Sensory specific satiety and intake : the difference between nibble- and bar-size snacks

The present study investigated (1) whether consumption of a nibble-size snack, as compared to a bar-size snack, leads to more sensory specific satiety (SSS) and a lower intake; and (2) whether attention to consumption, as compared to usual consumption, leads to more SSS and a lower intake. Subjects (N=59) tested two snack foods which differed in size, nibbles and bars, in two consumption conditions. In the attention condition, the instruction to chew the food well was given. In the control condition no such instruction was given. For each of the four SSS sessions ad libitum intake was measured and SSS scores were calculated. Mean intake of the nibbles was 12% lower than of the bars in the control condition, but not in the attention condition. Although non-significantly, attention to consumption tended to reduce intake of the bars but not of the nibbles. SSS scores were slightly higher for the bars than for the nibbles. Our results suggest that a smaller food size results in a lower intake. The data do not clearly support the idea that attention to consumption decreases intake. Hypothetically consumption of small foods and attentive consumption prolong the oral sensory stimulation, which results in a lower intake.

Associations of maternal long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, methyl mercury, and infant development in the Seychelles Child Development Nutrition Study

Fish consumption during gestation can provide the fetus with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) and other nutrients essential for growth and development of the brain. However, fish consumption also exposes the fetus to the neurotoxicant, methyl mercury (MeHg). We studied the association between these fetal exposures and early child development in the Seychelles Child Development Nutrition Study (SCDNS). Specifically, we examined a priori models of Ω-3 and Ω-6 LCPUFA measures in maternal serum to test the hypothesis that these LCPUFA families before or after adjusting for prenatal MeHg exposure would reveal associations with child development assessed by the BSID-II at ages 9 and 30 months. There were 229 children with complete outcome and covariate data available for analysis. At 9 months, the PDI was positively associated with total Ω-3 LCPUFA and negatively associated with the ratio of Ω-6/Ω-3 LCPUFA. These associations were stronger in models adjusted for prenatal MeHg exposure. Secondary models suggested that the MeHg effect at 9 months varied by the ratio of Ω-6/Ω-3 LCPUFA. There were no significant associations between LCPUFA measures and the PDI at 30 months. There were significant adverse associations, however, between prenatal MeHg and the 30-month PDI when the LCPUFA measures were included in the regression analysis. The BSID-II mental developmental index (MDI) was not associated with any exposure variable. These data support the potential importance to child development of prenatal availability of Ω-3 LCPUFA present in fish and of LCPUFA in the overall diet. Furthermore, they indicate that the beneficial effects of LCPUFA can obscure the determination of adverse effects of prenatal MeHg exposure in longitudinal observational studies.

Associations between early childhood temperament clusters and later pychosocial adjustment

The study adopted a person-centered approach to examine whether clusters of children could be identified on the basis of temperament profiles assessed on four occasions from infancy to early childhood, and if so whether differing temperament clusters were associated with subsequent differences in behavior problems, social skills, and school adjustment in middle and late childhood. Parent, teacher, and self-report data were obtained from a large community-based cohort sample of Australian children, followed prospectively from infancy to late childhood. Four temperament clusters were identified. Children in the clusters labeled as reactive/inhibited and poor attention regulation tended to have higher levels of later behavior problems than children in clusters labeled nonreactive/outgoing and high attention regulation. Results suggested that a person-oriented clustering approach can identify children on the basis of early temperament who are at greater risk for behavioral, academic, and social difficulties four to eight years later.

Dose-response associations between screen time and overweight among youth

Objective. To examine dose-response associations between screen time and overweight, independent of physical activity and dietary intake.

Methods. Participants were 580 Dutch youth (13 years; 48% boys). Body mass index, waist circumference and skinfold thickness at four sites determined weight status. Questionnaires examined television viewing and computer use, participation in organized sport and high caloric snack and sugar-containing beverage consumption.

Results. There were no significant associations among boys. Compared with girls spending less than two hours/day in screen time, those who spent three to four hours/day were more likely to be classified as overweight by waist circumference (odds ratio [OR]=3.4; 95% confidence intervals [CI]=1.1-10.7; p=0.03), and this likelihood increased substantially among those spending more than four hours/day (OR=5.5; 95% CI=2.1-14.1; p≤0.0001).

