Adolescent risk behaviours are associated with educational attainment in early adulthood: results from the Raine Study cohort.

BACKGROUND: Higher educational attainment is important for economic wellbeing and associated with better health and longevity. Previous research focused on intelligence, socioeconomic status and mental health or individual risk behaviours as predictors of educational attainment, but the role of multiple domains of adolescent risk behaviours is less clear. This study examined the association between multiple domains of risk behaviour in adolescence and educational attainment by 22 years-of-age. METHODS: Young people (Generation 2, Gen2) and their parents (Generation 1, Gen1) participating in the Raine Study completed questionnaires at years 1, 5, 8, 10 (Gen1 only), 14, 17 (both) and 22 (Gen2 only). The Raine Study is an ongoing longitudinal study initiated in Perth, Western Australia, between 1989 and 1991. The 1,102 Gen2 participants who responded to questions about highest educational attainment were included in this study. The association between Gen2 self-reported risk behaviours (including age at commencement of drinking alcohol, smoking, sexual intercourse and drug use) and educational attainment (defined as self-reported years of completed high school: ≤10, 11, 12 or tertiary education (> 12)) at year 22, after adjusting for mother's age and combined parental education level, participant sex, and family income, educational performance and adolescent mental health, was explored using ordinal regression models and presented as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Ordinal models suggested that never smoking or starting older than 18 compared with smoking before age 15 (OR 2.02, 95%CI: 1.28-2.14); first drinking alcohol between 15 and 17 years compared with younger than 15 (OR 1.52, 95%CI: 1.08-2.14); and, first sexual intercourse aged ≥ 18 years compared with under 15 (OR 1.67, 95%CI: 1.08-2.57) were associated with higher levels of educational attainment at 22-year follow-up. Additionally, lower ("better") behavioural scores increased the odds of higher levels of attainment. CONCLUSIONS: Absence of health risk behaviours at a younger age or later commencement was associated with higher educational attainment. Evidence-based interventions that address the societal influences underpinning risk behaviours in adolescents may support longer school retention.

Brain structures with stronger genetic associations are not less associated with family- and state-level economic contexts.

We investigate whether neural, cognitive, and psychopathology phenotypes that are more strongly related to genetic differences are less strongly associated with family- and state-level economic contexts (N = 5374 individuals with 1KG-EUR-like genotypes with 870 twins, from the Adolescent Behavior and Cognitive Development study). We estimated the twin- and SNP-based heritability of each phenotype, as well as its association with an educational attainment polygenic index (EA PGI). We further examined associations with family socioeconomic status (SES) and tested whether SES-related differences were moderated by state cost of living and social safety net programs (Medicaid expansion and cash assistance). SES was broadly associated with cognition, psychopathology, brain volumes, and cortical surface areas, even after controlling for the EA PGI. Brain phenotypes that were more heritable or more strongly associated with the EA PGI were not, overall, less related to SES, nor were SES-related differences in these phenotypes less moderated by macroeconomic context and policy. Informing a long-running theoretical debate, and contra to widespread lay beliefs, results suggest that aspects of child brain development that are more strongly related to genetic differences are not, in general, less associated with socioeconomic contexts and policies.

A longitudinal study of learning difficulties in adolescence and biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk in adulthood: A gendered pathways approach.

OBJECTIVES: Little is known about the relationship between learning difficulties (LD) in adolescence and physical health in adulthood. This study investigates the gender-specific pathways through which LD is longitudinally associated with cardiometabolic risk in adulthood. STUDY DESIGN: We used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 11,342). To assess cardiometabolic risk, 11 biomarkers related to cardiovascular functioning, glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, and inflammation were utilized. METHODS: We first estimated the association between LD in adolescence and cardiometabolic risk in adulthood. Then, we examined whether this association is mediated by educational attainment and body mass index (BMI). Finally, we employed a moderated mediation model to determine whether gender moderates these mediation patterns. RESULTS: LD in adolescence was positively associated with cardiometabolic risk in adulthood (b = 0.165, p < 0.001). LD also predicted lower educational attainment (b = -0.724, p < 0.001) and higher BMI (b = 0.589, p < 0.05). Educational attainment and BMI explained 18 and 25 percent of the positive association between LD and cardiometabolic risk, respectively. A moderated mediation model revealed that indirect effects of LD on cardiometabolic risk via educational attainment and BMI were more pronounced among women than men. CONCLUSION: LD in adolescence is a significant predictor of cardiometabolic risk in adulthood. Interventions focusing on the academic and health behaviors of girls with LD may be effective in improving their adult physical health.

