Green Care services in the Nordic countries: an integrative literature review

This article reviews Nordic literature on Green Care for people out of work or school, or with mental health- and/or drug-related problems, published from 1995 to April 2014. Green Care is a well-established international concept that uses animals, plants and nature in an active process to offer health-promoting activities for people. Reports, evaluations and scientific articles are included. The main finding was that the Green Care services described in the literature provided positive activities for our target group. Seven main categories emerged during the analysis: mastery and coping, positive effects on mental health, physical activity, structure and meaningfulness, the feeling of dignity produced by performing a decent ordinary job, social gains, animals and nature experienced as being supportive. Essential intervention factors identified can be described as: (i) contact with animals, (ii) supportive natural environments, (iii) the service leader as a significant important other, (iv) social acceptance and fellowship with other participants and (v) meaningful and individually adapted activities in which mastery can be experienced. These five components interact in a holistic way; the synergetic effects extend the sum of the single factors.     

Documenting Discrimination: A Study of Recruitment Cases Brought to the Norwegian Gender Equality Ombud

This article investigates appointment cases brought to the Gender Equality Ombud over a ten-year period (1985–94). The study presented here aims to explore gender discrimination in recruitment and why it is so hard to document. An advantage of studying appointment cases brought to the Ombud is that the three parties — the plaintiff, the hiring authority and the Ombud — are all engaged in presenting arguments directly concerning gender discrimination. The two key questions are: how do hiring authorities argue to counter assertions of discrimination? And on what grounds are arguments accepted/not accepted by the Ombud? The cases investigated are divided into three categories: cases from male-dominated organizations, woman-dominated organizations and gender-balanced organizations. How the gender of the candidates has influenced the hiring process can only be read indirectly from most cases; hiring authorities usually argue that it is the concern for personal suitability that has been the decisive factor. In the analysis of the cases three main types of justifications of hiring preferences are identified: ‘continuity’, ‘renewal’ and ‘the woman is unfit’. The decision situation of the Ombud is uncertain in most cases. In many cases the juridical expertise of hiring authorities seems to be decisive. The demarcation line is unclear concerning which arguments should be accepted as impartial and which should be rejected because of vagueness or subjectivity.     

Bayesian Reanalysis of the Challenger O-Ring Data

A Bayesian forecasting model is developed to quantify uncertainty about the postflight state of a field-joint primary O-ring (not damaged or damaged), given the O-ring temperature at the time of launch of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986. The crux of this problem is the enormous extrapolation that must be performed: 23 previous shuttle flights were launched at temperatures between 53 °F and 81 °F, but the next launch is planned at 31 °F. The fundamental advantage of the Bayesian model is its theoretic structure, which remains correct over the entire sample space of the predictor and that affords flexibility of implementation. A novel approach to extrapolating the input elements based on expert judgment is presented; it recognizes that extrapolation is equivalent to changing the conditioning of the model elements. The prior probability of O-ring damage can be assessed subjectively by experts following a nominal-interacting process in a group setting. The Bayesian model can output several posterior probabilities of O-ring damage, each conditional on the given temperature and on a different strength of the temperature effect hypothesis. A lower bound on, or a value of, the posterior probability can be selected for decision making consistently with expert judgment, which encapsulates engineering information, knowledge, and experience. The Bayesian forecasting model is posed as a replacement for the logistic regression and the nonparametric approach advocated in earlier analyses of the Challenger O-ring data. A comparison demonstrates the inherent deficiency of the generalized linear models for risk analyses that require (1) forecasting an event conditional on a predictor value outside the sampling interval, and (2) combining empirical evidence with expert judgment.     

The link between parenting approaches and health behavior: A systematic review

The familial home environment, where parenting takes place, plays an important role in the health behaviors that children and adolescents engage in and has implications on health and well-being in later life. Lifestyle-related behaviors predispose children and adolescents to the global burden of non-communicable and other lifestyle-related diseases. This review therefore examined and described previous studies looking at the associations between health behaviors and parenting approaches. It suggests that engagement in health behaviors, which promotes overall health and well-being, was associated with autonomy, supportive parenting, parental encouragement, behavior control, parental nurturance, warmth and responsiveness, and parental involvement. The review highlights the gap in literature focusing on the health behavior of children and adolescents as well as on parenting. In addition, the review also provides an overview of the continents where fewer studies have examined the presented associations. The findings presented also serve as a guide for program development and implementation to address the increase in non-communicable and other lifestyle-related diseases.     

Safety and Solidarity After the Boston Marathon Bombing: A Comparison of Three Diverse Boston Neighborhoods

This article investigates the effect of the Boston Marathon Bombing on city residents— how the tragic incident changed, or did not change, how Bostonians live in and feel about their community and neighborhoods. Unlike prior research that began weeks or months after a terrorist attack and used retrospective reports, this study spans the focal event. An address‐based sample of residents from three neighborhoods, distinct in racial and economic makeup was surveyed by mail using a three‐contact protocol. About two‐thirds of respondents answered a survey of neighborhood sentiments, and health and well‐being in the days before the bombing (N = 581) and slightly over a third answered the survey after the bombing (N = 313). Assessments of safety, city and neighborhood satisfaction and solidarity, mental health, and other key measures vary greatly between the three neighborhoods, which are diverse in racial and economic composition, but also vary in proximity to the bomb site. Net of neighborhood differences, the bombing had a strong negative effect on neighborhood cohesion and reduced use of public transit. Strong interactions are also found between timing of survey completion (pre and post bombing) and neighborhood for assessments of neighborhood solidarity.     

The determinants of worry over chronic health condition for rural couples

This study investigates the determinants of chronic health conditions that worry the member of rural couples who serves as the household financial manager. A sample of 1,115 rural couples from the NC-182 regional research project Family Resource Utilization as a Factor in Determining Economic Well-Being of Rural Families is used. The logit analysis finds that the probability of having a condition that worries the financial manager increases if she or he is middle aged or older, is not employed, and has external Locus of Control. This probability also increases when the dissatisfaction with the resources available to handle a financial emergency increases and the more often the financial manager does not have money to pay for the doctor.Preparation of this research was supported in part by the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station project 52–056 and the Minnesota Extension Service. Data were collected in conjunction with the cooperative regional research project NC-182, Family Resource Utilization as a Factor in Determining Economic Well-Being of Rural Families. Cooperating states are Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, and Minnesota.Her current research interests include the economic well-being of various family forms. She received her Ph.D. from University of Illinois.Her current research interests include family financial management and consumer bankruptcy. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Missouri.Her current research interests include issues concerned with family stress management including financial stress. She received her Ph.D. at Michigan State University.Her current research interests include economic and environmental well-being for families and individuals with emphasis on the impact of environmental regulations on economic well-being. She received her Ph.D. from University of Illinois.His current interests include economic well-being of rural families. He was a research assistant for Dr. Bauer before receiving his Ph.D. degree in Agriculture and Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN.