scholarly journals Task-Layer Multiplicity as a Measure of Community Level Health

Complexity ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
P. Fraundorf
Keyword(s):  
Belief Systems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Behavioral Measure ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Web Searches ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Broken Symmetries ◽  
Attention Focus ◽  
The Impact

The insights of many disciplines, and of commonsense, about individual-level well-being might be strengthened by a shift in focus to community-level well-being in a way that respects belief systems as well as the power of each individual. We start with the jargon of complex systems and the possibility that a small number of broken symmetries, marked by the edges of a hierarchical series of physical subsystem types, underlie the delicate correlation-based complexity of life on our planet’s surface. We show that an information-theory-inspired model of attention-focus on correlation layers, which looks in/out from the boundaries of skin, family, and culture, predicts that behaviorally diverse communities may tend toward a characteristic task-layer multiplicity per individual of only e29/20≅ 4.26 of the six correlation layers that comprise that community. This behavioral measure of opportunity may help us to (i) go beyond GDP in quantifying the impact of policy changes and disasters, (ii) manage electronic idea-streams in ways that strengthen community networks, and (iii) leverage our paleolithic shortcomings toward the enhancement of community-level task-layer diversity. Empirical methods for acquiring task-layer multiplicity data are in their infancy, although for human communities a great deal of potential lies in the analysis of web searches and asynchronous experience sampling similar to that used by “flu near you.”

scholarly journals How does area-level deprivation depress an individual’s self-rated health and life satisfaction? Evidence from a nationwide population-based survey in Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Oshio ◽  
Hiromi Kimura ◽  
Toshimi Nishizaki ◽  
Takashi Omori
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Health Behavior ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Internet Survey ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Level Data ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Area-level deprivation is well known to have an adverse impact on mortality, morbidity, or other specific health outcomes. This study examined how area-level deprivation may affect self-rated health (SRH) and life satisfaction (LS), an issue that is largely understudied. Methods We used individual-level data obtained from a nationwide population-based internet survey conducted between 2019 and 2020, as well as municipality-level data obtained from a Japanese government database (N = 12,461 living in 366 municipalities). We developed multilevel regression models to explain an individual’s SRH and LS scores using four alternative measures of municipality-level deprivation, controlling for individual-level deprivation and covariates. We also examined how health behavior and interactions with others mediated the impact of area-level deprivation on SRH and LS. Results Participants in highly deprived municipalities tended to report poorer SRH and lower LS. For example, when living in municipalities falling in the highest tertile of municipality-level deprivation as measured by the z-scoring method, SRH and LS scores worsened by a standard deviation of 0.05 (p < 0.05) when compared with those living in municipalities falling in the lowest tertile of deprivation. In addition, health behavior mediated between 17.6 and 33.1% of the impact of municipality-level deprivation on SRH and LS, depending on model specifications. Conclusion Results showed that area-level deprivation modestly decreased an individual’s general health conditions and subjective well-being, underscoring the need for public health policies to improve area-level socioeconomic conditions.

86 Impact of Community-Level Socioeconomic Disparities on Quality of Life After Burn Injury: A Burn Model Systems Database Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S59-S60
Author(s):  
Stephanie A Mason ◽  
Emma L Gause ◽  
Helena Archer ◽  
Stephen H Sibbett ◽  
Radha K Holavanahalli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Burn Injury ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Socioeconomic Disparities ◽  
Injury Incidence ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Zip Code

