“Placing” Health in an Urban Sociology: Cities as Mosaics of Risk and Protection

2003 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin M. Fitzpatrick ◽  
Mark LaGory
Keyword(s):  
Inner City ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Urban Sociology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ecological Framework ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Critical Aspect ◽  
Metropolitan Regions ◽  
Insight Into

Central to urban sociology is the assumption that place matters. Yet, urban sociology has virtually ignored the role of place in understanding a critical aspect of personal and collective well–being—health. This article attempts to synthesize major sociological theories of health, within an urban ecological framework, in an effort to provide insight into how the distinct spatial qualities of neighborhoods impact the health risks, beliefs, and behaviors of their residents. Because the ecology of metropolitan regions is a landscape of uneven risk, hazard, and protection, it produces dramatic differences in the physical and mental health of its residents. Most affected by this process have been inner–city, disadvantaged populations who have shouldered the primary weight of the “urban health penalty.”

scholarly journals Long COVID and the role of physical activity: a qualitative study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e047632
Author(s):  
Helen Humphreys ◽  
Laura Kilby ◽  
Nik Kudiersky ◽  
Robert Copeland
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Insight Into

ObjectivesTo explore the lived experience of long COVID with particular focus on the role of physical activity.DesignQualitative study using semistructured interviews.Participants18 people living with long COVID (9 men, 9 women; aged between 18–74 years; 10 white British, 3 white Other, 3 Asian, 1 black, 1 mixed ethnicity) recruited via a UK-based research interest database for people with long COVID.SettingTelephone interviews with 17 participants living in the UK and 1 participant living in the USA.ResultsFour themes were generated. Theme 1 describes how participants struggled with drastically reduced physical function, compounded by the cognitive and psychological effects of long COVID. Theme 2 highlights challenges associated with finding and interpreting advice about physical activity that was appropriately tailored. Theme 3 describes individual approaches to managing symptoms including fatigue and ‘brain fog’ while trying to resume and maintain activities of daily living and other forms of exercise. Theme 4 illustrates the battle with self-concept to accept reduced function (even temporarily) and the fear of permanent reduction in physical and cognitive ability.ConclusionsThis study provides insight into the challenges of managing physical activity alongside the extended symptoms associated with long COVID. Findings highlight the need for greater clarity and tailoring of physical activity-related advice for people with long COVID and improved support to resume activities important to individual well-being.

Resilience

2019 ◽  
pp. 286-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Alexander ◽  
Justine Megan Gatt
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Dynamic Interactions ◽  
Control Networks ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Adaptive Recovery ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Over Time

Resilience refers to the process of adaptive recovery following adversity or trauma. It is likely to include an intertwined series of dynamic interactions between neural, developmental, environmental, genetic, and epigenetic factors over time. Neuroscientific research suggests the potential role of the brain’s threat and reward systems, as well as executive control networks. Developmental research provides insight into how the environment may affect these neural systems across the lifespan towards greater risk or resilience to stress. Genetic work has revealed numerous targets that alter key neurochemical systems in the brain to influence mental health. Current challenges include ambiguities in the definition and measurement of resilience and a simplified focus on resilience as the absence of psychopathology, irrespective of levels of positive mental functioning. Greater emphasis on understanding the protective aspects of resilience and related well-being outcomes are important to delineate the unique neurobiological factors that underpin this process, so that effective interventions can be developed to assist vulnerable populations and resilience promotion.

Encountering Grief in Patient Care

2012 ◽  
pp. e81-e84
Author(s):  
Teresa Gilewski
Keyword(s):  
General Pattern ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Care Team ◽  
Compassionate Care ◽  
Critical Aspect ◽  
Psychiatric Intervention ◽  
Emotional Level ◽  
Dying Patient ◽  
Seriously Ill ◽  
Insight Into

Overview: Grief is essentially unavoidable and is a normal reaction to loss. Grief may be experienced by patients and their loved ones as well as by physicians and members of the health care team in response to the consequences of illness or death. Grief is typified by certain indicators that may significantly effect one's emotional and physical well-being. Although these indicators tend to follow a general pattern, there is variability among individuals. Complicated grief may require psychiatric intervention. Caring for the seriously ill or dying patient may be particularly challenging from an emotional level and may increase the risk of burnout. Recognition of these emotions is a critical aspect of providing compassionate care on a sustainable level. Various strategies may be beneficial in coping with grief, and the exploration of grief may provide greater insight into the humanistic basis of medicine.

