Life Conditions Research Articles

Decoding the puzzle: exploring the factors influencing homeownership in Togo

Purpose This study aims to analyze the factors influencing households housing tenure choices in Togo. Design/methodology/approach The authors applied a rigorous econometric approach, using Harmonized Household Living Conditions Survey (EHCVM) data from 2018 and 2021 to construct a longitudinal panel, and Unified Basic Welfare Indicators Questionnaire (QUIBB) data from 2006, 2011 and 2015 to construct a pseudo-panel. Findings The study reveals that a household’s life-cycle variables like age of the household head, marital status, household size and place of residence, have a significant influence on homeownership. In addition, households in the highest wealth quartiles and used heads of household are more likely to own their home. Research limitations/implications Housing policies focused on improving the financial sustainability of low-income households and reducing the transaction costs associated with property acquisition are essential to promoting homeownership. Practical implications As part of the implementation of the Government Roadmap 2020–2025, the government has committed to providing 20,000 affordable social housing units, aiming to significantly boost the supply of decent housing. However, the findings of this study highlight the need for targeted subsidy programs for low-income households, particularly for female-headed households and those living in urban areas. These subsidies could cover part of the cost of purchasing homes. For middle-income households, it is crucial to develop suitable financing mechanisms, such as low-interest mortgages and loan guarantees. Given demographic pressures and the high cost of public housing programs, promoting self-build remains essential. This support should be accompanied by the provision of low-cost building materials and technical training in innovative, sustainable construction methods. Additionally, improved access to employment and land regularization are essential prerequisites for the success of these initiatives. Originality/value Research on the determinants of tenure choice is relatively limited in sub-Saharan Africa due to the unavailability of housing survey data. This paper proposes a case study of Togo, whose housing market characteristics correspond to most sub-Saharan African countries. Furthermore, this study applied two methodological approaches commonly used in dynamic analyses, thereby enhancing the robustness of the findings.

ACTUAL PROBLEMS OF PRESCHOOL PEDAGOGY

Preschool pedagogy has a rich history of development: in the 20 th century, a large number of fundamental and applied problems were studied and investigated. Numerous theoretical, experimental and applied researches have made it possible to form the theoretical foundations of preschool pedagogy, to justify the methods and technologies of studying the education and development of children in the preschool age. However, there are still a number of current problems and promising directions for research. The main reasons for their emergence are mainly changes in the political, economic and other spheres of social life. The transition to new socio-economic conditions significantly changes the new view of the pre-school education system, the characteristics of childhood and the child's position in the system of social relations. The development of preschool pedagogy requires the need to further develop new technologies for training and education of children, concepts that are acceptable for modern life conditions and can enrich the experience of preschool education.

Challenges Faced by Women Folk Artists In: Lower Assam

ABSTRACT: The research aims to understand and assess the challenges faced by women folk artists in lower Assam. Assam is the land where people are born with the colours of their culture and stay with the aroma of their folk culture. Assamese folk culture holds the beauty of Assamese dance, music, drama and different cultural phenomenon. All the cultural practices and performances narrate the original scenario of Assamese society. Geographically Assam is divided into two parts that is: Upper Assam and Lower Assam. All these parts are culturally active and are melting their bonds with the uses and practices of their folk traditions and culture because folk culture represents the whole scenario of Assamese society. In Assam, both male and female artists perform their folk culture and they are the ones who develop their culture and maintain the traditional phenomenon. They carefully protect them as the owner of their culture so, both male and female artists play them very happily. Assam is a patriarchal society where females are always suppressed by their societal phenomenon. Also, in the culture female folk artists suffer many social and economic problems. This hampers their skills and affects their socio-cultural life and economic conditions. The objectives of the studies are as follows • To understand the concept of folk art and folk artists of Assam. • To analyze the problems of women folk artists in their socio-cultural life. In this study conclusions and suggestions are formulated based on primary data collected through the interview schedule.

Social support and economic conditions among older migrants in India: do distance, duration, and streams of migration play a role in later life?

