Northern Countries Research Articles

Dental caries in 12-year-olds in the Russian Arctic: A systematic review and metaanalysis

Background: The health of Russian Arctic residents has recently received special attention; however, information on the dental health of children in this region remains limited. Aim: To perform a systematic search and qualitative synthesis of scientific data on the prevalence and severity of dental caries in 12-year-olds in the Russian Arctic published in Russian and English over the last 25 years. Materials and methods: The scientific data were identified, selected, and presented according to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The literature search on the prevalence and severity of dental caries in 12-year-olds in Arctic and Subarctic Russia was performed using eLIBRARY.RU for publications in Russian and PubMed for publications in English, for the period from 1998 to 2023. Furthermore, information was gathered from national dental examination reports. Results: The initial search yielded 279 publications. Following screening and eligibility assessment using inclusion and exclusion criteria, 14 publications were selected for qualitative synthesis. According to the metaanalysis, the newly arrived residents in Salekhard had the highest prevalence and severity of dental caries among 12-year-olds, accounting for 98.33% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 95.04–99.97) and 7.82%, respectively. The lowest prevalence and severity of dental caries were observed in Segezha (Republic of Karelia): 54.98% (95% CI: 48.21–61.65) and 1.81%, respectively. The weighted prevalence based on systematic sampling was 79.33% (95% CI: 74.70–83.62). In the majority of cities where the assessment was performed at least twice, the prevalence of dental caries decreased over time; however, there were no significant differences. Conclusion: The study found that dental caries were more severe in 12-year-olds in the Russian Arctic than in other northern countries; however, the prevalence decreased over time without achieving statistical significance.

A New Approach to Integrating Renewable Energies in the Design of a Shea Kernel Solar Mill

The development of the agri-food sector in West African countries is limited by energy and technological factors. As a result, the main shea nut producers in these countries, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Mali, export their production to the benefit of large industries in northern countries. One of the most difficult operations involved in transforming shea nuts into shea butter is grinding. Processing shea kernels into shea butter requires a mill or grinder. The types of energy (diesel and electricity) used by these mills are fossil-based, difficult to access and pose huge environmental issues. The objective of this work is to design a mill, operating with photovoltaic solar energy as an energy source, in a design approach using design rules and industrial engineering tools. To this end, a survey on the practices of the networks of agri-food equipment stakeholders on the use of renewable energy and the characterization of the network of solar mill stakeholders were carried out. The results of the surveys and the network characterization of the stakeholders, combined with those of the literature review, made it possible to define rules for integrating renewable energy into the design of the solar mill. The use of functional analysis and a tool to help choose energy-efficient technological solutions enabled to apply the rules for integrating renewable energy into the design of the shea kernel solar mill for validation purpose. The results of the functional tests of the solar mill showed a production capacity of 270 Kg of shea kernel paste, a solar energy consumption of 11,532 kWh equivalent to an energy consumption of 1.82 USD in 6 hours operational time per day.

Urological Cancers in Douala (Cameroon): Epidemiological and Histological Profile

<i>Background: </i>According to Globocan 2020, the global burden of cancer has increased to 19.3 million cases and 10 million cancer deaths. The International Agency for Research on Cancer estimates that, in the world, one in five people develop cancer during their lifetime. Urinary tract cancers are common in urology. They are most often of a bad prognosis. While the epidemiology of urological cancers is well known in the Northern Countries, data on these conditions are little available or insufficient. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of urological cancers, describe their clinical presentation and classification. <i>Methodology: </i>We conducted a transversal study in the urology, oncology and pathology anatomy departments of the Douala General Hospital (DGH) and the Douala Laquintinie Hospital (DLH). Medical records and pathology reports of biopsies carried out on patients with urological cancer and hospitalized over a period of 10 years from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2019 were included. <i>Results</i>: A total of 93 cases were selected. The sex ratio of 8:1. The average age was 64.7±11.51 years for men and 45.8±23 years for women (p=0.030). Smoking was the main comorbidity (30.1%). Low back pain, hematuria and urine retention were the main modes of revelation. Prostate cancer was found in 75.3%. Prostate adenocarcinoma was the most found histological type (94.1%) Kidney, bladder and penis cancer were found in 16.1%; 7.5% and 1% of cases. More than half of patients with prostate cancer (68.6%) had metastasis at the time of diagnosis. <i>Conclusion</i>: urological cancers affect men more. The symptomatology is dominated by the signs of the upper and lower urinary tract. Prostate adenocarcinoma is the most found histological type.

