Community Context Research Articles

Coalitional game-based gain generation and distribution for collective self-consumption in an energy community

Climate change is requiring changes in energy use. The integration of renewable energy sources into the energy mix is a viable solution for electricity generation, but their intermittence forces us to imagine new ways to consume and distribute electricity. Thus, new economic models and new organizations have to be established. Energy communities are a recent legal solution to share renewable energy among local actors. These structures facilitate the set-up of collective self-consumption operations. Collective self-consumption is an interesting tool to increase local renewable energy consumption and limit energy losses on the distribution grid. Consequently, energy communities are pursuing a dual objective: reducing energy bills and the environmental footprint of the participants. However, the distribution of gains generated through collective self-consumption is one of the main obstacles to the implementation of energy communities. An interesting possibility comes from game theory, especially from cooperative games, as solutions concepts already exist to solve this kind of problem.In this paper, a payoff distribution is proposed through a collaborative game. The aim of the study is to explore ways to distribute gains generated by collective self consumptions on individual self consumptions. These gains are 8% on the total energy bill and 25% on the self-consumption rate, assuming a collective objective based on the self-consumption rate and individual objectives based on the price of energy. In order to distribute the financial gains, two major concepts in cooperative game theory are studied in this paper: the Shapley Value and the Nucleolus. The advantages and drawbacks of these concepts in an energy community context are identified, as these concepts are based on two different philosophies: The properties of individual fairness of the Shapley Value and collective fairness of the Nucleolus for energy management are therefore discussed. Furthermore, a methodology is proposed to enable a fairer distribution of payoffs according to specific energy management parameters, such as efficiency and flexibility.

Utilizing AI for Social Good: Tackling Global Issues and Fostering Inclusive Solutions

This research delves into the intricate influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on community development across vital sectors such as healthcare, education, environmental sustainability, and community empowerment. Its core aim is to comprehensively analyze how individuals in underserved communities perceive and experience the use of AI technologies. To achieve this, a mixed-methods approach is adopted, combining quantitative surveys for statistical insights with qualitative narratives for nuanced perspectives. Engaging 120 participants from diverse backgrounds and age groups, the research methodology incorporates Likert scales and regression analysis for data interpretation. The study reveals a prevalent positive outlook on AI's impact across various domains, particularly highlighting its significant effects on healthcare, education, and environmental sustainability. Integration of qualitative narratives enriches the findings, offering depth and context to statistical analyses. Its novelty lies in the comprehensive examination of AI's influence on community development, seamlessly blending quantitative and qualitative dimensions. By providing nuanced insights into AI's multifaceted role in community contexts, the research significantly contributes to the field. Ultimately, the study underscores the importance of responsible AI deployment, aligned with community values, to navigate the evolving technological landscape and foster sustainable community development.

DEPLOYMENT MODEL FOR SOFTWARE PROCESSES IN COLLABORATIVE AND DISTRIBUTED ENVIRONMENTS TYPICAL OF FREE AND OPEN-SOURCE FLOSS COMMUNITIES

This article presents the development of a model for deploying software processes within the context of free and open-source software FLOSS communities, characterized by the voluntary participation of people geographically distributed in different places and with diverse profiles and interests in a software development project. The Delphi method validated the model, in which 15 people interested in FLOSS communities participated. It was found that the model promotes communication and motivation of the participants in more than 80% and favors the participation of new community members, according to the answers given by the participants. The communication and motivation skills of the members of a FLOSS community are fundamental for the proper development of free software construction projects.

Exploring practices, challenges, and priorities for human health and ecological risk assessments in Indigenous communities in Canada.

