shaped by numerous agents of selection. The optimal phenotypic value maximizing the fitness of an individual thus varies through time and space with various environmental covariates. Selection may differ between different life-cycle stages and act on correlated traits inducing changes in the distribution of several traits simultaneously. Despite increasing interests in environmental sensitivity of phenotypic selection, estimating varying selective optima on various traits throughout the life cycle, while considering (a)biotic factors as potential selective agents has remained challenging. Here, we provide a statistical model to measure varying selective optima from longitudinal data. We apply our approach to analyze environmental sensitivity of phenotypic selection on egg-laying date and clutch size throughout the life cycle of a white-throated dipper population. We show the presence of a joint optimal phenotype that varies over the 35-year period, being dependent on altitude and temperature. We also find that optimal laying date is density-dependent, with high population density favoring earlier laying dates. By providing a flexible approach, widely applicable to free-ranging populations for which long-term data on individual phenotypes, fitness, and environmental factors are available, our study improves the understanding of phenotypic selection in varying environments.

PHYSIOLOGY OF TASTE PERCEPTION: THE ROLE OF GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN THE FORMATION OF TASTE PREFERENCES

Taste perception has a significant impact on the formation of human food preferences. The basics of taste perception of the child are formed under the influence of genetic polymorphism and congenital taste preferences, developing under the influence of a number of environmental factors. A significant impact on the formation of taste hasthe mother’s nutrition during pregnancy, the nature of the child’sfeeding, the baby’s health during the first year of life, as well as national and family traditions of nutrition. The article describes the mechanisms of formation of different taste sensations, summarizes the results of modern research on the genetics of taste receptors, the role of individual environmental factors in the development of food preferences. Special attention is paid to the peculiarities of the child’s nutrition during the first year of life.

Effect of micronutrient malnutrition on periodontal disease and periodontal therapy.

Periodontitis is a complex chronic inflammatory noncommunicable disease, initiated by the development of a dysbiotic microbial plaque biofilm below the gingival margin. Whilst the pathogenic biofilm is a "necessary cause" of periodontitis, it is insufficient on its own to cause the disease, and a destructive immune-inflammatory response is a key to the translation of risk to destructive events. Other exposures or "component causes" include individual genetic predisposition, lifestyle (including smoking and nutrition), and environmental factors. Dietary nutrients are essential for life as they provide crucial energy sources in the form of macronutrients, as well as important cofactors in the form of micronutrients, which regulate the functionality of enzymes during the regulation of anabolic and catabolic processes in human cells. Moreover, micronutrients can regulate gene transcription factors, such as the proinflammatory nuclear factor kappa B and the anti-inflammatory nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2. This review focuses on the role of vitamins (vitamin A, carotenoids, the vitamin B complex, vitamins C, D, and E, and coenzyme Q10) and minerals (calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, potassium, copper, manganese, and selenium) in human physiology and the impact of their deficiencies upon periodontal health and disease.

Adolescents from low-income families in Hong Kong and unhealthy eating behaviours: Implications for health and social care practitioners.

The development of dietary preferences of adolescents involves a complex interplay of individual behaviours and environmental factors. Interpersonal factors-such as peer influences and unpleasant school experiences-and institutional factors-such as school rules and policies-are closely associated with unhealthy eating of adolescents. Family support and guidance are also crucial in influencing adolescents' eating habits. However, the low social status, low educational levels, and low household incomes of disadvantaged parents can markedly prevent their children from establishing healthy eating habits. Therefore, adolescents from low-income families are more likely to engage in unhealthy dietary behaviours and hence to be more susceptible to diet-related health problems. However, few studies have addressed the difficulties associated with inculcating healthy eating habits among adolescents from low-income families. Therefore, to investigate the barriers to adopting healthy eating habits, this study adopted a qualitative research approach and conducted five focus-group semistructured interviews with 30 junior- and senior-form students of a secondary school in Hong Kong, all of whom were from low-income families. The results revealed skipping meals because of poverty, following irregular meal patterns on school holidays, receiving poor guidance from family and peers, perceiving healthy eating as expensive and unappealing, and geographical inaccessibility to healthy food all prevented these students from healthy eating. These mutually reinforcing factors were interlocking with the economic strain that was experienced by the participants and their families. In particular, the stereotype of "healthful food is expensive" was strong. Therefore, we suggest students from low-income families should be enabled to understand that healthy eating is not necessarily expensive. The participants' stereotypes about healthy food was handed down by their parents. Such stereotypes, together with the low health literacy, influence the food preparation habits of the parents. Therefore, parents should be made to aware that healthful food can also be affordable.