BackgroundBeing older and having a migrant feature might cause a double risk of vulnerability in poor economic, social support, and health status at the place of destination. This study examines the association of migration on the social support and economic condition of older persons in India.MethodsLongitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) wave-I (2017–2018) data with total samples of 66,156 older adults aged 45 + with 30,869 and 35,287 male and female samples, respectively, used in this study. Descriptive and bivariate analyses have been performed to examine the pattern of older migrants, and multinomial logistic regression analysis has been used to establish the associations between migration, social support, and economic condition.ResultsOver half (57.5%) of the population aged 45 + in India had migrant characteristics; 80% migrated before 25 years. Of all migrants, about 90% migrated within one state (Intrastate), and 9% migrated to another (Interstate). The association between social support and migration by distance and the adjusted result showed that immigrants were less likely to have medium [RRR = 0.56 (CI; 0.46–0.68)] and high [RRR = 0.39 (CI; 0.30–0.50)] social support. The interstate migrants were also less likely to have high [RRR = 0.90 (CI; 0.83–0.98)] social support. The migrants with 0–9 years of duration were less likely to have high social support, and the urban to rural stream migrants were more likely to have high social support. The association between economic status and migration by distance and the adjusted result showed that more affluent immigrants were likelier to have [RRR = 1.41 (CI; 1.14–1.73)] better economic conditions than affluent non-migrants. Migrants with 0–9-year duration and urban to rural stream were found to be likelier to have better economic conditions.ConclusionsThe findings of this study suggest that distance, duration, and migration stream have a significant association with social support and economic conditions in later life. In exploring migration’s effect on social and economic status, policymakers should prioritize migrants in their agenda to maintain socio-economic and social support for older persons in India to achieve the sustainable goal of active and healthy ageing.

Quantifying Household Discomfort Perception: An Application for Spain

AbstractThe physical structure of the dwelling itself and its immediate surroundings determine its Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) and this has a direct impact on the perception of comfort and wellbeing of the people who live there. Analysing the adequacy of housing from a comfort perception perspective makes it possible to better design renovation strategies for buildings. The aim of this paper is to define a multidimensional index based on multiple comfort variables to measure household discomfort. The proposed method assigns to each household a level of discomfort according to the comfort variables in which it is affected. Subsequently, these households’ values are aggregated to obtain an overall discomfort value for the society analysed. The evolution of the perception of discomfort from 2008 to 2020, the incidence of each of the variables, and the characteristics of the dwellings with the highest levels of discomfort are studied for Spanish households using the Spanish Survey on Income and Living Conditions. The results highlight a large increase in discomfort in 2020, the year of Covid-19 lockdown in Spain, and reveal that the most affected households are those living in populated areas, in apartments and in rented houses, and that the variable that affects them the most is Acoustic Comfort.

Development of trust-based autonomous driving framework in New Zealand

PurposeAutonomous vehicles (AVs) have the potential to transform the infrastructure, mobility and social well-being paradigms in New Zealand (NZ) amid its unprecedented population and road safety challenges. But, public acceptance, co-evolution of regulations and AV technology based on interpersonal and institutional trust perspectives pose significant challenges. Previous theories and models need to be more comprehensive to address trust influencing autonomous driving (AD) factors in natural settings. Therefore, this study aims to find key AD factors corresponding to the chain of human-machine interaction (HMI) events happening in real time and formulate a guiding framework for the successful deployment of AVs in NZ.Design/methodology/approachThis study utilized a comprehensive literature review complemented by an AV users’ study with 15 participants. AV driving sprints were conducted on low, medium and high-density roads in Auckland, followed by 15 ideation workshops to gather data about the users’ observations, feelings and attitudes towards the AVs during HMI.FindingsThis research study determined nine essential trust-influencing AD determinants in HMI and legal readiness domains. These AD determinants were analyzed, corresponding to eight AV events in three phases. Subsequently, a guiding framework was developed based on these factors, i.e. human-machine interaction autonomous driving events relationship identification framework (HMI-ADERIF) for the deployment of AVs in New Zealand.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was conducted only in specific Auckland areas.Practical implicationsThis study is significant for advanced design research and provides valuable insights, guidelines and deployment pathways for designers, practitioners and regulators when developing HMI Systems for AD vehicles.Originality/valueThis study is the first-ever AV user study in New Zealand in live traffic conditions. This user study also claimed its novelty due to AV trials in congested and fast-moving traffic on the four-lane motorway in New Zealand. Previously, none of the studies conducted AV user study on SUV BMW vehicle and motorway in real-time traffic conditions; all operations were completely autonomous without any input from the driver. Thus, it explored the essential autonomous driving (AD) trust influencing variables in human factors and legal readiness domains. This research is also unique in identifying critical AD determinants that affect the user trust, acceptance and adoption of AVs in New Zealand by bridging the socio-technical gap with futuristic research insights.

