Multilevel Analysis in Obesity Research

Objectives The purposes of this study were to investigate the attitudes toward physical education and physical activity levels of middle school students in Jiangxi Province, China, and explore the relationship between these two factors. Methods The subjects consisted of 722 middle school students (male: 371 and female: 351) from 7th to 9th grade at four public middle schools in Jiangxi Province, China. The measurement tools were used the Chinese version of Students' Attitude Toward Physical Education (Hu et al., 2014) and the Chinese version of Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (Li, 2015). For data analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), descriptive statistics, univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA), multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were performed, using SPSS 26 and AMOS 27 statistical program. Results The results showed that first, participants' attitudes toward physical education were generally positive across all grades and genders, with average scores above 3.0 for all sub-factors. According to the result of MANOVA, gender had a significant impact on all dependent variables [CE: F(1, 716)=21.795, p<.05; CU: F(1, 716)=14.818, p<.05; TE: F(1, 716)=18.150, p<.05; TU: F(1, 716)=8.130, p<.05]; however, grade did not significantly affect attitudes. Second, physical activity levels varied by gender and grade, with males generally exhibiting higher (2.34) scores than females (1.88). According to a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), both gender [F(1, 716)=80.342, p＜.05] and grade [F(2, 716)=24.351, p＜.05) had significant effects on physical activity scores, while the interaction effect between grade and gender was not significant [F(2, 716)=1.659, p＞.05]. Third, correlation analysis revealed slightly positive relationships between physical activity and the four sub-scales of attitude [CE (r=.290, p<.05); CU (r=.299, p<.05); TE (r=.326, p<.05); TU (r=.283, p<.05)]. Conclusions The results of this study are expected to enhance the understanding of middle school students by schools and physical education teachers for the development of physical education in China, and to contribute to the development of future physical education programs by providing theoretical evidence.

Multivariate analysis refers to statistical techniques that simultaneously look at three or more variables in relation to the subjects under investigation with the aim of identifying or clarifying the relationships between them. These techniques have been broadly classified as dependence techniques, which explore the relationship between one or more dependent variables and their independent predictors, and interdependence techniques, that make no such distinction but treat all variables equally in a search for underlying relationships. Multiple linear regression models a situation where a single numerical dependent variable is to be predicted from multiple numerical independent variables. Logistic regression is used when the outcome variable is dichotomous in nature. The log-linear technique models count type of data and can be used to analyze cross-tabulations where more than two variables are included. Analysis of covariance is an extension of analysis of variance (ANOVA), in which an additional independent variable of interest, the covariate, is brought into the analysis. It tries to examine whether a difference persists after “controlling” for the effect of the covariate that can impact the numerical dependent variable of interest. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) is a multivariate extension of ANOVA used when multiple numerical dependent variables have to be incorporated in the analysis. Interdependence techniques are more commonly applied to psychometrics, social sciences and market research. Exploratory factor analysis and principal component analysis are related techniques that seek to extract from a larger number of metric variables, a smaller number of composite factors or components, which are linearly related to the original variables. Cluster analysis aims to identify, in a large number of cases, relatively homogeneous groups called clusters, without prior information about the groups. The calculation intensive nature of multivariate analysis has so far precluded most researchers from using these techniques routinely. The situation is now changing with wider availability, and increasing sophistication of statistical software and researchers should no longer shy away from exploring the applications of multivariate methods to real-life data sets.

This book describes a practical aproach to univariate and multivariate analysis of variance. It starts with a general non-mathematical account of the fundamental theories and this is followed by a discussion of a series of examples using real data sets from the authors' own work in clinical trials, psychology and industry. Included are discussions of factorial and nested designs, structures on the multiple dependent variables measured on each subject, repeated measures analyses, covariates, choice of text statistic and simultaneous test procedures.

