(Press-News.org) Contact information: Emma Dickinson
edickinson@bmj.com
44-020-738-36529
BMJ-British Medical Journal
Sporting success does affect birth rates
Catalan births rose by 16 percent 9 months after FC Barcelona won 3 major trophies
Births in a Catalan region of Spain increased by 16% nine months after FC Barcelona won three major football trophies in 2009, finds a study in the Christmas edition of The BMJ.
The findings confirm reports of a spike in the birth rate, although they fall far short of the 45% increase reported by some media at the time.
The researchers say their results suggest that "human emotions on a large scale can profoundly affect demographic swings in populations" and "could contribute to a better understanding of human behaviour, improve healthcare planning, and even aid government policy makers in stimulating or reducing birth rates."
On 6 May 2009, Andrés Iniesta scored a last minute goal against Chelsea FC, which put Football Club Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League final. Nine months later, Catalonia's local radio station broadcast the results of an informal survey of five hospitals, showing a 45% increase in the number of births.
The children born during this boom were dubbed "the Iniesta generation."
Similar claims have been made in the past, but have since been disproved. For example, the New York Times reported a 30% increase in births at five Manhattan hospitals after the 1965 blackout.
A team of health and statistical researchers in Catalonia wondered if the Iniesta effect in Catalonia was real, and, if so, whether the exhilaration associated with football or other sporting events can truly have profound demographic repercussions.
So they analysed monthly birth data over five years (2007-2011) including 11,000 births at two maternity centres in the Catalan counties of Bages and Solsones, which have a combined population of about 190,000 and include the town of Santpedor – the birthplace of Josep Guardiola, FC Barcelona's coach from 2008 to 2012.
After adjusting for several factors, they found a significant (16%) increase in births in February 2010, nine months after FC Barcelona's exciting victories, and an 11% increase in March compared with other years.
This study confirms media reports of an increase in births nine months after FC Barcelona's extraordinary sporting successes in May 2009, say the authors. However, the results fall far short of the reported 45%. They also suggest that the term "Iniesta generation" is a misnomer.
The results also show a decline in births from the second half of 2010, which the authors suspect may be caused by the Spanish economic crisis and a decline in planned births.
"In summary, our results may have several different interpretations," say the authors. "One is that human emotions on a large scale can profoundly affect demographic swings in populations, that national or regional events can reduce the weight of reason and increase the weight of passion.
Validation of our results could contribute to a better understanding of human behaviour, improve healthcare planning, and even aid government policy makers in stimulating or reducing birth rates," they conclude. However, one should always be cautious in interpreting the results of an observational study.
"Ideally, to bridge the gap between observational and trial data, it would help greatly if Iniesta were willing to replicate his intervention - although the cost of such a study could be prohibitive, not to mention harmful to the reference group (Chelsea)," they add.
### END
Sporting success does affect birth rates
Catalan births rose by 16 percent 9 months after FC Barcelona won 3 major trophies
2013-12-18
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
2013-12-18
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
150 year old proverb stands the test of time, say researchers
Prescribing an apple a day to all adults aged 50 and over would prevent or delay around 8,500 vascular deaths such as heart attacks and strokes every year ...
Cells from the eye are inkjet printed for the first time
2013-12-18
Cells from the eye are inkjet printed for the first time
A group of researchers from the UK have used inkjet printing technology to successfully print cells taken from the eye for the very first time.
The breakthrough, which has been detailed in a paper published ...
Freezing semen doubles the chances of fatherhood for men after treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma
2013-12-18
Freezing semen doubles the chances of fatherhood for men after treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma
Men with Hodgkin lymphoma who want to become fathers after their cancer treatment have greatly increased chances of doing so if they have frozen and stored ...
Sunlight adaptation region of Neanderthal genome found in up to 65 percent of modern East Asian population
2013-12-18
Sunlight adaptation region of Neanderthal genome found in up to 65 percent of modern East Asian population
Recent highlights in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution
With the Neanderthal genome now published, for the first ...
