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Results for “environmental correlation”

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PubMed1996

Genetic and environmental correlations among hormone levels and measures of body fat accumulation and topography.

In this study we partition the phenotypic correlations between body fat measures and serum levels of hormones with known, or suspected, lipolytic effects into their genetic and environmental components. Using variance decomposition techniques, we are able to estimate the pleiotropic effects of genes and/or shared environmental factors that give rise to the phenotypic correlations previously reported between these traits. We used data from a large sample of randomly ascertained Mexican-American families living in San Antonio, TX. Data were available for 582 individuals in 26 pedigrees. Levels of sex hormone-binding globulin, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, insulin, insulin-like growth factor I, total T4, and total T3 were assayed. The measures of body fat accumulation and topography included body mass index, subscapular/triceps ratio, and relative fat patterning index. The results of this analysis demonstrate that significant phenotypic correlations among these traits can arise from three underlying conditions: 1) entirely from shared genetic effects (pleiotropy), 2) entirely from shared random environmental effects, or 3) a combination of both effects. However, we also show that it is possible for significant genetic and environmental correlations to interact in such a way as to produce a phenotypic correlation that itself would not be considered significant.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed2005

Environmental correlates of population differentiation in Atlantic herring.

The marine environment is characterized by few physical barriers, and pelagic fishes commonly show high migratory potential and low, albeit in some cases statistically significant, levels of genetic divergence in neutral genetic marker analyses. However, it is not clear whether low levels of differentiation reflect spatially separated populations experiencing gene flow or shallow population histories coupled with limited random genetic drift in large, demographically isolated populations undergoing independent evolutionary processes. Using information for nine microsatellite loci in a total of 1951 fish, we analyzed genetic differentiation among Atlantic herring from eleven spawning locations distributed along a longitudinal gradient from the North Sea to the Western Baltic. Overall genetic differentiation was low (theta = 0.008) but statistically significant. The area is characterized by a dramatic shift in hydrography from the highly saline and temperature stable North Sea to the brackish Baltic Sea, where temperatures show high annual variation. We used two different methods, a novel computational geometric approach and partial Mantel correlation analysis coupled with detailed environmental information from spawning locations to show that patterns of reproductive isolation covaried with salinity differences among spawning locations, independent of their geographical distance. We show that reproductive isolation can be maintained in marine fish populations exhibiting substantial mixing during larval and adult life stages. Analyses incorporating genetic, spatial, and environmental parameters indicated that isolating mechanisms are associated with the specific salinity conditions on spawning locations.

Age Distribution↗

PubMed1986

Environmental correlates of ranging behaviour in the banded langur, Presbytis melalophos.

Data are presented from a long-term study of banded langurs in three contrasting rain forest habitats in Peninsular Malaysia. Results from different sites and months are used to correlate ranging patterns with food availability and other environmental variables. Day range lengths are correlated with availability of preferred foods; the degree of territoriality is related to the distribution and size of food sources and length of time for which any one of these produces favoured food items.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Genetic and environmental correlates of semen quality: a twin study.

BACKGROUND: The influences of environmental factors on the male reproductive system have been much debated over the last 3 decades. We studied the impact of genes and environment on semen quality, sex hormone levels, and sperm chromatin stability by using a twin design. METHODS: The study population consisted of monozygotic and dizygotic twins from the population-based Danish Twin Registry and a random selection of pairs of singleton brothers from the Danish Civil Registration System. All men were 20 to 45 years of age. The study population comprised 100 monozygotic twin brothers (50 pairs), 102 dizygotic twins (51 pairs), and 102 single-born brothers (51 pairs). A semen sample and blood sample were collected from all participants. RESULTS: Heritability was estimated to account for 20% (95% confidence interval = 0% to 68%) of the variation in sperm density. A higher heritability was found for the hormones reflecting Sertoli cell function (inhibin B, 76% [36% to 84%] and follicle-stimulating hormone, 81% [40% to 88%]) and for percent morphologic normal cells (41% [0% to 60%] and sperm chromatin parameters (mean alphaT, 68% [34% to 81%] and COMP alphaT, 72% [25% to 82%], respectively). CONCLUSION: Our study indicates a substantial hereditary component in plasma levels of hormones reflecting Sertoli cell function and in sperm cell chromatin stability and morphology. The environmental contribution (including the prenatal environment) appeared to be largest for sperm count.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Workers' compensation for psychological injury: personal and environmental correlates.

