scholarly journals Assessing and implementing practical ways to address slum health determinants: Learning from India

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Agarwal ◽  
S Verma ◽  
N Verma ◽  
K Kothiwal
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Good Condition ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Determinants ◽  
Garbage Disposal ◽  
Colour Scale ◽  
Scalable Methods

Abstract Issue There is a need for adaptable/scalable methods to understand environmental determinants of health and well-being in slums of LMIC cities. Catalysing grassroots actions to reduce health inequalities is needed with strong community leadership in slums. Methods Conducted in 2016-2017 in Indore (3 m population), India this practice undertakes qualitative health assessments using simple, actionable indicators with community knowledge and prioritizes solutions. Participatory neighbourhood level assessment of sewerage, toilets, garbage disposal and water supply by slum women was done using three colour scale: red for poor condition, yellow for moderate condition and green for good condition across 24 slums. Since slum women live these challenges daily, they can assess conditions. A qualitative adaptation of WHO's Urban HEART, this practice seeks to learn how slum women assess conditions, implement actions for improvement of slum environment. Results Context responsive actions included submitting community petitions and reminders to Municipal authorities by slum women to repair sewerage lines, construct toilets, increase regularity of garbage collection and improve public water supply in slums. Of 24 slums assessed in 2016, 6 were designated as “red”, 14 as “yellow” and 4 as “green” on condition of toilets and sewerage. On garbage disposal and water supply, 8 slums were designated as “red”, 10 as “yellow” and 6 as “green”. With coordination with Municipal authorities in 2017, slums on “red” reduced to 3 in each group, those assessed as “green” increased to 10 with improved conditions. Lessons This approach helps slum communities to assess problems and implement solutions. The methodology is simple, low-cost, easily understood by less educated, academics, policy makers and uses community wisdom. It is adaptable for NGOs, relevant policies/guidelines in LMIC cities. This collective community health assessment directly catalyses demand side action. Key messages Collective efficacy is a group’s shared belief in its ability to utilize information, pursue actions to overcome obstacles accomplishing a valued goal. This method is key to replicate this practice. People’s efforts to bring public services to the slums through collective action can reduce urban health inequality.

scholarly journals Motion Sensor-Based Detection of Outlier Days Supporting Continuous Health Assessment for Single Older Adults

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6080
Author(s):  
Marc Mertens ◽  
Glen Debard ◽  
Jesse Davis ◽  
Els Devriendt ◽  
Koen Milisen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Synthetic Data ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Motion Sensors ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Fall Incident ◽  
Real World Setting ◽  
Small Set ◽  
Health And Well Being

The aging population has resulted in interest in remote monitoring of elderly individuals’ health and well being. This paper describes a simple unsupervised monitoring system that can automatically detect if an elderly individual’s pattern of presence deviates substantially from the recent past. The proposed system uses a small set of low-cost motion sensors and analyzes the produced data to establish an individual’s typical presence pattern. Then, the algorithm uses a distance function to determine whether the individual’s observed presence for each day significantly deviates from their typical pattern. Empirically, the algorithm is validated on both synthetic data and data collected by installing our system in the residences of three older individuals. In the real-world setting, the system detected, respectively, five, four, and one deviating days in the three locations. The deviating days detected by the system could result from a health issue that requires attention. The information from the system can aid caregivers in assessing the subject’s health status and allows for a targeted intervention. Although the system can be refined, we show that otherwise hidden but relevant events (e.g., fall incident and irregular sleep patterns) are detected and reported to the caregiver.

scholarly journals Framework for Structural Health Monitoring of Steel Bridges by Computer Vision

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Marchewka ◽  
Patryk Ziółkowski ◽  
Victor Aguilar-Vidal
Keyword(s):  
Image Processing ◽  
Structural Health Monitoring ◽  
Health Monitoring ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Good Condition ◽  
Route Planning ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structural Condition ◽  
Steel Bridges ◽  
Structural Health

The monitoring of a structural condition of steel bridges is an important issue. Good condition of infrastructure facilities ensures the safety and economic well-being of society. At the same time, due to the continuous development, rising wealth of the society and socio-economic integration of countries, the number of infrastructural objects is growing. Therefore, there is a need to introduce an easy-to-use and relatively low-cost method of bridge diagnostics. We can achieve these benefits by the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Based Remote Sensing and Digital Image Processing. In our study, we present a state-of-the-art framework for Structural Health Monitoring of steel bridges that involves literature review on steel bridges health monitoring, drone route planning, image acquisition, identification of visual markers that may indicate a poor condition of the structure and determining the scope of applicability. The presented framework of image processing procedure is suitable for diagnostics of steel truss riveted bridges. In our considerations, we used photographic documentation of the Fitzpatrick Bridge located in Tallassee, Alabama, USA.

