Work situation operative model MOST: linking diagnosis and intervention to improve work conditions

This paper presents the model "Work Situation Operative Model" - MOST (after its Spanish acronym). It offers a comprehensive, systemic approach to analysing work stations and/or work processes, serving also as a framework for pursuing various ergonomic and occupational health and safety goals. Originally produced for a food sector company, the model has been extended and successfully applied in several industries in Colombia and Ecuador, including cement, oil, and paper industries. Based on a systemic understanding of work systems and tasks, the model not only allows different, commonly-used methods and tools for evaluating or assessing the risk of muscular-sketetal disorders to be included, but also supports occupational risk management strategies. Hence, one of its more important contributions relies on providing meaningful information that is useful for improving the work station and/or work process through design and re-design, by focusing on the interactions between all system elements.     

The Economic Organization of Extended Family Households by Race or Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status

This study examines differences in the amount of economic support or mutual benefit derived from extended family living arrangements by studying differences in monetary contributions to essential household expenditures across family units in extended family households. Using the 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation, multivariate regression and selection models are estimated to assess racial differences in family contributions toward household expenses in extended family households. Extended family households have very unequal monetary contributions toward household rent and utilities, although Hispanics have less unequal monetary contributions when compared with other racial groups. Hispanic and Asian extended family households experience decreasing inequality in financial contributions as the income of each family increases, whereas no relationship between financial contributions and income is found for Whites or Blacks. This suggests a different cultural orientation to extended family living arrangements for Asians and Hispanics when compared with non‐Hispanic Whites.     

Reporting suspected child abuse: a pilot comparison of middle and high school counselors and principals

A survey on experiences with child abuse reporting was obtained from 116 middle and high school counselors and principals across the U.S. Results revealed that counselors throughout their careers had made more reports than principals and perceived themselves to be better trained on child abuse. Those school professionals with fewer years of experience reported more adequate pre-service training. Counselors also failed to report in more instances than principals, citing as deterrents the lack of physical evidence and little faith in child protective services. Most counselors and principals took appropriate action when presented with case examples of child sexual abuse. Recommendations for future research are provided.     

Ensuring quality and sustainability in after-school programs

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education are engaged in a unique public-private partnership that strives to integrate the assets and flexibility of philanthropy with the breadth of a major federal program to support meaningful after-school programs and school-community partnerships for children, youth, families, and communities.     

Training x Trainee Interactions in a family planning intervention

This study investigated the effects of introducing a family planning counseling model at clinics of Peru's Ministry of Health. Providers trained in the model presented greater quality of care and longer counseling sessions than did controls. The main effects, however, were misleading. Nearly all of the quality improvements were contributed by 37% of the trained providers; they had already been better performers at the pretest and complied with the new counseling model's requirement of job aid use at the posttest. The recognition that a majority of trained providers did not profit from training posed a challenge that led to improvements in the model. Training x Trainee Interactions should be explored in evaluations.