Samples (0.5 m 2 ) were taken from the South Llano River, Kimble County, Tex., to determine inter- and intraspecific differences in microhabitat association for the three most abundant species of Naucoridae. Various aspects of substratum condition, current speed, temperature, depth, as well as complex key hydraulic features, were used to characterize the microhabitat for each sample. Eight species of naucorids occur in the river; however, only Ambrysus circumcinctus Montandon, Cryphocricos hungerfordi Usinger, and Limnocoris lutzi La Rivers occurred with sufficient frequency in our samples to allow statistical analysis. None of the three species exhibited age-related differences in microhabitat association based on multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), and none of the examined abiotic variables yielded significant differences between nymphs and adults when analyzed from a univariate perspective except Froude number for L. lutzi . Both A. circumcinctus and C. hungerfordi exhibited highly significant differences (MANOVA) in abiotic characteristics between quadrats of occurrence and nonoccurrence. Results of individual analyses of variance (ANOVAs) indicated that 9 of the 10 abiotic variables were significant for A. circumcinctus and 8 for C. hungerfordi . In contrast, quadrats where L. lutzi occurred could not be distinguished from those in which it was absent based on MANOVA, and only two abiotic variables exhibited significance in the ANOVAs. Associations between age groups (nymphs and adults) within a species and between all possible species pairs (combined age groups) also were evaluated with contingency X2 tests using presence-absence data and with Pearson's product–moment correlations using density data. In all cases, significant negative associations were not detected, suggesting that neither age groups nor species exhibit microhabitat segregation. Discriminant function analysis for each species supported MANOVA results on presence–absence data. Separate multiple step-up regressions were used to evaluate which abiotic factors were most related to the density for each species. Significant variables included mean current speed, which accounted for 23.8% of the variation in density of A. circumcinctus ; rock standard error of the mean, which accounted for 43.1% of the variation in density of C. hungerfordi ; Froude number and depth range, which together accounted for 39.0% of the variation in densitiy of L. lutzi . In summary, each common naucorid clearly shows microhabitat associations, but the evidence of interspecific differences is indirect.

Multitasking typically requires an individual to simultaneously process cognitive information while performing a motor task. Cognitive motor interference (CMi) is encountered when cognitive challenges negatively impact motor task performance. Military personnel encounter cognitively taxing situations, especially during combat or other tactical performance scenarios, which may lead to injury or motor performance deficits (i.e., shooting inaccuracy, delayed stimulus-response time, and slowed movement speed). The purpose of the current study was to develop four cognitive motor shooting paradigms to determine the effects of cognitive load on shooting performance in healthy Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets. Thirty-two healthy collegiate ROTC members (24 male and 8 female; 20.47 ± 1.24 years, 174.95 ± 10.58 cm, and 77.99 ± 13.90 kg) were recruited to complete four simulated shooting tasks with additional "motor" challenge (180° turn, gait, weighted, and unweighted landing) and with and without a "cognitive" decision-making challenge requiring response selection and inhibition to both auditory and visual stimuli, totaling eight multi-task cognitive motor shooting conditions. The current study was approved by the university's Institutional Review Board. Task initiation (seconds), task completion (seconds), and number of misses were calculated to determine marksmanship efficiency and accuracy. For each task, a multivariate repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted for the combined dependent variables. If the overall multivariate repeated-measures ANOVA was significant, follow-up univariate ANOVAs were conducted for each dependent variable. Alpha was set at α = 0.05 for all analyses. Task initiation increased for the cognitive condition for the 180° turn (4.29 ± 1.22 seconds baseline, 5.09 ± 1.39 seconds cognitive; P < .05), gait (2.76 ± .60 seconds baseline, 3.93 ± .62 seconds cognitive; P < .05), unweighted (1.27 ± .57 seconds baseline, 3.39 ± .63 seconds cognitive; P < .05), and weighted landing (1.46 ± .72 seconds baseline, 3.35 ± .60 seconds cognitive; P < .05). Task completion time increased for the cognitive condition for the 180° turn (3.48 ± 1.53 seconds baseline, 4.85 ± 1.24 seconds cognitive; P < .05), gait (7.84 ± 2.07 seconds baseline, 9.23 ± 1.76 seconds cognitive; P < .05), unweighted (5.98 ± 1.55 seconds baseline, 7.45 ± 1.51 seconds cognitive; P < .05), and weighted landing (6.09 ± 1.42 seconds baseline, 7.25 ± 1.79 seconds cognitive; P < .05). There were no statistically significant differences in the number of misses for any of the tasks between conditions (P > .05). The addition of a cognitive load increased both task initiation and task completion times during cognitive motor simulated shooting. Adding cognitive loads to tactical performance tasks can result in CMi and negatively impact tactical performance. Thus, consideration for additional cognitive challenges into training may be warranted to reduce the potential CMi effect on tactical performance.