Conclusions. Girls who spend three or more hours/day in screen time are at increased risk of being classified as overweight by waist circumference.

Associations between the physical and social environment and depressive symptomology among Australian adolescents

Depression is a significant public health issue among Australian adolescents. A number of family, school and community level factors have been identified as important determinants of adolescent's health and well-being, including depression. This study examines associations between measures of the social and physical environment and adolescent mental health, specifically depressive symptomotology using data from the Healthy Neighbourhoods study, a large observational study carried out in 231 Australian schools stratified by socioeconomic quartiles and urban/non-urban geography, which focuses on adolescent health and well-being. Participants were 8256 year 6 and 8
students (48% male), aged 11-16 years (M = 11.6, SD = 0.8 years) from schools across Victoria,Queensland and Western Australia who completed a comprehensive on-line survey. Data collected included the Short Mood and Feeling Questionnaire (SMFQL a tool for assessing depressive symptomotology in adolescents. Results showed that the mean total depression score (possible range 0-26 with total scores;:: 8 used as the cutoff for depression symptomotology) was 6.4 (SD = 5.9), with scores for females (M = 6.8, SD = 6.3) higher than those for males (M = 5.9, SD = 5.5), and scores for year 8 students (M = 6.7,SD = 6.1) higher than those for year 6 students (M = 6.2, SD = 5.8) (p < .001). Greater access to sporting and play equipment, local parks, and more functional neighbourhoods for walking and jogging reduced the odds for depressive symptomotology (p < .05L while increased levels of abandoned homes, and higher levels of fighting within the neighbourhood, and fewer scout/guide clubs, local teams to play sport, and adults in the neighbourhood to talk with, as well as reduced neighbourhood safety increased the odds for depressive symptomotology (p < .05). These findings support the important role of physical and social environments in influencing adolescent health and well-being. Modifications to particular aspects of these environments at the community level may assist in providing adolescents some protection from depression.

Takeaway food consumption and its associations with diet quality and abdominal obesity : a cross-sectional study of young adults

Background : Few studies have investigated the associations of takeaway food consumption with overall diet quality and abdominal obesity. Young adults are high consumers of takeaway food so we aimed to examine these associations in a national study of young Australian adults.

Methods : A national sample of 1,277 men and 1,585 women aged 26–36 completed a self-administered questionnaire on demographic and lifestyle factors, a 127 item food frequency questionnaire, usual daily frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption and usual weekly frequency of takeaway food consumption. Dietary intake was compared with the dietary recommendations from the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. Waist circumference was measured for 1,065 men and 1,129 women. Moderate abdominal obesity was defined as ≥ 94 cm for men and ≥ 80 cm for women. Prevalence ratios (PR) were calculated using log binomial regression. Takeaway food consumption was dichotomised, with once a week or less as the reference group.

Results : Consumption of takeaway food twice a week or more was reported by more men (37.9%) than women (17.7%, P < 0.001). Compared with those eating takeaway once a week or less, men eating takeaway twice a week or more were significantly more likely to be single, younger, current smokers and spend more time watching TV and sitting, whereas women were more likely to be in the workforce and spend more time watching TV and sitting. Participants eating takeaway food at least twice a week were less likely (P < 0.05) to meet the dietary recommendation for vegetables, fruit, dairy, extra foods, breads and cereals (men only), lean meat and alternatives (women only) and overall met significantly fewer dietary recommendations (P < 0.001). After adjusting for confounding variables (age, leisure time physical activity, TV viewing and employment status), consuming takeaway food twice a week or more was associated with a 31% higher prevalence of moderate abdominal obesity in men (PR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.61) and a 25% higher prevalence in women (PR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.50).

Conclusion : Eating takeaway food twice a week or more was associated with poorer diet quality and a higher prevalence of moderate abdominal obesity in young men and women.

Assessing Sleep during Pregnancy - a study across two time points examining the pittsburg sleep quality index and associations with depressive symptoms

Background and Purpose: Sleep quality seems to be an antecedent to depressive symptoms during pregnancy. We sought to 1) examine the psychometrics of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) in pregnancy; 2) examine whether sleep quality predicted increases in depressive symptoms; and 3) compare PSQI scores across 3 or 2 levels of depressive symptoms.

