Foshan, Guangdong: Using IT to Improve Services

Currently, Nanhai District, Foshan City, Guangdong province has a migrant population of more than 1.1 million, of whom 920,000 are of fertility age and 253,000 are women of childbearing age. The migrant population has been growing at a rate of 11% annually. To improve family planning services for this group of people, since 2002 the district government     

Assessing Schools’ Academic Performance Using a Belief Structure

A lot of attention has been given to education as it is the most practical way of improving social mobility. In order to be progressive and resilient, there has to be an overall transformation of society as evidenced in the annual budget allocations which has educational implications to it. Therefore, schools will come to term that they are under the watching eyes of interested parties who want them to perform academically. Thus, this will lead the stakeholders of education to make assessment and comparison between schools. However, the process of assessing schools is not an easy task as it involves many attributes. The problem of aggregating a large number of attributes will be a challenge if we use the traditional Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method. Hence, in this paper an innovative approach called Evidential Reasoning (ER) will be used to assess school performance in a multilevel or hierarchical setting which involved indirect measurement of quality by using standardized examination results, rather than directly measuring the quality of the processes unfolding within the schools. The approach is different from most conventional decision making modeling methods in that it employs a belief structure to represent an assessment as a distribution. By using this method, we are able to assess and rank the schools involved by giving an appropriate weight and merit point for each attribute and grade, respectively. For easy comprehension of the method, a numerical example was given on how to utilize the proposed method in order to obtain a single performance figure for school ranking purposes. Finally, by comparing the school ranking reveals that there is little similarity with the normal practice currently adopted.     

A Happy Nation? Opportunities and Challenges of Using Subjective Indicators in Policymaking

This article seeks to combine decades of academic research with emerging policy demands by systematically assessing the state of the knowledge on using subjective indicators in public policy. In particular, it outlines opportunities that arise from a new focus on subjective information as a basis for policy decisions and challenges that ought to be overcome. The paper presents pros and cons of using subjective (versus objective) indicators, and it discusses six ways in which information on citizens’ subjective well-being (SWB) can advance the policymaking process: Monitoring progress, informing policy design, policy appraisal, examining the divergence of objective and subjective quality of life, ranking public institutions and allocating resources, as well as informing development strategies and goals. In doing so, best practice examples are presented and put in context. Finally, subjective measures “beyond SWB” are discussed and a new measure for the overall satisfaction with society is suggested. The next frontier for research and practice will be to build on the potential outlined here and to address the deficits in order make the most out of subjective indicators and the unique value they can add to the policymaking process.     

Using Quality of Care Indicators to AssessFamily Planning Program: Xuanwu,Nanjing

Tilequalityofcareprogramwaslaunchedill1997inXuanwuDistrict,Nalljing,JiangsuProvincecenteringoilone-stopreproductivehealtllservices.Witlltheunfoldingoftheprogram,theDistrictFamilyPlanningCommissionadopted11ewappraisalindicatorsin1998tofacilitateprogress.DemographicsAreaf81squarekmPopulatiollf389,000Womenofreproductiveagef105,000Marriedwomellofreproductiveagef76,000BackgroulldTwoKAP(knowledge,attitudeandpractice)surveyswerecollductedbytheNalljillgFamilyPlanllingCommissiOllill1996and1997…     

Who Gets Held Back? An Analysis of Grade Retention Using Stratified Frailty Models

Racial/ethnic disparities in grade retention related to structural inequality are investigated using a quantitative theoretical model from the health literature. Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort are linked with segregation indices for dissimilarity and poverty interaction derived from the US Census 2000 data estimate the impact of individual and structural level variables on grade retention. Shared frailty models demonstrate that there are racial/ethnic differences in grade retention, much of which can be explained by structural inequality. Students who are white or African American have lower risk in areas with higher dissimilarity and poverty interaction. Parental involvement mediates the risk of retention.

     

Modeling Transition Rates Using Panel Current-Status Data: How Serious is the Bias?

Studies of disability dynamics and active life expectancy often rely on transition rates or probabilities that are estimated using panel survey data in which respondents report on current health or functional status. If respondents are contacted at intervals of one or two years, then relatively short periods of disability or recovery between surveys may be missed. Much published research that uses such data assumes that there are no unrecorded transitions, applying event-history techniques to estimate transition rates. In recent years, a different approach based on embedded Markov chains has received growing use. We assessed the performance of both approaches, using as a criterion their ability to reproduce the parameters of a “true” model based on panel data collected at one-month intervals. Neither of the widely used approaches performs particularly well, and neither is uniformly superior to the other.     

