Typical Week Research Articles

Differential Effects of a Global Public Health Crisis on Physical Activity: Evidence From a Statewide Survey From the United States.

We aimed to identify how the COVID-19 lockdown affected changes, including the potential for longer term sustained changes, in physical activity, as compared to immediately prior to the pandemic. Physical activity's significant role in overall health is known to be influenced by the surrounding environment, such as one's neighborhood, prompting this study of physical activity and its relationship with individual-level and neighborhood-level factors within the pandemic timeline. A statewide online survey assessed adults' self-reported weekly minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) comparing a typical week immediately prior to the pandemic and during the pandemic (prewidespread vaccination) using negative binomial models. Overall, MVPA decreased during the pandemic, though the decrease was driven largely by the reduction in MVPA outside one's neighborhood. In contrast, MVPA done within one's neighborhood increased over time. This change in MVPA done within one's neighborhood was not uniform across several characteristics including income level favoring those with the highest income (p < .05) and race/ethnicity favoring those self-reporting as non-Hispanic White (p < .05). While several factors, including higher Walk Scores, were associated with higher levels of MVPA without evidence of change over time, evidence of a differential effect over time was seen for other key indicators of social and structural determinants of health including income and race/ethnicity. This study can add to the existing literature surrounding not only COVID-19 but also neighborhood built environmental research seeking to identify factors associated with changes in MVPA, a known indicator of overall health and health-related outcomes.

Social norms and club drug use of young adult college students during Music Week

Background: Young adult college students have high rates of substance use, theoretically related to social norms. Behavioral norms refer to the quantity of substances that students think others use, and attitudes refer to how much students or others approve of substance use. Prior research has shown a relationship between behavioral norms, student attitudes, and perceived parental attitudes and alcohol and marijuana use. However, the relationship between social norms and use of club drugs (e.g., MDMA) has not been studied.Objective: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to expand knowledge about young adult college student social norms and club drug use.Methods: 200 young adult undergraduates (Women = 97, 49%) were recruited from a campus recreational facility on a large private Southeastern university in April 2019. Students self-reported behavioral norms, student attitudes, parental perceived attitudes, club drug use during a typical week and during music week, and substance use consequences.Results: Logistic and negative binomial regressions showed that student attitudes were significantly related to club drug use in a typical week (OR = 2.07, p = .005), during music week (OR = 2.08, p = .001), and consequences of use (RR = 1.23, p < .001), but behavioral norms and perceived parental attitudes were not.Conclusions: Findings build on social norms research with alcohol and marijuana use. Attitudes may be more important to consider than behavioral norms or perceived parental attitudes for interventions to reduce club drug use. Young adults (18-25 years old) have a high risk for substance use; both alcohol and drug use increase throughout adolescence and peak in young adulthood. 1–3 Young adults have high heavy episodic drinking (35% past month) and illicit drug use (25% past month), with greater MDMA use (10% vs 7%) and marijuana use (35% vs. 15%) than other adults. 4 Alcohol and marijuana use has been linked to many negative consequences, such as blackouts, physical injuries, unprotected sex, and even death. 5 , 6 Club drug use is also linked to negative consequences, such as memory lapse, headaches, loss of energy, trouble sleeping, depression, confusion, anxiety, irritability, nausea, and changes in heart rate and blood pressure. 7 , 8

Analysis of temperature characteristics for overwintering bee colonies based on long-term monitoring data

Honey Bees are very important to ecological environment and human society. However, the collapse of bee colonies in winter has frequently occurred in recent years, so condition monitoring of bee colonies is vital to maintain bee colonies health. Considering that the temperature has the strongest ability of recognizing the status of bee colonies, this paper uses a multi-sensor system to investigate the long-term air temperature inside beehives for overwintering bee colonies. Firstly, different from other studies in which it is usually a single temperature observation or a small number of samples and a short observation time, the multi-sensor monitoring system is adopted to carry out a continuous experiment for more than 30 Italian bee colonies. The experiment time covers two complete overwintering periods. Subsequently, considering the impact of different time scales on the monitoring of bee colony status, the long-term (several months) data analysis is based on the daily average data, while the short-term (typical weeks) data analysis is performed on the hourly data. Finally, the correlation between air temperature and other monitoring parameters (entrance counts, humidity, sound) was computed. The results demonstrate that the air temperature change inside the beehive has an evident regularity during the overwintering period, such as the fixed temperature threshold for the outdoor activities of bees, periodic fluctuation by the hour and the smallest temperature difference between inside and outside. These findings will enable the assessment of the health state of overwintering bee colonies by use of temperature-derived indicators.