Internet Use and Higher-Level Functional Capacity Decline Suppression in Japanese Older Adults With Low Education: JAGES 2016-2019 Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: Higher-level functional capacity (HLFC) is crucial for the independent living of older adults. While internet use positively impacts the health of older adults, its effect on HLFC and how this effect varies with educational attainment remains uncertain. OBJECTIVE: This longitudinal study aimed to investigate whether internet use could mitigate the risk of HLFC decline and if this benefit extends to older adults with lower levels of education. METHODS: The data were sourced from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES), encompassing 8050 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and older from 2016 to 2019. The study focused on those who remained self-sufficient from 2016 to 2019, identifying participants with independent HLFC in 2016. The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence defined HLFC operationally, consisting of 3 subscales, namely instrumental activities of daily living, intellectual activity, and social role. The primary variable was the frequency of internet use in 2016; participants who reported using the internet were classified as internet users, while those who answered "No" were identified as nonusers. The study compared the effects of internet use on HLFC decline across educational levels of ≤9 years, 10-12 years, and ≥13 years using Poisson regression analysis adjusted for robust SE to calculate the risk ratio (RR) and 95% CI for HLFC decline in 2019. RESULTS: After adjusting for demographic and health condition risk factors, internet use was significantly linked to a decreased risk of HLFC decline in older adults over 3 years, including those with lower educational levels. Internet users with ≤9 years of educational attainment experienced a suppressed decline in the total score (RR 0.57, 95% CI 0.43-0.76; P<.001); instrumental activities of daily living (RR 0.58, 95% CI 0.38-0.91; P=.02), intellectual activity (RR 0.60, 95% CI 0.41-0.89; P=.01), and social role (RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.56-0.97; P=.03) compared with nonusers. Participants with 10-12 years of education showed suppression rates of 0.78 (95% CI 0.63-0.98; P=.03), 0.59 (95% CI 0.39-0.90; P=.01), 0.91 (95% CI 0.63-1.31; P=.61), and 0.82 (95% CI 0.68-1.00; P=.05), respectively, and those with ≥13 years displayed suppression rates of 0.65 (95% CI 0.51-0.85; P=.001), 0.55 (95% CI 0.36-0.83; P=.01), 0.64 (95% CI 0.37-1.10; P=.11), and 0.83 (95% CI 0.64-1.08; P=.17), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that internet use supports the maintenance of HLFC independence in older adults with higher education and those with lower educational levels. Encouraging internet use among older adults with lower levels of education through future policies could help narrow functional health disparities associated with educational attainment.

Eight Decades of Educational Assortative Mating: A Research Note.

Recent social and economic trends in the United States, including increasing economic inequality, women's growing educational advantage, and the rise of online dating, have ambiguous implications for patterns of educational homogamy. In this research note, we examine changes in educational assortative mating in the United States over the last eight decades (1940 to 2020) using the U.S. decennial censuses and the American Community Survey, extending and expanding earlier work by Schwartz and Mare. We find that the rise in educational homogamy noted by Schwartz and Mare has not continued. Increases in educational homogamy stalled around 1990 and began reversing in the 2000s. We find a growing tendency for marriages to cross educational boundaries, but a college degree remains the strongest dividing line to intermarriage. A key trend explaining this new pattern is women's increasing tendency to marry men with less education than themselves. If not for this trend, homogamy would have continued increasing until the early 2010s. We also show substantial heterogeneity by race, ethnicity, and nativity and among same- versus different-sex couples.

Disentangling mechanisms behind the pleiotropic effects of proximal 16p11.2 BP4-5 CNVs.