The aim of this study was to determine the personal and environmental factors that contribute to the lodging of a workers' compensation claim for psychological injury. Four groups were compared: individuals who had lodged a workers' compensation claim, people who had sought psychological assistance for the management of work-related stress reactions but who had not lodged a workers' compensation claim; people who had experienced stress symptoms but who had not lodged a claim or sought help; and people who experienced stressful work events but who had not developed symptoms. Examination was made of cognitive distortion, irrational beliefs and coping resources as individual factors, and stressful life events, daily hassles and work environment factors as environmental variables. The Compensation group was distinguished from other groups only on the basis of work environmental factors. The implications of these results in the understanding of the decision to lodge a workers' compensation claim are considered.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1995

A review of dietary and environmental correlates of obesity with emphasis on developing countries.

The relationships between dietary and environmental factors and obesity are reviewed. Findings from selected population studies of diet and body weight are presented. In general, the results from population studies of diet and obesity have been inconsistent and marked with methodological weaknesses, especially the use of cross-sectional study design. Apart from the diet, several social and economic factors appear to be important correlates of obesity in the population. However, most studies have focused on the socioeconomic status as a broad, composite measure. The relationships between income, education, occupation, place of residence, and obesity are reviewed here, with emphasis on the developing countries. In many developing countries, the changing dietary pattern, along with rising life expectancy and changing socioeconomic environment, has contributed to the increasing problems of obesity and other diet-related chronic diseases that will have an enormous impact on the health and health care resource of these countries in the near future.

Body Weight↗

PubMed2003

Personal, social, and physical environmental correlates of physical activity levels in urban Latinas.

BACKGROUND: Nationwide, Hispanic women report low levels of physical activity and bear excess health risk associated with inactivity. This study investigated the relationship between physical activity levels and sociodemographic, social environmental, and physical environmental factors. DESIGN: A cross-sectional, community-based convenience sample of 285 Hispanic/Latino women completed a face-to-face survey administered in Spanish. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The following categories of physical activity were used in analyses: "meets current national recommendations," which includes women who reported engaging in moderate activity at least 5 days per week for at least 30 minutes or who engaged in vigorous activity at least 3 days per week for at least 20 minutes; "insufficiently active" for women not meeting moderate or vigorous objectives; and "inactive" for women who report no moderate or vigorous physical activity. RESULTS: The majority of women (46%) were aged 20 to 29 years, 48% have less than or equal to a high school education, 72% are employed, 43% speak Spanish, and 76% are from Central or South America. A total of 37% of the women met physical activity recommendations, 23% were inactive, and 40% were insufficiently active. Personal and physical environmental factors were not statistically significant correlates of activity level comparison groups; however, most indicated trends in the hypothesized direction. Social environmental factors that showed statistically significant relationships with various physical activity comparison groups included the following: Women were significantly less likely to be active if they reported knowing people who exercise (odds ratio [OR]=0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.23-0.76), reported that there are people in the neighborhood who exercise (adjusted OR=0.19; 95% CI, 0.09-0.42), belonged to community groups (OR=0.32; 95% CI, 0.15-0.69), or attended religious services (OR=0.41; 95% CI, 0.41-0.72). CONCLUSION: Social environmental factors appeared to be the most important factors related to physical activity in this group of Latino women. Physical environment and personal factors, although not statistically significant, showed trends in expected directions and should be explored further.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Genetic and environmental correlations between bone formation and bone mineral density: a twin study.

Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover are both heritable. Although bone turnover affects bone mass, it is not clear whether these parameters are under common genetic or environmental control. The relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the determination of an index of bone turnover, bone specific alkaline phosphatase (BSAP), and the extent of common genetic regulation with BMD, were examined in 97 female twin pairs, aged 50 +/- 15 years (mean +/- SD), consisting of 48 monozygotic (MZ) and 49 dizygotic (DZ) pairs. BSAP was analyzed by radioimmunometric assay. Bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine (LS) and femoral neck (FN) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Twin resemblance for variable traits was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients. Estimates of genetic and environmental components of variance were based on univariate and multivariate genetic models. As expected, BSAP in premenopausal women (9.8 +/- 4.3 microg/L) was significantly lower than in postmenopausal women (13.3 +/- 6.6 microg/L, p < 0.001), but similar to the subgroup of postmenopausal women on hormone replacement therapy (10.8 +/- 2.6 microg/L, p = 0.15). Although BSAP and BMD were correlated in a cross-sectional analysis (r = -0.35, p < 0.001 for LS-BMD; r = -0.16, p = 0.03 for FN-BMD), the intrapair difference in BSAP was not significantly correlated with the intrapair difference in BMD for MZ twin pairs. After adjustment for menopausal status, the intraclass correlation for BSAP was significantly higher in MZ than DZ twins (0.60 +/- 0.09 vs. 0.27 +/- 0.13, p = 0.03). Univariate model-fitting analyses indicated a heritability of 63% for BSAP, and 77% and 72% for lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD, respectively. By multivariate analyses, genes specifically influencing BSAP accounted for 16% of the total genetic variance in LS-BMD and 4% of the total genetic variance in FN-BMD. There was no evidence for shared environmental factors affecting BSAP and BMD. These findings indicate that BSAP and BMD are heritable and negatively correlated. However, the genetic loci influencing BSAP and BMD appear to be largely independent as are any environmental factors.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Psychosocial and environmental correlates of adolescent sedentary behaviors.

OBJECTIVE: To determine correlates of sedentary behaviors in adolescents through the examination of psychosocial and environmental variables. METHOD: The study used a cross-sectional design to evaluate an ethnically diverse clinic-based sample of 878 adolescents who were 11 to 15 years old. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were stratified by gender to assess correlates of sedentary behaviors occurring on the most recent nonschool day (television viewing, computer video games, sitting listening to music, and talking on the phone). RESULTS: For girls, age, family support, television/video rules, and hills in the neighborhood were associated with sedentary behaviors. Furthermore, psychological constructs such as self-efficacy, enjoyment, change strategies, and pros and cons of change emerged as correlates of sedentary behaviors. A moderator effect revealed that the proportion of girls in the low-BMI group decreased with increased self-efficacy, whereas the proportion of girls in the high-BMI group did not vary significantly by self-efficacy. For boys, age, ethnicity, BMI, cons of change, and self-efficacy were associated with sedentary behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence of factors associated and not associated with adolescent sedentary behaviors. Similar to physical activity, measures of specific psychosocial constructs of sedentary behavior demonstrated important associations. The results highlight the need for additional examination of the correlates of sedentary behavior to determine which correlates are mechanisms of behavior change.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1976

Environmental correlations of skin colour.

Skin colour data obtained by reflectance spectrophotometry on indigenous populations are compared with environmental variables--latitude, temperature, humidity and altitude. Association with latitude predominates at all wavelengths. Temperatures show a small but appreciable association at the shorter wavelengths, humidity at wavelengths above 595 nm. Over 80 per cent of the total interpopulation variance at each wave length is accounted for by these variables, more at the shorter wavelengths. It is suggested that skin colour should be regarded as a complex of entities of differing selective values rather than a single entity.