Using an Objective Structured Clinical Examination for Bachelor of Midwifery students’ preparation for practice

BackgroundContemporary midwifery practice needs a rigorous and standardised assessment of practical skills, and knowledge to ensure that safety is maintained for both women and neonates before, during and after childbirth.AimTo evaluate the use of Best Practice Guidelines (BPG) for Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) as a standardised tool to develop clinical competence of Bachelor of Midwifery students.MethodA pragmatic mixed method approach with surveys, focus groups and interviews was used to evaluate the OSCEs for first year students. Quantitative and qualitative data were combined to understand student and academic perceptions of students’ confidence for clinical practice following the OSCE.FindingsThirty-four students responded to surveys (response rate 94%); and 13 participated in focus groups. Two academic lecturers participated in an interview (100%). Two main themes emerged (1) the OSCEs improved student confidence (2) the OSCEs were relevant and prepared students for practice. Most students indicated that they practised for the OSCE using an integrated approach (70%), and that this assisted them in their approach to the assessment of the neonate or post-partum mother.ConclusionThe use of BPGs to ensure that OSCEs focus on important aspects of knowledge and practice helped students to learn and to perform well. Students’ confidence in their ability for the imminent professional experience placement was high. OSCEs designed with the BPGs should be implemented broadly across midwifery education to enhance students’ competence and provide rigorous meaningful assessment.     

Using community-based participatory research to address Chinese older women’s health needs: Toward sustainability

ABSTRACT

Although community-based participatory research (CBPR) has been recognized as a useful approach for eliminating health disparities, less attention is given to how CBPR projects may address gender inequalities in health for immigrant older women. The goal of this article is to share culturally sensitive strategies and lessons learned from the PINE study—a population-based study of U.S. Chinese older adults that was strictly guided by the CBPR approach. Working with Chinese older women requires trust, respect, and understanding of their unique historical, social, and cultural positions. We also discuss implications for developing impact-driven research partnerships that meet the needs of this vulnerable population.     

What Kind of Self-Care Strategies Do People Report Using and is There an Association with Well-Being?

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe what kind of self-care strategies people report using to improve or maintain their well-being. Furthermore, we also wanted to investigate whether reports of using self-care strategies were associated with well-being. Methods: A selected sample (n=871), aged between 20 and 64 years, living in Stockholm County, answered an open-ended question about self-care strategies. Well-being was assed using the WHO (Ten) well-being index. Results: Ten different categories were found. The most commonly reported self-care strategy was physical exercise, followed by social support and engaging in pleasurable activities. Physical exercise, social support, relaxation, and physical health were associated with a better well-being, social support being strongest correlated. Conclusion: The results suggest that reports of using certain self-care strategies are associated with a better well-being.     

Taking ‘NO’ for an answer: Using negative reproductive intentions to study the childless/childfree

In this paper, I argue for an approach to the study of the childless/childfree based on negative reproductive intentions. To forward this argument, I present the theoretical justification for a concept based on taking no for an answer, demonstrating that such an approach provides both a valid and reliable measure of intended childlessness. Building on earlier work by researchers of childlessness and reacting to their concerns that most studies have not employed either representative sampling or multivariate methods, I incorporate both in empirical tests of this approach. Using 11 years of the General Social Survey and a Trichotomous Logit Analysis, the resulting model simultaneously assesses the effects of the independent variables on the probabilities that the married women in this sample are childless/childfree. This analysis is generally consistent with hypotheses generated from earlier studies and their findings on the correlates of childlessness, thereby supporting the literature that says the voluntarily childless are a distinct group. In effect, the viability of the concept is substantiated, enabling its use in future research. Because this conceptualization recognizes the dynamics of reproductive intentions, it provides a way to better understand the current social milieu of individuals who say they do not intend to parent.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the American Sociological Association in Pittsburgh, PA in August 1992.     

Can Well-Being be Measured Using Facebook Status Updates? Validation of Facebook’s Gross National Happiness Index

Facebook’s Gross National Happiness (FGNH) indexes the positive and negative words used in the millions of status updates submitted daily by Facebook users. FGNH has face validity: it shows a weekly cycle and increases on national holidays. Also, happier individuals use more positive words and fewer negative words in their status updates (Kramer 2010). We examined the validity of FGNH in measuring mood and well-being by comparing it with scores on Diener’s Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), administered to an average of 34 Facebook users every day for a year, then aggregated by day, week, month, quarter and half year. FGNH and SWLS were not significantly correlated, with a negative correlation coefficient. Also, aggregated SWLS scores showed a positive relationship with numbers of negative words in status updates. We conclude that FGNH is a valid measure for neither mood nor well-being; however, it may play a role in mood regulation. This challenges the assumption that linguistic analysis of internet messages is related to underlying psychological states.     