Mentalizing abilities and serum lipid levels in adult MDD patients with childhood maltreatment – preliminary results

IntroductionChildhood maltreatment (CM) contributes to negative mental and physical health outcomes including major depressive disorder (MDD), and an elevated risk for cardiovascular disease (CDV) in adults. Also, childhood maltreatment can be related to mentalizing deficits in MDD. Cardio-metabolic diseases often coincide with MDD and worsen its course and outcome. Little is known on the interplay of these factors.ObjectivesWe examined MDD patients with and without CM to explore the effects of CM on serum lipid and lipoprotein levels and assessed their mentalizing abilities. Self-oriented mentalizing was operationalized as emotional self-awareness/alexithymia, other-oriented mentalizing was defined as theory of mind (ToM).MethodsMDD patients (N=42) and healthy controls (n=20) matched in age, sex, and lifestyle were investigated. Total cholesterol, triglycerides, high- and low-density lipoproteins (HDL-C and LDL-C), body mass index, and exercise in a typical week were measured. Beck Depression Inventory, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Toronto Alexithymia scale, and the Reading the mind in the Eyes Test were used to assess clinical symptoms, mentalizing abilities and CM.ResultsAfter controlling for depressive symptom severity, demographic and lifestyle variables, CM was found to be a strong predictor of serum lipid alterations. Mentalizing deficits correlated with CM. Serum triglycerides, HDL-C were significant predictors of ToM performance (P&lt;0.05, and P=0.005) and alexithymia (P&lt; 0.05, and P&lt; 0.05) in the MDD group.ConclusionsSeveral, inter-correlated pathways may mediate the undesirable effects of CM on the course and outcome of MDD. According to our preliminary results, diminished self-awareness and ToM can be possible mediating factors.DisclosureThis work was financially supported by the Hungarian Brain Research Program (2017-1.2.1-NKP-2017-00002)

Driving and Advanced Age

Background: Advanced aged people continue to use their vehicles, utlising them for a wide variety of purposes. Within that age group female drivers from both New Zealand Maori and non-Maori are predominantly noticeable. Method: Following the first wave of the LiLAC Study the present study examined the results of the Transport and Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living sub-sections involving New Zealand Maori aged between 75-95 years and non-Maori participants only aged 85 years. Questions asked of the recipients involved whether they had ever driven, did the still drive, how often and how far they drove in a typical week; and why they drove. Analysis of the results were conducted using a scaled questionnaire, binomial logistic regression, chi-square tests for association, ordinal logistic regression and descriptive analysis.Results: Participant number totalled 931 with 421 New Zealand Maori and 510 New Zealand Maori non-Maori. New Zealand Maori: Nearly double the number of females had ever driven. Of those who do drive both male (73) and female (69) indicated that they did, although females also offered the service of driving to both family and non-family members. Females also presented 1.028 higher odds of having ever driven a car. However, as New Zealand Maori aged a reduction in having ever driven was shown in the results (0.688). Typical weekly use of the car by New Zealand Maori males was grouped (p-value = 0.063), whereas female Maori took the car out daily. Increase in age was found not to be associated with how often New Zealand Maori drove. The odds ratio of Maori males was greater than that of females (p-value = 0.463), similarly with age (p-value = 0.192). In comparison both male and female covered a wide distance, although most noticeable were ones made 1.5-25 kilometres.New Zealand non-Maori: New Zealand non-Maori like New Zealand Maori females were also in the majority as to the number having ever driven. Of those still driving a higher number of males (154) compared to female (136) non-Maori were shown to be still driving. However, unlike New Zealand Maori, none of the non-Maori indicated that they offered their driving services to someone else. Typical weekly driving scores between male and female were not statistically significant different (p = 0.201). Median driving distances for male and female were the same (3.00). A varied use of the car was apparent by both New Zealand Maori and non-Maori.Conclusion: Maintaining independence is of primary concern to both New Zealand Maori and non-Maori. To enable this population group to remain as a contributing part of their community further research is required into their decision making, the licensing procedure and surrounding support facilities.

