Catalonia Research Articles

Phenological, ecological, and demographic data of the slow worm (Anguis fragilis) population from southern Catalonia (Spain)

Phenological, ecological, and demographic data of the slow worm (Anguis fragilis) population from southern Catalonia (Spain)

Youth and insecurity from an intersectional perspective: the case of Catalonia

ABSTRACT This article contributes to debates on new social risks by examining the relationship young Catalan people have with various forms of insecurity. Using a mixed-methods approach in an intersectional analytical framework, the study uses data from the 2017 Catalan Youth Survey in combination with 15 life history interviews to investigate the lived experiences of vulnerable youth in Catalonia. By introducing a novel multidimensional measure of insecurity and providing robust new findings on individual-level experiences of various types of insecurity among Catalan youth, the study makes an important empirical contribution to the literature while providing new theoretical insights on intersectional approaches to the analysis and conceptualization of insecurity.

The Mediterranean Storm-petrel, Bluefin Tuna fish-farms and the storm Gloria: the ‘perfect storm’

In 2021 we published a six-year study (2015–2020) of the occurrence of the Mediterranean Storm-petrel Hydrobates pelagicus spp. melitensis around a Mediterranean Bluefin Tuna Thun- nus thynnus fish-farm, where high concentrations took place during spring and summer. Great abundances of storm-petrels were recorded in 2020, with more than 100 individuals registered throughout April–August, whereas in previous years only a few individuals had been detected in June–July. These figures suggest either an increasing trend of storm-petrel occurrence in the area (i.e. by learning) or an exceptional episode, probably related to storm Gloria in January 2020. Here, we present the results of censuses undertaken in 2021–2022 whose numbers were lower than those registered in 2020 in May–July. This supports the idea that the events occurring in southern Catalonia after storm Gloria created the ‘perfect storm’ for storm-petrels in this area.

The Impact of Multilevel Governmental Policy on Rural Catalonia: Voices From the Grassroots

One decade on from the launch of the European Youth Guarantee Initiative, there is still limited research into its efficacy in rural areas. In Spain, a country with significant urban-rural disparity, the complexity of the governmental structure across the country has made investigations into the effectiveness of youth employment strategies less common as compared with other European states. Our study analyses the meso-level structure of the Spanish government and how the Public Employment Services (PES) factor into the overall process of disseminating active labour market policies across the country. The study is based in the autonomous community of Catalonia and includes a case study in the region of Lleida. Through open-ended interviews with members at different levels of the local PES, including the director and various other staff, as well as with local policymakers, youth workers in local organisations, and the youth themselves, we aim to shed light on how the Youth Guarantee is being implemented on the ground. This will take into account the structural constraints, needs, and challenges under the new law as expressed by the various stakeholders. The results indicate that both youth and local PES are negatively impacted by some centralised aspects of employment policy, such as the stringent requirements for training courses that prove prohibitive for rural areas, as well as the urban-centric design of training courses. Further, the youth collectively express a strong desire for their voice to find expression in the design of active labour market policies.

Sideritis royoi (Lamiaceae): A New Orophilous Species from Northeastern Spain

Sideritis royoi is found in the rocky limestone habitats of the Port Massif (southern Catalonia, Spain). The species was first collected by the local botanist Lluís de Torres in the late part of the 20th century, but the specimens have remained unidentified positively in herbaria for over 40 years. Sideritis royoi likely belongs to section Sideritis subsection Hyssopifoliae and shows some morphological affinities with the relatively widespread South European species S. hyssopifolia L., but it differs from this species because it has subspinescent upper leaves, the main surfaces of its leaves are glabrous or glabrescent, the main abaxial surface of its bracts is without eglandular hairs, and due to the fact that it has shorter inflorescences. Weaker similarities have also been observed with some species belonging to S. subsection Fruticulosae Obón & D.Rivera. In this paper, a description for the new orophilous species is provided, along with a detailed illustration, field photographs, and a comparison with closely related species. We include an assessment of its conservation status and a dichotomous key for the identification of all the species of Sideritis subsection Hyssopifoliae.