Adult↗

PubMed1988

Geographic pattern of lung cancer in Japan and its environmental correlations.

Standardized lung cancer mortality ratios, 1969-1978, for basic administrative units of Japan were related to various environmental characteristics by multiple regression analysis. Elevated lung cancer mortality was demonstrated in the areas along the sea coast, particularly those with fishing ports, low socioeconomic status, and high level of air pollution. High mortality was also observed in coal mining areas and areas with shipyards. Data on tobacco expenditures provided partial adjustment for the effects of cigarette smoking on these correlations.

Female↗

PubMed2003

Environmental correlates to behavioral health outcomes in Alzheimer's special care units.

PURPOSE: We systematically measured the associations between environmental design features of nursing home special care units and the incidence of aggression, agitation, social withdrawal, depression, and psychotic problems among persons living there who have Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder. DESIGN AND METHODS: We developed and tested a model of critical health-related environmental design features in settings for people with Alzheimer's disease. We used hierarchical linear modeling statistical techniques to assess associations between seven environmental design features and behavioral health measures for 427 residents in 15 special care units. Behavioral health measures included the Cohen-Mansfield physical agitation, verbal agitation, and aggressive behavior scales, the Multidimensional Observation Scale for Elderly Subjects depression and social withdrawal scales, and BEHAVE-AD (psychotic symptom list) misidentification and paranoid delusions scales. Statistical controls were included for the influence of, among others, cognitive status, need for assistance with activities of daily living, prescription drug use, amount of Alzheimer's staff training, and staff-to-resident ratio. Although hierarchical linear modeling minimizes the risk of Type II-false positive-error, this exploratory study also pays special attention to avoiding Type I error-the failure to recognize possible relationships between behavioral health characteristics and independent variables. RESULTS: We found associations between each behavioral health measure and particular environmental design features, as well as between behavioral health measures and both resident and nonenvironmental facility variables. IMPLICATIONS: This research demonstrates the potential that environment has for contributing to the improvement of Alzheimer's symptoms. A balanced combination of pharmacologic, behavioral, and environmental approaches is likely to be most effective in improving the health, behavior, and quality of life of people with Alzheimer's disease.

Aged↗

PubMed1990

Nonlatitudinal environmental correlations for alcohol dehydrogenase in southern African populations of Drosophila melanogaster.

The relation between alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) allozyme frequencies and several environmental variables, as well as latitude and longitude, was examined in 17 natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster in Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Unlike several other studies, we found no latitudinal allele-frequency clines and no significant correlation with temperature. We found that the frequency of the most common allele (AdhS) was positively correlated with an increase in rainfall. We suggest that substrate-induced toxicity may explain the geographic variability in our results.

Africa, Southern↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Environmental correlates of adolescent substance use and misuse: implications for prevention programs.

The research in the areas of peer, family and community environmental effects on adolescent substance use and misuse clearly and consistently shows that peer substance use behavior is the primary predictor of adolescent alcohol use. Peer norms, however, are more important in the prediction of adolescent alcohol misuse. Parental norms and monitoring are secondary to the peer variables, but still of significance in the prediction of adolescent alcohol use and misuse. The intrapersonal construct of susceptibility to peer pressure is as important as the peer and parent variables in the prediction of both alcohol use and misuse in adolescence.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Psychosocial and environmental correlates of violence perpetration among African-American urban youth.

