Fixed-effects Logistic Regression Research Articles

Lack of Health Insurance Coverage and Emergency Medical Service Transport for Pediatric Trauma Patients.

Pediatric trauma patients who lack insurance coverage may have less access to transport other than emergency medical services (EMS) or face financial barriers that prevent utilization of these services. We analyzed the association between health insurance coverage and EMS transport while controlling for injury and patient characteristics. De-identified Trauma Quality Programs registry data were queried for pediatric trauma patients age <18y. The primary outcome was arrival by EMS (excluding interfacility transfer) versus private transport or walk-in, and the primary exposure was insurance coverage (any versus none). After exact matching on injury and facility characteristics, propensity matching was used to balance demographic covariates and comorbidities between insured and uninsured patients. Of the 130,246 patients analyzed, 9501 (7%) did not have insurance coverage. After matching 9494 uninsured cases to 9494 insured controls, fixed-effects logistic regression found that uninsured patients had 18% greater odds of using EMS transport, compared to insured patients (odds ratio: 1.18; 95% confidence interval: 1.11, 1.26; P<0.001). Results were similar when comparing uninsured patients to privately insured or publicly insured patients only. Uninsured pediatric trauma patients have a higher likelihood of using EMS transport compared to insured patients with similar demographic and clinical characteristics, including the exact same score of injury severity. Lack of access to private transport may drive higher EMS utilization in uninsured patients with minor injuries and contribute to higher costs of pediatric trauma care borne by institutions and families.

The temporality of on-street parking – exploring the role of land-use mix and change on parking dynamics

Parking is often overlooked by urban researchers even though parking consumes large proportions of a city’s physical footprint and imposes a significant impediment to more sustainable travel. Underpinning this lack of attention is suitable data and methods capable of capturing the complex dynamics of parking. Here we redress this gap by drawing on an emergent source of parking data and deploying empirical techniques to unpack this complexity. Data from 3542 on-street parking sensors observed over a 9-year period are used to delineate the first typology of parking routines before using a fixed-effects logistic regression model to explain how nearby land-use types and land-use mix shapes tempo and timing of parking utilisation. The benefit of our approach lies in its capacity to discriminate broad types of temporal rhythms associated with parking dynamics at particular places, how these change over time and how these rhythms are associated with different types and mixes of nearby land use. This knowledge is important to inform policies seeking to optimise the use of on-street parking and invoke more sustainable patterns of mobility.

The composition and stability of demographic integration through gentrification

ABSTRACT Gentrification, the increase of land values and resident socioeconomic status in previously low-income neighborhoods, is related to the emergence of demographically mixed White neighborhoods. But questions remain as to what kinds of mixtures (White/Black, White/Hispanic, or White/Asian) gentrification facilitates and how stable they are over time. To address this limitation, this study utilizes Census and American Community Survey data for metropolitan areas from 1980 to 2010. We use a typology of racial/ethnic neighborhoods by composition to determine what kind of demographic integration, if any, results from gentrification and how stable it is over time. Using hybrid fixed effects logistic regression to control for modeled and unmodeled factors, we find gentrification is associated with the emergence of mixed-White-and-Black and mixed-White-and-Hispanic neighborhoods, but not mixed White-and-Asian/Pacific Islander neighborhoods. Using conventional logistic regression, we find gentrification that began in the 1980s is related to the long-term integration of Whites with Hispanics and Blacks.

Effect of preterm birth on early neonatal, late neonatal, and postneonatal mortality in India.

Despite India having a high burden of infant deaths and preterm birth, there is a clear lack of studies documenting association between preterm birth and infant mortality in India. Additionally, existing studies have failed to account for unobserved heterogeneity while linking preterm birth with infant mortality. Hence, the present study examines association of preterm birth with early neonatal death (ENND), late neonatal death (LNND), and postneonatal death (PNND) in India. We used the reproductive calendar canvassed in the cross-sectional National Family Health Survey 2015-16 (NFHS-4) to identify preterm births. We used multivariable logistic regression to examine the associations for all births, most-, second most-, and third most- recent births occurred in five years preceding NFHS-4. We use mother fixed-effect logistic regression to confirm the associations among all recent births. Among all births, preterm births were 4.2, 3.8, and 1.7 times as likely as full-term births to die during early neonatal, late neonatal, and postneonatal periods respectively. Among most recent births, preterm births were 4.4, 4.0, and 2.0 times as likely as full-term births to die during early neonatal, late neonatal, and postneonatal periods respectively. Preterm births were also associated with risk of only ENND, LNND, and PNND among the second most recent births. Preterm births were associated with risk of only ENND and LNND among the third most recent births. Preterm births were also associated with ENND, LNND, and PNND in the mother fixed-effects regressions. This study establishes associations of preterm birth with ENND, LNND, and PNND in India using over 0.2 million births that occurred in 5 years preceding one of the largest population-based representative household surveys conducted in any part of the world. Our findings call for programmatic and policy interventions to address the considerable burden of preterm birth in the country.

