Relating body mass index to figural stimuli: population-based normative data for Caucasians

OBJECTIVE: To establish body mass index (BMI) norms for standard figural stimuli using a large Caucasian population-based sample. In addition, we sought to determine the effectiveness of the figural stimuli to identify individuals as obese or thin. DESIGN: All Caucasian twins born in Virginia between 1915 and 1971 were identified by public birth record. In addition, 3347 individual twins responded to a letter published in the newsletter of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). All adult twins (aged 18 and over) from both of these sources and their family members were mailed a 16 page 'Health and Lifestyle' questionnaire. SUBJECTS: BMI and silhouette data were available on 16 728 females and 11 366 males ranging in age from 18- 100. MEASUREMENTS: Self-report information on height-weight, current body size, desired body size and a discrepancy score using standard figural stimuli. RESULTS: Gender- and age-specific norms are presented linking BMI to each of the figural stimuli. Additional norms for desired body size and discrepancy scores are also presented. Receiver operating curves (ROC) indicate that the figural stimuli are effective in classifying individuals as obese or thin. CONCLUSIONS: With the establishment of these norms, the silhouettes used in standard body image assessment can now be linked to BMI. Differences were observed between women and men in terms of desired body size and discrepancy scores, with women preferring smaller sizes. The figural stimuli are a robust technique for classifying individuals as obese or thin.

Genetic and non-genetic factors affecting birth-weight and adult body mass index

Birthweight affects neonatal mortality and morbidity and has been used as a marker of foetal undernutrition in studies of prenatal effects on adult characteristics. It is potentially influenced by genetic and environmental influences on the mother, and effects of foetal genotype, which is partially derived from the maternal genotype. Interpretations of variation in birthweight and associated characteristics as being due to prenatal environment ignore other possible modes of materno-foetal transmission. Subjects were adult twins recruited through the Australian Twin Registry, aged 17 to 87 years, and the sample comprised 1820 men and 4048 women. Twins reported their own birthweight as part of a health questionnaire. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated from self-reports of height and weight. Correlations between co-twins' birthweights were high for both monozygotic (r = 0.77) and dizygotic (r = 0.67) pairs, leading to substantial estimates of shared environmental effects (56% of variance) with significant additive genetic (23%) and non-shared environmental (21%) components. Adult BMI was mainly influenced by genetic factors, both additive (36% of variance) and nonadditive (35%). The correlation between birthweight and BMI was positive, in that heavier babies became on average more obese adults. A bivariate model of birthweight and adult BMI showed significant positive genetic (rg = 0.16, p = 0.005) and environmental (re = 0.08, p = 0.000011) correlations. Intra-uterine environmental or perinatal influences shared by cotwins exercise a strong influence on birthweight, but the factors which affect both birthweight and adult BMI are partly genetic and partly non-shared environmental.

The leisure satisfaction of people with psychiatric disabilities

Leisure plays a dynamic role in peoples' lives and it would be useful to know how the satisfaction gained from leisure choices relates to personal and social adjustment, mental health and life satisfaction for people with psychiatric ability. Lloyd et al identify the extent of satisfaction derived from leisure activities for people with a mental illness and determine whether or not a standardized measure of leisure satisfaction can be applied to a population of people with mental illness.

Body mass index and the prediction of percentage body fat in Australian Chinese women

Background Body mass index (BMI) is frequently related to percentage body fat. Nevertheless, the relationship between BMI and fat mass/height(2) (FM/H-2), theoretically, should be more appropriate. Aim: This study seeks to evaluate the relationship between BMI and both percentage body fat and FM/H-2 in a group of Chinese Australian females. Subjects and methods: Forty subjects took part in the study and all were Chinese females resident in Brisbane, Australia. Body mass index was calculated from height and weight. Percentage body fat and fat mass were calculated from measurements of total body water. Results: The use of BMI to predict FM/H-2 accounted for double the variance of that found when BMI was used to predict percentage body fat. Conclusions: As a consequence, it is possible that the use of BMI to predict FM/H-2 and not percentage body fat in the first instance may prove to be more useful in a number of adult populations. Nevertheless, with a relatively small sample size it is difficult, if not impossible, to test the developed equations on a validation group and further investigation into the findings described in this paper needs to be undertaken.

