The role of body mass index,weight change desires and depressive symptoms in the health-related quality of life of children living in urban disadvantage: Testing mediation models

Objectives: This study was undertaken to ascertain whether or not the body mass index (BMI) of urban disadvantaged children indirectly affects their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) through weight change desires and depressive symptoms and whether such mediation is conditional upon age and gender.

Design: A total of 255 children aged 7–12 years (50% male) were recruited from 7 schools in urban disadvantaged districts in Ireland using consecutive sampling. A prospective longitudinal design was employed whereby children completed, at two time points, the Kidscreen-27, the Children’s Depression Inventory, and the Health Related Behaviour Questionnaire, and had their BMI measured. The analyses involved multiple-, half-longitudinal- and moderated-mediation.

Results: Results showed that the depressive symptoms of children wanting to change their weight may have lead, in large part, to poorer HRQoL (specifically psychological well-being when considering longitudinal data) rather than weight status per se. The mediation effect of weight change desires occurred regardless of age or gender.

Conclusions: Childhood obesity programmes that traditionally focus on the negatives of obesity and the need to control weight may need to take a more positive approach to health and well-being by, for example promoting intuitive eating, an active lifestyle, body acceptance and good mental health.     

Psychometric Properties of the French Version of the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence for Young Children (PMSC)

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a French version of the pictorial scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence for Young Children (PMSC), which is aligned with the third version of the Test of Gross Motor Development.MethodA sample of 219 French-speaking Canadian children (5 to 12 years old) participated in this study.ResultsResults supported the factor validity and reliability of a 13-item version of the PMSC encompassing two factors (i.e., ball skills and locomotor skills). Subsequent analyses supported the weak, partial strong, and partial strict invariance of responses to the PMSC as a function of sex. Additionally, analyses revealed that boys displayed significantly higher perceived ball skill competence than girls. Results also supported a lack of differential item functioning (DIF) and latent mean differences as a function of body mass index and physical activity/sport involvement, but revealed evidence of DIF and latent mean differences as a function of age. More precisely, these results show that older children displayed significantly: (a) higher scores on the sliding item and lower scores on the kicking item relative to younger children; and (b) lower scores on perceived locomotor skills competence than younger children.ConclusionOverall, results suggest that the French version of the PMSC has acceptable psychometric properties and can be confidently used in research or practice to assess children's perceived movement skill competence.     

Weighing in on risk factors for body dissatisfaction: a one-year prospective study of middle-adolescent girls

Body dissatisfaction is a common problem among adolescent girls that is linked to serious outcomes, including the development of eating disorders. This study tested to what degree five theorized risk factors (weight-related teasing, thin-ideal internalization, body mass index [BMI], self-esteem, and perfectionism) predicted prospective changes in body dissatisfaction. At baseline, 393 10th and 11th grade girls (M = 15.8 years) completed questionnaires and had their height and weight measured. One year later, 316 participants’ body dissatisfaction was reassessed (80.4% retention). Results suggested that self-esteem was the most potent risk factor, followed by BMI, when used to categorize girls into high- and low-risk groups for body dissatisfaction at follow-up. However, weight-related teasing, thin-ideal internalization, and perfectionism did not prove to be risk factors. These results suggest self-esteem and BMI are relevant variables for helping to identify middle-adolescent girls who may be at risk for subsequent increases in body dissatisfaction.     

Forecasting Elections from Voters' Perceptions of Candidates' Ability to Handle Issues

When deciding for whom to vote, voters should select the candidate they expect to best handle issues, all other things equal. A simple heuristic predicted that the candidate who is rated more favorably on a larger number of issues would win the popular vote. This was correct for nine out of ten U.S. presidential elections from 1972 to 2008. We then used simple linear regression to relate the incumbent's relative issue ratings to the actual two‐party popular vote shares. The resulting model yielded out‐of‐sample forecasts that were competitive with those from the Iowa Electronic Markets and established quantitative models. The issue‐index model has implications for political decision makers, as it can help to track campaigns and to decide which issues to focus on. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A dualistic identity theory

Whilst it is accepted that humankind has been responsible for a considerable amount of environmental change, it is only recently that quantitative measures have been devised to express this. Such measures include a habitat index, the ecological footprint and the Living Planet Index. The applications and implications of these measures are discussed along with direct measures of changing atmospheric composition. All indicate that Europe is the most anthropogenically transformed continent and Australasia the least altered. In so far as a population increase of c. 36 per cent is likely to occur in the next 25 years, human induced environmental change is set to continue at a rapid pace. It is likely to be exacerbated by rapid industrialisation in some nations and increasing standards of living. Local, regional and international measures to curb environmental deterioration may temper this to a degree but new technologies e.g. biotechnology, may bring disadvantages as well as advantages.     