Hearing loss, depression and social participation of older adults: Evidence from the China health and retirement longitudinal study

Hearing loss and depression in older adults are associated with a lower social participation rate. However, few studies have thoroughly analyzed the relationship between them. The data were obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study carried out in 2011, 2013 and 2015, and data from 24 306 participants ranging in age from 50 to 80 years were used in this study. Hearing loss, depression and social participation were assessed by self-reported hearing status, the 10-item Center for the Epidemiological Studies of Depression Short Form, and self-reported social participation activity types and frequency. The fixed effects logistic regression and random effects logistic regression were used to examine the relationship between hearing loss and social participation. The Sobel method was used to explore the relationship between hearing loss, depression and social participation. Compared with older adults without hearing loss, persons with hearing loss engaged in significantly fewer types of activities (β=-0.070, 95% CI -0.109, -0.031, P < 0.001) and at a lower frequency (β=-0.176, 95% CI -0.260, -0.093, P < 0.001). Depression significantly existed in the relationship between hearing loss and social participation as a mediating variable, and the percentage of indirect effects in this relationship were 16.5% and 20.8%. The findings of this study suggest that when facing an aging society, improving the hearing status of older adults should be considered by policymakers. More efforts should be made to help older adults cope with depression. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2022; 22: 529-535.

Improving care coordination and reducing ED utilization through patient navigation.

Our study examines the impact of an emergency department (ED) patient navigation program for patients in a Medicaid accountable care organization across 3 hospitals in a large health system. Our program engages community health workers to (1) promote primary care engagement, (2) facilitate care coordination, and (3) identify and address patients' health-related social needs. Our study was a retrospective analysis of health care utilization and costs in the 30 days following the index ED visit, comparing individuals receiving ED navigation and matched controls. The primary outcome of interest was all-cause return ED visits, and our secondary outcomes were hospital admissions and completed primary care appointments. Patients with ED visits who received navigation were matched to comparable patients with ED visits without an ED navigator interaction. Outcomes were analyzed using fixed effects logistic regression models adjusted for patient demographics, ED visit characteristics, and preceding utilization. Our primary outcome was odds of a return ED visit within 30 days, and our secondary outcomes were odds of a hospitalization within 30 days and odds of having primary care visit within 30 days. In our sample, there were 1117 ED visits by patients meeting our inclusion criteria with an ED navigator interaction, with 3351 matched controls. ED navigation was associated with 52% greater odds of a completed follow-up primary care appointment (odds ratio [OR], 1.52; 95% CI, 1.29-1.77). In patients with no ED visits in the preceding 6 months, ED navigation was associated with 32% decreased odds of repeat ED visits in the subsequent 30 days (OR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.52-0.90). There was no statistically significant impact on return ED visits in those with higher baseline ED utilization. Our program demonstrates that high-intensity, short-term patient navigation in the ED can help reduce ED visits in those with low baseline ED utilization and facilitate stronger connections with primary care.

Alpha-Emitter Radiopharmaceuticals and External Beam Radiotherapy: A Radiobiological Model for the Combined Treatment.

