Formal Volunteering in Europe: Evidence Across Nations and Time

2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 385-409
Author(s):  
Elena Damian

For the first time, this study examined both cross-sectional and longitudinal effects of contextual cultural and economic characteristics of individual formal volunteering. A study sample of 116,380 respondents from 33 countries and four waves from the European Values Study (1981-2008) was used. The hierarchical logistic models indicate that a long-standing theoretical idea regarding the positive relationship between contextual religiosity and formal volunteering is not supported by European data. Specifically, I found that people living in secular and economically equal countries are more likely to engage in voluntary activities. Longitudinally, there is a decrease in formal volunteering over 27 years; however, none of the cultural and economic country-level variables explain variation across time. These differential cross-sectional and longitudinal effects highlight the need to use repeated cross-sectional data.

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manon Laroche ◽  
Peggy Roussel ◽  
Nicolas Mascret ◽  
François Cury

AbstractThis study aimed to investigate associations of health promotion and prevention regulatory foci with sports practice, and examined the Selection, Optimization and Compensation (SOC) process behind the positive relationship between health promotion focus and sports practice. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 513 French volunteer sports participants aged from 18 to 82. Participants completed an online self-report survey measuring health regulatory foci, SOC strategy, Amount of Sports Practice (ASP), health condition, and educational level. Path analysis main results (χ2 = 16.64; df = 5; p < .01; RMSEA = 0.067; CFI = 0.98; R2 = .24) demonstrated that ASP was positively related with health promotion focus (β = .13, p < .01), SOC strategy (β = .28, p < .001) and negatively related with health prevention focus (β = –.20, p < .001). SOC strategy was positively related with health promotion focus (β = .39, p < .001) and bootstrapping analyses revealed that this strategy partially mediated the positive relationship between health promotion focus and ASP, 95% CI [.13, .29]. Finally, additional analyses showed that it was specifically the elective selection, optimization and compensation sub-components of SOC strategy which played mediating roles in this link, [.13, .29] < 95% CI < [.13, .29]. For the first time in the literature, these results evidenced direct links between health regulatory foci and sports practice, and a mechanistic pathway between health promotion focus and sports practice. The theoretical and applied implications of these results for sports promotion are discussed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bogdan Voicu ◽  
Claudiu D. Tufiş

This paper considers the case of the international migrants’ confidence in political institutions, from a social embeddedness perspective on political trust. We use country-level aggregates of confidence in institutions as indicators of specific cultures of trust, and by employing data from the European Values Study, we test two competing hypotheses. First, as confidence in institutions depends on the values formed during early childhood, the international migrant’s confidence in political institutions in the current country of residency will be influenced by the confidence context from the country of origin. Second, the host country may have different norms of trust in political institutions, and a process of re-socialization may occur. Therefore, the immigrants’ confidence in institutions is influenced by two confidence contexts: one from the origin country and one from the host country. The time spent in the two cultures, along with other characteristics from these contexts, shape the interaction effects we tested in multilevel cross-classified models.


Author(s):  
Gillian Libby ◽  
Zachary Zimmer ◽  
Andrew Kingston ◽  
Clove Haviva ◽  
Chi-Tsun Chiu ◽  
...  

AbstractResearch on religiosity and health has generally focussed on the United States, and outcomes of health or mortality but not both. Using the European Values Survey 2008, we examined cross-sectional associations between four dimensions of religiosity/spirituality: attendance, private prayer, importance of religion, belief in God; and healthy life expectancy (HLE) based on self-reported health across 47 European countries (n = 65,303 individuals). Greater levels of private prayer, importance of religion and belief in God, at a country level, were associated with lower HLE at age 20, after adjustment for confounders, but only in women. The findings may explain HLE inequalities between European countries.


2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 275-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirko Blagojevic

The author has envisaged to publish three articles in three issues of "Philosophy and Society" magazine in which, relying on the empirical scientific evidence, plans to reveal the scope and level of religiousness in some European countries, then to study the case of Russia in a separate text and finally to analyze religiousness of people in Serbia and their attachment to the church and religion. This sequence of publication has its own logics looking forward to the empirical research called "European Values Study" - a longitudinal and international comparative survey of human values - in almost all European countries including, for the first time, Serbia in 2008, the author first aims to present results of previous sociological research which are representative for the area of Europe, and then for the Orthodox area in the country with the highest number of Orthodox believers in the world. Therefore, in the last article the author will be able to compare the religious situation in Serbia not only with the (non)-religious Europe but the (non)-religious Orthodox Russia as well.