This article compares the advantages and disadvantages of two multivariate methods for the analysis of small grolup communication data, log-linear contingency table analysis and multivariate analysis of variance, in the context of ani experimental design. The independent conditions were discussion procedure, task solution multiplicity, and discussion topic. Participant communication behaviors, the dependent variables, were coded into a mix of 15 task social, and procedural categories. The analyses of communication indicated that log-linzear analyasis produced thle most complex models for various behaviors, including both single-factor and multifactor termns. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) findings at tlte grolup level provided the most parsimonious explanations, with a main effect of discussion procedure. Some MANOVA results at the individual level were similar to loglitnear mnodels in their complexity, whereas others duplicated the results of the group-level MANOVA. The differing outcomes from these methods point to several design considerations that should be taken account when choosing a statistical test for group communication data.

Objective To investigate the statistical.method for analyzing nurse job burnout Data. Methods Hotelling T2 test and multivariate analysis of variance(MANOVA)were used to analyze nurse job burnout datum. Results There was statistical significance between different cities,different ethnieities in the personal achievements,hut from three dimensions of the whole job burnout,there are no statistical sig-nificant differences among different cities, different ethnicities and different ages. Conclusions The use of Hotelling T2 test and multivariate analysis of variance to analyzing nurse job burnout data, not only ob-tain overall conclusion, and further use of single-variable analysis may also gain comparative results of each dimensions. Key words: Job burnout; Hotelling T2 test; Multivariate analysis of variance

There has been a recent call to improve data reporting in kinesiology journals, including the appropriate use of univariate and multivariate analysis techniques. For example, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) with univariate post hocs and a Bonferroni correction is frequently used to investigate group differences on multiple dependent variables. However, this univariate approach decreases power, increases the risk for Type 1 error, and contradicts the rationale for conducting multivariate tests in the first place. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to provide a user-friendly primer on conducting descriptive discriminant analysis (DDA), which is a post-hoc strategy to MANOVA that takes into account the complex relationships among multiple dependent variables. Method: A real-world example using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences syntax and data from 1,095 middle school students on their body composition and body image are provided to explain and interpret the results from DDA. Results: While univariate post hocs increased the risk for Type 1 error to 76%, the DDA identified which dependent variables contributed to group differences and which groups were different from each other. For example, students in the very lean and Healthy Fitness Zone categories for body mass index experienced less pressure to lose weight, more satisfaction with their body, and higher physical self-concept than the Needs Improvement Zone groups. However, perceived pressure to gain weight did not contribute to group differences because it was a suppressor variable. Conclusion: Researchers are encouraged to use DDA when investigating group differences on multiple correlated dependent variables to determine which variables contributed to group differences.

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate group counselors’ counter transference reactions toward their clients who provoked the counselors’ strong emotions in a counseling group and the related factors as family-of-origin experience and training level in Taiwan. Using the Ratings of Emtional Attitudes to Client by Therapist Scale (REACT) and the Family-of-Origin Scale (FOS), 73 group counselors in Taiwan reported their counter transference and family-of-origin experiences in this study. The factor analysis, Cronbach’s alpha (, and split-half correlation revealed overall acceptable validity and high reliability of the Chinese version of the REACT and FOS. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), and multiple regression analysis were applied to the data collection. The major findings were as follows: (a) novice counselors reported significantly stronger counter transference feelings than the experienced counselors; (b)novice counselors perceived early family experiences similarly to experienced counselors, however, on the “acceptance of loss” factor the experienced counselors reported better family experiences than did novice counselors; (c) counselors who perceived better or worse family-of-origin experiences did not have did not have different counter transference experiences in group counseling; and (d) counter transference scores were significantly affected by training level; the four FOS factor and hours of counseling experience did make a contribution to the prediction of the REACT scores, but the contribution was not unique. Factor IV (trust) of the FOS was the only predictor at the significance level of .05 on countertransference reaction. These findings may be useful for counselor educators, counseling researchers, and counselors to emphasize the counter transference phenomenon and family background in counseling. Recommendations were provided fro future studies which would be important in developing instruments for assessing counter transference as well as improving counselor education and supervision programs in Taiwan.

