Trends in body mass index according to educational attainment for urban Australian adults between 1980 and 2007

BackgroundWe have previously demonstrated that between the years 1980 and 2000, the mean body mass index (BMI) of the urban Australian population increased, with greater increases observed with increasing BMI. The current study aimed to quantify trends over time in BMI according to education between 1980 and 2007.MethodsWe compared data from the 1980, 1983 and 1989 National Heart Foundation Risk Factor Prevalence Studies, 1995 National Nutrition Survey, 2000 Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study and the 2007 National Health Survey. For survey comparability, analyses were restricted to urban Australian residents aged 25-64 years. BMI was calculated from measured height and weight. The education variable was dichotomised at completion of secondary school. Four age-standardised BMI indicators were compared over time by sex and education: mean BMI, mean BMI of the top five percent of the BMI distribution, prevalence of obesity (BMI⩾30 kg/m(2)), prevalence of class II(+) obesity (BMI⩾35 kg/m(2)).ResultsBetween 1980 and 2007, the mean BMI among men increased by 2.5 kg/m(2) and 1.7 kg/m(2) for those with low and high education levels, respectively, corresponding to increases in obesity prevalence of 20(from 12% to 32%) and 11(10% to 21%) %-points. Among women mean BMI increased by 2.9 kg/m(2) and 2.4 kg/m(2) for those with low and high education levels respectively, corresponding to increases in obesity prevalence of 16(12% to 28%) and 12(7% to 19%) %-points. The prevalence of class II(+) obesity among men increased by 9(1% to 10%) and 4(1% to 5%) %-points for those with low and high education levels, and among women increased by 8(4% to 12%) and 4(2% to 6%) %-points. Absolute and relative differences between education groups generally increased over time.ConclusionsEducational differences in BMI have persisted among urban Australian adults since 1980 without improvement. Obesity prevention policies will need to be effective in those with greatest socio-economic disadvantage if we are to equitably and effectively address the population burden of obesity and its corollaries.International Journal of Obesity accepted article preview online, 16 March 2015. doi:10.1038/ijo.2015.27.

A new monotonicity index for fuzzy rule-based systems

A search in the literature reveals that mathematical conditions (usually sufficient conditions) for the Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) models to satisfy the monotonicity property have been developed. A monotonically-ordered fuzzy rule base is important to maintain the monotonicity property of an FIS. However, it may difficult to obtain a monotonically-ordered fuzzy rule base in practice. We have previously introduced the idea of fuzzy rule relabeling to tackle this problem. In this paper, we further propose a monotonicity index for the FIS system, which serves as a metric to indicate the degree of a fuzzy rule base fulfilling the monotonicity property. The index is useful to provide an indication whether a fuzzy rule base should (or should not) be used in practice, even with fuzzy rule relabeling. To illustrate the idea, the zero-order Sugeno FIS model is exemplified. We add noise as errors into the fuzzy rule base to formulate a set of non-monotone fuzzy rules. As such, the metric also acts as a measure of noise in the fuzzy rule base. The results show that the proposed metric is useful to indicate the degree of a fuzzy rule base fulfilling the monotonicity property.

The Psychometric Equivalence of the Personal Wellbeing Index for Normally Functioning and Homeostatically Defeated Australian Adults

Understanding subjective wellbeing (SWB) at the population level has major implications for governments and policy makers concerned with enhancing the life quality of citizens. The Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) is a measure of SWB with theoretical and empirical credentials. Homeostasis theory offers an explanation for the nature of SWB data, including the distribution of scores, maintenance and change over time. According to this theory, under normal conditions, the dominant constituent of SWB is Homeostatically Protected Mood (HPMood), which is held within a genetically determined range of values around a set-point. However, in extreme circumstances (e.g., financial hardship, chronic illness), HPMood may dissociate from SWB, as cognitive/emotional reactions to the cause of homeostatic challenge assume control over SWB. This study investigates two groups as people scoring in the positive range for SWB and people who are likely to be experiencing homeostatic defeat/challenge. We test whether the reduced influence of HPMood on SWB due to homeostatic defeat has implications for the validity of SWB measurement. Participants were 45,192 adults (52 % female), with a mean age of 48.88 years (SD = 17.35 years), who participated in the first 23 surveys of the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index over the years 2001–2010. Multiple regression analysis, multiple group confirmatory factor analysis, and Rasch modelling techniques were used to evaluate the psychometric performance of the PWI across the two groups. Results show that while the PWI functioned as intended for the normal group, SWB in the challenged group was lower across all PWI domains, more variable, and the domain scores lacked the strength of inter-correlation observed in the normal, comparison group. These changes are consistent with predictions based on homeostasis theory and one major implication of the findings is that SWB measures may not function equivalently across the entire spectrum of possible domain satisfaction scores.

Toxicity and dose intensity of FOLFOX in patients with increased body mass index

This study was conducted at St James‘s Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, in 2010. It evaluated the dose intensity and toxicities experienced by patients of normal and increased body mass index treated with FOLFOX chemotherapy, and demonstrated that overweight patients may tolerate doses based on actual body weight.

Mapping 100 years of Thornthwaite moisture index: Impact of climate change in Victoria, Australia

Geographer C. W. Thornthwaite proposed in 1948 a moisture index called Thornthwaite Moisture Index (TMI) as part of a water balance model for a new classification system for climate. The importance of TMI climatic classification has been recognised in many areas of knowledge and practice worldwide over the last 60 years. However, although past climate research was focused on developing adequate methods for climate classification, current research is more concerned with understanding the patterns of climate change. The use of TMI as an indicator for climate change is still an incipient area of research. The contributions of this paper are twofold. First, it is to fully document a methodology based on geostatistics adopted to produce a time series of TMI maps that are accurate and have high spatial resolution. The state of Victoria, in Australia, over the last century, is used as the case study. Second, by analysing these maps, the paper presents a general evaluation of the spatial patterns found in Victoria related to moisture variability across space and over time. Some potential implications of the verified moisture changes are discussed, and a number of ideas for further development are suggested. © 2014 Institute of Australian Geographers.

A Cross-Cultural Evaluation of the Personal Wellbeing Index – School Children in Samples of Australian and Portuguese Adolescents

The practice of comparing nations on subjective wellbeing (SWB) is becoming commonplace, with many countries ranked by economists and social scientists alike according to average levels of SWB based on survey responses. Such large, multi-national population surveys have the potential to generate insights into the causes and correlates of SWB within different cultural groups, as well as inform policy regarding how to improve the wellbeing of citizens. At the heart of these large-scale research endeavors are SWB measures that function equivalently between the various participating cultural groups. For this reason, it is concerning that their remains a paucity of research that supports measurement equivalence for many SWB instruments commonly employed. Thus, it remains unclear whether variations in SWB across cultures reflect true differences, or whether these differences reflect measurement biases (e.g., response bias inherent within a particular cultural group). The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric equivalence of the Personal Wellbeing Index–School Children (PWI-SC) in convenience samples of Australian and Portuguese adolescents using multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis. Participants comprising the Australian sample were 1104 Victorian high-school students aged between 12 and 19 years (M = 14.42, SD = 1.63). Participants comprising the Portuguese sample were 573 high-school students living in Portugal aged between 12 and 18 years (M = 14.32, SD = 1.72). The results demonstrated strict factorial invariance between both versions of the PWI-SC, suggesting that this scale measures the same underlying construct in both samples. Moreover, these findings provide preliminary support for quantitative comparisons between Australian and Portuguese adolescents on the SWB variable as valid.