From 'Mothers of the 'Nation' to 'Enemies of the State':

This paper explores how the colonial construction of Indigenous women as ‘unfit’ mothers of ‘inferior’ status justifies state interference in their lives, perpetuates other harmful stereotypes within the public consciousness and blames Indigenous mothers for their life conditions. Sterilization is but one weapon used by the Canadian state to violate Indigenous women’s right to reproductive autonomy, both historically and at present. Recent Canadian reports investigate Indigenous women’s claims to forced tubal ligation procedures and how coercion within colonial institutions stripped them of their power and identity through the removal of choice. Multiple class-action lawsuits are currently underway in Canada, where the voices of Indigenous women who have suffered the intergenerational impacts of colonialism in their daily lives and at the hands of western medical institutions are demanding justice and recognition of their basic human rights. Despite at least five generations of state-directed violence against them, Indigenous mothers continue to resist colonization of their bodies, land, and communities. Through reconnecting to their past, present, and future, Indigenous mothers are remembering their inherent roles and responsibilities as mothers of the nation. They have never forgotten their power nor their role as protectors of their people. They have always resisted. I aim to amplify the voices of Indigenous women in a country that has silenced them for too long and acknowledge that I by no means am interpreting their work through my point of view – I am giving them the space they deserve.

The Participatory Approach in Healthcare Establishments as a Specific French Organizational Model at Hospital Department Level to Prevent Burnout among Caregivers: What Are the Perceptions of Its Implementation and Its Potential Contributions by These Caregivers?

(1) Background: Manifestations of burnout are regularly observed in the healthcare population. The participatory approach (PA) is a specific organization in the French health service aimed at preserving and improving the psychological health of these staff at work. The main objective of this study was to explore with healthcare professionals their perceptions of the effectiveness of the four PA components (multi-professional team meetings, in-service training, team support meetings and the project approach) implemented to date within French hospital departments, the methods of their implementation and the potential contributions of such an approach to their quality of working life and working conditions (QWLWC), and the quality of care provided. (2) Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 21 healthcare professionals in French hospital departments between March and April 2021. After they were recorded, the collected data was transcribed in full and subjected to thematic analysis. (3) Results: According to care providers, PA is only partially deployed in these departments today. Nevertheless, it is helping to develop multi-professional communication, and improves the quality of life at work as well as quality of care. (4) Conclusions: In the light of these results, the creation of a tool for the large-scale evaluation of PA implementation in hospitals emerges as essential, as its deployment in all hospital departments could help reduce the suffering of care professionals. In addition, a better articulation between the concepts of Magnet Hospitals and those of PA would prove heuristically promising.

A proposal for a balanced scorecard for the water utilities sector to address the United Nations sustainable development goals

