| 1. |
- Bentham, James, et al.
(author)
-
A century of trends in adult human height
- 2016
-
In: eLIFE. - 2050-084X. ; 5
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings. We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6 million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200 countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.522.7) and 16.5 cm (13.319.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100 years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8144.8). The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite substantial changes in the ranking of countries.
|
|
| 2. |
- Bentham, James, et al.
(author)
-
A century of trends in adult human height
- 2016
-
In: eLIFE. - : eLife Sciences Publications Ltd. - 2050-084X. ; 5
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings. We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6 million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200 countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.5–22.7) and 16.5 cm (13.3– 19.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100 years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8– 144.8). The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite substantial changes in the ranking of countries.
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
- Lennon, Matthew J., et al.
(author)
-
Use of Antihypertensives, Blood Pressure, and Estimated Risk of Dementia in Late Life An Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis
- 2023
-
In: JAMA NETWORK OPEN. - 2574-3805. ; 6:9
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- IMPORTANCE The utility of antihypertensives and ideal blood pressure (BP) for dementia prevention in late life remains unclear and highly contested. OBJECTIVES To assess the associations of hypertension history, antihypertensive use, and baseline measured BP in late life (age >60 years) with dementia and the moderating factors of age, sex, and racial group. DATA SOURCE AND STUDY SELECTION Longitudinal, population-based studies of aging participating in the Cohort Studies of Memory in an International Consortium (COSMIC) group were included. Participants were individuals without dementia at baseline aged 60 to 110 years and were based in 15 different countries (US, Brazil, Australia, China, Korea, Singapore, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Sweden, and Greece). DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS Participants were grouped in 3 categories based on previous diagnosis of hypertension and baseline antihypertensive use: healthy controls, treated hypertension, and untreated hypertension. Baseline systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were treated as continuous variables. Reporting followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses of Individual Participant Data reporting guidelines. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The key outcome was all-cause dementia. Mixed-effects Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the associations between the exposures and the key outcome variable. The association between dementia and baseline BP was modeled using nonlinear natural splines. The main analysis was a partially adjusted Cox proportional hazards model controlling for age, age squared, sex, education, racial group, and a random effect for study. Sensitivity analyses included a fully adjusted analysis, a restricted analysis of those individuals with more than 5 years of follow-up data, and models examining the moderating factors of age, sex, and racial group. RESULTS The analysis included 17 studies with 34 519 community dwelling older adults (20 160 [58.4%] female) with a mean (SD) age of 72.5 (7.5) years and a mean (SD) follow-up of 4.3 (4.3) years. In the main, partially adjusted analysis including 14 studies, individuals with untreated hypertension had a 42% increased risk of dementia compared with healthy controls (hazard ratio [HR], 1.42; 95% CI 1.15-1.76; P =.001) and 26% increased risk compared with individuals with treated hypertension (HR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.03-1.53; P =.02). Individuals with treated hypertension had no significant increased dementia risk compared with healthy controls (HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.99-1.28; P =.07). The association of antihypertensive use or hypertension status with dementia did not vary with baseline BP. There was no significant association of baseline SBP or DBP with dementia risk in any of the analyses. There were no significant interactions with age, sex, or racial group for any of the analyses. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This individual patient data meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies found that antihypertensive usewas associated with decreased dementia risk compared with individuals with untreated hypertension through all ages in late life. Individuals with treated hypertension had no increased risk of dementia compared with healthy controls.
|
|
| 5. |
- Matison, Annabel P., et al.
(author)
-
Associations between fruit and vegetable intakes and incident depression in middle-aged and older adults from 10 diverse international longitudinal cohorts
- 2024
-
In: JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS. - 0165-0327 .- 1573-2517. ; 359, s. 373-381
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Emerging observational evidence supports a role for higher fruit and vegetable intake in protecting against the development of depression. However, there is a scarcity of research in older adults or in low- to middle -income countries (LMICs). Methods: Participants were 7801 community -based adults (mean age 68.6 +/- 8.0 years, 55.8 % female) without depression, from 10 diverse cohorts, including four cohorts from LMICs. Fruit and vegetable intake was selfreported via comprehensive food frequency questionnaire, short food questionnaire or diet history. Depressive symptoms were assessed using validated measures, and depression defined applying validated cut-offs. The associations between baseline fruit and vegetable intakes and incident depression over a follow-up period of three to nine years were examined using Cox regression. Analyses were performed by cohort with results metaanalysed. Results: There were 1630 cases of incident depression (21 % of participants) over 40,258 person -years of followup. Higher intake of fruit was associated with a lower risk of incident depression (HR 0.87, 95%CI [0.77, 0.99], I 2 = 4 %). No association was found between vegetable intake and incident depression (HR 0.93, 95%CI [0.84, 1.04], I 2 = 0 %).
|
|
| 6. |
- Room, Robin, et al.
(author)
-
Alcohol and the developing world : a public health perspective
- 2002
-
Book (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This text examines the production and use of alcohol in contemporary developing societies, in order to identify methods of controlling and preventing alcohol abuse problems. The concept of "developing societies" has been defined broadly to include all countries in the American continent south of the United States, all Asian countries except Japan and the Russian Federation, all African countries, and all island states of Oceania except New Zealand. Topics covered include: the economic, social and cultural context; global patterns and trends in alcohol production and consumption; alcohol as a commodity in developing economies; drinking patterns and problems associated with alcohol misuse; and policies to target behavioural and environmental change. The primary audience for which this book is written is intended to be those involved in dealing with alcohol problems in devloping societies. This includes not only public health workers, and those involved in work in health, social work, law enforcement and public administration, but also policymakers and concerned citizens.
|
|
| 7. |
- Van Asbroeck, Stephanie, et al.
(author)
-
Lifestyle and incident dementia: A COSMIC individual participant data meta-analysis
- 2024
-
In: ALZHEIMERS & DEMENTIA. - 1552-5260 .- 1552-5279. ; 20:6, s. 3972-3986
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- INTRODUCTIONThe LIfestyle for BRAin Health (LIBRA) index yields a dementia risk score based on modifiable lifestyle factors and is validated in Western samples. We investigated whether the association between LIBRA scores and incident dementia is moderated by geographical location or sociodemographic characteristics. METHODSWe combined data from 21 prospective cohorts across six continents (N = 31,680) and conducted cohort-specific Cox proportional hazard regression analyses in a two-step individual participant data meta-analysis. RESULTSA one-standard-deviation increase in LIBRA score was associated with a 21% higher risk for dementia. The association was stronger for Asian cohorts compared to European cohorts, and for individuals aged <= 75 years (vs older), though only within the first 5 years of follow-up. No interactions with sex, education, or socioeconomic position were observed. DISCUSSIONModifiable risk and protective factors appear relevant for dementia risk reduction across diverse geographical and sociodemographic groups. Highlights A two-step individual participant data meta-analysis was conducted. This was done at a global scale using data from 21 ethno-regionally diverse cohorts. The association between a modifiable dementia risk score and dementia was examined. The association was modified by geographical region and age at baseline. Yet, modifiable dementia risk and protective factors appear relevant in all investigated groups and regions.
|
|
