Satisfaction with Life in Europe

europe

Social Housing in the Irish Housing Market. ESRI WP594, June 2018

This working paper traces the evolution of social supports for housing since 2004, including local authority (LA) housing, housing provided by Approved Housing Bodies (AHB) and support for renting in the private sector through schemes administered by the local government sector (Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP)) and the Rent Supplement scheme operated by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. Given the increased use of the private sector to provide housing for low-income households, the paper draws on SILC data to examine changes between 2004 and 2015 in the quality of housing in different sectors, as measured by problems such as dampness, lack of central heating, lack of double glazing, insufficient light and noise. The main findings are:•The overall percentage of housing that is socially supported increased during the recession to 17% from 13% in theboom years (2004-2007, mainly via increased use of Rent Supplement) but dropped back towards pre-recessionlevels by 2015 (about 15%).•Growth in use of the private sector for socially-supported housing rose from 28% in the boom years to 42% during therecession before dropping back to 33% by 2016.•Housing quality improved between 2004 and 2015, with a drop from 16% to 9% in the percentage of people living indwellings with 2 or more of the five quality problems;•The improvements were significantly greater for those living in rented than owned/mortgaged dwellings, thoughrented dwellings remained at a disadvantage in 2015;•Improvements in quality in the rented sector were found across the income distribution

Who earns, who shares and who decides: Does it matter for individual deprivation in couples? ESRI Research Bulletin 2016/1/3

Research on poverty usually assumes that household income is shared equally among household members so that they all benefit from the same living standard. This assumption has been criticised, however, by some who argue that differences in power within the household – typically linked to who receives the income or who makes the decisions – may mean that some members of households enjoy better access to goods and services than others. One possibility is that since women are less likely to have earned income, their bargaining power will be decreased and they will have higher levels of deprivation than their male partners. This study examined couple families in Ireland to test whether this was the case

SATISFACTION WITH LIFE IN EUROPE. ESRI Research Bulletin 2010/2/2

What makes Europeans satisfied with their lives? Do supportive relationships and the quality of public services matter? Do some things matter more to poor than to rich European citizens? These were some of the questions addressed in a recent report** using data on 31 countries from the 2007 European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS)

Parents, Children and Sense of Control. ESRI Research Bulletin 2011/3/2

To the extent that people believe that their own actions can bring about a valued outcome, they are said to have a “sense of control”. This is a key factor in understanding why people act as they do. When individuals feel that their actions can make a difference to important aspects of their lives, they are motivated to take action. If, on the other hand, they feel that their actions do not make a difference, there is little incentive to act. To what extent has the sense of control of adult children been affected by that of their parents? This question is addressed in a recent article.*

Access to Childcare and Home Care Services across Europe. An Analysis of the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU SILC), 2016. Social Inclusion Report No 8. September 2019

This report uses EU-SILC data for 2016 to examine differences by social risk group and social class in access to care services – specifically, childcare and home care for people with an illness or disability. We focus on 11 countries and four welfare regimes across Europe. We also examine the association between access to these services and both poverty and employment. There are three main findings. First, countries with universal services, or a strong welfare state, provide greater access to care overall, and greater access for vulnerable social risk and social class groups. Countries with means tested services offer lower coverage which results in a greater chance of unmet need for care. Second, certain social-risk groups have a higher chance of experiencing unmet need for childcare and home care. Social class or household composition differences within such groups cannot fully explain their likelihood of reporting unmet need. This suggests that social-risk groups are particularly vulnerable to unmet need. Third, unmet need for childcare and home care is associated with deprivation and, in the case of childcare, non-employment. In this way, unmet need for childcare in particular may act as a barrier to labour market participation. Although our analysis cannot establish a causal link between the two, unmet care need and non-employment are related, and could be a significant force for social exclusion. Policy efforts should limit the experience of unmet care needs

PLAYING SENIOR INTER-COUNTY GAELIC GAMES: EXPERIENCES, REALITIES AND CONSEQUENCES. ESRI RESEARCH SERIES NUMBER 76 September 2018

Given the developments that have taken place in Gaelic games over the past decade, particularly at the senior inter-county level, there is a concern that the demands that today’s games are placing on players are having negative effects on their lives. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) have introduced a number of measures to ensure that players’ needs are taken care of and that those who play enjoy their experience. Nevertheless, questions continue to be raised. Given this, the GAA and GPA jointly commissioned the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) to conduct an independent examination of the commitment required to play senior inter-county, and the impact that this has on players’ personal and professional lives and club involvement. The research was primarily conducted through senior inter-county player workshops and a survey of 2016 players. Workshops were also conducted with 2016 senior inter-county managers, County Board Secretaries and third-level Games Development Officers (GDOs). What follows is a summary of the principal findings arising from the study, consideration of their implications for both player welfare and policy in this area, and some discussion on future directions

