The effects of under‐skilling on need for recovery,losing employment and retirement intentions among older office workers: A prospective cohort study

Based on a sample of older workers from the Maastricht Cohort Study, the authors investigate the prevalence and dynamics of self‐reported under‐skilling and its effects on workers' need for recovery, their risk of losing employment and their retirement intentions over a two‐year period. They find that being under‐skilled is associated both with higher levels of need for recovery over time and with the risk of losing employment, but not with early retirement intentions. To achieve sustainable employment, they argue, the course of under‐skilling should be monitored throughout workers' careers, enabling timely interventions to avoid its negative consequences.     

Loops,ladders and links: the recursivity of social and machine learning

Theory and Society - Machine learning algorithms reshape how people communicate, exchange, and associate; how institutions sort them and slot them into social positions; and how they experience...     

Child Care and Child Births: The Role of Grandparents in the Netherlands

This study explored the involvement of grandparents in the care for young children and its effect on subsequent child births in dual‐earner families, using data on 898 Dutch men and women aged 18–49 from the Netherlands' Kinship Panel Study. Three theoretical perspectives were used to develop hypotheses: (a) needs and opportunities, (b) normative preferences, and (c) gendered involvement of grandparents. The findings showed that needs and opportunities informed involvement of grandparents but that the availability of formal child care did not predict grandparents' involvement. Maternal grandparents were more likely to provide child care than paternal grandparents, and grandmothers were more likely to do so than grandfathers. Involvement of both maternal and paternal grandparents in turn increased the likelihood of additional child births. The authors conclude that grandparental child care may be part of an emerging reproductive strategy. Implications of these findings for the theoretical approaches used are discussed.     

Effets de la sous‐qualification sur les besoins de récupération,la perte d'emploi et les désirs de préretraite: étude prospective sur une population d'employés de bureau en fin de carrière

À partir de données de l'étude de cohorte de Maastricht sur la fatigue au travail, relatives à la période 2012–2014, les auteurs examinent la fréquence et la dynamique de la sous‐qualification au sein d'un échantillon d'employés de bureau en fin de carrière, ainsi que ses effets sur les besoins de récupération, l'emploi et les projets de préretraite. Ils montrent que des déficits de compétences augmentent les besoins de récupération et le risque de perte d'emploi, mais pas le risque de retraite anticipée. Pour promouvoir l'emploi durable, ils recommandent de surveiller l'apparition de ces déficits tout au long du parcours professionnel.     

Kitchen Hygiene in the Spotlight: How Cooking Shows Influence Viewers’ Hygiene Practices

Poor hygiene when handling food is a major cause of foodborne illness. To investigate whether hygiene practices visible in television cooking shows influence viewers’ kitchen hygiene, a study on the adoption of demonstrated hygiene behavior was conducted under controlled, experimental conditions. In a study ostensibly on cooking by following recipes participants (n = 65) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions, in which they watched a cooking video that differed only with regard to the hygiene behavior of the chef. In condition 1, the chef engaged in poor hygiene practices while preparing the dish, in condition 2 the chef's hygiene behavior was exemplary and in condition 3, the chef's hygiene behavior was not visible (control condition). After watching the video, participants were instructed to cook the recipe individually in the fully equipped laboratory kitchen. Cooking sessions were videotaped and experimenters blind to condition coded hygiene lapses committed by participants. The level of kitchen hygiene displayed in the cooking video significantly affected hygiene practices of participants cooking the recipe. Participants who had watched the cooking video with correct hygiene practices committed significantly fewer hygiene lapses than those who had watched the video with poor hygiene practices. From a risk communication perspective, TV cooking shows are well placed to convey knowledge of essential hygiene practices during food preparation to a broad audience. To facilitate behavioral change toward safer food‐handling practices among viewers, visibly performing correct hygiene practices in cooking shows is a promising strategy.     

Advancing social inclusion in the neighbourhood for people with an intellectual disability: an exploration of the literature

The shift from segregated facilities to community settings did not automatically lead to social inclusion for people with an intellectual disability (ID). Policies are increasingly decentralized but little is known about the factors that are important to realize social inclusion in the neighbourhood. This literature study identifies five domains barriers and facilitators for social inclusion in the neighbourhood: individual characteristics, informal network, professional care, neighbourhood characteristics, and government policies. The findings suggest that social inclusion in the neighbourhood is a dynamic process that shows a series of complex interactions between environmental factors and personal characteristics to provide opportunities for people with an ID. It is recommended to include the perspectives of people with an ID and other neighbourhood residents in future research on social inclusion. Specific attention is needed for the role of neighbourhood social capital in achieving social inclusion in the neighbourhood.     

The Distinction Between Risk and Hazard: Understanding and Use in Stakeholder Communication

A major issue in all risk communication efforts is the distinction between the terms “risk” and “hazard.” The potential to harm a target such as human health or the environment is normally defined as a hazard, whereas risk also encompasses the probability of exposure and the extent of damage. What can be observed again and again in risk communication processes are misunderstandings and communication gaps related to these crucial terms. We asked a sample of 53 experts from public authorities, business and industry, and environmental and consumer organizations in Germany to outline their understanding and use of these terms using both the methods of expert interviews and focus groups. The empirical study made clear that the terms risk and hazard are perceived and used very differently in risk communication depending on the perspective of the stakeholders. Several factors can be identified, such as responsibility for hazard avoidance, economic interest, or a watchdog role. Thus, communication gaps can be reduced to a four‐fold problem matrix comprising a semantic, conceptual, strategic, and control problem. The empirical study made clear that risks and hazards are perceived very differently depending on the stakeholders’ perspective. Their own worldviews played a major role in their specific use of the two terms hazards and risks in communication.     

Starting Relationships with Neighbors After a Move Later in Life: An Exploratory Study

The authors examined eight personal and contextual conditions associated with starting new relationships with neighbors after short- and long-distance moves. A total of 625 Dutch movers and 1,936 non-movers (57–93 years old) were selected from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. OLS linear regression analyses showed that short-distance movers mainly started relationships with neighbors when they did volunteer work. Long-distance movers who moved to rural areas and felt safe in their new neighborhood or moved to areas with lower priced homes also started new relationships with neighbors. Contextual conditions appear to play a larger role than personal ones, especially after long-distance moves.