Use of another Driver or other form of Transport by People of an Advanced Age

Background: A comparable number of advanced aged New Zealand Maori and non-Maori are presently driven by someone else or use other forms of transport.Method: Everyday Interests and Activities – Transport subsection of the LiLAC study provided the question area for analysis. Enquiry focused on whether older people did use private car transport driven by someone else, were questioned who was their most regular driver, how often did someone else drive them in a typical week and what distance they drove in a typical journey, whether they had used other forms of transportation, if they had problems obtaining their groceries and did they provide transport in the form of car/assistance for others Methods of analysis included binomial logistic regression, chi-square test for association, ordinal logistic regression, Mann-Whitney U test and descriptive analysis.Results: Participants totaled 931 with 421 New Zealand Maori and 510 New Zealand Maori non-Maori.New Zealand Maori: A higher ratio of New Zealand Maori males were transported making use of their daughter. Most of such trips were made only once a week with more males travelling between 1.5-20.5 kilometres, while both males and females covered longer distances of 25.5-80+ kilometres. New Zealand Maori were not seen to have not made use of other forms of transport in the last twelve months and very rarely had any problem obtaining their groceries. New Zealand Maori females aided other members of the family, while New Zealand Maori males provided such a service to people outside of their family.New Zealand non-Maori: Similarly, New Zealand non-Maori males were also seen to have made greater use of private transport provided by their daughter. In comparison there was almost a 50:50 split between those New Zealand non-Maori females who did and those who did-not make use of such a service. Of those who did such a service was primarily provided by their spouse followed by their daughter. Like New Zealand Maori, non-Maori New Zealanders generally only made use of such transport once a week or not at all. Trips taken by either male and female New Zealand non-Maori was firstly between 1.5-8, and then between 8.2-20.5 kilometres. More New Zealand non-Maori males had use of other forms of transport; while again there was practically a 50:50 split between those females who did and those who did not. Like New Zealand Maori, New Zealand non-Maori male and female very rarely had any problem obtaining their groceries. Both New Zealand non-Maori males and females were seen to provide care/assistance for that outside of the family. Conclusion: Although as is often expected the majority both New Zealand Maori and New Zealand non-Maori representatives were seen to utilise family (daughters and spouse) for transportation. However, use of such a provision was generally restricted to only once a week and in assessing distance, consideration also needs to be made of respondent geographical location, especially in line with placement of main services. However, despite the use of such a transportation facility independent mobility remained with both rural and urban population groups. Future older generations will have experienced a closer relationship with motor vehicle use. Consequently, any transportation policy needs to be designed in line with sustaining the provision of goods, services, employment, social opportunities and membership of the community.

Performance prediction of a novel double-glazing PV curtain wall system combined with an air handling unit using exhaust cooling and heat recovery technology