Whereas 16p11.2 BP4-5 copy-number variants (CNVs) represent one of the most pleiotropic etiologies of genomic syndromes in both clinical and population cohorts, the mechanisms leading to such pleiotropy remain understudied. Identifying 73 deletion and 89 duplication carrier individuals among unrelated White British UK Biobank participants, we performed a phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) between the region's copy number and 117 complex traits and diseases, mimicking four dosage models. Forty-six phenotypes (39%) were affected by 16p11.2 BP4-5 CNVs, with the deletion-only, mirror, U-shape, and duplication-only models being the best fit for 30, 10, 4, and 2 phenotypes, respectively, aligning with the stronger deleteriousness of the deletion. Upon individually adjusting CNV effects for either body mass index (BMI), height, or educational attainment (EA), we found that sixteen testable deletion-driven associations-primarily with cardiovascular and metabolic traits-were BMI dependent, with EA playing a more subtle role and no association depending on height. Bidirectional Mendelian randomization supported that 13 out of these 16 associations were secondary consequences of the CNV's impact on BMI. For the 23 traits that remained significantly associated upon individual adjustment for mediators, matched-control analyses found that 10 phenotypes, including musculoskeletal traits, liver enzymes, fluid intelligence, platelet count, and pneumonia and acute kidney injury risk, remained associated under strict Bonferroni correction, with 10 additional nominally significant associations. These results paint a complex picture of 16p11.2 BP4-5's pleiotropic pattern that involves direct effects on multiple physiological systems and indirect co-morbidities consequential to the CNV's impact on BMI and EA, acting through trait-specific dosage mechanisms.

Participation among young people in the child protection system and how it relates to subsequent educational and employment outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has shown that young people in the child protection system experience different levels of participation in decision-making on important issues. Nonetheless, researchers agree that children's participation in decision-making is likely to affect critical factors in their lives, such as educational and employment performance. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine (1) to what extent the level of participation in decision-making is related to this group of young people's subsequent education and employment, and (2) how the relation varies between different dimensions of the measure of participation. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Participants were a sample of 1477 young Danish individuals who received out-of-home care or preventive in-home care in 2019 and who answered a questionnaire regarding their participation in decision-making. RESULTS: This study found a positive association between overall perceived participation and entering upper secondary education, even after controlling for individual-, parental- and case-specific background characteristics. However, no association with school-leaving exams or employment was identified. Unfolding the underlying dimensions of our measure of participation showed that the influence dimension drives a positive association with upper secondary education. At the same time, a better relationship with the caseworker is positively related to leaving the labor market. CONCLUSIONS: Young people's participation in decision-making in the child protection system does not relate as strongly to their subsequent performance as anticipated. However, the measure of participation is complex. The evidence suggests that the lack of association is partly driven by non-linear associations and the causal ambiguity of the dimension concerning the relationship with the caseworker.

Exploring the genetic and socioeconomic interplay between ADHD and anxiety disorders using Mendelian randomization.

Background: ADHD and anxiety disorders often co-occur, sharing symptoms and dysfunctions, yet the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Methods: To explore the shared and distinct genetic variations between ADHD and anxiety disorders, we applied Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to ADHD, anxiety disorders, and three socioeconomic factors: income, educational attainment (EA), and intelligence. MR analysis utilized genome-wide association study summary datasets (anxiety disorder: 7,016 cases and 14,745 controls; ADHD: 38,691 cases and 275,986 controls; EA: 766,345 participants; intelligence: 146,808 participants; household income: 392,422 participants), with inverse-variance weighting as the primary method. Results: Our MR analysis revealed no discernible genetic-level causal effect between ADHD and anxiety disorders (p > 0.77). Additionally, the independent variables for ADHD (25 SNPs) and anxiety disorders (18 SNPs) did not overlap, highlighting the genetic distinction between the two conditions. Higher income (p < 0.002) and EA (p < 0.005) were found to serve as protective factors for both ADHD and anxiety disorders. Genetic predisposition to higher income (86 SNPs) and EA (457 SNPs) were identified as a potential common protective factors for both conditions. Lastly, genetic predisposition to higher intelligence was found to potentially guard against ADHD (p < 0.001) but not against anxiety disorders (p > 0.55). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the shared symptoms observed between ADHD and anxiety disorders are more likely influenced by genetic predispositions related to socioeconomic factors rather than by the genetic predispositions specific to the disorders themselves.

Household Income and Offspring Education Explain Blacks' Diminished Returns of Parental Education.