EVALUASI KUALITAS PERAIRAN DALAM PEMBENIHAN IKAN KERAPU TIKUS (Cromileptis altivelis) Di HATCHERY PERAIRAN TANJUNG RIAU BATAM

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ratu Siti Aliah
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Good Condition ◽  
Brood Stock ◽  
Water Storage Tank ◽  
Water Quality Status ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Normal Status ◽  
Tank Water ◽  
Quality Status

An evaluation of the water quality at the hatchery of Tanjung Riau was conducted to understand the water quality status at the several place of the hatchery unit such as brood stock tanks, larva rearing tank, water storage tank, fi ngerling tank as well as the source of the water supply. The water quality status of Tanjung Riau generally is in a good condition to support the hatchery activities, but for turbidity and salinity were in the exceed and below the normal status and its infl uence on the spawning activity. To overcome the problem on the spawning of the brood stock, the improving of water supply with higher salinity and low turbidity should be set up to ensure the succeeded of the spawning.Key words : Water quality, grouper brood stock, hatchery,Tanjung Riau Batam

Feasibility study of technology-enabled prevention intervention for children and families (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikki Theofanopoulou ◽  
Katherine Isbister ◽  
Julian Edbrooke-Childs ◽  
Petr Slovák
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Digital Camera ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Object A ◽  
Intervention Delivery ◽  
Parents And Children

BACKGROUND A common challenge within psychiatry and prevention science more broadly is the lack of effective, engaging, and scale-able mechanisms to deliver psycho-social interventions for children, especially beyond in-person therapeutic or school-based contexts. Although digital technology has the potential to address these issues, existing research on technology-enabled interventions for families remains limited. OBJECTIVE The aim of this pilot study was to examine the feasibility of in-situ deployments of a low-cost, bespoke prototype, which has been designed to support children’s in-the-moment emotion regulation efforts. This prototype instantiates a novel intervention model that aims to address the existing limitations by delivering the intervention through an interactive object (a ‘smart toy’) sent home with the child, without any prior training necessary for either the child or their carer. This pilot study examined (i) engagement and acceptability of the device in the homes during 1 week deployments; and (ii) qualitative indicators of emotion regulation effects, as reported by parents and children. METHODS In this qualitative study, ten families (altogether 11 children aged 6-10 years) were recruited from three under-privileged communities in the UK. The RA visited participants in their homes to give children the ‘smart toy’ and conduct a semi-structured interview with at least one parent from each family. Children were given the prototype, a discovery book, and a simple digital camera to keep at home for 7-8 days, after which we interviewed each child and their parent about their experience. Thematic analysis guided the identification and organisation of common themes and patterns across the dataset. In addition, the prototypes automatically logged every interaction with the toy throughout the week-long deployments. RESULTS Across all 10 families, parents and children reported that the ‘smart toy’ was incorporated into children’s emotion regulation practices and engaged with naturally in moments children wanted to relax or calm down. Data suggests that children interacted with the toy throughout the duration of the deployment, found the experience enjoyable, and all requested to keep the toy longer. Child emotional connection to the toy—caring for its ‘well-being’—appears to have driven this strong engagement. Parents reported satisfaction with and acceptability of the toy. CONCLUSIONS This is the first known study investigation of the use of object-enabled intervention delivery to support emotion regulation in-situ. The strong engagement and qualitative indications of effects are promising – children were able to use the prototype without any training and incorporated it into their emotion regulation practices during daily challenges. Future work is needed to extend this indicative data with efficacy studies examining the psychological efficacy of the proposed intervention. More broadly, our findings suggest the potential of a technology-enabled shift in how prevention interventions are designed and delivered: empowering children and parents through ‘child-led, situated interventions’, where participants learn through actionable support directly within family life, as opposed to didactic in-person workshops and a subsequent skills application.

Health and Well-Being in Adolescence

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan M. Sawyer ◽  
George C. Patton
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Brain Maturation ◽  
Health Determinants ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Disability Adjusted Life ◽  
Life Years ◽  
High Benefit ◽  
Health And Well Being

This chapter describes how the profile of physical and mental health and well-being changes across adolescence. The biological context of healthy adolescent growth and development is reviewed, including secular patterns of puberty and brain maturation. The structural and social determinants of adolescent health are then described. Adolescent health outcomes, including patterns of risk behaviors, emerge from the interaction between biological influences and social health determinants. Estimates of mortality and disability-adjusted life years are used to describe three patterns of adolescent health and well-being that vary by age, sex, and national wealth. Globally, the burden of disease increases across adolescence, varying markedly between and within countries. Comprehensive, multisectoral, evidence-informed actions are required that match these conspicuous adolescent health problems, emerging health risks, and major social determinants. Such actions, including quality education and health services, differ greatly from those that benefit younger children yet have similarly high benefit–cost ratios.

scholarly journals I’m No Superman: fostering physician resilience through guided group discussion of Scrubs

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur Holtzclaw ◽  
Jack Ellis ◽  
Christopher Colombo
Keyword(s):  
Internal Medicine ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Internal Medicine Residency ◽  
Resiliency Training ◽  
High Satisfaction ◽  
Burn Out

