Outcomes of a multicomponent physical activity program for sedentary, community-dwelling older adults

This single-group repeated-measures pilot study evaluated the effects of a 10-wk, multicomponent, best-practice exercise program on physical activity, performance of activities of daily living (ADLs), physical performance, and depression in community-dwelling older adults from low-income households (N = 15). Comparison of pretest and posttest scores using a one-tailed paired-samples t test showed improvement (p < .05) for 2 of 3 ADL domains on the Activity Measure-Post Acute Care and for 6 physical-performance measures of the Senior Fitness Test. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant main effects for 3 of 8 physical activity measures using the Yale Physical Activity Scale. Retention rate was 78.9%, and the adherence rate for group sessions was 89.7%. Results suggest that participation in a multicomponent, best-practice physical activity program may positively affect sedentary, community-dwelling older adults' physical activity, ADL performance, and physical performance.     

Missing Data in Sociological Research: An Overview of Recent Trends and an Illustration for Controversial Questions, Active Nonrespondents and Targeted Samples

In an age of telemarketers, spam emails, and pop-up advertisements, sociologists are finding it increasingly difficult to achieve high response rates for their surveys. Compounding these issues, the current political and social climate has decreased many survey respondents’ likelihood of responding to controversial questions, which are often at the heart of much research in the discipline. Here we discuss such implications for survey research in sociology using: a content analysis of the prevalence of missing data and survey research methods in the most cited articles in top sociology journals, a case study highlighting the extraction of meaningful information through an example of potential mechanisms driving the non-random missing data patterns in the Religion Among Academic Scientists dataset, and qualitative responses from non-responders in this same case. Implications are likely to increase in importance given the ubiquitous nature of survey research, missing data, and privacy concerns in sociological research.     

Public Support For Earthquake Risk Mitigation In Portland,Oregon

During the 1980s, seismic research suggested that Oregon and the City of Portland had a higher risk of a major earthquake than had previously been assumed. In 1993, the State of Oregon adopted a new version of the Oregon Structural Specialty Code, which changed the designation of western Oregon from seismic zone 2b to seismic zone 3. The City of Portland established a program and a Task Force on Seismic Strengthening of Buildings to recommend actions that would encourage upgrading of city buildings. A survey of adult city residents was conducted in April, 1996 to determine public attitudes and opinions about earthquake risks, management and mitigation of earthquake hazards, priorities for protection by strengthening buildings, evaluations of strategies for informing the public about earthquake risks, and support for specific options the city might take to protect citizens against earthquake events. Social and demographic information on individuals and households was also collected. Respondents provided ratings for a wide range of social and environmental risks, provided information on priorities for strengthening key buildings and infrastructure facilities, and answered hypothetical questions about voting for bond measures to pay for city earthquake-mitigation programs. Respondents recognized significant risk from earthquakes and supported programs to protect people, especially vulnerable residents such as children and the sick. There was strong support for protecting emergency response capabilities. There was much less support for using public funds to reduce the risks associated with privately owned buildings. There were also some strong pockets of resistance to publicly funded mitigation programs in response to the hypothetical bond measures.     

A statistician's perspective on biomarkers in drug development

Biomarkers play an increasingly important role in many aspects of pharmaceutical discovery and development, including personalized medicine and the assessment of safety data, with heavy reliance being placed on their delivery. Statisticians have a fundamental role to play in ensuring that biomarkers and the data they generate are used appropriately and to address relevant objectives such as the estimation of biological effects or the forecast of outcomes so that claims of predictivity or surrogacy are only made based upon sound scientific arguments. This includes ensuring that studies are designed to answer specific and pertinent questions, that the analyses performed account for all levels and sources of variability and that the conclusions drawn are robust in the presence of multiplicity and confounding factors, especially as many biomarkers are multidimensional or may be an indirect measure of the clinical outcome. In all of these areas, as in any area of drug development, statistical best practice incorporating both scientific rigor and a practical understanding of the situation should be followed. This article is intended as an introduction for statisticians embarking upon biomarker-based work and discusses these issues from a practising statistician's perspective with reference to examples.     

Liminal Stigma and Disaligning Activity: Online Comments about Trump's Family Separation Policy

In 2018, the Trump administration initiated a “zero-tolerance” border policy wherein they criminally prosecuted all individuals who were apprehended crossing the border without proper authorization. The policy change resulted in numerous migrant children being separated from their parents. Through a qualitative content analysis of 1500 YouTube comments made in response to CNN and ProPublica news coverage, we examine each side's aligning activity. Separation challengers claimed border crossers were innocent while condemning their opponents as racist, cruel, and otherwise shameful. Separation advocates bolstered their own claims of innocence by denying that the detainees are victims and condemning separation challengers as hypocrites, dishonest, complicit in illegal immigration, and generally loathsome. These findings show that, enabled by social media, aligning activity in stigma contests can produce a liminal stigma, where identities suffer the ideational aspects of stigma but not necessarily the loss of social status.     

Older Workers’ Access to Employer-Sponsored Retiree Health Insurance, 2000–2006

Using a multivariate framework, we analyze trends in employer provision of retiree health insurance (RHI), eligibility for new retirees, and retiree contributions. Data come for the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey—Insurance Component (MEPS-IC). While RHI provision to existing retirees decreased, eligibility for new retirees declined even more. Contribution requirements increased between 2000 and 2006 for retirees not yet eligible for Medicare (less than 65 years of age), but remained stable for those who were eligible (65 years of age or older). These results suggest growing financial instability for retirees.     

Convergent spaces: Intersectional analysis of ethnic minority status and childhood disability in Irish safeguarding work

The core argument of this paper is that intersectionality provides a constructive conceptual lens for the convergence of ethnic minority status and childhood disability in Irish child protection and welfare. The utility of intersectionality in this paper lies in broadening the scope of reflection on the complex intersections of ethnic minority status and childhood disability. Within this, intersectionality is implicitly situated within an overarching critical disability studies perspective. Theoretically informed commentary on the literature attends to three aspects of practice. These are respectively novel intersections of ethnic minority status and childhood disability, as a consequence of intensifying globalization; compounded levels of risk; and the importance of nonconflation of potential sites of oppression, such as race and disability. Overall, the intention of the paper is to be illustrative. Specifically, analysis is presented as an aid to students and practitioners, moving forward, in negotiating a complex and dynamic field of practice.     

Second‐pillar pensions in Central and Eastern Europe: Payment constraints and exit options

During 1998–2007, a majority of Central and Eastern European (CEE) governments enacted laws obligating workers to save for retirement in privately managed individual accounts. The governments funded these accounts with a portion of public pension revenues, thus creating or increasing deficits in public systems. After the onset of the global financial and economic crisis (2008), most CEE governments reduced these funding diversions and scaled back the accounts. Now, a decade after the crisis, this article examines the benefits that the accounts are beginning to pay retiring workers. In general, these benefits are shown to be disadvantageous compared with public pensions. Some pay lump sums in lieu of regular monthly benefits, most fail to adjust pensions regularly for inflation, and some pay women less than men with equal account balances. In several countries, pensioners with individual accounts receive lower benefits than those without them. To enable retiring workers to avoid these disadvantages, several CEE governments have allowed them to refund their account balances and receive full public pensions. Yet while this strategy diffuses worker dissatisfaction, it also places strains on public pension finance. To assist second‐pillar account holders without weakening public pensions, governments should consider making private pension savings voluntary and financing these schemes independently of public pensions – i.e. by worker and employer contributions and, possibly, direct state support.