Indigenous peoples in Canada are disproportionately exposed to environmental contaminants and may face elevated health risks related to their unique cultural, spiritual, and economic relationships with the land, including the use of traditional food systems. However, to date, institutionalized approaches to assess risks to human and ecological health from contaminants have not been well developed or implemented with Indigenous community contexts in mind. There is regulatory interest in developing new approach methods for risk assessment, and thus an opportunity to increase their relevance to Indigenous communities in which they will be ultimately applied. Therefore, we conducted an anonymous mixed-methods survey of those involved with risk assessment in Indigenous communities in Canada to: (1) understand risk assessment practice in Indigenous communities, (2) explore challenges with conventional assessment methods and compare these across sectors, and (3) gather perspectives on the development of new approaches. In all, 38 completed survey responses were received (14% response rate). Respondents were from Indigenous community environment and health offices (21% of respondents), Indigenous governments (8%), federal and provincial governments (21%), and academia (45%). Risk communication was seen as the most challenging part of risk assessment (71% responded "difficult"), and nearly all respondents agreed that time (86%), cost (76%), and resource availability (86%) were "moderate" to "serious" problems. Few respondents (16%) had heard of "new approach methods" for risk assessment, and 76% of respondents (and 100% of community-based respondents) agreed on the need to develop improved risk assessment approaches. To modernize risk assessment, respondents recommended advancing cumulative risk assessment methods, improving risk communication, and promoting Indigenous leadership and Traditional Knowledge in assessment activities. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;20:1677-1692. © 2024 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

Safety and Community Context: Exploring a Transfeminist Approach to Sapphic Relationship Platforms

Relationship platforms (e.g., dating apps) are crucial tools for sapphics (trans women, cisgender women, and nonbinary people who are attracted to other sapphics). However, current platforms are not designed in a way that accounts for sapphic lived experience, especially the lived experience of sapphics who hold multiple marginalized identity characteristics. Even on platforms that do exist for sapphics, transgender women and nonbinary people are often subject to discrimination, fetishization, and stigmatization. To aid in the design of platforms that better serve the needs of multiply marginalized sapphics, we engaged a diverse group of 25 sapphics in six rounds of community discussion on key topics for relationship platform design. Based on participant discussions, we identify key challenges when designing for multiply marginalized sapphics around relationship structures, gender and sexuality classification, and safety priorities for interaction. We present two design priorities alongside community-sourced design directions which can help future designers address these challenges: identity-centric safety and community-based information formats.

Towards quantifying the communication aspect of resilience in disaster-prone communities

In this study, we investigate the communication networks of urban, suburban, and rural communities from three US Midwest counties through a stochastic model that simulates the diffusion of information over time in disaster and in normal situations. To understand information diffusion in communities, we investigate the interplay of information that individuals get from online social networks, local news, government sources, mainstream media, and print media. We utilize survey data collected from target communities and create graphs of each community to quantify node-to-node and source-to-node interactions, as well as trust patterns. Monte Carlo simulation results show the average time it takes for information to propagate to 90% of the population for each community. We conclude that rural, suburban, and urban communities have different inherent properties promoting the varied flow of information. Also, information sources affect information spread differently, causing degradation of information speed if any source becomes unavailable. Finally, we provide insights on the optimal investments to improve disaster communication based on community features and contexts.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Social Determinants of Health Issues of Marginalized Black and Asian Communities: A Social Media Analysis Empowered by Natural Language Processing.