In solar buildings, the problems associated with indoor comfort and energy demand have garnered considerable attention, including overheating of BIPV systems, excessive cooling load, and cold-heat offset of HVAC systems. To address these problems, this study proposes a novel exhaust ventilation double-glazing PV curtain wall system (EVPV) combined with an air handling unit (AHU) based on waste heat recovery (HR). This hybrid system cools the PV curtain wall by utilizing exhaust air as a coolant. Additionally, the exhaust air is recycled to preheat the dew-point supply air and then precool the fresh air. Thus, solar energy is captured and converted into electricity and heat, while thermal energy is efficiently recovered. The system realizes superior electricity output, reduced cooling energy consumption, and remarkable reheat savings. For comprehensive performance prediction, a case study is conducted based on a restaurant building with a south-facing EVPV in Hefei, compared to one with a non-ventilation BIPV facade system without HR (NVPV). Based on the validated model, the results of a typical summer week operation indicate that the EVPV system can achieve (1) 7.87 kWh/day power generation and 7.14% PV efficiency, with 0.35% enhancement; (2) 7.68 kWh/day heat recovery from the PV double-glazing façade; (3) 8.41 kWh/day (62.31%) mitigation in reheat demand, 2.97 kWh/day (26.60%) reduction in room cooling load, and 39.94 kWh/day fresh air cooling capacity; (4) additional fan power of 16.29 kWh/day. In total, integrating the PV curtain wall with AHU using HR reduces overall energy consumption by 63.12 kWh/day (19.26%). Furthermore, the effects of air cavity depth and PV coverage ratio on the electrical and thermal behavior of EVPV are investigated. The results suggest that 0.08 m air cavity depth and a higher PV coverage ratio provide the building with a more promising energy-saving potential.

0431 Examining the indirect effects of acculturation stress on insomnia through alcohol use and brooding among Latinx women and men

Abstract Introduction Acculturation stress, a type of sociocultural stress, and insomnia have been consistently, positively associated among Latinx populations; however, the mechanisms of this association remain elusive. Models of insomnia suggest maladaptive coping strategies, such as brooding and alcohol use, may drive the relationship between stress and this disorder. Because acculturation stress has been positively associated with brooding and alcohol use, these coping strategies may explain the relationship between acculturation stress and insomnia among Latinxs. Additionally, gender differences in the use of these coping strategies and insomnia have been well documented. Thus, we examined the indirect effects of acculturation stress on insomnia through brooding and alcohol use among Latinxs and explored gender differences in these effects. Methods Separate bias-corrected boot-strap tests of mediation with case resampling (1000 replications) were conducted to examine the indirect effect of acculturation stress measured using the Hispanic Stress Inventory(HSI), on insomnia, measured with the Insomnia Severity Index(ISI), through brooding and alcohol use. These tests were conducted using cross-sectional survey data from healthy Latinx adults participating in the Latino Sleep and Health Study(n=187). Unadjusted models were the primary models. Progressive adjustments were made to account for age and socioeconomic status. Stratified analyses by gender were conducted to explore potential differences in the mediation models between Latinx women and men. Results Participants were Mage=37.43(SD=13.67), 64.17% were women, and 30.48% were of low socioeconomic status. Participants reported a mean HSI of 9.28(SD=9.51), brooding score of 9.44(SD=2.88), and ISI of 6.65(SD=5.51). In a typical week, participants consumed M=2.61 alcoholic beverages(SD=4.68). In primary models, the total and direct effects of acculturation stress on insomnia were significant, (b=0.04,95%CI:0.02-0.06; b=0.02,95%CI:0.004-0.04). The indirect effects of acculturation stress through brooding were also significant (b=0.02, 95%BCa CI:0.01-0.03). Among women, these indirect effects had larger coefficients than among men (b=0.02,95%BCa CI:0.01-0.04; b=0.01,95%BCa CI:0.004-0.04). Alcohol use was not a significant mediator in this relationship, (b=-0.001,95%BCa CI:-0.004-0.0002). Conclusion These findings suggest that psychological interventions targeting Latinxs should aim to reduce brooding as a coping strategy for acculturation stress to promote healthy sleep. Future studies should replicate these analyses in temporally ordered data to test the causal relationships among these variables. Support (If Any)

