Keep Rural Schools Open: Position and Policy

Rural schools are a central pillar in the communities in which they belong. They offer not only education for the community’s youth, but serve as a community space, educational location for all community members, and enhance new generations’ understanding of local history and current events. The schools ensure that education is accessible to everyone in the community by avoiding long commutes, employing numerous locals, and having smaller class sizes to better cater to individual student needs. While there are benefits to closing schools, often ones of financial nature, the loss of these schools is felt deeply within rural communities. There are options to pursue and consider prior to taking the drastic action of closing a school, including seeking additional state funds, incorporating place-based educational approaches, and working to cooperatively provide extracurricular opportunities between local rural schools

IDEAL BODY WEIGHT AND BODY FAT PERCENTAGE PREDICT RELATIVE ENERGY DEFICIENCY IN SPORT (RED-S) SCORES IN COLLEGIATE ATHLETES

Background: Low energy availability (LEA) is the underlying cause of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) which negatively affects athletes\u27 physiological function, health, and performance. RED-S results from inadequate dietary intake to support energy expenditure for daily living, growth, and optimal performance. It occurs in both male and female athletes, with or without disordered eating. However, screening and diagnosis in athletes can be difficult. Objective: This study aims to identify strong predictors of RED-S and assess its prevalence in collegiate male and female athletes. Methods: A total of 270 NCAA athlete test points from mixed sports were evaluated for RED-S scores based on body fat percentage and difference between actual and ideal body weight. Athletes completed a physical health questionnaire and a body composition assessment (BodPod®). The RED-S Cumulative Risk Assessment Chart was created from the questionnaire. Results: Weight difference alone was not correlated with RED-S score, but when BF% was included, weight difference became a significant predictor (p \u3c 0.01). A lower weight difference below ideal body weight was predictive of RED-S only when body fat percentage was elevated. The study found a moderate RED-S risk in 30.1% of athletes. Conclusions: Weight difference was found to be an independent predictor of RED-S when controlling for BF%. Further research is needed to identify additional screening and prevention strategies for RED-S in collegiate athletes

Anticipating Change in Development Activity Levels

This study demonstrates how cointegration analysis of privately-owned housing within disparate areas of the United States can aid developers in anticipating changes in the level of market activity. The study analyzes change in the number of housing units within four geographic regions: the Northeast, the Midwest, the South and the West. Whereas most studies of regional variation in real estate activity have focused on short-run analysis, this research extends the examination to consider the impact of exogenous variables over a longer time frame. The study uses Citibase data from 1959 through 1995. Results indicate that the four regions move together in the long run and are driven by one common factor, but that change in the South and the West lead those in the other two regions. Results have widespread policy implications for residential and commercial developers nationwide, because change within the dominant areas may serve as indicators of developing change elsewhere.

A comparative analysis of Indonesian and Philippino contraceptive determinants and use

This exploratory study investigates the contraceptive determinants affecting the variation behind different contraceptive use patterns in Indonesia and the Philippines. I analyze how much effect various determinants have on use patterns and whether these same determinants are relevant to a similar degree in both countries. Several demographic studies have indicated that while education and other socio-economic; variables play a large role in contraceptive use, other factors are pertinent as well. Physical access in terms of distance to a facility or ease in reaching it is one concept. In addition, informational access via availability of mass media and the related function of literacy are important. Hopefully policy makers can utilize these findings to eventually increase access to contraception in areas where it is needed most

Multifamily Housing: A Review of Theory and Evidence

The growing importance of multifamily housing as a viable choice of residence is evidenced by the number of empirical and theoretical studies in real estate literature. Researchers have investigated the role of this sector of the real estate market for decades. This survey article examines more than one hundred studies and categorizes them into five groups: economic and market efficiency issues; property valuation and appraisal issues; regulatory, zoning, and clustering of multifamily complexes; costs, returns, and rental income issues; and demand, vacancy, and occupancy issues. This study seeks to provide a concise, categorical presentation of findings on issues related to the environment and performance of multifamily housing.

Security Measures and the Apartment Market

This paper examines the effect of security measures on apartment rent and occupancy. Three variables representing various security measures are estimated in a simultaneous model of rent and occupancy. Providing 24 hour security has a significant positive effect on both rent and occupancy. Having a manager living on site or a manned front desk/restricted entry does not significantly affect rent. All three variables, however, have a significant positive effect on occupancy. It would appear that, although landlords cannot extract higher rents for some security measures, all three measures included in this study act to increase occupancy.

Help Seeking Behaviours and Depressive Symptoms in Arab Canadian and European Canadian Adolescents

Objectives. The aim of the present study was to examine the relations between help-seeking behaviours and mood problems among Arab Canadian and European Canadian adolescents. Method. Participants were 12 Arab Canadian adolescents (six males and six females; M = 15.75, SD = 1.42) and 12 European Canadian adolescents, matched for age and gender (six males and six females; M = 15.75, SD = 1.42) from three demographically diverse high schools in a midsized city in Ontario, Canada. Participants completed questionnaires assessing depressive symptoms, stressful life problems, sources of help, and barriers to seeking help for a stressful problem. Results. Youth reported a number of family (8% European Canadian; 25% Arab Canadian), school (42% European Canadian; 17% Arab Canadian), romantic relationships (17% European Canadian; 0% Arab Canadian), and other problems (25% European Canadian; 33% Arab Canadian), such as work and social issues, as their most stressful problem in the past six months. There were no significant differences in perceived severity or stressfulness of problems between the two ethnic groups. Of those adolescents who reported having a stressful problem, 64% of European Canadian and 44% of Arab Canadian youth sought help for their problem. In seeking help for their problem, Arab Canadian youth sought help from significantly fewer people than did European Canadian youth (t (8) = 2.802, p = .023). Arab Canadian youth reported seeking help from only family members, whereas European Canadian youth reported seeking help from family, friends, and other sources (e.g., teachers). There were no significant differences between the two ethnic groups on the types of barriers to seeking help for their problem. Results revealed that Arab Canadian youth (M = 16.18, SD = 12.87) endorsed more depressive symptoms compared to European Canadian youth (M = 7.58, SD = 5.47; t(21) = -2.119, p = .046). In Arab Canadian youth, depression was significantly positively correlated with the following barriers to help seeking: The problem being too personal, perception of family being sufficient for help, having an external locus of control, concerns of confidentiality, and affordability of professional services. Discussion. Findings have implications for understanding how Arab Canadian youth perceive the process of help-seeking and how mental health services can be better targeted to this population

(Un-) healthy ageing: Geographic inequalities in disability-free life expectancy in England and Wales

Health expectancies are an indicator of healthy ageing that reflect quantity and quality of life. Using limiting long term illness and mortality prevalence, we calculate disability-free life expectancy for small areas in England and Wales between 1991 and 2011 for males and females aged 50–74, the life stage when people may be changing their occupation from main career to retirement or alternative work activities. We find that inequalities in disability-free life expectancy are deeply entrenched, including former coalfield and ex-industrial areas and that areas of persistent (dis-) advantage, worsening or improving deprivation have health change in line with deprivation change. A mixed health picture for rural and coastal areas requires further investigation as do the demographic processes which underpin these area level health differences