Dataset Information

Daily and Seasonal Variation in Light Exposure among the Old Order Amish.

ABSTRACT: Exposure to artificial bright light in the late evening and early night, common in modern society, triggers phase delay of circadian rhythms, contributing to delayed sleep phase syndrome and seasonal affective disorder. Studying a unique population like the Old Order Amish (OOA), whose lifestyles resemble pre-industrial societies, may increase understanding of light's relationship with health. Thirty-three participants (aged 25-74, mean age 53.5; without physical or psychiatric illnesses) from an OOA community in Lancaster, PA, were assessed with wrist-worn actimeters/light loggers for at least 2 consecutive days during winter/spring (15 January-16 April) and spring/summer (14 May-10 September). Daily activity, sleep-wake cycles, and their relationship with light exposure were analyzed. Overall activity levels and light exposure increased with longer photoperiod length. While seasonal variations in the amount and spectral content of light exposure were equivalent to those reported previously for non-Amish groups, the OOA experienced a substantially (~10-fold) higher amplitude of diurnal variation in light exposure (darker nights and brighter days) throughout the year than reported for the general population. This pattern may be contributing to lower rates of SAD, short sleep, delayed sleep phase, eveningness, and metabolic dysregulation, previously reported among the OOA population.

SUBMITTER: Lee EE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7344929 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Daily and Seasonal Variation in Light Exposure among the Old Order Amish.

Lee Ellen E EE Amritwar Ameya A Hong L Elliot LE Mohyuddin Iqra I Brown Timothy T Postolache Teodor T TT

International journal of environmental research and public health 20200621 12

Exposure to artificial bright light in the late evening and early night, common in modern society, triggers phase delay of circadian rhythms, contributing to delayed sleep phase syndrome and seasonal affective disorder. Studying a unique population like the Old Order Amish (OOA), whose lifestyles resemble pre-industrial societies, may increase understanding of light's relationship with health. Thirty-three participants (aged 25-74, mean age 53.5; without physical or psychiatric illnesses) from a ...[more]

PMID: 32575882

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Project description:Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the form of vitamin and supplement use is increasingly prevalent in the United States. The interplay between CAM use and use of conventional medications is not well studied. We examined this issue in Old Order Amish (OOA), a population lacking several factors known to influence supplement use, whose culture and barriers to conventional medications may result in high rates of supplement use.We characterized the patterns of supplement use in OOA, including the extent to which CAM use aggregates in families, and assessed whether higher use of supplements is associated with lower medication use.We conducted a cross-sectional study of conventional medications and supplements in 2,372 adult Amish from the Lancaster County, PA, area. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews. Supplements were subcategorized as herbal vs vitamin/mineral supplements.Seventy-seven percent of all Amish adults reported current supplement use, whereas 22% reported medication use. Women used supplements more often and used more supplements than men, and familial aggregation of supplement use was stronger in family pairs involving women. Supplement use was associated with less medication use after controlling for age, sex, body mass index, and self-reported histories of hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.96, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.00; P=0.047). This association was driven primarily by use of herbal supplements (adjusted OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.89 to 0.99; P=0.025) as vitamin/mineral supplements were not associated with different use of medication (adjusted OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.09; P=0.8). In analyses limited to cardiovascular medications and cardiovascular supplements in participants with hyperlipidemia, hypertension, or diabetes, supplement use was not associated with conventional medication use.OAA, particularly women, take dietary supplements much more frequently than they use conventional medications. Use of herbal supplements is associated with less use of conventional medications, whereas vitamin/mineral supplement use is not.

Dataset Information

Daily and Seasonal Variation in Light Exposure among the Old Order Amish.

Publications

Daily and Seasonal Variation in Light Exposure among the Old Order Amish.

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