Child Well-being Across the Life Course: What Do We Know, What Should We Know?

Child well-being has an explicit connection with UN Sustainable Development Goals. Progress in tackling these goals require robust evidence, such as can be provided by high quality survey data. Birth cohort surveys are an important source of evidence for policy makers seeking to protect and enhance the lives of children as they grow up. Until now such surveys have been developed independently and in order to compare data in different countries there are many challenges in post-hoc data harmonisation. The merits of collecting national longitudinal data are widely recognised, and yet the current studies are not easily comparable as they contain different questions and are conducted at different times and on different age groups. It is, therefore, time for an input harmonised comparative birth cohort survey. The European Cohort Development Project has been developing the design and business case for such a survey since 2018. This survey will allow a direct comparison of the well-being of children as they grow up across Europe in different national contexts. In the future, researchers the world over will be able to learn from the lived experiences of children and young people as they grow up in a diverse range of European countries.

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Challenges in the development of the geodiversity concept

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-15619 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

José Brilha

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Natural Capital ◽

Well Being ◽

University Education ◽

Conservation Areas ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Environmental Impact Assessments ◽

Conservation Actions ◽

Nature Play ◽

Development Goals

The concept of geodiversity, despite being in use for almost 30 years, still has little impact on society. It is not easy to explain the reason for this dissociation, considering that the elements that constitute geodiversity are intrinsically part of nature, play an essential role in ecosystem services and, consequently, in human well-being.During the last decade we have seen a great development in the interest of the geoscientific community in this subject, represented by the increase in the publication of papers and doctoral and master theses all over the world. One of the main challenges is now to transpose all this scientific knowledge into society. Obviously, theoretical and conceptual discussions about geodiversity are an integral part of science and must continue, but if we want that society recognizes the importance and value of geodiversity, we must be able to demonstrate clearly how geodiversity can help to solve some of the problems we face today.Among other priorities, the geoscientific community has to be able to demonstrate in an structured way:<ul><li>The importance of geodiversity in implementing nature conservation actions and its direct relationship with biodiversity;</li> <li>The contribution of geodiversity for ecosystems restoration and its accounting as part of natural capital;</li> <li>The need to quantify the role of geodiversity in ecosystem services;</li> <li>The urgency of make environmental impact assessments including all possible effects that may affect geodiversity elements and processes;</li> <li>The importance of integrate the concept of geodiversity in pre-university education curricula;</li> <li>That the information and environmental interpretation provided to visitors of protected areas and other conservation areas should always include geodiversity.</li> </ul>Once the importance of geodiversity is fully recognized by policy-makers, managers, and the society in general, the fulfilment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals will be for sure closer than it is today.

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Budgetary Consequences of High Medical Spending Across Age and Social Status: Evidence from the Consumer Expenditure Surveys

The Gerontologist ◽

10.1093/geront/gnz183 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 60 (7) ◽

pp. 1322-1331

Author(s):

Collin W Mueller ◽

Raphaël Charron-Chénier ◽

Bryce J Bartlett ◽

Tyson H Brown

Keyword(s):

Linear Models ◽

Finite Mixture Models ◽

Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽

Age Groups ◽

Well Being ◽

Consumer Expenditure ◽

Medical Spending ◽

Household Heads ◽

Using Data ◽

The Life Course

Abstract Background and Objectives This study examines high medical spending among younger, midlife, and older households. Research Design and Methods We investigate high medical spending using data from the 2010 through March 2018 Consumer Expenditures Surveys (n = 92,951). We classify and describe high medical spenders relative to others within three age groups (household heads age 25–44, 45–64, and 65+) using finite mixture models and multinomial logistic regression, respectively. We then use hierarchical linear models to estimate the effects of high medical spending on nonmedical spending. Results Among younger households, high medical spending is positively associated with higher education and increased spending on housing and food. Among older households, high medical spending is associated with lower education and decreased nonmedical spending. Discussion and Implications Earlier in the life course, high medical spending is more likely to indicate an investment in future household well-being, while at older ages, high medical spending is likely to indicate medical consumption.

