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- Lear, S. A., et al.
(author)
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The association between ownership of common household devices and obesity and diabetes in high, middle and low income countries
- 2014
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In: Canadian Medical Association Journal. - : CMA Joule Inc.. - 0820-3946 .- 1488-2329. ; 186:4, s. 258-266
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Household devices (e.g., television, car, computer) are common in high income countries, and their use has been linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. We hypothesized that device ownership is associated with obesity and diabetes and that these effects are explained through reduced physical activity, increased sitting time and increased energy intake. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis using data from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology study involving 153 996 adults from high, upper-middle, lower-middle and low income countries. We used multilevel regression models to account for clustering at the community and country levels. Results: Ownership of a household device increased from low to high income countries (4% to 83% for all 3 devices) and was associated with decreased physical activity and increased sitting, dietary energy intake, body mass index and waist circumference. There was an increased odds of obesity and diabetes with the ownership of any 1 household device compared to no device ownership (obesity: odds ratio [OR] 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.32-1.55; diabetes: OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.28-1.50). Ownership of a second device increased the odds further but ownership of a third device did not. Subsequent adjustment for lifestyle factors modestly attenuated these associations. Of the 3 devices, ownership of a television had the strongest association with obesity (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.29-1.49) and diabetes (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.23-1.44). When stratified by country income level, the odds of obesity and diabetes when owning all 3 devices was greatest in low income countries (obesity: OR 3.15, 95% CI 2.33-4.25; diabetes: OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.53-2.53) and decreased through country income levels such that we did not detect an association in high income countries. Interpretation: The ownership of household devices increased the likelihood of obesity and diabetes, and this was mediated in part by effects on physical activity, sitting time and dietary energy intake. With increasing ownership of household devices in developing countries, societal interventions are needed to mitigate their effects on poor health.
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| 2. |
- Lear, S. A., et al.
(author)
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The effect of physical activity on mortality and cardiovascular disease in 130 000 people from 17 high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: the PURE study
- 2017
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In: The Lancet. - 0140-6736. ; 390:10113, s. 2643-54
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Physical activity has a protective effect against cardiovascular disease (CVD) in high-income countries, where physical activity is mainly recreational, but it is not known if this is also observed in lower-income countries, where physical activity is mainly non-recreational. We examined whether different amounts and types of physical activity are associated with lower mortality and CVD in countries at different economic levels. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, we recruited participants from 17 countries (Canada, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Poland, Turkey, Malaysia, South Africa, China, Colombia, Iran, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe). Within each country, urban and rural areas in and around selected cities and towns were identified to reflect the geographical diversity. Within these communities, we invited individuals aged between 35 and 70 years who intended to live at their current address for at least another 4 years. Total physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPQA). Participants with pre-existing CVD were excluded from the analyses. Mortality and CVD were recorded during a mean of 6.9 years of follow-up. Primary clinical outcomes during follow-up were mortality plus major CVD (CVD mortality, incident myocardial infarction, stroke, or heart failure), either as a composite or separately. The effects of physical activity on mortality and CVD were adjusted for sociodemographic factors and other risk factors taking into account household, community, and country clustering. FINDINGS: Between Jan 1, 2003, and Dec 31, 2010, 168 916 participants were enrolled, of whom 141 945 completed the IPAQ. Analyses were limited to the 130 843 participants without pre-existing CVD. Compared with low physical activity (<600 metabolic equivalents [MET] x minutes per week or <150 minutes per week of moderate intensity physical activity), moderate (600-3000 MET x minutes or 150-750 minutes per week) and high physical activity (>3000 MET x minutes or >750 minutes per week) were associated with graded reduction in mortality (hazard ratio 0.80, 95% CI 0.74-0.87 and 0.65, 0.60-0.71; p<0.0001 for trend), and major CVD (0.86, 0.78-0.93; p<0.001 for trend). Higher physical activity was associated with lower risk of CVD and mortality in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries. The adjusted population attributable fraction for not meeting the physical activity guidelines was 8.0% for mortality and 4.6% for major CVD, and for not meeting high physical activity was 13.0% for mortality and 9.5% for major CVD. Both recreational and non-recreational physical activity were associated with benefits. INTERPRETATION: Higher recreational and non-recreational physical activity was associated with a lower risk of mortality and CVD events in individuals from low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries. Increasing physical activity is a simple, widely applicable, low cost global strategy that could reduce deaths and CVD in middle age. FUNDING: Population Health Research Institute, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, Ontario SPOR Support Unit, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, AstraZeneca, Sanofi-Aventis, Boehringer Ingelheim, Servier, GSK, Novartis, King Pharma, and national and local organisations in participating countries that are listed at the end of the Article.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Saqr, M., et al.