This study aims to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social determinants of health (SDOH) of marginalized racial/ethnic US population groups, specifically African Americans and Asians, by leveraging natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) techniques on race-related spatiotemporal social media text data. Specifically, this study establishes the extent to which Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and Gibbs Sampling Dirichlet Multinomial Mixture (GSDMM)-based topic modeling determines social determinants of health (SDOH) categories, and how adequately custom named-entity recognition (NER) detects key SDOH factors from a race/ethnicity-related Reddit data corpus. In this study, we collected race/ethnicity-specific data from 5 location subreddits including New York City, NY; Los Angeles, CA; Chicago, IL; Philadelphia, PA; and Houston, TX from March to December 2019 (before COVID-19 pandemic) and from March to December 2020 (during COVID-19 pandemic). Next, we applied methods from natural language processing and machine learning to analyze SDOH issues from extracted Reddit comments and conversation threads using feature engineering, topic modeling, and custom named-entity recognition (NER). Topic modeling identified 35 SDOH-related topics. The SDOH-based custom NER analyses revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted SDOH issues of marginalized Black and Asian communities. On average, the Social and Community Context (SCC) category of SDOH had the highest percent increase (366%) from the pre-pandemic period to the pandemic period across all locations and population groups. Some of the detected SCC issues were racism, protests, arrests, immigration, police brutality, hate crime, white supremacy, and discrimination. Reddit social media platform can be an alternative source to assess the SDOH issues of marginalized Black and Asian communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. By employing NLP/ML techniques such as LDA/GSDMM-based topic modeling and custom NER on a race/ethnicity-specific Reddit corpus, we uncovered various SDOH issues affecting marginalized Black and Asian communities that were significantly worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of conducting this research, we recommend that researchers, healthcare providers, and governments utilize social media and collaboratively formulate responses and policies that will address SDOH issues during public health crises.

Exploring perspectives and insights of experienced voyagers on human health and Polynesian oceanic voyaging: A qualitative study.

The Worldwide Voyage (WWV) was a 3-year (2014-2017) open-ocean voyage to circumnavigate the world using Indigenous knowledge and navigational skills aboard Hōkūle'a, a traditionally designed Native Hawaiian (NH) voyaging canoe (wa'a kaulua). Each WWV segment included experienced crew and leadership who were recognized by their voyaging peers as highly experienced in Polynesian oceanic voyaging. This study explored the perceptions and insights of WWV-experienced ocean voyagers on the interconnection between human health and oceanic voyaging. A constructivist approach with a storytelling-based moderator guide was used to conduct focus groups and informant interviews of experienced crew and voyaging leadership. Participants were interviewed and recorded transcripts were analyzed using content analysis. Triangulation of analysis included secondary thematic review by two independent NH cultural practitioners and participant member checking. Purposive sampling was used to enroll 34 of 66 eligible highly experienced voyagers (leadership n = 6; crew n = 28) in 5 focus groups and 4 informant interviews. Six themes emerged: 1) Indigenous context (spiritual and natural environment); 2) Importance of relationships and community; 3) Description of life on the canoe; 4) Holistic health; 5) Mindfulness, stress reduction and emotional health; and 6) Opportunities for intervention. Themes 1-5 were inductive and intricately interrelated, and theme 6 was deductive in that it directly resulted from a moderator guide question. Theme 6 offers strategies to improve the impact of voyaging and health well beyond the physical voyage with recommendations for improved transition back to land and developing a wa'a community context, which reflects a traditional voyaging experience. Polynesian oceanic voyaging is strongly perceived as a positive and transformative holistic-health-promoting experience. Recommendations to promote generalizable health benefits of a voyaging lifestyle offers a promising and culturally grounded approach warranting future studies to understand mechanism and potential impact for improving health inequities.

Understanding the implementation and sustainability needs of evidence-based programs for racial and ethnic minoritized older adults in under-resourced communities with limited aging services

BackgroundEvidence-based programs (EBPs) for older adults effectively improve health outcomes. However, there is a limited understanding of the unique needs of service providers as they consider adopting, implementing, and maintaining programs for older minority adults in low-income communities with limited aging services.MethodsWe conducted semi-structured interviews with key informants of community-based organizations (CBOs) to understand implementation and sustainability needs of CBOs within four racial and ethnically diverse Los Angeles County geographic areas. We performed thematic analysis of interview transcripts.ResultsInterviews were conducted with representatives from 25 senior-serving agencies providing aging-related EBPs. CBO representatives reported implementing EBPs in 8 domains: Falls Prevention (68%), Mental Health (64%), Caregiver Health (48%), Chronic Disease Management (48%), Diabetes Management (36%), Arthritis Management (28%), Physical Activity (24%), and Multiple Conditions Management (8%). Themes are presented using the six domains of the Bass and Judge framework for factors impacting successful and sustained EBP implementation. CBOs in low-income and diverse communities described unique challenges with tailoring interventions based on local community context (literacy, language), cultural context, and locally available resources (technology, safe community spaces, transportation) and faced resource-intensive administrative burdens through staff turnover, data collection, sustainable funding, and networking.ConclusionsServing racial and ethnic communities has unique challenges that require tailored approaches and additional resources to ensure equitable access to EBPs for all communities. We describe suggestions for enhancing the effective adoption of EBPs among service agencies in under-resourced and diverse aging communities serving populations with aging-related health disparities.