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Sustainable Human Development Across the Life Course

10.1332/policypress/9781529204827.001.0001 ◽

2021 ◽

Keyword(s):

Human Development ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Global Issues ◽

Agenda 2030 ◽

Sustainable Human Development ◽

Wide Range ◽

Development Goals ◽

And Gender ◽

The Life Course

Sustainable Human Development Across the Lifecourse brings together impactful findings that respond to the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 commitment to ‘leave no one behind’. Drawing together international longitudinal studies researching child and adolescent wellbeing in over 40 countries, contributors explore a wide range and complexity of pressing global issues, with emphasis given to excluded and vulnerable populations and gender inequality. Importantly, the book sets out actionable strategies for policy makers and practitioners to help strengthen the global Sustainable Development Goals framework, accelerate their implementation and guide improvements for effective public policy.

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Cohort Differences in Well-Being Among Midlife and Older Women: Role of Self-Perceptions of Aging

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.214 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 56-56

Author(s):

Lindsay Ryan

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Older Women ◽

Age Groups ◽

Well Being ◽

Midlife Women ◽

Self Perceptions ◽

Cohort Differences ◽

Perceptions Of Aging ◽

The Life Course

Abstract The current study examines how cohort differences across two age-matched groups of midlife and older women from the Health and Retirement Study are associated with well-being and self-perceptions of aging (SPA). Women aged 51–60 (n=2318) and 61–70 (n=1650) were selected from the 2008 and 2018 waves. No significant cohort differences were identified for life satisfaction (Diener, Emmons, Larsen & Griffin, 1985) or positive SPA (Lawton, 1975; Liang & Bollen, 1983). The 2008 cohort of midlife women reported significantly higher negative SPA compared to 2018 (p<.05). Linear regression analyses find that cohort and SPA are significantly associated with life satisfaction in both age groups, and that the association of negative SPA differs by cohort for the midlife women (p<.01). Implications are discussed within the life course developmental framework.

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Introducing Park Facilities and Novelties to Support Individual’s Intention to (Re)Visit

Outdoor Recreation - Physiological and Psychological Effects on Health ◽

10.5772/intechopen.93135 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Marija Opačak

Keyword(s):

Negative Impact ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Age Groups ◽

Well Being ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Public Parks ◽

City Development ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Park Transformation ◽

Impact Of Urbanization

Many developed countries have recognized the importance of public parks in sustainable development of cities as they help minimizing the negative impact of urbanization. Developing countries, on the other hand, are facing problems such as lack of public awareness and inadequate facilities for sports and social activities to attract visitors to public parks, which positively affect the social and psychological human well-being. Parks are venues that enable people of all age groups to engage in different activities with family and friends and connect with nature. While planning a city development, policy makers should consider new findings in the area of brownfield regeneration, to use the existing land more efficiently and ensure public acceptance of the proposed projects. This chapter contains five sections. Section 1 gives an introduction to land use challenges faced by policy makers, brownfield sites, and stimulus that motivate people to use public parks. In Section 2, the importance of urban parks to human health and key elements to achieve urban sustainability are presented. Section 3 introduces novelty among park facilities. Section 4 gives an example of a landfill-to-park transformation. Section 5 summarizes policy suggestions for decision makers to increase their focus on the importance of parks.

