Measuring social capital in a known disadvantaged urban community – health policy implications

BACKGROUND: To assess the social capital profile of a known disadvantaged area a large cross-sectional survey was undertaken. The social capital profile of this area was compared to data from the whole of the state. The overall health status of the disadvantaged area was assessed in relation to a wide variety of social capital related variables. Univariate and multivariate analysis were undertaken. RESULTS: In the univariate analysis many statistically significant differences were found between the respondents in the disadvantaged area and the state estimates including overall health status, perceived attributes of the neighbourhood, levels of trust, community involvement and social activities. In the multivariate analysis very few variables were found to be statistically significantly associated with poorer health status. The variables that jointly predicted poorer health status in the disadvantaged area were older age, lower income, low sport participation, non-seeking help from neighbours and non-attendance at public meetings. CONCLUSION: Measuring social capital on a population level is complex and the use of epidemiologically-based population surveys does not produce overly valuable results. The inter-relational/dependence dichotomy of social capital is not yet fully understood making meaningful measurement in the broader population extremely difficult and hence is of questionable value for policy decision making

The Grizzly, May 11, 1988

Valedictorian Ritter Evaluates UC • Saluting the Salutatorian • Degrees to be Conferred • Those Ursinus Memories You\u27ll Never Forget: No Matter How Hard you Try • Seniors Most Valuable at Sports Banquet • Retiring Jones\u27 Tones All his Own • Professor Meyer Retireshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1214/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, November 10, 1989

Wismer Staff Pleads Innocence: Verdict? • Museum Safe and Sound • Dinner for Visitors • Letters: Get to the Point!; GDI Tired of Greek Rights at U.C.; Pro-Life Prof Speaks for Babies • U.C.\u27s Very Vibrant Voices • Opinion: Global Warming • Promoting Condom Sensehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1246/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, November 4, 1988

Continued Controversy Plagues Campus • Division III\u27s Founding Athletics • Curriculum IDEAS Fire Faculty • Drive to be Closed • Letter: Guilty Till Proven Innocent: Democracy at Ursinus College • Conference a Great Success • Bear Pack Braces for Title Run • Seniors are Class of Hockey • Career Day to be Sponsored for Campus • Security Moves to Reimert • French Presents Finzihttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1222/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, March 19, 1990

Long Awaited Art Minor Develops • Debate Provokes Thought • Fire: Alarming! • Letters: Reminiscent of Nostalgia?; Ex-Editors Thanked • Global Changes In U.N. • Liberal Studies For Freshmen • New Exhibit Opens: Cohen, Zucker at Berman Art Museum • Bear Pack Set For Outdoor Season • Bears: New and Better • Sorry, No Cigar • UC Tennis • Women\u27s Lax Triumph • Video Review • Green Pledgehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1254/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, March 18, 1988

Pledging Problems Nonexistent • Sexually Speaking • Those Amazing Meisters • Middle States Study Continues • Comprehensive Commiserations • Notes: Come See Mr. Ursinus; MontCo Science Fair in Gear; Forum Lecture • Winter Athletes Earn Kudos • Opener Nears for Women\u27s Lax • Catching Aerobics Fever • Baseball Begins Season • Minivan Makes the Grade • Much Ado About Somethinghttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1208/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, September 1, 1989

U.C. Transition • Diverse Freshman Diverge on Ursinus • Letter: Frosh Finds Staff Discourteous • Corson Facelift Removes Moles • Bright Moments Jazz Steams Bomberger Night • Bio Grants Lend Expansion • Lax: National Champs! • Wood Takes Titles • Lacrosse Coaches Retire • Lady Bears: Few, But Strong • Bears to Repeat • St. Joe\u27s / U.C. MBA Still O.K. • Academic Year Openedhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1238/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, April 29, 1988

Alcohol Policy Discussed • Honorability Sought at Ursinus • Meet McCurdy! • Urisnus\u27 Own Oscar Winners • Come One, Come All! • Letters: Plagiarist Re-admitted?; Casey Causes Changes; Blast From the Past; Alcohol Education • Band to Perform • That Staiger Chemistry Not at all Overdue • PA Dutch Parsons • Emeritus Williamson • U.C. to Take on Trenton State in Lax Showdown Tonight • Baseball on 6-game Win Streak • Men Backhand W.M. and Albright for U.C. Victory • Tennis Women End Season 6-4 • New Football Mentor • Goldberg Finds Student Athletes • Young\u27s Notes for You • Medieval Fest at College Aids Handicapped • Final Exam Schedulehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1213/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, April 21, 1989

Spring Weekend a Whopper! • Ours Nouveau • Sunday\u27s Reception Huge Success • Letter: Shed Miniskirts for Spandex • Heritage Day • Berman Roofing Top Hat Affair • \u27Packers Hike Hick Hills • Ground Round: Super Service • Running\u27s More Than Just Winning • Spring Sports: Hot and Cold • Mr. Ursinus a Whomping Good Time!https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1236/thumbnail.jp

Can Placental Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Inform Timing of Antenatal Corticosteroid Administration?

Context Antenatal corticosteroids are commonly administered to pregnant women at risk for delivering between 23 and 34 gestational weeks; they provide crucial benefits to fetal lung maturation and reduce risk for neonatal morbidity and mortality. Corticosteroids are maximally efficacious for lung maturation when administered within 2 to 7 days of delivery. Accurately identifying the timing of preterm delivery is thus critical to ensure that antenatal corticosteroids are administered within a week of delivery and to avoid unnecessary administration to women who will deliver at term. A plausible biomarker for predicting time of delivery is placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (pCRH). Objective To assess whether pCRH concentrations predict time to delivery and specifically which women will deliver within a week of treatment. Design pCRH concentrations were evaluated before administration of the corticosteroid betamethasone, and timing of delivery was recorded. Participants A total of 121 women with singleton pregnancies who were prescribed betamethasone. Results Elevated pCRH concentrations were associated with a shorter time from treatment to delivery. Receiver-operating characteristic curves revealed that pCRH may improve the precision of predicting preterm delivery. Conclusions In the current sample, pCRH concentrations predicted the likelihood of delivering within 1 week of corticosteroid treatment. Current findings suggest that pCRH may be a diagnostic indicator of impending preterm delivery. Increasing the precision in predicting time to delivery could inform when to administer antenatal corticosteroids, thus maximizing benefits and reducing the likelihood of exposing fetuses who will be delivered at term