Community Contexts Predicting Fatal Police Shootings of Youth, 2014–2018

Between 2014 and 2018, at least 974 youth were fatally shot by the police. Racial disparities in fatal police shootings (FPS) have been well-established in existing research, but less attention has been paid to patterns in fatal police encounters with youth. This study uses a multisource and externally validated research design to track cases of FPS for individuals aged between 10 and 24. Cases were geocoded to the county-level and linked to multiple variables capturing social, demographic, and policing contexts. The results point to substantial racial disparities in FPS. Black youth are killed at nearly double the rate of white youth. Counties with heightened risks to the physical safety of law enforcement have more FPS. Shootings are also more frequent for Black youth in racially segregated communities.

County-level factors associated with a mismatch between opioid overdose mortality and availability of opioid treatment facilities.

Opioid overdose deaths in the United States remain a major public health crisis. Little is known about counties with high rates of opioid overdose mortality but low availability of opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment facilities. We sought to identify characteristics of United States (US) counties with high rates of opioid overdose mortality and low rates of opioid treatment facilities. Rates of overdose mortality from 3,130 US counties were compared with availability of opioid treatment facilities that prescribed or allowed medications for OUD (MOUD), from 2018-2019. The outcome variable, "risk-availability mismatch" county, was a binary indicator of a high rate (above national average) of opioid overdose mortality with a low (below national average) rate of opioid treatment facilities. Covariates of interest included county-level sociodemographics and rates of insurance, unemployment, educational attainment, poverty, urbanicity, opioid prescribing, depression, heart disease, Gini index, and Theil index. Multilevel logistic regression, accounting for the clustering of counties within states, was used to determine associations with being a "risk-availability mismatch" county. Of 3,130 counties, 1,203 (38.4%) had high rates of opioid overdose mortality. A total of 1,098 counties (35.1%) lacked a publicly-available opioid treatment facility in 2019. In the adjusted model, counties with an additional 1% of: white residents (odds ratio, OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.03), unemployment (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.05-1.19), and residents without insurance (OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01-1.08) had increased odds of being a mismatch county. Counties that were metropolitan (versus non-metropolitan) had an increased odds of being a mismatch county (OR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.45-2.38). Assessing mismatch between treatment availability and need provides useful information to characterize counties that require greater public health investment. Interventions to reduce overdose mortality are unlikely to be effective if they do not take into account diverse upstream factors, including sociodemographics, disease burden, and geographic context of communities.

Elementary Students’ Use of Mechanistic Reasoning to Explain Community-Connected Engineering Design Solutions

Mechanistic reasoning about an artifact or system involves thinking about its underlying entities and the properties, activities, and cause-effect relationships of those entities. Previous studies of children’s mechanistic reasoning about engineering solutions have mostly focused on specific mechanical systems such as gear trains. Yet there is growing interest in more contextualized, community-connected engineering design experiences for elementary students. Important questions remain about how the specific features of community contexts influence student opportunities for engineering design practice and reasoning. In this study, we explore whether comparisons in students’ mechanistic reasoning can be made across a range of five different community design contexts. For this qualitative descriptive study, we focus on interview data collected after each of five community-connected engineering-enriched science curriculum units: accessible playground design (3rd grade, N = 8, district A, schools 1 and 2), displaced animal relocation design (3rd grade, N = 10, district A, school 1), migration stopover site design (4th grade, N = 4, district A, school 2), retaining wall design (4th grade, N = 13, district B, school 1), and water filter design (5th grade, N = 9 students, district A, school 3). The findings showed that all students named entities and described entity factors for the design solutions for all five units. For the playground, displaced animals, and stopover sites units, some students described the design artifacts without explicitly expressing connections between entity factors and/or the way factors linked up to the design performance. We argue that particular features of the design tasks influenced students’ approaches to explaining their design solutions. Therefore, we can claim that comparisons can be made across different community-connected engineering design contexts in terms of children’s mechanistic reasoning.

Workforce strategies to address children's mental health and behavioural needs in rural, regional and remote areas: A scoping review.

Children living in rural, regional and remote locations experience challenges to receiving services for mental illness and challenging behaviours. Additionally, there is a lack of clarity about the workforce characteristics to address the needs of this population. To scope the literature on the rural, regional and remote child mental health and behavioural workforce and identify barriers and enabling mechanisms to mental health service provision. A scoping review utilising the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. A database search was undertaken using Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ProQuest and Scopus to identify papers published 2010-2023. Research articles reporting data on mental health workforce characteristics for children aged under 12 years, in rural, regional or remote locations were reviewed for inclusion. Seven hundred and fifty-four papers were imported into Covidence with 22 studies being retained. Retained studies confirmed that providing services to meet the needs of children's mental health is an international challenge. The thematic analysis of the review findings highlighted four workforce strategies to potentially mitigate some of these challenges. These were: (1) The use of telehealth for clinical services and workforce upskilling; (2) Role shifting where non mental health professionals assumed mental health workforce roles; (3) Service structure strategies, and (4) Indigenous and rural cultural factors. A range of potential strategies exists to better meet the needs of children with mental health and behavioural issues. Adapting these to specific community contexts through co-design and production may enhance their efficacy.

Identifying Individuals with Highest Social Risk in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Using Item Response Theory.

The aim of this analysis was to create a parsimonious tool to screen for high social risk using item response theory to discriminate across social risk factors in adults with type 2 diabetes. Cross-sectional data of 615 adults with diabetes recruited from two primary care clinics were used. Participants completed assessments including validated scales on economic instability (financial hardship), neighborhood and built environment (crime, violence, neighborhood rating), education (highest education, health literacy), food environment (food insecurity), social and community context (social isolation), and psychological risk factors (perceived stress, depression, serious psychological distress, diabetes distress). Item response theory (IRT) models were used to understand the association between a participant's underlying level of a particular social risk factor and the probability of that response. A two-parameter logistic IRT model was used with each of the 12 social determinant factors being added as a separate parameter in the model. Higher values in item discrimination indicate better ability of a specific social risk factor in differentiating participants from each other. Rate of crime reported in a neighborhood (discrimination 3.13, SE 0.50; item difficulty - 0.68, SE 0.07) and neighborhood rating (discrimination 4.02, SE 0.87; item difficulty - 1.04, SE 0.08) had the highest discrimination. Based on these findings, crime and neighborhood rating discriminate best between individuals with type 2 diabetes who have high social risk and those with low social risk. These two questions can be used as a parsimonious social risk screening tool to identify high social risk.

