scholarly journals Critical analysis of housing condition impacts on residents' well-being and social costs

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 33-66
Author(s):  
Elisa Atália Daniel Muianga ◽  
Vanessa Gomes da Silva ◽  
Doris C. C. K. Kowaltowski ◽  
Daniel de Carvalho Moreira ◽  
Ariovaldo Denis Granja ◽  
...  

Housing is fundamental to the welfare of people and society. On the contrary, housing may impose costs on users as regards their health and quality of life. These costs are not only individual but also social. Studies on the concept of social costs (SCs) related to living conditions of social housing (SH) are scarce, and the concept needs in-depth debates. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to answer the primary research question: What are SCs, and what triggers them? The research specifically aims to identify spatial design factors and construction details of SH, which may cause adverse impacts and social costs and affect households' quality of life. The SLR results are analysed and discussed concerning the major concepts of SCs and social impacts (SIs). The visual representation and organization of data contribute to detailed and in-depth conceptual discussions to understand the factors that can induce actions to improve SH design and upgrading of the existing stock. Most publications emphasise physical and mental health risks. Poor thermal conditions cause illnesses, and depression is prevalent in many housing developments putting pressure on public systems and their health services. Social unrest and family conflict can impose further costs on policing and social assistance. Housing conditions’ cause and effect are rarely detailed in the SC literature, which constitutes a research gap. New housing design, Upgrading or refurbishment initiatives should also effectively increase well-being, reduce environmental impacts, and ultimately contribute towards positive social and technological developments.

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-87
Author(s):  
Ishrat J. Khan

Background:There has been an increasing interest in the past several decades to study the relationship between spirituality and religion with physical and mental health as well as the various quality of life measures. This trend has led to the creation of an area of study called epidemiology of religion and spirituality. The policy shifts at various levels, in the mental health field, has occurred as well to educate healthcare providers, and address patients’ spiritual /religious needs in clinical settings. Despite these advances in research and policy shift, there is still some resistance in the health care community to assess and address the spiritual needs of patients in clinical settings.Objective:The objective is to review the published articles on spirituality/religion and its relationship with mental and physical wellbeing and discuss limitations of such research. The review articles on assessment and interventions to address spiritual or religious needs in clinical settings were also included.Methods:Author conducted a literature search using books@Ovid, Journals@Ovid Full Text, Your Journals@Ovid, Ovid MEDLINE® 1946 to January week 4 2019, Ovid Medline® and Epub Ahead of Print, In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations and Daily without Revisions 2015-January 28, 2019; Ovid MD and Psychiatry Online.Results:A total of 1,040 articles were identified using keywords spirituality, religion, mental health, physical health, psychological well-being, healthy beliefs, psychopathological beliefs and quality of life. The search result included original research papers, review articles and commentaries.Conclusion:The review articles were narrowed to 100 articles based on relevance to the objectives outlined above. Seventy-five articles were referenced at the end.


2021 ◽  
Vol 162 (27) ◽  
pp. 1089-1098
Author(s):  
Zsolt Szakály ◽  
József Bognár ◽  
Zoltán Tánczos ◽  
Csaba András Dézsi