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the technical, social and moral aspects of accounting through the implementation of a novel balanced scorecard (BSC) that addresses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG) 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation – within the Portuguese water utilities sector.Design/methodology/approachA novel research design is adopted, using actor network theory (ANT) as a broad approach to frame the study. ANT emphasizes the importance of ever-evolving networks of relationships and how concepts such as the BSC are just as important in structuring social practice. A set of expert interviews was conducted with stakeholders in the water utilities sector in Portugal, which led to the iterative development of a context-relevant BSC proposal and associated indicators.FindingsA novel BSC architecture to achieve UN SDG 6 is proposed through a unique engagement between professionals and academics. The BSC, and the specific definition of indicators for an entire sector (water), contribute to bridging business processes with the common good to improve life and planetary conditions. Ultimately, the study discusses how the technical aspects of accounting can be enhanced to achieve social and moral imperatives. The paper also reflects on the limitations of broadening existing technical practices.Originality/valueThere is a burgeoning literature on how organizations are engaging with the UN SDG agenda. However, there is a dearth of studies on how management control systems are currently addressing, or can potentially contribute to measuring and managing specific UN SDGs such as Clean Water and Sanitation. This study makes a unique contribution to the literature by developing a novel BSC solution to SDG 6 measurement and management using a novel practitioner-led approach. Ultimately, our study highlights how accounting can be broadened to enhance technical practices while also serving a moral and social purpose.

Uncovering regional inequalities in digitalization: A multifaceted measurement for Germany

The ongoing global digital transformation has significant implications for economies and societies, with potential benefits and challenges. This study addresses the critical need for a comprehensive measurement of regional digitalization in Germany to better understand its impact on various aspects of life, including education, employment, and working conditions. Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), it introduces a multifaceted regional digitalization measure at the administrative district level (NUTS-3) that incorporates digital infrastructure, culture, technology capacity, high-tech human capital, and digitalization-related innovativeness. Results for 2013 and 2017 are compared. The study reveals that digitalization varies significantly across regions, but hardly over time. Urban regions tend to have higher digitalization levels, which are positively associated with economic productivity and high-skilled labor demand. Our developed measurement of regional digitalization is publicly available.

Slum dynamics: the interplay of remittances, waste disposal and health outcomes

AbstractSlum dwellers often fail to expend enough on waste disposal to have a healthy life, and remittances provide funds for a household to expend on the betterment of life conditions. This paper examines the impact of remittances on total monthly waste disposal expenditures and the impact of better waste disposal on monthly health expenditures among slum households in Bangladesh. Propensity score matching was adopted as an identification strategy to reduce selection bias. In this study, remittance includes both remittances received from within and outside Bangladesh. Remittance receipt equals 1 if a household receives remittances from within and/or outside of Bangladesh. Our results show that remittances increase expenditures on waste disposal by 28.77% to 32.74% among slum households in Bangladesh. Waste disposal expenditure is considered as an indicator of better waste disposal. Furthermore, we find that better waste disposal reduces total outpatient expenditures. A reduction in outpatient expenditure indicates that waste disposal results in better health conditions for slum dwellers. The findings of this study can be connected to Sustainable Development Goal 11, which targets sustainable cities and communities and suggests that remittances are a bottom-up financial mechanism for improving waste disposal at the micro level to improve health status. Graphical abstract

Intergenerational transmission of health inequalities: towards a life course approach to socioeconomic inequalities in health – a review

Adult health inequalities are a persistent public health problem. Explanations are usually sought in behaviours and environments in adulthood, despite evidence on the importance of early life conditions for life...

Exploring career choices of specialist nurse students: Their decision-making motives. A qualitative study.

To explore Registered Nurses' motives to undergo specialist training and to choose a particular speciality. A descriptive qualitative interview study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted during 2021 with 20 Swedish specialist nurse students from different specialisation areas. Qualitative content analysis was used. The COREQ checklist was used to report the study. Specialist nurse students' motivations for further training were divided into three main categories with two sub-categories each. The main categories were 'toward new challenges and conditions in work life', 'contributions to the development and higher competencies in health care' and 'personal work and life experiences as ground for choice'. Our study demonstrates the importance of motivating factors in the career choices of Specialist nurse students, such as personal challenges, desirable working conditions, career growth opportunities and personal experiences in the career choices. Creating a supportive work environment that helps to prioritise work-life balance and offers the development of new skills might help retain nurses. No patient or public contribution was used. However, if more nurses would choose to undergo specialist training, especially in areas facing significant shortages, it would most likely lead to improved health-related outcomes for patients or populations.

Mental Health Trends in Patients With Symptomatic Macromastia After Reduction Mammoplasty.