A roly-poly pika gathers much moss
2013-12-18
A roly-poly pika gathers much moss
High-fiber salad bar may help lagomorphs survive climate change
SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 18, 2013 – In some mountain ranges, Earth's warming climate is driving rabbit relatives known as pikas to higher elevations or wiping them out. But ...
Lower Rio Grande Basin study shows shortfall in future water supply
2013-12-18
Lower Rio Grande Basin study shows shortfall in future water supply
Reclamation study finds shortfall of 678,522 acre-feet of water per year will be needed in basin in 2060 due to increased demand and climate change
WASHINGTON - Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Michael ...
Performance-enhancing drug use more prevalent than Type 1 diabetes or HIV infection
2013-12-18
Performance-enhancing drug use more prevalent than Type 1 diabetes or HIV infection
Endocrine Society unveils scientific statement on the health consequences of performance-enhancing drugs
Chevy Chase, MD— A new Scientific Statement issued today by The Endocrine Society ...
MU researchers develop advanced 3-dimensional 'force microscope'
2013-12-18
MU researchers develop advanced 3-dimensional 'force microscope'
Innovation could lead to faster drug therapies and increased understanding of proteins on the microscopic level
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Membrane proteins are the "gatekeepers" that allow information ...
Bonobos stay young longer
2013-12-18
Bonobos stay young longer
Contrary to humans and chimpanzees bonobos retain elevated thyroid hormones well into adulthood
This news release is available in German. Despite the fact that chimpanzees and bonobos share similar starting conditions ...
Exposing the roots of the lithium battery problem
2013-12-18
Exposing the roots of the lithium battery problem
Berkeley Lab researchers find dendrite problem starts below the surface
The lithium-ion batteries that power our laptops, smartphones and electric vehicles could have significantly higher energy density ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
With no prior training, dogs can infer how similar types of toys work, even when they don’t look alike
Three deadliest risk factors of a common liver disease identified in new study
Dogs can extend word meanings to new objects based on function, not appearance
Palaeontology: South American amber deposit ‘abuzz’ with ancient insects
Oral microbes linked to increased risk of pancreatic cancer
Soccer heading does most damage to brain area critical for cognition
US faces rising death toll from wildfire smoke, study finds
Scenario projections of COVID-19 burden in the US, 2024-2025
Disparities by race and ethnicity in percutaneous coronary intervention
Glioblastoma cells “unstick” from their neighbors to become more deadly
Oral bacterial and fungal microbiome and subsequent risk for pancreatic cancer
New light on toxicity of Bluefin tuna
Menopause drug reduces hot flashes by more than 70%, international clinical trial finds
FGF21 muscle hormone associated with slow ALS progression and extended survival
Hitting the right note: The healing power of music therapy in the cardiac ICU
Cardiovascular disease risk rises in Mexico, despite improved cholesterol control
Flexible optical touch sensor simultaneously pinpoints pressure strength and location
Achalasia diagnosis simplified to AI plus X-ray
PolyU scholars pioneer smart and sustainable personal cooling technologies to address global extreme heat
NIH grant aims for childhood vaccine against HIV
Menstrual cycle and long COVID: A relation confirmed
WMO report on global water resources: 2024 was characterized by both extreme drought and intense rainfall
New findings explain how a mutation in a cancer-related gen causes pulmonary fibrosis
Thermal trigger
SNU materials science and engineering team identifies reconstruction mechanism of copper alloy catalysts for CO₂ conversion
New book challenges misconceptions about evolution and our place in the tree of life
Decoding a decade of grouper grunts unlocks spawning secrets, shifts
Smart robots revolutionize structural health monitoring
Serum-derived hsa_circ_101555 as a diagnostic biomarker in non-hepatocellular carcinoma chronic liver disease
Korea University study identifies age 70 as cutoff for chemotherapy benefit in colorectal cancer
[Press-News.org] Sporting success does affect birth ratesCatalan births rose by 16 percent 9 months after FC Barcelona won 3 major trophies