Research highlightIs there a correlation between hypermobility of the spine and chronic neck/back pain in young adults?
Peter R Reuter, Mackenzie Brady Abstract: This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the correlation between hypermobility of the spine and chronic neck/back pain in a university-aged population. Chronic musculoskeletal pain, especially joint pain, is said to be the main complaint of individuals with symptomatic joint hypermobility. Generalized joint hypermobility is usually limited to a small number of joints, with increased range of motion of the lumbar spine the most common form of joint hypermobility. The study collected data over a six-year period from undergraduate Anatomy & Physiology students at a university in the United States, using an anonymous survey. Based on the data from 1,211 respondents the study found that: 1) young adult females are more likely to have hypermobility of the spine than young adult males; 2) young females with spine hypermobility are not more likely to report chronic neck/back pain than females without spine hypermobility; 3) young adult males with spine hypermobility are more likely to report chronic neck/back pain than males without spine hypermobility; 4) young females and males with spine hypermobility experience the same average levels of pain intensity for their chronic neck/back pain than their peers without spine hypermobility; 5) young females with and without spine hypermobility report higher levels of chronic pain intensity than males for chronic neck/back pain. Continue reading... |
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Religion still impacts Gen Z's sexual behavior
Religion has been, and still is, one of the major forces of control over sexuality. The Judeo-Christian faiths practiced by many in the U.S. typically are against premarital sex, non-relationship sex (or casual sex), and cohabitation and emphasize remaining abstinent until marriage. Studies have found that religious behavior is a strong predictor of sexual behavior, with higher levels of devoutness correlated to a later age of first sexual experiences, fewer lifetime sex partners, and less engagement in casual sex.
Religious attitudes do not guarantee sexual abstinence before marriage in all cases. The percentage of religious Gen Z students in my survey who admitted to having engaged in sexual activity – oral, vaginal, or anal sex – already was 70% compared to 76% for their non-religious peers. The percentage of religious students who had engaged in sexual activity during the past 30 days was also slightly lower at 55% compared with 59% for non-religious students. The average number of sex partners over the last twelve months, however, was the same for both groups, with 2.5 for religious and 2.6 for non-religious respondents. Continue reading... |
Don’t think you have a gender identity? Think again
A freshman student participating in my survey ‘Why do students have sex?’ responded to the question ‘What is your gender identity?’ by writing, “I have no f****** gender identity. I AM a Male. That's what my body composition is, so it doesn't f****** matter what my "identity" is.”
While this student’s reaction certainly was influenced by and typical of the current backlash against the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S., not so long ago, many people would have expressed the same or a similar sentiment or wondered what gender identity was in the first place. A hundred years ago, the only use of the term ‘gender’ was in grammar, where it referred to grammatical categories that divide words into masculine, feminine, and neuter classes, mainly in languages such as German, French, Spanish, or Italian. Continue reading... |
“Good times lead to good feelings” - Being out with friends encourages students to meet someone and engage in casual sex
My surveys exploring student health and sexual behavior found that 40% of students hadn’t gone out at all during the past seven days, 33% one night only, and barely 6% four nights or more. Nevertheless, those who went out were looking to have fun and maybe find someone for one night or more. After all, “[e]veryone is just trying to have a good time and no one wants to go home alone, again, this is a small college.” (heterosexual female, 20, junior).
Students responding to my surveys expressed generally positive attitudes toward having a good time. Almost three-quarters (73%) thought that college students are more likely to engage in casual sex than non-students, and 48% said being out and surrounded by friends makes it more likely to meet someone and engage in sexual activity. The majority of students emphasized the advantages of going out with friends over going out on their own or staying at home. Many of them were open about the fact that sexual activity may be on the cards in this situation or is the sole motivator for going out. Continue reading... |
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Want to earn your degree? Get enough sleep, eat breakfast, and stay away from fast food
As a group, college students are surprisingly understudied regarding their health behaviors and habits and their impact on students’ academic success or failure. Various surveys collect data on students during primary and secondary education (K-12). For example, the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) consists of a set of surveys that collect data from students in grades 9 through 12 every second year. However, once young adults leave the K-12 system, they cannot be reached easily anymore. Therefore, it doesn’t surprise that most published research on the correlation of eating habits and associated GPA/grades has focused on students in Pre-K through high school. On the other hand, there are only a limited number of studies concerning college students.
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