The CRO Laudato Si’ Project: Goals, Activities, and Social Outcomes

On the eve of 2020, and the fifth anniversary of the publication of the Encyclical Letter - Laudato Si’. On the care for the common home at the Catholic University of Croatia, the scientific-professional project CRO Laudato Si’ was launched. The project team was composed of scientists from different disciplines, and the project partners were the National Fraternity of the Franciscan Secular Order and the Franciscan Youth. As part of the project, scientific and practical activities were carried out. One of the main scientific activities was empirical scientific research, which was conducted, using a survey method over several months in 2020. The paper will present the results of the research, related to the role of the project in the knowledge of the encyclical Laudato Si’ and the awakening of interest in the encyclical, according to the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. The results show that men have heard of the encyclical Laudato Si’ to a somewhat greater extent than women. The largest number of respondents, who heard about the encyclical for the first time through the project, are those who belong to the youngest age group, followed by those with high school education. Arousing interest in Encyclical Letter topics is more encouraged among women, those over 65 years old, respondents with completed primary school, and those who are self-employed or retired.

Sociodemographic Factors Associated with Vaccine Hesitancy in Central Texas Immediately Prior to COVID-19 Vaccine Availability

Vaccine-induced herd immunity remains the best opportunity for ending the COVID-19 pandemic. However, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is a real concern. In this paper, we report on vaccine hesitancy in Central Texas immediately prior to the release of the two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in late December 2020. A total of 1648 individuals 18 years or older with health insurance living in Central Texas completed a survey on sociodemographic factors and plans to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine. Of the respondents, 64.1% planned to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine. Logistic regression identified the following sociodemographic factors associated with vaccine hesitancy: Black or African American race (POR: 0.351, p < 0.001, 95% CI: 0.211, 0.584), female sex (POR: 0.650, p < 0.001, 95% CI: 0.518, 0.816), age of 35–49 years old (POR: 0.689, p = 0.004, 95% CI: 0.534, 0.890), annual household income of less than US$10,000 (POR: 0.565, p = 0.041, 95% CI: 0.327, 0.976), a high school education or less (POR: 0.565, p = 0.001, 95% CI: 0.401, 0.795), and a high school education but less than a 4-year college degree (POR: 0.572, p < 0.001, 95% CI: 0.442, 0.739). Real-world evidence provided by individuals on plans to get vaccinated can reveal COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy associated heterogeneity.

Analysis of the Correlation between Eating Away from Home and BMI in Adults 18 Years and Older in China: Data from the CNNHS 2015

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the frequency of eating away from home (EAFH) and Body mass index (BMI) in adults. The data were collected from 2015 China Adult Chronic Disease and Nutrition Surveillance (CNNHS 2015). Adults aged 18 and above who had complete dietary frequency questionnaire data were recruited as the research objects. The frequency of EAFH among different genders and BMI groups were compared, and multiple linear regression method was used to analyze the correlation between frequency of EAFH and BMI of adults aged 18 years and above with different gender, age, family per capita annual income, education level, marital status, and occupation level. The frequency of EAFH was higher for adults aged 18–44, eastern region, urban, family per capita annual income of 20,000 RMB or more, highly educated, unmarried, school students, employed people, and obese adults, which were 3.64, 3.30, 3.71, 4.30, 5.92, 5.64, 9.29 and 2.68 times per week, respectively. The highest frequency of EAFH was obese men in urban areas aged 18–44 years, which was 5.63 times per week. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the frequency of EAFH for breakfast was not associated with BMI (p > 0.05), the frequency of EAFH for lunch was negatively correlated with BMI (β = −0.024, p = 0.008), and the frequency of EAFH for dinner was positively correlated with BMI (β = 0.040, p = 0.004).The frequency of EAFH of male (β = 0.013, p = 0.008), 60 years old and above (β = 0.022, p = 0.021), family per capita annual income less than 10,000 RMB (β = 0.019, p = 0.005), junior high school education or below (β = 0.012, p = 0.009), and unemployed/retired (β = 0.029, p = 0.003) adults were positively correlated with BMI. While for women, the frequency of EAFH (β = −0.019, p = 0.001) was negatively correlated with BMI. In terms of frequency of EAFH for breakfast, female (β = 0.027, p = 0.041), people aged 45–59 years (β = 0.042, p = 0.002), aged 60 and above (β = 0.047, p = 0.017), eastern China (β = 0.034, p = 0.010), junior high school education or below (β = 0.045, p = 0.001), married/cohabiting (β = 0.024, p = 0.008) adults’ frequency of EAFH for breakfast of was positively correlated with BMI. In terms of frequency of EAFH for lunch, female (β = 0.056, p = 0.001), people aged 45–59 years (β = 0.024, p = 0.005), eastern China (β = 0.034, p = 0.004), rural areas (β = 0.035, p = 0.006), moderate and high family per capita annual income (β = 0.043, p = 0.007; β = 0.029, p = 0.039), high education level (β = 0.039, p = 0.034), married/cohabiting (β = 0.028, p = 0.001), on-the-job personnel (β = 0.033, p = 0.001) frequency of EAFH for lunch were negatively correlated with BMI. In terms of the frequency of EAFH for dinner, the frequency of EAFH for dinner had a significant positive influence on the BMI of males (β = 0.061, p = 0.001). The frequency of dinner EAFH for 18–44 years old (β = 0.042, p = 0.028), central region (β = 1.000, p < 0.001), rural areas (β = 0.055, p = 0.013), married/cohabiting (β = 0.048, p = 0.001), on-the-job personnel (β = 0.037, p = 0.035) adults were positively correlated with BMI. The frequency of EAFH in urban obese men aged 18–44 was the highest. The frequency of EAFH for breakfast was not correlated with BMI, the frequency of EAFH for lunch was negatively correlated with BMI, and the frequency of EAFH for dinner was positively correlated with BMI. The analysis between EAFH according to the current definition and health-related outcomes is mixed. It is suggested that relevant authorities redefine EAFH from the perspective of health outcomes.