0688 Insomnia Symptom Severity Predicts Greater Alcohol Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study

IntroductionIndividual stress levels undeniably increased following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not surprisingly, sleep problems, including insomnia, have intensified during the pandemic due to the increase in overall stress levels. The impact that greater insomnia has had on other health outcomes, for example problematic drinking, has yet to be examined. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess whether greater insomnia symptom severity predicted future alcohol use patterns (i.e., frequency and severity).MethodsThe study used data from a nationwide sample of 2,979 who were surveyed at two different points during the COVID-19 pandemic (T1 = initial months after the start of the pandemic [April – June 2020]; T2 = 10-12 months later). Of those, 1,971 adults (mean age = 46.0 years; 80% women) reported having had an alcoholic beverage during the past 3 months and were included in the subsequent analyses. Insomnia symptom severity was assessed at both time points using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Self-reported alcohol frequency (i.e., days per week) and severity (i.e., drinks per day) were assessed at T2.ResultsAt T2, participants reported drinking alcoholic beverages (mean ± standard deviation) 2.7 ± 2.1 days during a typical week and drinking 1.8 ± 1.1 alcoholic beverages on days they did drink. According to results from separate multiple regression analyses, where T1 ISI scores were entered as the independent variable and alcohol frequency and severity were entered as the dependent variables, total ISI scores at T1 were associated with less frequent (β = -0.075, p = .001) but more severe drinking patterns (β = .088, p < .001). These associations remained significant while controlling for current insomnia symptom severity.ConclusionBaseline insomnia symptom severity was a predictor of future alcohol use patterns. Specifically, people with greater insomnia at T1 reported, on average, less frequent drinking (i.e., fewer days per week), yet greater consumption on days that they did drink alcohol. These data highlight the importance of assessing the impact that insomnia has had (and continues to have) on other behavioral health outcomes during the ongoing pandemic.Support (If Any)K23HL141581 (PI: Vargas); R25HL10544 (PI: Jean-Louis); K24AG055602 (PI: Perlis)

0011 Work Hard, Sleep Hard: Vigorous Workdays and Sleep Difficulties

Abstract Introduction It is common in America to work 5 or 6 days as a full work week. This is exhausting, especially for those with a vocation that requires vigorous physical activity during the work day. Sleep is an important factor when assessing workplace efficiency, as those able to obtain regular healthy sleep will perform better. Methods A multinomial logistical regression analysis was conducted on the 2017 - March 2020 data collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to explore a relationship between those with self-assessed sleep difficulties and the number of days of vigorous physical activity during work. The specific question used for analysis was, “Does your work involve vigorous-intensity activity that causes large increases in breathing or heart rate like carrying or lifting heavy loads, digging or construction work for at least 10 minutes continuously?” If yes, the number of days during a typical week was recorded. Sleep difficulties were self-reported as difficulties “falling asleep, staying asleep, or sleeping too much” within the previous two weeks, categorized as “never,” “less than half the days,” “more than half the days,” and “nearly every day.” Reported results were unweighted; weighted results are forthcoming. Results were adjusted for sex, age, race/ethnicity, education level, and relationship status. Results Compared to those with no days of vigorous physical activity at work, those with 2 days were more likely to report having sleep difficulties several days in the past 2 weeks (OR: 1.13, [1.00,1.73], p=0.049). those reporting 6 days per week of vigorous work-related activity were less likely to report sleep difficulties several days (OR: 0.73, [0.59,0.91], p=0.004), more than half the days (OR: 0.67, [0.48,0.93], p=0.016), or nearly every day (OR: 0.68, [0.50,0.94], p=0.018). Those who reported 6 days per week of vigorous work-related activity were less likely to report sleep difficulties several days (OR: 0.75, [0.51,0.98], p=0.038) or more than half the days (OR: 0.57, [0.34,0.96], p=0.035). Conclusion It is possible that a physically demanding job has protective effects on sleep quality when compared to those that did not have any vigorous physical activity related to their profession. Support (If Any)

Physical Activity and Cardiac Function in Long-Term Breast Cancer Survivors: A Cross-Sectional Study

