Adolescent neighborhood quality predicts adult dACC response to social exclusion

Neuroimaging studies using the social-exclusion paradigm Cyberball indicate increased dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and right insula activity as a function of exclusion. However, comparatively less work has been done on how social status factors may moderate this finding. This study used the Cyberball paradigm with 85 (45 females) socio-economically diverse participants from a larger longitudinal sample. We tested whether neighborhood quality during adolescence would predict subsequent neural responding to social exclusion in young adulthood. Given previous behavioral studies indicating greater social vigilance and negative evaluation as a function of lower status, we expected that lower adolescent neighborhood quality would predict greater dACC activity during exclusion at young adulthood. Our findings indicate that young adults who lived in low-quality neighborhoods in adolescence showed greater dACC activity to social exclusion than those who lived in higher quality neighborhoods. Lower neighborhood quality also predicted greater prefrontal activation in the superior frontal gyrus, dorsal medial prefrontal cortex and the middle frontal gyrus, possibly indicating greater regulatory effort. Finally, this effect was not driven by subsequent ratings of distress during exclusion. In sum, adolescent neighborhood quality appears to potentiate neural responses to social exclusion in young adulthood, effects that are independent of felt distress.     

Parental education and children's online health information seeking: Beyond the digital divide debate

Research has shown that increasing numbers of teenagers are going online to find health information, but it is unclear whether there are disparities in the prevalence of online health seeking among young Internet users associated with social and economic conditions. Existing literature on Internet uses by adults indicates that low income, less educated, and minority individuals are less likely to be online health seekers. Based on the analysis of data from the Pew Internet and American Life Project for the US, this study finds that teens of low education parents are either as likely as or even more likely than teens of high education parents to seek online health information. Multiple regression analysis shows that the higher engagement in health seeking by teens of low education parents is related to a lower prevalence of parental Internet use, suggesting that some of these teens may be seeking online health information on behalf of their low education parents. Implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the issues of the digital divide and digital empowerment.     

Relationship of early life stress and psychological functioning to adult C-reactive protein in the coronary artery risk development in young adults study.

BACKGROUND: Low socioeconomic status (SES) and a harsh family environment in childhood have been linked to mental and physical health disorders in adulthood. The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate a developmental model of pathways that may help explain these links and to relate them to C-reactive protein (CRP) in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) dataset. METHODS: Participants (n = 3248) in the CARDIA study, age 32 to 47 years, completed measures of childhood SES (CSES), early family environment (risky families [RF]), adult psychosocial functioning (PsyF, a latent factor measured by depression, mastery, and positive and negative social contacts), body mass index (BMI), and C-reactive protein. RESULTS: Structural equation modeling indicated that CSES and RF are associated with C-reactive protein via their association with PsyF (standardized path coefficients: CSES to RF, RF to PsyF, PsyF to CRP, CSES to CRP, all p < .05), with good overall model fit. The association between PsyF and CRP was partially mediated by BMI (PsyF to BMI, BMI to CRP, both p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Low childhood SES and a harsh early family environment appear to be related to elevated C-reactive protein in adulthood through pathways involving psychosocial dysfunction and high body mass index.     

Using aggregated mobile phone location data to compare the realised foodscapes of different socio-economic groups.

The foodscape (the built food environment) is considered one of the driving factors of the higher burden of obesity and chronic disease observed in low socio-economic status (SES) groups. Traditional data collection methods struggle to accurately capture actual access and exposure to the foodscape (realised foodscape). We assess the use of anonymised mobile phone location data (location data) in foodscape studies by applying them to a case study in Perth, Western Australia to test the hypothesis that lower SES groups have poorer realised foodscapes than high SES groups. Kernel density estimation was used to calculate realised foodscapes of different SES groups and home foodscape typologies, which were compared to home foodscapes of the different groups. The location data enabled us to measure realised foodscapes of multiple groups over an extended period and at the city scale. Low SES groups had poor availability of food outlets, including unhealthy outlets, in their home and realised foodscapes and may be more susceptible to a poor home foodscape because of low mobility.     