Food environments in and around post-primary schools in Ireland: Associations with youth dietary habits

BackgroundThe food environment within and surrounding schools may influence children's diets. This study explored if the internal and external school food environments were associated with intake of specific food groups among adolescents. MethodsParticipants were a subset of 5344 post-primary school students that took part in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey. Four school-level variables were created: urban/rural, disadvantaged status, percentage fast food premises within one kilometer of the school and food sold in the school. Logistic regression models were used to examine school-level influences on daily food consumption controlling for individual and family food environmental factors. ResultsFor students in disadvantaged schools, the odds of having soft drinks (OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.30–2.47) or chips (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.17–2.83) daily were larger and the odds of consuming fruits (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.62–0.99) or vegetables (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.60–0.88) daily were smaller than for students at other schools. Girls and those from higher socioeconomic classes also had healthier eating habits. Attending a school where more than 10% of the food premises within one kilometer of the school were fast food outlets was associated with a 0.78 (95% CI 0.64 to 0.94) and a 0.79 (95% CI 0.66 to 0.93) decreased odds of daily fruit and vegetable intake, respectively. ConclusionsFast food environments around post-primary schools are associated with less fruit and vegetable intake. Children in disadvantaged schools and from lower social classes are more likely to report poorer dietary habits than children in other schools or from higher social classes, respectively. Multiple contexts influence diet, and children at an economic or social disadvantage are at most risk of poor dietary habits.

Faktor individu dan lingkungan dengan citra tubuh pada santri putri di pondok pesantren

Background: Perception and judgment against one’s own body is called body image. Limited studies have been performed on body image of the population living in boarding schools who has relatively homogeneous environmental characteristics and restricted access towards communication media.Objective: To determine the correlation between individual factors and environmental factors with body image of female students at religious boarding school.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 142 female students aged 15-19 years old in Islamic Centre Bin Baz (ICBB) boarding school Bantul. Individual factors included nutritional status, nutritional knowledge, and self-esteem, respectively measured by using BMI/age that interpreted using manual from Ministry of Health 2010, multiple choice questionnaire, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE). Environmental factors encompassed culture, social economic status, and social support, respectively measured by using check lists of parent’s ethnics, social economic status questionnaire, Social Support Questionnaire Number (SSQN) and Social Support Questionnaire Satisfaction (SSQS). Body image was measured using CDRS (The Contour Drawing Rating Scale) form. All variables were tested using chi square test and logistic regression.Results: Individual factors that had significant correlations with body image were nutritional status (p<0.05; RP=1.3; 95%CI=2.68-2.83) and self-esteem (p<0.05; OR=21.3; 95%CI=3.97-114.3). Meanwhile, for environmental factors, they were social economic status (p<0.05) and social support satisfaction (p<0.05; 95%CI=0.02-0.95).Conclusion: Individual and environmental factors have correlation with body image of female students at religious boarding school.

Individual and food environmental factors: association with diet.

To examine the associations of individual and food environmental factors with fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake in a city in a low-to-middle-income country (LMIC). Cross-sectional. Representative sample of the Brazilian Primary Care service known as the Health Academy Program (HAP) in Belo Horizonte, a Brazilian city. Using a conceptual model as a guide, individual and food environment data were obtained through: (i) face-to-face interviews with participants aged 20 years or older; and (ii) F&V food store audits. A broad set of individual, household, and community and consumer nutrition environment variables was investigated. Multilevel linear regression was used to quantify area-level variations in F&V intake and to estimate associations with the factors. Eighteen HAP centres were selected and 2944 participants and 336 food stores were included. F&V intake varied between contexts, being higher in areas with better socio-economic conditions and food store quality, such as specialised F&V markets. Individual-level factors, including age, income, food insecurity, stage of change, self-efficacy and decisional balance, were significantly associated with F&V intake. After controlling for individual-level characteristics, greater F&V intake was also associated with higher quality of food stores. In one of the first studies to comprehensively assess the food environment in an LMIC, individual-level factors accounted for the largest variation in F&V intake; however, the food environment was also important, because area-level variables explained 10·5 % of the F&V intake variation. The consumer nutrition environment was more predictive of healthy eating than was the community nutrition environment. The findings suggest new possibilities for interventions.

