Evaluation of prisoner learning: Initial impacts and delivery

The aim of the research was a process and impact evaluation of prisoner education. Looking specifically at the impacts on post-release reoffending, employment, benefit dependency and learning outcomes amongst Offender Learning and Skills Service learners in phases 3 and 4 (OLASS3 and OLASS4), as well as changes made to service delivery under OLASS4 (which started in August 2012)

Factors holding back small third sector organizations' engagement with the local public sector

In many developed countries there has been a shift from grants to contracts as a source of local public sector funding of the third sector. Smaller third sector organizations may struggle to compete for this funding due to the complex process of accessing and maintaining this funding and conveying their capabilities to funding providers. This study utilizes data from the UK to determine what factors increase these administrative and communication barriers for smaller organizations. Resources in terms of income and volunteers affect perceptions of the process of obtaining funding. A solution may be standardization of evaluation and monitoring, but this may lead to isomorphism and loss of variety of provision. Better two way communication may allow local authorities retain variety in public service provision through improved knowledge of their partners

Latin American immigrants have limited access to health insurance in Japan: a cross sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Japan provides universal health insurance to all legal residents. Prior research has suggested that immigrants to Japan disproportionately lack health insurance coverage, but no prior study has used rigorous methodology to examine this issue among Latin American immigrants in Japan. The aim of our study, therefore, was to assess the pattern of health insurance coverage and predictors of uninsurance among documented Latin American immigrants in Japan.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We used a cross sectional, mixed method approach using a probability proportional to estimated size sampling procedure. Of 1052 eligible Latin American residents mapped through extensive fieldwork in selected clusters, 400 immigrant residents living in Nagahama City, Japan were randomly selected for our study. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire developed from qualitative interviews.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our response rate was 70.5% (n = 282). Respondents were mainly from Brazil (69.9%), under 40 years of age (64.5%) and had lived in Japan for 9.45 years (SE 0.44; median, 8.00). We found a high prevalence of uninsurance (19.8%) among our sample compared with the estimated national average of 1.3% in the general population. Among the insured full time workers (n = 209), 55.5% were not covered by the Employee's Health Insurance. Many immigrants cited financial trade-offs as the main reasons for uninsurance. Lacking of knowledge that health insurance is mandatory in Japan, not having a chronic disease, and having one or no children were strong predictors of uninsurance.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Lack of health insurance for immigrants in Japan is a serious concern for this population as well as for the Japanese health care system. Appropriate measures should be taken to facilitate access to health insurance for this vulnerable population.</p

Can burglary prevention be low-carbon and effective? Investigating the environmental performance of burglary prevention measures

There has been limited study to date on the environmental impacts of crime prevention measures. We address this shortfall by estimating the carbon footprint associated with the most widely used burglary prevention measures: door locks, window locks, burglar alarms, lighting and CCTV cameras. We compare these footprints with a measure of their effectiveness, the security protection factor, allowing us to identify those measures that are both low-carbon and effective in preventing burglary. Window locks are found to be the most effective and low-carbon measure available individually. Combinations of window locks, door locks, external and indoor lightings are also shown to be effective and low-carbon. Burglar alarms and CCTV do not perform as strongly, with low security against burglary and higher carbon footprints. This information can be used to help inform more sustainable choices of burglary prevention within households as well as for crime prevention product design

Potential for comparative public opinion research in public administration

The public administration and public services have always taken a marginal place in the political scientists’ behavioural research. Public administration students on the other hand tend to focus on political and administrative elites and institutions, and largely ignored citizens in comparative research. In this article we make a plea for international comparative research on citizens’ attitudes towards the public administration from an interdisciplinary perspective. Available international survey material is discussed, and main trends in empirical practice and theoretical approaches are outlined, especially those with a potential impact on public sector reform

The Diagnosis of Urinary Tract infection in Young children (DUTY): a diagnostic prospective observational study to derive and validate a clinical algorithm for the diagnosis of urinary tract infection in children presenting to primary care with an acute illness