A proposed maceral index to predict combustion behavior of coal

To predict the combustion performance in pulverized coal-fired boilers, this paper examines existing indices and develops a maceral index (MI). These indices were compared with the data of 68 coals and blends in a range of the mean vitrinite reflectance from 0.25 to 1.63. The results showed that the fuel ratio and the mean vitrinite reflectance could qualitatively indicate the burnout of the coals and blends. The new MI, MI = L + V/R-2/I-1.25(HV/30)(2.5), provides a useful correlation for the burnout of the coals and blends. The correlation coefficient (I-) is 0.982 for the EER data, and 0.808 for the ACIRL data. The MI also has potential to correlate ignition and flame stability of the coals and blends. The MI predicts the burnout better than the other indices. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Autonomy: an important component for nurses' job satisfaction

This quantitative pilot study (n = 178), conducted in a large Brisbane teaching hospital in Australia, found autonomy to be the most important job component for registered nurses' job satisfaction. The actual level of satisfaction with autonomy was 4.6, on a scale of 1 for very dissatisfied to 7 for very satisfied. The mean for job satisfaction was 4.3, with the job components professional status and interaction adding most substantially to the result. There was discontentment with the other two job components, which were Cask requirements and organisational policies. Demographic comparisons showed that nurses who were preceptors had significantly less job satisfaction than the other nurses at the hospital. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

An analysis of occupational outcomes for Indigenous and Asian employees in Australia

This paper examines occupational performance in Australia across three racial groups in Australia: Indigenous Australians; Asian people, defined as all those whose language spoken at home was either Chinese, Vietnamese or other forms of a South-east or East Asian language; and white people, defined as the residual category. The paper has as its starting point, observed differences in occupational attainment among the three groups in Australia and sets out to account for these observed differences on the basis of both race and non-racial attributes such as, age, education and area of residence.

Translation of the leisure satisfaction scale into French: A validity study

Presents a study which described the process of translating an English standardized assessment into another language. Details of the study design; Translation of the Leisure Satisfaction Scale (LSS) into French using the translation/validation methodologies; Correlations between both language versions of LSS.

Cationic drug pharmacokinetics in diseased livers determined by fibrosis index, hepatic protein content, microsomal activity, and nature of drug

The disposition kinetics of six cationic drugs in perfused diseased and normal rat livers were determined by multiple indicator dilution and related to the drug physicochemical properties and liver histopathology. A carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)induced acute hepatocellular injury model had a higher fibrosis index (FI), determined by computer-assisted image analysis, than did an alcohol-induced chronic hepatocellular injury model. The alcohol-treated group had the highest hepatic alpha(1)- acid glycoprotein, microsomal protein (MP), and cytochrome P450 (P450) concentrations. Various pharmacokinetic parameters could be related to the octanol-water partition coefficient (log P-app) of the drug as a surrogate for plasma membrane partition coefficient and affinity for MP or P450, the dependence being lower in the CCl4-treated group and higher in the alcohol-treated group relative to controls. Stepwise regression analysis showed that hepatic extraction ratio, permeability-surface area product, tissue-binding constant, intrinsic clearance, partition ratio of influx (k(in)) and efflux rate constant (k(out)), and k(in)/k(out) were related to physicochemical properties of drug (log P-app or pK(a)) and liver histopathology (FI, MP, or P450). In addition, hepatocyte organelle ion trapping of cationic drugs was evident in all groups. It is concluded that fibrosis-inducing hepatic disease effects on cationic drug disposition in the liver may be predicted from drug properties and liver histopathology.