A SURVEY OF THE TEACHING OF STATISTICAL LITERACY, REASONING AND THINKING: TEACHERS’ CLASSROOM PRACTICE IN MEXICAN HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION

This paper presents partial results of a one-year project funded by a grant from Mexico’s National Science and Technology Council and the National Institute for the Evaluation of Education that was designed to characterize the teaching of statistics in Mexican high school education. Work was organized in two 6-month phases. The first stage involved documentary research that consisted of analyzing the study programs of statistics courses used at 12 high school-level educational systems. The second used the field research technique to design and administer a survey called “Teaching Statistical Literacy, Reasoning and Thinking” (TSLRT), that was answered by 754 high school statistics teachers at those 12 educational systems. Both phases were based on the theoretical ideas of statistical literacy, reasoning and thinking, and were conducted with the aim of constructing a reference framework to analyze the study programs (phase one) and design the items included in the TSLRT survey (phase two). Here, we report results from the survey applied, which was comprised of 18 items on sociodemographic variables and 65 Likert scale items that measured the degree to which teachers’ classroom practice focused on elements of statistical literacy, reasoning and thinking, or shared elements. Confirmatory factor analysis was applied to the responses to the 65 Likert scale items. Results indicate that the responses fit a one-dimensional model. Finally, we discuss the pedagogical and theoretical implications of the TSLRT survey results. Abstract: Spanish En este artículo, reportamos parte de los resultados de un Proyecto de investigación de un año, el cual fue financiado por el Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología y el Instituto Nacional para la Evaluación Educativa. El Proyecto fue diseñado para caracterizar la enseñanza de la estadística en la Educación Media Superior mexicana, y se organizó en dos fases de 6 meses cada una. La primera etapa involucró un estudio documental que consistió en analizar los programas de estudio de la materia de estadística utilizados en 12 diferentes sistemas educativos de educación media superior. La segunda usó la técnica de investigación de campo para diseñar y administrar un cuestionario llamado “Enseñanza de una Cultura, Razonamiento y Pensamiento Estadístico” (TSLRT, por sus siglas en inglés). El cuestionario fue respondido por 754 profesores de educación media superior que imparten la materia de estadística y laboran en escuelas de los 12 sistemas educativos mencionados. Ambas fases estuvieron basadas en las ideas teóricas de cultura, razonamiento y pensamiento estadístico con el objetivo de construir un marco de referencia para analizar los programas de estudio (fase uno) y diseñar los ítems incluidos en el cuestionario TSLRT (fase dos). Aquí, reportamos los resultados del cuestionario aplicado, el cual consistió en 18 ítems sobre variables sociodemográficas y 65 ítems de escala Likert que midieron el grado en que la enseñanza del profesor se centra en elementos de una cultura, razonamiento y pensamiento estadístico, o en elementos comunes. Se aplicó un análisis factorial de confirmación a las respuestas de los 65 ítems. Los resultados indican que las respuestas se ajustan a un modelo unidimensional. Finalmente, discutimos las implicaciones pedagógicas y teóricas de los resultados del cuestionario.

