“Good death” – the circumstances in which it would be best for a person to die. The representative survey of Latvian population

The paper analyses the opinions of Latvian residents about the desired/best conditions for person’s death. Our intention was to use the concept of “good death” as it has been described in academic literature on the end of life to describe what circumstances of dying are preferred in Latvian population. A nationally representative survey of Latvian permanent residents (n = 1012) was conducted in October 2020. The obtained answers are analysed in different demographic groups, as well as in connection with other respondents’ perceptions and values. The results of the study show that the possibility of dying in pain and suffering is a major concern for the majority of Latvian society, and a large percentage of people would like to leave their lives in sleep or sudden death. The results of the study also show people’s desire to be in their homes at the time of death, to die in the presence of relatives. The survey shows a statistically significant relationship between people’s perceptions of the desired/best conditions in which to die - “good death” and a range of demographic and social factors. The data of the study carried out provide new information on people’s perceptions of death, highlighting differences in different socio-demographic groups.

The impact of the mining sector on the development of the Severo-Enisejskiy district of the Krasnoyarsk territory: Where the effects are concentrated

The review of the extensive methodological apparatus developed for assessing the socio-economic effects of investment projects, state policy or the activities of companies is carried out. By the example of the Severo-Enisejskij district of the Krasnoyarsk region, the dynamics of the influence of gold mining industry on the socio-economic development of the territory in comparison with other municipalities of the region is considered. It is shown that in the 2000s the district was significantly different in comparison with the region by many indicators, then in the mid-2010s there was a decrease in its separation. It was caused by the dependence of its socio-economic situation on the situation in the world market, and by a decrease in the influence of the industry on the territory. The differences in the effects of activities in the district of two companies — “Polyus” and “Sovrudnik” — are analyzed. These companies are different in its scale and history of development. It is shown that the size of a company affects the hierarchical administrative level at which the maximum effects from its activities are concentrated. On the territory of the district, large effects, including attracting permanent residents to the territory, have been retained until recently by “Sovrudnik”, while “Polyus” is more evident at the regional level. Its administrative resource allows to implement infrastructure projects that are interesting to the company, but can indirectly have positive effects for the local population. However, the future development of both companies is most likely to be associated with maximizing the use of a more flexible shift mode of work, and the effects of their activities in this regard will continue to decrease.

Job change by the population in the conditions of precarious work (on the example of the permanent residents of the Republic of Bashkortostan)

The purpose of this article is to identify the relationship between precarious work and the change of job by residents of the Russian region. Such factors, as work conditions, qualification and educational mobility, economic conditions and confidence in the future influence the change a job. Sociological survey of the population of the Republic of Bashkortostan is the empirical basis of this article. The sample includes three main groups by labor status: employees, unemployed, and self-employed. The sample size is 1 566 people. Unemployed local residents changed their jobs more often than the other groups. This is because many of them regularly change or lose their jobs. Hired workers more often than the other groups moved up and down the career ladder, and changed their field of activity, which is associated with their activity and the instability of working conditions. Self-employed and individual entrepreneurs without employees show weak mobility in the labor market, because they work mainly for themselves. Respondents, who work in private sector, self-employed, have short work experience and temporary employment contract, are highly likely to change their jobs. If respondents satisfied with their income level, have official salary and do not have credit debts, then they will probably not change jobs. Respondents, who want to raise their level of education, improve their qualifications and work in a field of their specialty, tend to change their jobs.

Social Capital during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Outbreak: The Case of the Island of Menorca

The rapidly evolving coronavirus pandemic has drastically altered the economic and social lives of people throughout the world. Our overall goal is to understand the mechanisms through which social capital shaped the community response to the pandemic on the island of Menorca, Spain, which was under a strict lockdown in 2020. Between April and June 2020, we performed qualitative interviews (n = 25) of permanent residents of the island. From the findings, it is evident that social capital is an important resource with the capacity to organize help and support. However, the dark sides of social capital, with lack of social cohesion and lack of trust, also emerged as an important negative issue. We identified sources of tension that were not resolved, as well as important sociodemographic differences that are primary drivers for health inequalities. The investment in social networks and social capital is a long-term need that should consider sociodemographic vulnerability.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice toward COVID-19 in Trinidad and Tobago

Background: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) has affected over 250 million people globally and resulted in over 5 million deaths since it was first reported in November 2019. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted online from July to September 2020 among nationals and permanent residents of Trinidad and Tobago (N = 812). The related questionnaire consisted of demographic characteristics, 11 items on knowledge, 11 items on attitude and 7 items on practice and experience. Domain scores were derived for each component (K, A and P) and independent t-tests and one-way ANOVA were used to compare differences in scores within demographic categories. Results: The population possessed a high level of knowledge about COVID-19(0.85 ± 0.09). Attitude scores (0.54 ± 0.07) were influenced by factors such as sex, age, occupation, level of education and area of residence. Significant relationships (P<0.05) were found between demographic categories of sex, age, profession, education, geographical region and the mean domain scores. Conclusion: There was overall high level of knowledge and good practices in response to COVID-19 which suggests that the government's management approach was effective in providing information about COVID-19 and the safe practice needed to reduce spread of the virus.

