Een kwalitatieve verkenning van gepercipieerde discriminatie, etnische identiteit, sociaal netwerk en middelengebruik bij personen met een Turkse en Oost-Europese migratieachtergrond in Gent

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Implementing community-based participatory research in the study of substance use and service utilisation in Eastern European and Turkish communities in Belgium

Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is an effective strategy to promote action research regarding health and substance use issues. The London-based Centre for Ethnicity and Health's CBPR model was replicated in Belgium to study substance use and service utilisation in Bulgarian, Slovakian and Turkish communities in the city of Ghent. This article focuses on the implementation of the CBPR model, challenges and adaptions linked to the Belgian context. In this paper, we describe the study design and actors involved, namely (1) community organisations, (2) the community advisory board and (3) community researchers. Furthermore, we focus on the challenges and pitfalls of the CBPR method and its implications, including (1) community collaboration, (2) co-ethnic researchers, (3) characteristics of the respondents and (4) empowerment of the respective communities. We conclude by discussing potential pathways for future CBPR in the field of substance use and service utilisation among migrants and ethnic minorities

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Treatment providers' perspectives on a gender-responsive approach in alcohol and drug treatment for women in Belgium

Background: Gender inequity is a pervasive challenge to health equity on a global scale, and research shows the impact of sex and gender on substance use regarding for example epidemiology, treatment needs, treatment admission and treatment outcomes. The gender-transformative approach to action and health indicates that health interventions may maintain, exacerbate or reduce gender-related health inequalities, depending on the degree and quality of gender-responsiveness within the programme or policy. However, research shows a lack of gender-responsive initiatives in the alcohol and drug addiction field. Aims: The purpose of this study is to explore in depth how alcohol and drug treatment can be made more sensitive to female users' treatment needs from the perspective of service providers. Consequently, study findings can inform the development of gender-responsive treatment options and aid to a deeper understanding of how these trends are designated on the continuum of approaches to action and health in the alcohol and drug field. Methods: Four focus groups were organized across different regions in Belgium with a total of 43 participants, including service providers, policy makers and women who use(d) drugs. Results: The perspective of the participants on substance use prevention and treatment for female users incorporates some crucial gender-specific and gender-transformative features. Next to implementing mother-child options, a holistic approach, experts by experience and empowering women in treatment, professionals report the relevance of awareness raising campaigns targeting all levels and sectors in society. Also, recurring attention was given to the role of men in the narratives of female users. Conclusion: Study findings show that the field of alcohol and drug prevention and treatment is being looked at through the lens of gender-responsiveness. However, to achieve improvement in the lives of both women and men, and hence creating more equal chances and opportunities in substance abuse treatment, the gender-transformative approach in addiction care needs to be further explored, criticized and established in practice and future research

GC-MS identification of odorous volatiles in wastewater

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Women's views on barriers and facilitators for seeking alcohol and drug treatment in Belgium.

Aims: Although treatment barriers are different for men and women, research is dominated by males' and practitioners' perspectives rather than women's voices. The purpose of this study in Belgium was to identify and obtain a better understanding of the barriers and facilitators for seeking treatment as experienced by substance (ab)using women themselves. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 60 female substance users who utilise(d) outpatient and/or residential treatment services. A content analysis was performed on women's personal accounts of previous treatment experiences as well as their experiences with services along the continuum of care, resulting in practical implications for the organisation of services. Results: Female substance users experience various overlapping - and at times competing - barriers and facilitators when seeking treatment and utilising services. For most women, the threat of losing custody of their children is an essential barrier to treatment, whereas for a significant part of the participants it serves as a motivation to seek help. Also, women report social stigma in private as well as professional contexts as a barrier to treatment. Women further ask for a holistic approach to treatment, which stimulates the healing process of body, mind and spirit, and emphasise the importance of feeling safe in treatment. Participants suggested several changes that could encourage treatment utilisation. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate the need for a gender-sensitive approach within alcohol and drug services that meets the needs of female substance users, as well as gender-sensitivity within prevention and awareness-raising campaigns, reducing the stigma and facilitating knowledge and awareness among women and society.5. Gender equalit