Összefoglaló. Bevezetés: A szociális szférában dolgozók túlterheltsége jelentős, és munkakörülményeik többnyire kedvezőtlenek. Bizonyított, hogy az életcélok meghatározzák a karrier, az egészségtudatosság és az életminőség területeit, de ez utóbbi a szociális dolgozók mintáján még nem került bizonyításra. Célkitűzés: A kutatás célja, hogy bemutassa egy szociális és egészségügyi szolgáltatóintézmény női dolgozóinak (n = 127) tápláltsági és fittségi állapotát és életminőségét, valamint az életcélok meghatározó szerepét ezekre a mutatókra. Módszer: Kérdőív, teszt, testösszetétel-vizsgálat és fittségiállapot-felmérés segítségével gyűjtöttünk adatokat, amelyeket különbözőségvizsgálattal és regresszióelemzéssel elemeztünk. Eredmények: A minta tápláltsági mutatója túlsúlyra utal, míg a fittségi állapot, az életminőség és az életcélok még elfogadható tartományban vannak, de a szélsőértékek jelentősek. A magasabb életcélokkal rendelkezők jobb fittségi mutatókkal és életminőséggel jellemezhetők. Az ülőmunkát és a fizikai munkát végzők között minimális különbség volt kimutatható a tápláltsági mutatók, a fittség és az életminőség tekintetében. A táppénzt igénybe vevők gyengébb fittségi és életminőség-mutatókkal rendelkeznek, mint akik nem voltak betegszabadságon. Az életkor előrehaladtával romló testösszetételt és fittségi állapotot detektáltunk. Következtetés: A korábbi kutatási eredményeket megerősíthetjük abban, hogy a szociális dolgozók tápláltsági és fittségi mutatói, valamint életminőségszintje nem optimális. Az életcélok meghatározó szerepe a vizsgált területek számottevő részében bizonyítást nyert. A dolgozói életcélok megerősítésének egyik fontos színtere a munkahely, ahol számos pozitív hatás érhető el a testi-lelki egészség, a jóllét és a munkateljesítmény területein is. Orv Heti. 2021; 162(27): 1089–1098. Summary. Introduction: Professionals working in the social sector typically do significant overwork in rather unfavourable working conditions. Although the purpose in life is proved to determine the areas of career, health awareness, and the quality of life, the latter has not yet been confirmed among social workers. Objective: The purpose of this research is to demonstrate body composition and fitness status as well as the quality of life of female employees (n = 127) at a social institution, furthermore the decisive role purpose of life plays in these indicators. Method: Data were collected through questionnaires, tests, body composition analyses, and fitness status tests, and were assessed by t-test, analysis of variance and regression analysis. Results: Body composition of the participants indicates a generally overweight status, while fitness status, quality of life, and purpose of life are within the acceptable range, however, all with notable range values. Those with a higher-level purpose of life demonstrate better fitness indicators and higher quality of life. In terms of body composition, fitness, and quality of life, only a minor difference was found between those who do intellectual and physical type of work. Those who took sick leave demonstrated a lower level of fitness and quality of life compared to those who did not take any sick leave. Body composition and fitness status have proven to deteriorate with age. Conclusion: Previous research findings can be confirmed by stating that neither the body composition and fitness indicators, nor the quality-of-life level of social workers are optimal. The determining role of purpose in life has been proven in substantial aspects in this study. One of the focus areas of enhancing purpose in life is the workplace, where major positive impacts can be achieved in terms of the physical and mental health, well-being, and work performance. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(27): 1089–1098.


Author(s):  
Priscila Gadelha Cazolari ◽  
Matheus de Sousa Cavalcante ◽  
Marcelo Marcos Piva Demarzo ◽  
Frederico Molina Cohrs ◽  
Adriana Sanudo ◽  
...  

Abstract: Introduction: The presence of chronic stress, caused by the activities and demands of the medical course, can lead to what is called ‘burnout’, a syndrome characterized by three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, dehumanization (or depersonalization) and reduced professional achievement. Considering the increased incidence of burnout syndrome, anxiety and depression symptoms, suicide attempts and suicide rates among medical students, as a consequence of increasing demands for professional and financial success at the expense of physical and mental health, one understands the importance of studying the subject and proposing measures of prevention and control. The aim of this study was to evaluate and describe the levels of burnout and well-being of medical students at a Brazilian public university. Method: The stress and well-being levels of students from the first to the sixth year for the Medical Course at Universidade Federal de São Paulo were evaluated using MBI-SS and WHOQOL-BREF questionnaires, applied online on the REDCAP platform. Results: A total of 302 students completed the questionnaires. Regarding the MBI-SS, students showed a low value in the emotional exhaustion factor and high levels of professional disbelief and effectiveness, indicating a burnout that ranged from low to moderate. It was also observed that female students showed a greater tendency toward emotional exhaustion when compared to male ones, as well as the fact that students from the 1st and 2nd years showed higher values of professional effectiveness when compared with 3rd and 4th years, with no difference between genders. Based on the answers from WHOQUOL-BREF questionnaire, the students thought they had a good quality of life. Discussion: These results reinforce possible factors that might interfere with the students’ quality of life: excessive workload, teaching model based on extensive lectures, lack of stimulation, recognition for their efforts. Conclusion: The medical students evaluated in this study have a good quality of life and show low or moderate burnout levels.


