Urban rats have less variable, higher protein diets

Over the past 1000 years, rats ( Rattus spp.) have become one of the most successful and prolific pests in human society. Despite their cosmopolitan distribution across six continents and ubiquity throughout the world's cities, rat urban ecology remains poorly understood. We investigate the role of human foods in brown rat ( Rattus norvegicus ) diets in urban and rural areas over a 100 year period ( ca AD 1790–1890) in Toronto, Canada using stable carbon ( δ 13 C) and nitrogen ( δ 15 N) isotope analyses of archaeological remains. We found that rat diets from urban sites were of higher quality and were more homogeneous and stable over time. By contrast, in rural areas, they show a wide range of dietary niche specializations that directly overlap, and probably competed, with native omnivorous and herbivorous species. These results demonstrate a link between rodent diets and human population density, providing, to our knowledge, the first long-term dietary perspective on the relative value of different types of human settlements as rodent habitat. This study highlights the potential of using the historical and archaeological record to provide a retrospective on the urban ecology of commensal and synanthropic animals that could be useful for improving animal management and conservation strategies in urban areas.

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Extended Input–Output Model for Urbanization An Empirical Test Using Chinese Data

10.21203/rs.3.rs-16444/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Nobuhiro Okamoto

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Empirical Test ◽

Regional Economies ◽

Input Output ◽

Demographic Modeling ◽

Employment Multiplier ◽

Population Concentration ◽

Wide Range ◽

Urban And Rural Areas

Abstract Although the input–output model has been widely used for both pure economic analysis and environmental issues, demographic analysis has been relegated to the periphery in the input–output literature. Since the 1980s, Batey and his various co-researchers have made a significant contribution to the progress of economic–demographic modeling from the perspective of unemployment in the context of shrinking regional economies. This study focuses on another demographic aspect of the urbanization process by developing an extended input–output model for urbanization, using the so-called Batey–Madden model, which focuses on incorporating labor accounts with the input–output model. The study proposes a new “urbanization multiplier,” which implies strong population concentration in cities based on an employment multiplier in urban areas and labor allocation possibilities between urban and rural areas. According to a preliminary application to Chinese urbanization, economic structure can be said to determine the urbanization multiplier, indicating the extent of employment opportunities created in urban areas, and the size of the population attracted from rural areas. Furthermore, the study considers a wide range of possible applications of the input–output table in terms of urbanization.

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Rural–Urban Differences in Dietary Behavior and Obesity: Results of the Riskesdas Study in 10–18-Year-Old Indonesian Children and Adolescents

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu11112813 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 2813 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Esti Nurwanti ◽

Hamam Hadi ◽

Jung-Su Chang ◽

Jane C.-J. Chao ◽

Bunga Astria Paramashanti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Children And Adolescents ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Dietary Behavior ◽

Study Data ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Sedentary Activity ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Wide Range ◽

Urban And Rural Areas

Obesity has become a significant problem for developing countries, including Indonesia. High duration of sedentary activity and high intake of unhealthy foods were associated with high risk of overweight and obesity. The objective of this study was to compare the distributions of sedentary activity and dietary behavior with overweight/obesity risks between urban and rural areas among children and adolescents aged 10–18 years in Indonesia. This is a cross-sectional study. Data from a national survey in 33 Indonesian provinces (Basic Health Research /Riskesdas 2013) were analyzed. Multiple logistic regression models were used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) adjusted with all variables, such as age, gender, residency, education level, physical activity, and food intake. An urban–rural residence difference was found in the factors related to obesity. Daily caffeinated soft drinks and energy drinks consumption (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.01–1.23) were related to risk of overweight and obesity in urban areas. Daily grilled foods (OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.22–1.42) and salty food (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.04–1.15) consumption were significantly associated with obesity in rural areas but not in urban areas. Furthermore, sedentary activity was correlated with overweight and obesity among those who lived in urban and rural areas. Our findings suggest that education, environmental, and policy interventions may need to specifically target urban settings, where access is high to a wide range of processed and traditional high-sugar, high-fat snack foods and beverages.