Rozwój zielonej gospodarki w krajach Grupy Wyszehradzkiej

Zmiany zachodzące w gospodarce światowej, a w szczególności relacje między aspektami ekonomicznymi, środowiskowymi, społecznymi czy politycznymi stały się punktem wyjścia do rozważań nad ścieżką rozwoju społeczno-gospodarczego. Za jedno z nowych podejść, uznać można koncepcję - green economy. Wzrost znaczenia tego podejścia upatruje się w rosnących ograniczeniach utrzymania długofalowego wzrostu w tradycyjnym podejściu zgodnie z modelem Solowa i występowania okresowo znacznych odchyleń uzyskiwanych wyników rocznych od stanu równowagi. Odnosząc się do tego problemu za cel artykułu przyjęto wskazanie uwarunkowań rozwoju zielonej gospodarki w krajach Grupy Wyszehradzkiej. W celu identyfikacji oraz określenia oddziaływania poszczególnych czynników ekonomicznych, społecznych i środowiskowych na rozwój sektora zielonej gospodarki zastosowano regresję panelową. Zakres czasowy obejmuje lata 2004-2016. Ze względu na brak uniwersalnej metody oceny stopnia rozwoju tej koncepcji, przeprowadzone badanie może być uznane za jedną z propozycji w ramach przedmiotu literatury. Uzyskane w ten sposób wyniki mogą służyć do interpretacji uwarunkowań rozwoju zielonej gospodarki.

A Developmental Social Neuroscience Model for Understanding Pathways to Substance Use Disorders During Adolescence

Adolescence is a transitional period of development characterized by critical changes in physical, neural, cognitive, affective, and social functions. Studies investigating the underlying mechanisms of substance use at levels of self-report, brain response, and behavioral data are generally consistent with suggestions from dual-process model that differential growth rates of frontally mediated control and striato-frontal reward processing are related to a heightened risk of substance use during adolescence. However, social theories highlight the important role of social context and environment in which adolescents grow up and suggest that growing up in an unfavorable environment and in particular exposure to adverse childhood experiences play a huge role in how this vulnerability is translated into actual risk. In this review, we provide a summary of recent theories that examine a number of key individual and social and environmental risk factors underlying risk for early initiation and escalation of substance misuse. We also present a model that expands the dual-process model to incorporate the role of negative self-concept and negative affect associated with growing up in an unfavorable environment and their interactions with cognitive control and inhibition to further explain vulnerability to early initiation and development of substance misuse in adolescents.

Perceptions of School-Based Kitchen Garden Programs in Low-Income, African American Communities.

Introduction. While school-based kitchen garden programs are shown to improve fruit and vegetable consumption and knowledge among children, there has been little research on participant perceptions of these programs, specifically among minority populations that are disproportionately affected by and at high risk for overweight and obesity. This qualitative study examined the perceptions of and values associated with participation in school-based kitchen garden programs implemented through Edible Schoolyard New Orleans in low-income, predominantly African American schools in New Orleans, Louisiana. Method. Qualitative data were collected through semistructured focus group discussions with key stakeholder groups at schools offering Edible Schoolyard New Orleans. Results. A total of 10 focus groups were conducted across 4 middle schools with students (n = 27), parents (n = 17), and teachers (n = 17). Four primary themes emerged during data analysis: development of life skills, food and health, family and community, and experiential and participatory learning. Conclusions. To strengthen the sustainability and potential impact of school-based kitchen garden programs, future intervention strategies should place specific emphasis on the themes that emerged from this study. School-based kitchen garden programs may be a promising strategy to positively influence the individual, social, and physical environmental factors that contribute to overweight and obesity in low-income, African American communities.

Understanding knowledge management phenomena in virtual communities from a goal-directed approach

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand the formation of knowledge management (KM) decisions, including intention for knowledge contribution and knowledge exploration. The authors build on the goal-directed model and a trust-based lens to develop a belief-trust-decision framework. The authors theorize belief as individual factors (one’s virtual skill) and environmental factors (cooperative norms, familiarity), and trust as emotional trust and cognitive trust. Individual factors represent one’s virtual skill to control knowledge exchange, while environmental factors reflect the level of support/control for this exchange by the context.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a survey method to collect data and partial least squares to analyze them.FindingsThe authors found that KM decision is affected by two types of trust, directly or indirectly. They are, in turn, influenced by individual factors and environmental factors.Research limitations/implicationsGeneralizability of the findings to virtual communities with different collaboration protocol deserves further investigation. This study contributes to the research on KM and social behavior by providing a comprehensive explanation on KM decision through one’s goal achievement in knowledge exchange behavior, in terms of trust development. Besides, the authors theorize one’s belief on knowledge exchange as skill-control and context-control to represent the drivers for trust.Practical implicationsThe results provide suggestion for managers regarding how skill-control and context-control should be managed to improve trust development, which serves as goal achievement for KM decisions.Originality/valueThe authors extend prior work by yielding a new insight into how and why one’s beliefs on skill-control and context-control for knowledge exchange are transferred into KM decision through one’s goal achievement, characterized as trust development at both emotional and cognitive levels.