Symptomatic macromastia can significantly affect both physical and mental health. Although previous studies suggested that breast reduction (BR) improves quality of life and mental health conditions, they were limited to smaller sample sizes and largely based on survey feedback. This study aims to further assess the impact of BR on mental health outcomes, specifically looking at prescribing patterns for common antidepressants. A national insurance-based database was utilized for data collection. Patients with a diagnosis of macromastia (ICD-10 N62) between the years 2010 and 2021 that either underwent bilateral BR (CPT 19318) or did not undergo BR were included in the study. Demographics and medical comorbidities were compared. Among those who underwent BR, preoperative and postoperative rates of mental health diagnoses and antidepressant use were compared. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine variables associated with surgery. Patients with a history of macromastia with a history of BR were compared with those with a history of macromastia without BR. A significantly higher percentage of patients in the BR group reported a history of depression (48.5%), obesity (55.7%), and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)/serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) use (55.3%) when compared with that of the no-reduction group (46.3%, 50.8%, and 52.6%). Patients with history of depression and obesity were more likely to undergo BR (odds ratio of 1.11 and 1.31). Patients who underwent BR had significantly reduced rates of mental health outcomes including depression (38.6% to 27.4%), anxiety (4.3% to 3.1%), and SSRI or SNRI prescriptions (46.3% to 29.5%) postoperatively. Patients who underwent BR for symptomatic macromastia showed significantly reduced rates of depression, anxiety, and most importantly, rates of SSRI/SNRI prescriptions postoperatively when compared to those who did not undergo BR for symptomatic macromastia.

Hazardous Hope

This special section seeks to reconsider our troubled times and their histories of irreversible toxic pollution through the lens of hopeful yet critical ways of engaging with this unprecedented condition of life. Thinking with “hazardous hope” as a tool of analysis, the five contributions—combining perspectives from ecocriticism, environmental philosophy, film studies, visual arts, and history—showcase alternative presents and futures of living responsibly with a permanently polluted planet. Writing from the perspective of hazardous hope, the section’s editors argue, includes a plethora of conceptual and methodological repositionings to embrace the ambiguity that comes with living responsibly on a permanently polluted planet. Among them is a shift in focus on the acts and modes of hazardous hope as a relational practice that is focused on reorganizing established processes in radically different ways rather than wishing to achieve a predefined outcome, while at the same time remaining mindful of the polluted status quo. Contributions in this special section are situated across the entire troubled planet, from Chernobyl’s exclusion zone to Brazilian oil fields and from Canada’s tar sands to British asbestos-loaded homes.

EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE CADET TRAINING QUALITY

The article considers various conceptual approaches to the conceptualization of educational environments. Its main components are considered. Directions and indicators influencing the improvement of the quality of education are highlighted. Prior directions in the educational environment of military educational organizations of higher education (military education organizations) influencing the quality of military-professional education are defined. Attention is focused on the fact that understanding its main components and the relationships between them will allow us to develop and implement effective strategies for improving the quality of training for military personnel. It is concluded that it is necessary to constantly monitor and study the educational environment to timely adapt its components to modern life conditions that affect the quality of military professional education. The purpose of the article is to identify the components of the educational environment of military educational institutions, the development and improvement of which will lead to the improvement of the quality of military professional education. Method and methodology. The research is based on the methods of studying and analyzing scientific publications, systematizing the studied information, and searching for optimal solutions. Results. The components of the educational environment of a military educational organization, which have a direct impact on the quality of military professional education, are described. Attention is paid to the necessity of continuous improvement and development of the components of the educational environment of a military educational organization, taking into account its variability and dependence on economic, political, and social changes in society. Scope of application of the results. The obtained results can be applied to the didactics of higher military education in order to improve the quality of military professional education.

