Liberal arts catch-up revisited

This paper replicates the work of Giles and Drewes from the 1990s. They showed a catch-up effect whereby graduates of liberal arts undergraduate programs, although at an early-career disadvantage compared with graduates of applied programs, had higher incomes by mid-career. Working with the Panel 5 Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (2005–2010), the catch-up no longer exists.  Cet article reproduit le travail de Giles et Drewes effectué pendant les années 1990. Ces chercheurs avaient révélé un effet de rattrapage grâce auquel les diplômés de programmes d’études en arts libéraux, malgré un désavantage en début de carrière par rapport aux diplômés de programmes d’études appliquées, finissaient par avoir des revenus plus élevés vers le milieu de leurs carrières. Selon les données de l’échantillon 5 de l’Enquête sur la dynamique du travail et du revenu (2005-2010), ce rattrapage n’existe plus

Trends in the Socioeconomic Achievement of the University Educated: A Status Attainment Model Interpretation

The paper examines the contribution the sociologist's status attainment model makes towards comprehending reasons for the decline, since the mid 1960's, in the economic prospects of university graduates. The assumptions of the model are compared with those underlying an economist's labour market approach, in which explanations are phrased in terms of aggregate demand and supply for the university educated. Tested in the paper is the hypothesis that decline in background endowments among university graduates, a consequence of the policy commitment to democratize access to Canadian universities, accounts for some of the downward trend in the level of job obtained by graduates entering the labour market. The statistical analysis uses data from Ontario and Canada-wide surveys, and finds that changes in father's mean status explain only a small part of the drop in son's first job status. Th e mod el suggests that deterioration in univer- sity completion rates can account for more of the decline.Le travail examine la contribution que le modèle de l'accession au rang social fournit par le déclin des perspectives économiques des diplômés universitaires dès la moitié des années 60. On compare les hypothèses du modèle avac celles qui servent de base aux économistes pour l'étude du marché de travail, dans laquelle les explications sont formulées en terme d'offre et demande collective des universitaires. On test l'hypothèse selon laquelle là baisse du niveau général des universitaires, conséquence de la politique adoptée de démocratisation de l'accès aux études universitaires au Canada, explique une certaine tendance à la baisse du niveau de travail obtenu par les diplômés qui s'introduisent sur le marché de travail. L'analyse statistique emploie des données obtenues en Ontario et partout au Canada et conclut que des changements dans le statut moyen du père n 'explique qu 'en partie la baisse de niveau du premier emploi du fils. Le modèle suggère que la détérioration des études universitaires menées à bien explique davantage ce déclin

Behavioural interventions for weight management in pregnancy: A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative data

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of dietary with or without physical activity interventions to prevent excessive weight gain in pregnancy and explore the factors that influence intervention effectiveness. Design: Systematic review, including a meta-analysis of controlled trials of interventions to prevent excessive weight gain during pregnancy and a thematic synthesis of qualitative studies that investigated the views of women on weight management during pregnancy. Data sources: Eleven electronic bibliographic databases, reference list of included studies, relevant review articles and experts in the field. Review methods: Two independent reviewers extracted data. RevMan software was used to perform the meta-analyses. Qualitative data was subject to thematic analysis. Both quantitative and qualitative data were aligned using a matrix framework. Results: Five controlled trials and nine qualitative studies were included. The overall pooled effect size found no significant difference in gestational weight gain amongst participants in the interventions group compared with the control group (mean difference -1.88kg CI -4.34 to 0.59). The study designs, participants and interventions all varied markedly and there was significant heterogeneity within this comparison in the meta-analysis (I2 76%). Subgroup and sensitivity analysis did not identify contextual elements that influenced the effectiveness of the intervention. In a thematic analysis of the qualitative studies, three major themes emerged relating to women’s views of weight management in pregnancy; pregnancy as a time of transition and change, conflicting and contradictory messages, a perceived lack of control. When the results of both quantitative and qualitative data were aligned it was clear that some of the barriers that women described in achieving healthy weight gain in pregnancy were not addressed by the interventions evaluated. This may have contributed to the limited effectiveness of the interventions. Conclusions: Despite intense and often tailored interventions there was no statistically significant effect on weight gain during pregnancy. Inadequate and often contradictory information regarding healthy weight management was reported by women in qualitative studies and this was addressed in the interventions but in itself was insufficient to lead to reduced weight gain. Multiple types of interventions, including community based strategies, are needed to address this complex health problem

Exploring the relationship between baseline physical activity levels and mortality reduction associated with increases in physical activity : a modelling study

