Race and Income Disparities in Disaster Preparedness in Old Age

Objective: Older adults are one of the most vulnerable populations impacted by disasters and communities continue to struggle addressing preparedness. This study investigated to what extent income status and race/ethnicity in old age interplayed with disaster preparedness. Methods: Data came from the 2010 Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel survey of older Americans over 51 years old. Our sample was restricted to respondents who participated in a special survey about disaster preparedness (N=1,705). Disaster preparedness was measured as a score, which includes 13 variables related to personal, household, program, and medical preparedness. Race/ethnicity was categorized by White, Black, and Hispanic. Low income was defined as below 300% of the federal poverty line. OLS regression was used to examine the main and interaction effects of race/ethnicity and lower income status on disaster preparedness scores. Results: We found that older adults in lower income status had lower preparedness level than those in higher income (Coef.=-0.318, p\u3c.01). Hispanics tend to be less prepared compared to White and African Americans (Coef.=--0.548, p\u3c.001). Preparedness of Black elders was not significantly different from that of Whites. However, interestingly, Black elders in lower income status were significantly less prepared for disaster than other groups (Coef.=-0.520, p\u3c.05). We did not find significant interaction effects between Hispanic and lower income status on disaster preparedness. Discussion. This study identified vulnerable subgroups of older adults for disaster preparedness and suggests that preparedness programs should target minority and low income elders, particularly Hispanics and low income Black elders

It's grim up north? A comparative study of the subjectivities of gay HIV positive men in an urban and rural area

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University, 06/06/2006.This comparative study of the experiences of gay HIV positive men living in urban and rural areas explores the dynamic interrelationship between lived experience and service provision. The literature in this field has drawn on a familiar stereotype - the urban, sexually active, gay man. This man - and his community - does not exist in a rural environment in the way it is assumed nor does it necessarily fit the experience of gay men in London. By creating a link between the questions of subjectivity and the question of how we improve services, I argue that a mechanistic construction of need may follow an assumed urban model which may not hold for all men in an urban setting, nor for men in rural areas. Gay HIV positive men are faced with new psycho-social dilemmas in relation to the virus, including unpredictability of outcome, as well as the complexity and burden of the current treatment. They engage in a constant process of renegotiating their sense of themselves in space, time and relationships. Through the use of narrative methodology, my research builds a new perspective on the experience of these individuals which can help to shape the services and policies of the future. The stories of 21 gay HIV positive men were gathered and analysed in relation to five areas of focus: community/space, relationships, identity, health and services. Rural participants were less able to build and maintain a politically strong identity and rural services need to create strategies to enable gay men to draw on the strength of a collective voice. 'Doing for' services, prevalent in rural areas, may be appropriate for the very ill but can perpetuate a culture of helplessness. The healthist discourse adopted by London services promotes individualism and responsibility. Services for HIV positive men in all areas need to hold the dynamic between 'doing for' services for the sick and dying and a healthist discourse for those who can look to their future

