How Can We Advance Integrative Biology Research in Animal Science in 21st Century?:Experience at University of Ljubljana from 2002 to 2022

In this perspective analysis, we strive to answer the following question: how can we advance integrative biology research in the 21st century with lessons from animal science? At the University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Animal Science, we share here our three lessons learned in the two decades from 2002 to 2022 that we believe could inform integrative biology, systems science, and animal science scholarship in other countries and geographies. Cultivating multiomics knowledge through a conceptual lens of integrative biology is crucial for life sciences research that can stand the test of diverse biological, clinical, and ecological contexts. Moreover, in an era of the current COVID-19 pandemic, animal nutrition and animal science, and the study of their interactions with human health (and vice versa) through integrative biology approaches hold enormous prospects and significance for systems medicine and ecosystem health

The social exclusion of the elderly

The elderly are in many ways more vulnerable than other groups in society. To research the vulnerabilities of the elderly, this article works with the concept of social exclusion. It analyses social exclusion using a mixed-method model drawing on secondary quantitative data combined with in-depth interviews. The quantitative data were used to identify which areas of social exclusion particularly affect older people in Slovenia. The areas observed in the study were material deprivation, spatial exclusion, poor health and access to health care, housing exclusion and interpersonal exclusion, and the fi rst three areas were identifi ed as the most problematic and widespread. The strategies the elderly use to cope with social exclusion were analysed using qualitative data and the grounded theory approach. In all areas various coping strategies were observed that indicate that the elderly are actively trying to improve their situation. It also seems that similar strategies are employed in different areas of social exclusion, the most important of them being strategies based on individualsʼ capacities and social networks

The social exclusion of the elderly :a mixed-methods study in Slovenia

1051107

Older people and their strategies for coping with health risks

Izhodišča: Članek obravnava problematiko ene najranljivejših skupin v družbi, tj. starejših, in sicer tveganja za zdravje, s katerimi se v vsakdanjem življenju srečujejo starejši po njihovi subjektivni percepciji. Nato na osnovi strategij shajanja analizira načine, na katere si starejši pomagajo, ko so soočeni z različnimi tveganji. Metode: Prispevek temelji na raziskavi z dvostopenjskim modelom z integracijo kvantitativnih in kvalitativnih metod. Kvantitativni podatki ankete na kvotnem vzorcu (N = 558) so nadgrajeni v temeljnem kvalitativnem delu, ki s pristopom "grounded theory" z večstopenjskim kodiranjem analizira 35 polstrukturiranih poglobljenih intervjujev. Rezultati: V percepciji starejših so tveganja za zdravje v veliki meri prevladujoča. Zdravstvene težave lahko močno ogrozijo kakovost življenja, ki jo kot najpomembnejšo kategorijo predstavlja neodvisnost. Starejši z različnimi aktivnimi in s pasivnimi strategijami, ki segajo od uporabe tehnologij do omejevanja in prejemanja socialne opore, shajajo z zdravje ogrožajočimi okoliščinami vsakdanjega življenja. Razprava: Analiza strategij shajanja predstavlja primeren način raziskovanja, ki pokaže starejše kot dejavne akterje, ki sami skrbijo za lastno blagostanje. Na osnovi individualnih strategij lahko tudi posredno razberemo, na katerih področjih bi družba lahko storila več za avtonomnost in vključenost starejših prebivalcev naše družbe.Introduction: This article addresses the problems of one of the most vulnerable groups in society - older people. We examine the health risks facing older people in everyday life based on their own subjective perceptions. By analysing coping strategies, we discover diverse ways older people help themselves when faced with various risks. Methods: This paper is based on a study with a two-stage mixed method research design that combines quantitative and qualitative methods. The initial quantitative survey data on the quota sample (N=558) is later expanded in the primary qualitative part employing a grounded theory approach with multi-stage coding procedures, analysing 35 semistructured in-depth interviews. Results: In older peopleʼs perceptions, health risks largely dominate. Health problems can highly endanger oneʼs quality of life, which is strongly represented by the category of independence. To better cope with health-threatening circumstances of everyday life, older people use various active and passive coping strategies, ranging from the use of technological aids to self-limitation and receiving social support. Discussion: The analysis of coping strategies represents a suitable approach for observing older people as active agents promoting their own well-being. On the basis of their individual coping strategies, we are able to indirectly assess which areas we could do more in for the autonomy and social inclusion of older people in our society