A mobile training unit for rural areas of Northern Ireland: a feasibility study

SynopsisA study of psychotropic drug prescribing, derived from the computerized pricing data in Northern Ireland from 1966, showed that the use of these drugs reached a peak in 1975, when about 12·5% of the adult population were estimated to have been receiving them, and declined in the following 5 years. Benzodioazepines accounted for three-quarters of all psychotropic drugs prescribed in 1980. Benzodiazepine tranquillizer prescribing was consistently 20–30% higher than in the rest of the United Kindom, in contrast to hypnotic and antidepressant prescribing which has been consistently lower. The rate of increase in benzodiazepine tranquillizer prescribing was greater than in other European countries, but the level remains lower than in Iceland and Denmark. The influence of a number of demographic and socioeconomic variables was studied in an intra-regional analysis of the 1978 data for the 17 health districts in the province, using multivariate and multiple regression statistics. The prescribing of benzodiazepine hypnotics was almost entirely accounted for by the proportion of elderly (over 65 years) and women aged 45–59 years; neuroleptic prescribing was largely a function of factors associated with rural areas (overcrowding and unemployment) and the proportion of elderly; but neither tranquillizer, antidepressant, barbiturate hypnotic nor psychostimulant prescribing were satisfactorily explained by these variables.

Download Full-text

Use of a Mobile Unit for Delivering Services to Older Blind Persons

Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness ◽

10.1177/0145482x7907300305 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 73 (3) ◽

pp. 106-109

Author(s):

Ronald Landwehr ◽

Kenneth Hutcheson

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Multiple Disabilities ◽

Access Barriers ◽

Mobile Unit ◽

Training Unit ◽

Blind Persons

Describes a mobile training unit used experimentally to deliver services to older blind persons who were isolated by multiple disabilities or because they lived in rural areas with inadequate facilities. In view of access barriers caused by the vehicle's design, difficulties in using and maintaining such a large vehicle, consumer unwillingness or inability to leave home, or, if they did, inability to transfer skills from unit to home, the disadvantages of the unit outweighed the advantages.

Download Full-text

Responses in the west of Ireland to civil rights protest in Northern Ireland, 1968–72

Irish Historical Studies ◽

10.1017/ihs.2017.6 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (159) ◽

pp. 58-76 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gerard Madden

Keyword(s):

Northern Ireland ◽

Civil Rights ◽

Civil Rights Movement ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Large Scale ◽

The West ◽

Protest Movements ◽

The Republic ◽

The Government ◽

West Of Ireland

Abstract1968 has become synonymous with the large-scale global protests of that year. International scholarship has increasingly sought to examine instances of these protests in global peripheries, and amongst the most studied examples is Northern Ireland. The growth of civil rights protest in Northern Ireland in the late 1960s, which emerged from long-standing feelings of exclusion amongst the Catholic minority of the predominantly Protestant polity, was influenced by a broader international discourse of protest associated with the long 1968, notably the African-American civil rights movement. Simultaneously, in the west of Ireland, a number of protest groups also emerged in the late 1960s, frustrated at their communities’ perceived neglect by the government of the Republic of Ireland. This article will examine the emergence of these protest movements, discussing groups in the Galway Gaeltacht and other peripheral rural areas of Connacht, student activists in University College Galway, and campaigns challenging racism against the Travelling community. It will argue that they were influenced by the global protests associated with the long 1968, most notably by events across the border. For the purpose of the article, the ‘west of Ireland’ refers to the five Connacht counties of Galway, Roscommon, Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim.