Simple SummaryThe linear–quadratic (LQ) model was adapted to 223Ra therapy using brachytherapy formalism for a mixture of radionuclides, considering the contribution of all daughter isotopes in the decay chain. The LQ model allowed us to predict the two-year overall survival and neutropenia rates with a combination of external beam radiotherapy and 223Ra treatment. The fitted model could be used to guide future optimization and personalization of combined treatments.Previously published studies combined external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) treatments with different activities of 223Ra. The data of two-year overall survival (2y-OS) and neutropenia (TOX) incidence when combining EBRT and 223Ra are not homogeneous in literature. We adapted the linear–quadratic model (LQ) to 223Ra therapy using brachytherapy formalism for a mixture of radionuclides, considering the contribution of all daughter isotopes in the decay chain. A virtual cohort of patients undergoing 223Ra therapy was derived using data from the literature. The doses delivered using 223Ra and EBRT were converted into biologically equivalent doses. Fixed-effect logistic regression models were derived for both the 2y-OS and TOX and compared with available literature. Based on the literature search, four studies were identified to have reported the 223Ra injection activity levels varying from the placebo (0) to 80 kBq/kg, associated or not with EBRT. Logistic regression models revealed a dose-dependent increase in both the 2y-OS (intercept = −1.364; slope = 0.006; p-value ≤ 0.05) and TOX (−5.035; 0.018; ≤0.05) using the EBRT schedule of 8 Gy in 1 fr. Similar results were obtained for other schedules. Discrepancies between our TOX model and those derived for EBRT combined with chemotherapy are discussed. Radiobiological models allow us to estimate dose-dependent relationships, to predict the OS and TOX following combined 223Ra + EBRT treatment, which will guide future treatment optimization.

Fewer potentially avoidable health care events in rural veterans with self-directed care versus other personal care services.

Rural residents face more barriers to healthcare access, including challenges in receiving home- and community-based long-term services, compared to urban residents. Self-directed services provide flexibility and choice in care options and may be particularly well suited to help older adults with multiple chronic conditions and functional limitations who reside in rural areas remain independent and live in the community. We conducted a retrospective observational study to understand whether differences in health outcomes between Veteran-Directed Care (VDC), a self-directed Veterans Health Administration (VHA)-paid care program, and other VHA-paid home- and community-based personal care services vary in rural/urban location. The sample included 37,395 veterans receiving VHA-paid home- and community-based long-term care services in FY17. Our primary outcomes were changes in monthly incidence of VHA or VHA-paid community acute care admissions, nursing home admissions, and emergency department (ED) visits. We used fixed effects logistic regression models on unmatched and coarsened exact matched cohorts, stratified by rural/urban location. Both urban and rural VDC recipients were significantly less likely to be admitted to VHA-paid nursing homes, compared to those receiving other VHA-paid personal care services (rural: incremental effect=-0.22, [-0.30, -0.14]; urban: incremental effect=-0.14, [-0.20, -0.07]). Rural, but not urban, VDC enrollees had significantly fewer VHA-paid acute care admissions and ED visits, relative to recipients of other VHA-paid personal care services (acute care, rural: incremental effect=-0.07, 95% CI=[-0.14, -0.01], urban: incremental effect=-0.01, [-0.06, 0.03]; ED, rural: incremental effect=-0.08, [-0.14, -0.02], urban: incremental effect=0.01, [-0.03, 0.05]). VDC recipients had fewer incidents of potentially avoidable VHA-paid health care use, compared to similar veterans receiving other VHA-paid personal care services. These differences were more pronounced among rural VDC recipients than urban VDC recipients.

The impact of current smoking, regular drinking, and physical inactivity on health care-seeking behavior in China

BackgroundPeople with lifestyle behaviors, such as current smoking, regular drinking, and physical inactivity, may experience a lack of or delayed health care, leading to severe sickness and higher health care expenditures in the future. Hence, the current study aims to ascertain the effects of current smoking, regular drinking, and physical inactivity on health care-seeking behavior among adults who report physical discomfort in China.MethodsThe data used in this study were obtained from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). The final sample consisted of 44,362 individuals who participated in all five waves of data collection. Logistic regression models were used for the analysis.ResultsThe results of fixed effects logistic regression showed that among those who reported physical discomfort, adults who currently smoked cigarettes were 0.65 times less likely to seek health care than those who formerly smoked. Compared to nondrinkers, adults who regularly drank alcohol had a decreased likelihood of seeking health care. Adults who never engaged in physical exercise had 24% lower odds of seeking health care than those who engaged in physical exercise.ConclusionsCurrent smoking, regular drinking, and physical inactivity decreased the probability of seeking health care among adults who reported physical discomfort. Therefore, screening and brief advice programs should be delivered by primary-level care and should pay more attention to individuals who engage in lifestyle behaviors such as current smoking, regular drinking, and physical inactivity, thus avoiding missed opportunities to treat chronic conditions and detect new diseases early.