ENTANGLED

I create objects to incite wonder through their exuberance, inviting one to explore the beauty found in the strange and offering the viewer a way to interact with the discomfort of the unknown. Mysculptures are an assembly of engaging surfaces and forms revealing varying texturesandvibrant colors referencing natural and fabricated worlds. Each sculpture is entangled within its own environment or narrative and each is adorned for its own role, finding a balance between discord and harmony, captivation and repulsion. Each is an individual exploration of the distinct qualities inherent within each object. They are precious in scale and stimulate one’s curiosity about the unfamiliar. Layers of color simultaneously accumulate and erode; glaze obscures and reveals. My use of color comes from my desire to evoke an emotional response through the element of surprise as well as the remembrance of moments in which joy is found.A feeling of visual overload is created by the abundance of colors and variety of forms which initiate exploration of the uncertain. Unfamiliar yet familiar forms emerge, blurring the divide between anatomical, botanical and the manufactured. Integrating the traditional craft materials of clay and fiber begins to recontextualize their implications. My use of traditional needle felting, handweaving, appliques, and sprigging originates from my desire to celebrate these techniques. My sculptures are evidence of the vast possibilities of these materials, which have always held a considerable value to me. In contrast, I am influenced by the unconventional forms and irreverence of the California Clay Movement. Additionally, I am captivated by the peculiarity of imagery in paintings such as Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights. This peculiarity pulls one in and has become an element I strive to communicate within my own work. I use the dualities of these influencessimultaneously to build upon traditional elements and to break conventional thought. The hardness of fired porcelain is placed in contrast with the inclusion of actual felted or woven wool that is integrated in and around the ceramic forms. The soft materiality of fibers is mimicked by clay through the use of ceramic ruffles, ropes, and appliqués. Each is created as a reflection of the other; fired clay imitating the soft malleability of fiber, felted wool imitating the texture and shapes found in the ceramic forms. Fiber provides an expectation of softness and vulnerability, emanating a sense of warmth, pulling one in and providing comfort. This is offset by the unexpected coldness of the durable porcelain effecting a sense of distance and fragility. Therefore, an uncertainty exists as to how to handle the forms or how to interact physically with them. The distinct qualities of both wool and porcelain allow for the ambiguity of each material to be blended yet contrasted with their invented counterparts. By creating relationships between various elements, I explore my fascination of material qualities and processes. The resulting works are compositions of material, color and form which become entangled in process, thought, tactility andemotion. Advisor: Peter Pinnel

The Inevitability of Nimble Fingers? Law, Development, and Child Labor

This Article examines development issues that are raised in a legal analysis of international human rights law relating to child labor. In so doing it highlights some of the weaknesses of the present legal approach to the problem. In order to demonstrate better the weaknesses of the system, India is used as an example of a developing country where some of the development issues raised in the legal analysis arise. The second Part of this Article defines the concept of child labor. It undertakes a comprehensive analysis of international legal instruments that deal with the topic of child labor and touches on the relationship between child labor and the right to education. The third Part examines some of the development issues that arise out of that legal analysis and critiques the current legal approach. In particular it focuses on the causes of child labor that cannot be directly attributed to poor economic development and thus warrant a different approach. The final Part of the paper uses India as an example of a country, which, despite progressive legislation and policy, and improved economic development, has not been able to make significant inroads into eradicating the practice of child labor

Success from the voices of educators

This study examines teachers\u27 conceptions of success through interviews of fourteen educators from a rural county in a Mid-Atlantic state. The results find that the critical elements of success are student-oriented, practice-oriented, and policy-oriented; the consensus definition of success is caring for individual students; and the beliefs and values of educators are in making a difference for every student. Relationships, joy in learning, and fair testing are enabling of success within the community and culture studied. In terms of challenges and needs---parents are often named as the biggest barrier to success; secondly, having time to teach as well as possible; and, lastly, being able to teach well given the vast number of content standards the teachers are expected to cover. In all interviews, hope about education outweighs frustrations in the voices of successful educators.;The study includes triangulation through multiple participants, multiple data sources (interviews and documents), multiple perspectives (teachers and administrators), and member checking. From the pooled participants\u27 definition of success to the emergent themes of each type of perspective, patterns emerge to address the research questions and the literature review. The most central conceptualization of success is individual student learning through the engaging moment, the steady relationships, and the supportive community that occur in successful schools

Addressing Childhood Adversity and Social Determinants inPediatric Primary Care:Recommendations for New Hampshire

Research has clearly demonstrated the significant short- and long-term impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the social determinants of health (SDOH) on child health and well-being.1 Identifying and addressing ACEs and SDOH will require a coordinated and systems-based approach. Pediatric primary care* plays a critical role in this system, and there is a growing emphasis on these issues that may be impacting a family. As awareness of ACEs and SDOH grows, so too does the response effort within the State of New Hampshire. Efforts to address ACEs and the SDOH have been initiated by a variety of stakeholders, including non-profit organizations, community-based providers, and school districts. In late 2017, the Endowment for Health and SPARK NH funded the NH Pediatric Improvement Partnership (NHPIP) to develop a set of recommendations to address identifying and responding to ACEs and SDOH in NH primary care settings caring for children. Methods included conducting a review of literature and Key Informant Interviews (KII). Themes from these were identified and the findings are summarized in this report