Cross-Country Variation in Obesity Patterns among Older Americans and Europeans

While the fraction of obese people is not as large in Europe as in the United States, obesity is becoming an important issue in Europe as well. Using comparable data from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and the Health and Retirement Study in the U.S. (HRS), we analyze the correlates of obesity in the population ages 50 and above, focusing on measures of energy intake and expenditure as well as socio-economic status. Our main results are as follows: 1) Obesity rates differ substantially on both sides of the Atlantic and across European countries, with most of the difference coming from the right tail of the weight distribution. 2) Part of the difference in obesity prevalence between the U.S. and Europe is explained by a higher fraction of food eaten away from home and notably lower time devoted to cooking in the U.S. 3) Sedentary lifestyle or a lack of vigorous and moderate physical activity may also explain a substantial share of the cross-country differences. 4) Differential SES patterns of energy intake and expenditure across countries cannot fully account for the observed cross-country variation in the SES gradient in obesity.Body Mass Index, International Comparison, SHARE

"Belarus in Brief"

АНГЛИЙСКИЙ ЯЗЫКРЕСПУБЛИКА БЕЛАРУСЬУЧЕБНЫЕ ПОСОБИЯУчебное пособие знакомит студентов 1 курса ФПИГ с историей, природными ресурсами, городами, населением, обычаями и традициями, политической жизнью Республики Беларусь. Пособие состоит из четырех частей

Region Foreign Economic Relations as a Factor of Reindustiralization

At present, the strengthening vector of the developing economies, in particular, of the countries of Eurasian Economic Union and BRICS, in the geographic structure of Russian foreign economic activity is observed. The subject matter of the article is to see, how the development of this direction can be economically favorable. For this purpose, the forms and degree of the development of economic partnership including collaboration with the Russian regions are investigated. The agreements on the economic partnership with the regions of partner countries of Russia, their production relations are considered. The analysis of foreign trade shows that in the case of the partner countries within Eurasian integration and the BRICS group — Russian economy gets the high possibility to become the supplier of products of relatively high degree of processing which is the key factor of development of its processing industry, i.e. the factor of reindustrialization and export-oriented import substitution.The article has been prepared within the project of fundamental research of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (20152017) No. 15-14-7-13 “Scenario approaches to realization of Ural vector of management and development of the Russian Arctic in terms of world instability”

A realist review to explore how low-income pregnant women use food vouchers from the UK’s Healthy Start programme

Objectives: To explore how low-income pregnant women use Healthy Start food vouchers, the potential impacts of the programme, which women might experience these impacts and why. Design: A realist review. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: Primary or empirical studies (of any design) were included if they contributed relevant evidence or insights about how low-income women use food vouchers from the Healthy Start (UK) or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (US) programmes. The assessment of ‘relevance’ was deliberately broad to ensure that reviewers remained open to new ideas from a variety of sources of evidence. Analysis: A combination of evidence synthesis and realist analysis techniques was used to modify, refine and substantiate programme theories, which were constructed as explanatory ‘context – mechanism – outcome’ (CMO) configurations. Results: 38 primary studies were included in this review: four studies on Healthy Start and 34 studies on WIC. Two main outcome strands were identified: dietary improvements (intended) and financial assistance (unintended). Three evidence-informed programme theories were proposed to explain how aspects of context (and mechanisms) may generate these outcomes: the ‘relative value’ of healthy eating (prioritisation of resources); retailer discretion (pressure to ‘bend the rules’); the influence of other family members (disempowerment). Conclusions: This realist review suggests that some low-income pregnant women may use Healthy Start vouchers to increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables and plain cow’s milk, whereas others may use them to reduce food expenditure and save money for other things

Comparative analysis of higher education institutes in Russia and the USA

В статье рассмотрен институт высшего образования в России и США, дан сравнительный анализ высших школ России и США, показано, что российское образование в настоящее время находится в стадии реформирования.The article considers the institute of higher education in Russia and the USA, gives the comparative analysis of the higher education institutions of Russia and the USA; it is shown that Russian education is in the process of reforming

Formative Evaluation for a Healthy Corner Store Initiative in Pitt County, North Carolina: Engaging Stakeholders for a Healthy Corner Store Initiative, Part 2

INTRODUCTION: We examined the feasibility of increasing access to healthful food in corner stores to inform a Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) initiative by engaging stakeholders (corner store owners and customers) in a formative evaluation. METHODS: Qualitative interviews were conducted with corner store owners and managers (n = 11). Customer intercept surveys (n = 179) were also conducted with customers of 9 stores. Corner stores were located in rural food deserts (municipalities without a chain supermarket) and in low-income, urban municipalities in eastern North Carolina. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and double-coded. Qualitative themes related to feasibility of increasing access to healthful foods were extracted. Shopping patterns of rural and urban customers were compared by using t tests. RESULTS: Corner store owners were willing to stock more healthful foods, but they perceived that customer demand for these foods was low. Rural customers reported more frequently shopping at corner stores than urban customers and more frequently stated that the reason they do not eat more fruits and vegetables is that the stores in which they shop do not sell them. Most customers reported they would be very or somewhat likely to purchase fresh produce at a corner store. CONCLUSION: Corner stores may be an important source of food for rural and low-income residents and thus a good place in which to intervene. The results of this formative evaluation were used to plan and evaluate a CPPW healthy corner store initiative

New Approaches in Groundwork of Early Diagnostic Method of Growth of Posterities of Plus Trees of Scotch Pine

Досліджено лісівничо-таксаційні показники клонів і півсібсових родин сосни звичайної Волинської області та встановлено успадкування господарсько цінних ознак вегетативним і насінним потомством. Охарактеризовано цитогенетичну мінливість ядерцевої активності меристеми проростків плюсових дерев сосни звичайної. Запропоновано нові підходи в розробці методу ранньої діагностики росту потомств плюсових дерев сосни звичайної. Исследованы лесоводственно- таксационные показатели клонов и полусибсовых потомств сосны обыкновенной Волынской области и установлено наследование хозяйственно ценных признаков вегетативным и семенным потомством. Охарактеризована цитогенетическая изменчивость ядрышковой активности меристемы проростков плюсовых деревьев сосны обыкновенной. Предложены новые подходы в разработке метода ранней диагностики роста потомств плюсовых деревьев сосны обыкновенной. Forestry-taxation indexes of clones and half sibs posterities of Scotch Pine in Volyn region is research аnd the inheritance of economic value characteristics of vegetative and seed posterities is established. The cytogenetic variation of nucleolus activity of root meristem of sprouts of plus trees of Scotch Pine is characterized. New methodic possibilities of early diagnostic of growth posterities of plus trees of Scotch Pine is indicated.Роботу виконано на кафедрі лісівництва НЛУУ та кафедрі ботаніки і садово-паркового господарства ВНУ ім. Лесі Українк