Real-World Data Simulation Comparing GHG Emissions and Operational Performance of Two Sweeping Systems

Background: In northern countries, spring requires the removal of large volumes of abrasive materials used in winter road maintenance. This sweeping process, crucial for safety and environmental protection, has traditionally relied on conventional mechanical brooms. Recent technological innovations, however, have introduced more efficient and environmentally friendly sweeping solutions; Methods: This study provides a comprehensive comparative analysis of the environmental and operational performance of these innovative sweeping systems versus conventional methods. Using simulation models based on real-world data and integrating fuel consumption models, the analysis replicates sweeping behaviors to assess both operational and environmental performance. A sensitivity analysis was conducted using these models, focusing on key parameters such as the collection rate, the number of trucks, the payload capacity, and the truck unloading duration; Results: The results show that the innovative sweeping system achieves an average 45% reduction in GHG emissions per kilometer compared to the conventional system, consistently demonstrating superior environmental efficiency across all resources configurations; Conclusions: These insights offer valuable guidance for service providers by identifying effective resource configurations that align with both environmental and operational objectives. The approach adopted in this study demonstrates the potential to develop decision-making support tools that balance operational and environmental pillars of sustainability, encouraging policy decision-makers to adopt greener procurement policies. Future research should explore the integration of advanced technologies such as IoT, AI-driven analytics, and digital twin systems, along with life cycle assessments, to further support sustainable logistics in road maintenance.

Species Distribution Modeling of Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus, 1758) Under Current and Future Climates, with a Special Focus on Latvia and Ukraine

This study assesses the impact of climate change on the distribution of Ixodes ricinus, which transmits Lyme disease, a growing public health concern. Utilizing ensemble models from the R package ‘flexsdm’ and climate data from WorldClim, ENVIREM, and CliMond, we project habitat suitability changes for the focus species. The models, validated against Lyme disease incidence rates, predict a 1.5-fold increase in suitable habitats in Latvia, contrasted with a 4.5-fold decrease in suitable habitats within Ukraine over the coming decades. SHAP values are analyzed to determine the most influential climatic features affecting tick distribution, providing insights for future vector control and disease prevention strategies. The optimal bioclimatic environment for I. ricinus seems to be an intricate balance of moderate temperatures, high humidity, and sufficient rainfall (bio7, 14, 18, 29). Also, radiation during the wettest quarter (bio24) significantly influences tick distribution in northern countries. This implies an increased presence of ticks in Scandinavian countries, Baltic states, etc. These findings largely coincide with our projections regarding bioclimatic suitability for ticks in Latvia and Ukraine. These shifts reflect broader patterns of vector redistribution driven by global warming, highlighting the urgent need to adapt public health planning to the evolving landscape of vector-borne diseases under climate change.

Impact of country-specific business integrity and firm-specific ESG on earnings quality: evidence from EU civil law jurisdictions