Using Subjective Expectations to Forecast Longevity: Do Survey Respondents Know Something We Don’t Know?

Old-age mortality is notoriously difficult to predict because it requires not only an understanding of the process of senescence-which is influenced by genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors-but also a prediction of how these factors will evolve. In this paper I argue that individuals are uniquely qualified to predict their own mortality based on their own genetic background, as well as environmental and behavioral risk factors that are often known only to the individual. Given this private information, individuals form expectations about survival probabilities that may provide additional information to demographers and policymakers in their challenge to predict mortality. From expectations data from the 1992 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), I construct subjective, cohort life tables that are shown to predict the unusual direction of revisions to U.S. life expectancy by gender between 1992 and 2004: that is, for these cohorts, the Social Security Actuary (SSA) raised male life expectancy in 2004 and at the same lowered female life expectancy, narrowing the gender gap in longevity by 25% over this period. Further, although the subjective life expectancies for men appear to be roughly in line with the 2004 life tables, the subjective expectations of women suggest that female life expectancies estimated by the SSA might still be on the high side.     

Missing the Unhealthy? Examining Empirical Validity of Material Deprivation Indices (MDIs) Using a Partial Criterion Variable

This study investigates the empirical validity of the material deprivation indices (MDIs) using a partial criterion variable, namely UHCNIR (unmet health care need due to inadequate resources). This alternative approach helps to assess absolute validity (Type I and II errors) and sources of error in the measurement of poverty for a specific aspect of poverty (in this case inability to receive adequate health care due to affordability problems). A simple mismatch analysis identifies a sizable group, around 1% of the adult EU population, missed by MDIs despite being in UHCNIR. A majority of this 1% experiences not only UHCNIR but also multiple other deprivations, commonly reports having some difficulties making ends meet, and prevalently has a disability or a chronic health problem. The analysis reveals that MDIs miss specifically those “unhealthy poor” since these measures do not include a relevant item, and thus cannot adjust for different needs and costs in health care and account for the distinct poverty experiences of these people. Therefore, the main methodological assumption of MDIs, identifying the people in poverty with only a limited set of key deprivation indicators is not supported by this empirical analysis.     

The Changing Impact of Family Size on Adolescents’ Schooling: Assessing the Exogenous Variation in Fertility Using Twins in Brazil

Researchers have long been interested in the influence of family size on children??s educational outcomes. Simply put, theories have suggested that resources are diluted within families that have more children. Although the empirical literature on developed countries has generally confirmed the theoretical prediction that family size is negatively related to children??s education, studies focusing on developing societies have reported heterogeneity in this association. Recent studies addressing the endogeneity between family size and children??s education have also cast doubt on the homogeneity of the negative role of family size on children??s education. The goal of this study is to examine the causal effect of family size on children??s education in Brazil over a 30-year period marked by important social and demographic change, and across extremely different regions within the country. We implement a twin birth instrumental variable approach to the nationally representative 1977?C2009 PNAD data. Our results suggest an effect of family size on education that is not uniform throughout a period of significant social, economic, and demographic change. Rather, the causal effect of family size on adolescents?? schooling resembles a gradient that ranges from positive to no effect, trending to negative.     

Measuring Geographic Migration Patterns Using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Matrículas Consulares</Emphasis>

In this article, we show how to use administrative data from the Matrícula Consular de Alta Seguridad (MCAS) identification card program to measure the joint distribution of sending and receiving locations for migrants from Mexico to the United States. Whereas other data sources cover only a small fraction of source or destination locations or include only very coarse geographic information, the MCAS data provide complete geographic coverage of both countries, detailed information on migrants’ sources and destinations, and a very large sample size. We first confirm the quality and representativeness of the MCAS data by comparing them with well-known household surveys in Mexico and the United States, finding strong agreement on the migrant location distributions available across data sets. We then document substantial differences in the mix of destinations for migrants from different places within the same source state, demonstrating the importance of detailed substate geographical information. We conclude with an example of how these detailed data can be used to study the effects of destination-specific conditions on migration patterns. We find that an Arizona law reducing employment opportunities for unauthorized migrants decreased emigration from and increased return migration to Mexican source regions with strong initial ties to Arizona.     

