Gender disparity in the associations of overweight/obesity with occupational activity, transport to/from work, leisure-time physical activity, and leisure-time spent sitting in working adults: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The associations of occupational activity (OA), commuting, leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), and sitting with overweight/obesity in working adults are controversial. This study explored these factors with the risk of overall and abdominal overweight/obesity in a Chinese working population and whether these associations differ by gender. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Data analysis was done among 6739 employed participants. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the studied associations. RESULTS: For male employees, those with heavy OA had a lower overall (OR 0.76; 95% CI, 0.62-0.93) and abdominal (OR 0.76; 95% CI, 0.62-0.93) overweight/obesity risk than those with light OA. Those with LTPA ≥150 min/week had a lower risk of overall (OR 0.73; 95% CI, 0.56-0.96) and abdominal (OR 0.70; 95% CI, 0.53-0.91) overweight/obesity than those with LTPA <150 min/week. Men with leisure-sitting time <2.5 h/day had a significantly lower risk of abdominal overweight/obesity than those sitting ≥4 h/day (OR 0.80; 95% CI, 0.65-0.99). And men who cycled to/from work had a lower risk of overall (OR 0.69; 95% CI, 0.53-0.90) and abdominal overweight/obesity (OR 0.71; 95% CI, 0.54-0.92) than passive transports. However, the above significant associations disappeared among female employees. CONCLUSIONS: Heavy OA, cycling to/from work, and LTPA were associated with lower risk of overall or abdominal overweight/obesity in male employees. Reducing leisure sitting time can also help male employees reduce the risk of abdominal overweight/obesity. More research on gender disparity in the risk of overweight and obesity should be done.

The associations between cigarette smoking and health-related behaviors among Chinese school-aged adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Evidence on the interrelations between cigarette smoking and a cluster of lifestyle behaviors is scarce for the Chinese youth population. This study is conducted to identify the associations between cigarette smoking and multiple health-related behaviors in a Chinese sample of adolescents. METHODS: We used data from 2012 Zhejiang Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which is a school-based survey of 19,542 adolescents that assess risk behaviors using a self-reported questionnaire. The interrelations of cigarette smoking with lifestyle behaviors were investigated using logistic regression models. RESULTS: Cigarette smoking was significantly inversely associated with breakfast (AOR = 0.58), vegetables (AOR = 0.81), fruits (AOR = 0.81), milk consumption (AOR = 0.69) and attending physical education classes (AOR = 0.69), while positively associated with soft drinks (AOR = 2.05), fast food consumption (AOR = 1.21), muscle strengthening activity (AOR = 1.67), computer use (AOR = 1.93) and alcohol drinking (AOR = 5.40). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that cigarette smoking was associated with a cluster of health-related behaviors in adolescents, which should be considered in health promotion interventions to target multiple health behaviors.