An Analysis of the Great Disruption of COVID-19 Pandemic

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019 led to a global crisis of unprecedented scale and complexity that disrupted almost every aspect of human life. The pandemic has taken people, institutions and governments by surprise, so the impact of the virus has been profound and far-reaching. The rapid and relentless spread of the pandemic has challenged global health systems, strained economies, altered daily routines in educational settings and at work, and tested the resilience of communities worldwide. Different studies have identified vulnerabilities in the world’s ability to respond to health emergencies at the individual and societal levels. This study presents a systematic literature review and theoretical analysis of the disruptions caused by COVID-19 to help formulate strategies that encourage flexibility and resilience in the face of such complex and interconnected disruptions. The article analyzes the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic through the prism of two main theories: the theory of situational crisis communications (type of crisis, its history, responsibility, perceived seriousness, predictable probability, crisis communications strategies, post-crisis reputation), as well as the theory of social learning (learning through observation, modeling and imitation, positive and negative reinforcement in the formation of behavior). In addition, the nature of society’s adaptation to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic is also considered through the prism of the theory of subversive innovations (progress in communication technologies, new methods of remote work and education, the entry of social networks into the business world, the introduction of asynchronous communication). The article summarizes the scientific progress on the following main consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the workplace, healthcare system, and education. The study provides recommendations on the steps that individuals, institutions and governments can take to increase readiness and ability to adapt to the next crisis (interdisciplinary cooperation, analysis of communication strategies, system analysis). The analysis conducted in the article also made it possible to outline the most promising directions for further qualitative intervention studies (in-depth case studies taking into account the specific context of regions, organizations or communities to identify effective and ineffective policies and practices; qualitative interviews with key stakeholders to understand the intricacies of decision-making in the context of the pandemic crisis); qualitative action studies (building community resilience, collaborative research efforts involving policymakers, health experts and community representatives to develop crisis response policies jointly) and quantitative studies (analysis of pandemic spread, impact of vaccination on disease control, analysis of the economic effects of the pandemic, etc.).

Confronting the messy complexities of the climate crisis through drama education and applied theatre

ABSTRACT This editorial addresses the integration of drama education and applied theatre in confronting the climate crisis, highlighting the complex interplay of responsibility, agency, and action in schools and community-based settings. With a focus on Climate Change Education (CCE), we argue for pedagogical, methodological, and creative frameworks that help us embrace the inherent messiness and complexities of intersecting crises. We introduce an evolving ‘site-responsive pedagogy’ that considers the interconnectedness of local and global scales: one that responds and adapts to the specific ecological and cultural contexts of diverse global communities.

Occupational therapy practice with burn injuries: A Rapid Review

Introduction: The Occupational Therapy Association of South African commissioned a task team to gather evidence that would inform upcoming National Health policies on the role and practice of occupational therapists. This rapid review aimed to identify level 1 and 2 peer reviewed published evidence that describes occupational therapists’ practice and intervention in all types of burn injuries, at all levels of care, and for all age groups.
 Method: Using the South African Department of Health template and the Cochran Rapid Reviews method guide, a search for level 1 and 2 evidence sourced articles from CINAHL (EBSCO), MEDLINE (EBSCO), the Cochrane Library (Wiley) and OTSeeker data bases through the Stellenbosch University library with hand searching of references in the selected articles. Rayyan was used for the screening and selection of articles. The CASP appraisal tool was used for risk bias and quality assessment of the selected articles. Data was captured in Excel and Word, and analysed and synthesised in Microsoft Excel and Taguette. Results were presented in the form of an online workshop to stakeholders and discussions and questions incorporated into the discussion and conclusion of this review.
 Results: Eleven articles were selected and their quality assessed. Seven categories of evidence of occupational therapy interventions were extracted from selected articles: pain, oedema, scaring and abnormal skin sensations, joints and range of motion, psycho-social and functional impact of burn injuries, the education of burn injury victims and their families, and vocational rehabilitation. All interventions took place in healthcare facilities. Nine articles referred to occupational therapists working in multi-disciplinary teams. Occupational therapist worked with children and adult burn injury victims and with a variety of type of burn injury from acute to post discharge phases.
 Conclusion: There is level 1 and 2 evidence conderming occupational therapy intervention with burn injury victims with all ages and at all stages of injury within healthcare facilities. None of the evidence found is from the South African context. Such levels of evidence are needed to promote occupational therapy intervention in primary, preventative and community contexts.
 Implications for practice:
 Internationally there is level 1 and 2 evidence that conderms occupational therapists are members of multi-disciplinary teams addressing the functional ability and participation in activities of burn injury victims. None of this evidence is from South Africa. As a matter of priority, South African clinical occupational therapy practice and intervention within the deeld of burn injury, need to be researched and disseminated as level 1 and 2 evidence

