scholarly journals Vulnerability of Renters and Low-Income Households to Storm Damage: Evidence From Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-202
Author(s):  
Chenyi Ma ◽  
Tony Smith
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Housing Tenure ◽  
Lower Income ◽  
Storm Damage ◽  
Income Levels ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Relative Risks ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Inspection Data

Objectives. To identify disparities in home damage from Hurricane Maria among Puerto Rican households with different housing tenure and income levels. Methods. Using household inspection data obtained by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), including an ordinal damage severity measure, we used generalized ordered logistic regression to estimate the relative risks of damage severities between renters and homeowners, and between households with different incomes. Results. With respect to the FEMA damage-severity classifications of “minor,” “major,” and “destroyed,” renters were more at risk than homeowners for both “major-or-destroyed” and “destroyed” outcomes. Similarly, lower-income households were at greater risk for both “major-or-destroyed” and “destroyed” outcomes. When we allowed for an interaction between income and housing tenure, the difference in risk of “destroyed” outcomes between renters and homeowners was substantially greater at lower income levels. Conclusions. These results provide evidence at the individual household level that renters and lower-income households are most vulnerable to hurricane damage. Our interaction results suggest that lower-income renters are particularly vulnerable to severe home damage. Public Health Implications. Disaster preparedness policies should raise structural standards for low-income housing to reduce risks of severe damage.

Lower Income Levels Correlate With Increased Prevalence of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiong He ◽  
Mengyuan Zhang ◽  
Yongle Wang ◽  
Jin Zhang ◽  
Yi Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Gestational Diabetes ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Income Level ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Lower Income ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Income Levels

Abstract BackgroundIncome level is an important factor that influences the occurrence of gestational diabetes. Thus, this systematic review and network meta-analysis aimed at evaluating the correlation between income levels and the prevalence of gestational diabetes. MethodsRelevant published studies were searched in Pubmed, Web of Science, Cochrane library, and Ovid from the establishment time of database to January 3, 2020. Finally, 13 eligible clinical studies involving 1,817,801 women were selected from a total of 3776 studies and included in this study. The statistical softwares Revman5.3 and Stata14.0 were used to compare the prevalence of gestational diabetes in five different income levels; low, lower middle, medium, upper middle, and high. ResultsThe incidences of gestational diabetes in people with different economic income levels were: high income <middle income <upper middle income <lower middle income <low income. ConclusionThere is no linear correlation between income levels and incidences of gestational diabetes. However, the overall prevalence of gestational diabetes is inversely proportional to income level, that is, the higher the income level, the lower the prevalence of gestational diabetes.

scholarly journals A Silver Lining: The Role of Optimism in Overcoming Poverty in Early Life

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Brimmer
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Family Income ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
Financial Success ◽  
Income Levels ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Higher Educational Attainment ◽  
Cumulative Inequality ◽  
The Individual

Who is able to overcome adversity and experience upward mobility? Using cumulative inequality theory, which posits that the disadvantage or advantage associated with one’s social location impacts life trajectory and perceptions of such, I propose that level of optimistic outlook in individuals from low-income backgrounds increases their chances of financial success in adulthood. Analyzing data from the 2016 General Social Survey, a nationally representative survey administered to randomly sampled adults in the U.S., I examine a subset of 1,269 individuals from backgrounds of far below average or below average family income levels. In doing so, I determine how optimistic attitudes, regarding matters such as personal agency and success, influence whether the individual may obtain a higher degree of financial success in adulthood compared to those of their families. Findings indicate that higher levels of optimism are associated with greater family income levels, with level of education and marital status as the biggest predictors of adult financial standing. With higher educational attainment, optimistic outlook increases, perhaps due to an increase in career opportunities and pathways to success. These findings show how influential education may be on intergenerational income mobility, however, they also provide insight on how disadvantage, including being a person of color; being divorced, separated or a single-parent; as well as how many children one has, may create limitations on educational attainment and effects on outlook. Such findings call attention to the need for greater financial and educational assistance programs, due to their impact on outlook and subsequent life course.

Obesity and Price Sensitivity at the Supermarket

2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil Gandal ◽  
Anastasia Shabelansky
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Food Products ◽  
High Price ◽  
Price Sensitivity ◽  
Average Height ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Income Levels ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Rich Data

In this paper, we employ a rich data set at the individual level in order to examine which factors are most highly correlated with obesity. Our main result is that, even after controlling for income levels and other factors, high “price-sensitivity” for food products is associated with high obesity rates. We find that a woman of average height who stated that prices were “not important at all” when purchasing food products had a weight circumference 4.5 centimeters (roughly 1.8 inches) smaller than those who stated that price was “very important.” We also show that this price effect is not limited to those with low income levels.

