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Although the association between household economic affluence and children’s obesity has been reported, the association between mothers’ time affluence and obesity remains unclear. We conducted a cross-sectional study using Japanese national survey data (2015). The target population was 2–6-year-old preschool children and their mothers. Subjective household economic affluence and mothers’ time affluence were divided into “affluent,” “neither,” “less affluent,” and “non-affluent” groups. Obesity was defined based on the International Obesity Task Force. A logistic regression model was conducted to examine the association between household economic affluence, mothers’ time affluence, and children’s obesity. A total of 2254 respondents were included in the present analysis. The lower household economic affluence was not significantly associated with higher rates of children’s obesity (odds ratio (OR) for the “non-affluent” compared with the “affluent” group was 1.68 (95% CI, 0.93–3.03)). A lower mothers’ time affluence was not significantly associated with higher rates of children’s obesity (OR for the “non-affluent” compared with the “affluent” group was 1.67 (95% CI, 0.92–3.03)). The prevalence of obesity was not synergistically higher when lower household economic affluence and lower mothers’ time affluence were combined.

Across the OECD, Canada's record on CO sub(2) emissions is particularly poor, with overall emissions up 32% over the 1990-2007 period. The current paper seeks to better understand this situation by making systematic comparisons of Canada with other OECD countries. For Canada overall, the rapid increase in emissions over the 1990-2007 period can be explained by several factors, including major population growth, increased affluence (although to a lesser extent than elsewhere in the OECD), a continued dependence on fossil fuels, while continuing to increase its overall demand for energy. While the energy intensity of Canada's economy has declined somewhat over recent years, it actually lagged behind most OECD countries on this front and remains one of the most energy intense economies in the world (2nd highest in the OECD on our indicator of energy intensity). While there are many factors responsible for this, Canada's particularly energy-intensive industrial structure is certainly relevant, as is the importance of its primary sector relative to most developed nations.

Background In affluent countries, children from non-native ethnicity have in general less favourable body composition indicators and energy balance-related behaviors (EBRBs) than children from native ethnicity. However, differences between countries have been reported. Methodology/Principal Findings A school-based survey among 10-12 years old children was conducted in seven European countries with a standardized protocol. Weight, height and waist circumference were measured; engagement in EBRBs was self-reported. For those countries with significant ethnic differences in body composition (Greece and the Netherlands), multilevel mediation analyses were conducted, to test the mediating effect of the EBRBs in the association between ethnic background and body composition indicators. Analyses were adjusted for gender and age, and for parental education in a later step. Partial mediation was found for sugared drinks intake and sleep duration in the Greek sample, and breakfast in the Dutch sample. A suppression effect was found for engagement in sports activites in the Greek sample. Conclusions/Significance Ethnic differences in children's body composition were partially mediated by differences in breakfast skipping in the Netherlands and sugared drinks intake, sports participation and sleep duration in Greece.

