A normative approach to transitions in energy demand: an energy justice and fuel poverty case study

Meeting emissions targets necessitates both the rapid transformation of our physical energy systems and the societies that surround or use them, influencing who uses which energy source, how, and when. Thus, it is inevitable that there will be winners and losers, including the people who, for a variety of reasons, cannot access or afford the benefits from those transitions. In this vein, making sure that all voices are represented in transitions plans and their actualisation is undoubtedly a question of social justice. Yet despite ongoing debates about ethics and justice, one social element missing from transitions frameworks is explicit, practice-oriented engagement with the energy justice concept; an omission that is arguably mirrored in practice. In this regard, this chapter serves a dual purpose. First, it reiterates and reaffirms the need for socially just transitions approaches in energy demand scholarship and explores the role of the energy justice concept in this. Second, through a case study of fuel poverty, it begins to explore what this may practically look like. We close with policy-relevant recommendations

Vulnerability to fuel and transport poverty

This briefing highlights the groups of people that academic research has identified as vulnerable to experiencing fuel poverty and transport poverty. Fuel and transport poverty are distributed across the UK, although the groups affected in each place can vary and the characteristics can be different depending on the location and make up of households

Effect of human rotavirus vaccine on severe diarrhea in African infants.

BACKGROUND: Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe gastroenteritis among young children worldwide. Data are needed to assess the efficacy of the rotavirus vaccine in African children. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial in South Africa (3166 infants; 64.1% of the total) and Malawi (1773 infants; 35.9% of the total) to evaluate the efficacy of a live, oral rotavirus vaccine in preventing severe rotavirus gastroenteritis. Healthy infants were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive two doses of vaccine (in addition to one dose of placebo) or three doses of vaccine--the pooled vaccine group--or three doses of placebo at 6, 10, and 14 weeks of age. Episodes of gastroenteritis caused by wild-type rotavirus during the first year of life were assessed through active follow-up surveillance and were graded with the use of the Vesikari scale. RESULTS: A total of 4939 infants were enrolled and randomly assigned to one of the three groups; 1647 infants received two doses of the vaccine, 1651 infants received three doses of the vaccine, and 1641 received placebo. Of the 4417 infants included in the per-protocol efficacy analysis, severe rotavirus gastroenteritis occurred in 4.9% of the infants in the placebo group and in 1.9% of those in the pooled vaccine group (vaccine efficacy, 61.2%; 95% confidence interval, 44.0 to 73.2). Vaccine efficacy was lower in Malawi than in South Africa (49.4% vs. 76.9%); however, the number of episodes of severe rotavirus gastroenteritis that were prevented was greater in Malawi than in South Africa (6.7 vs. 4.2 cases prevented per 100 infants vaccinated per year). Efficacy against all-cause severe gastroenteritis was 30.2%. At least one serious adverse event was reported in 9.7% of the infants in the pooled vaccine group and in 11.5% of the infants in the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: Human rotavirus vaccine significantly reduced the incidence of severe rotavirus gastroenteritis among African infants during the first year of life. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00241644.

HiNT som flerkulturell arena

Denne forskingsrapporten har kulturelt mangfald i lærar - og helsefagutdanning som hovudtema. At studentane vi utdanner til arbeid i vårt moderne samfunn har tilstrekkeleg fleirkulturell kompetanse, er viktig både nasjonalt og internasjonalt. Kva slags kompetanse studentar og tilsette etterlyser, varierer mellom dei ulike utdanningar og fag. Når det gjeld tiltak som skal styrke arbeidet på dette området, er det difor behov for skreddarsaum – det vil seie at tiltak blir tilpassa ulike utdanningar og fag. HiNT har eit stort ansvar for å tilgodesjå studentane sitt behov for ein fleirkulturell kompetanse

Empathy and associated influencing factors in occupational therapy students: A cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION: Empathy, often described as the comprehension of another person's state of mind, enables one to appreciate social environments and anticipate others' behaviour. In occupational therapy, the therapeutic use of self, which is grounded in empathy, is commonly considered essential, as it enables therapists to manage a therapeutic relationship with clients. However, high caseloads, stressors and pressure to perform often impact empathy levels. This study aimed to determine the empathy levels of undergraduate occupational therapy students, as well as factors affecting empathy levels METHOD: A quantitative approach was used, with an observational, cross-sectional study methodology, employing an electronic survey consisting of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and a questionnaire developed by the researchers RESULTS: In total, 112 (response rate 70.4%) students participated in the study. Overall, the students had a satisfactory level of empathy. Of concern, however, was the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the lack of clinical fieldwork experience, which possibly contributed to the lower empathy levels observed among second-and third-year students CONCLUSION: From the findings, it is suggested that more attention should be given to empathy, as it plays an integral role in practice with clients, as well as in the training of occupational therapy students Implications for practice The findings suggest the opportunity for interventions and support systems that can help students manage high caseloads, stressors, and performance pressures, while also fostering and maintaining empathy. Implementing strategies such as stress management programs, mindfulness training, and self-care initiatives can help mitigate the negative impact on empathy levels and promote the development of empathetic skills in future occupational therapists. The research study's results have implications for the professional practice of occupational therapy. It emphasizes the need for ongoing education and training programs that focus on empathy development and maintenance throughout a therapist's career. By providing therapists with the tools, resources, and support to sustain their empathy levels in challenging work environments, the study suggests that the quality of care provided to clients can be enhanced, leading to better therapeutic outcomes and overall client satisfaction. Organizational changes within healthcare settings may be necessary to address workload issues and create a supportive environment that nurtures empathy among occupational therapy professionals

Eating, heating or taking the bus? Lived experiences at the intersection of energy and transport poverty

Experiences of poverty can manifest in multiple aspects of everyday life, often in interlinking ways. One example is ‘double energy vulnerability’, where a household faces both energy poverty and transport poverty simultaneously. This can result in trade-offs, where prioritising one essential need (e.g., transport) makes accessing another impossible (e.g., heating). Such decisions are not easily made, and they can have distinct spatio-temporal characteristics. They can vary between space and time and across different household members, and result in stark inter- as well as intra-household differences. People with socio-demographic and contextual vulnerabilities are particularly at risk of experiencing double energy vulnerability. Based on 59 household interviews across the four nations of the United Kingdom, we provide novel, multi-nation empirical evidence on the lived experiences of double energy vulnerability, drawing on our themes; ‘being locked into infrastructure’, ‘facing high costs and low incomes’, ‘choosing between energy and transport’, and ‘missing out’. A cross-national lived-experiences approach sheds light on double energy vulnerability as a relational, contingent and ongoing phenomena, attending to everyday experiences and capacities. We provide suggestions for further research, such as further study of double energy vulnerability amongst refugees and migrants. We also highlight that the study of lived experiences can aid the recognition of how different forms of poverty intersect and how they need to be taken into account in the design of Net Zero policies