Prevalence and predictive risk factors of hypertension in patients hospitalized in Kamenge Military hospital and Kamenge University teaching hospital in 2019: A fixed effect modelling study in Burundi.

Hypertension is a major threat to public health globally. Especially in sub-Saharan African countries, this coexists with high burden of other infectious diseases, creating a complex public health situation which is difficult to address. Tackling this will require targeted public health intervention based on evidence that well defines the at risk population. In this study, using retrospective data from two referral hospitals in Burundi, we model the risk factors of hypertension in Burundi. Retrospective data of a sample of 353 randomly selected from a population of 4,380 patients admitted in 2019 in two referral hospitals in Burundi: Military and University teaching hospital of Kamenge. The predictive risk factors were carried out by fixed effect logistic regression. Model performance was assessed with Area under Curve (AUC) method. Model was internally validated using bootstrapping method with 2000 replications. Both data processing and data analysis were done using R software. Overall, 16.7% of the patients were found to be hypertensive. This study didn't showed any significant difference of hypertension's prevalences among women (16%) and men (17.7%). After adjustment of the model for cofounding covariates, associated risk factors found were advanced age (40-59 years) and above 60 years, high education level, chronic kidney failure, high body mass index, familial history of hypertension. In absence of these highlighted risk factors, the risk of hypertension occurrence was about 2 per 1000 persons. This probability is more than 90% in patients with more than three risk factors. The relatively high prevalence and associated risk factors of hypertension in Burundi raises a call for concern especially in this context where there exist an equally high burden of infectious diseases, other chronic diseases including chronic malnutrition. Targeting interventions based on these identified risk factors will allow judicious channel of resources and effective public health planning.

The interaction between social factors and adversities on self-harm during the COVID-19 pandemic: longitudinal analysis of 49 227 UK adults.

Little is known about which factors exacerbate and buffer the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related adversities on changes in thinking about and engaging in self-harm over time. To examine how changes in four social factors contribute to changes in self-harm thoughts and behaviours over time and how these factors in turn interact with adversities and worries about adversities to increase risk for these outcomes. Data from 49 227 UK adults in the UCL COVID-19 Social Study were analysed across the first 59 weeks of the pandemic. Fixed-effects logistic regressions examined time-varying associations between social support quality, loneliness, number of days of face-to-face contact for >15 min and number of days phoning/video calling for ≥15 min with self-harm thoughts and behaviours. We then examined how these four factors in turn interacted with the total number of adversities and worries about adversity and how this affected outcomes. Increases in the quality of social support were associated with decreases in the likelihood of both outcomes, whereas greater loneliness was associated with an increase in their likelihood. Associations were less clear for telephone/video contact and face-to-face contact with outcomes. Social support buffered and loneliness exacerbated the impact of adversity experiences on self-harm behaviours. These findings suggest the importance of the quality of one's social support network, rather than the mere presence of contact, for reducing the likelihood of self-harm behaviours in the context of COVID-19 pandemic-related adversity and worry.

The effects of smoking, regular drinking, and unhealthy weight on health care utilization in China

BackgroundPreventive risk factors such as smoking, drinking, and unhealthy weight have contributed to the accelerated rise in noncommunicable chronic diseases, which are dominant drivers of health care utilization and spending in China. However, few studies have been conducted using a large longitudinal dataset to explore the impact of such preventive risk factors on health care utilization. Therefore, this study aimed to ascertain the effects of smoking, regular drinking, and unhealthy weight on health care utilization in China.MethodsThis research was a longitudinal study using data from five waves of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) conducted between 2010 and 2018, and the final sample consisted of 63,260 observations (12,652 participants) across all five waves of data collection. Health care utilization was measured from two perspectives: outpatient utilization and inpatient utilization. Smoking status was categorized as never smoker, former smoker, or current smoker. Unhealthy weight was classified based on the participants’ body mass index. A fixed effects logistic regression model was used for the analysis.ResultsThe results of fixed effects logistic regression showed that current and former smokers were approximately 1.9 times and 2.0 times more likely to use outpatient care than those who never smoked, respectively (odds ratio (OR) = 1.88, p < 0.05; OR = 2.03, p < 0.05). Obese people were approximately 1.3 times more likely to use outpatient care than healthy weight people (OR = 1.26, p < 0.05). Moreover, the results show that compared to those who never smoked, for current and former smokers, the odds of being hospitalized increased by 42.2 and 198.2%, respectively (OR = 1.42; p < 0.1, OR = 2.98; p < 0.05). Compared to healthy weight people, overweight and obese people were also more likely to be hospitalized (OR = 1.11; p < 0.1, OR = 1.18; p < 0.1, respectively).ConclusionAmong Chinese adults, current and former smokers were more likely to use outpatient and inpatient care than those who had never smoked. Moreover, compared to healthy weight people, obese people were more likely to use outpatient and inpatient care, and overweight people were more likely to use inpatient care. These results may have important implications that support the government in making health care resource allocation decisions.