Modelling migration in birds: competition's role in maintaining individual variation

Animals exhibit extensive intraspecific variation in behaviour. Causes of such variation are less well understood. Here, we ask when competition leads to the maintenance of multiple behavioural strategies. We model variability using the timing of bird migration as an example. Birds often vary in when they return from non-breeding grounds to establish breeding territories. We assume that early-arriving birds (counting permanent residents as ‘earliest’) select the best territories. But arriving before the optimal (frequency-independent) breeding date incurs a fitness penalty. Using simulations, we find stable sets of return dates. When year-round residency is viable, the greatest between-individual variation occurs when a small proportion of permanent residents is favoured, and the rest of the population varies in their return times. However, when fitness losses due to year-round residency exceed the benefits of breeding in the worst territory, all individuals migrate, although their return dates often vary continuously. In that case, individual variation is inversely related to fitness risks and positively related to territory inequality. This result is applicable across many systems: when there is more to gain through competition, or when its risks are small, a diversity of individual strategies prevails. Additionally, stability can depend upon the distribution of resources.

Prevalence, Pattern, and Factors Associated With Self-reported Disability Among the Bhutanese Population: A Secondary Data Analysis of Population and Housing Census

We analyzed the Population and Health Census of Bhutan (PHCB) 2017 to assess the prevalence and pattern of self-reported disability among people aged ≥15 years and the associated factors. The PHCB 2017 used the Washington Group Short Set on Functioning questionnaire to assess the disability (“lot of difficulty” or “cannot do at all”) in seeing, hearing, mobility, cognition, self-care, and communication. Of the 536 443 persons included in the analysis, 384 101(71.6%) were aged <45 years, 283 453(52.8%) were men, and 206 103(38.4%) were from the rural area. The prevalence of any self-reported disability was 2.8%, among whom 34.2% reported multiple disabilities. The disability prevalence (any) was significantly higher among people aged ≥65 years, illiterate, economically inactive, permanent residents, residing in a rural area, and from central and eastern regions of the country compared with their respective counterparts. Further research on access to rehabilitation and linking with social protection schemes for the disabled is required in this country.

Relationship between menstrual abnormalities, anemia and hematological parameters among university students

Objective: To determine the relationship between anemia, menstrual abnormalities and hematological parameters among students, who are studying at Sindh University and are the permanent residents of Hyderabad city. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was carried out at physiology department, university of Sindh Jamshoro. Study duration was one year from August 2018 to July 2019. All participants were the permanent resident of Hyderabad, aged from 18 to 25 years, and willing to contribute in the study. The questionnaire was designed to elicit comprehensive responses from participants regarding hematological parameters and menstrual abnormalities. Menstrual abnormalities such as poly-menorrhea, menorrhagia, oligo-menorrhea, dysmenorrhea, and amenorrhea were determined using the menstrual history. Participants with a hemoglobin level of <12 gm/dl were deemed anemic. SPSS version 20 was used to analyze the data. Results: A total of 300 individuals were randomly selected for this study, and 283 of them agreed to have their blood drawn. The participants' average age was 20.99±1.87 years. Most of the participants had irregular cycle 44.52%, followed by oligomenorrhea 13.43%, Polymenorrhea 11.66% and remaining were normal. Hypomenorrhea was seen in 8.48% of the respondents while hypermenorrhea was seen in 7.42% of the respondents. 14.49% of females reported the duration of menstrual bleeding for fewer than three days, and 34.63% reported normal duration of menstrual bleeding. Longer menstrual bleeding days (>7 days) was 26.85% Anemia in the participants was 45.94%, out of this mild, moderate and severe anemia was 32.51%, 7.42% and 6.01% respectively. RBCs, HCT and WBCs were statistically significant in terms of menstrual abnormalities (P<0.05), whereas other hematological parameters remained statistically insignificant in terms of menstrual abnormalities (p->0.05). Conclusion: Prevalence of menstrual abnormalities and anemia were observed to be frequently high among female students of Sindh University’s permanent residents of Hyderabad. Key words: Menstrual patterns, menstrual abnormalities, Anemia, University students

Participation in a free medication program among non-registered permanent residents with severe mental disorders in Bao’an district, Shenzhen, China and its influencing factors

Background In 2016, the government of Bao’an District, Shenzhen, China launched a free medication program for all non-registered permanent residents with severe mental disorders (SMD) within its jurisdiction, in efforts to reduce the relapse caused by intermittent medication or non-medication. Participation in the program has not been analyzed since its inauguration. This study aimed to evaluate the participation of non-registered permanent residents with SMD in the program from 2016 to 2020 and to explore its influencing factors. Methods This is a retrospective cross-sectional study of 3760 non-registered permanent residents with SMD in Bao’an District, Shenzhen, China (response rate: 78.64%). Data have been obtained from two sources: the Shenzhen Information System for Psychosis in 2020 and the free medication program’s management files from 2016 to 2020. We employ descriptive statistics to analyze the participation rate of the free medication program among non-registered permanent patients. Logistic regression analysis is used to explore the factors affecting the patients’ participation in the program. Results The participation rate of the free medication program among non-registered permanent patients has shown an upward trend, rising from 28.83% in 2016 to 58.32% in 2020. High participation rates have been registered among the following patient subgroups: those aged between 30 and 39 (63.11%), those with high school/technical secondary school (62.33%), those from rural areas (61.62%), those living in poverty (67.79%), those suffering schizoaffective disorder (72.26%), those having SMD for less than 5 years (59.89%), and those with family history of mental illness (71.23%).Logistics regression analysis shows that age, patient-guardian relationship, place of residence, financial condition, types of disease, duration of illness and family history are the main factors affecting the patients’ decision to participate in the free medication program. Conclusion The steadily increasing participation rate of the free medication program indicates that the program has been gradually accepted and recognized by non-registered permanent residents with SMD. However, nearly half of the patients have yet to join the program. To further raise the participation rate, special attention should be given to patients who are financially secure, aged below 20, without guardians, intellectually disabled or suffering SMD for over 5 years.