Time Trends in Self-Rated Health and Disability in Older Spanish People: Differences by Gender and Age

Abstract Background: To analyse time trends in self-rated health in older people by gender and age and examine disability in the time trends of self-rated health. Methods: The data used come from the Spanish National Health Surveys conducted in 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2011- 12. Samples of adults aged 16 yr and older were selected. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the association between age, gender, socio-economic status, marital status, disability and self-rated health across period study. Results: Women exhibited lower (higher) prevalence of good self-rated health (disability) compared to men. The multivariate analysis for time trends found that good self-rated health increased from 2001 to 2012. Overall, variables associated with a lower likelihood of good self-rated health were: being married or living with a partner, lower educational level, and disability. Conclusion: Trends of good self-rated health differ by gender according to socio-demographic factors and the prevalence of disability.

School Anxiety Inventory–Short Version: Factorial Invariance and Latent Mean Differences Across Gender and Age in Spanish Adolescents

This study examined the factorial invariance and latent mean differences of the School Anxiety Inventory–Short Version across gender and age groups for 2,367 Spanish students, ranging in age from 12 to 18 years. Configural and measurement invariance were found across gender and age samples for all dimensions of the School Anxiety Inventory–Short Version.

Cross-industry differences in race and gender wage differentials /

Bibliography: p. 18-19.

Differences in learning style preference among students of diverse ethnicities, gender, academic placement level, and academic achievement

This investigation studied the differences in learning styles among ethnically diverse secondary science students from a multicultural urban high school. It examined whether there were learning style differences among samples based on ethnicity, gender, academic grouping, and academic achievement. The learning style elements were based on scores of the Dunn, Dunn, and Price Learning Style Inventory (LSI) (1997). The sample (n = 476) consisted of students enrolled in Life Science courses. The analyses of data were made by one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). ^ Significant differences were found among students for three of the four groups tested. The largest numbers of differences in learning style element preference were in academic grouping, with eight significant differences showing small or medium effect sizes. There were four significant differences between genders and one significant difference among ethnic groups. Effect size was small. The data analyses showed that individual differences have a much bigger effect than group differences on learning style, and that proportions in learning style element categories reveal more information than means of groups. ^ This study implied the need to increase awareness of differences in learning styles among students and help educators to understand them. Other predictors of learning styles might account for a large amount of the unexplained variation. Overall, this study reinforces the body of existing literature. ^

Race/Ethnicity-, Gender- and Age-Specific Differences in Micronutrient Intakes of US Adults with and without Diabetes

Race/ethnicity-, gender- and age-specific differences in dietary micronutrient intakes of US adults ≥ 21 years were assessed from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007–2008. The participants included Black non-Hispanics, Mexican-American and White non-Hispanics who signed an informed consent form for the interview and who completed the in-person 24-h recall. Micronutrient intakes were based on the Institute of Medicines' classifications of recommended dietary allowances specific for age and gender. Likelihood of many micronutrient insufficiencies was associated with being female, over 65 years, having diabetes and minority status. Younger and female adults had a greater likelihood of iron insufficiency than male and older adults. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering the intersection of age, gender and race in setting policies for micronutrient deficiency screening, particularly in young female adults and minorities.

Gender and age differences in the sleep habits : a cross-sectional study in adolescents

Objectives: Analyze gender and age differences in sleep habits in a sample of adolescents. Design: A cross-sectional study. Setting: Public schools of Viseu, Portugal. Participants: Sample consisted of 7534 students, aged 11-20 years (mean age: 14.96 ± 1.81 years; 53.6% girls). Measurements: Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire, answered in class and consists of questions to assess insomnia (DSM-IV criteria), sleep patterns, socio-demographic and daily habit variables. Results: Mean sleep duration in this sample was 8.02 ± 1.13 h. Age interfered with sleep duration that decreased with the increasing of age, from 8.45 ± 1.14 h among 11/12 years old to 7.37 ± 1.04 h for ages ≥ 17 years old. Insomnia and symptoms of insomnia were associated with gender and with increasing of age. Nearly 80% of students reported daytime tiredness, 66.7% sleepiness during the day; 56.1% during classes and 47.6% reported waking up with headaches, all variables more prevalent among girls and older adolescents. Conclusions: The sleep problems and variables related to sleep have become more frequent among girls and with increasing age. We recommend that the promotion of sleep hygiene and prevention of the consequences should be encouraged in adolescents and their families, especially among the female gender and older adolescents.

Differences by gender in barthel index change after stroke: a retrospective study in the Northeast Portugal

Foreseeing functional recovery after stroke plays a crucial role in planning rehabilitation programs. Objectives: To assess differences over time in functional recovery assessed through the Barthel Index (BI) rate of change (BIRC) between admission and discharge in stroke patients. Methods: This is a retrospective hospital-based study of consecutive patients with acute stroke admitted to a hospital in the Northeast Portugal between 2010 and 2014. BIRC was computed as the difference between the admission and discharge BI scores divided by time in days between these assessments. General linear model analysis stratiied by gender was used to know whether there was an increase in BIRC during time period under study. Adjusted regression coeficients and respective 95% conidence interval (95%CI) were obtained. Results: From 483 patients included in this analysis 59% (n = 285) were male. Among women, mean BIRC was 1.8 (± 1.88) units/ day in 2010 and reached 3.7 (± 2.80) units/day in 2014. Among men the mean BIRC in 2010 and in 2014 were similar being 3.2 (± 3.19) and 3.1 (± 3.31) units/day, respectively. After adjustment for age, BI at admission, type and laterality of stroke we observed an increase in BIRC over time among women such that mean BIRC in 2014 was 0.82 (95%: 0.48; 3.69) units higher than the one observed in 2010. No such increase in BIRC over time was observed among men. Conclusions: We observed an improvement in functional recovery after stroke but only among women. Our results suggest differences over time in clinical practice toward rehabilitation of women after stroke.

