Gareth Hagger-Johnson | University College London (original) (raw)

Papers by Gareth Hagger-Johnson

Introduction Sedentary behaviors (including sitting) may increase mortality risk independently o... more Introduction

Sedentary behaviors (including sitting) may increase mortality risk independently of physical activity level. Little is known about how fidgeting behaviors might modify the association.
Methods

Data were from the United Kingdom (UK) Women’s Cohort Study. In 1999–2002, a total of 12,778 women (aged 37–78 years) provided data on average daily sitting time, overall fidgeting (irrespective of posture), and a range of relevant covariates including physical activity, diet, smoking status, and alcohol consumption. Participants were followed for mortality over a mean of 12 years. Proportional hazards Cox regression models estimated the relative risk of mortality in high (versus low) and medium (versus low) sitting time groups.
Results

Fidgeting modified the risk associated with sitting time (p=0.04 for interaction), leading us to separate groups for analysis. Adjusting for covariates, sitting for ≥7 hours/day (versus <5 hours/day) was associated with 30% increased all-cause mortality risk (hazard ratio [HR]=1.30, 95% CI=1.02, 1.66) only among women in the low fidgeting group. Among women in the high fidgeting group, sitting for 5–6 hours/day (versus <5 hours/day) was associated with decreased mortality risk (HR=0.63, 95% CI=0.43, 0.91), adjusting for a range of covariates. There was no increased mortality risk from longer sitting time in the middle and high fidgeting groups.
Conclusions

Fidgeting may reduce the risk of all-cause mortality associated with excessive sitting time. More detailed and better-validated measures of fidgeting should be identified in other studies to replicate these findings and identity mechanisms, particularly measures that distinguish fidgeting in a seated from standing posture.

Scotland has existing data resources which are competitive internationally and available to resea... more Scotland has existing data resources which are competitive internationally and available to researchers from elsewhere.
The Scottish Informatics and Linkage Collaboration (SILC) was recently launched, allowing data sets to be linked within
and between sectors (e.g. health to non-health). The purpose of this review article is to introduce and define key terms
in data linkage, to describe the emerging data linkage resources available in Scotland and to describe the opportunities
available in Scotland to researchers internationally. The review is aimed at researchers internationally who are interested
in data linkage using Scottish data resources. The review makes particular reference to longitudinal health data but
emphasises that linkage to non-health data allows research questions to be considered that were previously not answerable.
The review is focused on longitudinal data resources (e.g. cohort studies and repeated measures designs), since they
are usually the focus of data linkage research. The review concludes that any intended data linkage for research should be
driven by a clear research question. The infrastructure already available and the launch of SILC will accelerate research in
Scotland and generate new research questions that previously could not be considered answerable.

Journal of psychiatric research, 2014

Preventive medicine, 2014

Objective. To investigate longitudinal and bidirectional associations between mental health and p... more Objective. To investigate longitudinal and bidirectional associations between mental health and physical activity from midlife into old age.

Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 2012

Objective: C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute-phase marker of systemic inflammation and conside... more Objective: C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute-phase marker of systemic inflammation and considered an established risk marker for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in old age. Previous studies have suggested that low childhood intelligence, lower socioeconomic status (SES) in childhood or in later life, unhealthy behaviors, poor wellbeing, and high body mass index (BMI) are associated with inflammation. Life course models that simultaneously incorporate all these risk factors can explain how CVD risks accumulate over time, from childhood to old age. Methods: Using the data from 1,091 Scottish adults (Lothian Birth Cohort Study, 1936), a path model was constructed to predict CRP at age 70 from concurrent health behaviors, self-perceived quality of life, and BMI and adulthood SES as mediating variables, and from parental SES and childhood intelligence as distal risk factors. Results: A well-fitting path model (CFI = .92, SRMR = .05) demonstrated significant indirect effects from childhood intelligence and parental social class to inflammation via BMI, health behaviors and quality of life (all ps &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt; .05). Low childhood intelligence, unhealthy behaviors, and higher BMI were also direct predictors of CRP. Conclusions: The life course model illustrated how CVD risks may accumulate over time, beginning in childhood and being both direct and transmitted indirectly via low adult SES, unhealthy behaviors, impaired quality of life, and high BMI. Knowledge on the childhood risk factors and their pathways to poor health can be used to identify high-risk individuals for more intensive and tailored behavior change interventions, and to develop effective public health policies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).

