How similar are the smoking and drinking habits of men and women in non-manual jobs?
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BACKGROUND: Men used to be more likely to smoke and drink heavily than women. However, as social roles changed, so have gender differences in health-related behaviours. This paper explores whether gender differences in these behaviours persist or disappear among men and women occupying similar social roles: working in the same non-manual jobs in Britain. METHODS: Self-completion questionnaires were distributed to full-time employees in a bank (n = 2,139) and a university (n = 1,611). Response rates were 76% and 67% respectively. Respondents were asked whether they smoked currently. Men who reported drinking more than 21 units of alcohol, and women who reported drinking more than 14 units, in the last week were classed as 'heavy' drinkers. RESULTS: In both organizations there were no significant gender differences in smoking, but men were significantly more likely than women to report drinking 'heavily'. Employees in clerical jobs in the university were more than twice as likely as their more senior colleagues to smoke, but were significantly less likely to report drinking 'heavily' in both organizations. High masculinity scores among both men and women were associated with smoking and 'heavy' drinking. CONCLUSION: Men and women occupying similar social roles are equally likely to smoke but men are significantly more likely to drink 'heavily'. The relationship between paid work variables and these health behaviours are similar for both men and women. The association between high masculinity scores and health-damaging behaviours in both men and women points to the importance of considering gender role orientation, rather than just comparing men and women. (+info)
Gender role expectations of pain: relationship to experimental pain perception.
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The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of an individual's Gender Role Expectations of Pain (GREP) on experimental pain report. One hundred and forty-eight subjects (87 females and 61 males) subjects underwent thermal testing and were asked to report pain threshold, pain tolerance, VAS ratings of pain intensity and unpleasantness, and a computerized visual analogue scales (VAS) rating of pain intensity during the procedure. Subjects completed the GREP questionnaire to assess sex-related stereotypic attributions of pain sensitivity, pain endurance, and willingness to report pain. Consistent with previous research, significant sex differences emerged for measures of pain threshold, pain tolerance, and pain unpleasantness. After statistically controlling for age, GREP scores were significant predictors of threshold, tolerance, and pain unpleasantness, accounting for an additional 7, 11, and 21% of the variance, respectively. Sex remained a significant predictor of pain tolerance in hierarchical regression analyses after controlling for GREP scores. Results provide support for two competing but not mutually exclusive hypotheses related to the sex differences in experimental pain. Both psychosocial factors and first-order, biological sex differences remain as viable explanations for differences in experimental pain report between the sexes. It appears that GREP do play a part in determining an individual's pain report and may be contributing to the sex differences in the laboratory setting. (+info)
Effects of perinatal exposure to PCBs and dioxins on play behavior in Dutch children at school age.
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Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins are known as neurotoxic compounds that may modulate sex steroid hormones. Steroid hormones play a mediating role in brain development and may influence behaviors that show sex differences, such as childhood play behavior. In this study we evaluated the effects of perinatal exposure to environmental levels of PCBs and dioxins on childhood play behavior and whether the effects showed sex differences. As part of the follow-up to the Dutch PCB/dioxin study at school age, we used the Pre-School Activity Inventory (PSAI) to assess play behavior in the Rotterdam cohort (n = 207). The PSAI assesses masculine or feminine play behavior scored on three subscales: masculine, feminine, and composite. Prenatal exposure to PCBs was defined as the sum of PCB 118, 138, 153, and 180 in maternal and cord plasma and breast milk. For breast milk we measured additional PCBs as well as 17 dioxins. Respondents returned 160 questionnaires (age 7.5 years +/- 0.4). Effects of prenatal exposure to PCBs, measured in maternal and cord plasma, on the masculine and composite scales were different for boys and girls (p <.05). In boys, higher prenatal PCB levels were related with less masculinized play, assessed by the masculine scale (p(maternal) =.042; p(cord) =.001) and composite scale (p(cord) =.011), whereas in girls higher PCB levels were associated with more masculinized play, assessed by the composite scale (p(PCBmilk) =.028). Higher prenatal dioxin levels were associated with more feminized play in boys as well as girls, assessed by the feminine scale (p =.048). These effects suggest prenatal steroid hormone imbalances caused by prenatal exposure to environmental levels of PCBs, dioxins, and other related organochlorine compounds. (+info)
Relational theory and cultural enhancement interventions for African American adolescent girls.