Extreme Weather Disruptions and Emergency Preparedness Among Older Adults in Ohio: An Eight-County Assessment

The disproportionate risks and impacts of climate change and extreme weather on older adults are increasingly evident. While especially true in disaster-prone areas, human-caused climate change introduces an element of uncertainty even in previously identified “safe” regions such as the Midwestern United States. Using a cumulative disadvantage and vulnerability-informed framework and descriptive statistics from multiple data sources, this article provides an overview of climate impacts, vulnerabilities, and county-level characteristics, focusing on older adults living in Central Ohio. A comparative multiple-case study methodology was used to triangulate regionally representative primary and secondary data sources to examine state and county-level measures of vulnerability, emergency preparedness, and disruptions caused by extreme weather among older adults across eight counties in Central Ohio. Seventy-eight percent of older adults in the sample reported being prepared for emergencies per Federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines. Older adults in Union County reported the highest rates of preparedness, while those in Fayette County reported the lowest. County-level rates of disruption of life activities by extreme weather ranged widely. Among the most rural in the region, Fayette County emerged as uniquely disadvantaged, with the lowest median income, the most vulnerable across multiple social vulnerability dimensions, and the most reported disruptions to life activities from extreme weather. County profiles offer a snapshot of existing vulnerabilities, socioeconomic conditions, special needs, preparedness, and current disruptions among older adults in the region and can inform resource mobilization across community and policy contexts.

The Social Determinants of Health and Athletic Trainer Availability in Indiana Secondary Schools.

The social determinants of health (SDOH) are circumstances under which individuals are born, work, and live that influence health outcomes. Previous researchers have examined 1 determinant of economic stability and found disparities in socioeconomic status and athletic trainer (AT) availability. To examine the SDOH characteristics of Indiana secondary schools and AT availability. Cross-sectional study. Database secondary analysis. A total of 426 secondary schools. All data were collected from publicly available databases. The independent variable was AT availability, and schools were classified as having a full-time AT, a part-time AT only, or no AT. The SDOH variables were gathered for each school (at the school and county levels). Data were summarized using measures of central tendencies, 1-way analysis of variance, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. School enrollment was larger in schools with greater AT availability (P< .001). The proportion of non-White students was greater in schools with more AT availability (P= .002). Greater AT availability was present in counties with higher graduation rates (P= .03). Post hoc comparisons revealed differences in graduation rates between schools with a part-time AT and those with no AT (P= .04). Schools with less AT availability were located in counties with a slightly higher percentage of the population uninsured (P= .02). Schools with greater AT availability were located in counties with a higher ratio of population to primary care physicians (P= .03). Schools with less AT availability were located in counties with a higher population experiencing severe housing problems (P= .02). No differences were found in AT availability based on the 3 social and community context variables (P> .05). Differences were noted in AT availability and SDOH characteristics at the secondary school level. We observed less AT availability where high school graduation rates and the population of primary care providers were lower. Strategies should be implemented to improve access to athletic health care in underresourced communities.

A Framework for Analyzing Co-Creation Value Chain Mechanisms in Community-Based Approaches: A Literature Review

Community co-creation is critical for tackling complex challenges and building a sustainable future, and necessitates collaboration between public and private sectors to co-create value chains. This paper highlights existing frameworks and proposes a heuristic approach that integrates Collective Impact (CI), Social Impact Assessment (SIA), and Community Capital (CC). Through a narrative review, the paper explores how SIA and CC can empower CI by aligning objective data with community context, ensuring solutions that resonate with local needs, promoting equity by fostering inclusive participation and understanding diverse perspectives, and revealing valuable resources within communities and leveraging their strengths for sustainable development. Although the paper delves into roles and responsibilities for each sector involved in co-creation, it acknowledges limitations in areas such as leadership-capacity building for effective collaboration and long-term commitment, impact measurement methodologies that capture nuanced social change over time, and inclusion of diverse participation methods to ensure all voices are heard and represented. By addressing these limitations, the paper calls for further research and development to strengthen community-driven social change.