Work–Family Culture in Low-Income Environments

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly A. French ◽  
Mark D. Agars
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Regression ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Low Income ◽  
High Income ◽  
Lower Income ◽  
Income Levels ◽  
Family Culture ◽  
Income Groups ◽  
Work Family

The current study examined whether a work–family culture measure can be used across diverse income groups. We compared measure structure and criterion-related validity for low-income ( n = 327) and high-income ( n = 400) samples. Differences in measurement structure between the two groups were examined using measurement invariance, and differences in prediction were examined using multiple regression. Results indicate work-family culture facets are not equivalent across groups, and some relationships are weaker for low-income workers compared to high-income workers. Findings suggest that research using work–family culture measures developed on high-income populations may not generalize to low-income populations. New or revised measures are needed. This study contributes to our understanding of work–family measurement, work–family culture in low-income contexts, and the generalizability of measures and results using high-income samples to lower income counterparts. The results have clear implications for questioning equivalence of commonly used measures across income levels.

THE ROLE OF EDUCATION ON DISASTER PREPAREDNESS CASE STUDY OF 2012 INDIAN OCEAN EARTHQUAKES ON THAILAND’S

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raya Muttarak ◽  
Wiraporn Pothisiri
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Disaster Experience ◽  
Individual Household ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
The Individual

In this paper we investigate how well residents of the Andaman coast in Phang Nga province, Thailand, are prepared for earthquakes and tsunami. It is hypothesized that formal education can promote disaster preparedness because education enhances individual cognitive and learning skills, as well as access to information. A survey was conducted of 557 households in the areas that received tsunami warnings following the Indian Ocean earthquakes on 11 April 2012. Interviews were carried out during the period of numerous aftershocks, which put residents in the region on high alert. The respondents were asked what emergency preparedness measures they had taken following the 11 April earthquakes. Using the partial proportional odds model, the paper investigates determinants of personal disaster preparedness measured as the number of preparedness actions taken. Controlling for village effects, we find that formal education, measured at the individual, household, and community levels, has a positive relationship with taking preparedness measures. For the survey group without past disaster experience, the education level of household members is positively related to disaster preparedness. The findings also show that disaster related training is most effective for individuals with high educational attainment. Furthermore, living in a community with a higher proportion of women who have at least a secondary education increases the likelihood of disaster preparedness. In conclusion, we found that formal education can increase disaster preparedness and reduce vulnerability to natural hazards.

Empathy not quarantined: Association between people’s empathy to others and the COVID-19 pandemic situations based on a national survey study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhibin Jiang ◽  
Fan Yang ◽  
Bu Zhong ◽  
Xuebing Qin
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Media ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Affective Response ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Income Levels ◽  
The Social

BACKGROUND The Covid-19 pandemic had turned the world upside down, but not much is known about how people’s empathy might be affected by the pandemic. OBJECTIVE This study examined 1) how empathy towards others might be influenced by the social support people obtained by using social media; and 2) how the individual demographics (e.g., age, income) may affect empathy. METHODS A national survey (N = 943) was conducted in China in February 2020, in which the participants read three real scenarios about low-income urban workers (Scenario I), small business owners in cities (Scenario II), and farmers in rural areas (Scenario III) who underwent hardship due to COVID-19. After exposure to others’ difficulties in the scenarios, the participants’ empathy and anxiety levels were measured. We also measured the social support they had by using social media. RESULTS Results show that social support not only positively impacted empathy, β = .30, P < .001 for Scenario I, β = .30, P < .001 for Scenario II, and β = .29, P < .001 for Scenario III, but also interacted with anxiety in influencing the degree to which participants could maintain empathy towards others, β = .08, P = .010 for Scenario I, and β = .07, P = .033 for scenario II. Age negatively predicted empathy for Scenario I, β = -.08, P = .018 and Scenario III, β = -.08, P = .009, but not for Scenario II, β = -.03, P = .40. Income levels – low, medium, high – positively predicted empathy for Scenario III, F (2, 940) = 8.10, P < .001, but not for Scenario I, F (2, 940) = 2.14, P = .12, or Scenario II, F (2, 940) = 2.93, P = .06. Participants living in big cities expressed greater empathy towards others for Scenario III, F (2, 940) = 4.03, P =.018, but not for Scenario I, F (2, 940) = .81, P = .45, or Scenario II, F (2, 940) = 1.46, P =.23. CONCLUSIONS This study contributes to the literature by discovering the critical role empathy plays in people’s affective response to others during the pandemic. Anxiety did not decrease empathy. However, those gaining more social support on social media showed more empathy for others. Those who resided in cities with higher income levels were more empathetic during the COVID-19 outbreak. This study reveals that the social support people obtained helped maintain empathy to others, making them resilient in challenging times.

