Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Secularism”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Secular changes in body height and weight in children and adolescents in Poznan, Poland, between 1880 and 2000.

AIM: A secular trend in body height and weight is well documented. The first observations concerning this phenomenon in Poland were made at the end of the 19th century. The aim of this study was to assess changes in body height and weight during the 20th century, with special emphasis on the last decade. METHODS: The results of body height and weight measurements obtained in eight subsequent surveys (1880-1886, 1922-1927, 1946-1950, 1960-1961, 1970-1971, 1980-1981, 1990-1991 and 1999-2000) were included in the analysis. Mean values were compared and differences between the surveys were analysed. RESULTS: In general, in the 20th century, children grew taller and heavier and reached final body height and weight more rapidly. The biggest differences in body height and weight in the 20th century, observed at growth spurt, were about 17 cm and 11 kg, respectively, for boys, and 13 cm and 13 kg for girls. The magnitude of secular changes in body height and weight in the 20th century was not stable. There were periods of increased and decreased intensity of acceleration of physical development (the 1950s and 1970s, and the 1960s and 1980s, respectively), as well as a period of deceleration (the 1940s). In the last decade, the tendency has been towards deceleration in most age groups studied. CONCLUSION: The acceleration of physical development in children in Poznan has now ceased.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Exploring the stress-buffering effects of church-based and secular social support on self-rated health in late life.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to see if emotional support received from fellow church members and emotional support from secular social networks reduce the effects of financial strain on self-rated health. A second goal is to determine if church-based social support is a more important coping resource for older Blacks than for older Whites. METHODS: The data come from the second wave of interviews with a nationwide sample of older people. Two groups of older adults are included in the analyses: Older Christians who go to church more than twice a year (N=548) and older people who do not go to church as frequently (N=238). RESULTS: The data suggest that support from fellow church members tends to reduce the impact of financial strain on self-rated health, but support from secular network members fails to exert a similar effect. The findings also reveal that the stress-buffering effects of church-based support emerge among older Blacks, but not older Whites. DISCUSSION: The findings from this study suggest that there may be something relatively unique about support that is provided by fellow church members.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Secular trends in the incidence of anorexia nervosa: integrative review of population-based studies.

OBJECTIVE AND METHOD: Aggregating across retrospective cohort samples, this integrative review synthesizes the findings of 12 cumulative incidence studies (45 hypotheses) on anorexia nervosa secular trends. RESULTS: (1) The female/male anorexia incidence rate ratio was estimated to be 8.20, 18.46 versus 2.25 cases per 100,000 per year, p < .05; (2) female teenagers experienced anorexia at a rate fivefold greater than other women, 50.82 versus 10.37 incident cases per 100,000 per year, p < .001; (3) no secular trend or change in the incidence of anorexia was observed among teenagers, while a near threefold increase was observed over the past 40 years among women in their 20s and 30s, 6.28 (1950-1964) versus 17.70 (1980-1992) cases per 100,000 per year, p < .05; and (4) the two cohort characteristics of age, and the age by year interaction accounted for nearly two thirds of the variability among anorexia incidence estimates, R2 = .614, F(2,27) = 21.49, p < .001. After the two factors of age and the Age x Year interaction were accounted for, none of the other study characteristics, including study year(s), were found to be significantly associated with anorexia incidence, that is, a main effect of time was not observed. DISCUSSION: The integrative evidence across the population-based epidemiologic studies covering 40 years in this field suggests strongly that, overall, the incidence of anorexia nervosa, particularly among those very young women at greatest risk of experiencing it, has not increased significantly. However, the risk does seem to have increased significantly among women in their 20s and 30s.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Secular trends in variables associated with the metabolic syndrome of North American children and adolescents: a review and synthesis.