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OBJECTIVE: This study tested the effectiveness of two culturally appropriate substance abuse prevention intervention programs for African American girls. METHODS: Project Naja recruited 210 girls ages 10-12 from schools in a low-income ward in Washington, D.C., to participate in a 2.5- year, three-phase intervention to develop strong ethnic and gender identity. The Cultural Enhancement Project recruited sixth grade girls in Richmond, Virginia, for a 15-week curriculum. The author collected pre- and post-test data on cultural, drug, and sex measures. RESULTS: Project Naja participants in the intervention group scored significantly higher on Africentric values and racial identity than comparison group participants. They also had more positive concepts of their physical appearance. In the Cultural Enhancement Project, girls in the intervention group scored higher on the global African American identity scale. There was a trend toward significance in increased percentage of androgyny for girls in the intervention group. CONCLUSIONS: Prevention programs should include a component directed at strengthening ethnic identity and other protective factors (self-esteem, positive peer support, and skill-enhancement). (+info)
Decomposing biological motion: a framework for analysis and synthesis of human gait patterns.
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Biological motion contains information about the identity of an agent as well as about his or her actions, intentions, and emotions. The human visual system is highly sensitive to biological motion and capable of extracting socially relevant information from it. Here we investigate the question of how such information is encoded in biological motion patterns and how such information can be retrieved. A framework is developed that transforms biological motion into a representation allowing for analysis using linear methods from statistics and pattern recognition. Using gender classification as an example, simple classifiers are constructed and compared to psychophysical data from human observers. The analysis reveals that the dynamic part of the motion contains more information about gender than motion-mediated structural cues. The proposed framework can be used not only for analysis of biological motion but also to synthesize new motion patterns. A simple motion modeler is presented that can be used to visualize and exaggerate the differences in male and female walking patterns. (+info)
The experience of schizophrenia: what's gender got to do with it? A critical review of the current status of research on schizophrenia.
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The role of gender in schizophrenia is explored, and literature on gender and schizophrenia is critically reviewed. The importance of investigating gender differences in schizophrenia is underscored by the lack of sufficient research in this area to date and the comparative neglect of sociocultural issues during the "decade of the brain." The importance of incorporating gender factors into research analysis is demonstrated via an interdisciplinary discussion that involves psychiatric, anthropological, and sociological theory. Methodological and measurement issues in gender-based research are considered. Selected directions for future research initiatives that expand beyond a dichotomous comparison of "male" and "female" sex differences to examine the role of gender along a continuum as a sociocultural influence on schizophrenia onset, illness presentation, and treatment are presented. (+info)
Reproductive health risk and protective factors among unmarried youth in Ghana.
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CONTEXT: In Ghana, as in many other Sub-Saharan African countries, the behaviors of the current cohort of adolescents will strongly influence the course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This study sought to identify factors associated with elevated risks of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection among unmarried Ghanaian youth. METHODS: A nationally representative sample of 3,739 unmarried 12-24-year-olds were surveyed. Various regression techniques were used to assess the effects of individual and contextual factors on sexual behavior and condom use. RESULTS: Forty-one percent of female and 36% of male youth reported being sexually experienced. On average, sexually experienced youth had had fewer than two partners; only 4% of these females and 11% of males had had more than one sexual partner in the three months before the survey. Although Ghanaian youth are knowledgeable about condoms, only 24% of sexually experienced males and 20% of females reported consistent condom use with their current or most recent partner. A sizable number of contextual factors and attributes of youth themselves were associated with sexual behaviors, while individual characteristics were stronger predictors of condom use. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide further justification for interventions targeting key contextual factors that influence youth behaviors in addition to providing youth with necessary communication, negotiation and other life skills. (+info)
Sexual health experiences of adolescents in three Ghanaian towns.
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CONTEXT: Ghanaian youth are greatly affected by widespread social change, and their reproductive health needs may differ by social group, age and gender. METHODS: In-person interviews on sexual health issues were conducted with 704 never-married youth aged 12-24 in three Ghanaian towns. The sample included youth who were in school, in apprenticeship programs or in neither school nor apprenticeship programs (unaffiliated). RESULTS: More than half of the respondents had ever had sexual intercourse (52%), with the adjusted odds for females being 1.6 times those for males and the odds for unaffiliated and apprenticed youth being 2.5-3.2 times those for in-school youth. The odds of having had sex in the previous month were elevated for females (2.0) and apprentices (2.7). Both sexes tended to accept violence towards women, with unaffiliated youth showing the highest level of acceptance and in-school youth the lowest. Nearly all respondents (99%) knew of condoms, but fewer than half (48%) could identify any of four elements of correct use; females and sexually inexperienced youth were the least informed. Two-thirds of respondents considered it unacceptable for males to carry condoms, and three-quarters considered it unacceptable for females. Twenty-five percent of males and 8% of females reported having had a sexually transmitted infection. One-third of sexually experienced females reported having ever been pregnant; of those, 70% reported having had or having attempted to have an abortion. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent reproductive health programs should be targeted to the needs of specific groups. (+info)