The effects of migration on child health in Mexico

The authors investigate the impact of international migration on child health outcomes in rural Mexico using a nationally representative demographic survey. They use historic migration networks as instruments for current household migration to the United States in order to correct for the possible endogeneity of migrant status. They find that children in migrant households have lower rates of infant mortality and higher birth-weights. The authors study the channels through which migration may affect health outcomes and find evidence that migration raises health knowledge in addition to the direct effect on wealth. However they also find that preventative health care, such as breastfeeding and vaccinations, is less likely for children in migrant households. These results provide a broader and more nuanced view of the health consequences of migration than is offered by the existing literature.Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Health Systems Development&Reform,Health Economics&Finance,Anthropology,Housing&Human Habitats

Post-resuscitation care following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: identification of in-hospital prognostic determinants

In Australia, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) affects an estimated 26,000 people each year; with a mortality rate of approximately 88%. A structured approach to OHCA management as defined by the 'Chain of Survival' is critical to high-quality patient outcomes. The aim of this thesis was to strengthen the post-resuscitation care link in the Chain of Survival by examining the effect of in-hospital factors on survival and neurological outcome after OHCA

Transitions to tertiary education: Measuring and minimising inequality between private and public school students in a university outreach program

Much of the literature concerned with evaluating public and private schooling focuses upon year 12 examination results. Investigating the transition to university, some studies have compared these results with first-year university marks. Very few researchers, however, have looked beyond students’ marks. This paper examines how “school type” affects student performance, participation, and experience in a university outreach program – SmARTS. SmARTS is run through The University of Western Australia’s (UWA) Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (FAHSS). It engages year 11 students in a six-month research project, facilitated by the use of both e-learning and more traditional face-to-face methods. This paper is based on research that evaluated the 2009, 2010, and 2011 programs. The methods employed include analyses of student completion rates and results, as well as 198 student surveys, ten school coordinator surveys, and three group interviews with tutors. Based on schools’ socio-economic backgrounds, fees, and examination results, we have divided schools into four types: top-tier private, second-tier private, top-tier public, and second-tier public. Our findings suggest that top-tier private and top-tier public school students have the highest levels of participation, the lowest drop-out rates, and gain the highest results in SmARTS, while the opposite is evident for second-tier public school students. We also found, however, that second-tier public school students reported to have gained more generic skills from the program than did other groups. Our findings suggest that analysing examination results provides only a limited picture of how students experience the transition to university. We argue that through research and practice such as ours, inequalities can be more accurately measured, and thus minimised, before students enter university

Palaces for the People: Mapping Public Libraries\u27 Capacity for Social Connection and Inclusion

Public libraries are trusted community hubs that foster connections with individuals of different socioeconomic statuses; ages; ethnic, linguistic, religious, and cultural backgrounds; and sexual and gender identities. Located in diverse settings, library branches offer resources and programs that meet the specific needs of their communities who are navigating the effects of our increasingly asocial society. Libraries have been shown to cater to individuals contending with higher levels of social isolation and loneliness, as well as increased rates of mental illnesses and antisocial behaviours. The shift to online environments during COVID-19 has exacerbated feelings of disconnection. During these times of change, public libraries facilitate resilience, helping communities withstand and adapt to difficult circumstances. While several individual studies have separately examined libraries’ outreach efforts, what remains unknown is the broader knowledge landscape regarding public library practices, spaces, and activities that collectively create and reinforce social connections in an increasingly asocial society. We examined scholarly literature to answer the following questions to to bridge existing knowledge gaps: How do public libraries help patrons create or maintain connections in their communities? What population groups are included in public library research and in what ways are they differently impacted by public library services, materials, and/or spaces? How are public library virtual programming and services (especially prominent during COVID-19) changing the ways in which patrons engage with public libraries? In what ways does the Canadian public library research landscape compare or differ from that in European and Australasia countries, and what lessons can we glean from these differences?Underlying a majority of the included articles is an acknowledgement that the role of public libraries is changing, from operating as information repositories to now also operating as community hubs. The ways in which public library systems and branches engage with their communities and patrons are therefore also shifting. Focusing in particular on the current state of public library-related research knowledge on issues related to growing feelings of disconnection, isolation and loneliness, articles explored the multiple ways in which public libraries afford connection for and among their patrons. Public libraries draw on their spaces, their staff, their collections and materials, their programs, and relationships with community organizations to bolster feelings of connection. Given the distribution of public libraries across the country, in urban and rural locales and in neighbourhoods of high and low poverty, the ways in which public libraries both connect with and provide connection manifest differently depending on their contexts. Research on this topic is indicative of the many different population groups that public libraries engage with and support on a daily basis. Research focuses on a myriad of population groups, including: children, youth, older adults, parents, unhoused populations, differently abled individuals, immigrants and non-permanent residents, among others. This breadth of population groups, each with their own unique circumstances, needs, and expectations, is indicative of the range of factors and contexts library workers need to consider and incorporate in their programs, collections, arrangement of physical and virtual spaces, and administration. Across published research, public libraries fostered connection through the following means: Encouraging feelings of belonging Creating connections through technology Reinforcing cultural identities Creating safe physical spaces Addressing issues of accessibility Creating new educational programming Creating new recreational/social programmin