The aim of this article is to summarize and critique reports from selected large-scale population health surveys (U.S. and Canada national health surveys (e.g., National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, and Canada Fitness Survey), and active research programs in preventive pediatric cardiology (i.e., Bogalusa Heart Study, Princeton Lipids Study, and Minneapolis Blood Pressure Study)) pertaining to the secular trend in variables associated with the metabolic syndrome of North American youth. These surveys were chosen since they have published peer-reviewed articles on the topic and consist of relatively large samples. The increased body mass index and prevalence of overweight and obesity are clear, particularly over the past two decades. The secular increase in overweight and obesity cannot be linked to available self-report data on physical activity or diet, although measurement issues need to be considered. The emergence of Type II diabetes in adolescents parallels the increase in obesity; however, subsequent changes in blood lipids and blood pressure are less clear. There is some evidence to suggest adverse changes in the blood lipid profile. Aerobic fitness, as determined by maximal oxygen consumption (VO(2max)), has not appeared to change in youth except perhaps for adolescent females. The results suggesting the emergence of metabolic syndrome X during childhood and adolescence are discussed in the context of perturbation and dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. It can be suggested that a subsistent lifestyle consisting of increased lifestyle activity (not exercise per se), a prudent diet, adequate sleep and rest, and stress reduction be advocated to combat diseases of Western Civilization/metabolic syndrome that have affected North American children (and adults) in recent years. The results also highlight the importance of population surveillance of obesity, physical activity, and dietary intake and cardiovascular health of children into the 21st century.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Secular change of craniofacial measures in Croatian younger adults.

A secular change of body height and neurocranial variables was registered in the Croatian population during the last century. We investigated the continuity of this process, and introduced facial measurements into the study. The results cover a 13-year period, from the birth of the subjects in 1974-1986, with a gap in the period from 1977-1981. The subjects were first-year students of the University of Rijeka School of Medicine, aged 19-21 years. Secular changes were evaluated by analysis of variance and multivariate regression analysis. A statistically significant decrease was found in head breadth, and an increase in morphological face height values, in both sexes. A significant increase of head circumference was observed in female students. The height and length of the head in both sexes displayed a slight but insignificant increase, while face breadth revealed no notable change during the investigated period. The results allow an assumption of a trend of cranial vault and face shape remodeling in our younger adult population toward a narrower vault and more elongated face, consistent with ongoing dolichocephalization. The correlation analysis revealed a low to moderate relationship of vertical and longitudinal craniofacial measures and body height, while partial correlation analysis showed facial height changes in our sample to be independent of cranial breadth changes.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Secular trend in tooth size in urban Chinese assessed from two-generation family data.

Environmental improvements can lead to greater size of skeletodental structures as the population comes closer to expressing its genetic growth potential. Such secular trends have been documented in many human settings, especially for increased stature and faster tempos of growth. The present study is based on 185 same-sex parent-offspring pairs of data for maximum buccolingual crown diameters of the permanent teeth from a cohort in Beijing, China, where parents experienced much of their development during and after World War II with the deprivations of the changing regime. Their offspring enjoyed the relative stability of the established Communist system, where nutrition and stability were much improved. There were significant increases in buccolingual diameters of the premolars and molars in the offspring. Increase for premolars and molars was about 1%, but larger in females than males (1.6% vs. 0.5%). Opposite changes occurred in the incisors and canines (i.e., larger parental dimensions), but we contend that these are an age-related artifact brought on by greater passive eruption of older individuals' teeth that exposes a broader portion of the crown at the gingival margin. The secular trend in crown size coincides with other research in contemporary China, disclosing increases in body size and faster tempos of growth as health and nutrition continue to improve.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Secular trend in body size among college athletes.

Height and weight were compared across five birth decades (1850-1899) among 1,121 Harvard athletes who were lettermen in various sports. There were considerable differences in the magnitude of the secular trend among the sport categories (crew, baseball, football, track, ice hockey, and two or more sports). Comparing the 1890-1899 and 1860-1869 birth-cohort samples, football lettermen were 2.6 inches (6.6 cm) taller (p less than 0.001) and 20 pounds (9.1 kg) heavier (p less than 0.001). Crew lettermen were 2.6 inches taller (p less than 0.001) and 8.5 pounds (3.9 kg) heavier (p less than 0.05). For lettermen in other sports, changes in mean height and weight were smaller in magnitude. Differential selection for body size may explain the differences in the magnitude of the secular trend when analyzed by specific sport.