PURPOSE: To ascertain the proportion of youths involved in acts of violence; to examine individual, social, and environmental factors associated with perpetration; and to determine the relationship among victimization, witnessing, and perpetration of violence. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was completed by 349 volunteer males and females, aged 9-15 years, 96% of whom were African-American. The youths were recruited from recreation centers associated with 10 public-housing communities in an eastern city. Survey instruments included the Child Health and Illness Profile, Survey of Children's Exposure to Community Violence, and other standardized questionnaires. Statistical analyses included Chi-square, correlation, regression, and test for linear trends. RESULTS: Half of the youths self-reported at least one act of violence perpetration, with similar distributions among males and females. One-third of the youths reported both personal victimization and the witnessing of violent events. Victim and witness status were moderately correlated. Individual risk behaviors and victimization made significant contributions to perpetration status. Further analysis demonstrated a linear relationship between acts of perpetration and number of victimization events. CONCLUSIONS: Participation in problem behaviors may place youths in circumstances in which they may be victim, witness, or aggressor. The chronic and high levels of community violence to which many youths are exposed are likely to contribute to an individual's participation in acts of violence.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Environmental correlates of physical activity in a sample of Belgian adults.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the variance in sitting, walking, and moderate and vigorous physical activity explained by neighborhood design and recreational environmental variables above and beyond the variance accounted for by individual demographic variables. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analyses of self-reported survey data. SETTING: A random sample of inhabitants of Ghent, Belgium, aged 18-65 years, was drawn. SUBJECTS: Five hundred twenty-one adults completed questionnaires (52.1% response rate). The average age of the sample was 41 years, and 48.2% were female. MEASURES: A questionnaire developed to assess neighborhood design and recreational environmental variables with a total of 81 items was administered. The environmental questionnaire showed acceptable to good reliability and acceptable validity. The previously validated International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to quantify physical activity in the past 7 days. Additional demographic information was also obtained. RESULTS: Regression analyses showed that environmental variables were related to all types of physical activity in both sexes. However, the range of variance explained by the models including demographic and environmental variables was low, only 5% to 13%. Minutes of walking and of moderate-intensity activity were related to quality of sidewalks and accessibility of shopping and public transportation. Vigorous physical activity was related to presence of activity supplies in the home and number of convenient activity facilities outside the home. CONCLUSIONS: Both neighborhood design and recreational environment variables had small but significant associations with multiple types of physical activity in a sample of Belgian adults.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1984

Neuropsychological and early environmental correlates of sex differences in crime.

Results of recent research suggest that longitudinal influences on sex differences in verbal and spatial abilities, and delinquent behavior, may be similar. The present study examined biological, environmental, and psychological variables collected from birth through age 17 on a sample of subjects who participated in the Philadelphia Collaborative Perinatal Project (CPP). Findings supported in part past research suggesting that environmental relationships with intellectual ability and delinquency are strongest for males, whereas biological relationships are somewhat more important for females. Socioeconomic factors were among the strongest predictors of delinquency for both sexes, however. In turn, biological and environmental influences on verbal and spatial abilities and their relationships with later achievement were different between the sexes. Results are discussed in terms of possible sex differences in the development of the left and right cerebral hemispheres, as well as in the vulnerability to environmental influences.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Environmental correlates of walking and cycling: findings from the transportation, urban design, and planning literatures.

Research in transportation, urban design, and planning has examined associations between physical environment variables and individuals' walking and cycling for transport. Constructs, methods, and findings from these fields can be applied by physical activity and health researchers to improve understanding of environmental influences on physical activity. In this review, neighborhood environment characteristics proposed to be relevant to walking/cycling for transport are defined, including population density, connectivity, and land use mix. Neighborhood comparison and correlational studies with nonmotorized transport outcomes are considered, with evidence suggesting that residents from communities with higher density, greater connectivity, and more land use mix report higher rates of walking/cycling for utilitarian purposes than low-density, poorly connected, and single land use neighborhoods. Environmental variables appear to add to variance accounted for beyond sociodemographic predictors of walking/cycling for transport. Implications of the transportation literature for physical activity and related research are outlined. Future research directions are detailed for physical activity research to further examine the impact of neighborhood and other physical environment factors on physical activity and the potential interactive effects of psychosocial and environmental variables. The transportation, urban design, and planning literatures provide a valuable starting point for multidisciplinary research on environmental contributions to physical activity levels in the population.

Bicycling↗