Background Increasing physical activity (PA) levels among the general adult population of developed nations is important for reducing premature mortality and the burdens of preventable illness. Assessing how effective PA interventions are as health interventions often involves categorising participants as either ‘active’ or ‘sedentary’ after the interventions. A model was developed showing that doing this could significantly misestimate the health effect of PA interventions. Methods A life table model was constructed combining evidence on baseline PA levels with evidence indicating the non-linear relationship between PA levels and all-cause mortality risks. PA intervention scenarios were modelled which had the same mean increase in PA but different levels of take-up by people who were more active or more sedentary to begin with. Results The model simulations indicated that, compared with a scenario where already-active people did most of the additional PA, a scenario where the least active did the most additional PA was around a third more effective in preventing deaths between the ages of 50 and 60 years. The relationship between distribution of PA take-up and health effect was explored systematically and appeared non-linear. Conclusions As the health gains of a given PA increase are greatest among people who are most sedentary, smaller increases in PA in the least active may have the same health benefits as much larger PA increases in the most active. To help such health effects to be assessed, PA studies should report changes in the distribution of PA level between the start and end of the study

The Eroding Standards Issue: A Case Study from the University of Waterloo

The proposition is addressed that the mathematical skills of first year entrants into the Faculties of Mathematics, Engineering, Science and Applied Health Sciences at The University of Waterloo have declined. Analysis of a series of scores from a mathematics diagnostic test for new students suggests a decline over the period 1991-93 and possibly through to 1995. This reproduces a trend detected at The University of Western Ontario. By the mid-1990s, however, the scores level out. Many of the faculty members questioned in a survey also perceived a decline, and, independently of the time series data, informants pointed to the early 1990s as the critical period of decline. The feeling of being under pressure to adjust to declining standards by upward "belling" of grades varied greatly by faculty, being far more prevalent within the Faculty of Mathematics than in other faculties surveyed. The survey respondents claimed that most deficiencies in mathematics preparation in the high schools were remediable by working to alter the attitudes and expecta- tions of first year university students.Cet article révélé une baisse du niveau de connaissances en mathématiques des étudiants de première année des Facultés de mathématiques, ingéniérie, sciences et sciences appliquées de la santé à l'Université de Waterloo. L'analyse d'une série de notes issue d'un test diagnostique en mathématiques destiné aux nouveaux étudiants semble indiquer un déclin portant sur la période 1991-93, voire jusqu'en 1995. C'est la reproduction d'une tendance détectée à l'University of Western Ontario. Toutefois, au milieu des années 90, les notes se nivélent. Bon nombre de membres des facultés sondées ont également perçu un déclin et, indépendamment des données chronologiques, ils situent le début des années 90 comme la période critique du déclin. La pression liée à la nécessité de s'adapter au niveau de connaissances à la baisse en gonflant les notes a varié de façon importante d'une faculté à l'autre et a été beaucoup plus fortement ressentie dans celle de math matiques que dans les autres facultés interrogées. Les personnes sondées déclarent qu'il est possible de remédier à la plupart des lacunes dans la préparation des mathématiques au collège en s'appliquant modifier les attitudes et les attentes des étudiants en première année à l'université

Speed Dating: a Process of Forming Undergraduate Student Groups

First year undergraduate students working on semester-long group assessments may lack the skills and knowledge to make sound choices in selecting other group members. This paper is an instructor’s guide to using speed-dating techniques in a classroom environment to create student groups. The paper also outlines suggestions for lecturers on how to support their students in the experience, based on theoretical constructs around the psychology of choice and work teams

Factors relating to the uptake of interventions for smoking cessation amongst pregnant women: a systematic review and qualitative synthesis

Introduction The review had the aim of investigating factors enabling or discouraging the uptake of smoking cessation services by pregnant women smokers. Methods The literature was searched for papers relating to the delivery of services to pregnant or recently pregnant women who smoke. No restrictions were placed on study design. A qualitative synthesis strategy was adopted to analyse the included papers. Results Analysis and synthesis of the 23 included papers suggested ten aspects of service delivery that may have an influence on the uptake of interventions. These were: whether or not the subject of smoking is broached by a health professional; the content of advice and information provided; the manner of communication; having service protocols; follow-up discussion; staff confidence in their skills; the impact of time and resource constraints; staff perceptions of ineffectiveness; differences between professionals; and obstacles to accessing interventions. Discussion The findings suggest variation in practice between services and different professional groups, in particular regarding the recommendation of quitting smoking versus cutting down, but also in regard to procedural aspects such as recording status and repeat advice giving. These differences offer the potential for a pregnant woman to receive contradicting advice. The review suggests a need for greater training in this area and the greater use of protocols, with evidence of a perception of ineffectiveness/pessimism towards intervention amongst some service providers