British journal of health psychology, 2011

Objectives. Alcohol impairs judgement and could be causally implicated in sexual risk taking. How... more Objectives. Alcohol impairs judgement and could be causally implicated in sexual risk taking. However, meta-analytic studies do not find an association between alcohol use and unprotected sexual intercourse at the event level, where both behaviours refer to the same point in time. Associations between personality traits and sexual risk taking have been replicated across several studies. Traits may be better conceptualized as independent risk factors, where alcohol use mediates the association between personality and condom use. The objective of our study was to determine the direct and indirect effects connecting big five personality traits with condom use, potentially mediated through alcohol use during the most recent sexual encounter.Design. A sample of community-dwelling adults (N= 190) completed measures of big five personality traits and a detailed assessment of event-level sexual behaviour and alcohol use.Results. In regression model adjusting for known confounding factors, including oral contraceptive use, partner type, and hazardous drinking patterns, one standard deviation increase in conscientiousness was associated with a 1.14-fold increase in the odds of using a condom with most recent sexual partner (p= .04). Repeating the analysis using zero-inflated regression for estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) values revealed an association between conscientiousness and eBAC (p= .002). There was no association between alcohol and condom use in either analysis.Conclusions. The results illustrate that personality traits are strong independent risk factors for sexual risk taking and eBAC values during sexual events, and both should be incorporated into research designs. Future research should evaluate specific facets of conscientiousness, and whether eBAC mediates the association between personality and condom use in other samples. The possibility of tailoring interventions to personality traits is discussed.

American journal of epidemiology, 2014

The correlation between objective and self-reported measures of physical activity varies between ... more The correlation between objective and self-reported measures of physical activity varies between studies. We examined this association and whether it differed by demographic factors or socioeconomic status (SES). Data were from 3,975 Whitehall II (United Kingdom, 2012 participants aged 60-83 years, who completed a physical activity questionnaire and wore an accelerometer on their wrist for 9 days. There was a moderate correlation between questionnaire-and accelerometer-assessed physical activity (Spearman's r = 0.33, 95% confidence interval: 0.30, 0.36). The correlations were higher in high-SES groups than in low-SES groups (P 's = 0.02), as defined by education (r = 0.38 vs. r = 0.30) or occupational position (r = 0.37 vs. r = 0.29), but did not differ by age, sex, or marital status. Of the self-reported physical activity, 68.3% came from mild activities, 25% from moderate activities, and only 6.7% from vigorous activities, but their correlations with accelerometer-assessed total physical activity were comparable (range of r 's, 0.21-0.25). Self-reported physical activity from more energetic activities was more strongly associated with accelerometer data (for sports, r = 0.22; for gardening, r = 0.16; for housework, r = 0.09). High-SES persons reported more energetic activities, producing stronger accelerometer associations in these groups. Future studies should identify the aspects of physical activity that are most critical for health; this involves better understanding of the instruments being used. accelerometry; cohort studies; elderly; epidemiologic methods; physical activity; questionnaires Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; MET, metabolic equivalent; SES, socioeconomic status.

PloS one, 2014

Studies examining the relation of information processing speed, as measured by reaction time, wit... more Studies examining the relation of information processing speed, as measured by reaction time, with mortality are scarce. We explored these associations in a representative sample of the US population. Participants were 5,134 adults (2,342 men) aged 20-59 years from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988-94). Adjusted for age, sex, and ethnic minority status, a 1 SD slower reaction time was associated with a raised risk of mortality from all-causes (HR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.12, 1.39) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) (HR = 1.36, 95% CI 1.17, 1.58). Having 1 SD more variable reaction time was also associated with greater risk of all-cause (HR = 1.36, 95% CI 1.19, 1.55) and CVD (HR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.33, 1.70) mortality. No associations were observed for cancer mortality. The magnitude of the relationships was comparable in size to established risk factors in this dataset, such as smoking. Alongside better-established risk factors, reaction time is associated with increased risk of premature death and cardiovascular disease. It is a candidate risk factor for all-cause and cause-specific mortality.

CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne, 2013

Research CMAJ Background: The importance of chronic inflammation as a determinant of aging phenot... more Research CMAJ Background: The importance of chronic inflammation as a determinant of aging phenotypes may have been underestimated in previous studies that used a single measurement of inflammatory markers. We assessed inflammatory markers twice over a 5-year exposure period to examine the association between chronic inflammation and future aging phenotypes in a large population of men and women.