Purpose This paper aims to examine whether variations in country-specific business integrity (BI) and firm-specific environmental, social and governance (ESG) dimensions can explain variations in earnings quality (EQ) in Northern and Southern EU civil law countries. Design/methodology/approach Regarding EQ, the analysis builds on the “small gain, small loss” (SGSL) model of Burgstahler and Dichev (1997) and Burgstahler and Chuk (2015). The authors explain SGSL with the BI. Southern Europe or “Club Med” is typically associated with a less rigorous institutional regime than Northern Europe. Findings Results evidenced higher EQ in the Northern EU compared with the Southern EU. Furthermore, EQ is explained successfully with the Business Integrity Index (BII) and ESG. The results suggest that BII and ESG represent different dimensions, and, therefore, both should be included in the models explaining EQ. Practical implications The results show that the Northern EU civil law countries have higher EQ compared with the Southern EU civil law countries. The difference is explained by the BII variable. For the Southern EU, legislators and other public policy decision-makers should build up and apply tools to limit and fight corruption in those jurisdictions. The impactful elimination of corruption would, in turn, establish a firmer basis to foster ethical behavior and financial market sophistication developments. Originality/value The study offers additional insights on the determinants of EQ in the EU civil law countries. The prior literature has argued that, categorically, in common law countries firms engage in higher-quality reporting than those in civil law countries. The results evidence that EQ varies within the EU civil law countries; that is, a country’s BI and firm-specific ESG contribute to the explanation for EQ. A more specific explanation for the reasons in the EQ “within” civil law jurisdictions could be related to legislators and other public policy decision-makers in charge of establishing regimes and public policies supporting high-quality accounting.

The EU project VAXaction: tacking effectively vaccine hesitancy in Europe

Abstract The main objective of VAX-ACTION is to support EU Member States and relevant stakeholders to implement the results of tailored, evidence-based interventions aimed to reduce vaccine hesitancy. Based on the evaluation of effectiveness of these interventions, which will be conducted in selected target regions in EU member states, recommendations will be drawn through diverse dissemination strategies to allow scaling up good practices to other member States, but also to the USA and Canada, where gaps in implementation strategies also have prevented effective, evidence-based interventions aimed to better deal with vaccine hesitancy. The first phase of the research involved some relevant systematic reviews with the aim of: 1. to map public health evidence and research results on large-scale vaccination programs in Europe and north America; 2. to map interventions aimed to address vaccine hesitancy regarding new and well-stablished vaccines and vaccination programs (Covid-19, mpox, national immunizations programs for children) in Europe and north America; 3. to identify successful and unsuccessful interventions designs aimed to address vaccine hesitancy, including challenges in the implementation, evaluation designs, and the feasibility of scaling-up solutions that are context-sensitive; 4. to identify significant similarities or dissimilarities in the designs and outcomes of interventions aimed to address vaccine hesitancy in northern countries where political and academic concern towards this phenomenon is growing; 5. to identify the extent to which ‘grounding’ (bottom-up) experiences aimed to address vaccine hesitancy are evidence-based, build on current international knowledge and guidelines, and whether they are internationally reported; 6. to systematize the mapping of interventions aimed to address vaccine hesitancy in the northern hemisphere in a way that can be shared and used by third parties. This contribution will illustrate the results of the first phase of the project.

Productivity Growth in Canada: What is Going On?

Canada is seriously lagging in productivity growth, which is the only means countries have to raise their citizens’ standard of living. Overall, Canadian business productivity fell by 0.6 per cent over the past five years. This is in sharp contrast to the United States, which enjoyed a 10.1 per cent increase over the same period. This trend of faster U.S. growth has held true since the mid-1990s, with Canadian productivity rising by about half as much as the American rate. In fact, Canada trails not only the U.S. but all advanced countries in Northern and Western Europe, as well as Australia. Going by sector, Canada’s recent productivity declines have been concentrated in holding companies, transportation and warehousing, construction and manufacturing. The latter three categories are responsible for two-thirds of the decline in productivity. For transportation and warehousing, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel are a major contributor. For construction, the decline comes from residential and non-residential work, as opposed to engineering construction. For manufacturing, a significant source is transportation equipment manufacturing, particularly in the automotive sector. Provincially, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador have the highest productivity, thanks to the oil and gas industry. B.C., Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba are slightly below the national average while the Maritime provinces have productivity levels 25 to 31 per cent lower than the national average. However, Ontario and Alberta are responsible for the lion’s share of Canada’s slumping productivity growth, due to their weight in the national economy. Ontario is behind 48 per cent of the decline, while Alberta’s share is 22 per cent. From 2020–23, Canada’s capital intensity grew only slightly — not much faster than hours worked. This means that investment has not been high enough to boost productivity. Canadian investment fell from 2.1 per cent annually from 1998–2019 to just 0.5 per cent annually between 2020 and 2023. The main culprits are non-residential buildings (such as offices and factories), along with machinery and equipment. Investment in these capital goods decreased by 5.9 per cent annually in the non-residential sector and by 3.1 per cent in machinery and equipment. The fall in non-residential investment is likely the result of more people working from home. The fall in machinery and equipment is more puzzling. With tight labour markets, companies should want to invest in automation to save on labour costs, but this doesn’t seem to be happening. Canada has seen essentially no productivity growth in recent years, and much of the decrease is in a few core sectors. The picture is not complete, but since the output of those industries is easy to measure, it suggests that the slowdown is real. To increase productivity, governments should look at income tax rates, excessive red tape, regulatory harmonization, a lack of competition and barriers to foreign entry into the economy. Governments also need to look at improving their own productivity to avoid crowding out the private sector and to free up resources. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. A broad range of policy options are necessary to solve Canada’s productivity problem.