Presence of the Solutrean on the North Eastern side of the Pyrenees: The case of Ruisseau de la Boulière 2

Until recently, the extreme Eastern part of the Northern Pyrenean Piedmont was a "vacuum" on the distribution map of the Solutrean. As a matter of fact, only two sites, the Embullas cave and Espassoles open-air site, reported the Solutrean on the Pyrénées-Orientales territory which covers an area of over 4000 square kilometers.
 There is no explanation to justify this situation, since this zone is flanked by two important Solutrean areas. Indeed, further South, just beyond the Pyrenees there are a number of Solutrean sites in Spanish Catalonia: l’Arbreda and Reclau Viver caves in the Serinya region. For hundred and forty kilometers towards the North East, a set of remarkable Solutrean sites spread over Eastern Languedoc along the right bank of the Rhône: the Oullins, Chabot, Pâques and La Salpétrière caves in the Gard and Ardèche regions. Along the Mediterranean coast, between these two clusters, the Solutrean presence is more discreet, in the form of a discontinuous structure of sites (la Roque cave, the Col de Gigean site and the caves of Bize and La Crouzade).
 The publication in 2014 of the open-air site of the Vigne Bertrand at Vingrau (Pyrénées Orientales, France), close to the Espassoles site, revived the interest for the Corbières zone, a low mountainous area near the Pyrenees.
 The Ruisseau de la Boulière 2, located very close to the first two sites, confirms the Solutrean presence in this micro-zone. The Eastern Corbières appear today as an identifiable landmark of the Solutrean before crossing the Pyrenees. On the other hand, the discovery of a Montaut type bifacial asymmetrical point in the site leads us to suggest the hypothesis of east-western mobility, along the northern and/or southern Pyrenean piedmonts. The existence of such connections has already been reported on the basis of techno-typological convergences between Aragón (Cueva de Chaves) and Hérault (La Salpétrière) lithic industries.

Outcomes of vascular allograft transplants in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain

Outcomes of vascular allograft transplants in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain

Knowledge and use of ICT-based coordination mechanisms in three regions of Spain

Abstract Background Although there is a consensus on the potential benefits of information and communications technology (ICT) based mechanisms to improve cross-level clinical coordination, their introduction varies greatly among regions and services. The aim is to analyse the knowledge and use of digital coordination mechanisms and the factors related to the use in the health services of three autonomous communities (ACs) of the Spanish national health system. Methods Cross-sectional study based on an on-line survey by means of self-administration of the COORDENA-TICs questionnaire to primary and secondary care doctors of the health services in Catalonia (CAT) (n = 2277), Balearic Islands (BI) (n = 441), Basque Country (BC) (n = 572). Outcome variables: Knowledge and use of digital coordination mechanisms and difficulties of use. Explanatory variables: sociodemographic, labour-related, contextual, organizational, and interactional factors. Descriptive and multivariate analysis were performed to compare the ACs. Results There were some differences between the ACs: the access to and use of ICT-based coordination mechanisms in BI was limited, with the electronic health record (EHR) being the most available but infrequently used, whereas in BC and CAT there was wide access to and use of the EHR and virtual consultations between levels. In all three ACs common difficulties in EHR use emerged such as, technical problems, disorganized and/or insufficient information. Different contextual, organizational, and interactional factors were associated to their use in all three ACs. Conclusions There were differences in the type and level of implementation of ICT-based coordination mechanisms between the ACs that can be related to organizational and contextual factors, that should be further analysed. Addressing the relevant factors in each context should contribute to design effective strategies based on ICT-based coordination mechanisms to improve cross-level clinical coordination. Key messages • Implementation and use of ICT-based coordination mechanisms differed across the three ACs and could be related to differences in contextual and organizational factors in each context. • It is necessary to explore factors and difficulties related to the use of these mechanisms to develop more effective strategies to improve their use and hence impact on clinical coordination.

Understanding Prognostic Factors for Human Papillomavirus Vaccination: A Rural Community Case-Control Study.

HPV vaccination coverage rates can vary depending on several factors. The main objective of this study is to identify possible independent prognostic factors that have an impact on HPV vaccination in a rural community, specifically related to sexual and reproductive health. A case-control, retrospective, community-based study was carried out on women aged 15 to 40 in the primary health centers of Southern Catalonia's Terres de l'Ebre region, Spain, from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2022. A random sample of 520 women with an average age of 29.3 (SD 7.8) years old was included in the study. Independent prognostic factors: age OR 0.680 (95% CI: 0.635-0.729, p < 0.001), immigrant origin OR 0.215 (95% CI: 0.109-0.422, p < 0.001), and HPV PCR OR 7.402 (95% CI: 2.504-21.880, p < 0.001). The variables that showed a barrier effect for HPV vaccination were age (OR 0.680, 95% CI 0.635-0.729, p < 0.001), and immigrant origin (OR 0.215, 95% CI 0.109-0.422, p < 0.001). The variable that showed a facilitating effect for HPV vaccination was HPV PCR (OR 7.402, 95% CI 2.504-21.880, p < 0.001).

