scholarly journals The Regeneración Urbana, Calidad de Vida y Salud - RUCAS project: a Chilean multi-methods study to evaluate the impact of urban regeneration on resident health and wellbeing

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Baeza ◽  
Alejandra Vives Vergara ◽  
Francisca González ◽  
Laura Orlando ◽  
Roxana Valdebenito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Effects ◽  
Urban Regeneration ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
Health Determinants ◽  
Systematic Observation ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Calidad De Vida ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Background The available evidence of the health effects of urban regeneration is scarce In Latin America, and there are no studies focused on formal housing that longitudinally evaluate the impact of housing and neighborhood interventions on health. The “Regeneración Urbana, Calidad de Vida y Salud” (Urban Regeneration, Quality of Life, and Health) or RUCAS project is a longitudinal, multi-method study that will evaluate the impact of an intervention focused on dwellings, built environment and community on the health and wellbeing of the population in two social housing neighborhoods in Chile. Methods RUCAS consists of a longitudinal study where inhabitants exposed and unexposed to the intervention will be compared over time within the study neighborhoods (cohorts), capitalizing on interventions as a natural experiment. Researchers have developed a specific conceptual framework and identified potential causal mechanisms. Proximal and more distal intervention effects will be measured with five instruments, implemented pre- and post-interventions between 2018 and 2021: a household survey, an observation tool to evaluate dwelling conditions, hygrochrons for measuring temperature and humidity inside dwellings, systematic observation of recreational areas, and qualitative interviews. Survey baseline data (956 households, 3130 individuals) is presented to describe sociodemographics, housing and health characteristics of both cohorts, noting that neighborhoods studied show worse conditions than the Chilean population. Discussion RUCAS’ design allows for a comprehensive evaluation of the effects that the intervention could have on various dimensions of health and health determinants. RUCAS will face some challenges, like changes in the intervention process due to adjustments of the master plan, exogenous factors –including COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns– and lost to follow-up. Given the stepped wedge design, that the study capitalizes on within household changes over time, the possibility of adjusting data collection process and complementarity of methods, RUCAS has the flexibility to adapt to these circumstances. Also, RUCAS’ outreach and retention strategy has led to high retention rates. RUCAS will provide evidence to inform regeneration processes, highlighting the need to consider potential health effects of regeneration in designing such interventions and, more broadly, health as a key priority in urban and housing policies.

Revealing new leads for the impact of galacto-oligosaccharides on gut commensals and gut health benefits through text mining

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 283-302
Author(s):  
A.M. Sijbers ◽  
R.J.W. Schoemaker ◽  
A. Nauta ◽  
W. Alkema
Keyword(s):  
Text Mining ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Large Set ◽  
Gut Health ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Bifidobacterium Species ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Insight Into

Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are linked to various health benefits, such as the relief of symptoms of constipation. Part of the beneficial effects of GOS are thought to be the consequence of their bifidogenic effect, stimulating the growth of several Bifidobacterium species in vivo. However, GOS may exert additional effects by directly stimulating other bacterial species or by effects that bifidobacteria may have on other commensals in the gut. To get a better insight into the potential health effects induced by GOS, a good understanding of the gut ecosystem, the role of GOS and bifidobacteria is important. An increasing number of 16S DNA profiling and metagenomics studies have led to an expanding inventory of genera, species and strains that can be found in the human gut. To investigate the potential connection of these commensals with GOS and bifidobacteria, we have undertaken a text-mining study to chart the literature landscape around these commensals. To this end, we created controlled vocabularies describing GOS, a large set of gut commensals and a number of terms related to gut health, which were used to mine the entire MEDLINE database. Co-occurrence text-mining revealed that a large number of commensals found in the gut have a connection with Bifidobacterium species and with gut health effects. Word frequency analysis provided more insight into the functional nature of these relationships. Combined co-occurrence search results pointed to putative novel health benefits indirectly linked to bifidobacteria and GOS. The potential beneficial effects of GOS on the protection of epithelial function and epithelial barrier impairment and appendicitis are interesting novel leads. The text-mining approach reported here revealed a number of novel leads through which GOS could exert health effects and that could be investigated in dedicated studies.