BackgroundHigher levels of physical activity are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease in the general population. Whether the same holds for women who underwent treatment for breast cancer is unclear. ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to evaluate the association between physical activity in a typical week in the past 12 months and cardiac dysfunction in breast cancer survivors. MethodsWe used data from a cohort of breast cancer survivors who were treated at ages 40 to 50 years (N = 559). The association between physical activity and global longitudinal strain (GLS) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was evaluated using both linear and modified Poisson regression analyses adjusted for relevant confounders. ResultsIn total, 559 breast cancer survivors were included, with median age of 55.5 years and a median time since treatment of 10.2 years. GLS was less favorable in inactive survivors (−17.1%) than in moderately inactive (−18.4%), moderately active (−18.2%), and active survivors (−18.5%), with an adjusted significant difference for active versus inactive survivors (β = −1.31; 95% CI: −2.55 to −0.06)). Moderately active (n = 57/130) and active survivors (n = 87/124) had significantly lower risks of abnormal GLS (defined as >−18%) compared with inactive survivors (n = 17/26) (RR: 0.65 [95% CI: 0.45-0.94] and RR: 0.61 [95% CI: 0.43-0.87], respectively). LVEF, in normal ranges in all activity categories, was not associated with physical activity. ConclusionsIn long-term breast cancer survivors, higher physical activity levels were associated with improved GLS but not LVEF, with the relatively largest benefit for doing any activity versus none. This finding suggests that increasing physical activity may contribute to cardiovascular health benefits, especially in inactive survivors.

Changes Among Mexican Adults in Physical Activity and Screen Time During the COVID-19 Lockdown Period and Association With Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress, May 29-July 31, 2020.

We examined the association between changes in physical activity and leisure screen time and mental health outcomes during the early stages of the recommended COVID-19 stay-at-home period in a national sample of Mexican adults aged 18 years or older. A cross-sectional online survey conducted from May 29 through July 31, 2020, among 1,148 participants, reported time spent in physical activity and leisure screen time during a typical week before (retrospectively) and a week during the COVID-19 stay-at-home period. Mental health outcomes during this period were measured with the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Linear regression models were used to estimate the associations between changes in physical activity and leisure screen time and mental health outcomes by socioeconomic status (SES), adjusting for potential confounders. Compared with maintaining high levels of physical activity or increasing them, decreasing physical activity was associated with higher stress scores overall, and among people of high SES, with higher scores for DASS-21, depression, and anxiety. Among participants of low and medium SES only, increasing screen time was associated with higher DASS-21, depression, anxiety, and stress scores compared with maintaining low or decreasing leisure screen time. Results highlight the potential protective effect of physical activity and limited leisure screen time on mental health in the context of COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions.

UK children\u2019s sleep and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundSleep and mental wellbeing are intimately linked. This relationship is particularly important to understand as it emerges over childhood. Here we take the opportunity that the COVID-19 pandemic, and resulting lockdown in the UK, presented to study sleep-related behaviour and anxiety in school-aged children.MethodsParents and children were asked to complete questionnaires towards the start of the UK lockdown in April-to-May of 2020, then again in August of that year (when many restrictions had been lifted). We explored children’s emotional responses to the pandemic and sleep patterns at both time points, from the perspectives of parents and children themselves.ResultsChildren’s bedtime anxiety increased at the start of the lockdown as compared to a typical week; however, by August, bedtime anxiety had ameliorated along with children’s COVID-19 related anxiety. Bedtime anxiety predicted how long it took children to fall asleep at night at both the start and the end of the lockdown. Bedtime and wake-up time shifted at the start of lockdown, but interestingly total sleep time was resilient (likely owing to an absence of early school start times) and was not predicted by child anxiety.ConclusionsThese findings further support calls for sleep quality (in particular, time taken to fall asleep) to be taken as a key indicator of mental health in children, particularly under usual circumstances when schools are open and sleep duration may be less resilient.