Abstract Background Almost half of trainees experience burnout during their career. Despite the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) recommendation that training programs enact well-being curricula, there is no proven method of addressing this difficult topic. Methods We created a curriculum addressing physician resiliency and well-being, designed for an Internal Medicine Residency Program. This curriculum utilized episodes from a medical television series, Scrubs, to facilitate a monthly, 1-h faculty guided discussion group. We collected informal feedback and abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventories (aMBI) monthly and conducted a formal focus group after 6 months to gauge its effectiveness. Results The curriculum was successfully conducted for 12 months with each session averaging 18–20 residents. Residents reported high satisfaction, stating it was more enjoyable and helpful than traditional resiliency training. 19 of 24 residents (79 %) completed a baseline aMBI, and 17 of 20 residents (85 %) who attended the most recent session completed the 6-month follow-up, showing a non-significant 1-point improvement in all subsets of the aMBI. Conclusions This novel, low-cost, easily implemented curriculum addressed resiliency and burn-out in an Internal Medicine Residency. It was extremely well received and can easily be expanded to other training programs or to providers outside of training.

scholarly journals A Framework for a New Approach to Empower Users Through Low-Cost and Do-It-Yourself Assistive Technology

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 3039
Author(s):  
Thais Pousada García ◽  
Jessica Garabal-Barbeira ◽  
Patricia Porto Trillo ◽  
Olalla Vilar Figueira ◽  
Cristina Novo Díaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Assistive Device ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Do It Yourself ◽  
Principles Of Design

Background: Assistive Technology (AT) refers to “assistive products and related systems and services developed for people to maintain or improve functioning and thereby to promote well-being”. Improving the process of design and creation of assistive products is an important step towards strengthening AT provision. Purpose: (1) to present a framework for designing and creating Low-Cost AT; (2) to display the preliminary results and evidence derived from applying the framework. Methodology: First, an evidence-based process was applied to develop and conceptualize the framework. Then, a pilot project to validate the framework was carried out. The sample was formed by 11 people with disabilities. The measure instruments were specific questionnaire, several forms of the Matching Person-Technology model, the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Device Scale, and a tool to assess the usability and universal design of AT. Results: The framework integrates three phases: Identification (Design), Creation (Making the prototype), and Implementation (Outcome Measures), based on the principles of Design Thinking, and with a user-centered perspective. The preliminary results showed the coherence of the entire process and its applicability. The matching between person and device was high, representing the importance of involving the user in the design and selection of AT. Conclusions: The framework is a guide for professionals and users to apply a Low-Cost and Do-It-Yourself perspective to the provision of AT. It highlights the importance of monitoring the entire procedure and measuring the effects, by applying the outcome measures.

scholarly journals Lively Social Space, Well-Being Activity, and Urban Design: Findings From a Low-Cost Community-Led Public Space Intervention

2016 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 685-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Anderson ◽  
Kai Ruggeri ◽  
Koen Steemers ◽  
Felicia Huppert
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Urban Design ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact

Empirical urban design research emphasizes the support in vitality of public space use. We examine the extent to which a public space intervention promoted liveliness and three key behaviors that enhance well-being (“connect,” “be active,” and “take notice”). The exploratory study combined directly observed behaviors with self-reported, before and after community-led physical improvements to a public space in central Manchester (the United Kingdom). Observation data ( n = 22,956) and surveys (subsample = 212) were collected over two 3-week periods. The intervention brought significant and substantial increases in liveliness of the space and well-being activities. None of these activities showed increases in a control space during the same periods. The findings demonstrate the feasibility of the research methods, and the impact of improved quality of outdoor neighborhood space on liveliness and well-being activities. The local community also played a key role in conceiving of and delivering an effective and affordable intervention. The findings have implications for researchers, policy makers, and communities alike.

A review on bromate occurrence and removal strategies in water supply

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 131-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Xie ◽  
C. Shang
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Drinking Water Standard ◽  
Carbon Adsorption ◽  
The Us ◽  
Current Maximum ◽  
Ammonia Addition ◽  
Removal Technologies

The need of disinfecting potable water to eliminate potential health risks associated with waterborne pathogens, however inevitably resulting in leaving elevated toxicity in water by forming disinfection by-products (DBPs) is being considered as one of the primary threats to human well-being. Bromate is a carcinogenic DBP mainly formed during ozonation of bromide-containing water. The current maximum contaminant level (MCL) of bromate in the US national primary drinking water standard is set at 10 μg/L. With continuous improvements in analytical instrumentation and removal technologies, a lower MCL for bromate is expected in the future. Current researches on bromate control strategies involve minimizing bromate formation (like ammonia addition) or removing bromate after formation (like carbon adsorption), however have their own limitations. Seeking for alternative bromate control strategies that can be used alone (or in combine with others) is of great value and in urgent need when water quality standards are getting more stringent. This paper reviews the occurrence of bromate in water supply and evaluates the effectiveness of bromate removal technologies applied, to advance our understanding of bromate fate and degradation in water supply system for future study.

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