Medicine and Health in the Graeco-Roman World

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip van der Eijk
Keyword(s):  
History Of Medicine ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Health Characteristic ◽  
Science And Culture ◽  
History Of ◽  
Time Frames ◽  
Roman Medicine

This article focuses on a number of developments that have made the place of Graeco-Roman medicine in surveys of the history of medicine. A further development discussed is that medical history now also prominently includes the topic of health, both physical and mental health and related topics such as lifestyle, quality of life, well-being, fitness, and ‘flourishing’. It identifies a number of different mental states or conditions on a scale from an optimum to a pessimum, and thus presents a good example of the scalar, gradualist view of health characteristic of Greek medicine. This article shows philosophy competing with medicine for the role of authoritative guide to health, mental as well as physical, and diagnostic as well as therapeutic. The study of Graeco-Roman medicine has profited significantly from connections and comparisons with the study of the history of medicine, science, and culture from other time frames and other parts of the world.

scholarly journals Designing Online Interventions in Consideration of Young People’s Concepts of Well-Being: Exploratory Qualitative Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Winsall ◽  
Simone Orlowski ◽  
Gillian Vogl ◽  
Victoria Blake ◽  
Mariesa Nicholas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Image Data ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Online Interventions ◽  
And Control

BACKGROUND A key challenge in developing online well-being interventions for young people is to ensure that they are based on theory and reflect adolescent concepts of well-being. OBJECTIVE This exploratory qualitative study aimed to understand young people’s concepts of well-being in Australia. METHODS Data were collected via workshops at five sites across rural and metropolitan sites with 37 young people from 15 to 21 years of age, inclusive. Inductive, data-driven coding was then used to analyze transcripts and artifacts (ie, written or image data). RESULTS Young adults’ conceptions of well-being were diverse, personally contextualized, and shaped by ongoing individual experiences related to physical and mental health, along with ecological accounts acknowledging the role of family, community, and social factors. Key emerging themes were (1) positive emotions and enjoyable activities, (2) physical wellness, (3) relationships and social connectedness, (4) autonomy and control, (5) goals and purpose, (6) being engaged and challenged, and (7) self-esteem and confidence. Participants had no difficulty describing actions that led to positive well-being; however, they only considered their own well-being at times of stress. CONCLUSIONS In this study, young people appeared to think mostly about their well-being at times of stress. The challenge for online interventions is to encourage young people to monitor well-being prior to it becoming compromised. A more proactive focus that links the overall concept of well-being to everyday, concrete actions and activities young people engage in, and that encourages the creation of routine good habits, may lead to better outcomes from online well-being interventions.

scholarly journals Of Mice and (Wo)Men: Tampons, Menstruation, and Testing

2020 ◽  
pp. 673-686
Author(s):  
Sharra L. Vostral
Keyword(s):  
Material Science ◽  
Social Power ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Women's Bodies ◽  
Cultural Conditions ◽  
Bodily Experiences ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Vostral provides much-needed insight into the link between women’s bodily experiences with tampons and twentieth-century developments in material science, corporate research, and gynecological observations about menstrual cycles. She examines how design modifications to tampons, changes in material composition, and the cultivation of women test subjects exposed scientific assumptions, ideas about safety, and attitudes concerning gendered and menstruating bodies. Focusing on the practical work of tampon testing, Vostral examines the impact of broad cultural conditions: prevailing ideas about women’s bodies, gender differences, and the role of science and medicine in optimizing well-being. Finally, she shows how patterns of social power and privilege configured this research, with evidence taking different forms over time.

scholarly journals Rethinking Multicultural Planning: An Empirical Study of Ethnic Retailing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhixi Cecilia Zhuang
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Inner City ◽  
Policy Support ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Planning Practice ◽  
Metropolitan Regions ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Legislative Structure ◽  
The City

The recent waves of immigration have dramatically impacted urban landscapes and economies of Canada’s largest metropolitan regions. One notable phenomenon is the rise of ethnic retail strips and centers as physical markers of increasing multiculturalism. The dynamics of ethnic retailing pose various opportunities and challenges for municipalities; yet, our knowledge of its complexities is limited and current literature on multicultural planning offers little useful guidance in planning practice. This study examines three retail strips in the inner city of Toronto, namely East Chinatown, the Gerrard India Bazaar, and Corso Italia, and one suburban Asian theme mall, the Pacific Mall in the City of Markham in an attempt to identify the role of urban planning in responding to the rise of ethnic retail neighbourhoods. The findings of the four cases indicate that urban planners have been unable to intervene actively in ethnic retail and direct its development and growth. The planning legislative structure and the lack of policy support hinder planners’ capacity to be proactive. Planners cannot work alone to build multicultural cities. This paper concludes on the importance of municipal intervention interdepartmental collaboration as useful implications for multicultural planning practice. Résumé: Les récentes vagues d'immigration ont considérablement affecté les paysages urbains et les économies des plus grandes régions métropolitaines du Canada. Un phénomène remarquable est la montée de bandes ethniques de détail et des centres en tant que marqueurs physiques de multiculturalisme croissant. La dynamique du commerce de détail ethnique posent diverses opportunités et des défis pour les municipalités, et pourtant, notre connaissance de sa complexité est limitée et la littérature actuelle sur la planification multiculturelle offre peu d'indications utiles pour planifier la pratique. Cette étude porte sur trois bandes de détail dans le centre-ville de Toronto, à savoir East Chinatown, le Gerrard India Bazaar et Corso Italia, et un centre commercial de banlieue thème asiatique, Pacific Mall dans la ville de Markham dans une tentative d'identifier le rôle des villes la planification pour répondre à la hausse des quartiers ethniques de vente au détail. Les résultats de ces quatre cas indiquent que les urbanistes ont pu intervenir activement dans ethnique détail et orienter son développement et sa croissance. La structure de la programmation législative et le manque de soutien politique entravent la capacité des planificateurs d'être proactif. Les planificateurs peuvent pas travailler seul à construire des villes multiculturelles. Cet article conclut sur l'importance de l'intervention municipale et la collaboration interministérielle comme conséquences utiles pour la pratique de planification multiculturelle.