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Innovative Co-Creative Participatory Methodologies for a Dreamt-of Quality Education in Europe

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12166385 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (16) ◽

pp. 6385

Author(s):

Janire Fonseca Peso ◽

Antonia Caro González ◽

Nemanja Milosevic

Keyword(s):

Participant Observation ◽

Age Groups ◽

Well Being ◽

Children's Rights ◽

Children’S Rights ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Whole Process ◽

Development Goals ◽

Group 2 ◽

Multi Stakeholder

The aim of this paper is to collect evidence-based experience on a co-creation multi-stakeholder participatory process in a non-formal academic environment. We use the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the “6i model,” and a participatory approach as background methodologies. Within the long-lasting process of collaboration with Eurochild (Eurochild advocates for children’s rights and well-being to be at the heart of policymaking. A network of almost 200 organizations internationally recognized for its work to promote children’s rights and well-being. It influences policies, builds internal capacities, and facilitates mutual learning and exchanges of practice and research), the event started with an open session followed by a World Café dynamic with 50 participants from different age groups (13–81), cultures (Spain, United Kingdom, Finland), professions, academic fields, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Several types of data were collected: participant observation during four months (20 h), informal communication with participants, and three in-depth interviews. Based on overall analysis, the application of both the 6i model and the child participation approach had an impact on three different levels: (1) in the functioning of the core group; (2) in the experience of the participants in the event; and (3) in the final outcome of the whole process.

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Help When You Need It: Sources of Advice for Student Loan Borrowers Across the Life Course

Families in Society The Journal of Contemporary Social Services ◽

10.1177/10443894211059137 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 104438942110591

Author(s):

Julie Miller ◽

Alexa Balmuth ◽

Samantha Brady ◽

Joseph Coughlin

Keyword(s):

Life Course ◽

Student Loans ◽

Age Groups ◽

Well Being ◽

Student Loan ◽

Loan Repayment ◽

Professional Advice ◽

Perceived Effects ◽

The Life Course ◽

Multiple Domains

To promote the financial capabilities of student loan borrowers, practitioners must understand the experiences and needs of borrowers across the life course. A national survey ( n = 1,874) conducted by MIT AgeLab explored perceived loan-related effects across the life course and sources of advice for borrowers. Across age groups, repaying student loans had most regularly imposed negative perceived effects on multiple domains of borrowers’ financial well-being. Younger borrowers reported more negative perceived effects of loans across domains, whereas older borrowers reported fewer negative perceived effects. Few participants had sought professional advice about student loan repayment, although younger borrowers were more likely to have sought loan-related advice in general; perceived levels of helpfulness of advice and comfort consulting with contacts were mixed. Financial social work is uniquely situated to act as a resource for multiple generations of student loan borrowers and their families.

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Nonpolitical Versus Political Participation: Longitudinal Associations with Mental Health and Social Well-Being in Different Age Groups

Social Indicators Research ◽

10.1007/s11205-021-02777-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Matthias Lühr ◽

Maria K. Pavlova ◽

Maike Luhmann

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Political Participation ◽

Age Groups ◽

Well Being ◽

Voluntary Participation ◽

Voluntary Organizations ◽

Younger Adults ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

The Life Course

AbstractDrawing on public opinion and empirical research, one may advise people to participate in voluntary organizations because voluntary participation can improve their mental health and social well-being. However, do such benefits apply across different types of participation and across the life course? In this study, we investigated whether benefits to mental health and social well-being differ between nonpolitical and political participation and across age groups (preregistration is accessible at https://osf.io/kqcbe). Using 25 waves of data from the British Household Panel Survey and the Understanding Society (1991–2016), we conducted multilevel analyses with observations nested within participants in younger (14–29, n = 10,536), middle-aged (40–50, n = 4,955), and older (65–75, n = 3,059) adults. We used life satisfaction and GHQ-12 scores as measures of mental health, and social support and neighborhood belonging as measures of social well-being. We found only few and small significant effects at the within-person level: On occasions when younger adults reported political participation, they reported slightly higher neighborhood belonging than when they did not. On occasions when older adults reported nonpolitical or political participation, they reported slightly higher life satisfaction than when they did not. However, we found no significant differences between nonpolitical and political participation and among age groups. In sum, our findings qualify the opinion that voluntary participation yields significant benefits to engaged individuals. We discuss potential explanations, including characteristics of political participation in the United Kingdom.