An Eye‐Tracking Study of Exploitations of Spatial Constraints in Diagrammatic Reasoning

Semantic studies on diagrammatic notations (Barwise & Etchemendy, 1990 ; Shimojima, 1995 ; Stenning & Lemon, 2001 ) have revealed that the “non‐deductive,” “emergent,” or “perceptual” effects of diagrams (Chandrasekaran, Kurup, Banerjee, Josephson, & Winkler, 2004 ; Kulpa, 2003 ; Larkin & Simon, 1987 ; Lindsay, 1988 ) are all rooted in the exploitation of spatial constraints on graphical structures. Thus, theoretically, this process is a key factor in inference with diagrams, explaining the frequently observed reduction of inferential load. The purpose of this study was to examine the empirical basis for this theoretical suggestion, focusing on the reality of the constraint‐exploitation strategy in actual practices of diagrammatic reasoning. Eye movements were recorded while participants used simple position diagrams to solve three‐ or four‐term transitive inference problems. Our experiments revealed that the participants could exploit spatial constraints on graphical structures even when (a) they were not in the position of actually manipulating diagrams, (b) the semantic rule for the provided diagrams did not match their preferences, and (c) the constraint‐exploitation strategy invited a partly adverse effect. These findings indicate that the hypothesized process is in fact robust, with the potential to broadly account for the inferential advantage of diagrams.     

含有新算符的代数运算规则学习的有效样例设计

为了探索含有新算符的代数运算规则学习的有效样例设计方式,分别采用“转换标记法”和“解释法”设计“指-对数转换”运算和对数运算的样例,考察了初中三年级学生代数运算规则样例学习的迁移效果。结果显示：(1)采用“转换标记法”设计的样例可以明显提高“指-对数转换”规则样例学习的迁移效果;(2)采用“解释法”设计的运算样例,能够明显促进“对数运算规则”的样例学习迁移效果,并与被试的基础知识有关。     

EDITORS' INTRODUCTION

ABSTRACT

Transsexualism implies that an anatomically normal individual feels that he or she is actually a member of the opposite sex. Treatment usually includes real-life experience along with hormone therapy and sex reassignment surgery. Voice modification surgery may be necessary, as pass ability in general is still in a large extent dependent on the aspects of voice in transsexual people. Often male-to-female patients report being addressed in telephone conversations as their genetic gender, which is experienced as a disability. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of voice on the quality of life in transsexuals.

In order to detect the disability caused by a voice disorder, the validated assessment method the Voice Handicap Inventory (VHI) was used. An additional question about the way patients were addressed in a telephone conversation was added.

As part of a study describing general health in transsexual persons, done at the Ghent University Hospital Belgium, a total of 48 patients were evaluated. In female-to-male transsexuals the median scores were very low, suggesting testosterone treatment led to an acceptable voice alteration. A higher serum LH level was significantly correlated with higher total, functional and emotional VHI scores. In male-to-female transsexuals the scores were significantly higher than those of the female-to-male transsexuals, but still there was no indication of a real disability/handicap. The extra telephone question was scored higher suggesting male-to-female transsexuals did experience a disability caused by their voice. From this study it is concluded that the VHI values did not demonstrate a handicapping effect.     

威胁敏感性的概念和测量：生理和认知两种取向

对威胁敏感是人类在应对外部环境过程中不断发展的生存技能。威胁敏感性的研究主要存在两种取向：生理取向以敏感性强化理论为基础, 将行为抑制系统的敏感性界定为威胁敏感性, 量化为个体应对威胁时的生理、情绪和行为反应水平; 认知取向以信息加工的认知风格理论为基础, 将个体在对威胁信息加工过程中的敏感性偏向定义为威胁警觉, 量化为威胁刺激呈现前后的预期水平和探测水平。未来研究还需进一步整合和界定威胁敏感性的概念内涵, 验证各测量指标之间的关系, 拓展不同种类威胁敏感性的研究方法。     

女大学生体重知觉偏差及探因

以女性身体图形评定量表PFRS (the female Photographic Figure Rating Scale)作为刺激材料, 研究女大学生体重自我知觉与偏差, 以及女大学生对他人的体重知觉与偏差, 引入男性视角作为体重社会标准, 研究女大学生体重社会知觉与偏差。研究中要求女大学生选择准确代表自己胖瘦的图像, 选择自己理想胖瘦的图像, 选择他人眼里最有吸引力的图像, 估计PFRS真人照片图像体重值(假定图像中人物和自己身高相同), 并报告自己的实际体重和理想体重。研究要求男大学生选择最有吸引力的图像。在此基础上提出3种模型假设：镜像模型、泛化模型和相关模型, 进一步探索女大学生体重知觉偏差的原因。研究表明：女大学生体重自我知觉高估了对应真人图像的BMI; 女大学生对其他女性BMI知觉, 倾向于高估体重正常和偏瘦女性的BMI, 低估偏胖和肥胖女性的BMI; 女大学生体重的主观社会压力高于体重的实际社会压力, 对体重社会压力存在过度解读的倾向。女大学生对他人体重知觉偏差更有可能影响其体重自我知觉偏差; 认知评价不是造成女大学生知觉偏差的重要因素, 但两者关系需要进一步实证。