Download Full-text

Feasibility Study on the Promotion and Application of Straw Bale House in Northern Rural Areas in China

International Journal of Structural and Civil Engineering Research ◽

10.18178/ijscer.5.3.241-245 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Xiaoming A. Li ◽

Keyword(s):

Feasibility Study ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Straw Bale

Download Full-text

Techno-economic feasibility study of autonomous hybrid wind and solar power systems for rural areas in Iran, A case study in Moheydar village

Environmental Progress & Sustainable Energy ◽

10.1002/ep.12121 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 34 (5) ◽

pp. 1521-1527 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Abtin Ataei ◽

Mojtaba Biglari ◽

Mojtaba Nedaei ◽

Ehsanolah Assareh ◽

Jun-Ki Choi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Power Systems ◽

Feasibility Study ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Solar Power ◽

Economic Feasibility

Download Full-text

Deliberate self-poisoning presenting at a rural hospital in Northern Ireland 1976–1996: relationship to prescribing

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s0924-9338(00)00502-2 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 15 (6) ◽

pp. 348-353 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

C.B. Kelly ◽

J. Weir ◽

T. Rafferty ◽

R. Galloway

Keyword(s):

Northern Ireland ◽

Rural Area ◽

Psychotropic Drug ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Drug Prescription ◽

Defined Daily Dose ◽

Toxic Agent ◽

Female Ratio ◽

The Face ◽

Urban And Rural Areas

summaryPurpose – This study reports on a project to monitor deliberate self-poisoning in a rural area of Northern Ireland over a 20-year period. Comparison is made with reports from large urban centres. In addition, a local prescribing database allows assessment of any association between psychotropic drug prescription and use for deliberate self-poisoning. Materials and methods – Frequency of self-poisoning, demographic details and drugs used were recorded for all episodes of deliberate self-poisoning occurring at Craigavon Area Hospital for the years 1976, 1986, 1991 and 1996. It was possible to compare prescriptions of psychotropic drugs with their use for deliberate self-poisoning between the years 1991 and 1996 in the region served by the hospital, using the Defined Daily Dose (DDD) system. Results – In this rural area the pattern of deliberate self-poisoning has changed, as in urban centres, with a rise in frequency and the male/female ratio approaching unity. The pattern of drug use has altered, with paracetamol overtaking benzodiazepines as the most commonly used agent. More recently, antidepressants have become the second most frequently used drug class for this purpose. Psychotropic medications used for self-poisoning altered in proportion to their prescription between the years 1991 and 1996. Conclusions – In the face of a continuing rise in deliberate self-poisoning, which is effecting both urban and rural areas, care should be taken to prescribe the least toxic agent available as this is associated with likely frequency of self-poisoning for most classes of psychotropic drug.

Download Full-text

Feasibility Study of Grid Connected PV-Biomass Integrated Energy System in Egypt

International Journal of Emerging Electric Power Systems ◽

10.1515/ijeeps-2016-0056 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 17 (5) ◽

pp. 519-528 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Shimaa Barakat ◽

M. M. Samy ◽

Magdy B. Eteiba ◽

Wael Ismael Wahba

Keyword(s):

Feasibility Study ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Energy System ◽

Economic Feasibility ◽

Load Demand ◽

Daily Data ◽

Integrated Energy System ◽

Average Biomass ◽

Energy Consuming ◽

The Village

Abstract The aim of this paper is to present a feasibility study of a grid connected photovoltaic (PV) and biomass Integrated renewable energy (IRE) system providing electricity to rural areas in the Beni Suef governorate, Egypt. The system load of the village is analyzed through the environmental and economic aspects. The model has been designed to provide an optimal system configuration based on daily data for energy availability and demands. A case study area, Monshaet Taher village (29° 1′ 17.0718”N, 30° 52′ 17.04”E) is identified for economic feasibility in this paper. HOMER optimization model plan imputed from total daily load demand, 2,340 kWh/day for current energy consuming of 223 households with Annual Average Insolation Incident on a Horizontal Surface of 5.79 (kWh/m2/day) and average biomass supplying 25 tons / day. It is found that a grid connected PV-biomass IRE system is an effective way of emissions reduction and it does not increase the investment of the energy system.