Abstract Introduction Individual- and community-level socioeconomic disparities impact overall health and injury incidence, severity, and outcomes. However, the impact of community-level socioeconomic disparities on recovery after burn injury is unknown. We aimed to characterize the association between community-level socioeconomic disparities and health-related quality of life (HRQL) after burn injury. These findings might inform rehabilitation service delivery and policy making at administrative levels. Methods Participants with the NIDILRR Burn Model System who were ≥14 years with a zip code were included. Sociodemographic and injury characteristics and 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) and Veterans RAND (VR-12) physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component summary scores 6 months after injury were extracted. Data were deterministically linked by zip code to the Distressed Communities Index (DCI), which combines seven census-derived metrics into a single indicator of economic well-being that ranges from 0 (lowest distress) to 100 (highest distress). Multilevel linear regression models estimated the association between DCI and HRQL. Results The 342 participants were mostly male (239, 69%) had a median age of 48 years (IQR 33–57) and sustained a median burn size of 10% TBSA (IQR 3–28%). More than one-third of participants (117, 34%) lived in a neighborhood within the two most distressed quintiles. After adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, and pre-injury HRQL, increasing neighborhood distress was negatively associated with PCS (ß-0.05, SE 0.02, p=0.01). Age and pre-injury PCS were also significantly associated with 6-month PCS. There was no association between neighborhood distress and 6-month MCS. However, pre-injury MCS was significantly associated with 6-month MCS (0.56, SE 0.07, p&lt; 0.001). Conclusions Neighborhood distress is associated with lower PCS after burn injury but is not associated with MCS. Regardless of neighborhood distress, pre-injury HRQL is significantly associated with both PCS and MCS during recovery.

scholarly journals Nexus between Indigenous Ecological Knowledge and Ecosystem Services: A Socio-Ecological Analysis for Sustainable Ecosystem Management

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manob Das ◽  
Arijit Das ◽  
Selim Seikh ◽  
Rajiv Pandey
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Indigenous Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Demographic Attributes ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The well-being of the human society cannot be ensured and sustainable unless the flow of Ecosystem Services (ESs) would be matching with their consistent demand. The consistent flow of ESs required sustainable management of ecological resources of the ecosystem. The management of ecosystem can be ensured with variety of approaches. Integration of indigenous ecological knowledge (IEK) in management prescription with the view that IEK based extraction of ESs ensures removal of resources from the ecosystem within the limit thereby ensuring the sustainability of ecosystem. Present study is an evaluation to understand the nexus between ESs and IEK for sustainable environmental management. The focus of the study was a tribal dominated socio-ecological patch of Barind Region of Malda district, Eastern India. The assessment of ESs and IEK was based on the data collected from the randomly selected tribal households following the pre-tested questionnaire containing questions on ESs as per millennium ecosystem assessment. The data were analyzed following social preference approach, and statistical tests (Krushkal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney). General linear model (GLM) has also been used to examine the impact of socio-demographic attributes on the perceived valuation of ESs. The results revealed that the provisioning ESs (such as water, fuel wood, medical plants) was most preferred followed by cultural and regulating ESs by tribal. Differential importance of ESs was observed among tribal and accounted by gender, education as well as age of the tribe. A gap between the actual accessibility and evaluation of ESs by the tribal communities was also apparent. The socio-demographic attributes have an immense impact on the valuation of ecosystem services and also governed based on the IEK. Various types of indigenous ecological belief systems were closely linked with conservation of ecosystem and sustainable supply of ESs. Present study can contribute to understand socio-ecological nexus with the lens of IEK in tribal dominated ecological landscapes for improved ecosystem and environmental management besides ensuring sustainability of flow of ecosystem services.

How much is a calorie worth? A study of willingness to pay for calorie labels in restaurant menus

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
SANA RAFIQ
Keyword(s):  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
Caloric Consumption ◽  
The Impact

AbstractWe asked individuals about their willingness to pay (WTP) either: (1) for a mandate requiring restaurants to post calorie information on their menus; or (2) to avoid such a mandate. On average, more people were in in favor of the mandate and were willing to pay four times more than those who were against it, thereby leading to a Kaldor–Hicks improvement from this policy. To ensure robustness, we tested the impact of providing three types of information during individuals’ WTP determinations: (1) visual examples of the proposed calorie labels; (2) data on their effectiveness at the individual level; and (3) data on their wider social and economic benefits. For those in favor, providing a simple visual of the label had no impact on WTP. Data on the individual effectiveness of the labels increased the WTP, while evidence on broader obesity reduction and economic benefits reduced it. For opponents, WTP did not change with provision of additional information except when provided with information on social and economic benefits. Under this condition, the opponents increased their WTP 12-fold to avoid a mandate of this policy. Finally, we measured individual well-being under this policy and found directionally similar results, confirming a net improvement in aggregate welfare. Our results suggest that messaging that focuses on private benefits (providing calorie information so that individuals can effectively choose to reduce excessive caloric consumption) rather than wider public benefits (reduction in overall health-related costs and obesity) is more likely to be effective.