Body Height↗
PubMed1981

The effects of aging and secular trend on adult stature in rural western Ireland.

Cross-sectional data, consisting of anthropometric measurements for 347 adults males and 261 adult females in western Ireland measured during the 1930s, were used to determine the effects of aging and secular change upon stature. Estimates of statural loss due to aging were obtained using partial regression of stature on age while controlling for subischial length, and regression of the difference between observed stature and maximum predicted stature on age. Males show the effects of aging to a greater extent than do females. After correction for the effects of aging, the adjusted values of stature were progressed on age to estimate secular trend of stature. For males, there is a general increase of stature with time, excepting those born around 1878, while females generally show random variation with time. Both male and female adjusted stature decrease sharply around 1878, for which alternative historical explanations are proposed, relating to differential migration and survival.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Secular change in growth of native children and adolescents at high altitude I. Puno, Peru (3800 meters).

A cross sectional sample of 969 native males from Puno (Peru), altitude 3800 m, ranging in age from 7-20 years, and studied for body height, weight, sitting height, leg length, and chest circumference in 1980, were compared, from the point of view of secular trend, with another cross sectional sample of 992 native males from the same place, which were investigated in 1945. In addition, similar observations were carried out in 1980, in a group of 112 females. The data indicate that in Puno there has been no secular increment in the adult body size. However for all ages between 7 and 19 years, body weight and height were significantly greater in 1980 than in 1945. This may be due to earlier sexual maturation in the present generation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Secular trend for stature in adult male Yucatec Maya to 1968.

Statures for 64 adult male Yucatec Maya (18 + years old, sons of campesinos) were measured in 1968 and compared with mean statures presented in results for previous studies. There were no significant changes in mean stature since 1895. If the sample is divided into 5-year age groups, no secular trend is evident. Using osteological information from as early as the Late Preclassic, stature of adult Maya males has decreased 119 mm in a little more than 20 centuries (-0.06 cm/decade). Comparing the results with measurements from other Mesoamerican groups, only one--the Otomí--show evidence of significant secular change. It is possible that modern economic development schemes in Mesoamerica are too recent or ineffective to have had an effect on stature.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Ethnic and secular influences on the size and maturity of seven year old children living in Guatemala City.

Three groups of children, those of European parentage, those of Guatemalan parentage, and those of mixed European-Guatemalan parentage were measured for height, weight, and skeletal maturity. The children were born between 1945 and 1965, they were all of high socioeconomic status, and they all attended the same private school in Guatemala City. At 7 years, the boys of the European group were significantly taller than boys of the Guatemalan group. European and mixed European-Guatemalan girls were significantly taller than Guatemalan girls. These results are maturity independent. The influence of skeletal age was removed statistically by analysis of covariance. Girls of the mixed group were significantly heavier than girls of European and Guatemalan groups. Mixed group girls also had more significantly advanced skeletal ages than European girls. When the patterns of size and maturity status are analyzed by sex, there is evidence for a relatively greater environmental influence on the boys and a relatively greater genetic influence on the girls. Dividing the data into two birth year cohorts, 1945 to 1955, and 1956 to 1965, does not provide evidence for secular trends in growth or maturation. These results are similar to those from studies in developed nations that report an end to the secular trend for the "well off" population of those countries.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1984

Secular change in growth of native children and adolescents at high altitude Huancayo, Peru (3,280 meters).

Stature and weight of native children, adolescents, and adults at Huancayo , Peru (3,280 meters), were measured in 1977, 1978, and 1982 and compared with mean statures and weights reported in previous studies. The data indicate that in Huancayo there has been a secular increment in child stature, sitting height, and weight from 1937 to 1978-1982. The observed changes in stature are related to a proportionally greater increment in leg length relative to trunk length. It is concluded that the observed secular increase in body size reflects changes in the standard of living and a greater influx of nonnative populations, which are usually characterized by greater stature than natives.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Ontogenetic plasticity in nonhuman primates: I. Secular trends in the Cayo Santiago macaques.