BMJ open, 2013

Objectives: Information about the health behaviours of minority groups is essential for addressin... more Objectives: Information about the health behaviours of minority groups is essential for addressing health inequalities. We evaluated the association among lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) sexual orientation identity and smoking and alcohol use in young people in England.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science, 2013

Uncertainty is a key contingency in the relationship between work characteristics and outcomes su... more Uncertainty is a key contingency in the relationship between work characteristics and outcomes such as employee performance and well-being. In this paper, we specify and test a self-report measure of work uncertainty for use in any setting to facilitate research and decision making regarding the design of work. Using data collected from three diverse samples, analyses found support for a multi-dimensional model that corresponds to resource, task, and input/output sources of uncertainty. The scales showed discriminant validity, and task uncertainty was found to moderate the relationship between job control and intrinsic job satisfaction in a form consistent with theoretical predictions.Uncertainty is a key contingency in the relationship between work characteristics and outcomes such as employee performance and well-being. In this paper, we specify and test a self-report measure of work uncertainty for use in any setting to facilitate research and decision making regarding the design of work. Using data collected from three diverse samples, analyses found support for a multi-dimensional model that corresponds to resource, task, and input/output sources of uncertainty. The scales showed discriminant validity, and task uncertainty was found to moderate the relationship between job control and intrinsic job satisfaction in a form consistent with theoretical predictions.Practitioner PointsThe self-report measure of work uncertainty may be used to evaluate existing work design and facilitate its redesign.As research demonstrates, it is critical that the level of job control afforded to employees is congruent with the level of uncertainty they experience. Failure to consider the role of uncertainty in linking job control to outcomes (e.g., performance, well-being) can undermine work redesign investment.The self-report measure of work uncertainty may be used to evaluate existing work design and facilitate its redesign.As research demonstrates, it is critical that the level of job control afforded to employees is congruent with the level of uncertainty they experience. Failure to consider the role of uncertainty in linking job control to outcomes (e.g., performance, well-being) can undermine work redesign investment.

BMJ open, 2013

Objectives: Early life factors, like intelligence and socioeconomic status (SES), are associated ... more Objectives: Early life factors, like intelligence and socioeconomic status (SES), are associated with health outcomes in adulthood. Fitting comprehensive life-course models, we tested (1) the effect of childhood intelligence and SES, education and adulthood SES on psychological distress at midlife, and (2) compared alternative measurement specifications (reflective and formative) of SES. Design: Prospective cohort study (the Aberdeen Children of the 1950s).

Journal of clinical psychopharmacology, 2013

The aim of this study was to examine change in ''trait ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION

The American journal of medicine, 2013

The impact of diet on specific age-related diseases has been studied extensively, but few investi... more The impact of diet on specific age-related diseases has been studied extensively, but few investigations have adopted a more holistic approach to determine the association of diet with overall health at older ages. We examined whether diet, assessed in midlife, using dietary patterns and adherence to the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), is associated with aging phenotypes, identified after a mean 16-year follow-up. Data were drawn from the Whitehall II cohort study of 5350 adults (age 51.3±5.3 years, 29.4% women). Diet was assessed at baseline (1991-1993). Mortality, chronic diseases, and functioning were ascertained from hospital data, register linkage, and screenings every 5 years and were used to create 5 outcomes at follow-up: ideal aging (free of chronic conditions and high performance in physical, mental, and cognitive functioning tests; 4%), nonfatal cardiovascular event (12.7%), cardiovascular death (2.8%), noncardiovascular death (7.3%), [corrected] and normal aging (73.2%). Low adherence to the AHEI was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and noncardiovascular death. In addition, participants with a &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;Western-type&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; diet (characterized by high intakes of fried and sweet food, processed food and red meat, refined grains, and high-fat dairy products) had lower odds of ideal aging (odds ratio for top vs bottom tertile: 0.58; 95% confidence interval, 0.36-0.94; P=.02), independently of other health behaviors. By considering healthy aging as a composite of cardiovascular, metabolic, musculoskeletal, respiratory, mental, and cognitive function, the present study offers a new perspective on the impact of diet on aging phenotypes.

