Current Home Research Articles

One-Week Self-Guided Internet Cognitive Behavioral Treatments for Insomnia in Adults With Situational Insomnia During the COVID-19 Outbreak.

Objective: In the current global home confinement due to COVID-19, most individuals are facing unprecedented stress which can induce situational insomnia. We explored the efficacy of self-guided online cognitive behavioral treatment for insomnia (CBTI) on situational insomnia during the COVID-19 outbreak.Methods: Participants were recruited from March to April in 2020 in Guangzhou, China. A 1-week Internet CBTI intervention was performed for all individuals with situational insomnia. The Pre-sleep Arousal Scale (PSAS), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were measured before and after the intervention and compared between individuals who completed the intervention and those who did not.Results: One hundred and ninety-four individuals with situational insomnia were included. For PSAS score, significant group effects were found on total score (p = 0.003), somatic score (p = 0.014), and cognitive score (p = 0.009). Time effect was significant on total score (p = 0.004) and cognitive score (p < 0.001). There was a significant group × time effect of the somatic score (p = 0.025). For ISI total score, there were significant time effect (p < 0.001) and group × time effect (p = 0.024). For the HADS score, a significant group effect was found on the anxiety score (p = 0.045). The HADS had significant time effects for anxiety and depressive symptoms (all p < 0.001).Conclusion: Our study suggests good efficacy of CBTI on situational insomnia during COVID-19 for adults in the community, as well as on pre-sleep somatic hyperarousal symptom. The CBTI intervention is not applied to improve pre-sleep cognitive hyperarousal, depression, and anxiety symptoms.

Therapy approaches in diabetic nephropathy (review of literature)

Diabetic nephropathy (DNP) develops in 30-40 % of patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). It is the leading cause of the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the world. The proportion of people with DNP in the structure of patients receiving treatment with the replacement of renal function reaches 40 %. DNP is associated with a significant worsening of the cardiovascular prognosis. Over the past 5 years, significant changes have taken place in the approaches to the treatment of persons with DNP (including both reno- and cardioprotection). They concern, first of all, the emergence of new antihyperglycemic drugs, which have shown in serious randomized controlled trials (RCTs) beneficial effects on prognosis in diabetes in general and in DNP, in particular. Changes in views on treatment tactics for DNI have already been recorded in a number of serious international and domestic regulatory documents, the discussion of the main positions of which was the purpose of this literature review. The review is devoted to main therapeutic approaches in diabetic nephropathy according to current home and international Guidelines with focusing on randomized controlling investigations results on using renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system blockers and antithrombotic, hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic agents different classes.

Effectiveness of family-focused home visiting for maternal mental illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Maternal mental illness reduces a mothers' ability to bond with their infant and may adversely affect other family members. Family-focused practice is an approach which has the potential to support mothers with mental illnesses and reduce the risk of familial transmission of mental illness to children. WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: Findings suggest that current interventions are not effective in reducing depression or stress among mothers. The majority of interventions included in this review employed relatively low levels of family-focused practice. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: While there is a growing integration of family-focused practice into home visiting guidelines, this may be based on poor evidence. There is a need for the development of rigorously tested interventions which seek to include the whole family. ABSTRACT: Introduction The evidence on effectiveness of family-focused home visiting for maternal mental illness has yet to be comprehensively synthesized. Aim The aim of this study was to assess current home visiting treatments and interventions for mothers with mental illness and their families. Method The primary and secondary outcomes of interest were depression and maternal stress, respectively, both were included in meta-analyses. We identified 13 (n=5,540 participants) studies which met inclusion criteria. Eight studies were included in meta-analyses; five studies were reported narratively. Results Findings from the meta-analysis suggest that home visiting interventions are not effective in reducing depression (SMD -0.13, 95% CI -0.33 to 0.07, p=.21) and maternal stress (MD 0.59, 95% CI -5.19 to 6.38, p=.84). Discussion and Implications for practice Findings suggest that current interventions are not effective in reducing depression or stress among mothers. While there is a growing integration of family-focused practice into home visiting guidelines, this may be based on poor evidence.