Addressing Burnout in Oncology: Why Cancer Care Clinicians Are At Risk, What Individuals Can Do, and How Organizations Can Respond

2016 ◽  
pp. 271-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fay J. Hlubocky ◽  
Anthony L. Back ◽  
Tait D. Shanafelt
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Care ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Action Planning ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Patient ◽  
Shared Responsibility ◽  
Direct Care ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Impact

Despite their benevolent care of others, today, more than ever, the cancer care professional who experiences overwhelming feelings of exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy is in grave jeopardy of developing burnout. Clinicians are repeatedly physically and emotionally exposed to exceedingly long hours in direct care with seriously ill patients/families, limited autonomy over daily responsibilities, endless electronic documentation, and a shifting medical landscape. The physical and emotional well-being of the cancer care clinician is critical to the impact on quality care, patient satisfaction, and overall success of their organizations. The prevention of burnout as well as targeting established burnout need to be proactively addressed at the individual level and organizational level. In fact, confronting burnout and promoting wellness are the shared responsibility of both oncology clinicians and their organizations. From an individual perspective, oncology clinicians must be empowered to play a crucial role in enhancing their own wellness by identification of burnout symptoms in both themselves and their colleagues, learning resilience strategies (e.g., mindful self-compassion), and cultivating positive relationships with fellow clinician colleagues. At the organizational level, leadership must recognize the importance of oncology clinician well-being; engage leaders and physicians in collaborative action planning, improve overall practice environment, and provide institutional wellness resources to physicians. These effective individual and organizational interventions are crucial for the prevention and improvement of overall clinician wellness and must be widely and systematically integrated into oncology care.

scholarly journals Longitudinal access and exposure to green-blue spaces and individual-level mental health and well-being: protocol for a longitudinal, population-wide record-linked natural experiment

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. e027289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Mizen ◽  
Jiao Song ◽  
Richard Fry ◽  
Ashley Akbari ◽  
Damon Berridge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionStudies suggest that access and exposure to green-blue spaces (GBS) have beneficial impacts on mental health. However, the evidence base is limited with respect to longitudinal studies. The main aim of this longitudinal, population-wide, record-linked natural experiment, is to model the daily lived experience by linking GBS accessibility indices, residential GBS exposure and health data; to enable quantification of the impact of GBS on well-being and common mental health disorders, for a national population.Methods and analysisThis research will estimate the impact of neighbourhood GBS access, GBS exposure and visits to GBS on the risk of common mental health conditions and the opportunity for promoting subjective well-being (SWB); both key priorities for public health. We will use a Geographic Information System (GIS) to create quarterly household GBS accessibility indices and GBS exposure using digital map and satellite data for 1.4 million homes in Wales, UK (2008–2018). We will link the GBS accessibility indices and GBS exposures to individual-level mental health outcomes for 1.7 million people with general practitioner (GP) data and data from the National Survey for Wales (n=~12 000) on well-being in the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank. We will examine if these associations are modified by multiple sociophysical variables, migration and socioeconomic disadvantage. Subgroup analyses will examine associations by different types of GBS. This longitudinal study will be augmented by cross-sectional research using survey data on self-reported visits to GBS and SWB.Ethics and disseminationAll data will be anonymised and linked within the privacy protecting SAIL Databank. We will be using anonymised data and therefore we are exempt from National Research Ethics Committee (NREC). An Information Governance Review Panel (IGRP) application (Project ID: 0562) to link these data has been approved.The research programme will be undertaken in close collaboration with public/patient involvement groups. A multistrategy programme of dissemination is planned with the academic community, policy-makers, practitioners and the public.

scholarly journals Environmental Stressors: The Mental Health Impacts of Living Near Industrial Activity

2005 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam Downey ◽  
Marieke Van Willigen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Toxic Release Inventory ◽  
Neighborhood Disorder ◽  
Industrial Activity ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Impact