The Role of Environmental Bonds in the Settlement of Environmental Debts

The concept of environmental debt, which has several dimensions, emerged in the nineties. One of these dimensions is spatial, referring to the debts that southern countries sustain due to the extraction of natural resources and environmental damage inflicted upon northern countries. Another dimension, the temporal dimension, concerns the environmental debts that current generations owe to their predecessors. That means past generations are culpable for overuse of natural resources and mismanagement. The debt issue is complex, despite many mechanisms to resolve it. Most important are the recently introduced environmental bonds, an important step forward in the field of sustainable financing of environmental debts.

The North-South problem: on the possibilities of comparing interregional inequalities in Italy and Russia

The article examines the possibilities and scientific prospects of comparative studies of interregional differences and inequalities in Russia and Italy. These countries, located at a considerable distance, belonging to different geographical zones, cultural environments and civilisational areas, differ significantly in their global status. Despite the self-evident nature of these differences, they have long been perceived in both the Russian and Italian research traditions as countries subject to comparison. They act for each other - and to a large extent because of the same differences - as a conceptual resource, an element of the external environment and external surroundings, a source and factor of development. This comparability has its regional dimension. It extends to the field of research on interregional inequalities and contradictions, examining the dialectic of "center - regions" and forming a special comparative direction in terms of research methodology. This study is an excursion into the field of historical, sociological and political regional studies. The author evaluates the achievements and results obtained by domestic and Italian authors, as well as the prospects for scientific developments in this area. Interregional inequalities, inevitable for Italy, which was among the countries that "came second", given their relatively late introduction to the technogenic civilisation, have acquired the meaning and significance of a national problem. Almost from the moment of the emergence of a single Italian state, it has been known as the southern question. The North-South dichotomy in Italy is the embodiment of regional differences, disproportions, and contradictions. It reflected the conflict between the unification of traditionalist social structures and the need to preserve their diversity. This dichotomy remarkably seemed to anticipate the formula of the same name of modern times, which denotes the division and split of the modern global world into rich northern and poor southern countries. In conceptual schemes of variability, that is, on the one hand, unity and similarity, and on the other, differences between Russia and Italy, including in the field of comparative regional studies, contrasting comparisons, which were more or less rightfully attributed a constant character, have long prevailed. This established picture of variability has undergone significant modifications in the process of erosion of political subcultures of both the left and right persuasion, secularisation and rationalisation of public consciousness. The author concludes that the example of Italy shows how archaic social practices can be combined with modern technologies, and this can give rise to very bizarre social collisions.