A Teaching Innovation on Poverty for Interprofessional Students: Cost of Poverty Experience Simulation

INTRODUCTION Cost of Poverty Experience (COPE) simulation is an innovative teaching methodology to demonstrate the obstacles and challenges of poverty that contribute to those risks. The aim of the study was to evaluate the change in attitudes regarding people living in poverty among interprofessional health science students. METHODS Medicine, nursing, pharmacy and rehabilitation therapy students in the 2018 Interprofessional Education class (N=100) were enrolled. Interprofessional student teams were assigned family roles, given limited resources and simulated poverty challenges such as unemployment, childcare concerns, limited access to healthy food, and incarceration. A pre- and post-simulation survey measured changes in participants’ poverty awareness consisting of three domains - identifying barriers to poverty, confidence in one’s ability to address poverty, and likelihood to engage in behaviors to address poverty. The post survey also included questions on insights gained and recognition of organizational systems that perpetuate poverty. Statistical analysis including descriptive statistics and paired t-tests were conducted in SPSS-v23. RESULTS The confidence in ability domain that included understanding obstacles, identifying key issues and having impact showed a significant difference between pre-test (M=8.63, SD= 1.71) and post-test (M=9.31, SD=1.90). However, no significant change was reported for identifying barriers and likelihood to engage in behaviors to address poverty. Additionally, in post-survey, more than 90% students reported increased mindfulness of poverty, self-reflection, and recognize that organizational systems create and perpetuate poverty. CONCLUSION Poverty immersive simulation experience is an essential education tool, as it motivates critical self-reflection and improves one’s confidence to engage in addressing poverty

Impact of a new bicycle path on physical activity

There has been a great deal of concern about obesity, with many calls for Americans to increase physical activity. In spite of all the attention and exhortations, the Outdoor Industry Foundation reported that bicycling is declining, having dropped from 3.9 billion outings in 2004 to 3.1 billion outings in 2005 (Outdoor Industry Foundation, 2006). The most dramatic drop in outings was for American females, who averaged 18 paved road biking outings in 2005 compared to 28 in 2004. Although new bike paths and roadways are frequently being built, there are few studies using objective measures in the United States that prospectively document increases in physical activity in response to environmental changes (Morrison et al., 2004; Killoran et al., 2006). Studies of the association between bicycling and the built environment have typically been cross-sectional (Nelson and Allen, 1997; Dill and Carr, 2003) and when change in the built environment is assessed for its impact on physical activity, studies have included repeated cross-sectional self-reports (Ogilvie et al., 2006), retrospective accounts of use over time (Boarnet et al., 2005), or simulations of what is expected (Niemeier, 1996)

Identifying Knowledge Gaps with Administrative Health Data: A Cohort Study of Traumatic and Non-Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury in Alberta

Introduction The Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) population consists of two main sub-groups: traumatic (TSCI) and non-traumatic (NTSCI). TSCI has been studied; however less attention has been given to NTSCI. It is important to understand both SCI sub-groups for identification of knowledge gaps and subsequent health service planning. Objectives and Approach The goal is to study the SCI population (both TSCI and NTSCI) in Alberta, Canada, leveraging recent administrative health data. It is difficult to identify NTSCI patients for their heterogeneous conditions, and relatively low prevalence. Consequently, we followed a validated algorithm using particular ICD-10-CA codes, to identify (and index) adult SCI patients from Ambulatory and Inpatient records between April 1, 2006 and March 31, 2016. Indexed patients were linked to various databases (inpatient, ambulatory, physician claims, provincial insurance registry), and analyzed in multiple perspectives such as demographics patterns, deaths, resource and cost utilization, geographic distribution, and care equity between groups. Results Through 10 years of data we have identified 5217 SCI patients (3309 TSCI; 1908 NTSCI). 68.7% TSCI and 58.6% NTSCI are male. NTSCI patients are approximately 10 years older (46.3 TSCI; 54.5 NTSCI), and have a 3-point higher Charlson score. 1-year mortality in NTSCI is approximately 2.4 times the TSCI group. Hospitalizations, ER visits, critical care time have also been examined. Patients with NTSCI had a higher median index LOS (14 days IQR (4-51)) compared to the traumatic group who had much higher variability (11 days IQR (11-65.5)). Noted 13.7% NTSCI patients and 19.5% TSCI do not have hospitalizations after index (a diverse characteristic of SCI). Resource Intensity Weights, physician billing, rural-urban area utilization have also been compared between the sub-groups. Conclusion/Implications With the use of administrative databases and a validated algorithm, we described a diverse patient cohort with two main sub-groups (TSCI/NTSCI). Both groups were analyzed upon multiple topics and showed variations. Our results have provided updated knowledge of a comprehensive SCI population in Alberta, Canada, and may lead to improvements on care-giving model