Equity in Access to Health Care Services in Italy

ObjectiveTo provide new evidence on whether and how patterns of health care utilization deviate from horizontal equity in a country with a universal and egalitarian public health care system: Italy.ConclusionsDespite its universal and egalitarian public health care system, Italy exhibits a significant degree of SES-related horizontal inequity in health services utilization.     

E-books as a support for young children's language and literacy: the case of Hebrew-speaking children

In this paper, we present a series of studies performed in the last decade that examined the contribution of e-books reading to the language and literacy of young Hebrew-speaking children. Children worked with two e-books designed by the researchers to achieve this aim. We present the effect of reading these e-books on the language and literacy of young children: (a) in general, (b) in different socio-economic statues (SES) groups, (c) among children at risk for learning disabilities (ALD). Language progress was measured by phonological awareness, word meaning, story production and comprehension, and literacy progress was measured by letter naming, word reading and word writing. Results showed that the e-book reading supported all language and literacy skills, except letter naming. The progress of most skills appeared after three reading sessions. Children from middle- and low-SES families benefited from reading the e-books and in some cases, low-SES children were contributed more than those from a middle SES. ALD children improved their vocabulary, phonological awareness and concept about print when provided with an educational e-book. Further research and pedagogical implications for software developers and educators are discussed.     

航空官兵睡眠障碍状况及相关因素分析

目的:调查航空官兵睡眠障碍状况及相关因素,为改善航空官兵的睡眠质量提供依据。方法:采用整群分层抽样方法,以匹兹堡睡眠质量指数(PSQI)、自尊量表(SES)、压力知觉量表(PSS)、健康调查量表(SF-36)、艾森克人格问卷(EPQ)评定航空官兵的睡眠状况及其影响因素。结果:1PSQI7者390人,占29.37%,7≥PSQI5者229人,占17.24%;2PSQI总分与PSS总分(r=0.41,P0.01)、SES总分(r=0.22,P0.01)、生理机能(PF)(r=-0.14,P0.01)、生理职能(RP)(r=-0.28,P0.01)、躯体疼痛(BP)(r=-0.52,P0.01)、社会功能(SF)(r=0.23,P0.01)、情感职能(RE)(r=-0.326,P0.01)、健康变化(HT)(r=0.17,P0.01)、精神质(P)(F=2.32,P0.01)、神经质(N)(F=12.73,P0.01)、掩饰因子(L)(F=4.15,P0.01)存在相关性;3神经质、躯体疼痛、情感职能、健康变化、压力知觉量表总分进入线性回归方程。结论:航空官兵整体上存在睡眠障碍,应值得重视;其严重程度及发病情况受官兵的年龄、性格特点、对压力的感受性、心理状态及身体健康水平等多方面的影响,其中知觉压力的认知过程起到了介导作用。     

Relationship between subjective social status and measures of health in older Taiwanese persons

OBJECTIVES: To compare the association between subjective ladder ranking and health measures with the association between objective indices and health measures in older Taiwanese men and women. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: A population-representative sample of elderly and nearly elderly men and women in Taiwan. PARTICIPANTS: The study included 991 participants from the Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study in Taiwan. MEASUREMENTS: The information collected included demographic characteristics; subjective ladder score of SES; objective measures of SES, including education, income, and occupation; health behaviors; health-related variables such as self-rated health, basic activity of daily living difficulties, instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) difficulties, and physical activity difficulties; and depression score. RESULTS: Low ladder score was associated with poorer self-rated health and more reported IADL and physical activity difficulties, even after adjustment for objective measures of SES and other covariates. The multiply adjusted odds ratio for a one-quartile difference in ladder score and worse self-rated health was 1.19 (95% confidence interval=1.06-1.33). The associations between subjective ladder ranking and health status were generally stronger in those who had 6 years or less of education than in those who received more education. CONCLUSION: A simple subjective assessment of one's ranking on the social hierarchy was associated with self-rated health and physical functional status in an older ethnic Chinese population. The associations were independent of the effects of traditional objective measures of SES, such as education, income, and occupation.