The importance of christianity, customs, and traditions in the national identities of European countries.

Christianity has lost its salience, but customs and traditions maintained their importance in forming national identity in Europe. Using the ISSP National Identity 2003 and 2013 data from 17 European countries, this article tests how the salience of Christianity and sharing of national customs and traditions varies according to the share of Muslim and immigrant population, and whether the association changed across time. Multilevel regressions show that the link between the size of the Muslim population and the salience of Christianity changed between 2003 and 2013. In 2003, the link was negative. In 2013, respondents from countries with larger Muslim populations were more concerned about Christian background of nationals. The link between the share of immigrants and the demand on sharing national customs and traditions changed as well. In 2003, it was negative but, by 2013, it flattened out.

Population-representative study reveals cardiovascular and metabolic disease biomarkers associated with misaligned sleep schedules.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Social jetlag manifests as a difference in sleep timing on workdays and free days. Social jetlag is often associated with shorter, lower-quality sleep, so it is unclear how much the chronic circadian misalignment contributes to observed negative health outcomes. We aimed to (1) investigate associations between social jetlag, chronotype (one of its determinants), and the levels of health markers, (2) describe factors associated with social jetlag, and (3) examine whether working from home can reduce social jetlag. METHODS: Adult respondents participated in a nationally representative longitudinal survey of Czech households (individuals in each wave: n2018/19/20 = 5132/1957/1533), which included Munich ChronoType Questionnaire to evaluate chronotype and social jetlag. A subset provided blood samples (n2019 = 1957) for detection of nine biomarkers and was surveyed in three successive years (social jetlag calculated for n2018/19/20 = 3930/1601/1237). Data were analyzed by nonparametric univariate tests and mixed effects multivariate regression with social jetlag, chronotype, sex, age, body-mass index, and reported diseases as predictors and biomarker levels as outcomes. RESULTS: Higher social jetlag (≥0.65 h) was significantly associated with increased levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, particularly in participants older than 50 years (Mann-Whitney, men: pCHL = 0.0005, pLDL = 0.0009; women: pCHL = 0.0079, pLDL = 0.0068). Extreme chronotypes were associated with cardiovascular disease risk markers regardless of social jetlag (Kruskal-Wallis, p < 0.0001). Commuting to work and time stress were identified as important contributors to social jetlag. Individual longitudinal data showed that working from home decreased social jetlag and prolonged sleep. CONCLUSIONS: We report significant associations between sleep phase preference, social jetlag, and cardio-metabolic biomarkers.

Choosing a Major and a Partner: Field of Study and Union Formation Among College-Educated Women in Europe.

In this paper, we explore the patterns of assortative mating among college-educated women who graduated from typically female, typically male, or mixed disciplines. Using a set of cross-sectional observations of a single cohort of female graduates (2010) from European Union Labour Force Survey data and applying multilevel multinomial logit models, we estimated the relative risk of living with a college-educated partner (homogamy), living with less educated partner (hypogamy), or being single. Focusing on the first five years after graduation, the analysis demonstrated that field of study is a significant predictor of mating behaviour. Women with degrees in male-dominated fields are less likely to partner down with less educated men. The mating advantage of women from male-dominated fields is stronger in countries with a higher female employment rate. Furthermore, more liberal gender roles seem to increase the level of singlehood among women from male-dominated fields. Finally, women from female-dominated and mixed disciplines are more likely to partner down if the man graduated from a male-typical discipline. However, among women from male-dominated disciplines, such a trade-off was not observed. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10680-022-09621-8.

Assessment of self-rated health: The relative importance of physiological, mental, and socioeconomic factors.

BACKGROUND: The general self-rated health (SRH) question is the most common health measure employed in large population surveys. This study contributes to research on the concurrent validity of SRH using representative data with biomarkers from the Czech Republic, a population not previously used to assess the SRH measure. This work determines the relative contribution of biomedical and social characteristics to an individual's SRH assessment. Studies have already explored the associations between SRH and markers of physical health. However, according to a PubMed systematic literature search, the issue of the relative importance of physiological and psychosocial factors that affect individuals' assessments of their SRH has generally been neglected. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using data from a specialized epidemiological survey of the Czech population (N = 1021), this study adopted ordinary least squares regression to analyze the extent to which variance in SRH is explained by biomedical measures, mental health, health behavior, and socioeconomic characteristics. This analysis showed that SRH variance can be largely attributed to biomedical and psychological measures. Socioeconomic characteristics (i.e. marital status, education, economic activity, and household income) contributed to around 5% of the total variance. After controlling for age, sex, location, and socioeconomic status, biomarkers (i.e. C-reactive protein, blood glucose, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein), number of medical conditions, and current medications explained 11% of the total SRH variance. Mental health indicators contributed to an additional 9% of the variance. Body mass index and health behaviors (i.e. smoking and alcohol consumption) explained less than 2% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The results suggested that SRH was a valid measure of physiological and mental health in the Czech sample, and the observed differences were likely to have reflected inequalities in bodily and mental functions between social groups.

