69 research outputs found
The impact of childhood disability on family life
This is the second report of a study funded by
the Joseph Rowntree Foundation that explored
the costs to parents of bringing up a child with a severe disability. The first report, Paying to Care(Dobson and Middleton, 1998), described a
minimum budget standard, which is the
minimum amount that parents believed to be
necessary to bring up a child with severe
disabilities. This report describes the actual
spending patterns of parents on 182 children
with severe disabilities, and presents a detailed
examination of how much parents actually
spend on bringing up a severely disabled child.
Fieldwork was conducted during 1997–98 and
so all figures presented have been up-rated to
2000 by the Retail Price Index
Evaluation of Education Maintenance Allowance Pilots : Leeds and London first year evidence
This report refers to findings from the first year of the EMA pilot in Leeds and London,
which was September 1999 to August 2000
Chronic disease prevalence and associations in a cohort of Australian men: The Florey Adelaide Male Ageing Study (FAMAS)
Background An increasing proportion of Australia's chronic disease burden is carried by the ageing male. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of asthma, cancer, diabetes, angina and musculoskeletal conditions and their relationship to behavioural and socio-demographic factors in a cohort of Australian men. Methods Self-reports of disease status were obtained from baseline clinic visits (August 2002 – July 2003 & July 2004 – May 2005) from 1195 randomly selected men, aged 35–80 years and living in the north-west regions of Adelaide. Initially, relative risks were assessed by regression against selected variables for each outcome. Where age-independent associations were observed with the relevant chronic disease, independent variables were fitted to customized multiadjusted models. Results The prevalence of all conditions was moderately higher in comparison to national data for age-matched men. In particular, there was an unusually high rate of men with cancer. Multiadjusted analyses revealed age as a predictor of chronic conditions (type 2 diabetes mellitus, angina, cancer & osteoarthritis). A number of socio-demographic factors, independent of age, were associated with chronic disease, including: low income status (diabetes), separation/divorce (asthma), unemployment (cancer), high waist circumference (diabetes), elevated cholesterol (angina) and a family history of obesity (angina). Conclusion Socio-demographic factors interact to determine disease status in this broadly representative group of Australian men. In addition to obesity and a positive personal and family history of disease, men who are socially disadvantaged (low income, unemployed, separated) should be specifically targeted by public health initiatives.Sean A Martin, Matthew T Haren, Anne W Taylor, Sue M Middleton and Gary A Wittert for Members of the Florey Adelaide Male Ageing Study (FAMAS
Education Maintenance Allowance Pilots for Vulnerable Young People and Childcare Pilots : implementation and reported impacts in the first year
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) commissioned the Centre for Research in
Social Policy (CRSP), the National Centre for Social Research (NCSR) and the Institute for
Employment Research (IER) to evaluate the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)
Pilots for Vulnerable Young People and Childcare Pilots.
This report focuses on the first year of the EMA Pilots for Vulnerable Young People and
Childcare Pilots. The analysis of implementation of these pilots draws on interviews with
implementation groups and key informants and stakeholders. Eligible young people and their
significant others also provide evidence of the impact as well as difficulties involved in the
EMA Pilot for Vulnerable Young People and Childcare Pilots. The integrated evaluation that
follows discusses the degree of flexibility and level of effectiveness of EMA in relation to
vulnerable young people
Education Maintenance Allowance Pilots for Vulnerable Young People and Childcare Pilots : implementation and reported impacts in the first two years (2000-2001/2001-2002)
This is the second and final report of the evaluation of the Education Maintenance Allowance
(EMA) Vulnerable Pilots. These pilots were introduced by the Department for Education and
Employment (now the Department for Education and Skills) in 2000 and extended the scope
of the main EMA pilots by focusing on young people believed to be especially vulnerable to
economic and social exclusion in four LEA areas.
The evaluation has focused on three specific groups of young people who were the original
focus of the Vulnerable Pilots, young people who are homeless, teenage parents and young
people with disabilities. The definition of ‘vulnerability’ has since been widened to
encompass many more young people, such as young offenders and those who finish
compulsory education with no or low qualifications
Disabled people’s costs of living : more than you would think
The purpose of this study was to investigate the additional needs and
associated financial costs of disability from the perspective of disabled
people themselves. The research took place at a time when it is
recognised that disabled people have a range of additional needs and
costs (Large, 1991) and have a disproportionate risk of poverty (Gordon,
et al., 2000). However, research to date has not provided a clear
measure of these additional costs (Berthoud, 1998). As a result, levels
of nationally provided financial benefits and local services are predicated
on limited evidence. Certain state benefits are meant to offset, at least
partially, the additional costs associated with disability, but the extent to
which these benefits meet additional needs and costs is unknown.