The health effects of individual characteristics and environmental factors in China: Evidence from the hierarchical linear model

Abstract Environmental pollution and its health risks to human beings have been becoming increasingly serious in China, and the health status of the individuals is not only affected by their environment but also by their own characteristics and socio-economic status. Based on the survey data of China Family Panel Studies (2014), three hierarchical linear models at three levels of individual, family, and community were developed to investigate the influencing factors of individual health status. The results indicate that: (1) there exists significant difference among individual health status, of which 16% and 9.11% are caused by the family and community levels, respectively; (2) the average health status of men is better than that of women by 6.95%. As for the difference in health effects produced by gender, total household income can reduce this difference; (3) age has significant negative health effects, while the level of education has positive effect on individual health status; and (4) the health effects of pollution is mainly reflected by its interaction with gender; in particular, when men and women face the same level of pollution exposure, men are more susceptible.

Is familial risk for depression confounded by individual and familial socioeconomic factors and neighborhood environmental factors? A 7-year follow-up study in Sweden

Family history of depression is an important risk factor for depression. The aim of this study was to examine whether the effect of family history of depression is confounded by individual and familial socioeconomic factors (i.e., country of origin, educational attainment, family income and mobility) and neighborhood environmental factors (i.e., neighborhood deprivation and neighborhood social capital). The study population comprised 188,907 individuals aged 20–44 years from a nationwide sample of primary care centers in Sweden. Among these individuals, 22,014 with a first event of depression (6,486 men and 15,528 women) were identified during the 7-year follow-up period. Family history of depression was defined as depression in at least one parent. Cross-classified multilevel logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios with 95% credible intervals. Increased familial odds were observed after adjustment for individual and familial socioeconomic factors and neighborhood environmental factors for both men and women. Our results suggest that family history of depression is an independent risk factor for depression. Offspring of parents with depression are important targets for disease prevention, regardless of individual and familial socioeconomic factors and neighborhood environmental factors.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Work Role Functioning Questionnaire 2.0 to Norwegian and Danish

BACKGROUND:A healthy and productive working life has attracted attention owing to future employment and demographic challenges.OBJECTIVE:The aim was to translate and adapt the Work Role Functioning Questionnaire (WRFQ) 2.0 to Norwegian and Danish.METHODS:The WRFQ is a self-administered tool developed to identify health-related work limitations. Standardised cross-cultural adaptation procedures were followed in both countries’ translation processes. Direct translation, synthesis, back translation and consolidation were carried out successfully.RESULTS:A pre-test among 78 employees who had returned to work after sickness absence found idiomatic issues requiring reformulation in the instructions, four items in the Norwegian version, and three items in the Danish version, respectively. In the final versions, seven items were adjusted in each country. Psychometric properties were analysed for the Norwegian sample (n = 40) and preliminary Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were satisfactory. A final consensus process was performed to achieve similar titles and introductions.CONCLUSIONS:The WRFQ 2.0 cross-cultural adaptation to Norwegian and Danish was performed and consensus was obtained. Future validation studies will examine validity, reliability, responsiveness and differential item response. The WRFQ can be used to elucidate both individual and work environmental factors leading to a more holistic approach in work rehabilitation.

Generalized Discrimination Perceptions and American Jewish Perception of Antisemitism

Why do American Jews, who are highly successful in several regards, perceive so much antisemitism and discrimination? Previous research has focused on individual characteristics, Jewish identity, and environmental factors. This paper adds another factor, perceptions of discrimination against non-Jews, arguing that when Jews perceive high levels of discrimination against non-Jews, they fear that discrimination against non-Jews will spread to Jews. The paper used data from the 2013 Pew Survey of American Jews to test this hypothesis, and the analysis finds support for it. The conclusion puts the findings into context and offers suggestions for future research.