Morphometrics is a quantitative analysis depending on the shape and size of several specimens. Morphometric quantitative analyses are commonly used to analyse fossil record, shape and size of specimens and others. The aim of the study is to find the differences between rocky mountain wolves and arctic wolves based on gender. The sample utilised secondary data which included seven variables as independent variables and two dependent variables. Statistical modelling was used in the analysis such was the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The results showed there exist differentiating results between arctic wolves and rocky mountain wolves based on independent factors and gender.

Depressive symptoms and suicidality in women experiencing intimate partner violence

More than two decades have passed since Lyle Jones (1966) wrote a chapter titled “Analysis of Variance in Its Multivariate Developments” in the first edition of this handbook. Many new developments have been made, and the technique has come to be much more widely known and applied in the behavioral sciences. The term “multivariate analysis of variance” and its acronym, MANOVA, are almost universally known among psychologists, and the circumlocution, “analysis of variance in its multivariate developments,” today sounds almost archaic.

Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) allows an examination of potential mean differences between groups of one or more categorical independent variables (IVs), extending analysis of variance (ANOVA) to include several continuous dependent variables (DVs) (e.g., Grimm & Yarnold, 1995; Harlow, 2005; Maxwell & Delaney, 2004; Tabachnick & Fidell, 2013).

One of the main outstanding problems in keyword mnemotechnics is whether this technique is more effective when the subjects generate their own keywords, or when the keywords are supplied by the experimenter. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. An alternative method has recently been suggested, in which the keywords are generated by the subjects' peers. In the present study we aimed to investigate whether immediate or delayed recall are affected by keyword generation method (experimenter or peer generation). We also aimed to determine whether the method of keyword generation affects imaging capacity as evaluated by questionnaires or spatial tests. A total of 377 secondary-school students were selected and divided into four groups. All subjects were presented with 30 Latin words. Additionally, the subjects in Group 1 were presented with bizarre images, while the subjects of Group 2 were presented with normal images, in both cases representing the keywords selected by peers as interacting with the Latin words. The subjects in Groups 3 and 4 were likewise presented with normal or bizarre images, respectively, but representing the keywords selected by the experimenters. The subjects' imaging capacity was evaluated by means of the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ) and the Spatial Test of Primary Mental Abilities (ST-PMA). The results were analysed by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) with three factors (ST-PMA imaging capacity, 2 levels; VVIQ imaging capacity, 2 levels; and mnemotechnic method, 4 levels) and dependent variables immediate recall and delayed recall. All three factors influenced recall. Subsequent univariate analyses of variance indicated that subjects with high ST-PMA score and subjects with high VVIQ score showed better immediate and delayed recall than subjects with low ST-PMA score and subjects with low VVIQ score. Mnemotechnic method (i.e. whether keywords are generated by the experimenter or by peers) significantly affected immediate recall but not delayed recall.

A health-behavior survey and the Type A structured Interview (SI) were administered to a general-population sample of 903 adults. Self-reports of nine health behaviors were used as dependent variables. Multivariate analyses of variance followed by two series of three-way analyses of variance were conducted by age, sex, and SI-assessed global Type A (or hostility). There were main effects and/or two-way interactions for all of the dependent variables. Global Type A behavior and hostility were positively related to higher frequency-quantity of alcohol use, more frequently exceeding the speed limit, fewer hours of sleep, and less-frequent breakfast. Three-way interactions indicated that men under the age of 60 who were classified as Type Al reported a higher frequency-quantity of alcohol use than any other subgroup. The highest percentage of current cigarette smokers was among the high-hostility young men. Implications for behavior-change programs and research are discussed.