Recently, ‘fairer charging’ policies for local authority domiciliary care
have been introduced with the intention that service charges should take
into account the additional costs that individuals incur because of
disability. Clear guidance for determining these additional costs is
proving elusive. The central aim of this research was to provide clear
evidence on the extent of these additional costs
'I just want a job' : what do we really know about young people in jobs without training?
Over recent years, a central concern of policy has been to drive up post-16 participation rates in full-time education and address the needs of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET). As a result, young people who enter work which is classified as 'without training' at 16/17 have largely been ignored. However, the decision to Raise the Participation Age (RPA) for continuing in learning for all 17-year olds from 2013 and for all 18-year olds from 2015 in England, together with a growing unease about the impact of the current recession on youth unemployment rates, have revived interest in the 'jobs without training' (JWT) group. This paper draws on the findings from two studies: first, a qualitative study in two contrasting local labour markets, of young people in JWT, together with their employers and parents; and second, an evaluation of the Learning Agreement Pilots (LAP), which was the first policy initiative in England targeted at the JWT group. Both studies reveal a dearth of understanding about early labour market entrants and a lack of policy intervention and infrastructure to support the needs of the JWT group throughout the UK. From this, it is concluded that questionable assumptions have been made about the composition and the aspirations of young people in JWT, and their employers, on the basis of little or no evidence. As a consequence, a policy 'quick fix' to satisfy the RPA agenda will not easily be achieved. If the decision to raise the participation age is adopted also by the Welsh and Scottish parliaments, similar challenges may have to be faced
The Florey Adelaide Male Ageing Study (FAMAS): Design, procedures & participants
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Florey Adelaide Male Ageing Study (FAMAS) examines the reproductive, physical and psychological health, and health service utilisation of the ageing male in Australia. We describe the rationale for the study, the methods used participant response rates, representativeness and attrition to date.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>FAMAS is a longitudinal study involving approximately 1200 randomly selected men, aged 35–80 years and living in the north – west regions of Adelaide. Respondents were excluded at screening if they were considered incapable of participating because of immobility, language, or an inability to undertake the study procedures. Following a telephone call to randomly selected households, eligible participants were invited to attend a baseline clinic measuring a variety of biomedical and socio-demographic factors. Beginning in 2002, these clinics are scheduled to reoccur every five years. Follow-up questionnaires are completed annually. Participants are also invited to participate in sub-studies with selected collaborators.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of those eligible to participate, 45.1% ultimately attended a clinic. Non-responders were more likely to live alone, be current smokers, have a higheevalence of self-reported diabetes and stroke, and lower levels of hypercholesterolemia. Comparisons with the Census 2001 data showed that participants matched the population for most key demographics, although younger groups and never married men were under-represented and elderly participants were over-represented. To date, there has been an annual loss to follow-up of just over 1%.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>FAMAS allows a detailed investigation into the effects of bio-psychosocial and behavioural factors on the health and ageing of a largely representative group of Australian men.</p
Critical Role of Constitutive Type I Interferon Response in Bronchial Epithelial Cell to Influenza Infection
Innate antiviral responses in bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) provide the first line of defense against respiratory viral infection and the effectiveness of this response is critically dependent on the type I interferons (IFNs). However the importance of the antiviral responses in BECs during influenza infection is not well understood. We profiled the innate immune response to infection with H3N2 and H5N1 virus using Calu-3 cells and primary BECs to model proximal airway cells. The susceptibility of BECs to influenza infection was not solely dependent on the sialic acid-bearing glycoprotein, and antiviral responses that occurred after viral endocytosis was more important in limiting viral replication. The early antiviral response and apoptosis correlated with the ability to limit viral replication. Both viruses reduced RIG-I associated antiviral responses and subsequent induction of IFN-β. However it was found that there was constitutive release of IFN-β by BECs and this was critical in inducing late antiviral signaling via type I IFN receptors, and was crucial in limiting viral infection. This study characterizes anti-influenza virus responses in airway epithelial cells and shows that constitutive IFN-β release plays a more important role in initiating protective late IFN-stimulated responses during human influenza infection in bronchial epithelial cells
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