Exploring the public bus ridership loss and recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic: a spatiotemporal analysis using smart card data

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on the demand of public transport systems. Nevertheless, the global decrease and recovery of users has been uneven both in time and space. It is important to understand the extent of the unequal resilience of service areas with different characteristics. The objective of this study is to map the patterns of variations in the use of public bus at different scales, urban and regional. The data used were collected by an Automated Fare Collection system based on the use of smart travel cards in the Camp de Tarragona region (Southern Catalonia, Spain). Our approach has the potential to be applied in multiscale studies in other areas with similar data sources. This study also illustrates the potential that data generated by Automated Fare Collection systems have for a better understanding of uneven spatial and temporal patterns of public bus ridership during crises such as a pandemic.

El Abad del Monasterio de Poblet como Limosnero Real y su rendición de cuentas (S. XIV)

El artículo, una vez hecha una síntesis de las características del siglo XIV en la Corona de Aragón y Cataluña y de los acontecimientos históricos y económicos más relevantes, ofrece unas líneas sobre el monasterio de Poblet, su creación en 1150 a partir de los terrenos entregados por el conde de Barcelona, la evolución hasta llegar al siglo XIV, época en la que el rey Pedro el Ceremonioso instituye al limosnero real, que representa el núcleo central de nuestro estudio. A partir de unos manuscritos datados a finales del siglo XIV por el limosnero real y que son las anotaciones correspondientes a los movimientos de entrada y salida de las limosnas y de las Ordenanzas dictadas por el rey Pedro IV, tenemos conocimiento de las cantidades que éste disponía que debían ser entregadas en forma de dádivas a los beneficiarios de las mismas, así como sus destinatarios, que abarcan a casi todos los estamentos sociales, puesto que además de ser recibidas por los pobres menesterosos en auxilio de pitanza o de vestimenta, también son destinatarios los mo nasterios, los clérigos para recibir alimento tanto para el cuerpo como para la mente -formación-, las pecadoras para redimirse y los peregrinos, así como algún noble sobre el que pendiera la desgracia. Los documentos nos permiten conocer como se donaba la limosna real, las personas que intervenían (dos limosneros, dos monaguillos y un asistente o servidor), el lugar que ocupaban en la corte real -privilegios y obligaciones-, y lo que para nosotros ha sido más importante, los documentos que toda su administración conllevaba, así como conocer el proceso sobre el que se sustentaba la rendición de las cuentas de la limosna real, y como se produce un endurecimiento en el control de los registros a medida que nos acercamos a las postrimerías del siglo XIV.

Walking through a pandemic: How did utilitarian walking change during COVID-19?

Walking for transportation has well-known environmental, social, and health-related benefits. However, its daily use may have been especially altered by restrictions to population activities and mobility during the post-lock-down phase of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. In this study we aimed to explore how daily walking for transportation during a period of partial restrictions on mobility, and to evaluate whether its traditional individual and area-level determinants were modified during that period. We used an official travel survey in Southern Catalonia, which was deployed in two phases: right before (n = 9,065) and after the lock-down phase of the pandemic (n = 3,944). We observed not only that utilitarian walking frequency and time spent on daily walking trips had significantly decreased, but also did walking mode share. The positive association between age and walking not only remained unaltered during the study period but became stronger for those between 56 and 70 years old. During the pandemic, household income and area-level income inequality were no longer predictors of utilitarian walking. Policymakers will need to consider the possible mid and long-term behavioral changes derived from habits adopted during the different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially considering that restrictions on activities and mobility had a specific impact on sustainable and healthy forms of everyday mobility, and for specific groups of population.

Vascular Risk Factors in Ischemic Stroke Survivors: A Retrospective Study in Catalonia, Spain.

The distribution of vascular risk factors (VRFs) and stroke management vary by geographic area. Our aim was to examine the percentage of the VRFs according to age and sex in ischemic stroke survivors in a geographical area on the Mediterranean coast of Southern Catalonia, Spain. This was a multicenter, observational, retrospective, community-based study of a cohort, the data of which we obtained from digital clinical records of the Catalan Institute of Health. The study included all patients with a confirmed diagnosis of ischemic stroke who were treated between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2020. Patients met the following inclusion criteria: residing in the study area, age ≥ 18 years, and presenting ≥1 modifiable vascular risk factor. The exclusion criteria were as follows: death patients (non-survivors) and patients without modifiable VRFs. We collected the demographic, clinical, and VRF variables of the total of 2054 cases included, and we analyzed the data according to age groups, sex, and number of VRFs. Most of the patients included were in the 55-80 age group (n = 1139; 55.45%). Of the patients, 56.48% (n = 1160) presented ≤ 2 modifiable VRFs, and the age group &lt;55 years old (67.01%) presented more VRFs. Hypertension and (&gt;80 years old (38.82%)) and dyslipidemia (&lt;55 years (28.33%)) were the most prevalent VRFs. In the age group 55-80 (69.59% men), the prevalence of VRFs was higher ((3-4 VRF (42.76%) and &gt;4 VRF (5.35%)). These results suggest the presence of many VRFs in people diagnosed with ischemic stroke-although with a lower percentage compared to other studies-and the need for specific individualized interventions for the control of modifiable RFs related to primary and secondary prevention of stroke.