Crisis ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danica W. Y. Liu ◽  
A. Kate Fairweather-Schmidt ◽  
Richard Burns ◽  
Rachel M. Roberts ◽  
Kaarin J. Anstey

Abstract. Background: Little is known about the role of resilience in the likelihood of suicidal ideation (SI) over time. Aims: We examined the association between resilience and SI in a young-adult cohort over 4 years. Our objectives were to determine whether resilience was associated with SI at follow-up or, conversely, whether SI was associated with lowered resilience at follow-up. Method: Participants were selected from the Personality and Total Health (PATH) Through Life Project from Canberra and Queanbeyan, Australia, aged 28–32 years at the first time point and 32–36 at the second. Multinomial, linear, and binary regression analyses explored the association between resilience and SI over two time points. Models were adjusted for suicidality risk factors. Results: While unadjusted analyses identified associations between resilience and SI, these effects were fully explained by the inclusion of other suicidality risk factors. Conclusion: Despite strong cross-sectional associations, resilience and SI appear to be unrelated in a longitudinal context, once risk/resilience factors are controlled for. As independent indicators of psychological well-being, suicidality and resilience are essential if current status is to be captured. However, the addition of other factors (e.g., support, mastery) makes this association tenuous. Consequently, resilience per se may not be protective of SI.


Author(s):  
Edward Coyne

Abstract This paper describes the problems encountered and solutions found to the practical objective of developing an imaging technique that would produce a more detailed analysis of IC material structures then a scanning electron microscope. To find a solution to this objective the theoretical idea of converting a standard SEM to produce a STEM image was developed. This solution would enable high magnification, material contrasting, detailed cross sectional analysis of integrated circuits with an ordinary SEM. This would provide a practical and cost effective alternative to Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), where the higher TEM accelerating voltages would ultimately yield a more detailed cross sectional image. An additional advantage, developed subsequent to STEM imaging was the use of EDX analysis to perform high-resolution element identification of IC cross sections. High-resolution element identification when used in conjunction with high-resolution STEM images provides an analysis technique that exceeds the capabilities of conventional SEM imaging.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-41
Author(s):  
Ana Cristina Lindsay ◽  
Qun Le ◽  
Denise Lima Nogueira ◽  
Márcia M. T. Machado ◽  
Mary L. Greaney

Abstract Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess sources of information about gestational weight gain (GWG), diet, and exercise among first-time pregnant Brazilian women in the United States (US). Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Massachusetts, United States. Participants: First-time pregnant Brazilian women. Results: Eighty-six women, the majority of whom were immigrants (96.5%) classified as having low-acculturation levels (68%), participated in the study. Approximately two-thirds of respondents had sought information about GWG (72.1%), diet (79.1%), and exercise (74.4%) via the internet. Women classified as having low acculturation levels were more likely to seek information about GWG via the internet (OR = 7.55; 95% CI: 1.41, 40.26) than those with high acculturation levels after adjusting for age and receiving information about GWG from healthcare provider (doctor or midwife). Moreover, many respondents reported seeking information about GWG (67%), diet (71%), and exercise (52%) from family and friends. Women who self-identified as being overweight pre-pregnancy were less likely to seek information about diet (OR = 0.32; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.93) and exercise (OR = 0.33; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.96) from family and friends than those who self-identified being normal weight pre-pregnancy. Conclusions: This is the first study to assess sources of information about GWG, diet, and exercise among pregnant Brazilian immigrants in the US. Findings have implications for the design of interventions and suggest the potential of mHealth intervention as low-cost, easy access option for delivering culturally and linguistically tailored evidence-based information about GWG incorporating behavioral change practices to this growing immigrant group.


SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A43-A44
Author(s):  
Michelle Persich ◽  
Sara Cloonan ◽  
Michael Grandner ◽  
William Killgore