Mediterranean Farmers and Alternative Europes: Resistance, Europeanisation and CAP Reforms in Italy and France (mid-1970s to mid-1980s)

This article explores the active participation and, in some cases, resistance of farmers’ associations in Italy and France to European integration from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. The article examines, firstly, how Italian associations became active, due to their faltering relationship with the Christian Democrats, in searching new forms of political influence through more radical methods of mobilisation. Secondly, through the case of the so-called wine war between France and Italy, the article reveals how resistance to European Economic Community (EEC) reform and even other EEC member states could lead to forms of Europeanisation: exchanges between European organisations reflected shared resistance to specific policies, creating new arenas for collaboration. The analysis of the French–Italian case also offers an opportunity to explore the contrast between agriculture in the Mediterranean and northern countries in the EEC, showing complex Europeanisation dynamics in which both solidarity and competition become evident. Challenging the notion of a ‘permissive consensus’, this article aims to dismantle the notion of a conflict-free past in the history of European integration. In this regard, it underscores the multifaceted nature of European integration, marked by continual clashes and compromises, and provides a critical lens for interpreting the present state of the Brussels institutions.

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Colorectal Cancer Risk Among Moroccan Population: Hospital-Based Case Control Study.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a significant public health problem, including Morocco. The Mediterranean Diet (MD) has demonstrated potential anticancerogenic effects toward CRC in Northern Mediterranean countries. Using a Modified Mediterranean Diet (MMD) score adapted to southern countries, we investigated the relationship between adherence to the MD and the risk of CRC among the Moroccan population. During the study, we recruited 395 cases matched with 395 controls by sex and age (± 3 years). Using an adapted Food Frequency Questionnaire, we assessed the dietary intakes of participants to calculate the MMD score. We estimated the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval for both basic and adjusted models to evaluate the relationship between adherence to the MD and the risk of CRC. We observed a significant inverse association between adherence to the MD and CRC risk. In the adjusted model, moderate adherence to the MD was associated with 52% lower risk of CRC [odds ratio (OR*): 0.48 and 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.37-0.69], while high adherence to the MD was associated with 61% lower risk of CRC compared to the lowest category. When stratified by sex, both moderate [OR*: 0.36 (CI95%: 0.27-0.55)] and high [OR*: 0.43 (CI95%:0.27-0.74)] adherence were inversely correlated with CRC risk for women, while for men, only high adherence was inversely correlated with the risk of CRC [OR*: 0.3 (CI95%:0.19-0.5)]. Adherence to MD is associated with a decreased risk of CRC, an association that may be influenced by tumor location, sex, and age. Despite certain differences between northern and southern countries, the MD can be an effective preventative measure against CRC for populations in the Southern Mediterranean region.

Government Recognition and Support for Family Caregivers: A Comparative Review of Policies in Northern and Southern Countries With a Focus on Oncology Caregivers.

The recognition of informal caregivers by governments is gradually increasing. Currently, several countries, mainly in the Northern Hemisphere, have officially acknowledged the role of caregivers and offer various forms of support. In contrast, in southern countries, data on informal caregivers, especially those caring for cancer patients, remain sparse. Furthermore, the acknowledgment and support for caregivers' roles are still lacking in many of these regions. Notably, existing policies in northern countries predominantly focus on caregivers for the elderly and disabled, with only a few initiatives directly supporting caregivers of cancer patients. This review aims to shed light on the measures some governments have taken to support caregivers and advocate for further actions and policies to enhance caregiver support. This review is grounded on a thorough examination of articles, governmental reports, and empirical studies related to family caregiver support.

What makes randomized controlled trials so successful—for now? Or, on the consonances, compromises, and contradictions of a global interstitial field

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are a major success story, promising to improve science and policy. Despite some controversy, RCTs have spread toward Northern and Southern countries since the early 2000s. How so? Synthesizing previous research on this question, this article argues that favorable institutional conditions turned RCTs into “hinges” between the fields of science, politics, and business. Shifts toward behavioral economics, New Public Management, and evidence-based philanthropic giving led to a cross-fertilization among efforts in rich and poor countries, involving states, international organizations, NGOs, researchers, and philanthropic foundations. This confluence of favorable institutional conditions and savvy social actors established a “global interstitial field” inside which support for RCTs has developed an unprecedented scope, influence, operational capacity, and professional payoff. However, the article further argues that the hinges holding together this global interstitial field are “squeaky” at best. Because actors inherit the illusio of their respective fields of origin—their central incentives and stakes—the interstitial field produces constant goal conflicts. Cooperation between academics and practitioners turns out to be plagued by tensions and contradictions. Based on this analysis, the article concludes that the global field of RCT support will probably differentiate into its constituent parts. As a result, RCTs may lose the special status they have gained among social science and policy evaluation methods, turning into one good technique among others.