Where are the Schools? Children, Families and Food Practices

Reducing childhood obesity is an international priority and children's diets, food knowledge and practices have come under intense scrutiny in both policy and popular discourse. Notwithstanding evidence that health interventions which resonate with children's own views are the most effective, there is still relatively little research which mobilises children's everyday perspectives on food to inform public health policy. We report key findings from a qualitative study with 53 children aged 9–10, attending two socio-economically contrasting schools in the UK. The study explored children's understandings of food in everyday life and their ideas about the relationship between food and health. Throughout the study, despite recent attempts to position schools as key sites for public health interventions, children consistently emphasised families as the locus for enduring food practices. The research highlights the value of listening to children and applying our understanding of their perspectives to ensure that public health initiatives work with the important influences on their diet and health that they themselves identify

Associations between neighbourhood environmental factors and the uptake and effectiveness of a brief intervention to increase physical activity

Background Evidence suggests behavioural interventions may exacerbate health inequalities, potentially due to differences in uptake or effectiveness. We used a physical activity intervention targeting deprived communities to identify neighbourhood-level factors that might explain differences in programme impact. Methods Individuals aged 40–65 were sent a postal invitation offering a brief intervention to increase physical activity. We used postcodes linkage to determine whether neighbourhood indicators of deprivation, housing, crime and proximity to green spaces and leisure facilities predicted uptake of the initial invitation or an increase in physical activity level in those receiving the brief intervention. Results A total of 4134 (6.8%) individuals responded to the initial invitation and of those receiving the intervention and contactable after 3 months, 486 (51.6%) reported an increase in physical activity. Area deprivation scores linked to postcodes predicted intervention uptake, but not intervention effectiveness. Neighbourhood indicators did not predict either uptake or intervention effectiveness. Conclusions The main barrier to using brief intervention invitations to increase physical activity in deprived, middle-aged populations was the low uptake of an intervention requiring significant time and motivation from participants. Once individuals have taken up the intervention offer, neighbourhood characteristics did not appear to be significant barriers to successful lifestyle change

The Growth of the Canadian Education System: An Analysis of Transition Probabilities

Canada is shown, in a comparison with 23 other industrialized nations, to have distinctively low rates of school attendance from age seventeen onwards. Closely comparable data from a Canadian and an American national survey make a detailed comparison of the two nations possible. There has been a strong trend towards virtually universal completion of grade and high school in the U.S. Canada has followed this trend at the lower levels, but retains a low rate of secondary school completion. Rates of attending post-secondary and post-graduate training show little trend in either country. The "transition probability" analysis, in which each level of schooling is examined separately, is further pursued in an assessment of the effects of social background factors, called "ascription," upon progress through the system. Background factors are found to have generally weaker effects upon higher levels of education in Canada, as in the U.S. They are especially weak at the crucial point, the completion of high school, showing that social background is not a significant element in the creation of Canada's high rates of dropping out of high school. The overall effects of background seem higher in Canada, and especially so for females.Si l'on compare le Canada à vingt-trois autres pays industrialisés, on remarque que celui-ci a un taux particulièrement bas de jeunes qui fréquentent l'école après dix-sept ans. On a pu comparer de façon précise la situation du Canada et celle des États-Unis, grâce à des sondages organisés à l'échelle nationale dans les deux pays, sondages dont les données étaient très semblables. On a ainsi pu constater qu'aux Etats-Unis, il semblait de plus en plus fréquent que tous les élèves, ou presque, finissent l'école secondaire tandis qu'au Canada, cette tendance n'apparaissait qu'à un niveau inférieur, le nombre d'élèves capables d'aller jusqu'au bout de leurs études secondaires restant très faible. Quant à l'inscription dans des établissements postsecondaires ou dans des centres professionnels, elle ne semble indiquer aucune tendance particulière dans les deux pays. L'analyse de « transition-probabilité », pour laquelle on a considéré chaque niveau d'enseigne-ment séparément, est complétée ici par une évaluation des effets du milieu social, ou « ascription », sur la progression dans le système. Les facteurs sociaux semblent avoir des effets moindres dans les classes les plus élevées de l'école secondaire, au Canada comme aux Etats-Unis. Or, s'ils sont particulièrement faibles à ce moment crucial, en fin d'études secondaires, cela montre que le milieu social n'est pas un facteur qui contribue à déterminer de façon significative le taux élevé d'abandon dans les écoles secondaires du Canada. Malgré tout, le milieu semble jouer un rôle plus marqué au Canada qu'aux États-Unis, surtout pour les femmes