Perceived Benefits of Energy Efficiency in the Spanish Residential Market and Their Relation to Sociodemographic and Living Conditions

Within the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive information symmetry regarding financial and environmental benefits, coming from real estate performance, is a key element in the promotion of efficient buildings. However, the link between energy efficiency and its perceived co-benefits is far from perfect in EU countries with a short trajectory in the promotion of such residential attributes, endangering the efficacy of information-symmetry policies. Using a large survey applied to sellers, buyers, lessors and tenants this paper explores, in Spain, the perceived co-benefits in terms of energy savings and thermal comfort of efficient homes and whether such perception correlates to current living conditions, housing tenure and sociodemographic profile of respondents. Results suggest that in general such co-benefits are present in the mind of the main agents of the housing market. However, their perception is far from being homogeneous, it is clearer in the case of households whose current home is poorly insulated or inadequately serviced in terms of thermal active systems. Sociodemographic conditions also play a role in co-benefits perceptions: Elder, wealthier and landlords, irrespective of whether they act as sellers, buyers or lessors, do perceive to a larger extent the co-benefits of efficient homes. Such findings signal clear paths for the improvement of energy and housing policy.

Northern Light: Power, Land, and the Memory of Water by Kazim Ali

Reviewed by: Northern Light: Power, Land, and the Memory of Water by Kazim Ali Kiran Bhat (bio) Kazim Ali. Northern Light: Power, Land, and the Memory of Water. Milkweed Editions. Northern Light: Power, Land, and the Memory of Water documents the Indian-American poet Kazim Ali's return to Jenpeg in the Cree lands around Manitoba, the town where he spent his childhood years. Ali's family moved from the United Kingdom to Manitoba because Ali's father was hired to work at a hydroelectric dam in the area. The dam ultimately displaced a lot of the Cree Indigenous inhabitants. As an adult in Oberlin, Ali reads in the newspapers that suicides around Jenpeg are skyrocketing. He wonders about the extent his family and its decisions may have played in the fate of the Pimicikamak people. Feeling a responsibility to this land that he is from, Ali sojourns from his current home in Ohio to the snowy steppes of Manitoba. However, Ali is not Pimicikamak, and after having spent time in India, the United Kingdom, Canada, and various cities in the United States, he cannot truly call Jenpeg home. This contradiction—to be from a place partly but not really—orients Ali's memoir. Questions of national identity and belonging permeate the text, yet Ali's conflicts are not strictly geographical but spiritual as well. The dam that Ali's father had once worked on has almost completely swallowed the town. If there is any life beyond the pumping and pulsing of the dam complex, it is found only in the guzzling of the river, or the chirps of idling birds. And while Ali expects to recognize the Old Main Road where he formed many of his childhood memories, he finds that "the whole area has been bulldozed flat at some point in the past and is just a large open area in the middle of the forest, with a group of four or five trailers arranged in a half circle at the edge of where the trees start." Jackson Osborne, a local elder and historian who has acted as Ali's guide, is more excited than he is. Ever since Jackson has come to know that Ali has grown up in Jenpeg and aspires to shine an international light onto the plights of their community, Jackson has gone out of his way to educate Ali of what has happened to Jenpeg and show him around. It is therefore no surprise given the effusive energy that he is portrayed with that he shouts, "You're here! You're home! After forty years you've come back! What does it feel like?" But Ali is not able to [End Page 164] articulate a response, particularly because what he is thinking is not the response that Jackson would be looking for. He writes, "We left this place. We went back to our cities and onward on the journey of our lives. And we never once looked back. This place isn't my home. It never was." Ali's insecurities about belonging spill over his interpretations of Jenpeg as well as his interactions with the other Pimicikamak people. As Ali asks permission to come stay with the Pimicikamak sector of the Cree community, he talks to Lee Roy, one of the members of the executive council who monitored the relationship between those building the dam and the Pimicikamaks. Lee Roy invites Ali to partake in a sweat lodge ceremony to ascertain how true or not Ali's intentions are. Ali agrees but with reticence. He writes: "And now I had agreed to be a part of some kind of ceremony in a community I barely knew. Would I be going there as a poet or as a journalist? An ethnographer or scholar or memoirist?" What was meant to be merely a homecoming tale takes an unpredicted narrative turn. Ali feels distanced from the Pimicikamaks and uncomfortable engaging in local traditions with them. Despite that, the Pimicikamak people remain warm. The elders and locals he meet know that Ali spent his childhood in their lands, so they invite him with open arms, remind him at every turn that he too belongs to their country...

