scholarly journals Maternal Educational Attainment at Birth Promotes Future Self-Rated Health of White but Not Black Youth: A 15-Year Cohort of a National Sample

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shervin Assari ◽  
Cleopatra Caldwell ◽  
Ronald Mincy
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Black Youth ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Future Self

Mental distress and its associations with behavioral outcomes during the COVID-19: A national survey of Chinese adults (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lu Ma ◽  
Liwang Gao ◽  
Joseph Tak-Fai Lau ◽  
Rahman Atif ◽  
Blair T. Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Mental Distress ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Behavioral Outcomes ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Negative Consequences

BACKGROUND This study primarily aimed to evaluate the associations between mental distress and COVID-19-related changes in behavioral outcomes, and potential modifiers (age, gender, and educational attainment) of such associations. OBJECTIVE The COVID -19 pandemic has led to elevated levels of mental distress attributed to prolonged lockdowns, business closures, and social isolation. Its impact on behavioral outcomes is however less known. This study is designed to primarily evaluate the associations between mental distress and COVID-19-related changes in drinking, smoking, physical activity and body weight, and potential modifiers of such associations including age, gender, and educational attainment. METHODS An online survey using anonymous network sampling was conducted in China during April-May, 2020 using a 74-item questionnaire distributed through social media. A national sample of 10,545 adults in 31 provinces provided data on socio-demographic characteristics, COVID-19-related mental distress, and changes in behavioral outcomes. Structural equation models were used for data analyses. RESULTS About 13% of adults reported experiencing at least one symptom of mental distress. After adjusting for age, education, gender, ethnicity, marital status, residence, and number of chronic conditions, greater mental distress was associated with increased smoking and alcohol consumption (among current smokers and drinkers) and with both increased and decreased physical activity. Underweight adults were more likely to lose body weight (≥1 kg) whereas overweight adults were more likely to gain weight by the same amount. The association between mental distress and change in physical activity was stronger in adults aged 40 and above and those with high education. Mental distress was significantly associated with an increase in smoking in males but not females. CONCLUSIONS Mental distress was associated with increased smoking in males but not females. These findings inform the design of tailored public health interventions aimed to mitigate long-term negative consequences of mental distress on outcomes.

scholarly journals Is Loneliness an Undervalued Pathway between Socio-Economic Disadvantage and Health?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (19) ◽  
pp. 10177
Author(s):  
Rachelle Meisters ◽  
Polina Putrik ◽  
Daan Westra ◽  
Hans Bosma ◽  
Dirk Ruwaard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Health Inequalities ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Economic Disadvantage ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Socioeconomic Health Inequalities

Loneliness is a growing public health issue. It is more common in disadvantaged groups and has been associated with a range of poor health outcomes. Loneliness may also form an independent pathway between socio-economic disadvantage and poor health. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the contribution of loneliness to socio-economic health inequalities. These contributions were studied in a Dutch national sample (n = 445,748 adults (≥19 y.o.)) in Poisson and logistic regression models, controlling for age, gender, marital status, migration background, BMI, alcohol consumption, smoking, and physical activity. Loneliness explained 21% of socioeconomic health inequalities between the lowest and highest socio-economic groups in self-reported chronic disease prevalence, 27% in poorer self-rated health, and 51% in psychological distress. Subgroup analyses revealed that for young adults, loneliness had a larger contribution to socioeconomic gaps in self-rated health (37%) than in 80+-year-olds (16%). Our findings suggest that loneliness may be a social determinant of health, contributing to the socioeconomic health gap independently of well-documented factors such as lifestyles and demographics, in particular for young adults. Public health policies targeting socioeconomic health inequalities could benefit from integrating loneliness into their policies, especially for young adults.

The Educational Attainment Process: Results from a National Sample

1975 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 343-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth L. Wilson ◽  
Alejandro Portes
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
National Sample

scholarly journals Unequal Associations between Educational Attainment and Occupational Stress across Racial and Ethnic Groups

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (19) ◽  
pp. 3539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shervin Assari ◽  
Mohsen Bazargan
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Occupational Stress ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Work Related

Background: Although other mechanisms are also involved, at least one reason high educational attainment (EA) is associated with better health is lower employment stress in individuals with high EA. Minorities’ Diminished Returns, however, refer to the smaller protective health effects of EA for racial- and ethnic-minority individuals, particularly African Americans (AAs) and Hispanics, as compared to Whites. We are, however, not aware of many studies that have explored differential associations between EA and work-related stress across racial and ethnic groups. Aims: We aimed to compare racial and ethnic groups for the association between EA and occupational stress in a national sample of American adults. Methods: The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS 2015), a cross-sectional survey, included 15,726 employed adults. Educational attainment was the independent variable. Occupational stress was the outcome. Race and ethnicity were the moderators. Age, gender, number of jobs, and years in the job were the covariates. Results: Overall, higher EA was associated with lower levels of occupational stress. Race and ethnicity both interacted with EA, suggesting that the association between high EA and reduced occupational stress is systemically smaller for AAs and Hispanics than it is for Whites. Conclusions: In the United States, race and ethnicity limit the health gains that follow EA. While EA helps individuals avoid environmental risk factors, such as occupational stress, this is more valid for non-Hispanic Whites than AAs and Hispanics. The result is additional physical and mental health risks in highly educated AAs and Hispanics. The results are important, given racial and ethnic minorities are the largest growing section of the US population. We should not assume that EA is similarly protective across all racial and ethnic groups. In this context, EA may increase, rather than reduce, health disparities.

Family Structure, Family Processes, and Well-Being Among Asian Americans: Considering Gender and Nativity

2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Walton ◽  
David T. Takeuchi
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Family Structure ◽  
Asian Americans ◽  
Extended Family ◽  
Well Being ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Foreign Born ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Universal Family ◽  
The U.S

This article examines how facets of family structure and processes are linked to self-rated health and psychological distress in a national sample of Asian Americans. The authors find little support for well-established theories predicting the effects of family structure. Marital status does not affect self-rated health and has limited effects on psychological distress. The only effects of family composition are evident among men and the U.S.-born, where the presence of extended family in the home is related to lower levels of psychological distress. The authors find important gender and nativity differences in the effects of family cohesion, which protect the physical and psychological well-being of women and the U.S.-born but not men or foreign-born individuals. Findings suggest that the effects of family structure and processes on well-being are not universal. Family studies among Asian Americans that do not account for gender and nativity differences may be overlooking underlying complexity.

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