What Does Coping Mean in the Context of a Pandemic? Illustrations from Swedish Data

Objectives: Mastery is a psychological resource, closely related to coping, enabling individuals to lead their lives in desirable ways. The aim of this study was to examine how mastery was related to impacts of the pandemic on the individuals, including whether the levels of mastery were negatively affected by the pandemic. Methods: Data on middle-aged and older individuals from the longitudinal cohort study Life conditions, Stress and Health (LSH) (N=2,523) was used. Associations were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM), stratified by sex. Change in mastery was measured using mixed models. Results: Among men, mastery was associated with a negative impact of the pandemic on leisure activities (0.10, p = .006), among women mastery was associated with a decrease in physical activities (0.08, p = .05). Among men and women, mastery was protective against unhealthy dietary habits and alcohol consumption. The levels of mastery decreased from baseline. Conclusions: Mastery promoted individual health and well-being during the pandemic, but also the collective effort to combat the pandemic. However, stress and distress related to the pandemic partly eroded the levels of mastery in the population. Public health measures addressed at maintaining mastery levels during future collective crises are crucial.

New perspectives on multiple fuel use: Energy flexibility in household cooking solutions in Tanzania

There is a tendency to approach multiple fuel use mainly as a problem. This has limited how it is understood and addressed. This article uses a mixed-methods approach to advance understandings of multiple fuel use. We apply social practice theory to analyse multiple fuel use through a survey (n = 354) and 32 qualitative interviews in peri-urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We find multiple fuel use with charcoal to be common, mostly in combination with LPG. Cooking solutions are combined in a complementary manner for their material qualities, but also by social factors. Multiple fuel use enables effective use of different energy types, saving money, coping with low and fluctuating incomes, and securing household energy supply. Flexibility also helps women navigate time constraints and multiple responsibilities, cook for larger families, maintain food culture, and make nutritious food affordable. Characteristics such as income level and variability, housing type, family size and children's age, are analysed as social differences influencing cooking patterns. We find multiple fuel use to be more than simply “stacking” of new fuels: it is an expression of competence and innovation. Efforts for change must build on holistic understandings of people's lived realities and should acknowledge their competent ways of manoeuvring difficult life conditions to a greater extent. Continued use of polluting cooking solutions through multiple fuel use is a barrier to clean energy transition, but solutions are more likely to succeed if recognising the multiple reasons and benefits from practicing multiple fuel use, rather than focusing on its negative impacts.

Социальная активность нетрудоспособных в городском социокультурном пространстве как фактор продолжительности жизни

The article analyzes the influence of sociocultural factors on the life expectancy of the disabled population of a metropolitan metropolis. Drawing upon the results of a sociological study conducted over the period of 2018–2022, encompassing both pre-COVID-19 and pandemic periods, the article elucidates the author’s interpretation of the category “disabled population”, its structure, and the specifics of leisure behavior during enforced social and self-isolation. It explores the socio-psychological mindset engendered by the pandemic as an extreme factor affecting life expectancy. The leisure behavior of the disabled population is examined as a reflection of the socio-cultural factor’s impact in extreme social conditions brought about by the pandemic’s progression and its transition into the calmer conditions of regular urban life. It is during this transition that the effect of the socio-cultural factor in its diverse forms on the life expectancy of the disabled population is measured – during the transition from social isolation to integration into various spheres of urban life.

The poverty trap: a grounded theory on the price of survival for the urban poor in Mexico

People living in poverty inhabit the outskirts of Mexican cities. They struggle and survive but cannot overcome poverty. The present article seeks to understand how the survival tactics of the urban poor keep them in poverty and, with this understanding, inform future interventions. A study based on qualitative grounded theory was conducted in 10 impoverished neighbourhoods in three main regions and cities in Mexico. Observational accounts and in-depth individual and group interviews were conducted with diverse social actors for 115 participants (75 women and 40 men) aged between 12 and 76 years. The data were analysed using an interpretative thematic analysis. Research findings revealed that the urban poor tackle adversities, such as a lack of basic services, health, education, environment, and nutrition. The strength, patience, and hard work employed by these individuals to survive were evident, but their actions to tackle these threats were costly. Ultimately, the urban poor remain in a cycle of poverty, or poverty traps. Interventions to fight poverty, improve life conditions, and general development must include integrated and participatory plans that consider the knowledge and strengths of the urban poor.