Background Associations between socio-economic status (SES), personality and inflammation were examined to determine whether low SES subjects scoring high on neuroticism or hostility might suffer relatively higher levels of inflammation than affluent subjects. Methods In a cross-sectional design, 666 subjects were recruited from areas of high (most deprived - \"MD\") and low (least deprived - \"LD\") deprivation. IL-6, ICAM-1, CRP and fibrinogen were measured along with demographic and health-behaviour variables, and personality traits of neuroticism, extraversion and psychoticism (hostility). Regression models assessed the prediction of inflammation as a function of personality, deprivation and their interaction. Results Levels of CRP and IL-6 were an increasing function of neuroticism and extraversion only in LD subjects opposite trends were seen in MD subjects. The result was ascribed parsimoniously to an inflammatory ceiling effect or, more speculatively, to SES-related health-behaviour differences. Psychoticism was strongly associated with ICAM-1 in both MD and LD subjects. Conclusions The association between neuroticism, CRP and IL-6 may be reduced in MD subjects confirming speculation that the association differs across population sub-groups. The association between psychoticism and ICAM-1 supports evidence that hostility has adverse effects upon the endothelium, with consequences for cardiovascular health. Health interventions may be more effective by accounting for personality-related effects upon biological processes.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) has always been an unavoidable byproduct of human habitation and activities. As the world now sees an exponential growth in population, so does it sees an alarming increase in the quantity of generated MSW. If managed and disposed of improperly, MSW is a major cause of adverse environmental conditions. Rapid development, urbanization, changes in consumption patterns and elevated levels of affluence in recent decades have only exacerbated the issue, especially in developing countries such as Malaysia. Hence, the impetus to handle these problems and to manage MSW in an efficient yet environmentally sound manner is reaching an apogee currently. Determining per capita MSW generation rate and understanding it's influencing factors is one step towards efficient MSW management. The objectives of this study are twofold; to determine current per capita residential MSW arising rate and subsequently to discern if a correlation exists between MSW generation rate, affluence and household size. Three discrete housing neighborhoods in Putrajaya were selected as the areas under study. To capture varying socioeconomic levels, the selected study areas consists of bungalow, semidetached and terraced houses. Primary data was obtained by door-to-door weighing of MSW for 12 consequent days which makes up a sampling phase. This was conducted concurrently in all study areas, with a total of 3 sampling phases done over a 1 year period. A face-to-face survey was then performed on all households under study to obtain relevant socioeconomic data. From the analysis done, it is found that generally, household size has an inverse relationship on MSW arising. The affect of affluence on MSW discharge rate is found to be positive. From this study, concerted efforts to reduce MSW arising can be better focused on selected target groups and demographics, bringing us a step closer to sustainable waste management practices.

We argue word embedding models are a useful tool for the study of culture using a historical analysis of shared understandings of social class as an empirical case. Word embeddings represent semantic relations between words as relationships between vectors in a highdimensional space, specifying a relational model of meaning consistent with contemporary theories of culture. Dimensions induced by word differences (rich–poor) in these spaces correspond to dimensions of cultural meaning, and the projection of words onto these dimensions reflects widely shared associations, which we validate with surveys. Analyzing text from millions of books published over 100 years, we show that the markers of class continuously shifted amidst the economic transformations of the twentieth century, yet the basic cultural dimensions of class remained remarkably stable. The notable exception is education, which became tightly linked to affluence independent of its association with cultivated taste.

For over half a century, worldwide growth in affluence has continuously increased resource use and pollutant emissions far more rapidly than these have been reduced through better technology. The affluent citizens of the world are responsible for most environmental impacts and are central to any future prospect of retreating to safer environmental conditions. We summarise the evidence and present possible solution approaches. Any transition towards sustainability can only be effective if far-reaching lifestyle changes complement technological advancements. However, existing societies, economies and cultures incite consumption expansion and the structural imperative for growth in competitive market economies inhibits necessary societal change. Current environmental impact mitigation neglects over-consumption from affluent citizens as a primary driver. The authors highlight the role of bottom-up movements to overcome structural economic growth imperatives spurring consumption by changing structures and culture towards safe and just systems.

Aim To examine the external validity of the Family Affluence Scale (FAS) among adolescents in Sweden by using register data for parental earned income, level of education and occupational status. Methods Data from the baseline (2015–2019) of the Study of Adolescence Resilience and Stress (STARS), comprising 2283 13-year-olds in the region of Västra Götaland, were used. The FAS III consists of six items: unshared bedroom, car ownership, computer/tablet ownership, dishwasher, number of bathrooms and number of holidays abroad. Register data regarding earned income, educational level and occupational status from Statistics Sweden (2014–2018) were linked to adolescents. In total, survey data were available for 2280 adolescents, and register data were available for 2258 mothers and 2204 fathers. Results Total parental earned income was moderately correlated with adolescents’ scoring on FAS (0.31 <  r  < 0.48, p  < 0.001), depending on examination year. The low FAS group mainly comprised low-income households, and the high FAS group mainly comprised high-income households. Correlations between mothers’ and fathers’ educational level and adolescents’ scoring on FAS were low ( r  = 0.19 and r =  0.21, respectively, p  < 0.001). FAS was higher among adolescents whose parents were working, but the correlation between parents’ occupational status and FAS was low ( r =  0.22, p  < 0.001). Conclusions The FAS can mainly identify low- and high-income households in Sweden. It may be used as an alternative measure of parental earned income in studies using self-reported socioeconomic status among adolescents.