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A life course analysis of income and incident AMI - a Danish register based cohort study

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz185.082 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽

Author(s):

R Lund ◽

M Kriegbaum ◽

I Andersen ◽

C O Hougaard ◽

H Brønnum-Hansen

Keyword(s):

Life Course ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Low Income ◽

Age Groups ◽

Adult Life ◽

Social Gradient ◽

Relative Level ◽

The Social ◽

The Life Course ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Social inequality in ischemic heart disease has been related to socioeconomic position in childhood, early and late adulthood. However, the impact of relative level of accumulated income periods across adult life course and the potential gender and age differences has not been investigated. The aim was to investigate the association between relative level of accumulated income across the life course and Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) from age 60+ and to study if the associations differ by gender and exposure in different age groups (30-39 years, 40-49 years and 50-59 years). Methods All Danes born 1935-54 N = 1,235,139 were followed-up in registers for incident AMI (ICD8: 410, ICD10: I20, I21) from age 60+, (42,669 cases). The The Accumulated Proportional Deviation from Median Equivalized Income = APDMEI for each gender/age /calendar year strata was constructed and divided in quartiles. The analyses stratified by birth cohort included all Danes born in 1955-70 (alive and reached age 40) N = 1,144,264, 1945-64 (alive and reached age 50), N = 1,434,769, 1935-1954 (alive and reached age 60) N = 1,235,139 including outcomes in the following 10 year period. Cox’s proportional hazard models adjusted for educational level, ethnic background and birth cohort. Results Among men, those in the lowest APDMEI quartile had a HR 1.40 (1.35-1.45) of AMI compared to the highest quartile, second and third highest quartiles had HR of 1.24 (1.20-1.28) and 1.14 (1.10-1.18), respectively. Among women the lowest quartile had a HR of 1.78 (1.69-1.88), the second 1.45 (1.37-1.53) and the third 1.19 (1.13-1.26). The social gradient was similar across the different age-groups. Conclusions The risk of AMI increased with lower levels of relative accumulated income across the life course. While men generally had a higher risk of AMI, the social gradient was steeper in women. There was no indication of a specific sensitive age period for exposure to relative level of accumulated income. Key messages Accumulated low income is associated with higher AMI risk in both men and women, but with larger relative differences between high and low accumulated income in women. This study adds a new approach to the study of inequalities in AMI by integrating duration and extent of low income into a relative measure of accumulated income.

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Intergenerational Friendship as a Conduit for Social Inclusion? Insights from the “Book‐Ends”

Social Inclusion ◽

10.17645/si.v9i4.4555 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 304-314 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Riikka Korkiamäki ◽

Catherine Elliott O'Dare

Keyword(s):

Social Inclusion ◽

Qualitative Methodology ◽

Well Being ◽

Chronological Age ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Research Attention ◽

The Everyday ◽

Societal Level ◽

Alternative Identities ◽

The Life Course

Friendship is said to promote psychological and physical well‐being and increase social inclusion. Yet, intergenerational friendship has garnered little research attention due to the assumed dominance of age homophily in friendship. In this article we explore intergenerational friendship from the perspective of “younger” and “older” friends at the “generational book‐ends” of the life course. We focus on the role that intergenerational friendship plays in processes of social inclusion in the everyday lives of the participants, bringing together a study conducted in Finland and one in Ireland. Both studies employ qualitative methodology, drawing from interviews with 31 young people who were refugees (aged 13–18) in Finland and 23 older people (aged 65+) in Ireland. Our findings reveal that the younger and the older participants concur on the qualities and benefits of intergenerational friendship. Additionally, while age is not a uniform definer of friendships, differences in chronological age are not meaningless but support caring, enjoyment, and inclusion in alternative ways compared to peer‐aged friendships. Access to diverse company, distinct support, broader networks, and alternative identities lead to increased experiences of social inclusion at a personal and societal level. We conclude by calling on policy makers and communities to create spaces and opportunities for inclusion through friendship for all generations.

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