Methods: Each of the 252 participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory (short form) and a sleep quality measure at mid and late pregnancy.

Results: PSQI total scores showed good internal consistency and construct validity. An improved model of the internal structure of the PSQI in pregnancy was found with 1 factor labeled Sleep Efficiency, a second labeled Night and Daytime Disturbances, and an Overall Sleep Quality component associated with, but separate from, both of these 2 factors. Although PSQI scores showed moderate stability over time, sleep disturbance scores increased in late pregnancy. Importantly, PSQI prospectively predicted increases in depressive symptoms.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that the PSQI is useful in pregnancy research. Findings also support the idea that sleep problems are prospective risk factors for increases in depressive symptoms during pregnancy. Practitioners are advised to screen for sleep quality during early pregnancy.

Children's takeaway and fast-food intakes: associations with the neighbourhood food intakes : associations with the neighbourhood food environment

Objective: The present study aimed to examine associations between availability of outlets where takeaway or fast food could be purchased and consumption of takeaway or fast food among children.

Design Cross-sectional: Parents completed a questionnaire regarding the frequency per week their child usually ate takeaway or fast foods. The availability of outlets where these foods could be purchased close to home and en route to school was determined with a Geographic Information System (presence of any outlets and density of outlets within 800 m from home and along the route to school, and distance from home to closest outlet).

Setting: Greater Melbourne and Geelong, Australia.

Subjects: Three hundred and fifty-three children aged 5–6 years and 463 children aged 10–12 years.

Results: Overall, 69·4 % of children consumed takeaway or fast foods once weekly or more often. Only one measure of availability of outlets close to home was associated with consumption; each additional outlet within 800 m was associated with 3 % lower odds of consuming takeaway or fast foods at least once weekly (OR = 0·97, 95 % CI 0·95, 1·00). There were no associations between availability en route to school and the likelihood of consuming takeaway or fast food at least once weekly.

Conclusions:  Access to outlets where takeaway or fast food could be purchased did not predict frequency of consumption of takeaway or fast food in the expected direction. Such relationships appear to be complex and may not be adequately captured by the measures of access included in the current study.

Beneficial associations of physical activity with 2-h, but not fasting, blood glucose in Australian adults

OBJECTIVE--We examined the associations of physical activity with fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and with 2-h postload plasma glucose (2-h PG) in men and women with low, moderate, and high waist circumference.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS--The Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle (AusDiab) study provided data on a population-based cross-sectional sample of 4,108 men and 5,106 women aged [greater than or equal to] 25 years without known diabetes or health conditions that could affect physical activity. FPG and 2-h PG were obtained from an oral glucose tolerance test. Self-reported physical activity level was defined according to the current public health guidelines as active ([greater than or equal to] 150 min/week across five or more sessions) or inactive (<150 min/week and/or less than five sessions). Sex-specific quintiles of physical activity time were used to ascertain dose response.

RESULTS--Being physically active and total physical activity time were independently and negatively associated with 2-h PG. When physical activity level was considered within each waist circumference category, 2-h PG was significantly lower in active high-waist circumference women ([beta] -0.30 [95% CI -0.59 to -0.01], P = 0.044) and active low-waist circumference men ([beta] -0.25 [-0.49 to -0.02], P = 0.036) compared with their inactive counterparts. Considered across physical activity and waist circumference categories, 2-h PG levels were not significantly different between active moderate-waist circumference participants and active low-waist circumference participants. Associations between physical activity and FPG were nonsignificant.

CONCLUSIONS--There are important differences between 2-h PG and FPG related to physical activity. It appears that 2-h PG is more sensitive to the beneficial effects of physical activity, and these benefits occur across the waist circumference spectrum.