scholarly journals Changes in Non-Nutritive Sweetener Consumption Patterns in Response to a Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Reduction Intervention

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3428
Author(s):  
Darlene Acero ◽  
Jamie M. Zoellner ◽  
Brenda M. Davy ◽  
Valisa E. Hedrick
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Consumption Patterns ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Sugar Sweetened Beverage ◽  
Sweetened Beverage ◽  
Diet Soda ◽  
Participant Characteristics ◽  
Over Time

Data are lacking on whether non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) can be used as a strategy to support decreases in sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption. The purpose of this secondary analysis of a 6-month SSB-reduction intervention was to explore changes in NNS consumption patterns in Talking Health participants within the SIPsmartER (n = 101) intervention. Additionally, participant characteristics were compared for three SSB-NNS change groups (decrease SSB/increase NNS; decrease SSB/no increase in NNS; increase/no change in SSB/regardless of NNS). There was a significant increase in aspartame and total NNS intake for participants (mean daily mg increases of 37.2 ± 13.9 and 63.7 ± 18.5, respectively). With the exception of sex, no differences in participant characteristics were found between the three SSB-NNS change groups. Furthermore, no significant changes in weight or body mass index (BMI) were demonstrated between SSB-NNS change groups over time. Diet soda was the most commonly consumed source of NNS; however, other dietary sources of NNS also contributed to intake. At 6 months, intake of sucralose and saccharin were primarily from dietary sources other than diet sodas (94% and 100%, respectively). These findings suggest that NNS may be a feasible strategy to help reduce SSB consumption. This study supports the need to consistently quantify and identify NNS intake, beyond using diet soda intake as a proxy for NNS intake and grouping all NNS types into one variable, to more accurately address the potential health effects of NNS.

scholarly journals Prospective associations between socio-economic status and dietary patterns in European children: the Identification and Prevention of Dietary- and Lifestyle-induced Health Effects in Children and Infants (IDEFICS) Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 113 (3) ◽  
pp. 517-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Miguel Fernández-Alvira ◽  
Claudia Börnhorst ◽  
Karin Bammann ◽  
Wencke Gwozdz ◽  
Vittorio Krogh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Dietary Patterns ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Clustering Algorithm ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

Exploring changes in children's diet over time and the relationship between these changes and socio-economic status (SES) may help to understand the impact of social inequalities on dietary patterns. The aim of the present study was to describe dietary patterns by applying a cluster analysis to 9301 children participating in the baseline (2–9 years old) and follow-up (4–11 years old) surveys of the Identification and Prevention of Dietary- and Lifestyle-induced Health Effects in Children and Infants Study, and to describe the cluster memberships of these children over time and their association with SES. We applied the K-means clustering algorithm based on the similarities between the relative frequencies of consumption of forty-two food items. The following three consistent clusters were obtained at baseline and follow-up: processed (higher frequency of consumption of snacks and fast food); sweet (higher frequency of consumption of sweet foods and sweetened drinks); healthy (higher frequency of consumption of fruits, vegetables and wholemeal products). Children with higher-educated mothers and fathers and the highest household income were more likely to be allocated to the healthy cluster at baseline and follow-up and less likely to be allocated to the sweet cluster. Migrants were more likely to be allocated to the processed cluster at baseline and follow-up. Applying the cluster analysis to derive dietary patterns at the two time points allowed us to identify groups of children from a lower socio-economic background presenting persistently unhealthier dietary profiles. This finding reflects the need for healthy eating interventions specifically targeting children from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

scholarly journals Evolution of the Initially Recruited SHARE Panel Sample Over the First Six Waves

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 507-527
Author(s):  
Sabine Friedel ◽  
Tim Birkenbach
Keyword(s):  
Retention Rates ◽  
Panel Survey ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
National Surveys ◽  
Sample Composition ◽  
Older Populations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Second Wave ◽  
Large Decline ◽  
Over Time

