Crime at the intersection of rail and retail

This chapter examines shoplifting at rail station shops over a 12 month period in England and Wales. Key findings were: shoplifting is concentrated at particular stations; the top 20 stations account for 85% of shoplifting. Clear temporal patterns were evident; shoplifting was higher on weekdays and during holidays with higher levels of travel; shoplifting is lower when there is a reduced rail service. There was no clear relationship between shoplifting rates outside of a station at shops nearby, and shoplifting within a rail station. It is suggested a correlation may occur for medium and smaller size stations. Large stations may attract offenders in their own right without other shops being nearby. The similarities observed between shoplifting patterns at rail stations and those at non-rail station shops suggest the learning from successful crime prevention measures applied outside of the rail environment could successfully transferred to rail stations

Bringing Habits and Emotions into Food Waste Behaviour

This study examined consumer food waste behaviour using a comprehensive model integrating the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the theory of interpersonal behaviour, and the comprehensive model of environmental behaviour. Using a temporally lagged design, one hundred and seventy-two respondents answered four questionnaires over a period of 14 months. Questionnaires measured emotions in relation to food waste, habits, the TPB variables, intention to reduce food waste, and self-reported food waste behaviour. Results showed that the less well-studied variables of habits and emotions were important determinants of participants’ intentions to reduce food waste and their current food waste behaviour. As expected, we found that negative emotions were associated with greater intentions to reduce food waste, but contrary to our predictions they were also associated with higher levels of food waste behaviour. In other words, participants who experienced more negative emotion when thinking about food waste intended to reduce their waste but actually ended up wasting more food. Results also show that participants with a greater sense of control, and more normative support for reducing food waste also had stronger intentions to engage in the behaviour. Our findings extend existing understanding and underscore the importance of the non-cognitive determinants of behaviour, namely emotions and habits. The implications for research and practice are discussed

System-level determinants of immunization coverage disparities among health districts in Burkina Faso: a multiple case study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite rapid and tangible progress in vaccine coverage and in premature mortality rates registered in sub-Saharan Africa, inequities to access remain firmly entrenched, large pockets of low vaccination coverage persist, and coverage often varies considerably across regions, districts, and health facilities' areas of responsibility. This paper focuses on system-related factors that can explain disparities in immunization coverage among districts in Burkina Faso.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A multiple-case study was conducted of six districts representative of different immunization trends and overall performance. A participative process that involved local experts and key actors led to a focus on key factors that could possibly determine the efficiency and efficacy of district vaccination services: occurrence of disease outbreaks and immunization days, overall district management performance, resources available for vaccination services, and institutional elements. The methodology, geared toward reconstructing the evolution of vaccine services performance from 2000 to 2006, is based on data from documents and from individual and group interviews in each of the six health districts. The process of interpreting results brought together the field personnel and the research team.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The districts that perform best are those that assemble a set of favourable conditions. However, the leadership of the district medical officer (DMO) appears to be the main conduit and the rallying point for these conditions. Typically, strong leadership that is recognized by the field teams ensures smooth operation of the vaccination services, promotes the emergence of new initiatives and offers some protection against risks related to outbreaks of epidemics or supplementary activities that can hinder routine functioning. The same is true for the ability of nurse managers and their teams to cope with new situations (epidemics, shortages of certain stocks).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The discourse on factors that determine the performance or breakdown of local health care systems in lower and middle income countries remains largely concentrated on technocratic and financial considerations, targeting institutional reforms, availability of resources, or accessibility of health services. The leadership role of those responsible for the district, and more broadly, of those we label "the human factor", in the performance of local health care systems is mentioned only marginally. This study shows that strong and committed leadership promotes an effective mobilization of teams and creates the conditions for good performance in districts, even when they have only limited access to supports provided by external partners.</p> <p>Abstract in French</p> <p>See the full article online for a translation of this abstract in French.</p

Who approves fraudulence? Configurational causes of consumers' unethical judgments

Corrupt behavior presents major challenges for organizations in a wide range of settings. This article embraces a complexity theoretical perspective to elucidate the causal patterns of factors underlying consumers’ unethical judgments. This study examines how causal conditions of four distinct domains combine into configurational causes of unethical judgments of two frequent forms of corrupt consumer behavior: shoplifting and fare dodging. The findings of fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analyses indicate alternative, consistently sufficient ‘‘recipes’’ for the outcomes of interest. This study extends prior work on the topic by offering new insights into the interplay and the interconnected structures of multiple causal factors and by describing configurational causes of consumers’ ethical evaluations of corrupt behaviors. This knowledge may support practitioners and policy makers to develop education and control approaches to thwart corrupt consumer behaviors

Relevance and feasibility of hepatitis B vaccine administration to prostitutes in Brussels, Belgium

Background: Universal hepatitis B vaccination requires extending vaccination services to the currently unreached. Prostitutes are among those whom hepatitis B vaccination would especially benefit, as they are at greater risk of infection than the general population and have limited access to health care. We sought to evaluate the relevance and feasibility of the integration of hepatitis B vaccination into a health promotion programme targeting prostitutes in Brussels, Belgium. Methods: From September 15, 1995, to September 14, 1997, we gained informed consent to hepatitis B vaccination from 205 prostitutes reached on their work site. The overall prevalence of past or present hepatitis B infection was 28%, and 148 individuals were eligible for the study. These had to receive three doses of H-B-VAX II vaccine (Pasteur Mérieux MSD) at months 0, 1, and 6. The minimum length of follow-up was 12 months within blood testing (end of data collection: September 14, 1998). Results: At the end of the follow-up, 139 (95%), 124 (84%), and 100 (68%) individuals had received one, two, or three doses, respectively. Half of the 148 eligible individuals had received one, two, or three doses within 14 (95% CI: 10-16), 63 (56-73), and 259 (245-280) days of blood testing, respectively. An optimal seroconversion was obtained in 87% of the individuals who achieved the vaccination schedule, and we estimated that an effective protection was achieved at least in 59% (0.68 × 0.87) of the eligible prostitutes. Conclusion: We conclude that hepatitis B vaccine administration to prostitutes is relevant and feasible. For achieving performance objectives in such a vulnerable population, we recognize the need to pay attention to technical (short vaccination schedule) and operational (active recruitment, confidentiality, free provision of services) issues.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Urinary pathologies of the cat: II. Dietary management of feline lower urinary tract diseases

This synthesis aims to summarize the specific dietary requirements for prevention or nutritional treatment of feline lower urinary tract diseases and overall urolith's formation. Since aetiologies are diverse and the epidemiological knowledge are changing within the recent year, empirical treatment of the pathology isn't anymore advisable. Symptomatology and aetiology are briefly presented and the different dietary factors to be taken into consideration in urolith's formation are discussed. Chemical composition of petfoods to treat or prevent struvite or calcium oxalate uroliths are compare