Background: High parental education promotes various aspects of offspring well-being including reducing their risk of depression/anxiety, criminal justice involvement, and welfare reliance. However, according to minorities' diminished returns, these benefits are not equal across racial groups, with Black families experiencing diminished returns of parental education compared to White families. This study explores the role of household income and offspring educational attainment as potential serial pathways that operate as mechanisms underlying diminished returns of parental education on offspring outcomes in Black families. Gender differences in these effects were also explored. Methods: Utilizing data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) over a 22-year follow-up period (seven waves), we examined the serial mediation by household income and offspring educational attainment in explaining the relationship between parental education and offspring outcomes namely depression, anxiety, criminal justice involvement, and welfare reliance [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)]. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) with household income as the first mediator and young adult education as the second mediator. Multi-group models were used to explore gender differences in these paths. Results: The study confirmed the role of our proposed serial mediators for Blacks' weaker effects of parental education on offspring outcomes. We observed weaker effects of first affects household income, with this effect being for Black families compared to White families, which then impacted educational attainment of the offspring. The findings indicate that household income plays a crucial mediating role, but its effect is weaker in Black families. Additionally, the educational attainment of offspring from highly educated Black parents is less effective in improving outcomes compared to their White peers, further contributing to diminished returns. Some gender differences were observed for the effects of educational attainment on economic and health outcomes of young adults. Conclusions: The study underscores the need to reconsider traditional assumptions about the comparability of family conditions and outcomes across racial groups with similar levels of parental education. The findings highlight the importance of targeted policies and interventions aimed at enhancing the economic stability and educational outcomes of Black families to address these disparities. Policies should focus on promoting the economic well-being of highly educated Black parents and improving the educational outcomes of their children.

Educational attainment and mental health conditions: a within-sibship Mendelian randomization study.

Importance: Observational studies have demonstrated consistent protective effects of higher educational attainment (EA) on the risk of suffering mental health conditions (MHC). Determining whether these beneficial effects are causal is challenging given the potential role of dynastic effects and demographic factors (assortative mating and population structure) in this association. Objective: To evaluate to what extent the relationship between EA and various MHC is independent from dynastic effects and demographic factors. Design: Within-sibship Mendelian randomization (MR) study. Setting: One-sample MR analyses included participants' data from the Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT, Norway) and UK Biobank (United Kingdom). For two-sample MR analyses we used summary statistics from publicly available genome-wide-association-studies. Participants: 61 880 siblings (27 507 sibships). Exposure: Years of education. Main outcomes: Scores for symptoms of anxiety, depression and neuroticism using the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, as well as self-reported consumption of psychotropic medication. Results: One standard deviation (SD) unit increase in years of education was associated with a lower symptom score of anxiety (-0.20 SD [95%CI: -0.26, -0.14]), depression (-0.11 SD [-0.43, 0.22]), neuroticism (-0.30 SD [-0.53, -0.06]), and lower odds of psychotropic medication consumption (OR: 0.60 [0.52, 0.69]). Estimates from the within-sibship MR analyses showed some attenuation, which however were suggestive of a causal association (anxiety: -0.17 SD [-0.33, -0.00]; depression: -0.18 SD [-1.26, 0.89]; neuroticism: -0.29 SD [-0.43, -0.15]); psychotropic medication consumption: OR, 0.52 [0.34, 0.82]). Conclusions and Relevance: Associations between EA and MHC in adulthood, although to some extend explained by dynastic effects and demographic factors, overall remain robust, indicative of a causal effect. However, larger studies are warranted to improve statistical power and further validate our conclusions.

Substance Use and College Completion Among Two-Year and Four-Year College Students From a Nationally Representative Longitudinal Study.

Young adults from disadvantaged populations access higher education through two-year colleges, but substance use research among young adults focuses on four-year colleges. Filling this research gap is important given recent policy changes that have increased marijuana availability for young adults. This study uses a subsample of college-enrolled participants from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to evaluate whether substance use predicts educational attainment seven years later, comparing 888 students attending a two-year college with 1,398 matched students attending a four-year college. Matched students were identified using a propensity score method so that students were comparable on 15 measures, including precollege grades, precollege test scores, and precollege substance use. Compared with similar four-year college students, two-year college students were more likely to use methamphetamines, cocaine, or marijuana; more likely to report problematic substance use; and less likely to use alcohol. Two-year college students who used methamphetamines in the past year (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.51, 95% CI (1.12, 2.04), p = 0.007) or past month (IRR = 1.69, 95% CI (1.09, 2.61), p = 0.02) or completed alcohol abuse treatment (IRR = 1.58, 95% CI (1.21, 2.07), p < 0.001) were less likely to complete college than two-year college students without those risk factors. Among the matched four-year college students, students who reported that drugs interfered with school or work in the past year (IRR = 1.84 (1.28, 2.64), p = 0.001), used cocaine in the past year (IRR = 1.47 (1.04, 2.08), p = 0.03), and used marijuana in the past year (IRR = 1.30 (1.07, 1.57), p = 0.007), past month (IRR = 1.31 (1.07, 1.61), p = 0.01), or ≥5 times in the past month (IRR = 1.44 (1.12, 1.85) p = 0.005) were less likely to complete college than the matched four-year college students without those risk factors. Substance use interventions should target both two-year and four-year college students. Two-year colleges that better accommodate students who complete substance use treatment may improve these students' completion. Students who use marijuana or cocaine or whose drug use impairs functioning may benefit from an incremental approach of completing a two-year degree prior to transferring to a four-year degree rather than enrolling directly in a four-year program.

