Air Quality in Hamilton: Who is Concerned? Perceptions from Three Neighbourhoods

This study investigates the factors influencing perceptions of air quality in the industrial city of Hamilton, Canada. The research employs data collected via a telephone survey of 1,002 adult residents in three neighbourhoods. Perceptions in the neighbourhoods were examined by individual socio-demographic factors (age, gender, marital and immigrant status, education, etc.) in addition to perceived health status and neighbourhood problems (environmental, social and safety concerns). Neighbourhood variations were found, with those residing in the Southwest Mountain neighbourhood being over 6 times more likely to report a ??good?? perception of air quality than those residing in the Lower City neighbourhood. In addition, factors influencing these perceptions also varied by neighbourhood. Perceived neighbourhood problems strongly influenced perceptions of air quality in the Lower City and Central areas, whereas socio-demographic factors were significant primarily in the Lower City neighbourhood, suggesting the importance of these mediating dimensions; pointing to less of a concern about air quality. There was, however, remarkable consistency in all three neighbourhoods when respondents were asked whether their perception of air quality affected their choice to go outside. Overall, the presence or absence of perceived problems, such as pollution and safety, had a powerful effect on shaping and differentiating neighbourhood responses.     

Sense of Belonging and Mental Health in Hamilton, Ontario: An Intra-Urban Analysis

This paper examines geographic variations in sense of community belonging in Hamilton, Ontario. It also identifies the most significant health and social factors associated with belonging in the city. The research employs data from the 2007/08 Canadian Community Health Survey for respondents aged 18 or over living in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. The primary unit of geography is the forward sortation area (FSA), which correspond with the boundaries comprising the first three digits of the postal code. The paper found that, overall, residents of Hamilton enjoy a strong sense of belonging to their community, one of the highest rates in Canada. Consistent with research at the national level, the paper revealed a strong and clear association between lower sense of belonging and lower self-perceived mental health. Age (45?C64) and household type (couples with children) were associated with higher sense of belonging. The mapping analysis revealed that sense of belonging was generally strongest among residents of rural Hamilton and became weaker moving towards the city centre, with particularly low levels evident in the Lower City. The presence of lower sense of belonging and lower mental health was clearly visible in three FSAs comprising the central portion of the Lower City.     

Risk of Fetal Mortality After Exposure to Listeria monocytogenes Based on Dose-Response Data from Pregnant Guinea Pigs and Primates

One‐third of the annual cases of listeriosis in the United States occur during pregnancy and can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, premature delivery, or infection of the newborn. Previous risk assessments completed by the Food and Drug Administration/the Food Safety Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture/the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (FDA/USDA/CDC)^{( 1 )} and Food and Agricultural Organization/the World Health Organization (FAO/WHO)^{( 2 )} were based on dose‐response data from mice. Recent animal studies using nonhuman primates^{( 3 , 4 )} and guinea pigs^{( 5 )} have both estimated LD₅₀s of approximately 10⁷ Listeria monocytogenes colony forming units (cfu). The FAO/WHO^{( 2 )} estimated a human LD₅₀ of 1.9 × 10⁶ cfu based on data from a pregnant woman consuming contaminated soft cheese. We reevaluated risk based on dose‐response curves from pregnant rhesus monkeys and guinea pigs. Using standard risk assessment methodology including hazard identification, exposure assessment, hazard characterization, and risk characterization, risk was calculated based on the new dose‐response information. To compare models, we looked at mortality rate per serving at predicted doses ranging from 10^?4 to 10¹² L. monocytogenes cfu. Based on a serving of 10⁶ L. monocytogenes cfu, the primate model predicts a death rate of 5.9 × 10^?1 compared to the FDA/USDA/CDC (fig. IV‐12)^{( 1 )} predicted rate of 1.3 × 10^?7. Based on the guinea pig and primate models, the mortality rate calculated by the FDA/USDA/CDC^{( 1 )} is underestimated for this susceptible population.     

Stressed by Choice: a Business Model Analysis of the BBC

This paper aims to explain the recent defensive strategy of downsizing at the BBC. The paper rejects the analysis of both industry practitioner and neoclassical economics academic critics who represent the corporation as an all-powerful, abusive player in a market and instead develops an alternative concept of the business model, which focuses the pressures of financial viability and stakeholder credibility to explain the restructuring. We argue that the BBC's business model is stressed because it struggles to deliver what key stakeholders want and expect from the corporation, from a pot of revenue that is limited by regulation. The BBC's problem is compounded by demands for more programming hours following its move into digital and by the increasingly formalized demands of regulators on behalf of an absent consumer. The paper concludes that without reflexive, business-model-centred regulation, it is likely that the BBC's business model will become unsustainable.     

Can spouses be trusted? A look at husband/wife proxy reports

This paper examines biases that may occur when models of couple behavior are estimated using one partner’s report of own and of spouse’s desired family size rather than independent reports obtained from both partners. When estimates of random measurement error are incorporated in a model of couple fertility expectations, proxy reports are valid indicators of spouse desires. In particular, there is little evidence that proxy reports are affected by systematic errors arising from projection of own beliefs onto the spouse. For desired family size, random measurement error in both proxy and self reports is of far greater concern than is systematic error.     

The concept of a child within sub‐Saharan African migrant homes: Reconciling culture and child rights

As international migration increases, the Australian socio‐cultural and political context in which sub‐Saharan African migrant families are settling is causing tension between traditional sub‐Saharan African migrant definitions of child and childhood experiences and host nation definitions particularly when compared with the child protection system. This paper seeks to explore and highlight the fundamental values and differences that determine perceptions and treatment of children within traditional sub‐Saharan African communities. Using a qualitative design, this study was influenced by acculturation theory. Four major themes emerged from the analysis: (a) culture and the sub‐Saharan African child, (b) moulding good children, (c) family functioning and relationships, and (d) host context: perceptions of Australian mainstream parenting. The study found that in order to successfully make decisions that are in the best interest of sub‐Saharan African migrant children that come to the attention of the child protection system, discussions about children rights can only yield good outcomes when the child's socio‐cultural environment is considered.     

Are Area-Level Measures of Employment Associated with Health Behaviours and Outcomes?

Accessible employment suited to residents’ needs is an important equity issue and social determinant of health and wellbeing, and a balanced jobs-housing ratio within a region has the potential to provide health benefits. This paper aims to provide evidence on the associations between employment and health, and the potential pathways, as well as identifying spatial indicators that can be used to measure urban employment, a construct of liveability. We used 2011 census data to create and test two area-level spatial measures of urban employment with geo-coded population health behaviour and outcome data (2011 VicHealth survey) in 5206 employed adults living in urban Victoria, Australia. Those living in areas with higher levels of local employment had reduced odds of a longer commute (OR 0.87). The odds of a longer commute time was also greater for those who lived in an area where more people commuted to work by private vehicle (OR 1.20), and less for those who lived in local areas where more people travelled to work by public transport (OR 0.85) or active travel (OR 0.80). The odds of reporting longer sitting times was less for those who lived in a local area where more people commuted to work by private vehicle (OR 0.65). Those who had a longer commute times, regardless of travel mode, had greater odds of reporting more sitting during a typical weekday (OR 1.67). In turn, those who spent more time sitting had significantly greater odds of reporting poorer self-rated health (OR 1.34). Such work provides evidence to policy-makers to help build the argument for which area-level attributes are needed to support urban employment across a region.     

The validity of the occupational stress indicator

This paper investigates the validity of four subscales of the Occupational Stress Inventory (OSI). Data derived from a sample of British managers are used to generate a multitrait-multimethod matrix. The results obtained suggest that three of the four OSI sales (job satisfaction, mental health, type A behaviour) show acceptable validity. The fourth scale (locus of control) needs further development. Further analysis, using multiple regression procedures, was conducted to explore the validity of the theoretical ideas underlying the OSI. The results reveal that both sources of pressure at work and type A behaviour are linked to mental health and job satisfaction.