NEETs and “Structured Social Interventions” in Rural Areas: The Case of Thessaly in Greece

This article aims at approaching the phenomenon of Young people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs) using the empirical data from an action against unemployment in the region of Thessaly in Greece. The main purpose of the study was to examine the attitudes and perceptions of NEETs on important issues related to employment, training, entrepreneurship, as well as their main decisions and perspectives regarding their future. This approach tries to shape a multidimensional proposal which is linked to the core peculiarities of the region of Thessaly by highlighting the transition from “specialized individual action plans” to “structured social interventions”. In conclusion, it attempts to promote a structured and applicable policy framework, shedding light on the dimensions of a crucial social issue such as NEETs promoting the drastic role of structured interventions on local and regional level.

Tata Steel’s Journey of Leading the Cause of LGBT+ Inclusion

Tata Steel is an equal opportunity employer where diversity & inclusion (D&I) is not a choice but a way of life. Our vision is to make Tata Steel a world class equal opportunity employer where everyone is respected, every voice is heard. We are proud to feature amongst the IWEI 2020 Top Employers for LGBTQ+ inclusion. This recognition reaffirms our commitment to foster a culture of allyship to actively promote LGBTQ+ empowerment and build a benchmark workplace. We have been working relentlessly towards curating a workplace where people can bring their authentic selves to work through structured interventions around LGBTQ+ representation, policies and infrastructure, proactive allyship and community engagement.

OP0074 A FRAMEWORK OF POTENTIAL INTERVENTIONS TO ACCELERATE GENDER-EQUITABLE CAREER ADVANCEMENT IN ACADEMIC RHEUMATOLOGY

Background:A growing number of professional societies in clinical and medically related disciplines investigate evidence, make recommendations, and take action to advance gender equity. Evidence on women’s advancement and leadership in the context of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology, EULAR, is limited [1].Objectives:The objective of the EULAR Task Force on Gender Equity in Academic Rheumatology was to establish the extent of the unmet need for support of female rheumatologists, health professionals and non-clinical scientists in academic rheumatology and develop a framework to address this through EULAR and Emerging EULAR Network (EMEUNET).Methods:Potential interventions to accelerate gender-equitable career advancement in academic rheumatology were gathered from a narrative review of the relevant literature, expert opinion of a multi-disciplinary Task Force (comprised of 23 members from 11 countries), data from the surveys of EULAR scientific member society leaders, EULAR and EMEUNET members, and EULAR Executive Committee members. These interventions were rated by Task Force members, who ranked each according to perceived priority on a five-point numeric scale from 1 = very low to 5 = very high.Results:A framework of 29 potential interventions was formulated, which covers six thematic areas, namely, EULAR policies, advocacy and communication, EULAR Congress and associated symposia, training courses, mentoring/peer support, and EULAR funding (Figure 1).Figure 1.A framework of potential interventions with the levels of priority, mean and standard deviation (SD)Conclusion:The framework provides structured interventions for accelerating gender-equitable career advancement in academic rheumatology.References:[1]Andreoli L, Ovseiko PV, Hassan N, et al. Gender equity in clinical practice, research and training: Where do we stand in rheumatology? Joint Bone Spine 2019;86(6):669-72.Acknowledgements:The task force is grateful to EULAR for funding this activity under project number EPI 024.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

Using Theoretical Domains Framework for Exploring Appropriate Sitting Posture Determinants Among Office Workers: A Content Analysis Study

Background: Sedentary occupations frequently expose employees to prolonged periods with poor posture, which has been considered as the cause of musculoskeletal disorder. Objectives: The study set out to identify the related factors of a taking healthy sitting posture in office workers. Methods: This qualitative study aimed to use the theoretical domains framework (TDF) to investigate perceived determinants to taking a proper sitting posture in office workers. Semi-structured interviews with 25 office workers according to purposive sampling was conducted with a convenience sample of university office workers in Iran. Recorded interviews were transcribed into MAXQDA version 10. Directed content analysis and framework analysis were used for drawing the 12 domains of the TDF. Results: Explored themes were mapped onto the TDF domains, including skills, knowledge, behavioral regulation, goals, environmental context and resources, social influences, beliefs about capability, intentions, emotion, beliefs about consequences, memory, and attention and reinforcement. Conclusions: This study is a theoretical starting point in making structured interventions to change improper sitting posture among office workers. Also, the identified factors provide organizational managers with a wide list of factors by which they can encourage their employees to use proper postures in the workplace, leading to a significant reduction in job absenteeism and insurance fees associated with health problems. In addition, this study enriches the literature by providing additional empirical evidence for the TDF theory.