Associations between fatty acids in colostrum and breast milk and risk of allergic disease

Background Exposure to n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in early life is hypothesized to offer protection against atopic disease. However, there is controversy in this area, and we have previously observed that high levels of n-3 fatty acid (FA) in colostrum are associated with increased risk of allergic sensitization.
Objective The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between FA profile in breast milk and risk of childhood atopic disease.
Methods A high-risk birth cohort was recruited, and a total of 224 mothers provided a sample of colostrum (n = 194) and/or 3-month expressed breast milk (n = 118). FA concentrations were determined by gas chromatography. Presence of eczema, asthma and rhinitis were prospectively documented up to 7 years of age.
Results High levels of n-3 22:5 FA (docosapentaenoic acid, DPA) in colostrum were associated with increased risk of infantile atopic eczema [odds ratio (OR) = 1.66 per 1 standard deviation increase, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.11–2.48], while total n-3 concentration in breast milk was associated with increased risk of non-atopic eczema (OR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.03–2.50). Higher levels of total n-6 FA in colostrum were associated with increased risk of childhood rhinitis (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.12–2.25). There was no evidence of associations between FA profile and risk of asthma.
Conclusion In this cohort of high-risk children, a number of modest associations were observed between FA concentrations in colostrum and breast milk and allergic disease outcomes. Further research in this area with larger sample sizes is needed.

Reinvigorating the public sphere : the role of voluntary associations

This thesis examines the key question: can voluntary associations enhance democracy? It tests critical claims made by Habermas and others that voluntary associations have the potential to reinvigorate a public sphere in a state of atrophy. The thesis outlines the major theoretical arguments pertaining to these areas and then presents the results of empirical work within voluntary organisations. Specifically the thesis: Critically examines the concept of the public sphere, being a sphere between the state and civil society and investigates why theorists have advocated voluntary associations, claimed to be the core institutions of civil society, as sites where democratic ideals can be secured; Goes on to examine the concept of civil society and reviews the recent literature that has attempted to define and analyse the role of voluntary associations in contemporary society; Tests empirically the normative ideals that have been advocated on behalf of voluntary associations through the presentation of data obtained using qualitative methodology. The analysis of the data collected during interviews with key employees and members of six voluntary associations in Melbourne, Australia allows for a more informed knowledge regarding the key concepts and themes of the thesis. The thesis ends by directly addressing the following points: whether or not the public sphere is in a state of atrophy; the particular nature of voluntary associations contemporary engagement in the public sphere; and whether voluntary associations can indeed, be sites where democracy can be enhanced and democratic ideals be secured. It is concluded that voluntary associations operate within Habermasian public spheres, counterspheres, and postmodern public spheres and that unitary notions of the public sphere, such as those Habermas proposes, do not adequately explain voluntary associations engagement in the public sphere. Accordingly, it is concluded that voluntary associations have the potential to invigorate public spheres, though not in ways that many theorists writing on the subject suggest.