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Urban and Rural Sustainability: Divergent Concepts and Their Consequences for Marketing

Frontiers in Sustainability ◽

10.3389/frsus.2021.670866 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Author(s):

Katrin Zulauf ◽

Ralf Wagner

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Rural Sustainability ◽

Rural Environments ◽

Rural And Urban ◽

Wide Range ◽

Sustainable Marketing ◽

Research Questions ◽

Urban And Rural Areas ◽

Value Belief Norm Theory

Most sustainability innovations are adapted to the needs of urban areas. These innovations are either not offered at all in rural areas (e.g., car sharing) or require massive effort and restrictions to be usable or effective (e.g., ride sharing). Delving deeper than the description scholarly research needs to clarify consumers' conceptualization of sustainability in urban and rural areas. Notably, the extent to which sustainable innovations are adopted and their associated adoption dynamics with the consequences for marketers, consumers and society differ between urban and rural. Two research questions are pressing: (i) How do conceptualizations of sustainability differ between rural and urban living consumers? (ii) Which consequences for sustainable marketing management arise from differences and similarities of upstream innovations with downstream dynamics in urban and rural areas? Despite the wide range of previous research, the question of whether consumers living in urban and rural areas have a similar understanding of “sustainability” has not been comprehensively addressed. We consider the literature on both the intention-action gap in sustainability and Value-Belief-Norm Theory. This provides researchers with guidance to reveal divergences in values, motives and enablers for sustainability among people in urban and rural areas. Studies that deepen the understanding of how innovative service and product offers need to be designed to the specificities of urban and rural environments, contribute to clarifying consumers' intention-action gap.

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Patterns of Alcohol Consumption in the PURE Poland Cohort Study and Their Relationship with Health Problems

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18084185 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (8) ◽

pp. 4185

Author(s):

Katarzyna Zatońska ◽

Piotr Psikus ◽

Alicja Basiak-Rasała ◽

Zuzanna Stępnicka ◽

Maria Wołyniec ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Level Of Education ◽

Adult Participants ◽

Frequent Consumption ◽

Urban And Rural Areas ◽

Socio Demographic Factors ◽

High Level

(1) Background: Alcohol is a leading risk factor of premature morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to investigate the patterns of alcohol consumption in the PURE Poland cohort study baseline. (2) Methods: A Polish cohort was enrolled in the baseline study in 2007–2010. The study group consisted of 2021 adult participants of urban and rural areas from the Lower Silesia voivodeship in Poland (747 men and 1274 women). (3) Results: In the overall study population, 67.3% were current drinkers, 10.3% were former drinkers, and 22.4% were abstainers. Current use of alcohol products was more prevalent in men (77.2%), people living in urban areas (73.0%), and people with a higher level of education (78.0%). The percentage of current drinkers decreased with increasing age (from 73.4% in 30- to 44-year-olds to 48.8% in participants aged 64 and more). The majority of participants (89.2%) declared a low level of alcohol intake. The chance of high level of intake of alcohol was four times higher in men than in women (OR 4.17; CI 1.64–10.6). The majority of participants (54.6%) declared most frequent consumption of low-alcohol drinks (beer, wine) and 21% declared most frequent consumption of spirits. Current drinkers had almost 1.5-fold higher odds of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) than never drinkers (OR 1.49, CI 1.03–2.17; OR 1.66, CI 1.27–2.18, respectively). Former drinkers had higher odds for hypertension and CVD than never drinkers (1.73, CI 1.05–2.85; OR 1.76, CI 1.22–2.53, respectively). (4) Conclusions: In our cohort study, we observed several socio-demographic factors differentiating the patterns of alcohol consumption. The preventive programs should focus predominantly on men, people aged <45 years, and those with a higher level of education.

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The Rural-Urban Continuum of Polarization: Understanding the Geography of the 2018 Midterms

The Forum ◽

10.1515/for-2020-2102 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Kenneth M. Johnson ◽

Dante J. Scala

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Metropolitan Areas ◽

Political Attitudes ◽

The United States ◽

Rural America ◽

Rural Regions ◽

Urban America ◽

Urban And Rural Areas ◽

The Continuum

Abstract This study of the 2018 congressional midterms demonstrates how voting patterns and political attitudes vary across a spectrum of urban and rural areas in the United States. Rural America is no more a monolith than is urban America. The rural-urban gradient is better represented by a continuum than a dichotomy. This is evident in the voting results in 2018, just as it was in 2016. We found that the political tipping point lies beyond major metropolitan areas, in the suburban counties of smaller metropolitan areas. Democrats enjoyed even greater success in densely populated urban areas in 2018 than in 2016. Residents of these urban areas display distinctive and consistent social and political attitudes across a range of scales. At the other end of the continuum in remote rural areas, Republican candidates continued to command voter support despite the challenging national political environment. Voters in these rural regions expressed social and political attitudes diametrically opposed to their counterparts in large urban cores.