Abstract Introduction Psychological resilience is the ability to withstand setbacks, adapt positively to challenges, and bounce back from the adversities of life. While the construct of resilience is broadly understood, the specific individual factors that contribute to the ability to be resilient and persevere in the face of difficulties remain poorly understood. We recently showed that psychological resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a number of factors, including fewer complaints of insomnia, and others have suggested that sleep is an important contributor. We therefore tested the hypothesis that sleep quality and acute sleep quantity would combine to predict measures of psychological resilience and perseverance (i.e. “grit”). Methods We asked 447 adults (18–40 yrs; 72% female) to report the number of hours of sleep obtained the night before their assessment session (SLEEP), and complete several questionnaires, including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Bartone Dispositional Resilience Scale (Hardiness), and the Grit Scale. Sleep metrics were used to predict resilience, hardiness, and grit using multiple linear regression. Results For resilience, PSQI (β=-.201, p&lt;.00003) and SLEEP (β=.155, p&lt;.001) each contributed uniquely to prediction of CD-RISC (R2=.08, p&lt;.00001). Hardiness was also predicted (R2=.08, p&lt;.00001) by a combination of PSQI (β=-.218, p&lt;.00001) and SLEEP (β=.128, p=.007). Interestingly, worse sleep quality over the past month on the PSQI (β=.13, p=.008) in combination with more SLEEP the night before the assessment (β=.137, p=.005) each contributed uniquely to higher Grit (i.e., perseverance; R2=.03, p=.003). Conclusion Self-reported sleep quality and quantity were both independently associated with greater self-reported resilience, hardiness, and grit. While better sleep quality and more sleep the night before testing each uniquely predicted greater resilience and hardiness, a different pattern emerged for Grit. The combination of lower quality sleep over the past month followed by greater recent sleep duration was associated with increased perseverance. Whereas sleep quality appears to be more important for general resilience/hardiness, recent sleep time appears more important for the subjective perception of perseverance. Because these data are purely self-report and cross sectional, future work will need to determine the longitudinal effects on behavior. Support (if any):


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-31
Author(s):  
Samantha Goodman ◽  
Gabriela Armendariz ◽  
Adele Corkum ◽  
Laura Arellano ◽  
Alejandra Jáuregui ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objective: To examine awareness and recall of healthy eating public education campaigns in five countries. Design: Data were cross-sectional and collected as part of the 2018 International Food Policy Study. Respondents were asked whether they had seen government healthy eating campaigns in the past year; if yes (awareness), they were asked to describe the campaign. Open-ended descriptions were coded to indicate recall of specific campaigns. Logistic models regressed awareness of healthy eating campaigns on participant country, age, sex, ethnicity, education, income adequacy and BMI. Analyses were also stratified by country. Setting: Online surveys. Participants: Participants were Nielsen panelists aged ≥18 years in Australia, Canada, Mexico, UK and US (n=22,463). Results: Odds of campaign awareness were higher in Mexico (50.9%) than UK (18.2%), Australia (17.9%), US (13.0%) and Canada (10.2%) (P<0.001). Awareness was also higher in UK and Australia versus Canada and US, and US versus Canada (P<0.001). Overall, awareness was higher among males versus females and respondents with medium or high versus low education (P<0.001 for all). Similar results were found in stratified models, although no sex difference was observed in Australia or UK (P>0.05), and age was associated with campaign awareness in UK (P<0.001). Common key words in all countries included sugar/sugary drinks, fruits and vegetables, and physical activity. The top five campaigns recalled were Chécate, mídete, muévete (Mexico), PrevenIMSS (Mexico), Change4Life (UK), LiveLighter® (Australia), and Actívate, Vive Mejor (Mexico). Conclusions: In Mexico, UK and Australia, comprehensive campaigns to promote healthy lifestyles appear to have achieved broad, population-level reach.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e035805
Author(s):  
Zhuoting Zhu ◽  
Huan Liao ◽  
Sen Liu ◽  
Jian Zhang ◽  
Yifan Chen ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo explore the association between age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and arthritis in a representative sample of the US population.DesignPopulation-based, cross-sectional study.SettingThe National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005–2008.ParticipantsA total of 4813 participants aged 40 years and older with available information on AMD and arthritis in the 2005–2008 NHANES.MethodsThe status and types of arthritis were obtained from questionnaires. Non-mydriatic fundus photographs were collected. The types of AMD were assessed using the modified Wisconsin Age-Related Maculopathy Grading Classification Scheme. The association between arthritis and AMD was evaluated using logistic regression models.ResultsAfter adjusting for covariates, participants with any or early AMD had significantly lower odds of having any type of arthritis (any AMD: OR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.36–0.86; early AMD: OR=0.55, 95% CI: 0.34–0.88) or osteoarthritis (OA) (any AMD: OR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.26–0.71; early AMD: OR=0.44, 95% CI: 0.25–0.76) compared with those without AMD. When considering AMD as the outcome, significant negative associations were also found between any arthritis or OA and any (any arthritis: OR=0.64, 95% CI: 0.43–0.94; OA: OR=0.52, 95% CI: 0.33–0.82) or early AMD (any arthritis: OR=0.61, 95% CI: 0.40–0.93; OA: OR=0.51, 95% CI: 0.31–0.86) in the multivariable logistic models. There was no significant association between different types of arthritis and late AMD.ConclusionsPeople with arthritis, especially those with OA, were less likely to have AMD compared with those without arthritis and vice versa. Further studies are needed to confirm this potential protective effect of arthritis and/or arthritis treatment on AMD and to explore the underlying mechanisms.


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