Using experts’ consensus (the Delphi method) to evaluate weighting techniques in web surveys not based on probability schemes

Weighting techniques in web surveys based on no probability schemes are devised to correct biases due to self-selection, undercoverage, and nonresponse. In an interactive panel, 38 survey experts addressed weighting techniques and auxiliary variables in web surveys. Most of them corrected all biases jointly and applied calibration and propensity score adjustments. Although they claimed that sociodemographic and web-related variables are the most useful auxiliary variables to employ in adjustments, they considered only sociodemographic variables to correct biases because of their availability.     

Reconsidering the Rural–Urban Continuum in Rural Health Research: A Test of Stable Relationships Using Mortality as a Health Measure

Health researchers commonly use existing rural–urban continua based on population size and adjacency to metro areas to categorize counties. When these continua are collapsed into simple rural-versus-urban aggregations, significant differences within the categories are masked. We show that when the entire range of the 10-category Rural–Urban Continuum Codes (RUCC) is used, the direction of the coefficients may differ and the fit of the model varies substantially across contiguous categories. However, collapsing contiguous categories masks variations within the continuum. To the extent that health policy decisions are made based on such aggregations, inappropriate policy choices may result (e.g., low payments to counties with relatively high needs). Given Congressional calls to address rural health, and the new Office of Management and Budget (OMB) statistical area classification system, debate over appropriate categorizations schemes is timely. We regress age-adjusted all-causes of death on various socioeconomic factors to assess the appropriate use of variants of the rural–urban continuum for health research. Our findings support two main conclusions. First, researchers collapsing urban–rural categorization schemes may be masking important categorical differences, inadvertently influencing policymaking predicated on their work. Second, finer classification of settlements yields uneven results. That is, coefficients shift signs across the continuum, indicating that collapsed models may be inappropriate. Results derived using collapsed variants of the RUCC may be too unstable to use as health research and funding categorization schemes. We suggest that a health status or outcomes categorization scheme is likely to be a more appropriate metric for rural health research. Reavis was at the SSRC, MSU while drafting this article.     

Assessing Changes in Household Socioeconomic Status in Rural South Africa, 2001–2013: A Distributional Analysis Using Household Asset Indicators

Understanding the distribution of socioeconomic status (SES) and its temporal dynamics within a population is critical to ensure that policies and interventions adequately and equitably contribute to the well-being and life chances of all individuals. This study assesses the dynamics of SES in a typical rural South African setting over the period 2001–2013 using data on household assets from the Agincourt Health and Demographic Surveillance System. Three SES indices, an absolute index, principal component analysis index and multiple correspondence analysis index, are constructed from the household asset indicators. Relative distribution methods are then applied to the indices to assess changes over time in the distribution of SES with special focus on location and shape shifts. Results show that the proportion of households that own assets associated with greater modern wealth has substantially increased over time. In addition, relative distributions in all three indices show that the median SES index value has shifted up and the distribution has become less polarized and is converging towards the middle. However, the convergence is larger from the upper tail than from the lower tail, which suggests that the improvement in SES has been slower for poorer households. The results also show persistent ethnic differences in SES with households of former Mozambican refugees being at a disadvantage. From a methodological perspective, the study findings demonstrate the comparability of the easy-to-compute absolute index to other SES indices constructed using more advanced statistical techniques in assessing household SES.     

Alegría! Flow in Leisure and Life Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Event Satisfaction Using Data from an Acrobatics Show

The aim of the current study was to examine the role of satisfaction-with-event as a mediator in the relations between flow and life satisfaction based on the bottom-up theory (Andrews and Withey in Social indicators of well-being: Americans’ perceptions of life quality. Plenum, New York, 1976; Lee et al. in J Macromarketing 22(2): 158–169, 2002). Four hundred and thirty-four participants with a mean age of 35.60 (SD = 11.76) were recruited from the audience of a “Cirque du Soleil” acrobatics show, performed in Taiwan in 2009. Participants completed the flow scale (Csikszentmihalyi in Flow: the psychology of optimal experience. Harper & Row, New York, 1990), a satisfaction-with-event scale (Lin and Hsu in Mark Rev 3(4): 497–528, 2008), and a satisfaction-with-life scale (Diener et al. in J Pers Assess 49:71–75, 1985) immediately after viewing the show. Structural equation modeling was conducted to examine our hypothesis that satisfaction-with-event levels would fully mediate the relationship between flow and overall life satisfaction. Results supported our prediction and are discussed in terms of bottom-up theory. Implications of the study are also provided for the leisure managers.