Preventive medicine, Apr 18, 2013

The aim of our study was to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between cigaret... more The aim of our study was to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking, in a representative sample of English pupils.Data from 13,635 school pupils in the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE) on usage of cigarettes from 2004 (typical age 14) to 2006 (age 16) and alcohol from 2004 to 2007 (age 17), analyzed with latent growth curve models.The weighted percentage of pupils drinking alcohol increased from 26% at age 14 to 71% by age 17, smoking from 12% to 27% by age 16. Pupils with lower socio-economic status were more likely to smoke but less likely to drink alcohol regularly. Both behaviors were positively correlated at age 14, adjusted for several confounding factors. The rate of increase over time was also positively correlated.Cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking are already correlated by age 14, are socio-economically patterned, and ‘move together’ during adolescence. Future studies and interventions should be targeted at a younger age range, to identify early smoking and potentially hazardous alcohol drinking patterns.► We examined smoking and alcohol drinking from age 13/14 in English school pupils ► Some pupils as young as 13 use alcohol or cigarettes regularly ► Both behaviors are correlated and increase together over time ► Low socio-economic status was linked to smoking regularly, but drinking less often

Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2007

Introduction Sedentary behaviors (including sitting) may increase mortality risk independently o... more Introduction

Sedentary behaviors (including sitting) may increase mortality risk independently of physical activity level. Little is known about how fidgeting behaviors might modify the association.
Methods

Journal of psychiatric research, 2014

Preventive medicine, 2014

Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 2012

British journal of health psychology, 2011

American journal of epidemiology, 2014

PloS one, 2014

CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne, 2013

BMJ open, 2013

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science, 2013

BMJ open, 2013

Journal of clinical psychopharmacology, 2013

The aim of this study was to examine change in ''trait ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION

The American journal of medicine, 2013

Preventive medicine, Apr 18, 2013

Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2007

Mahalanobis once invoked a mental construct of ‘five concentric circles’ to characterize the doma... more Mahalanobis once invoked a mental construct of ‘five
concentric circles’ to characterize the domains of science
and statistics [3]. At the center is physics and at
the outer layers are survey methods or areas where
the variables are mostly unidentifiable, uncontrollable
and ‘free’. As a student of physics and mathematics
at Cambridge [4], he began his own career at the central
geometric point of this construct. By the end of
his life, he had made theoretical and applied contributions
to every sphere. In 1922, he became professor
of Physics at the Presidency College in Calcutta [7].
As ‘a physicist by training, statistician by instinct
and a planner by conviction’ [9], his interests led
him to found the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in
1931 [10] to promote interdisciplinary research. In
1933, he launched the internationally renowned journal
Sanky¯a, serving as editor for forty years.

Hagger-Johnson, G.E. (2007). Personality, individual differences and LGB psychology. In Clarke, V... more Hagger-Johnson, G.E. (2007). Personality, individual differences and LGB psychology. In Clarke, V. & Peel, E. (eds), Out in Psychology: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Perspectives. USA/UK/Australia: John Wiley & Sons, p77-94.

Historically, psychologists have been encouraged to approach different statistical models as if t... more Historically, psychologists have been encouraged to approach different statistical models as if they were separate entities. As students, we are trained to select the “right” model for our data. More recently, several commentators have emphasized that different models may have more in common than may at first appear. It is accepted widely that correlation, regression and ANOVA are all siblings in the general linear model family (e.g. Field, 2005). Models for categorical outcomes, such as survival analysis and logistic regression, are related cousins (Kupek, 2006). Latent variables can be used in both types of models and can be conceptualized within a single general latent variable modelling framework (Muthén, 2002). While it is customary to emphasize the unique features of models, it may be more fruitful to emphasize the similarities between models using this framework. A principal reason, which forms the basis for this talk, is that “analytic choices can mask significant effects” (Wiebe & Fortenberry, 2007, p. 150): the broad framework can reveal and maximize associations whereas a narrow focus can mask and minimize them. Three examples from personality-health research are used for illustrative purposes. First, variance from personality traits and facets can be partitioned to reveal specific associations with health criteria. Second, multiple health behaviours can be combined into a “lifestyle” factor that predicts mortality. Third, the cortisol output across the day can be modelled as a growth curve and related to personality traits. In each example, the resulting effect sizes are larger than those obtained from using a traditional alternative. Implications for model choice in psychology are discussed. An unresolved issue remains: how best to communicate latent variable models to wider audiences and other disciplines?