scholarly journals Caregiver Stress: Biomarkers Linked to Disease Risk and the Psychobiology of Stress Reduction

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 179-179
Author(s):  
Janelle Beadle ◽  
Felipe Jain
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Adult Day Services ◽  
Experience Of Stress ◽  
Day Services ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Caregivers to older adults with chronic diseases frequently experience chronic stress which can negatively affect caregivers’ physical and mental health, and increase disease risk. This interdisciplinary symposium will highlight critical factors influencing caregiver stress, and the role of biomarkers in detecting caregiver disease risk. First, we will discuss the effects of stress and emotional experiences on risk for cardiovascular disease in caregivers of persons with dementia (PWD). In the first talk, Dr. Mausbach will examine relationships among perceived stress, blood glucose and risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in caregivers of PWD. Next, Dr. Losada-Baltar will discuss the degree to which caregivers’ ambivalent feelings towards providing care are associated with inflammatory markers of cardiovascular risk. Following this, two talks will investigate critical links between stress and caregiver emotional well-being. Dr. Liu will report relationships among the stress-related hormone cortisol, sleep, and anxiety in the context of adult day services. Dr. Beadle will examine the degree to which caregivers’ affiliative, empathetic interactions with others relate to their experience of stress through cortisol assessments and neuroimaging. The final talk by Dr. Jain will investigate the effects of a Mentalizing Imagery Therapy intervention for family PWD caregivers on stress, evidence for mindfulness as a causal mediator of stress reduction, and the relationship to brain networks associated with emotion regulation. Taken together, this symposium will identify relevant psychosocial and biological factors that contribute to caregiver stress, as well as discuss the psychobiology of amelioration of caregiver stress.

scholarly journals ARE LEISURE AND CIVIC ACTIVITIES REINFORCING WELL-BEING IN OLDER ADULTS AT RISK OF FRAILTY?

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S578-S578
Author(s):  
Sarah Dury ◽  
Eva Dierckx ◽  
liesbeth De Donder ◽  
Deborah Lambotte ◽  
Daan Duppen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Healthy Population ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Broad Array ◽  
Interview Survey ◽  
Moderating Role ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract A growing body of work suggest that leisure and civic activities may contribute to the understanding of healthy aging. Yet, only a limited number of studies have examined a less healthy population. Moreover, a broad array of leisure and civic activities tend to be lacking. This paper gives insight into the mechanisms underlying the associations between multidimensional frailty, and well-being with the moderating roles of leisure and civic activities. A two-wave interview survey from the D-SCOPE frailty program was derived using 441 participants aged 60 years and older residing in the Flanders region of Belgium. This study offers evidence that leisure and civic activities buffered the negative relationship between multidimensional frailty and well-being. Moreover, our study identified that for different frailty domains the buffering/moderating role of leisure and civic activities differs in relation to well-being.

scholarly journals REHABILITATION OF THE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL CONCEPT OF EUSTRESS

2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 284-287
Author(s):  
Ioan-Bradu Iamandescu ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Psychology ◽  
Behavioral Medicine ◽  
Interferon Gamma ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Strong Link ◽  
Strong Relation ◽  
Main Component

Eustress concept was less used by researches at the end of XX century and really has disappeared from glossaries of books of Psychosomatics, Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine. Fortunately, some authors have renewed last years this concept adding other nuances and original peculiarities beneficial for physical and mental health. This paper exemplifies, among these contributions, the strong relation of eustress with immunogenic traits (as self efficiency) and Flow concept, and some humoral markers of eustress (serotonin, oxytocin, endorphins, interferon gamma etc.). Own author’s opinion suggests a strong link between eustress and psychological well being, and underlines the role of eustress as a main component of the new Fava‘s psychotherapy, Well Being Therapy.

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