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This article considers whether feelings of loneliness are associated with aspects of the home and neighborhood of residence. Multinominal logistic regression models were used to explore associations between residential environment and loneliness in 4,000 residents across deprived areas of Glasgow. People who rated their neighborhood environment of higher quality and who used more local amenities were less likely to report loneliness. Respondents who knew more people within the local area were less likely to report loneliness. Those who reported more antisocial behavior problems, who had a weak perception of collective efficacy, and who felt unsafe walking alone at nighttime were more likely to report loneliness. Length of residence and dwelling type were not associated with reported loneliness. The findings indicate the potential importance of several dimensions of the neighborhood physical, service, and social environment, including aspects of both quality and trust, in protecting against or reducing loneliness in deprived areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periconceptual folic acid prevents neural tube defects. The effect of folic acid taken throughout pregnancy is unclear, however. We re-analysed data from a large randomised controlled trial performed between 1966 and 1967 and combined the results with those from trials included in a Cochrane review. A total of 2928 women were randomised: 1977 were allocated to placebo, 466 to folic acid 200 µg/day and 485 to folic acid 5 mg/day.Folic acid supplementation was not associated with any difference in mean birthweight, placental weight or gestational age. When combined with trials in the Cochrane review folic acid at high doses was associated with reduced risk of low birthweight (pooled relative risk 0.73[95% CI 0.53, 0.99]). We found no conclusive evidence of benefit for folic acid supplementation in pregnant women given from time of booking onwards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many epidemiological studies consider sequences of events over time where the outcome of interest is determined, at least in part, by similar outcomes that have occurred in the past, e.g. risk of fetal death in successive pregnancies. In this situation, a probability tree can provide useful insights into the relationship between successive events. However, probability trees are usually limited to the display of a single variable, whereas the majority of studies also include other risk factors. Analyses involving other factors, particularly those that consider interactions, can produce an abundance of results that make identification of potentially interesting patterns difficult. A new graphical approach is described for simultaneously presenting the effects of two risk factors where one relates to a sequence of events over time. The graphical tree highlights patterns in the raw data and is therefore proposed for use in exploratory analyses and hypothesis generation. The approach is introduced and illustrated in the context of risk factors for fetal death, and an interaction between pregnancy history and maternal age is explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]