Assessment of some physiological indices in children with rickets

Rickets is found in all the countries of the world, but mostly in the northern countries, where insufficient solar radiation persists. Children born in autumn and winter more frequently get sick with rickets or it appears in a more serious form. Its incidence among children in the Republic of Moldova is 56.5%. Rickets is a disease of the whole body, which manifests itself predominantly in the bone system, determined by a temporary mismatch between the calcium and phosphorus needs of the growing and developing body and the insufficiency of the systems that ensure their intake in children. As a result of the decrease in the absorption of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vegetative dysfunctions and motility disorders of the gastrointestinal tract are often estimated as a consequence of rickets. Failure to treat this pathology in childhood can have unfavorable repercussions on the growth and development processes, which can be maintained throughout the rest of life.

New Zealand's planted forests–Carbon stocks and yield in fast growing exotic tree plantations of the Southern Hemisphere

Every year New Zealand measures 1/5th of the permanent sample plots of the National Planted Forest Inventory administered by the Ministry for the Environment (MFE). This means that all plots are measured once during a five-year cycle to provide the full inventory, while each measurement year in its own right provides a random nationally-representative sample of New Zealand's plantation forests.Land-use change and planted forest area are highly dynamic in New Zealand compared to forests in many northern hemisphere countries and every year new plots are added to the inventory due to new afforestation areas. Over time, old plot data representing stands that have been recently harvested will be replaced with measurements of the new forests growing on these sites or will drop out altogether due to improvements in mapping or deforestation. This means that estimates from a single year's plot measurements can give different results from the previous year due to the changes that the plantation forest estate experiences from year to year.In this paper we analyse results for the latest measurement cycle (Panels 2016 - 2020) and identify any issues or trends in carbon stocks. We use all panel data plus data from previous periodic forest inventories to generate a fully representative yield table for all plantation forests in the sub-categories of Kyoto Protocol-compliant afforestation and other planted forests (“non-Kyoto”). Furthermore, we use an imputation approach to provide a statistically accurate representation of stock changes over time. The yield tables generated are used in MFE's Land Use Carbon Analysis System (LUCAS) to generate estimates of carbon stocks and stock changes for international reporting.The estimated mean carbon sequestration rate over the typical rotation for New Zealand's dominant plantation species is higher than the default range provided by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Predicted carbon sequestration in non-Kyoto planted forests (10.5 tC ha−1 yr−1) exceeds the estimated carbon sequestration in Kyoto-compliant planted forests (9.8 tC ha−1 yr−1) with both at the upper range of estimates for temperate plantation forests (IPCC). Current mean carbon stocks are significantly larger in Kyoto-compliant plantation forests (169 tC ha−1) than in non-Kyoto planted forests (108 tC ha−1) across New Zealand, largely because they are on average five years older. Estimated Mean annual increment, m3 ha−1 yr−1 expressed as a comparable index (“300Index”) indicates that Kyoto-compliant forest land has slightly higher productivity than non-Kyoto planted forests, but because the latter are composed of younger stands, greater carbon sequestration rates but lower current stocks are estimated. Plots with slower growing tree species such as Douglas-fir, cypresses and coastal redwood are now an increasing part of the Kyoto-compliant estate, reducing the overall sequestration rates for this forest type.

Utilization of Health Care Services and Accessibility Challenges among Adults Aged 50+ before and after Austerity Measures across 27 European Countries: Secular Trends in the SHARE Study from 2004/05 to 2019/20.

