Quality of Life of the Elderly Receiving Old Age Pension in Lesotho

The southern African country of Lesotho introduced an old age pension scheme in 2004 with the aim of enhancing the quality of life (QoL) of the nation’s elderly population. This study is the first to assess the physical, psychological, social, and environmental aspects of the health-related QoL of the elderly in Lesotho since the pension scheme was adopted. Data for this study were gathered using the World Health Organization QoL-BREF questionnaire. Mean QoL scores were compared across demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical variables using analysis of variance, t test, and regression analysis. Findings indicate that respondents were least satisfied with the environmental and physical domains of QoL. They also indicate that the overall QoL of the elderly in Lesotho was mainly affected by marital status, level of education, type of housing, source of income, and level of satisfaction with income. These factors should thus be taken into account when developing interventions aimed at improving the QoL of the elderly in Lesotho.     

Rebound effects of progress in information technology

Information technology (IT) is continuously making astounding progress in technical efficiency. The time, space, material and energy needed to provide a unit of IT service have decreased by three orders of magnitude since the first personal computer (PC) was sold. However, it seems difficult for society to translate IT’s efficiency progress into progress in terms of individual, organizational or socio-economic goals. In particular it seems to be difficult for individuals to work more efficiently, for organizations to be more productive and for the socio-economic system to be more sustainable by using increasingly efficient IT. This article provides empirical evidence and potential explanations for this problem. Many counterproductive effects of IT can be explained economically by rebound effects. Beyond that, we conclude that the technological determinism adopted by decision-makers is the main obstacle in translating IT’s progress into non-technical goals.

Patterns of working and living conditions: a holistic, multivariate approach to occupational health studies

The objective of the study was to develop a multivariate approach to occupational health studies that is: capable of identifying groups with similar working conditions; relevant for studies of associations between working and living conditions and health; and an appropriate basis for preventive actions. Data at the individual level were obtained through measurements, observations, interviews and questionnaires, and at the organizational level, through interviews with managers. Cluster analyses were applied with the purpose of identifying groups of individuals with small, within-group differences. Eighty work sites and a sample of employees at each site were strategically selected. The study group comprised 203 men and women, and was characterized by large variation. The final analysis produced eight clusters of individuals, denoted according to their best-defining characteristic, i.e. 'decent', 'boundary-less', 'locked', 'exposed', 'heavy and monotonous', 'changed', 'mobile' and 'restrained'. The clusters differed with regard to 'what' characterized working conditions, 'where' on the labour market they were found, and 'who' clustered in these groups. The holistic approach revealed conditions that were important for health and had higher explanatory power in relation to ill-health than applying socio-economic groupings or the demand-control-support model. It showed how psychosocial, ergonomic-physical and occupational hygiene factors combine and interact to create settings with different risks of ill-health. The chosen strategy is recommended for future occupational health studies and is particularly suitable as guidance for preventive actions relevant to specific clusters of working and living conditions.