Author(s):  
Olga Fleitlikh ◽  

The relevance of the study of personal self-determination is evident in a changing society, as societal crises determine personal crises. Scientific publications demonstrate a tendency to increasingly operate such a construct as ‘mindset’, the essence of which is reduced to a view of reality based on the subjective experience of the individual. Researchers describe a process of active transformation of this construct under the influence of ideas of self-awareness. In this sense, mindset becomes one of main determinants of personal identity. The research question that became the starting point of the study concerns the role of the subjectively perceived environment in the experience of human psychological well-being. Correlation, variance and multiple regression analyses as well as mathematical statistics methods were used to process the data. As a result of the study, the assumption that there are statistically significant links between the level of stigmatisation assigned and quality of life in the world-image structure of transgender people was confirmed. The sources and forms of social support that emerged as leading for the study sample determine high levels of self-stig matisation. The more deeply stigmatising attitudes permeate the personality structure and are appropriated by the individual, the lower the transgender person’s assessment of their psychological well-being. People with different levels of self-stigmatisation experience only two criteria for psychological well-being differently, rather than all of its components. Stigmatisation impairs a transgender person’s social adjustment and leads to a decreased quality of life, linked, in our view, to the basic assumptions regarding security upon which the individual relies to shape the world.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 70
Author(s):  
Hendrik Prayitno Luawo ◽  
Yulia Indah Permata ◽  
Ulfa Nur Rohmah ◽  
Waluyo Waluyo ◽  
Saskiyanti Ari Andini

Background: Self-management is an important step in preventing and impeding the progression of chronic kidney disease. The effective support and encouragement of self-management in patients with chronic kidney disease is therefore required. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a self-management program improving the quality of life on patients with CKD.Method: The literature review used the keywords ‘chronic kidney disease’, ‘self-management program’ and ‘quality of life’. From the article search using “AND” as well, only 8 studies met the inclusion criteria. Across the 8 studies, 592 participants and a mean 147 per trial were included within the middle age group.Discussion: The types intervention were a heterogenous. CKD self-management program, renal education and exercise intervention, the EASE program, the KDE program, and a CKD Educational Program recommended to improve quality of life.Consclusion: The education and exercise intervention had a positive effect on the physical and mental health and well-being of the patients with CKD. Therefore early education about renal disease improves quality of life and treatment outcomes in patients with CKD who are on dialysis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 740-740
Author(s):  
Andrea Huseth-Zosel ◽  
Heather Fuller

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health crisis the world has not seen in a century, with older adults faced with unique impacts due to their increased vulnerability and need to social distance. This research examines changes in physical and mental health and quality of life among older adults in the upper Midwest during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seventy older adults aged 70-97 participated in three phone interviews (April [Time 1], June [Time 2], and October [Time 3] 2020) focusing on experiences coping with the pandemic and understanding overall changes in well-being. Participants rated their quality of life, physical health, and mental health on a scale from 1 to 5 with 1 being “Poor” and 5 being “Excellent.” Self-reported quality of life, mental health, and physical health initially declined between retrospective pre-COVID and Time 1 scores, with gradual increases seen across all three variables for Time 2 and Time 3 scores. Thematic analysis of qualitative responses for each interview wave identified salient themes of: 1) reduced quality of life, 2) distraction and routine, 3) loss and uncertainty, and 4) resilience and adaptation. The significance and meaning of these themes shifted across each time point. For example, the reduced quality of life theme initially encompassed loss of activities, later shifted to concerns about struggles to maintain relationships, and finally focused on hope for the future. Findings will be discussed in light of the significance of change over time as well as policy and practice implications for older adults.


Interiority ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-242
Author(s):  
Elena Marco ◽  
Katie Williams ◽  
Sonja Oliveira

Space for living in new build houses in the UK is at premium and households have more stuff than ever before. The way this stuff is accommodated in dwellings can significantly affect residents’ quality of life and well-being. This paper presents a new conceptualisation of material possessions that could be of use to those involved in housing design. Three universal characteristics of material possessions; value, temporality and visibility are used to identify the space in the home that possessions might require. A conceptual framework that integrates these characteristics with spatial information about the interior of the home is developed. The paper argues that the conceptual framework could help designers, policymakers and house builders to better understand first the nature of material possessions, and second how those possessions could be accommodated in contemporary homes, ultimately supporting improved quality of life and wellbeing for households.


2021 ◽  
Vol 100 (12) ◽  
pp. 1412-1416
Author(s):  
Elena A. Beigel ◽  
Elena V. Katamanova ◽  
Polina V. Kazakova ◽  
Salim F. Shayakhmetov

Introduction. Chronic occupational disease of the bronchopulmonary system can significantly impact the quality of life of patients. The aim of the study is to assess the quality of life associated with the health of workers with bronchopulmonary pathology in the aluminium industry. Materials and methods. The study involved 130 men with occupational pathology of the respiratory system (chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), bronchial asthma (BA), chronic non-obstructive bronchitis (CNOB) and a combination of COPD + BA) aged 43 to 72 years (mean age 59.7 ± 8.4 years). The comparison group included 84 men - residents of the Irkutsk region (the average age was 50.2 ± 7.2 years), comparable with patients in social conditions and not in contact with harmful production factors. The health-related quality of life (HRQL) was assessed according to the Russified modification of the SF-36 method, respiratory function using spirometry. Statistical processing of the results was carried out using the software package “Statistica 6.0”. Results. Assessment of the quality of life of patients with occupational chronic bronchopulmonary pathology revealed low values of assessments on all scales of HRQL, both in the group as a whole (p <0.05) and depending on the nosological form (p < 0.001). Taking into account the severity of spirometric data, it was found that in grade III - the intensity of pain (36 (22-41) points) was more pronounced than in groups I (41 (41-55) points) and II (41 (22-42) ) points) degrees of severity. Conclusion. The data obtained indicate that bronchopulmonary pathology harms the HRQL, determining the low total physical and mental health (33.0 ± 3.9 and 45.1 ± 4.8 points, respectively), causing low physical and mental well-being can be an obstacle to normal social functioning.


1996 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 309-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
AE Bond

Confusion, misunderstanding, and ethical concerns may interfere with patients' choices for appropriate treatment and subsequent quality of life. Such concerns did not originate from recent technological advances but from the ancient Greeks and Romans who honored health more than life, and the early Christians who honored life more than health. These opposing concepts reflect differing notions of quality of life. Determining the quality of life involves personal issues--the cognitive ability to evaluate one's own life; the perception of a satisfactory state of social, emotional, physical, and mental health; and an acceptable feeling of well-being despite physical limitations. In contrast, and often conflict, are objective evaluations of treatment outcomes, morbidity/mortality statistics, cost/benefit analyses, and age studies performed in an attempt to determine quality of life by persons other than the patient.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 149-156
Author(s):  
Apriliani Siburian ◽  
Ching Fen Chang

The most prevalent diseases within the world related to major illness and mortality are chronic liver diseases. The developing pervasiveness of chronic liver disease has resulted in increased interest in health-related quality of life, which incorporates the physical well-being of a patient and his emotional and social well-being. This study aimed to define the quality of life of patients with chronic liver disease. This study used the Quality-of-Life Short Form 36 Indonesian version to examine 102 patients with chronic liver disease from two hospitals with a descriptive design. The quality of life of the patients was comparatively low (M ± SD: physical, 42.4 ± 18.33; mental, 48.44 ± 17.19). On both the physical and mental health dimensions of quality of life, the patients in this study scored less than 50 on a scale of 0 to 100, with low scores indicating the low quality of life both physically and mentally. Improving quality of life necessitates a multidisciplinary strategy that combines physical and mental health screening and management. Surrounding support will encourage adaptive coping mechanisms to manage the illness for improving quality of life. AbstrakPenyakit Hati Kronis Menurunkan Dimensi Kesehatan Fisik dan Mental. Penyakit yang paling umum di dunia yang berhubungan dengan penyakit utama dan kematian adalah penyakit hati kronis. Penyebaran penyakit hati kronis yang berkembang telah menghasilkan peningkatan minat pada kualitas hidup yang berhubungan dengan kesehatan, yang mencakup kesejahteraan fisik pasien dan kesejahteraan emosional dan sosialnya. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menjabarkan kualitas hidup pasien penyakit hati kronis. Penelitian ini menggunakan Quality-of-Life Short Form 36 versi Bahasa Indonesia untuk mengumpulkan data dari 102 pasien dari dua rumah sakit melalui desain deskriptif. Penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa kualitas hidup pasien relatif rendah (M ± SD: fisik, 42,4 ± 18,33; mental, 48,44 ± 17,19). Pada kedua dimensi kualitas hidup yaitu kesehatan fisik dan mental, pasien dalam penelitian ini mendapat nilai kurang dari 50 pada skala 0 hingga 100, dengan nilai rendah menunjukkan kualitas hidup rendah baik fisik maupun mental. Peningkatkan kualitas hidup pasien memerlukan strategi multidisiplin yang menggabungkan skrining dan manajemen kesehatan fisik dan mental. Dukungan lingkungan akan mendorong mekanisme koping yang adaptif untuk mengelola penyakit dalam meningkatkan kualitas hidup.Kata Kunci: Indonesia, kualitas hidup, penyakit hati kronis, sirosis


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