Relationship between subjective wellbeing and weight perception in children and adolescents: Gender and age differences

The relation between weight status (Body Mass Index - BMI), weight perception and subjective wellbeing remains unclear. Several studies conclude that discrepancies can be found between weight status and weight perception, among children and adolescents. The present study aims at investigating the associations between subjective wellbeing and individual characteristics, among children and adolescents. The sample included 1200 children and adolescents (51.7 % girls, aged 9 to 17). Their mean age was 12.55 years (SD = 1.61). The questionnaire was completed in school context, asking about the subjective wellbeing, use of self-regulation, eating behavior awareness/care, weight perception and sociodemographic questions such as age, gender and BMI. The study found a strong association between BMI and weight perception, although subjective wellbeing was better explained by weight perception than by BMI. Eating awareness and self-regulation also played an important role in subjective controlling for age and gender. Age and gender interfere in the relation between subjective wellbeing and other variables. The multiple regression model is more robust and explicative for girls and older children. Psychological factors related to weight, such as weight perception, self-regulation and eating awareness have a stronger explicative impact in subjective wellbeing compared to physical aspects, such as Body Mass Index. The relation between subjective wellbeing and weight is influence by age and gender.

Multiple-choice versus short-response items: Differences in omit behavior

The overall rate of omission of items for 28,331 17 year old Australian students on a high stakes test of achievement in the common elements or cognitive skills of the senior school curriculum is reported for a subtest in multiple choice format and a subtest in short response format. For the former, the omit rates were minuscule and there was no significant difference by gender or by type of school attended. For the latter, where an item can be 'worth' up to five times that of a single multiple choice item, the omit rates were between 10 and 20 times that for multiple choice and the difference between male and female omit rate was significant as was the difference between students from government and non-government schools. For both formats, females from single sex schools omitted significantly fewer items than did females from co-educational schools. Some possible explanations of omit behaviour are alluded to.

Gender Dilemmas in Children's Fiction

Gender Dilemmas in Children's Fiction examines how fictional texts – picture books, novels, and films – produced for children and young adults are responding to the tensions and dilemmas that arise from new gender relations and sexual differences. The book discusses a diverse range of international children's fiction published between 1990 and 2008. Some of the key dilemmas that emerge are around the texts' treatment of romance, beauty, cyberbodies, queer, and comedy.

Why is there a gender gap in children presenting for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder services?

This study addressed why girls are less likely to be referred for mental health services for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than boys. Ninety-six parents of children with elevated ADHD symptoms and 140 elementary school teachers read vignettes about children with ADHD. Half of the participants read vignettes with boys' names, and half read the same vignettes but with girls' names. Participants then rated their likeliness to seek or recommend services for the child in each vignette. Parents and teachers were less likely to seek or recommend services for girls than boys with ADHD, but results did not support the hypothesis that this is because girls are less disruptive than boys. Rather, differences in service seeking were explained by the fact that parents and teachers believed that learning assistance is less effective for girls than boys with ADHD.

The influence of age and gender on triclosan concentrations in Australian human blood serum

The bactericide triclosan has found wide-spread use in e.g. soaps, deodorants and toothpastes. Recent in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that triclosan might exert adverse effects in humans. Triclosan has previously been shown to be present in human plasma and milk at concentrations that are well correlated to the use of personal care products containing triclosan. In this study we investigated the influence of age, gender, and the region of residence on triclosan concentrations in pooled samples of Australian human blood serum. The results showed no influence of region of residence on the concentrations of triclosan. There was a small but significant influence of age and gender on the serum triclosan concentrations, which were higher in males than in females, and highest in the group of 31–45 year old males and females. However, overall there was a lack of pronounced differences in the triclosan concentrations within the dataset, which suggests that the exposure to triclosan among different groups of the Australian population is relatively homogenous. A selection of the dataset was compared with previous measurements of triclosan concentrations in human plasma from Sweden, where the use of triclosan is expected to be low due to consumer advisories. The triclosan concentrations were a factor of 2 higher in Australian serum than in Swedish plasma.

Who and Why? Demographic and psychographic differences between consumers who have altered their shopping behaviour during a recession and those who have not

Research suggests that people differ in terms of changing their shopping behaviour during a recession. This paper reports on a preliminary descriptive study assessing what influences those consumers who have altered their shopping behaviour during such times. Driving the alteration of shopping behaviour were both demographic (age, gender, education, and nationality) and psychographic variables (attitudes, and head vs. heart decision making). Overall, the findings show that there are statistically significant differences between the two groups’ that marketers can address in their marketing strategies during the recession.