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Breastfeeding practice in China from 2013 to 2018: a study from a national dynamic follow-up surveillance

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10211-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Leni Kang ◽

Juan Liang ◽

Chunhua He ◽

Lei Miao ◽

Xiaohong Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychological Health ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Child Nutrition ◽

Central Area ◽

Mother And Child ◽

Physical And Psychological Health ◽

Urban And Rural Areas ◽

Log Linear ◽

Breastfeeding Practice

Abstract Background Breastfeeding is important for the physical and psychological health of the mother and child. Basic data on breastfeeding practice in China are out-of-date and vary widely. This study aimed to evaluate the progress of breastfeeding practice in China, as well as to explore the bottlenecks in driving better practice. Methods This was an observational study. We used data from the Under-5 Child Nutrition and Health Surveillance System in China for the period 2013–2018. The prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) were calculated for each year for subgroups of China. The Cochran-Armitage test was used to explore the time trends. The annual percent of change (APC) were calculated by log-linear regression followed by exp transformation. Results The prevalence of EIBF increased significantly from 44.57% (95% CI: 44.07, 45.07) in 2013 to 55.84% (95% CI: 55.29, 56.38) in 2018 (Ptrend < 0.001), with an APC of 4.67% (95% CI: 3.51, 5.85). And the prevalence of EBF increased rapidly from 16.14% (95% CI: 15.10, 17.18) to 34.90% (95% CI: 33.54, 36.26) (Ptrend < 0.001), with an APC of 14.90% (95% CI: 9.97, 20.04). Increases were observed in both urban and rural areas, with urban areas showing greater APCs for EIBF (6.05%; 95% CI: 4.22, 7.92 v.s. 2.26%; 95% CI: 1.40, 3.12) and EBF (18.21%; 95% CI: 11.53, 25.29 v.s. 9.43%; 95% CI: 5.52, 13.49). The highest EBF prevalence was observed in the East, but the Central area showed the highest APC. The prevalence of EBF decreased with increasing age within the first 6 months, especially after 3 months. Conclusion The prevalence of both EIBF and EBF in China are improving in recent years. The rural and West China could be the key areas in the future actions. More efforts should be made to protect and promote breastfeeding to achieve near- and long-term goals for child health.

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Green and Blue Space Availability and Self-Rated Health among Seniors in China: Evidence from a National Survey

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18020545 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. 545

Author(s):

Chensong Lin ◽

Longfeng Wu

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

National Level ◽

The Elderly ◽

Coverage Ratio ◽

Self Rated Health ◽

Health Promoting ◽

Major River ◽

Urban And Rural Areas

Many empirical studies have shown evidence of multiple health benefits provided by green and blue spaces. Despite the importance of these spaces, investigations are scarce in details for blue spaces rather than green. Moreover, most research has focused on developed regions. A limited number of studies on blue spaces can be found in China with a focus on the city level. Outcomes have been mixed due to varying research scales, methodologies, and definitions. This study relies on a national-level social survey to explore how the self-rated health (SRH) of senior individuals is associated with local green and blue space availability in urban and rural areas. Results indicate that the coverage ratio of overall green spaces and waterbodies around a resident’s home have marginal effects on SRH status in both urban and rural areas. In urban areas, living close to a park can is marginally beneficial for older people’s health. Regarding different types of blue spaces, the presence of a major river (within 0.3–0.5 km) or coastline (within 1 km and 1–5 km) in the vicinity of home negatively affects SRH among the elderly in urban areas. Close proximity to lakes and other types of waterbodies with a water surface larger than 6.25 ha did not significantly influence SRH. These findings not only evaluate general health impacts of green/blue space development on senior populations across the county but inform decision makers concerning the health-promoting qualities and features of different green/blue spaces to better accommodate an aging population in the era of urbanization.