Schoolhouse risk: Can we mitigate the polygenic Pygmalion effect?

BACKGROUND: Although limited in predictive accuracy, polygenic scores (PGS) for educational outcomes are currently available to the public via direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies. Further, there is a growing movement to apply PGS in educational settings via 'precision education.' Prior scholarship highlights the potentially negative impacts of such applications, as disappointing results may give rise a "polygenic Pygmalion effect." In this paper two studies were conducted to identify factors that may mitigate or exacerbate negative impacts of PGS. METHODS: Two studies were conducted. In each, 1188 students were randomized to one of four conditions: Low-percentile polygenic score for educational attainment (EA-PGS), Low EA-PGS + Mitigating information, Low EA-PGS + Exacerbating information, or Control. Regression analyses were used to examine differences between conditions. RESULTS: In Study 1, participants randomized to Control reported significantly higher on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Competence Scale (CS), Academic Efficacy Scale (AES) and Educational Potential Scale (EPS). CS was significantly higher in the Low EA-PGS + Mitigating information condition. CS and AES were significantly lower in the Low EA-PGS + Exacerbating information condition compared to the Low EA-PGS + Mitigating information condition. In Study 2, participants randomized to Control reported significantly higher CS and AES. Pairwise comparisons did not show significant differences in CS and AES. Follow-up pairwise comparisons using Tukey P-value correction did not find significant associations between non-control conditions. CONCLUSION: These studies replicated the polygenic Pygmalion effect yet were insufficiently powered to detect significant effects of mitigating contextual information. Regardless of contextual information, disappointing EA-PGS results were significantly associated with lower assessments of self-esteem, competence, academic efficacy, and educational potential.

Association of education attainment and risk of connective tissue diseases.

OBJECTIVE: We employed two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) to assess the genetic causal relationship between educational attainment (EA) and risk of five common connective tissue diseases (CTDs). METHODS: Educational attainment (self-reported at age ≥30 years) was obtained from a meta-analysis of years of schooling in 766 345 participants of European ancestry from genome-wide association studies (GWAS). A total of 1265 signals associated with EA were identified. Genetic data for five CTDs [rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc), polymyositis (PM), and dermatomyositis (DM)] were obtained from the FinnGen consortium. Two-sample MR analyses were performed separately for EA and the five CTDs. RESULTS: We found a negative causal relationship between EA and RA (ORIVW = 0.627, 95% CI = 0.537-0.732, p < .001), and SLE (ORIVW = 0.341, 95% CI = 0.123-0.944, p = .038). There were no genetic causal association between EA and SSc (ORIVW = 0.647, 95% CI = 0.351-1.195, p = .164), PM (ORIVW = 0.938, 95% CI = 0.320-2.746, p = .907), or DM (ORIVW = 0.754, 95% CI = 0.351-1.619, p = .468). None of the analyses revealed any horizontal pleiotropy or heterogeneity. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated a potential causal association between EA and RA, SLE, emphasizing the need for further investigation and potential integration of EA into clinical practice to enhance treatment strategies.

Cognitive performance's critical role in the progression from educational attainment to moderate to vigorous physical activity: insights from a Mendelian randomization study.