Download Full-text

A qualitative exploration of the impact of COVID-19 on food decisions of economically disadvantaged families in Northern Ireland

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-12307-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Eleni Spyreli ◽

Michelle C. McKinley ◽

Jayne V. Woodside ◽

Colette Kelly

Keyword(s):

Northern Ireland ◽

Low Income ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Meal Preparation ◽

Fresh Food ◽

Food Decisions ◽

Low Income Families ◽

Meal Planning ◽

Urban And Rural Areas ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background The first UK-wide lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19 had a serious financial impact on low-income households, a population already in higher risk of food insecurity and poor dietary choices. Qualitative data on the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on food decisions of UK families are scarce. This study aimed to explore how the measures to control the spread of COVID-19 influenced the food-related decisions of socioeconomically deprived families in Northern Ireland. Methods A qualitative study captured data from online individual interviews. Participation was open for parents of children 2–17 years old living on a tight budget in urban and rural areas of Northern Ireland. A sampling matrix enabled equal representation of single- and two-parent households, as well as parents of younger children (<12y) and adolescents (≥12y). Data were collected by using the methods of Photovoice and mapping exercise. Data were analysed through a thematic approach. Results Twelve online interviews were conducted and five distinct themes were identified reflecting families’ food-related decisions that were affected by the COVID-19 lockdown: 1) food planning; 2) food purchasing; 3) meal preparation; 4) eating and feeding behaviours and 5) eating food prepared outside the house. Conclusions The restrictions put in place to inhibit the spread of COVID-19 influenced all aspects of dietary decisions of low-income families. Changes observed during this period included frequent consumption of homemade meals, but also increased unhealthy snacking. Infrequent food shopping encouraged good meal planning, but was also a barrier to securing adequate fresh food. Food-related support including school meal assistance contributed to families’ food security, particularly those of single parents.

Download Full-text

Food Decisions of Low-Income Families in the Era of COVID-19: A Qualitative Exploration

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzab029_051 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 250-250

Author(s):

Eleni Spyreli ◽

Michelle McKinley ◽

Jayne Woodside ◽

Colette Kelly

Keyword(s):

Northern Ireland ◽

Low Income ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Economically Disadvantaged ◽

Food Shopping ◽

Food Planning ◽

Low Income Families ◽

The Government ◽

The Impact ◽

Disadvantaged Families

Abstract Objectives The first lockdown enforced in the United Kingdom to limit the spread of COVID-19 had serious financial consequences for some lower-income households, which were already at risk of suboptimal food choices. Particularly in Northern Ireland, where 10% of the population live in food insecure households, the pandemic has potentially further exacerbated the nutritional challenges experienced by low-income families. This paper aimed to explore the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on food-related decisions as experienced by economically disadvantaged families in Northern Ireland, UK. Methods A qualitative study collected data through online individual interviews. Participation was open to parents of children 2–17 years old who self-identified as living on a tight budget in urban and rural areas of Northern Ireland. A sampling matrix enabled equal representation of single- and two-parent households, as well as younger (<12 y) and older children (>12 y). Photovoice and participatory mapping techniques were employed to capture participant data. A thematic approach was utilised for data analysis. Results A total of 12 interviews were conducted. Five distinct themes were found, reflecting families’ food-related decisions that were affected by the COVID-19 lockdown: 1) food planning; 2) food purchasing; 3) meal preparation; 4) eating and feeding behaviours and 5) eating food prepared outside the house. Changes included an increase in home food preparation, but also in unhealthy snacking. Fear of being exposed to carriers of the virus led to infrequent food shopping and greater reliance on supermarket home deliveries. Long waiting times in-between food shops encouraged food planning but were also a barrier to providing daily fresh foods including fruit and vegetables to their families. Financial constraints were exacerbated during lockdown and led to a search for new ways to budget when food shopping. Food donations from the community and the government were important to maintain food security, particularly in single-parent families. Conclusions This study highlights that the COVID-19 lockdown influenced a broad range of dietary decisions of economically disadvantaged families and offers an insight into the nutritional challenges they experienced. Funding Sources The work was completed with financial support from internal funds of Queens University Belfast.

Download Full-text