Background It is not clear which young children presenting acutely unwell to primary care should be investigated for urinary tract infection (UTI) and whether or not dipstick testing should be used to inform antibiotic treatment. Objectives To develop algorithms to accurately identify pre-school children in whom urine should be obtained; assess whether or not dipstick urinalysis provides additional diagnostic information; and model algorithm cost-effectiveness. Design Multicentre, prospective diagnostic cohort study. Setting and participants Children < 5 years old presenting to primary care with an acute illness and/or new urinary symptoms. Methods One hundred and seven clinical characteristics (index tests) were recorded from the child’s past medical history, symptoms, physical examination signs and urine dipstick test. Prior to dipstick results clinician opinion of UTI likelihood (‘clinical diagnosis’) and urine sampling and treatment intentions (‘clinical judgement’) were recorded. All index tests were measured blind to the reference standard, defined as a pure or predominant uropathogen cultured at ≥ 105 colony-forming units (CFU)/ml in a single research laboratory. Urine was collected by clean catch (preferred) or nappy pad. Index tests were sequentially evaluated in two groups, stratified by urine collection method: parent-reported symptoms with clinician-reported signs, and urine dipstick results. Diagnostic accuracy was quantified using area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and bootstrap-validated AUROC, and compared with the ‘clinician diagnosis’ AUROC. Decision-analytic models were used to identify optimal urine sampling strategy compared with ‘clinical judgement’. Results A total of 7163 children were recruited, of whom 50% were female and 49% were < 2 years old. Culture results were available for 5017 (70%); 2740 children provided clean-catch samples, 94% of whom were ≥ 2 years old, with 2.2% meeting the UTI definition. Among these, ‘clinical diagnosis’ correctly identified 46.6% of positive cultures, with 94.7% specificity and an AUROC of 0.77 (95% CI 0.71 to 0.83). Four symptoms, three signs and three dipstick results were independently associated with UTI with an AUROC (95% CI; bootstrap-validated AUROC) of 0.89 (0.85 to 0.95; validated 0.88) for symptoms and signs, increasing to 0.93 (0.90 to 0.97; validated 0.90) with dipstick results. Nappy pad samples were provided from the other 2277 children, of whom 82% were < 2 years old and 1.3% met the UTI definition. ‘Clinical diagnosis’ correctly identified 13.3% positive cultures, with 98.5% specificity and an AUROC of 0.63 (95% CI 0.53 to 0.72). Four symptoms and two dipstick results were independently associated with UTI, with an AUROC of 0.81 (0.72 to 0.90; validated 0.78) for symptoms, increasing to 0.87 (0.80 to 0.94; validated 0.82) with the dipstick findings. A high specificity threshold for the clean-catch model was more accurate and less costly than, and as effective as, clinical judgement. The additional diagnostic utility of dipstick testing was offset by its costs. The cost-effectiveness of the nappy pad model was not clear-cut. Conclusions Clinicians should prioritise the use of clean-catch sampling as symptoms and signs can cost-effectively improve the identification of UTI in young children where clean catch is possible. Dipstick testing can improve targeting of antibiotic treatment, but at a higher cost than waiting for a laboratory result. Future research is needed to distinguish pathogens from contaminants, assess the impact of the clean-catch algorithm on patient outcomes, and the cost-effectiveness of presumptive versus dipstick versus laboratory-guided antibiotic treatment

Public Attitudes to Animal Research Survey, 2016

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Public Attitudes to Animal Research Survey, 2016 was conducted between 4th March and 4th April 2016 with a representative sample of the adult population (aged 15+) of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). It was commissioned by the Office for Life Sciences, a joint body that is part of the UK Government's Department of Health and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The aim of the survey was to understand changing public awareness of, and attitudes towards, the use of animals in research in the UK. It covers topic areas including public awareness of animal research, public knowledge of what is permitted in the UK, views on regulation of the sector as well as public interest in finding out more about the use of animals in research. This is the second wave of a tracker survey that initially ran in 2014, which was also conducted by Ipsos MORI. Both waves were conducted using Ipsos MORI's face-to-face 'Capibus' survey vehicle. The 2014 survey was based on a long-term trend survey covering the same topic, which ran from 1999 until 2014 (the earlier surveys are not currently held by the UK Data Service). For further information, see the Ipsos MORI Attitudes to Animal Research in 2016 webpage. Main Topics:The public's perception and knowledge of the use of animals in scientific research in the United Kingdom

Ahead of the Game Survey, 2009-2010

<p>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</p>The Ahead of the Game campaign explored the use of targeted interventions at football grounds as a means of raising the awareness of the causes and symptoms of cancer. The target audience for these interventions was primarily male football supporters aged over 55. In order to investigate this, Ipsos MORI conducted two waves of survey research amongst men aged over 40 at the five football clubs where the interventions have taken place (Blackburn Rovers, Brighton and Hove Albion, Norwich City, Portsmouth, and Scunthorpe United), using the Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM). The reason that men over 40 were interviewed instead of just men aged over 55, was to assess the impact on those approaching the most at risk age group, to compare the impact of the interventions on the different age groups, and to inform decisions on future campaigns targeting the younger group.<br> <br> Supporters were recruited face-to-face in and around the clubs on match days and contacted by telephone to complete the survey. The pre-intervention survey developed a 'baseline' that was compared with the post-intervention survey to measure any change in awareness. Some clubs had started to conduct their interventions when the pre-intervention wave of research was in field, so some respondents may have been influenced by the interventions before they were interviewed. During both waves 1,000 supporters were interviewed in total (200 per club) creating an overall total of 2,000 responses (400 per club).<br> <br> Further information about the Ahead of the Game campaign can be found on the <a href ="http://www.footballfoundation.org.uk/our-schemes/ahead-of-the-game/" title="Ahead of the Game">Football Foundation's</a> web page.<br><B>Main Topics</B>:<br>The CAM questionnaire addressed the following topics:<ul><li>public awareness of cancer symptoms</li><li>public knowledge of cancer risk factors</li><li>reasons for patient delay before contacting doctor</li><li>public knowledge of common cancer types in men and women</li><li>public awareness of cancer screening programmes</li><li>demographic variables</li></ul