Global, local and focused geographic clustering for case-control data with residential histories

BACKGROUND: This paper introduces a new approach for evaluating clustering in case-control data that accounts for residential histories. Although many statistics have been proposed for assessing local, focused and global clustering in health outcomes, few, if any, exist for evaluating clusters when individuals are mobile. METHODS: Local, global and focused tests for residential histories are developed based on sets of matrices of nearest neighbor relationships that reflect the changing topology of cases and controls. Exposure traces are defined that account for the latency between exposure and disease manifestation, and that use exposure windows whose duration may vary. Several of the methods so derived are applied to evaluate clustering of residential histories in a case-control study of bladder cancer in south eastern Michigan. These data are still being collected and the analysis is conducted for demonstration purposes only. RESULTS: Statistically significant clustering of residential histories of cases was found but is likely due to delayed reporting of cases by one of the hospitals participating in the study. CONCLUSION: Data with residential histories are preferable when causative exposures and disease latencies occur on a long enough time span that human mobility matters. To analyze such data, methods are needed that take residential histories into account

Measuring flourishing @ work interventions:the development and validation of the Flourishing-at-Sork Scale

This study aimed to validate a scale that could be used to measure the effectiveness of interventions aimed at enhancing flourishing at work. A cross-sectional survey design was used, with a stratified random sample of 779 employees in a company in the fast-moving consumer goods industry. The Flourishing-at-Work Scale and Job Demands-Resources Scale were administered. The results supported a 10-factor model of flourishing at work, including a general flourishing factor. The 10 factors included positive affect, low negative affect, and job satisfaction (three factors that represent dimensions of emotional well-being), autonomy, competence, relatedness, engagement, meaningful work, and learning (which can be regarded as dimensions of psychological well-being), and social well-being. The reliabilities of the overall scale and the 10 subscales were acceptable. The results showed that specific types of flourishing (or the lack thereof) explained variance in covariates (overload, negative work-home interaction, and advancement) over and above the variance already explained by the global quantity of flourishing. The Flourishing-at-Work Scale can be used as a valid and reliable tool to measure the impact of interventions developing a flourishing workforce

Developing Resilience in the Aged and Dementia Care Workforce

Developing resilience in the aged and dementia care workforce is animportant element of support given their high demand environment. Jn this chapter,we outline the key known factors relevant for resiliency of aged and dementia careworkforces, focusi ng on direct care workers who provide health care and physical,emotional , and social support to older adults and people with dementia as part oftheir job roles. We describe workforce characteristics, job demands, and resources,as well as personal and emotional responses lo work with international comparisonsmade where in formation is available. Several theoretical constructs in social andorganizational psychology are overviewed and applied to the investigation ofresilience in care work contexts. Organisational psychology can help the aged caresector prepare for the increased need to attract and retain a resilient workforce.Occupational communion is one of the several new theoretical constructs thatprovide potential for ·trategies for interventional support and training. Our worksuggests chat measurement models should be developed that consider positivecoping speci fic to the social nature of caring and the ncurodegcnerativc conditionssuch as dementia, as well ac; the characteristics of the workforce