The Determinants of Binge Drinking: Do Frequency, Intensity, Price and Expenditure Shares Matter?

Objective: Examine how socio-economic status (SES) and health outcomes affect binge-drinking demand using a novel approach integrating population health with consumer expenditure data.Design, Setting, and Participants: The study design uses a structural equation model to uncover the association between binge-drinking and SES. I use the 2016 wave of two annually conducted national population surveys in this research: the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance (BRFS) and the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX), to examine the correlates of binge-drinking. The combined aggregated data integrates alcohol expenditure shares and state-level alcohol prices from the CEX with the BRFS data. The BRFS data partially identifies the at-risk for binge-drinking respondents for our analysis.Main outcome and exposures: Alcohol consumption &gt; 0 in 30 days and binge-drinking is positive (per occasion drinks &gt; 5 male or &gt; 4 female).Results: The binge-drinking prevalence in the BRFS sample, with 457,202 respondents 18 and older, is 17.0% points. Associations with binge-drinking are the same for the poorest and richest income quartiles. Age has the strongest variation. Compared to those over 65, ages 18 ¬– 21 participated in binge-drinking more, and ages 30 – 64 participated much less. Contrasted with those out-of-the-labor-force, the employed participated in binge-drinking more by 3.5% [95% CI, 2.3%, 5.0%] and those unable to work by 4.5% [95% CI, 3.3%, 6.0%] less. The estimated structural models show that, conditional on binge-drinking in a 30-day period, those with high school education or more increased binge-drinking intensity by 3.4% [95% CI, 1.3%, 5.5%] to 5.0% [95% CI, 2.8%, 7.2%] .As people age, expenditure shares on alcohol and cigarettes decrease but healthcare expenditure shares increase proportionately. Furthermore, compared to those without any chronic health conditions alcohol shares decrease by 0.5 [95% CI, -0.57, -0.43] times as number of health conditions increase; this decrease in alcohol consumptions is substituted by increased expenditure shares on food and health care proportionately. Compared to those without high school education alcohol shares decrease with education 0.13 [95% CI, 0.05, 0.23] times for high school graduates and 0.10 [95% CI, 0.3 0.21] times for those with college degrees.Conclusion and Relevance: Bridging the gap between population health and consumer data reveals income effects of binge-drinking are best captured using BRFS because we can characterize a population at risk for binge drinking. CEX best captures income shares and substitution effects between alcohol, smoking, health and food. Alcohol consumption is associated with employment and engaging in other risky behaviors. While this analysis was conducted using 2016 BRFS data the results are generalizable to 2019 BRFS data and extendable to COVID-19 era. Preliminary indications are that alcohol consumption have gone up during COVID-19 thus mobilizing resources to reduce binge-drinking is welfare enhancing. A plausible policy implication from this study is to advertise safe drinking on all alcoholic beverages and provide alcohol-specific education on self-and-other harm.

Applied neuroscience in early childhood and high school education

Neuroeducation is a very complex practice that has allowed us to know how the human brain acts from its plasticity and wide synaptic connectivity, one of its important characteristics is that it acts cognitively and emotionally, strengthening the teaching-learning process from an early age. An analysis is made of the ideas that various authors have had in the application of neurosciences in the educational field. The objective of this work was to identify, through the interpretation of data, what was the contribution of neurosciences in children in initial and preparatory education of the Mathius Quintanilla Sierra Educational Unit, in the city of Portoviejo, as well as the methods, techniques and strategies used by teachers for the construction of knowledge. The methodology used was non-experimental, descriptive and explanatory, from which it was possible to analyze and understand the information raised by various authors from their professional and personal perspective.

Cognitive Impairment Trends Among Older Adults in a Medicaid Home and Community-Based Service Program

Cognitive impairment (CI) is an important risk factor for nursing home admission, but little is known about CI among older adults in Medicaid HCBS programs. Racial and ethnic group CI disparities are found among community-dwelling older adults, but these CI trends have not been explored in Medicaid HCBS populations. In this study, we determined how CI is associated with older adults’ racial and ethnic group identification and educational attainment in Connecticut’s Medicaid HCBS program. The study cohort includes program enrollees age &gt;65 during January-March 2019 (N=3,520). CI measures include: Cognitive Performance Scale (CPS), ranging from 0-8 (cognitively intact to very severe impairment); and a dichotomous measure incorporating Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia diagnosis (ADRD) and CPS score signifying moderate or severe CI. Study cohort characteristics: 75.7% female; age, mean(sd)=79.1(8.2); Non-Hispanic White=47.8%; Non-Hispanic Black=15.9%; Non-Hispanic Other=2.7%; Hispanic=33.6%; HS education=21.7%; mean(sd) CPS score=2.7(1.9); 36.1% with ADRD/high CPS2 score. In multivariate regression models adjusting for age and sex, CPS scores were not independently associated with race and ethnicity, and the likelihood of having ADRD/high CPS scores did not differ by race and ethnicity (all p-values &gt;0.05). In these same models, persons with more than high school education had significantly lower CPS scores (b=-.12; p&lt;.001), and significantly lower likelihood of having ADRD/high CPS scores (AOR=0.61; p&lt;.001), than persons with less than high school education. We conclude that educational level is independently associated with CI, but race and ethnicity are not in this cohort. Policy and practice implications will be discussed.

Estimating Dementia from Self-Reports of Diagnoses Among Adults Aged 65 and Over: United States, 2019

Prior research shows that, overall, about 10% of the population aged 65 and over in the U.S. has dementia. Estimating the prevalence of dementia from nationally representative surveys can be accomplished by asking respondents about a diagnosis, by administering a cognitive assessment, or, if available, by examining linked medical claims data. In 2019 for the first time, the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) added “dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease” to the questions asking about doctor-diagnosed health conditions. Although estimates derived from doctor-diagnosed questions usually underestimate the true prevalence of a condition, and estimating dementia from self-reports presents additional challenges, they are still useful for many surveillance and research objectives. Early diagnosis of dementia is encouraged to allow patients and their families to plan for future needs. The objective of this research is to describe the noninstitutionalized population aged 65 and over who have a dementia diagnosis, by selected socio-demographic, health, and healthcare utilization characteristics. Point estimates, standard errors, and 95% confidence intervals for percentages are calculated using NHIS adult sample weights and adjusted for the complex sample design of NHIS. Preliminary analyses show that, overall, 4% of the 65 and over noninstitutionalized population has a diagnosis of dementia. About 8% of respondents with less than a high school education reported a dementia diagnosis compared with 2% of those with more than a high school education. Those with a dementia diagnosis were more likely to report depression than those without a dementia diagnosis (44% vs. 14%).

Vitamin D Deficiency in Patients with Diabetes in French Guiana: Epidemiology and Relation with Microvascular and Macrovascular Complications

Vitamin D (VD) insufficiency is common among patients with diabetes in French Guiana. The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of VD deficiency in the different type of diabetes encountered and to analyze the relationship between VD deficiency and diabetes complications. Methods: An observational study was conducted between May 2019 and May 2020 in French Guiana, based on data from the CODIAM study (Diabetes Cohort in French Amazonia), describing the characteristics of patients with diabetes mellitus. Among 600 patients enrolled with diabetes, 361 had an available VD assay. Results: The mean 25(OH)VD (hydroxycalciferol) level was 27.9 ng/mL. The level of VD was inversely proportional to the HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin) level. Patients with angina pectoris had a greater proportion of deficiencies VD < 20 ng/mL than those without angina. By contrast, patients with retinopathy had higher vitamin D concentrations than those without retinopathy. There was no association between vitamin D and arteriopathy, stroke, nephropathy and polyneuropathy. VD deficiency was more frequent in women, and in patients with a high school education. Conclusion: The prevalence of VD deficiency was high in patients with diabetes in French Guiana, emphasizing the importance of VD supplementation.

A RESEARCH ON VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND YACHT BUILDING SECTOR IN BODRUM

Yacht and boat manufacturing industry is a sector that has a great added value, can provide employment and has a high export rate. This industry machinery, iron-steel, wood, paint, chemistry, electricity-electronics, textile, decoration, rubber-plastic etc. It is an industry branch that produces as a result of combining the products of many industrial branches in shipyards and receives service from various service sectors. In the world rankings, Turkey has shown a steady rise since 2007, especially in the construction of superyachts (24 m and above), and continued to be the third in total length in 2010 - 2017. Educational institutions that train personnel for the yacht building sector in our country are only at the level of vocational high schools. Students who graduate after high school cannot continue an education on yacht building, which is a continuation of high school education in vocational college or faculty programs. The results and suggestions to come out of this study are very important in order to maintain the success of the sector in the international platform and to move it to better points. Attention will be drawn to the training on Yacht Building and opinions will be taken about the necessity of the training, its problems and the dimension of the university. Within the scope of the study, the