Older adults with visual disabilities and fear of falling associated with activities of daily living

Although fear of falling is a risk factor for a fall and a leading cause of injury, morbidity, and mortality among older adults, there has been lack of attention to older adults with visual disabilities. This study aimed to examine fear of falling associated with activities of daily living in those with visual disabilities. A total of 18 older adults with visual disabilities completed a 10-point Likert type scale to measure fear of falling and elaborated on their ratings during exit interviews. The ratings and exit interviews were analysed via descriptive statistics and inductive content analysis, respectively. Fear of falling was negatively correlated with length of residence in the current home. The content analysis helped to identify barriers and facilitators to reducing fear of falling and fall risks, which were documented under 14 themes for home environments, six themes for outside the home, and six themes for general cases.

Adaptive Detection for Virtual MIMO System in Smart Home Environment

Smart home devices have received considerable attention recently due to the promise of a large number of applications. Researchers are stepping up research with the goal of creating a smarter, more convenient and more comfortable life. A wide range of smart home devices are being developed to improve signal reliability and stability. This paper comprehensively introduces the smart home and its application, MIMO system, and some methods of signal detection. On this basis, the main characteristics of K-Best detection method are introduced. At the end of this paper, we summarize the current smart home technology, and its development prospects are introduced in detail.

Aligning with feminism: Critical autoethnographic reflections of a profeminist heterosexual male teacher educator

In the last two decades, education scholarship has made significant progress in advancing the feminist social justice agenda with women scholars having been almost entirely the drivers of this movement. Women scholars in teacher education have been successful in establishing and consolidating this disciplinary field of study quite firmly in the teacher education curriculum. Despite this, many forms of oppression, including domestic or intimate partner violence and sex- and gender-based violence, continue to plague South African universities and society in general. The current COVID-19 pandemic's mandatory home confinement restrictions have further exacerbated the conditions for individuals likely to experience domestic violence. Men have been relatively silent and inactive in this social justice project. There is also limited extant scholarship that addresses the role that profeminist men might play in this social justice enterprise. There is also little work that attempts to understand the level of sophistication with which men understand feminism, determine with which feminisms men might align themselves, and the accountability and responsibility that might come with assuming certain positions. In this critical autoethnographic piece, I engage with the questions of how critical pedagogical encounters in a teacher education course might serve as disruptive devices that trouble stubbornly resistant gendered socialisations. I draw on my experiences as a teacher educator as I struggle to locate and identify my own profeminist positionality and the tensions this presents. I contemplate the poststructuralist caution about writing (my)self into a text given that the writing self is an evolving/changing self. I reflect on my attempt to disrupt obliviousness as I contemplate the prospect of self-disclosure as a point of entry for profeminist men's praxis in a teacher education programme subscribed to by young men (and women) deeply socialised in a patriarchal history and culture.

ПЕРЕХОДНЫЙ ПРОЦЕСС И ИНСТИТУТЫ: К ВОПРОСУ ОБ УРОВНЕ ЖИЗНИ В СТРАНАХ ЦЕНТРАЛЬНО-ВОСТОЧНОЙ ЕВРОПЫ — ЧЛЕНАХ ЕВРОПЕЙСКОГО СОЮЗА

The aim of this article is to adjust the technique of comparing the standard of living in 11 countries of Central and Eastern Europe that became members of the European Union (EU) during 2004-2013 (EU-11) and 15 countries of Western, Northern and Southern Europe – member states of the EU by 1995 (EU-15). We reveal that outright home ownership in the EU-11 countries exceeds on average 75%, while almost two-thirds of households in the EU-15 countries have a mortgage or pay rent spending on housing on average up to one quarter of their income. Despite 30 years of transition to a market economy, the EU-11 countries largely inherited such home ownership structure from the centrally planned economy institutions, i.e. individually-owned and cooperative housing, as well as subsidized state-owned housing stock that became the private property of tenants at the start of market reforms. We propose a technique of taking into account households’ income and housing costs (mortgage and rent) in one indicator given the current home ownership structure in an economy. After the purchasing power parity (PPP) adjustment, our calculations reveal that the standard of living disparities between the EU-11 and EU-15 states are less significant than when compared at nominal prices or PPP alone. Moreover, the disparity in average living standards between these two groups of countries turns out to be narrower than cross-regional differences within seven EU member states at the Eurostat’s NUTS 2 level.