scholarly journals Health and Housing Energy Expenditures: A Two-Part Model Approach

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 943
Author(s):  
Fátima Lima ◽  
Paula Ferreira ◽  
Vítor Leal
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Health Expenditures ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Energy Expenditures ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Health Gains ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Part Model ◽  
Model Approach

Interest in the interaction between energy and health within the built environment has been increasing in recent years, in the context of sustainable development. However, in order to promote health and wellbeing across all ages it is necessary to have a better understanding of the association between health and energy at household level. This study contributes to this debate by addressing the case of Portugal using data from the Household Budget Survey (HBS) microdata database. A two-part model is applied to estimate health expenditures based on energy-related expenditures, as well as socioeconomic variables. Additional statistical methods are used to enhance the perception of relevant predictors for health expenditures. Our findings suggest that given the high significance and coefficient value, energy expenditure is a relevant explanatory variable for health expenditures. This result is further validated by a dominance analysis ranking. Moreover, the results show that health gains and medical cost reductions can be a key factor to consider on the assessment of the economic viability of energy efficiency projects in buildings. This is particularly relevant for the older and low-income segments of the population.

scholarly journals Understanding Food Waste, Food Insecurity, and the Gap between the Two: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 681
Author(s):  
Nora A. Althumiri ◽  
Mada H. Basyouni ◽  
Ali F. Duhaim ◽  
Norah AlMousa ◽  
Mohammed F. AlJuwaysim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Household Factors ◽  
Cooked Food ◽  
The Individual

Background: Food waste and food insecurity may co-exist in various balances in developing and developed countries. This study aimed to explore the levels of food waste and food insecurity, the factors associated with them, and their relationships at the household and individual levels in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This study was a nationwide cross-sectional survey conducted via computer-assisted phone interviews in January 2021. Quota sampling was utilized to generate balanced distributions of participants by gender across all the administrative regions of Saudi Arabia. Data collection included household demographics, food waste and disposal, the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), and the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Results: Out of the 2807 potential participants contacted, 2454 (87.4%) completed the interview. The mean age was 31.4 (SD = 11.7; range = 18–99) and 50.1% were female. The weighted prevalence of uncooked food waste in the last four weeks was 63.6% and the cooked food waste was 74.4%. However, the food insecurity weighted prevalence at the individual level (FIES) was 6.8%. In terms of food insecurity at the household level (HFIAS), 13.3% were in the “severely food insecure” category. Moreover, this study found that “moderately food insecure” households were associated with an increased likelihood to waste uncooked food (relative risk (RR) = 1.25), and the “mildly food insecure” (RR = 1.21) and “moderately food insecure” (RR = 1.17) households were associated with an increased likelihood to waste cooked food. However, “food secure” households were associated with a decreased likelihood to waste cooked food (RR = 0.56). Finally, this study identified four household factors associated with food waste and three household factors that were associated with “severe food insecurity.” Conclusions: This first national coverage study to explore food waste and food insecurity at the individual level and household level, identified household factors associated with food waste and food insecurity and identified new associations between food waste and food insecurity in Saudi Arabia. The associations found between food waste and food insecurity are potential areas of intervention to reduce both food waste and food insecurity at the same time, toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets related to food waste and food security.

scholarly journals Urban–Rural Disparities in the Magnitude and Determinants of Stunting among Children under Five in Tanzania: Based on Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys 1991–2016

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5184
Author(s):  
Wenjun Zhu ◽  
Si Zhu ◽  
Bruno F. Sunguya ◽  
Jiayan Huang
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Health Surveys ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Child Stunting ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
The Individual

Our study aims to examine the disparity of under-5 child stunting prevalence between urban and rural areas of Tanzania in the past three decades, and to explore factors affecting the rural–urban disparity. Secondary analyses of Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys (TDHS) data drawn from 1991–1992, 1996, 1999, 2004–2005, 2009–2010, and 2015–2016 surveys were conducted. Under-5 child stunting prevalence was calculated separately for rural and urban children and its decline trends were examined by chi-square tests. Descriptive analyses were used to present the individual-level, household-level, and societal-level characteristics of children, while multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to examine determinants of stunting in rural and urban areas, respectively. Additive interaction effects were estimated between residence and other covariates. The results showed that total stunting prevalence was declining in Tanzania, but urban–rural disparity has widened since the decline was slower in the rural area. No interaction effect existed between residence and other determinants, and the urban–rural disparity was mainly caused by the discrepancy of the individual-level and household-level factors between rural and urban households. As various types of determinants exist, multisector nutritional intervention strategies are required to address the child stunting problem. Meanwhile, the intervention should focus on targeting vulnerable children, rather than implementing different policies in rural and urban areas.

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