Disentangling scale dependencies in species environmental niches and distributions

Understanding species’ responses to environmental conditions, and how these ­species–environment associations shape spatial distributions, are longstanding goals in ecology and biogeography. However, an essential component of species–environment relationships – the spatial unit, or grain, at which they operate – remains unresolved. We identify three components of scale‐dependence in analyses of species–environment associations: 1) response grain, the grain at which species respond most strongly to their environment; 2) environment spatial structure, the pattern of spatial autocorrelation intrinsic to an environmental factor; and 3) analysis grain, the grain at which analyses are conducted and ecological inferences are made.We introduce a novel conceptual framework that defines these scale components in the context of analyzing species–environment relationships, and provide theoretical examples of their interactions for species with various ecological attributes. We then use a virtual species approach to investigate the impacts of each component on common methods of measuring and predicting species–environment relationships. We find that environment spatial structure has a substantial impact on the ability of even simple, univariate species distribution models (SDMs) to recover known species–­environment associations at coarse analysis grains. For simulated environments with ‘fine’ and ‘intermediate’ spatial structure, model explanatory power, and the frequency with which simple SDMs correctly estimated a virtual species’ response to the simulated environment, dramatically declined as analysis grain increased.Informed by these results, we use a scaling analysis to identify maximum analysis grains for individual environmental factors, and a scale optimization procedure to determine the grain of maximum predictive accuracy. Implementing these analysis grain thresholds and model performance standards in an example east African study system yields more accurate distribution predictions, compared to SDMs independently constructed at arbitrary analysis grains. Finally, we integrate our conceptual framework with virtual and empirical results to provide practical recommendations for researchers asking common questions about species–environment relationships.

Familial clustering of vitamin D deficiency via shared environment: The Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008–2012

Familial correlation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration (25(OH)D) was reported in twin- or parent-offspring studies. However, data on relative contribution of environmental factors on familial clustering of 25(OH)D in extended families are limited. We performed cross-sectional study using data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2008-2012. Familial correlations of 25(OH)D were estimated in 28,551 subjects from 10,882 families. The variance component method was used to assess the relative contribution of additive genetic or environmental contributions to the variation in 25(OH)D level. Logistic regression models with interaction term were built to evaluate the differential influence of parental vitamin D status on the adolescents and adults offspring. Mean serum 25(OH)D concentration of subjects was 44.6 nmol/L (vitamin D insufficiency (30-50 nmol/L), 51%; vitamin D deficiency ( < 30 nmol/L), 17%). Familial clustering explained 40% of the total variation in 25(OH)D. In the variance component model, 4%, 39%, and 57% of the variation in serum 25(OH)D level was attributed to additive genetic, common shared environmental, and individual environmental factors, respectively. The odds of vitamin D deficiency in offspring with both parents with vitamin D deficiency compared with those with both parents with sufficient vitamin D levels was greater in adolescents ( < 19 years) than in adults ( ≥ 19 years) (odds ratio = 41.1 vs. 12.5; p for interaction = 0.03). We found a familial clustering of vitamin D deficiency in a large family-based cohort. Parental influence on vitamin D status of offspring was greater in adolescents than in adults.

Temperature Effects Explain Continental Scale Distribution of Cyanobacterial Toxins.

Insight into how environmental change determines the production and distribution of cyanobacterial toxins is necessary for risk assessment. Management guidelines currently focus on hepatotoxins (microcystins). Increasing attention is given to other classes, such as neurotoxins (e.g., anatoxin-a) and cytotoxins (e.g., cylindrospermopsin) due to their potency. Most studies examine the relationship between individual toxin variants and environmental factors, such as nutrients, temperature and light. In summer 2015, we collected samples across Europe to investigate the effect of nutrient and temperature gradients on the variability of toxin production at a continental scale. Direct and indirect effects of temperature were the main drivers of the spatial distribution in the toxins produced by the cyanobacterial community, the toxin concentrations and toxin quota. Generalized linear models showed that a Toxin Diversity Index (TDI) increased with latitude, while it decreased with water stability. Increases in TDI were explained through a significant increase in toxin variants such as MC-YR, anatoxin and cylindrospermopsin, accompanied by a decreasing presence of MC-LR. While global warming continues, the direct and indirect effects of increased lake temperatures will drive changes in the distribution of cyanobacterial toxins in Europe, potentially promoting selection of a few highly toxic species or strains.