Maternal physical activity: influence on maternal and delivery outcomes

A thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in the fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Johannesburg, South AfricaBackground Physical activity is a potentially powerful tool for addressing the growing concern of non-communicable diseases in low-to-middle income countries. In South Africa, black women are particularly vulnerable to a high prevalence of overweight and obesity as well as low physical activity levels. During pregnancy, the physiological and psychological changes that occur during this unique period may put women at greater risk of being physically inactive and sedentary. Research from high-income countries has shown that, despite the benefits of physical activity during this period, the majority of women do not meet the physical activity recommendations (≥ 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week), or reduce their activity levels during pregnancy. Several positive associations have been demonstrated between regular physical activity and maternal outcomes, such as improved cardiovascular and strength, as well as a reduced risk of gestational diabetes mellitus, excessive gestational weight gain, gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. Although research indicates the beneficial effects of physical activity during pregnancy on maternal health, controversy still exists regarding its influence on birth outcomes. The theory of metabolic programming provides insight into the potential influence of health behaviours during pregnancy and long term implications for the offspring. Therefore, pregnancy may be a critical time in which to assess, and change, health behaviours that may impact not only the mother, but the next generation as well. Aim Despite the potential role of physical activity in improving maternal health, very little research has been done in a South African context. Therefore, the overall aim of this study is to understand and examine maternal physical activity during pregnancy, and determine its association with maternal and birth outcomes. This thesis is presented as five study components: 1) to provide a theoretical background of evidence examining the role of PA for health during the prenatal period; 2) to examine the attitudes, beliefs and perceived barriers to PA during pregnancy in black South African women; 3) to assess the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of South African medical practitioners towards exercise prescription during pregnancy; 4) to describe the patterns and correlates of self-reported PA levels during pregnancy in black South African women; and lastly 5) to objectively measure PA at two time points during pregnancy and examine its association with maternal outcomes and birth outcomes. Methods Understanding the attitudes and beliefs of pregnant women and their healthcare providers was done through semi-structured interviews (n=13; 29-33 weeks gestation) and a questionnaire (n=96), respectively. A deductive thematic analysis was done for the qualitative data, based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The longitudinal observation of physical activity during pregnancy used both a self-report questionnaire, the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire, as well as a hip-mounted triaxial accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3X+). Physical activity was expressed as MET mins/wk (GPAQ) and gravity-based acceleration units (mg) (accelerometery). Physical activity was measured at two time points during pregnancy namely, 14-18 weeks (GPAQ: n=332; accelerometer, n=120) and 29-33 weeks (GPAQ: n=256; accelerometer: n=90) gestation. Maternal outcomes included both weight and weight change at 29-33 weeks gestation. Birth outcomes included gestational age, birth weight, ponderal index and Apgar score, measured within 48 hours of delivery. Results Semi-structured interviews showed that although the majority of women believed that physical activity was beneficial, this did not appear to translate into behaviour. Reasons for this included pregnancy-related discomforts as well as lack of time, money and physical activity-related education, all of which can contribute to a reduced perceived control to become active. Opportunities to participate in group exercise classes were a commonly reported facilitator for becoming active. In addition, women reported that influential role players, such as family, friends and healthcare providers, as well as cultural beliefs, provided vague, conflicting and often discouraging advice about physical activity during pregnancy. From a health care provider’s perspective, the majority (98% of the medical practitioners) believed that exercise during pregnancy is beneficial, and were knowledgeable on most of the expected benefits. Seventy-eight percent believed that providing exercise advice is an important part of prenatal care, however only 19% provided information pamphlets and few (24%) referred their patients to exercise specialists. A large majority (83%) were unaware of the American College of Obstetrician and Gynaecologists’ recommended exercise guidelines. Although age and years of practice played no role in this awareness, practitioners who focused on obstetrics and gynaecology were more likely to be aware of the current ACOG guidelines, than those in general practice (p<0.001). Both self-reported (GPAQ) and objectively measured (accelerometry) physical activity declined significantly from the second to the third trimester (600 MET mins/wk vs. 480 MET mins/wk; p=0.01 and 12.8±4.1mg vs. 9.7±3.6mg, p=<0.01). Longitudinal data analysis (GPAQ MET mins/wk, n=256) showed that 132 (52%) of the women were active (according to the ACOG guidelines) at 14-18 weeks gestation, and this decreased to 111 (43.4%) at 29-33 weeks gestation. The majority of physical activity time (as measured by the GPAQ) was spent in walking for transport (80%), and less than 2% in recreational activities. In both trimesters, married women were less likely to walk for transport (second trimester: β= -0.12; 95%CI=-0.31,- 0.02, third trimester: β=-0.17; 95%CI=-0.47, -0.07) and women who owned a car were more likely to engage in leisure time PA (second trimester:β= 0.16; 95%CI=0.02-0.32, third trimester: β=0.17; 95%CI=0.04-0.27), but less likely to walk for transport in their second trimester (β= -0.11; 95%CI=-0.31,-0.00). The women reported spending an average of five hours per day sitting (range=180-480minutes). Objectively measured physical activity at 29-33 weeks as well as change in physical activity was inversely associated with gestational weight change at the same time point (β= -0.24; 95%CI= -0.49; -0.00; p=0.05 and β= -0.36; 95%CI= -0.62; -0.10; p=0.01). No significant associations were found between physical activity and birth outcomes. Furthermore, a high prevalence of overweight and obesity in early pregnancy (67.9%, n=332) and self-reported HIV (23.5%, n=332) was found in this population. Conclusion This study provides theoretical insight into the beliefs of urban South African women regarding physical activity during pregnancy. Findings from this study suggest that a holistic approach to improve physical activity compliance during pregnancy is needed, inclusive of physical activity education and exercise opportunities within a community setting. The role of healthcare providers in providing prenatal physical activity counselling should not be underestimated, and our study found that although the medical practitioners were largely positive towards exercise during pregnancy, their advice did not always align with the current guidelines. Therefore, better dissemination of available research is warranted, to bridge the gap between clinical knowledge and current recommendations for physical activity promotion. This is important since our study demonstrated low and declining levels of physical activity during pregnancy in this population, which is of concern. We demonstrated that physical activity during pregnancy may be an effective method to control gestational weight gain, whilst presenting no adverse risk for fetal development, in black South African women from a low-income setting. This is particularly important as most of this population appears to be overweight or obese at the start of their pregnancy. Therefore, interventions that include lifestyle education and provision of accessible recreational physical activity programmes for pregnant women are needed, and this study presents critical formative work upon which these contextually and culturally sensitive interventions can be developed.MT201