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Influence of community satisfaction with individual happiness: comparative study in semi-urban and rural areas of Tikapur, Nepal

Global Health Promotion ◽

10.1177/1757975916672169 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 22-32 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Myung-Bae Park ◽

Chun-Bae Kim ◽

Chhabi Ranabhat ◽

Chang-Soo Kim ◽

Sei-Jin Chang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Physical Environment ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Positive Relationship ◽

National Level ◽

Medical Services ◽

Community Satisfaction ◽

Critical Factors ◽

Urban And Rural Areas

Happiness is a subjective indicator of overall living conditions and quality of life. Recently, community- and national-level investigations connecting happiness and community satisfaction were conducted. This study investigated the effects of community satisfaction on happiness in Nepal. A factor analysis was employed to examine 24 items that are used to measure community satisfaction, and a multiple regression analysis was conducted to investigate the effects of these factors on happiness. In semi-urban areas, sanitation showed a positive relationship with happiness. In rural areas, edu-medical services were negatively related to happiness, while agriculture was positively related. Gender and perceived health were closely associated with happiness in rural areas. Both happiness and satisfaction are subjective concepts, and are perceived differently depending on the socio-physical environment and personal needs. Sanitation, agriculture (food) and edu-medical services were critical factors that affected happiness; however, the results of this study cannot be generalized to high-income countries.

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Factors Associated with Happiness among Malaysian Elderly

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18073831 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (7) ◽

pp. 3831

Author(s):

Shamsul Azhar Shah ◽

Nazarudin Safian ◽

Saharuddin Ahmad ◽

Wan Abdul Hannan Wan Ibadullah ◽

Zulkefley bin Mohammad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emotional Support ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Social Engagement ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Elderly Population ◽

Handgrip Strength ◽

The Elderly ◽

Evaluation Study ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Urban And Rural Areas

Happiness is an essential component to experience healthy ageing. Hence, understanding the factors that contribute to happiness is important. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with happiness among the elderly population in Malaysia. In this study, 1204 respondents were recruited from urban and rural areas in Selangor. A face-to-face interview was conducted using the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study questionnaire. The inclusion criteria include Malaysians who are 60-years old and above and can converse in the Malaysian language. Those who encounter less than seven scores for the Abbreviated Mental Test were excluded from the study. Among the 1204 respondents, 953 (79.2%) were happy. Sociodemographic characteristics showed that being a men, age of 60 to 74 years, and living in urban areas were significantly associated with happiness. A logistic regression model showed that locality (aOR 1.61), income category (Bottom 40% aOR 0.49; Middle-class group 40% aOR 1.40), social engagement (active aOR 1.77; less active aOR 1.25), receiving emotional support (aOR 2.11) and handgrip strength (aOR 1.02) were significantly associated with happiness. Thus, ensuring the elderly population in receiving emotional support and active social engagement among them can enhance their happiness level.

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Komparácia pro-poor rastu vo vidieckych a mestských oblastiach Indonézie

10.5817/cz.muni.p210-9896-2021-16 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Barbora Frličková

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Poor People ◽

Average Income ◽

Poor Growth ◽

Rural And Urban Areas ◽

Rural And Urban ◽

Poverty And Inequality ◽

Partial Period ◽

Urban And Rural Areas

The paper analyses construction and use of a selected indicator of pro-poor growth – the rate of pro-poor growth. It further explains the interpretation of this indicator in absolute and relative terms and indicates how economic growth affects poverty and inequality. The selected indicator is applied to the example of Indonesia and compares pro-poor growth in urban and rural areas of the country, examines regional disparities in terms of pro-poor growth for the period 1996–2019. From the absolute interpretation, pro-poor growth is observed in both urban and rural areas over the whole period. In relative terms, results of pro-poor growth for the first partial period (1996–2000) differ. While there was a relative pro-poor growth in the rural areas, there was a strong pro-poor growth in the cities with a significant decline in inequality observed (incomes of poor people increased while the average income of the whole population dropped). Indonesia achieved trickle-down growth in both rural and urban areas in two remaining periods (2000–2010 and 2010–2019).

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