The Quality of Carer–Patient Relationship Scale: Adaptation and Validation into Portuguese

Background: This study aimed to translate and adapt the Quality of the Carer–Patient Relationship (QCPR) scale into Portuguese and analyse both its psychometric properties and correlation with sociodemographic and clinical variables. Methods: Phase (1) Translate and culturally adapt the scale. Phase (2) Assess the scale’s confirmatory factorial analysis, internal consistency, construct validity, and correlations. Results: The experts classified the overall quality of the translation as adequate. A total of 53 dyads (cared-for person and carer) were assessed. In both versions, measures of central tendency and symmetry were also adequate, and the two factors under investigation had appropriate reliability, although in the conflict/critical factor, this was more fragile. Cronbach’s alpha values were 0.89 for the cared-for person version and 0.91 for the carer version. Conclusions: The QCPR scale showed satisfactory to good values of reliability. The assessment is essential to guarantee structured interventions by health professionals, since the quality of the dyads’ relationship seems to influence both older adults’ quality of life and carers’ health status. This study is a significant contribution to the introduction of the QCPR scale in the Portuguese clinical and scientific culture but also an opportunity to increase its use internationally.

Enhancing consultation time for primary paediatric care in the outpatient department

ObjectiveTo improve the duration and quality of consultation times during paediatric ambulatory care.Methods and analysisThis, before and after study, compares consultation time and core activities. All the subjects attended the paediatric outpatient department (P-OPD) between 1 July 2013 and 31 October 2013.Initially, consultation time was recorded directly by using observer timing with a stopwatch on 10–12 patients on 3 consecutive days and estimated indirectly after the study. All subjects underwent some or all of the following assessments and interventions (core activities): danger sign detection, illness treatment and referral, growth assessment followed by appropriate dietetic advice, immunisation and parent counselling. We implemented an intervention structure that divided work among staff members and then compared core activities.ResultsDuring the study period, 2204 patients attended the P-OPD over 108 days. Before the study, the average consultation time was less than 5 min (range 3.5–5 min), and the core activities included the treatment and referrals of illnesses and immunisation only. No treatment guidelines existed, and weight record was primarily for calculating the dose of the drug to be prescribed. The protocol did not include growth assessment and maintenance of detailed clinical records.After implementing the core activities through effective utilisation of existing resources, on an average, 20 patients received consultations per day, and the consultation time was approximately 12 min per patient.ConclusionThe P-OPD consultation time increased from 3.5–5 min to approximately 12 min per patient. Using the structured interventions, the range of assessments and interventions, during these consultations, increased without having to hire more staff.

Secondary Analysis of Reading-Based Activities Utilizing a Scripted Language Approach: Evaluating Interactions Between Students With Autism and Their Interventionists

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often exhibit challenges with reading development. Evidence-based interventions and specialized approaches to reading instruction are currently being implemented across educational contexts for learners with ASD ( Machalicek et al., 2008 ), yet there is limited understanding of how core ASD features may impact effective delivery of instruction and student participation. We begin to address this need by evaluating the reciprocity between instructional talk and student participation within a reading intervention utilizing a scripted language approach that was being piloted on students with ASD. Method This study used archival video-recorded observations from the beginning of a reading intervention to examine the interactions between 20 students (18 boys, two girls) with ASD (7–11 years old, M = 9.10, SD = 1.74) and their interventionists ( n = 7). Lag sequential analysis was used to examine the frequency of student initiations and responses following the interventionists' use of responsive, open-ended, closed-ended, and directive language. Results Findings describe the types of and illustrate the variability in interactions between students and their interventionists, as well as highlight language categories that are linked to student participation. Conclusions These data provide a snapshot of the nature and quality of interactions between students with ASD and their interventionists. Findings suggest that delivery of instruction, including the language that interventionists use, may be an important area of focus when evaluating the effectiveness of reading-based practices across educational settings for learners with ASD, even within the confines of highly structured interventions.

Reshuffling community prevention and care: a new model for healthy ageing

Europe is facing a unprecedented change of the population structure due to demographic transition, that makes the European countries a laboratory for implementing policies aimed at healthy ageing. However, there is a paucity of evidence-based interventions, except for the ones focussed on changing individuals' life style, the main ones being nutrition, physical activities, smoking and drinking. Even in the case of life habits, there are no structured interventions, while health promotion activities are mainly entrusted to the GPs, who are responsible for communicating the needed changes of behaviours to the patients they meet. The increase of chronic diseases prevalence claims for rethinking this approach in order to set up structured prevention activities to mitigate the impact of diseases on functional decline. Based on the available data some elements to rethink community care and prevention can be identified. Bio-psycho-social frailty represents a synthetic indicator of the risk of negative events like the worsening of functional status, hospitalization, institutionalization and death, far more effective than single diseases or comorbidities or even than disabilities. The assessment of frailty should be pursued through a pro-active approach in order to fill the gap of the lack of awareness about frailty which is common. This approach should be reserved to the population with the highest risk of negative events, namely the over-75 one. At side of already well-known interventions on physical activities and malnutrition other risk factors for negative events such as social isolation or polypharmacotherapy should be considered. The increased frequency of heat waves should also be at the basis of yearly intervention able to reduce the risk of death and hospitalization, always associated to climate stressors. A schedule of prevention intervention should be formally structured in order to put the basis for a better aging in Europe as a model for other continents.