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Abstract

Objectives
Leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) can reduce the risk of incident diabetes, whereas the role of occupational physical activity (OPA) in developing diabetes is still unclear due to conflicting evidence. Moreover, the joint associations of OPA and LTPA with incident diabetes among US workers have not yet been systematically examined. The objective of this study was to assess the independent and joint associations of OPA and LTPA with incident diabetes.


Methods
This prospective cohort study included 1406 workers free from diabetes at baseline (2004–2006) from the national, population-based Mid-life in the United States (MIDUS) study. Associations of OPA and LTPA at baseline with incident diabetes during 9 years of follow-up were examined using Poisson regression models. High OPA was defined based on engagement in physical demands at work, and high LTPA was defined as participation in moderate or vigorous LTPA at least once per week.


Results
High OPA was associated with an increased risk of diabetes compared to low OPA (adjusted risk ratios and 95% confidence interval = 1.52 [1.04, 2.22]), while high LTPA was associated with a decreased risk of diabetes compared to low LTPA (0.66 [0.44, 0.97]). Diabetes risk was the highest among workers with high OPA and low LTPA (2.30 [1.30, 4.07]).


Conclusions
In a national, population-based prospective cohort study of US workers, high OPA was associated with an elevated risk of diabetes, while high LTPA was associated with a decreased diabetes risk. The combination of high OPA and low LTPA exhibited the greatest risk of diabetes.

Objective: To investigate associations between the characteristics of the neighbourhoods young adults live in and their feelings of loneliness, using data from different sources. Method: Data were drawn from the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin Study. Loneliness was measured via self-reports at ages 12 and 18, and also by interviewer ratings at age 18. Neighbourhood characteristics were assessed between ages 12 and 18 via government data, systematic social observations, a resident survey, and participants' self-reports. Results: Greater loneliness was associated with perceptions of lower collective efficacy and greater neighbourhood disorder, but not with more objective measures of neighbourhood characteristics. Lonelier individuals perceived the collective efficacy of their neighbourhoods to be lower than did their less lonely siblings who lived at the same address. Conclusion: These findings suggest that feelings of loneliness are associated with negatively-biased perceptions of neighbourhood characteristics, which may have implications for lonely individuals' likelihood of escaping loneliness. Keywords: loneliness, social isolation, neighbourhood, collective efficacy, social cohesion

In this study, we investigated associations between the characteristics of the neighborhoods in which young adults live and their feelings of loneliness, using data from different sources. Participants were drawn from the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin Study. Loneliness was measured via self-reports at ages 12 and 18 years and also by interviewer ratings at age 18. Neighborhood characteristics were assessed between the ages of 12 and 18 via government data, systematic social observations, a resident survey, and participants' self-reports. Greater loneliness was associated with perceptions of lower collective efficacy and greater neighborhood disorder but not with more objective measures of neighborhood characteristics. Lonelier individuals perceived the collective efficacy of their neighborhoods to be lower than did their less lonely siblings who lived at the same address. These findings suggest that feelings of loneliness are associated with negatively biased perceptions of neighborhood characteristics, which may have implications for lonely individuals' likelihood of escaping loneliness.