Unfree associations : inside psychoanalytic institutes

In an age of managed care and new biological therapies for mental illness, psychoanalysis is generally seen as a 'profession on the ropes' whose hour is up. What went wrong? While external factors have played their part in the fall of psychoanalysis, psychoanalysts have generally disregarded their own crucial role in creating this decline. This thesis examines this role as played out through their own institutions, the freestanding psychoanalytic institutes. Freud was an explorer but he also codified his ideas. His work has been taken as an inspiration to explore without presuppositions but also as Holy Writ. Psychoanalysis deals with emotions and excites passions. Like religion, psychoanalysis asks big questions, and, like religion, is easily influenced and seduced by dogmatic answers to these difficult questions. Psychoanalytic institutes have been notable as closed shops. Their solid walls have kept them sealed off and mysterious to the outside world, including the mental health professions and the academy. Authoritarian cliques, power struggles and intrigues have predominated inside the institutes. Institute life has been secret, the subject of rumour rather than knowledge. Insiders often know little about of other institutes (unless they are involved in site visits to particular institutes). Sometimes, insiders have a limited view of their own institutions because they see them through the vantage points of their own experience and that of some close colleagues. I have interviewed central participants of the dramas of the histories of some key psychoanalytic institutes in the US. For the first time, this thesis recounts the intricate inside history of these organizations. The thesis reveals the detailed inner political histories of arguably the four most important and varied psychoanalytic institutes affiliated with the APsaA. The New York Psychoanalytic Institute was the first and for decades the prestigious institute which set the model for many others. It became pre-eminent on a world scale with the immigration of leading European analysts fleeing the Nazis. The Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute and the Los Angeles Psychoanalytic Society and Institute are quite varied in their organization and histories. The cultures are often quite different yet many of the problems will be found to be similar at base. I first examine the detailed political history of the New York Psychoanalytic Institute which provides a quintessential example of analytic anointment in practice, together with its pitfalls. I then examine a split that occurred in the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, which demonstrates some of the tensions and ambiguities that seem inherent in psychoanalytic organizations, especially where society and institute are part of the same institution. I move on to investigate a very different history in the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute, which is quite differently organized: in Chicago, the institute with a lay Board of Trustees is quite separate from the society, and has for most of its history been headed by a powerful director. Then I look at the very complex history of the Los Angeles Psychoanalytic Society and Institute which in the 1970s came very close to being closed down by the APsaA. The Los Angeles Institute history is especially colourful and informative, given the introduction of Kleinian and object relations ideas into the institute and the reactions to them. These histories provide dramatic insights into what psychoanalysts and their institutions have contributed to what has gone wrong with psychoanalysis from the basis of a critique. A major aspect of the problem, in my view, is that a basically humanistic discipline has conceived and touted itself as a positivist science while organizing itself institutionally as a religion. I argue that psychoanalysts approach psychoanalysis with an inappropriate paradigm, 'as if it were a science. Their systemic misconception of their own discipline, and the resultant, widespread creation of what Christopher Bollas calls a 'false expertise' contributes to their present-day decline. I argue that qualification from an institute assumes the transmission of a body of knowledge which has not really been established as knowledge. This presumed knowledge is then transmitted by means of anointment reminiscent of the Bible. There is no unified body of knowledge within the psychoanalytic field nor is there a unified practice that can be readily empirically tested. Therefore, by default, psychoanalytic education has become a process of anointment, transmission through a subjective process akin to consecration. The large gap between the small knowledge base of psychoanalysis and the high level of 'pretend' knowledge which is inculcated during training and upon which qualification is based entrench conditions which themselves make real knowledge in this complex field more and more difficult to attain. This argument has implications not only for psychoanalysis but for many other professions where knowledge and qualification have unrealistic and inappropriate bases.

Associations between growth and diet in adolescence

There is much interest in the nature and quality of the diet consumed by adolescents. To determine whether there are significant associations between diet and gain in height and weight in this age group, the present study analysed data on food intake and weight and height obtained on three occasions over a 30-month period from a total of 326 adolescents aged between 12 and 15 years. Information on sociodemographic and other lifestyle factors, including an indicator of physical activity, was also obtained. Energy intake was found to be a significant positive predictor of both height and weight gain. In addition intake of fat, calcium and riboflavin were found to be significant positive predicators of height gain and intake of carbohydrate and starch significant positive predictors of weight gain. After controlling for energy intake only riboflavin approached significance as a positive predictor of height gain. A food group analysis identified intake of dairy foods as a significant predictor of height gain. Although statistically significant the dietary predictors explained only a small proportion of the variability in height and weight (≤3.5%). Given the difficulties in obtaining complete dietary records from this age group and the generally adequate nature of the diet in the study group, the small proportion of height and weight gain explained by diet is not unexpected. Nevertheless the nutrient predictors identified are consistent with nutrient requirements for growth during adolescence and highlight the importance, for this age group, of an adequate intake of nutrients specifically provided by dairy foods. Few significant associations were found between growth rates and the sociodemographic and the lifestyle factors measured in this study. The ethnic diversity of the study sample may have contributed to this outcome.

Trust in mono-ethnic and mixed-ethnic associations in Penang

Investigation into trust has become a topical issue in current social science research. This is, in large part, a result of a perception that trust in institutions has declined markedly in the past two decades. This paper investigates trust in some of Penang’s civil associations as a way of measuring the health of social capital in Penang. It focuses on issues of trust and diversity since both are critical issues in Malaysian society in general and civil associations in particular. We began our analysis expecting higher forms of trust among members in the mono-ethnic associations, based on the power of bonding. However, findings from this study tend to suggest that rather than leading to lesser trust and infectiveness, involvement in mixed-ethnic associations have in fact generated higher trust among their members. These findings reveal an interesting corrective to more pessimistic view on the relationship between trust and diversity. Data from this study also provide important insight into how bridging between different people in associations marked by diversity can accentuate trust over and above the levels found in associations were bonding between like types is the dominant characteristic. The data also indicate that for both, mono-ethnic and mixed-ethnic associations, it is the extent of members’ involvements in their associations that form trust and not vice versa.