(author)
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Is there order in the mess? : A single paper meta-analysis approach to identification of predictors of success in learning analytics
- 2022
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In: Studies in Higher Education. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0307-5079 .- 1470-174X. ; 47:12, s. 2370-2391
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Predictors of student academic success do not always replicate well across different learning designs, subject areas, or educational institutions. This suggests that characteristics of a particular discipline and learning design have to be carefully considered when creating predictive models in order to scale up learning analytics. This study aimed to examine if and to what extent frequently used predictors of study success are portable across a homogenous set of courses. The research was conducted in an integrated blended problem-based curriculum with trace data (n = 2,385 students) from 50 different course offerings across four academic years. We applied the statistical method of single paper meta-analysis to combine correlations of several indicators with students’ success. Total activity and the forum indicators exhibited the highest prediction intervals, where the former represented proxies of the overall engagement with online tasks, and the latter with online collaborative learning activities. Indicators of lecture reading (frequency of lecture view) showed statistically insignificant prediction intervals and, therefore, are less likely to be portable across course offerings. The findings show moderate amounts of variability both within iterations of the same course and across courses. The results suggest that the use of the meta-analytic statistical method for the examination of study success indicators across courses with similar learning design and subject area can offer valuable quantitative means for the identification of predictors that reasonably well replicate and consequently can be reliably portable in the future.
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| 5. |
- Wändell, P., et al.
(author)
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Epilepsy in second-generation immigrants : a cohort study of all children up to 18 years of age in Sweden
- 2020
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In: European Journal of Neurology. - : Wiley. - 1351-5101 .- 1468-1331. ; 27:1, s. 152-159
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background and purpose: Our purpose was to study the association between country of birth and incident epilepsy in second-generation immigrants in Sweden. Methods: The study population included all children (n = 4 023 149) aged up to 18 years in Sweden. Epilepsy was defined as at least one registered diagnosis of epilepsy in the National Patient Register. The incidence of epilepsy, using individuals with Swedish-born parents as referents, was assessed by Cox regression, expressed in hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). All models were stratified by sex and adjusted for age, geographical residence in Sweden, educational level, marital status, neighbourhood socioeconomic status and comorbid conditions, also using data from the Total Population Register. Results: A total of 26 310 individuals had a registered epilepsy event, i.e. 6.5/1000 (6.6/1000 amongst boys and 6.3/1000 amongst girls). After adjustment, the risk of epilepsy was lower than in children of Swedish-born parents. Amongst girls the significant HR was 0.85 (95% CI 0.81–0.88), but in boys only when adjusting also for comorbidity (HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.92–0.99). Amongst specific immigrant groups, a higher incidence of epilepsy was observed amongst boys with parents from Turkey and Africa, but not when adjusting for comorbidity, and a lower risk was observed in many other groups (boys with parents from Latvia, girls with parents from Finland, Iceland, Southern Europe, countries from the former Yugoslavia, and Asia). Conclusion: The risk of epilepsy was lower in second-generation immigrant children compared to children with Swedish-born parents, but with substantial differences between different immigrant groups.
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