Introduction: In individuals with high educational levels, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is often elevated, yet the causal direction and the role of cognitive performance in this association remain ambiguous. Herein, Mendel randomization (MR) was employed to measure the causal relationship between education, cognitive performance, and moderate to vigorous physical activity. The purpose of this study was to analyze the causal effects of educational attainment on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels and to explore potential mediating factors. Methods: Two-sample univariate MR analysis was conducted to assess the overall effect of education on moderate to severe physical activity. Besides, a two-step MR analysis was carried out to evaluate the mediating effect of cognitive performance on the impact of education on moderate to severe physical activity. Individuals included were exclusively of European ancestry, with data gathered from extensive genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on education (n = 470,941), cognitive performance (n = 257,841), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (n = 377,234). Educational attainment was measured by college graduation status. Cognitive performance encompasses not only psycho-motor speed, memory, and abstract reasoning abilities but also knowledge and skills acquired in professional domains. MVPA is defined as any physical activity that produces a metabolic equivalent (MET) of ≥3.0. Results: The positive two-sample MR analysis showed that education level had a significant protective effect on MVPA deficiency (ß = -0.276, 95% CI = -0.354 to -0.199, p = 2.866 × 10-12). However, the reverse two-sample MR analysis showed that MVPA had no significant causal relationship with education level (p = 0.165). Subsequently, the two-step MR analysis indicated that the potential causal protective effect of education on the risk of MVPA deficiency was mostly mediated by cognitive performance (mediating effect ß = -0.235, 95% CI = -0.434 to -0.036, and the intermediary ratio was 85.061%). Discussion: Cognitive performance holds considerable significance in the relationship between education level and MVPA. Consequently, the intervention of cognitive performance may greatly improve the risk of physical inactivity caused by education, thereby promoting individual health.

Implications of the genomic revolution for education research and policy.

Research at the intersection of social science and genomics, 'sociogenomics', is transforming our understanding of the interplay between genomics, individual outcomes and society. It has interesting and maybe unexpected implications for education research and policy. Here we review the growing sociogenomics literature and discuss its implications for educational researchers and policymakers. We cover key concepts and methods in genomic research into educational outcomes, how genomic data can be used to investigate social or environmental effects, the methodological strengths and limitations of genomic data relative to other observational social data, the role of intergenerational transmission and potential policy implications. The increasing availability of genomic data in studies can produce a wealth of new evidence for education research. This may provide opportunities for disentangling the environmental and genomic factors that influence educational outcomes and identifying potential mechanisms for intervention.

Marginal effects of economical development and university education on China's regular exercise population.

Objective: Although the regular exercise population is a key metric for gaging the success of China's fitness-for-all activities, effective policy approaches to increase mass sports participation remain unclear. Previous research suggests that GDP, educational attainment, sports resources, and meteorological conditions could influence regular exercise participation. Therefore, this study first analyzed the macro-level correlates influencing China's regular exercise population. Methods: We utilize ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and geographical weighted regression (GWR) to theorize the relationship. The analysis encompasses data from the 31 administrative regions of Mainland China, as reported at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. The log-log model enables us to quantify the marginal effect (elasticity) of the explanatory variables. Results: The OLS regression showed that regional GDP and the proportion of the population with a university education were significant predictors. In the global model, the marginal effects of regional GDP and university education were 0.048 and 0.173, respectively. Furthermore, the GWR revealed a distinct geographic pattern that corresponds to the classic Hu Line. Conclusion: While regional GDP was also a significant correlate in our model, the elasticity demonstrates that university education had an asymmetric effect on China's regular exercise population. Therefore, this paper sheds light on a policy priority for the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan, emphasizing the strategic importance of expanding university education to enhance mass sports participation. In turn, a better-educated populace may yield significant secondary effects on public health and contribute to the high-quality development of the Chinese path to modernization.

Does educational attainment matter for attitudes toward immigrants in Chile? Assessing the causality and generalizability of higher education's so-called "liberalizing effect" on economic and cultural threat.

Despite a large literature consistently showing a relationship between higher levels of education and lower levels of ethnic prejudice, some points of contention remain. First, it remains unclear whether education has a causal effect on attitudes, mainly due to a lack of longitudinal studies. Second, due to the majority of studies on prejudice being conducted in Europe and North America, we do not know to what extent the inverse relationship between education and prejudice is generalizable beyond the "global North." To answer these questions, I study attitudes toward immigrants in Chile in the years 2016-2022, using six waves of the Chilean Longitudinal Social Survey. Chile provides new variations in economic and cultural factors, with its stable albeit highly unequal economy, and increased immigration from culturally similar countries which shed light on possible scope conditions of the so-called liberalizing effect of education. I analyze whether attaining more education has an effect on reducing levels of perceived economic and cultural threat. The findings show that increases in education are associated with both lower levels of perceived economic and cultural threat, with education having a stronger effect on the latter.

Intergenerational transmission of genetic risk for hyperactivity and inattention. Direct genetic transmission or genetic nurture?