Le Jas d’en Biel 2, nouveau site gravettien du piémont est-méditerranéen des Pyrénées

The Corbières massif forms the lowest part of the Eastern Pyrenees, and as such is the easiest natural passage to connect the coastal plains of Languedoc and Roussillon in Southern France with those of Gironès and Barcelona in Northern Spanish Catalonia. This geographical situation confers on each of the sites discovered in this passage a role of milestone that can allow us to apprehend the dynamics of anthropic movements and relationships across these spaces. In 2007, the presence of a first Gravettian site in this Northern Pyrenean foothill was published: Jas d’en Biel 1. This discovery filled an “archaeological void” between the Gravettian sites of Languedoc and those of Spanish Catalonia. The discovery of a new site: Jas d’en Biel 2, 300m from the first, reinforces the Gravettian presence in this region. The fact that the two sites present similar characteristics in terms of anthropic choices (solar orientation, proximity to a watercourse, lightness of the soil, protection from the wind, etc.) are all parameters that demonstrate the choices made by Gravettian men. The respective compositions of the lithic industries of the series do not show significant differences, allowing us to imagine a certain synchronism between the two sites. Burins are the most numerous tools, but at Jas d’en Biel 2 we find specimens close to the Raysse type that were absent from Jas d’en Biel 1. Jas d’en Biel 2, as well as its neighbor Jas d’en Biel 1, shows similarities with certain sites in Languedoc, such as Bois-des-Brousses, La Treille, La Verrière, the caves of Bize or La Crouzade. These are usually small deposits that belong to terminal moments of the Gravettian period. All these parameters point to similarities between the Languedoc sites and Jas d’en Biel 1 and 2. The geographical position of the Corbières massif allows us to consider the Jas d’en Biel sites as the last milestones of the Gravettian period upstream from the crossing of the Pyrenean passes, before the sites of the Serinyà region, such as l’Arbreda. Recent surveys carried out in the same valley of the Ravin d’en Saman have made it possible to locate and identify several other open-air settlements related to the Gravettian lato sensu. An analysis of intra- and extra-site characteristics will aim to understand the parameters that led men to settle in this micro-zone, as well as the reasons for this “concentration”.

Wind Struggles: Grabbing Value and Cultivating Dignity in Southern Catalonia

ABSTRACT In Spain, wind energy development has followed a centralized, extractivist model, with wind farms concentrated in peripheralized and impoverished rural territories. Wind developers benefit from these regions’ low land value and lack of political power, thus reproducing patterns of geographical hierarchy and strengthening processes of uneven development. This paper examines these dynamics as they have unfolded in Southern Catalonia, a poor, rural area that concentrates a vast array of energy infrastructure. My ethnographic description focuses on what I call practices of devaluation: the variety of mechanisms through which wind energy companies erode both the economic value and the cultural worth of these regions, especially the land and the livelihoods it supports. Resistance to wind energy development in Southern Catalonia thus emerges as a reaction against these practices of devaluation, that is to say, as struggles to assert worth and preserve value. Overall, I argue that local experiences and cultural frameworks surrounding energy infrastructure reveal the inequities of existing processes of energy transition while foregrounding alternative logics to the dominant extractivist model.

HPV Vaccination Coverage Rate in a Rural Area: An Observational, Retrospective, and Cohort Study.

In order to reduce the incidence and mortality rate of cervical cancer, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Global Strategy Goal for 2030, advocating for reaching a vaccination coverage rate of >90% against human papillomavirus for girls by the age of 15 years. The main objectives of this study were (1) to determine the papillomavirus vaccination coverage among women 15–40 years old and (2) to identify the at-risk subgroups and possible barriers to achieving WHO’s 2030 goal. Multicentre, observational, retrospective, and community-based cohort studies were conducted on women from a rural area in southern Catalonia until 31 December 2021. A total of 23,136 women were included, with a mean age of 26.6 (SD = 5.6) years. The average dose number was 1.7 (SD = 0.7). The results showed overall vaccination coverage of 17.4% among the target women. This coverage was unequal across regions (16.6–24.5%, p < 0.001), primary healthcare teams (15.5–24.3%, p < 0.001), and age groups (56.7% (15–19-year-olds) vs. 3.8% (35–40-year-olds), p < 0.001), related to accessibility to vaccination and economic–geographical indicators. Clinical practice guidelines on screening individuals at risk in terms of vaccination access and public vaccination protocols should be implemented in order to improve the vaccination coverage rate.