Chronotype assessment via a large scale socio-demographic survey favours yearlong Standard time over Daylight Saving Time in central Europe.

Abandoning daylight saving time in Europe raises the topical issue of proper setting of yearlong social time, which needs mapping of various socio-demographic factors, including chronotype, in specific geographic regions. This study represents the first detailed large scale chronotyping in the Czech Republic based on data collected in the complex panel socio-demographic survey in households (total 8760 respondents) and the socio-physiological survey, in which chronotyped participants also provided blood samples (n = 1107). Chronotype assessment based on sleep phase (MCTQ questions and/or time-use diary) correlated with a self-assessed interval of best alertness. The mean chronotype of the Czech population defined as mid sleep phase (MSFsc) was 3.13 ± 0.02 h. Chronotype exhibited significant east-to-westward, north-to-southward, and settlement size-dependent gradients and was associated with age, sex, partnership, and time spent outdoors as previously demonstrated. Moreover, for subjects younger than 40 years, childcare was highly associated with earlier chronotype, while dog care was associated with later chronotype. Body mass index correlated with later chronotype in women whose extreme chronotype was also associated with lower plasma levels of protective HDL cholesterol. Based on the chronotype prevalence the results favour yearlong Standard Time as the best choice for this geographic region.

Omega-3 index in the Czech Republic: No difference between urban and rural populations.

Naturally occurring long-chain omega-3 PUFA such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5 ω-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6 ω-3) exert multiple effects on health, which are related to the intake of these lipids in the diet and correlate with the levels of omega-3 PUFA in the body. These levels are reflected by the omega-3 PUFA index, i.e. the EPA and DHA content as % of all fatty acids in red blood cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate omega-3 index in the Czech Republic, using blood samples collected from the capital city (n = 476) and the rural region (n = 388). The mean omega-3 index was 3.56 mol % with a maximal value of 8.10% and a minimal value of 1.12%. There was no difference in the index value between rural and urban / industrial regions, but this value was higher in subjects who reported eating fish or omega-3 PUFA supplements. In conclusion, the results indicated suboptimal values of the omega-3 index in the Czech population independent of the sampling region.

CHILDREN'S UNION STATUS AND CONTACT WITH MOTHERS: A CROSS-NATIONAL STUDY.

BACKGROUND: In North America and Europe, population aging challenges the institutions responsible for elder care. In these environments, older individuals rely on offspring to provide social, instrumental and financial support. However, reliance on offspring, and offspring's provision of support, depend on several factors. OBJECTIVE: In this paper, we examine how offspring's union status is associated with maternal contact and distinguish between offspring who are married, cohabiting or single. METHODS: We use data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Survey and the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe to compare the association between adult children's union status and contact with mothers. Our sample consists of 9,779 mothers and 20,795 of their adult children across 15 countries. We employ multi-level analyses to account for variation in contact across and within family units and country contexts. RESULTS: We find that across all countries, cohabiting offspring have the least contact with mothers compared to married or single offspring. However, the effects of marriage are not universal and vary greatly across countries. In some countries, marriage is associated with less contact with mothers; in others, marriage binds generations together and intergenerational contact is greater than when offspring are single. Differences between married and cohabiting offspring also vary across contexts. We interpret these findings in light of cross-national variation in norms of parental obligations, public support for the elderly and kin relationships in weak versus strong family systems.

Single motherhood and child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: a life course perspective.

Single motherhood in sub-Saharan Africa has received surprisingly little attention, although it is widespread and has critical implications for children's well-being. Using survival analysis techniques, we estimate the probability of becoming a single mother over women's life course and investigate the relationship between single motherhood and child mortality in 11 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Although a mere 5 % of women in Ethiopia have a premarital birth, one in three women in Liberia will become mothers before first marriage. Compared with children whose parents were married, children born to never-married single mothers were significantly more likely to die before age 5 in six countries (odds ratios range from 1.36 in Nigeria to 2.61 in Zimbabwe). In addition, up to 50 % of women will become single mothers as a consequence of divorce or widowhood. In nine countries, having a formerly married mother was associated with a significantly higher risk of dying (odds ratios range from 1.29 in Zambia to 1.75 in Kenya) relative to having married parents. Children of divorced women typically had the poorest outcomes. These results highlight the vulnerability of children with single mothers and suggest that policies aimed at supporting single mothers could help to further reduce child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa.