The impact of delayed maternity on foetal growth in Spain: An assessment by population attributable fraction

Background

Delayed childbearing is considered a risk factor for maternal–foetal health. As in other higher-income countries, in Spain age at maternity has steadily increased during the last two decades.

Needs assessment of youths in residential child care in Portugal / Evaluación de necesidades de jóvenes en acogimiento residencial en Portugal / Evaluación de necesidades de jóvenes en acogimiento residencial en Portugal

Residential child care in Portugal is the most common protection measure in cases of family separation, since family foster care is still very rare. However, little is known about the needs of these children and young people. The purpose of this study is to describe the profile of adolescents close to legal adulthood who are in residential care, comparing it with a Spanish sample. The sample is composed of 345 young people aged 16 to 17 on whom information has been collected regarding their history of protection, family background, schooling, mental health and offending behaviour. A Spanish sample was selected as a comparison group (N = 384). The results reveal the complexity and special seriousness of the profile of young people in residential care in Portugal compared to a Spanish sample, highlighting a high presence of mental health problems and especially suicidal behaviours. Given these results, efforts should be focused on developing specialized residential care programmes adapted to the specific needs of these young people.     

How is participation related to well-being of homeless people? An explorative qualitative study in a Dutch homeless shelter facility

The majority of homeless people is socially excluded which negatively affects their well-being. Therefore, participation-based programs are needed. The current research is conducted within a Dutch homeless shelter facility that offers educational, recreational, and labor activities to clients in an environment which is designed to feel safe (an enabling niche). The main aim of these activities is to facilitate social participation. We conducted two qualitative studies consisting of 16 semi-structured interviews, to explore clients’ experiences with participation in activities in relation to their well-being. The findings showed that clients experienced that participation had led to an improvement of physical, social, and mental well-being. In general, clients reported that due to participation in activities they have strengthened their social support network, improved their (mental and physical) health, self-esteem and personal growth. We concluded that in order to facilitate long-term positive outcomes of participation in practice, it is necessary to focus on group cohesion, and on the social worker’s behavior and attitude.     

Correlation between pelvic floor strength and physical activity level in healthy men

The male pelvic floor muscles comprise a pair of compound muscle layers referred to as the levator ani. Studies have shown that pelvic floor muscle strength is affected by physical activity. This study aimed to assess male pelvic floor muscle strength through manometry of the external anal sphincter and evaluation of its association with physical activity level, BMI, and rectal pressure in healthy men. To assess physical activity level over the previous week, we used the International Physical Activity Questionnaire 8 (IPAQ). Pelvic floor muscle strength was assessed via anorectal manometry. The results shows a negative correlation between resting pressure and MET, a positive correlation between rectal pressure and resting and maximum pressure. The novel finding of this study is a negative correlation between walking and pelvic floor strength. This study raises new questions about the understanding of the interaction among physical activity, intraabdominal pressure, and pelvic floor strength in the physiology of continence in men.     

Respect in intergenerational relationships: Young adult women’s motivations

Care and respect are two sides of the same coin, yet very little is known about respect shown by younger women in relation to people aged 60 and older. This study sets out to explore what motivates young adult women to respect older people. Twenty-five post-graduate women from a tertiary education institution in South Africa participated in the Mmogo-method®, a projective visual data-collection method, to produce textual and visual data. These were analysed using sequential and visual analysis. Findings reported combinations of motivational types for respect of older people, on a continuum from extrinsic (socialised normative values) to intrinsic (personal choice and empathy), and from conditional to unconditional, namely: extrinsic/conditional; extrinsic/unconditional; self-motivated/conditional and self-motivated/unconditional. Respect as an impact on relational interactions between people is either constructive and encouraging or damaging and disparaging. Interpersonal risks are associated with motivation and this could affect future interactions and manifestations of intergenerational respect.     

Socioeconomic and ecological perceptions and barriers to urban tree distribution and reforestation programs

Tree planting and reforestation initiatives in urban and peri-urban areas often use tree distribution or “giveaway” programs as a strategy to increase tree cover and subsequent benefits. However, the effectiveness of these programs in terms of increasing overall tree cover and providing benefits to low-income and disadvantaged communities has been little studied. We assess these programs by exploring community participation in, and barriers to, an urban tree distribution program in Fort Lauderdale, United States and the role socioeconomic background and tree functional types have on participation. We use a mixed-methods approach, panel data, choice experiments, and econometrics to quantitatively analyze respondent’s ranking of program options. High income, White respondents had the highest level of awareness and participation while low income, African Americans (AA) had the lowest level. Monetary rebates were perceived as positive and significant as the compensation value increased to US$8.00 - $12.00. Fruit-bearing and native tree functional types were more preferred than flowering or shade trees. Latinos, AA, and high income respondents preferred fruit trees, while White, high income preferred native trees. Overall, low income respondents perceived the greatest barriers towards participation. 20% of Broward County residents who participated in the survey were aware of the tree giveaway programs and 13% had previously participated. Findings indicate an adaptive governance mismatch between program objectives to equitably increase city tree cover via planting shade trees versus individual’s knowledge and preference for other tree types and functions. Results can be used for developing and evaluating reforestation initiatives to equitably increase tree cover and improve the governance of urban ecosystems.     

Biodiversity conservation in the Brazilian social sciences: an analysis of epistemological paths and conditions of possibility

This article aims to present the analysis of a carefully chosen literature in social sciences on the subject of biodiversity conservation. The purpose was to recognize some of the methods and epistemological conceptions which underlie the arguments published in the main academic journals of Sociology, Anthropology and Political Sciences. The analysis is based on a confrontation of Foucault’s concept of “conditions of possibility” with the discursive practices present in the survey. This exercise enabled us to demonstrate that even though we specifically targeted the social sciences, it is possible to recognize the presence of different conditions possibility that are not necessarily compatible and can be critic of each other. These criticisms arise in a context in which the objectivist view was widely accessed in order to corroborate restrictive and punitive actions on biodiversity conservation. This mapping can thus contribute to problematize the dialogue between disciplines in a scenario where each science has a particular political weight.     

Professions and the Social Order: Some Lessons from Burkina Faso?

The study of professions has been dominated by Anglo‐American models, with their focus on a small group of legally licensed occupations. The field has recently shifted, mainly through studies of European experience, to a wider examination of the social management of expert workers. Very little has been written about developments in Africa and their implications for the way in which we might think about professions. This paper presents a case study of the role and practices of the medical profession in Burkina Faso, which has a relatively open market for the supply of healing services and limited regulation of the suppliers, whether physicians or traditional practitioners. The study returns to classic questions about the extent to which practice is shaped by the nature of occupational niches within the division of labor or to the development of a distinctive moral character among the workers within that niche.     

Aggregation of coarse preferences

We consider weak preference orderings over a set A _n of n alternatives. An individual preference is of refinement?≤n if it first partitions A _n into ? subsets of `tied' alternatives, and then ranks these subsets within a linear ordering. When ?<n, preferences are coarse. It is shown that, if the refinement of preferences does not exceed ?, a super majority rule (within non-abstaining voters) with rate 1− 1/? is necessary and sufficient to rule out Condorcet cycles of any length. It is argued moreover how the coarser the individual preferences, (1) the smaller the rate of super majority necessary to rule out cycles `in probability'; (2) the more probable the pairwise comparisons of alternatives, for any given super majority rule. Received: 29 June 1999/Accepted: 25 February 2000