This study aimed to assess and compare the utilization of preventive and other health services and the cost or availability in different regions of Europe, before and during the economic crisis. The data used in the study were obtained from Wave 8 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (2019/2020) and Wave 1 data (2004/5), with a sample size of 46,106 individuals aged ≥50 across 27 countries, adjusted to represent a population of N = 180,886,962. Composite scores were derived for preventive health services utilization (PHSU), health care services utilization (HCSU), and lack of accessibility/availability in health care services (LAAHCS). Southern countries had lower utilization of preventive services and higher utilization of other health services compared to northern countries, with a significant lack of convergence. Moreover, the utilization of preventive health services decreased, whereas the utilization of secondary care services increased during the austerity period. Southern European countries had a significantly higher prevalence of lack of accessibility. An increase in the frequency of lack of accessibility/availability in health care services was observed from 2004/5 to 2019/20. In conclusion, our findings suggest that health inequalities increase during crisis periods. Therefore, policy interventions could prioritize accessibility and expand health coverage and prevention services.

Dynamic Analysis of Loneliness at Older Ages in Europe by Gender

In this article, we analyse loneliness trajectories for older people aged 50 or more in selected European countries by gender. We also focus on the relationship between disability and loneliness trajectories. We use three waves of the longitudinal SHARE database. Loneliness trajectories are non-linear, increasing with age for both genders, and have the same shape irrespective of disability status but with different levels of loneliness. Loneliness persistence increases with disability and disability severity, especially for women. Worsening (improving) disability increases (decreases) the risk of loneliness persistence. We build rankings of the country's effects on loneliness persistence by gender. Mediterranean and Eastern European countries have the highest persistence rates, while the lowest rates are in Northern countries.

Community mental health services in Europe: the state of art

AbstractIn Europe there is significant variability of attitudes, procedure and strategies in clinical care between psychiatrists and settings across different regions and countries. However, there is a significant overrepresentation of data from mental health services from Western and Northern European countries, due a lack of data from Eastern and Central European countries as it has been suggested the Eastern and Central European regions are a “blind spot on the global mental health map”. In respect to community mental health services, Northern and Western countries introduced a large array of multidisciplinary community-based services for people with mental health problems and reorganized the mental health care services towards the community mental health care, replacing largely large hospitals and hospital-based care following recovery-oriented care models with introduction of numerous services which supported full recovery, including supported employment and housing. This process is only in the beginning in the majority of countries in the South and East of Europe. Here we present the data from these countries including the results of the RECOVER-E study (Large-scale implementation of community based mental health care for people with severe and enduring mental ill health in Europe), which incorporated the implementation of community mental health services in five South-eastern European countries.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Flexicurity in the EU28 Countries: A Multiyear Composite Indicator Proposal

This study computes a flexicurity index for the EU28 countries for 2001-2019 following the European Commission’s four components of flexicurity model. The index allows the ex-post assessment of flexicurity efforts and efficiency. Following the computation of the index, we compare its values against the theoretical flexicurity typologies and against other empirical flexicurity groupings to assess their (dis)similarities. Even though Northern and Western countries generally have higher flexicurity scores than Southern and Eastern states, the study shows some countries deviate from their theoretical performance. Thus, some of the Continental and Mediterranean countries have flexicurity values like those of the Nordic group. Moreover, the flexicurity regimes are not static as the theoretical typology suggests: while Denmark and France are always in the top performers’ group, other countries change their performance throughout the 2001-2019 period. The flexicurity index correlates highly with empirical country groupings in the literature. The highest correlation is with country groupings using the European Commission’s four components of flexicurity model, followed by the Golden Danish Triangle, and lastly, the Wilthagen and Tros’ flexicurity matrix. In the end, we compare EU countries’ performance in the flexicurity index scores with their performance in selected employment and unemployment rates, labor productivity, and poverty rates. Results suggest that higher flexicurity performance correlates generally with better labor market and social outcomes, the highest correlations being in the case of labor productivity rates.