AbstractAttrition is a frequently observed phenomenon in panel studies. The loss of panel members over time can hamper the analysis of panel survey data. Based on data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), this study investigates changes in the composition of the initially recruited first-wave sample in a multi-national face-to-face panel survey of an older population over waves. By inspecting retention rates and R-indicators, we found that, despite declining retention rates, the composition of the initially recruited panel sample in Wave 1 remained stable after the second wave. Thus, after the second wave there is no further large decline in representativeness with regard to the first wave sample. Changes in the composition of the sample after the second wave over time were due mainly to mortality-related attrition. Non-mortality-related attrition had a slight effect on the changes in sample composition with regard to birth in survey country, area of residence, education, and social activities. Our study encourages researchers to investigate further the impact of mortality- and non-mortality-related attrition in multi-national surveys of older populations.

scholarly journals A first long-term evaluation of the Council of Coaches application: An observational cohort study

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
H Op den Akker ◽  
M Hurmuz ◽  
S M Jansen-Kosterink
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
User Experience ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Observational Cohort Study ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Baseline Phase ◽  
Observational Cohort ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Due to the aging population, more and more older adults are living with chronic conditions. Adopting a healthy lifestyle can reduce the impact of these conditions. To address this issue, Council of Coaches (COUCH) has been developed within the Council of Coaches project (European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 769553). COUCH is a web application (TRL6), in which users can have virtual conversations with a group of embodied virtual coaches. These coaches give users information, feedback and tips on adopting a healthy lifestyle primarily in the areas of physical activity and nutrition. The aim of this evaluation is to assess the use, user experience, and potential health effects. Methods Use will be assessed by the log data of COUCH, and user experience and potential health effects will be assessed by questionnaires. The target population (older adults, 55 years or older) will participate in an observational cohort study with a pre-test/post-test design. Subjects will complete multiple questionnaires: before the baseline phase, after the implementation phase and, after the follow-up phase. Each participant will sign an informed consent form. Results The COUCH evaluation consists of two rounds. The first round started in February 2020, the second round will start in May 2020, with 25 subjects planned in each round. For the first round, 26 subjects are already recruited and included. For the second round, 12 subjects are already recruited. In August 2020, the results of the evaluation will be available. During this presentation, these results will be presented. This will consist of user demographics, use, user experience, and of the results on potential health effect. Conclusions This evaluation will give us a broad overview of the use, user experience and effectiveness of COUCH in a real-life setting, leading to further development of COUCH.

The Therapist’s Reaction to a Patient’s Suicide

Crisis ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Friedrich Martin Wurst ◽  
Isabella Kunz ◽  
Gregory Skipper ◽  
Manfred Wolfersdorf ◽  
Karl H. Beine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Responses ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Emotional Reaction ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Analog Scale ◽  
General Hospitals ◽  
Item Questionnaire ◽  
Retrospective Nature ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

Background: A substantial proportion of therapists experience the loss of a patient to suicide at some point during their professional life. Aims: To assess (1) the impact of a patient’s suicide on therapists distress and well-being over time, (2) which factors contribute to the reaction, and (3) which subgroup might need special interventions in the aftermath of suicide. Methods: A 63-item questionnaire was sent to all 185 Psychiatric Clinics at General Hospitals in Germany. The emotional reaction of therapists to patient’s suicide was measured immediately, after 2 weeks, and after 6 months. Results: Three out of ten therapists suffer from severe distress after a patients’ suicide. The item “overall distress” immediately after the suicide predicts emotional reactions and changes in behavior. The emotional responses immediately after the suicide explained 43.5% of the variance of total distress in a regression analysis. Limitations: The retrospective nature of the study is its primary limitation. Conclusions: Our data suggest that identifying the severely distressed subgroup could be done using a visual analog scale for overall distress. As a consequence, more specific and intensified help could be provided to these professionals.

Has Aid Helped in Pakistan?

1997 ◽  
Vol 36 (4II) ◽  
pp. 947-957 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahrukh Rafi Khan
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Causal Impact ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

This paper has a two-fold objective: first, to examine the terms on which Pakistan receives aid and whether its debt situation is sustainable, and second, to examine the impact of aid and debt on economic growth. It is found that there is little encouraging that can be said about how the terms on which Pakistan has received aid over time have changed, and its current debt situation is not sustainable. Also reported is the analysis done elsewhere which shows that aid has a negative (Granger) causal impact on GDP, and aid has a robust negative impact on economic growth after controlling for supplyside shocks. We provide various reasons for this negative association.

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