Background: Hyperactivity and inattention, the symptoms of ADHD, are marked by high levels of heritability and intergenerational transmission. Two distinct pathways of genetic intergenerational transmission are distinguished: direct genetic transmission when parental genetic variants are passed to the child's genome and genetic nurture when the parental genetic background contributes to the child's outcomes through rearing environment. This study assessed genetic contributions to hyperactivity and inattention in childhood through these transmission pathways. Methods: The sample included 415 families from the Quebec Newborn Twin Study. Twins' hyperactivity and inattention were assessed in early childhood by parents and in primary school by teachers. The polygenic scores for ADHD (ADHD-PGS) and educational attainment (EA-PGS) were computed from twins' and parents' genotypes. A model of intergenerational transmission was developed to estimate (1) the contributions of parents' and children's PGS to the twins' ADHD symptoms and (2) whether these variances were explained by genetic transmission and/or genetic nurture. Results: ADHD-PGS explained up to 1.6% of the variance of hyperactivity and inattention in early childhood and primary school. EA-PGS predicted ADHD symptoms at both ages, explaining up to 1.6% of the variance in early childhood and up to 5.5% in primary school. Genetic transmission was the only significant transmission pathway of both PGS. The genetic nurture channeled through EA-PGS explained up to 3.2% of the variance of inattention in primary school but this association was non-significant. Conclusions: Genetic propensities to ADHD and education predicted ADHD symptoms in childhood, especially in primary school. Its intergenerational transmission was driven primarily by genetic variants passed to the child, rather than by environmentally mediated parental genetic effects. The model developed in this study can be leveraged in future research to investigate genetic transmission and genetic nurture while accounting for parental assortative mating.

Social Determinants of Health and Psychological Capital Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness.

BACKGROUND: Social determinants of health affect health behaviors and outcomes. Youth experiencing homelessness suffer significant deprivation of resources such as inadequate housing, reduced education, poor health care, and decreased economic stability. Inner resources, such as psychological capital, may also be related to health behaviors and health outcomes. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we sought to describe and explore associations among selected determinants of health and self-reported scores on indicators of psychological capital among youth experiencing homelessness. METHODS: This cross-sectional secondary analysis was conducted with a randomized subsample of 148 youth. We calculated chi-square frequencies to describe the data, classical item analyses to evaluate responses, and correlation tests to examine significance of associations. RESULTS: Youth in this sample demonstrated that they possess inner resources associated with determinants of health. Education, health care, and social support were significantly associated with attributes of psychological capital (hope, efficacy, resilience, optimism). Sexual minority groups had high representation in this subsample (25.7%), indicating a need for more study and equitable services for this population. CONCLUSION: More research should be conducted to better understand the associations between determinants of health, psychological capital, and health behaviors among disadvantaged youth to advance health equity initiatives.

Dissecting Schizophrenia Biology Using Pleiotropy with Cognitive Genomics.

Given the increasingly large number of loci discovered by psychiatric GWAS, specification of the key biological pathways underlying these loci has become a priority for the field. We have previously leveraged the pleiotropic genetic relationships between schizophrenia and two cognitive phenotypes (educational attainment and cognitive task performance) to differentiate two subsets of illness-relevant SNPs: (1) those with "concordant" alleles, which are associated with reduced cognitive ability/education and increased schizophrenia risk; and (2) those with "discordant" alleles linked to reduced educational and/or cognitive levels but lower schizophrenia susceptibility. In the present study, we extend our prior work, utilizing larger input GWAS datasets and a more powerful statistical approach to pleiotropic meta-analysis, the Pleiotropic Locus Exploration and Interpretation using Optimal test (PLEIO). Our pleiotropic meta-analysis of schizophrenia and the two cognitive phenotypes revealed 768 significant loci (159 novel). Among these, 347 loci harbored concordant SNPs, 270 encompassed discordant SNPs, and 151 "dual" loci contained concordant and discordant SNPs. Competitive gene-set analysis using MAGMA related concordant SNP loci with neurodevelopmental pathways (e.g., neurogenesis), whereas discordant loci were associated with mature neuronal synaptic functions. These distinctions were also observed in BrainSpan analysis of temporal enrichment patterns across developmental periods, with concordant loci containing more prenatally expressed genes than discordant loci. Dual loci were enriched for genes related to mRNA translation initiation, representing a novel finding in the schizophrenia literature.