A growing literature examines whether the poor, the working class, and people of color are disproportionately likely to live in environmentally hazardous neighborhoods. This literature assumes that environmental characteristics such as industrial pollution and hazardous waste are detrimental to human health, an assumption that has not been well tested. Drawing upon the sociology of mental health and environmental inequality studies, we ask whether industrial activity has an impact on psychological well-being. We link individual-level survey data with data from the U.S. Census and the Toxic Release Inventory and find that residential proximity to industrial activity has a negative impact on mental health. This impact is both direct and mediated by individuals' perceptions of neighborhood disorder and personal powerlessness, and the impact is greater for minorities and the poor than it is for whites and wealthier individuals. These results suggest that public health officials need to take seriously the mental health impacts of living near industrial facilities.

Examining the Impact of Individual, Community, and Market Factors on Methamphetamine Use: A Tale of Two Cities

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 665-693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Rodriguez ◽  
Charles Katz ◽  
Vincent J. Webb ◽  
David R. Schaefer
Keyword(s):  
Drug Market ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Methamphetamine Use ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Two Cities ◽  
Market Factors ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Although prior studies have monitored the trends in methamphetamine use and reported its increase over the years, few studies have considered how community-level characteristics affect the use of methamphetamine. In this study, we utilize data from the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program from two cities to examine how individual-level, community-level, and drug market factors influence methamphetamine use. Results indicate that both individual and community-level data significantly influence methamphetamine use. Also, findings show that predictors of methamphetamine use (at the individual and community-level) differ significantly from marijuana, cocaine, and opiate use. Policy implications regarding law enforcement suppression and the treatment of methamphetamine users are discussed.

scholarly journals The impact of a changing policy environment on board members in small and medium-sized voluntary organisations

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-346
Author(s):  
Lindsey Metcalf
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Board Members ◽  
Policy Environment ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Specific Group ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Support Mechanisms ◽  
Training And Support ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Voluntary Organisations

This article examines the experiences of volunteers serving as board members in small and medium-sized voluntary organisations (VOs) in England. It considers the ways in which policy developments, including the outsourcing of public service delivery and austerity programmes, are impacting on this group of volunteers. Relatively little research has considered policy change from a board member perspective, despite their key role in organisational governance. The article draws on qualitative interviews with individual board members. It shows that policy changes are contributing to an increasingly complex role for board members in small and medium-sized VOs. The policy environment impacts on board members both by driving more challenging organisational issues for the board and, in turn, by contributing to stress and a lack of confidence at an individual level. Recruitment, training and support mechanisms are not always adequate in meeting the needs of this specific group of volunteers within this context.

scholarly journals Private Religious or Spiritual Activities and its Impact on Life Satisfaction: A Population-based Study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sameer Desai
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Canadian Community Health Survey ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
High Satisfaction ◽  
The Impact

Background: Life satisfaction is considered a valid population-based indicator of health and well-being. Recently, many advances in life satisfaction and well-being have been made by improving social and health policies. However, several countries continue to report low levels of life satisfaction, even among many modern industrialized nations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of private religious or spiritual activities (PRS) as a possible modifiable, individual-level factor to increase life satisfaction, with population-level health implications.Methods: The analytic sample included 9,627 respondents to the 2011-2012 Canadian Community Health Survey. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between self-reported PRS activities and life satisfaction, adjusted for confounders.Results: After adjusting for the confounders, daily PRS activities was associated with an increased odds of high satisfaction (AOR=1.22, 95% CI: 0.84, 1.78) compared to low satisfaction. Engaging in weekly PRS activities was also associated with an increased odds of high satisfaction (AOR = AOR=1.33, 95% CI: 0.87, 2.02) compared to low satisfaction. Monthly engagement in PRS activities was not associated with increases in life satisfaction. Conclusions: There is a moderate association between the odds of high satisfaction and engaging in PRS activities on a daily or weekly basis. The variability in the CIs of the AORs indicates imprecision in the data; however, the majority of the possible range of effects are beneficial. Countries and other relevant organizations should be cognizant of the possible role that religious and spiritual values may have on life satisfaction, as another factor to explore further for population-level health benefits.

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