Weekly Roundup
Dec 11 - 17, 2023
The Weekly Roundup is an opportunity to recap a week in news and share recently discovered materials that might be of interest.
PODCASTS
The Victor Davis Hanson Show, 2023
Dr. Steven Quay discusses with Victor Davis Hanson the effects of the lockdowns, the real nature of mRNA vaccines, and the controversies over the origins of COVID in the Wuhan Lab.
ARTICLES AND ESSAYS
British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2023
Abstract: Objective: To estimate the global prevalence of meeting the WHO guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities (MSA) in populations aged ≥5 years, and whenever possible to explore this prevalence according to sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources: Five databases were systematically searched for studies published from inception to September 2022. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: Articles with representative samples aged ≥5 years reporting the prevalence of meeting both aerobic and MSA guidelines were included. Results: Twenty-one studies comprising 3 390 001 individuals from 32 countries were included. Overall adherence to the aerobic and MSA guidelines was 17.12% (95% CI 15.42% to 18.88%) in adults ≥18 years (n=3 346 723). Among adolescents aged 12-17 years, adherence to both guidelines was 19.74% (95% CI 14.72% to 25.31%) (n=43 278). No studies reported data for children aged 5-11 years. Women, older age, low/medium education levels, underweight or obesity, and poor and moderate self-rated health were associated with lower adherence to the physical activity guidelines (p<0.001) among adults, although the prevalence remained very low in all cases. Subgroup analyses were not conducted with children and adolescents due to a lack of studies. Conclusions: Only one out of five adolescents and adults met the recommended combined aerobic and MSA guidelines. Large-scale public health interventions promoting both types of exercise are needed to reduce the associated burden of non-communicable diseases.
Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2023
Abstract: Polygamy is a form of "one-sided" consensually non-monogamous relationship where one person has multiple committed partners, each of whom is only involved with that one person. It was likely a reoccurring feature of ancestral mating that posed adaptive problems for our ancestors. Yet polygamy, and multi-partnering more generally, is understudied in Western cultures, raising questions about the existence of polygamous interest and whether this is calibrated adaptively to personal conditions. In two studies, we examined polygamous interest in two heterosexual online samples from the UK. In Study 1 (N = 393), modest interest was found for polygamous relationships overall. Men were six times more open to polygyny than women, but there was little sex difference in openness to polyandry. Further analysis revealed that all forms of multi-partnering were undesirable relative to singlehood and monogamy; however, consensual multi-partner relationships were less undesirable than non-consensual ones. Sex differences were largest for polygyny and arrangements where men had agreed access to a casual partner alongside a committed one, yet these were two of the most acceptable forms of multi-partnering when men and women's responses were combined. Sociosexuality positively predicted interest in most forms of multi-partnering. Study 2 (N = 735) focused on polygyny and added status-linked traits as predictors. The results of Study 1 were broadly replicated, though the status-linked traits did not predict polygynous interest specifically. Instead, sociosexuality and male intrasexual competitiveness uniquely predicted general interest in multi-partner relationships. Overall, interest in polygamy appears to emerge despite social discouragement and sex differences in interest track the relative costs and benefits associated with it. However, there is no strong evidence that polygamous interest is uniquely calibrated to personal conditions when compared to other forms of multi-partnering.
SSM – Population Health, 2022
Abstract: Social connectedness is essential for health and longevity, while isolation exacts a heavy toll on individuals and society. We present U.S. social connectedness magnitudes and trends as target phenomena to inform calls for policy-based approaches to promote social health. Using the 2003-2020 American Time Use Survey, this study finds that, nationally, social isolation increased, social engagement with family, friends, and 'others' (roommates, neighbors, acquaintances, coworkers, clients, etc.) decreased, and companionship (shared leisure and recreation) decreased. Joinpoint analysis showed that the pandemic exacerbated upward trends in social isolation and downward trends in non-household family, friends, and 'others' social engagement. However, household family social engagement and companionship showed signs of progressive decline years prior to the pandemic, at a pace not eclipsed by the pandemic. Work hours emerged as a structural constraint to social engagement. Sub-groups allocated social engagement differently across different relationship roles. Social engagement with friends, others, and in companionship plummeted for young Americans. Black Americans experienced more social isolation and less social engagement, overall, relative to other races. Hispanics experienced much less social isolation than non-Hispanics. Older adults spent more time in social isolation, but also relatively more time in companionship. Women spent more time with family while men spent more time with friends and in companionship. And, men's social connectedness decline was steeper than for women. Finally, low-income Americans are more socially engaged with 'others' than those with higher income. We discuss potential avenues of future research and policy initiatives that emerge from our findings.
HISTORICAL ARTICLES AND ESSAYS
Recognizing Gender-Based Violence Against Civilian Men and Boys in Conflict Situations
Security Dialogue, 2006
Abstract: While gender-based violence has recently emerged as a salient topic in the human security community, it has been framed principally with respect to violence against women and girls, particularly sexual violence. In this article, I argue that gender-based violence against men (including sexual violence, forced conscription, and sex-selective massacre) must be recognized as such, condemned, and addressed by civilian protection agencies and proponents of a ‘human security’ agenda in international relations. Men deserve protection against these abuses in their own right; moreover, addressing gender-based violence against women and girls in conflict situations is inseparable from addressing the forms of violence to which civilian men are specifically vulnerable.
RUBBISH BIN
No rubbish this week!
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