Restaurant dining during the COVID-19 pandemic among adults with low-income in the United States

The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread non-essential business closures in the U.S., which may have disproportionately impacted food consumption in lower-income communities, in part due to reduced access to healthy and affordable foods, as well as occupations that may have required working outside the home. The aims of this study were to examine restaurant dining behaviors (including drive-through, takeout, and delivery) at fast-food and non-fast-food (i.e., fast casual and full-service [‘other’]) restaurants and the impact on diet quality among racially/ethnically diverse low-income adults during the early months of the pandemic. Participants completed an online survey using CloudResearch regarding restaurant dining behaviors in the past week (during June 2020) and during a typical week prior to the pandemic. Diet quality was measured using the Prime Diet Quality Score (PDQS). Surveys from 1,756 low-income adults (incomes <250% of the Federal Poverty Level) were analyzed using chi-squared tests to examine differences in demographic characteristics among those dining at restaurants during the pandemic, as well as to examine differences in dining frequency compared with prior to COVID-19. Negative binomial regressions were used to examine the mean frequency of eating food from fast-food and other restaurants, adjusted for socio-demographic characteristics. This study found reductions in fast-food and other restaurant dining compared with prior to COVID-19, although overall restaurant consumption remained high with over half of participants reporting fast-food consumption in the week prior (average consumption of twice per week). Greater fast-food consumption was associated with poorer diet quality. In conclusion, while fast-food consumption was slightly lower during the pandemic, the overall high levels observed among socioeconomically disadvantaged adults remains concerning, highlighting the continued need for initiatives and policies to encourage greater access to and consumption of affordable and healthier foods.

Orgasm Frequency (Total Sexual Outlet) in a National American Sample.

There has been renewed interest in the conceptualization and diagnosis of conditions marked by excessive sexuality. Researchers and clinicians have often utilized orgasm frequency (e.g., total sexual outlet) as an indicator of hypersexuality. Indeed, some have proposed seven or more (7+) orgasms by any means in a typical week as indicating hypersexuality. Most studies utilizing this criterion, however, have examined clinical or judicial samples of men, as opposed to general population samples. The purpose of the current study was to provide representative population data of total sexual outlet (TSO) for people varying in age, relationship status, and sex, while also examining the impact of the phrasing of the questions (i.e., time frame). A total of 1029 participants were recruited online via a Qualtrics panel, consisting of 442 males and 587 females, from diverse regions across the USA. Results indicated that between 10.3 and 16.7% of the sample met the 7+ criterion for hypersexuality, with considerable variation by age, relationship status, sex, and less variation by wording of the question. Results are discussed in terms of the applicability of the 7+ cut-off for identifying elevated TSO. Results from this survey could be useful to researchers and clinicians looking for comparison data for their research and clinical assessment results.

Smartphone Use and Mental Health among Youth: It Is Time to Develop Smartphone-Specific Screen Time Guidelines

Smartphone use has become increasingly popular and almost all age cohorts engage in smartphone usage for a wide variety of activities. This study aims to investigate the relationship between high smartphone use and mental health among youth and in two urban centres in Canada. This study is part of the Smart Platform, a digital epidemiological and citizen science initiative. Citizen scientists provided all data via their own smartphones using a custom-built smartphone application. The baseline questionnaire included measures of smartphone screen time behaviours (internet use, gaming, and texting), demographic characteristics, and health outcomes including anxiety, suicide ideation, feelings of depression, and self-rated health. Binary regression models determined the relationship between smartphone use and mental health measures. Among the 437 participants (13–21 years old), 71.2% reported high total smartphones use during a typical week (5 weekdays and 2 weekend days). High weekday and high weekly total smartphone use were associated with an almost two times higher risk of screening positive for anxiety, while high weekend gaming and high total smartphone use were associated with an almost three times higher risk of suicide ideation. Moreover, high weekend total smartphone use was also associated with an almost three times higher risk of poor self-rated mental health. Our findings suggest that high smartphone use’s association with mental health varies by type of activity as well as type of day (weekday/weekend day). Smartphone usage among youth has become near universal and it is important to factor in variations in smartphone usage’s impact on mental health in developing smartphone-specific screen time guidelines by taking into context both type of activities, as well as type of day (weekday/weekend day).

Do the effects of parent-based alcohol interventions depend on college residence? A short communication

Parent-based interventions (PBIs) and living at home with one’s parents both have been shown to mitigate alcohol risk associated with the first year of college. The current study extends these findings by examining the independent and interactive effects of these two constructs on first-year drinking. The sample included 82 parent-student dyads. Parents were randomized to receive an online PBI that either did (intervention; n = 44) or did not (n = 38) include alcohol-related content in December 2020. Students completed online surveys assessing college residence and drinking (typical weekly and peak) in August 2020 (T1) and February 2021 (T2). Hierarchical zero-inflated Poisson models assessed the main and interaction effects of having a parent in the intervention group (vs control) and living with parents (vs without) on drinking outcomes, controlling for T1 alcohol use. Results revealed that living with parents predicted decreases in typical weekly drinking and having a parent in the intervention predicted decreases in the number of drinks consumed on one’s peak drinking occasion at T2. Treatment*residence was also significantly associated with typical weekly drinking in the inflated model. These results suggest that moving out was associated with a greater likelihood of not drinking during a typical week if students had a parent in the intervention and a lower likelihood of not drinking during a typical week if they had a parent in the control application. Together, findings support continued exploration of this online PBI as it appears to reduce peak drinking during the first year of college and reduces the odds of students drinking during a typical week when they move out of their parents’ home.

Physical education programme in public primary schools: Analysis of engagement time of pupils in six selected educational circuits

Cross sectional survey was used to assess engagement time for teaching and learning PE content in a typical school week in public primary schools. Subjects were 172 out of estimated population of 300 in six randomly sampled educational circuits. Validated and reliable self-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Pre-data analyses were performed to clean data from probable errors during data entering. All data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS for Windows, Version 17). The study found that the average engagement time of pupils in physical education programme in a typical school week was less than 50% of the total allocated time prescribed on the school time table for public primary schools. Statistically, the study revealed that male and female teachers in public primary schools did not significantly differ in terms of time spent teaching PE programme in a typical school week. Similarly, both upper and lower primary school teachers did not demonstrate statistically significant difference in engagement time of pupils in a typical school week.

Determinants of and barriers to physical activity for women in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Background: Physical activity (PA) has been linked to a variety of health benefits, disease prevention, and treatment. Understanding cultural influences are important for the effective promotion of PA. This study examined PA among women in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and the determinants and barriers to it. The research was conducted through a cross-sectional survey. The Arab Teens Lifestyle (ATLS) questionnaire was completed by 1238 randomly selected women in Jeddah. It includes the repetitions and average duration of different types of physical activities per typical week. In addition, the participants self-reported their anthropometric measurements. Results: 76.4% met the minimum requirement for moderately vigorous physical activity (MVPA), but only 19.5% met both MVPA and muscle-strengthening activity (MSA). The two main barriers to participation in PA are the lack of sports facilities and time constraints. The number of comorbidities, calculated body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference were significant determinants of PA (R2 =.27) Conclusion: Women largely ignore MSA despite engaging in a high percentage of MVPA. The presence of comorbidities and obesity are the most important determinants of PA. Finally, these data can be used to develop early interventions to promote health instead of managing complications. Keywords: Physical Activity, Obesity, Barriers, Determinants, Women, Sports, Saudi Arabia.

Effects of social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on changes in daily activity: A case study of physical education students

Background: The study sought to describe student time use and to analyse the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (lockdown) on changes in the time use and their role within the context of health and social aspects. Material &amp; Methods: The research was carried out every year from 2017 to 2020 in the same period of time. The study included 340 students of physical education. In their time budget diaries, the participants noted down the amount of time devoted to activities performed in a typical week. Results: The study showed that during the lockdown, students devoted less time to sports training, social meetings or cultural activities as compared to previous years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount of time devoted to the majority of activities was different on weekdays and at weekends. The results also showed that women devoted more time to personal hygiene and individual study, while men spent more time doing sports training. Conclusions: The crisis sparked off by COVID-19 resulted in considerable changes in student time use. The findings show that the allocation of time to various activities depends on gender, days of the week, legal regulations and recipients.