AI 기반 스마트 하우징 플랫폼 및 서비스 기술 개발 방향 설정을 위한 기초 연구

Purpose: This study reviews publications on smart home related researches and services trends. The authors introduces a concept of smart housing platform in order to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of smart home services and technologies. Method: The trend of smart home research is identified through literature reviews. The authors analyze the technical components of the smart housing platform by devices, gateways, networks, and services. In addition, issues of the current smart home are derived through the reviews on the smart home services strategies and AI based smart home technologies. In order to advance the competitiveness and sustainability of smart home, a smart housing platform is introduced based on the platform architecture, and a design of smart home service. Result: The smart housing platform will allow the diversity of networking through Open-Connectivity Integrated Gateway, and has the scalability for various participants to develop and register service modules. In addition, the personal information would be protected and managed by block chain technologies.

Are Home Care Aides Interested in Helping Clients Do Physical Activity?

The current home care paradigm dictates home care aides (HCAs) provide prescribed help with activities of daily living, rather than stimulating older adults’ reserves to maintain independence. Little is known about whether HCAs are interested in expanding their role to promote their clients’ health. This study examined HCAs’ interest in helping clients do physical activity among workers who care for their family members or clients assigned by home care agencies in a Medicaid-funded home care program. Data came from brief surveys completed by HCAs at state-mandated in-service training sessions (N=602; 42% caring for non-family clients only, 38% family clients only, 20% both family and non-family clients). Ordered logit analysis was conducted to examine whether HCAs caring for family clients differ from those caring for non-family clients in levels of interest in helping clients do safe physical activity as part of home care work, controlling for HCAs’ age, gender, language (English/Spanish), and years of home care experience. HCAs’ interest levels were high (62% very, 21% somewhat, 8% slightly, 9% not at all interested). Ordered logit analysis indicated that HCAs caring for family members had significantly higher interest levels than those caring for non-family clients only (83% higher among HCAs caring for both family and non-family clients, 30% higher among HCAs caring for family clients only). To reflect HCAs’ interests and to maintain clients’ independence, home care workforce training should direct its attention to empower HCAs to assume health-promoting roles.

Association between Human Health and Indoor Air Pollution in Saudi Arabia: Indoor Environmental Quality Survey

In many aspects of life quality, bio-contaminants and indoor air quality have had catastrophic consequences, including a negative impact on human health with an increased prevalence of allergic respiratory reactions, asthma, and infectious diseases. We aimed to evaluate the quality of indoor air environment and find out the association between human health and indoor air pollution and also to assess the physical health status of a group of Saudi and non-Saudi populations during this pandemic. Also, we aimed to assess the most common health condition or symptoms associated with ventilation. A questionnaire was distributed online to test indoor air quality, ventilation status, common signs and symptoms of any allergy or mental status and their relationship to certain variables. A total of 362 respondents were included. Before living in the current home, flu or Influenza and chapped lips were more prevalent than allergies and chapped lips signs while living in the current home. (12.2% , 10.8% vs. 18.5% , 13.55% before and after respectively) Multiple colds were the second most common symptom (10.2%). Hoarse voice and headaches were the least common symptoms experienced; each constituted 4.4%. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, most respondents wore a facemask, approximately 76.5%; and almost one-third of respondents had bright natural light inside the current home (43.1%). The presence of natural light within the current home was significantly associated with symptoms experienced during living in the current house (p&lt;0.05). Natural sunlight exposure could decrease allergic symptoms and minor health problems associated with poor ventilation and air quality indoors. In current living homes, the majority of respondents never used air purifiers (72.9 percent). In order to get attention from people to enhance the quality and ventilation mechanism of indoor air, special care and awareness of the effects of the use of air purifiers on human health is needed.

Evaluation of a Home Monitoring Application for Follow Up after Lung Transplantation-A Pilot Study.