Although secular trends toward increasing body size are apparent in many human populations, little is known about their occurrence in nonhuman primates. The Cayo Santiago skeletal collection of Macaca mulatta includes 101 adult animals (greater than or equal to 10 years of age) born at different times in the past 3 1/2 decades, so that variation in size may be examined relative to birth year. No secular trends in orbital height were observed in this sample, but in both sexes lengths of adult long bones increased significantly over time, while cranial dimensions and length of the second molar in female also showed significant variation with birth year. These changes were consistent with the history of provisioning of the animals and with fluctuations in population size. Low-order correlations were observed between birth year and body proportions, especially the crural index in males, a pattern that has also been observed in human populations. These findings argue that, in addition to biomechanics and heritage, diet may affect allometric relationships and that an inherent plasticity or malleability of the growth process may be characteristic of nonhuman as well as human primates.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Test of socioeconomic causation of secular trend: stature changes among favored and oppressed South Africans are parallel.

Secular trends in body height, however common, run at different rates and even in opposite directions in various populations. The standard explanation is that direction and tempo of the trend are reflections of changes in the socioeconomic situation. The aim of this work is to test this hypothesis by examining trends in different socioeconomic groups living in the same country. Our observations on affluent South Africans of European extraction (AE) and on Polish medical students are compared with the data on statures of other affluent and poor peoples from the two countries measured at various dates during the 19th and 20th centuries. The trend among native Southern Africans is erratic (Tobias: South African Journal of Medical Science 40:145-164, 1975), but the overall direction is positive with a slow rate (0.24 cm/decade for 72 Negroid male groups and 0.48 cm/d for 28 Khoisan male samples). Magnitude of the trend among adult AE (0.41 cm/d for females, 0.59 for males) does not differ significantly from that among natives. The trend was absent in the data for 10-year-old AE boys and girls. The rate of trend among AE is much lower than that in their countries of origin (mainly Holland and Britain). The trend among AE medical students is markedly weaker than the trend among Polish medical students (1.21 cm/d), who in turn parallel Polish general conscripts (1.24 cm/d). It follows that the explanation of the secular trend as being an ecosensitive response of individuals to changing levels of well-being is insufficient.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

An epidemiologic study of trends in prevalence of rheumatoid factor seropositivity in Pima Indians: evidence of a decline due to both secular and birth-cohort influences.

OBJECTIVE: Previous population studies have suggested that both rheumatoid factor (RF) production and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may be declining in occurrence, and both secular and birth-cohort influences have been implicated. Since Pima Indians have a very high incidence of RA and also have shown recent evidence of a decline in RA, this study evaluated the relative contributions of age, secular, and birth-cohort influences on RF seropositivity in the Pima Indian population. METHODS: RF data, as assayed by both the bentonite flocculation test (BFT) and the sheep cell agglutination test (SCAT), were available on 5,345 Pima Indians born between 1886 and 1975, who were surveyed at biennial intervals between 1966 and 1995. An age-period-cohort analysis was conducted using data on 18,295 examinations undertaken during the period of study. RESULTS: There was a decline in the proportion of positive test results for RF (titer > or = 1:32) by both BFT and SCAT, in both male and female subjects from 1966-1975 to the later decades of the study (1976-1985 and 1986-1995). Across all periods, by both assays, the crude proportion of positive titers increased with increasing age of the subjects. There was a very clear birth-cohort effect: the highest likelihood of seropositivity was in those individuals born around the end of the nineteenth century, with continuing decline in seropositivity up to the most recent birth cohort. A logistic regression analysis, adjusting for Pima heritage and sex, demonstrated a substantially greater influence of birth cohort than of calendar year on the frequency of RF positivity. CONCLUSION: In the Pima Indian population, environmental influences in early life are important predictors of the lifelong likelihood of RF positivity. This may have implications for understanding the epidemiology and etiology of RA.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Secular increases in body fat percentage in male children of Zaragoza, Spain, 1980-1995.