Seafood ‘speaks’ in Costa Daurada’s Michelin-starred restaurants (Catalonia, Spain)

Seafood tourism is recently gathering a growing attention as part of tourism practice and research. Fish production and consumption have also a significant role in food tourism management and marketing. This research note explores the role of fish in two fine dining restaurants located in the town of Cambrils, a coastal and marine destination in southern Catalonia. Results show the fish-based identity of both restaurants and reveal how fish-based menus communicate a sense of place which is focused on the knowledge of the territory and the seasonal component of fish-based products. Theoretical and practical implications, and further research opportunities, are described.

Acute respiratory infection rates in primary care anticipate ICU bed occupancy during COVID-19 waves.

Bed occupancy in the ICU is a major constraint to in-patient care during COVID-19 pandemic. Diagnoses of acute respiratory infection (ARI) by general practitioners have not previously been investigated as an early warning indicator of ICU occupancy. A population-based central health care system registry in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain, was used to analyze all diagnoses of ARI related to COVID-19 established by general practitioners and the number of occupied ICU beds in all hospitals from Catalonia between March 26, 2020 and January 20, 2021. The primary outcome was the cross-correlation between the series of COVID-19-related ARI cases and ICU bed occupancy taking into account the effect of bank holidays and weekends. Recalculations were later implemented until March 27, 2022. Weekly average incidence of ARI diagnoses increased from 252.7 per 100,000 in August, 2020 to 496.5 in October, 2020 (294.2 in November, 2020), while the average number of ICU beds occupied by COVID-19-infected patients rose from 1.7 per 100,000 to 3.5 in the same period (6.9 in November, 2020). The incidence of ARI detected in the primary care setting anticipated hospital occupancy of ICUs, with a maximum correlation of 17.3 days in advance (95% confidence interval 15.9 to 18.9). COVID-19-related ARI cases may be a novel warning sign of ICU occupancy with a delay of over two weeks, a latency window period for establishing restrictions on social contacts and mobility to mitigate the propagation of COVID-19. Monitoring ARI cases would enable immediate adoption of measures to prevent ICU saturation in future waves.

Economic crisis and equal opportunities: response of management teams in Catalonia (Spain) to educational inequalities.

The economic crisis has had an impact at many levels, including education. In Spain, little in-depth research has been done on its effect on the education system and the profile of those most affected. Given the difficulty of accessing reliable information on these issues, our study consists of a survey of representatives of management teams of primary education centers (6-12 years) in the Autonomous Community of Catalonia. This profile of respondents allowed us to obtain indirect knowledge of what is experienced—and in our opinion suffered—in schools, albeit more in some than in others. The results suggest that the crisis has significantly affected families and schools, but especially the most vulnerable families, most often enrolled in public schools. The factors that most influence the existence of inequalities are attributed to families, while less responsibility is assigned to schools and the education system. All this occurs in a context in which a significant reduction of economic and human resources is recognized in part of the system.

‘Not really leaving home’ in Southern Europe: intermediate living situations in Catalan youth housing trajectories

ABSTRACT Intermediate living arrangements, like shared flats, collective accommodation or double residence, have become increasingly common due to the individualization of life scripts, and because of economic and cultural shifts in western societies. However, they have been assumed to be negligible in Mediterranean Europe, where housing transitions are ‘late but simple’. This paper challenges this assumption, using Catalonia (Spain) as a case study. Data coming from the 2017 Catalan Youth Survey offer some clear-cut results. First, shared flats and double residence are not uncommon among Catalans: respectively 15.7% and 8.1% of youngsters experience them sometime during their twenties. Second, multinomial regression models show that double residence implies economic reliance on parents, it is most common among university students, especially those with well-off parents, and among young people coming from rural areas. Conversely, shared flats appear to be linked to precarious economic situations, and they are common among young immigrants, and those living in the city of Barcelona. Both arrangements are transitory, being less frequent among older people. Some expected predictors of intermediate living turned out to predict double residence instead, so this semi-dependent practice could be the equivalent of ‘living away from home’ for youngsters in ‘familistic’ territories as Catalonia.