Home spirometry after lung transplantation is common practice, to monitor graft function. However, there is little experience with online home monitoring applications with direct data transfer to the hospital. We evaluated the feasibility and patient experiences with a new online home monitoring application, integrated with a Bluetooth-enabled spirometer and real-time data transfer. Consecutive lung transplant recipients were asked to evaluate this home monitoring application for three months in a pilot study. Home spirometry measurements were compared with in-hospital lung function tests (the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC)) at the end of the study. Ten patients participated. The home and hospital spirometry measurements showed a high correlation, for both the FEV1 (r = 0.99, p < 0.01) and FVC (r = 0.99, p < 0.01). The adherence and patient satisfaction were high, and the patients preferred the home monitoring application over the current home spirometer, with a difference of 1.4 ± 1.5 points on a scale from 0 to 10 (p = 0.02). Online home monitoring with direct data transfer is feasible and reliable after lung transplantation and results in high patient satisfaction. Whether the implementation of online home monitoring enables the earlier detection of lung function decline and improves patient and graft outcomes will be the subject of future research.

Urban Sprawl, Socioeconomic Features, and Travel Patterns in Middle East Countries: A Case Study in Iran

The present study aimed to investigate different socioeconomic factors as well as the perceptions and travel behaviors associated with urban sprawl in two cities of different sizes in Iran, as a developing country in the Middle East. Four Weighted Least Squares (WLS) regression models were developed for Hamedan and Nowshahr, as examples of large and small cities in Iran, respectively. The findings showed different correlations related to urban sprawl between Iranian cities and high-income countries in terms of socioeconomic and travel behavior determinants. Urban sprawl around home in Hamedan was positively correlated with the number of cars and driving licenses in households, the use of a private car for trips, and less use of public transport. Urban sprawl around homes in Nowshahr was related to an increased number of cars, the use of private cars for non-commuting trips, less sense of belonging to the neighborhood, and lower income. Additionally, urban sprawl around workplaces was correlated with main daily activity, number of non-commuting trips, mode of choice for non-commuting, and residential location choice in Hamedan a swell as monthly income, daily shopping area, frequency of public transport use, quality of recreational facilities, length of time for living in the current home, and commuting distance in Nowshahr.

Current Condition of Home Environment and Necessary Home Modifications for Elderly in Community

This study aimed to investigate the home environment conditions of the elderly living in the community and to confirm the needs of the residential environment. This study was conducted from January 15th to 25th, 2018, in 12 elderly households in Chungcheongnam-do, using a structured questionnaire and a home environment checklist. The elderly did not feel uncomfortable with their current home, but they wanted to modify their home environment to improve their quality of life. Investigation using home environment checklists showed that demands for supportive design were lacking in the overall areas. On the results of this study, it was confirmed that it is essential to reflect the residents’ occupation, physical characteristics, and needs when constructing the home environment for the healthy life of the elderly in the community.

