Level of physical activity and anthropometric characteristics in old age—results from a national health survey

Advanced age is associated with degenerative changes in body composition. There is evidence suggesting that changes may vary upon differences in lifestyle, environment, or gender. Physical activity engagement is considered an important component of lifestyle definition. There are suggestions that engaging in physical activity might alleviate degenerative body compositional changes. The objective is to assess the relationship between adherence to recommended guidelines of physical activity and anthropometric parameters in Israeli older adults. Anthropometric measures, including height, weight, and waist circumference, were taken, and BMI was calculated, from a random sample of 1,663 elderly adults (799 men and 864 women), aged 74.31 (±6.05) years old. Participants reported their physical activity habits and, based on official guidelines recommendations, they were divided into sufficiently active, insufficiently active, and inactive groups. One-way ANOVA (level of physical activity) for both genders was conducted for each anthropometric variable. In both genders, an association between level of physical activity and weight, waist circumference, and BMI was found, with lower values among the sufficiently active. In addition, a relationship between level of physical activity and height was indicated among women, implying that the more active women were taller than the less active. In addition to the already known health benefits of physical activity in old age, it is possible that adherence to recommended guidelines of physical activity is associated with favorable anthropometric characteristics.     

Intertextual stancetaking and the local negotiation of cultural identities by a binational couple1

Recent approaches to stance emphasize the dialogic nature of stancetaking, drawing attention to turn‐by‐turn negotiation of stance. This study expands that view by focusing upon cases where the stancetaker responds not to a stance in the immediately prior turn, but to prior stances in the ongoing relationship between interlocutors, to construct distinct identities. The data come from a sociolinguistic interview conducted with a couple who constructed contrasting identities through stances related to cultural differences. I examine the linguistic strategies this couple uses to take divergent stances: constructed dialogue; verb tense; and time adverbials. I introduce the term constructed stance in parallel with constructed dialogue. Analysis of stances taken by attributing a stance to oneself or another through constructed dialogue supplements previous research by demonstrating how a longitudinal dimension can be introduced even with a single interaction as data source. This underscores how local stances can contribute to more enduring identities.     

Building marginal models for multiple ordinal measurements

Biomedical and psychosocial researchers increasingly utilize multiple indicators to assess an outcome of interest. We apply the ordinal estimating equations model for analysing this kind of measurement. We detail the special complexities of using this model to analyse clustered non-identical items and propose a workable model building strategy. Three graphical methods— cumulative log-odds, partial residual and Pearson residual plotting—are developed to diagnose the adequacy of models. The benefit of incorporating interitem associations and the trade-off between simple versus complex models are evaluated. Throughout the paper, an analysis to determine how measured impairments affect visual disability is used for illustration.     

Comprehensive model for child services: Parent education follow through program

One program which provides comprehensive child and family services is the Parent Education Follow Through Program. Developed at the University of Florida in 1968 by Dr. Ira J. Gordon and moved to the University of North Carolina in 1977, this program is currently implemented in ten diverse communities across the nation, both rural and urban. Using a theoretical ecological framework, the program focuses on the relationship between the home and the school with attention also given to other systems present in the community as well as at the state and national levels. The major features of the program include the following: (1) comprehensive services (social, psychological, and medical); (2) weekly home visitations by paid paraprofessionals during which home learning activities stressing specific parental teaching behaviors are delivered; and (3) parental participation of various kinds including volunteer, employee and decision-maker. The data that have been collected to measure these program areas have shown that the model has had a positive impact upon children's achievement as well as upon their families, the school, and the community.     

The impact of labor unions on the passage of economic legislation

This paper examines the political power of labor unions. A model of the decision of an interest group to contribute to a political campaign is developed and tested. The empirical evidence indicates that interest groups, and unions in particular, use political contributions in a systematic and coordinated manner. Unions give money to candidates with relatively little seniority (who might otherwise not be elected) and to candidates from districts with about the average number of union members. Such candidates might otherwise not vote as the union would desire. The influence of campaign contributions and of union membership on the voting of congressmen on issues of interest to unions is also investigated. Union membership is sometimes significant and campaign contributions are always significant in explaining voting on minimum wages, wageprice controls, benefits for strikers, and OSHA and CETA appropriations. The indirect economic effects of labor unions — those effects which occur because unions influence legislation — may be as important as the direct effects which occur through collective bargaining.     

The sex ratio at birth

Several aspects of the disparity in birth ratio of males over females are discussed including variations among different races, variations by order of birth, by age of the parent, and in multiple births. Avenues of statistical exploration are suggested in an attempt to indicate certain peculiarities in nature. The Negro population in the United States has a sex ratio of 102 males to 100 females as opposed to 105:100 for whites, a highly significant difference. Inferences from these statistics are suggested for study of the sex ratios of mixed unions. The group classified as Mulatto show a lower sex ratio and further analysis of this was suggested including examination of slave records. For the white population sex ratio declines from 106.2 to 102.9 between 1st order and 7th order births. This is highly significant. However, nonwhite determinations were more irregular. Data limitations on sex ratio by age of parent prevented conclusive results. Multiple births among whites show a decline from 105.3 for single live births to 103.2 for twins and 86.1 for all other plural deliveries. Among nonwhites these ratios are 102.3, 99.7, and 102.6 respectively. Further information should be developed using the multiple facts relating to the sex ratio at birth.