What Role Does Type of Sponsorship Play in Early Integration Outcomes? Syrian Refugees Resettled in Six Canadian Cities

AbstractThere is little longitudinal research that directly compares the effectiveness of Canada’s Government-Assisted Refugee (GAR) and Privately Sponsored Refugee (PSR) Programs that takes into account possible socio-demographic differences between them. This article reports findings from 1,921 newly arrived adult Syrian refugees in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. GARs and PSRs differed widely on several demographic characteristics, including length of time displaced. Furthermore, PSRs sponsored by Groups of 5 resembled GARs more than other PSR sponsorship types on many of these characteristics. PSRs also had broader social networks than GARs. Sociodemographic differences and city of residence influenced integration outcomes, emphasizing the importance of considering differences between refugee groups when comparing the impact of these programs.RésuméIl existe peu de recherches longitudinales comparant directement l’efficacité des programmes gouvernemental (RPG) et privé (PPR) de parrainage des réfugiés au Canada qui tiennent compte de possibles différences socio-démographique entre eux. Cet article rend compte des résultats de 1921 nouveaux arrivants syriens adultes en Colombie-Britannique, en Ontario et au Québec. Les RPG et PPR diffèrent largement sur plusieurs caractéristiques démographiques, dont le temps du déplacement. De plus, les PPR parrainés par groupes de cinq ressemblaient davantage aux RPG que les autres types de parrainage PPR sur plusieurs de ces caractéristiques. Les PPR avaient aussi des réseaux sociaux plus larges que les RPG. Les différences sociodémographiques et la ville de résidence influent sur l’intégration, ce qui fait ressortir l’importance de tenir compte des différences entre les groupes de réfugiés dans la comparaison de l’impact de ces programmes

Obstacle negotiation kinematics: age-dependent effects of postural threat

xii, 79 leaves ; 28 cm.The effects of postural threat and the potential consequences of obstacle contact on the obstacle contact on the obstacle negotiation kinematics among younger and older adults were examined. Seventeen older (OA;7males, 10 females; mean age, 68.94 + 4.85) and fifteen younger adults (YA; 5males, 10 females; mean age, 22.53 + 2.77) negotiated virtual and real obstacles while walking at a self-determined velocity along a 7.2m walkway under 4 different conditions of postural threat. Postural threat was manipulated by varying the width (0.60m)) of the walkway. Postural threat altered crossing kinematics for all subjects. Specifically, age-related differences emerged with increasing postural threat, however the changes observed among older adults were considerably different from those of younger adults. Additionally, there was no effect for the potential consequences of obstacle contact, however, no age-related differences emerged. These results revealed an effect for postural threat and obstacle characteristics on the negotiation strategies of younger and older adults. Both postural threat and obstacle characteristics elicit conservative crossing kinematics in younger and older adults. Specifically, these findings illustrate age-dependent differences in obstacle negotiation strategies and that postural threat affects older adults differently than younger adults whereas the potential consequences of obstacle contact affects younger and older adults equally

A Comparative Analysis of Selected Producer Characteristics and Production Practices of Small Livestock Producers in Three Southeastern States of The US

It is germane to know the characteristics and practices of small livestock producers in order to assist them; however, there are a paucity of investigations on the subject in the Southeastern US. Thus, this study assessed selected producer characteristics and production practices of small livestock producers in three Southeastern States. The data were collected from three samples of producers in several counties of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results showed that, a majority of producers practiced rotational grazing, had parasite problems, quarantined newly acquired animals, and used veterinary services. Additionally, a majority sold their animals live, and many kept records manually or on a computer. The findings indicate commonalities across the three states, in terms of rotational grazing, parasite problems, quarantine, how animals are sold, and record keeping. There is a need to assist small producers in certain aspects of production practices and in value-added processe