Nurse management of glycemia in cardiac intensive care

Abstract Introduction Scientific studies have shown that hypoglycaemia is an important risk factor for adverse events in cardiac intensive care. Nursing management of blood glucose, via protocol, is an important tool to avoid cases of hypoglycaemia. Objective We evaluate the efficacy and safety of a glycemia control protocol based on nursing management in diabetic patients in Intensive Care Unit. Material and methods We conducted a retrospective analysis on 500 patients hospitalized for acute coronary syndrome or heart failure, with an average age of 75±12 years, clinically stable. The protocol used provides, on medical indication, the suspension of home therapy (both oral hypoglycemic agents and insulin) and the introduction of insulin therapy according to the scheme 0.2/0.5 IU/kg/day. The dosage lower than 0.2 IU/kg/day is used for patients in home therapy with oral hypoglycemic agents and basal blood sugar &amp;lt;150 mg/dl and the dose greater than 0.5 IU/kg/day for patients already on home insulin therapy and basal blood sugar&amp;gt; at 200 mg/dl. The intermediate dosage. 3–0.4 IU/kg/day is instead used in patients with glycaemia between 150 and 200 mg/dl regardless of home therapy. On the basis of the dosage schedule, the daily insulin requirement is obtained which is then administered at 50% as a slow analogue at 10 pm and at 50% as a rapid analogue, further divided into three doses with each main meal. Once the initial therapy has been set, the nurse acts autonomously according to a correction algorithm (based on the calculation of the correction factor (FC) according to the formula FC = 3000/body weight in kg or FC = 1700/total daily dose of insulin &amp;gt; FC = reduction in blood glucose in mg/dl determined by 1 IU of insulin) which provides for the modification of insulin therapy based on the patient's weight and the blood glucose values measured with sticks at 8, 12, 18 and 22. If during hospitalization and/or discharge, inadequately controlled glycemic values persist, the patient is sent to diabetes advice and the current home therapy is resumed upon discharge or according to diabetes advice. Results We observed an excellent pre and post prandial glucose control with extremely reduced incidence of hypoglycaemia which occurred in only 3 cases, one of which with severe hypoglycaemia (glucose detected &amp;lt;40 mg/dl, resolved with the administration of glucose 33 20ml% followed by infusion of 10% glucose solution and glycemic stick after 15') for administration error and two with moderate hypoglycaemia (glucose detected between 40–70 mg/dl resolved with the reduction of 2 IU of rapid analogue and repeated stick post prandial). Conclusions A nursing management protocol for blood glucose values in patients with diabetes mellitus hospitalized for acute coronary syndrome or heart failure is safe and allows good control of blood glucose values. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

COVID-19-related anxiety disorder in Iraq during the pandemic: an online cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe COVID-19 outbreak is an unprecedented global public health burden, which popped up in China in late 2019 to early 2020 and distributed worldwide rapidly. Indeed, this pandemic transmission has raised global physical and mental health concerns. Mental health issues that concur with this public health emergency may pose anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. In Iraq, there are no registered known data on the psychological consequence of the public during the communicable disease outbreak. The ongoing study aims to address the paucity of these data as an appraisal of the mental health burden represented by anxiety disorder related to the global COVID-19 era.ResultsAmong the 1591 Iraqi respondents, 788 (49.5%) accounted for having health anxiety over the current home restriction situation. Younger ages experienced more COVID-19-related health anxiety compared to older ages. Females reported higher health anxiety compared to males (57.7% vs 42.3%). The health care professionals reported 20.9% health anxiety. The Iraqi southern population displayed more health anxiety compared to the northern and middle portions. This work showed about half of the respondents were spending over 60 min focusing on news of COVID-19. We found that 80 to 90% carrying out preventive efforts and home quarantine against COVID-19 infection. Interestingly, participants experienced fear from the risk of COVID-19 infection, whether more or equal to a level of war scare, in 70.1% of the sample.ConclusionsIn Iraq, during the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly half of the respondents have health anxiety. Southern Iraqi cities displayed higher rates of anxiety. Also, being female, younger ages, holding an academic degree, or being a college student are associated with more prominent degrees of anxiety. Furtherly, it is important to adopt strategies for public health education and prevention and alerting future governmental responses focusing on psychological state impact among the general population.

Air pollution and the development of asthma from birth until young adulthood

Background: Air pollution is associated with asthma development in children and adults, but the impact on asthma development during the transition from adolescence to adulthood is unclear. Adult studies lack historical exposures and consequently cannot assess the relevance of exposure during different periods of life. We assessed the relevance of early life and more recent air pollution exposure for asthma development from birth until early adulthood. Methods: We used data of 3,687 participants of the prospective Dutch PIAMA birth cohort and linked asthma incidence until age 20 to estimated concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), PM2.5 absorbance ("soot") and particulate matter with a diameter &lt;2.5 μm (PM2.5), &lt;10 μm (PM10), and 2.5-10 μm (PMcoarse) at the residential address. We assessed overall and age-specific associations with air pollution exposure with discrete time hazard models, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Overall, we found higher incidence of asthma until age 20 with higher exposure to all pollutants at the birth address [adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) ranging from 1.09 (1.01-1.18) for PM10 to 1.20 (1.10-1.32) for NO2) per interquartile range increase] that were rather persistent with age and similar associations were observed with more recent exposure defined as exposure at the current home address. In two-pollutant models with PM, associations with NO2 persist. Conclusions: Exposure to air pollution, especially from motorized traffic, early in life may have long-term consequences for asthma development as it is associated with an increased odds of developing asthma through childhood and adolescence into early adulthood.