BACKGROUND: Data on temporal changes on total body fat percentage (TBF%) are scarce, and no such data are known to exist in Spain. The aim of our study was to describe secular increases in TBF% in male children and adolescents of Zaragoza, Spain, from 1980 to 1995. METHODS: The samples analyzed in the present study have been included in two cross-sectional surveys conducted in 1980 and 1995. The samples selected for the 1980 and 1995 surveys comprised 1553 and 701 male children with ages ranging from 6.0 to 14.9 years. Weight, height, and four skinfold thicknesses were measured. From these measurements we have calculated TBF%. RESULTS: Concerning body mass index (BMI), we have observed significant increases from 8.5 to 11.5 years, ranging in this age group from 0.80 to 1.45 kg/m(2). TBF% showed significant increases at all age groups, with percentage increases of 2.46% at 13.5 years and 6.03% at 11.5 years. CONCLUSIONS: We have shown a secular increase in TBF% in children aged 6.0 to 15.0 years that is greater than the increase in BMI. The similarity of our findings for both relative weight and skinfold thickness, even with less significant differences for BMI, suggests that, in children of Zaragoza, Spain, adiposity has increased during the 1980-1995 period.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2003

Secular trends in body mass index measurements in preschool children from the City of Aachen, Germany.

UNLABELLED: On account of the recent increases in prevalence of childhood obesity in Western countries, the present study tried to verify a secular trend for increasing body mass index (BMI; kg/m(2)) in preschool children in Aachen, Germany. The total sample was based on weight and height data for all 99,500 children of German nationality before enrollment in school in the City of Aachen from 1968-1999. For each year, 10% of the boys and girls respectively, were randomly selected for the analyses. Quantile regression was used to examine the pattern and extent of change in BMI percentiles over this 31-year period. Anthropometric data of a total of 5081 boys and 4863 girls were subjected to quantile regression. While significant increases occurred for any given BMI percentile, the annual increase for both sexes was most prominent in the upper range. No change in body height was observed during the study period. CONCLUSION: preschool children have gained a higher body mass index during the last 30 years. The mechanisms underlying the secular trend towards increasing body mass index seemingly affect children in the upper weight range more than those in the lower range.

Body Height↗
PubMed1986

Therapeutic choice in the treatment of hypertension. Initial treatment of newly diagnosed hypertension and secular trends in the prescribing of antihypertensive medications for Medicaid patients.

A "stepped-care" approach has been widely recommended for more than 10 years as an empiric method for the treatment of hypertension. This approach encourages the use of diuretics or beta blockers as initial monotherapy for hypertension. Although these and other antihypertensive regimens tested in clinical trials have substantially reduced morbidity and mortality from cerebrovascular disease, their relative effectiveness in reducing the sequelae of coronary artery disease is not as well established. These findings, coupled with the development of new drug regimens, have led to a re-examination of the stepped-care guidelines. This re-examination will stimulate increased interest in the therapeutic choices made by practicing physicians, particularly because the newer drugs are more costly than the traditional treatments. To address this question, we performed two specific studies, using data bases from Michigan and Tennessee Medicaid programs. The first study analyzed prescriptions for newly diagnosed cases of essential hypertension. The second study analyzed secular trends in the prescribing of antihypertensive regimens since that time. The data suggest that in 1982 and 1983 (the time period under consideration in the first part of the study), physicians treating hypertension for Medicaid enrollees followed the stepped-care recommendations, the majority using diuretics as step-one monotherapy. The secular trend data in the second study showed a moderate decrease in the use of diuretics since 1983. There were marked increases in the use of newer antihypertensive medications such as calcium channel blockers and the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor captopril. Because the costs of the newer drugs are substantially higher, a shift to these drugs would significantly increase the cost of treating hypertension in this country. Prospective, controlled trials are necessary to ascertain if the increased costs of the newly developed drugs are justified by potential benefits.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