Odour nuisance and urban residents' quality of life: A case study in Kraków's in Plaszow district

This paper aims to assess the level of odour nuisance in the south-eastern part of Kraków (Płaszów) and the related quality of life. It includes two aspects: life comfort and the health aspect. Kraków is one of the largest urban centres in Poland. It is globally perceived as the cultural capital of Poland and is the country's main tourist destination. It is also one of the most polluted cities in Poland. Płaszów, as a district of Kraków, is characterised by the largest increase in urbanised areas and changes in the spatial development of the municipality of Kraków.The research methodology was divided into the phases comprising of qualitative and quantitative research. Qualitative research included (1) the analysis of the content on Internet forums and social networking sites as regards odour nuisance concerns, (2) in-depth ethnographic interviews with residents of Płaszów's housing estates, which were conducted in the form of strolling groups created specifically for this purpose, combined with the recording of impressions, remarks and associations of their participants and representative residents of the studied area.A measurement tool, developed according to the VDI 3883 guidelines, based on the latest outcome of research on odour and noise nuisance, was used for assessing odour nuisance. The questionnaire was developed based on German experience. Empirical research was conducted for the area sample of 2000 respondents. The selection of respondents was carried out by a random stroll.Questions scaled according to two scales of annoyance constituted the key part of the questionnaire. One of them was a 7-point ordinal scale and the other a 10-point interval scale. These scales allowed collecting information from respondents significantly related to the purpose of the study. The research sample consisted of respondents representing households using the water supply and sewage disposal services located in the area of Płaszów. Within that area, according to the data obtained, 21,925 people utilised these services.The conducted qualitative and quantitative research carried out on a large wide scale in one of Poland's largest cities in Poland -– Kraków -– undoubtedly constitutes the beginning of the identification and assessment process concerning of the scale of this problem in urban space. The results of this research work indicate unequivocally point to the influence of perceived fragrances smells on the health and the sense of comfort of local residents. The assessment of this phenomenon is common and does is not dependent on the gender or age of respondents. However, it has an impact on everyday life and subjective feelings about concerning the state of health caused by living in an area with unpleasant odours. This research proves that the more intense the and unpleasant the odour is, the less resistant one is to move out of their current home. The longer people live in the area, the less negative their feelings are, which may mean they get used become accustomed to the environment they are living in. According to the respondents, the unpleasant odours have the greatest impact on health factors, which in turn determines the sense of life comfort. The results obtained in this study indicate the need for further, in-depth research in this area.

Onset and remission of eczema at pre-school age in relation to prenatal and postnatal air pollution and home environment across China

We investigated associations between prenatal and postnatal environmental factors and onset and remission of preschool childhood eczema across China. The study population was preschoolers in randomized day care centers in seven cities (N = 39,782). Data on eczema and prenatal and postnatal indoor and outdoor environment were obtained from a cross-sectional questionnaire sent to parents or other guardians. Reports on eczema in the first 2 years and in the past year was used to retrospectively calculate onset and remission (changes of reported eczema). Prenatal and postnatal outdoor temperature, NO2 and PM10 were modelled from official air pollution data. Associations were estimated by two-level logistic regression. Calculated onset rate was 3.2%/y and remission rate 29.2%/y. Exposure to NO2 during pregnancy was associated with onset of eczema, similarly for all trimesters. Postnatal PM10 and NO2 were related to decreased remission. Postnatal outdoor temperature was associated with onset of eczema. Pre-natal and current redecoration or buying new furniture, and perinatal as well as current dampness and indoor mould, were associated with increased onset and decreased remission. Cockroaches in current home was another indoor risk factors. Prenatal exposure to farm environment and large family size were all negatively associated with eczema. In conclusion, a warmer climate and prenatal NO2 can be associated with increased onset of eczema in Chinese preschoolers. Postnatal PM10 and NO2 can be associated with reduced remission. Perinatal and current dampness, indoor mould and cockroaches may increase onset and decrease remission. Exposure to chemical emissions from indoor materials after first year of life may increase onset. Prenatal exposure to farm environment and large family size could be protective.