Trends in handwashing behaviours for COVID-19 prevention: Longitudinal evidence from online surveys in 10 sub-Saharan African countries.

Handwashing is essential for respiratory virus prevention, but uptake of handwashing in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic remains under-explored. This study examines trends in and determinants of handwashing practices for COVID-19 prevention in 10 countries in West, East, and Southern Africa. Data are derived from an online global Facebook survey assessing COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, and practices, fielded in July (Round 1) and November 2020 (Round 2). Adults ≥18 years (N = 29,964) were asked if they practiced handwashing with soap and water in the past week to prevent COVID-19. Design-corrected F-statistics compared knowledge and practice of handwashing, at country and regional levels, between survey rounds. A country-level fixed-effects logistic regression model then identified socio-demographic and ideational correlates of handwashing at Round 2. Most participants were >30 years-old, men, post-secondary educated, and urban residents. Between survey rounds, handwashing prevalence declined significantly across regions and in each country, from a 14% decline (Δ84%-70%) in Tanzania to a 3% decline (Δ92%-89%) in South Africa. Handwashing was higher among participants aged >30 years (Adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] = 1.25, 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 1.15-1.35) and with post-secondary education (aOR = 1.62, 95%CI: 1.49-1.77) but lower among men (aOR = 0.71, 95%CI: 0.64-0.78). Ideational factors associated with handwashing included perceived effectiveness of handwashing (aOR = 2.17, 95%CI: 2.00-2.36), knowing someone diagnosed with COVID-19 (aOR = 1.28, 95%CI: 1.18-1.40), and perceived importance of personal action for COVID-19 prevention (aOR = 2.93; 95%CI: 2.60-3.31). Adjusting for socio-demographic and ideational factors, country-level marginal probabilities of handwashing ranged from 67% in Tanzania to 91% in South Africa in Round 2. COVID-19 prevention messages should stress the importance of handwashing, coupled with mask use and physical distancing, for mitigating respiratory disease transmission. Behaviour change communications should be sensitive to resource heterogeneities in African countries, which shape opportunities for sustainable handwashing behaviours.

Physical Activity and Well-Being during the Second COVID19-Related Lockdown in Germany in 2021

In the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, lockdown measures were reinstalled and were in place between November 2020 and April 2021, including the closure of physical activity facilities. The aim of the current online survey was to assess the lockdown effects on physical activity and well-being in the general population. Pre-lockdown vs. lockdown differences were tested with the Χ2 test and the Student’s t-test for paired data. Predictor variables to explain compliance with physical activity recommendations were identified using a fixed-effects binary logistic regression analysis. Data of 993 respondents were analyzed. Transport-related and leisure-time physical activity decreased (p &lt; 0.001, d = 0.25, and p &lt; 0.001, d = 0.33, respectively). Compliance with physical activity recommendations decreased from 42.2% to 29.4% (chi2 (1, 1986) = 35.335, p &lt; 0.001, V = 0.13). Well-being decreased significantly (t (990) = 23.405, p &lt; 0.001) by 16.3 points (d = 0.74). Physical activity and well-being declined in German adults during the second COVID-19-related lockdown. Physical activity should be promoted also in light of the emerging evidence on its protective effects against COVID-19.

Association Between Work Status and the Use of Healthcare Services Among Women in the Republic of Korea

IntroductionPrevious studies on occupational health focussed predominately on the occurrence of occupational diseases. Relatively few studies have measured how employment is associated with the use of healthcare services. This study investigates the association between employment and the extent and range of healthcare use, such as medical expenditures, of women in South Korea. MethodsWe analyze data of the Korean Health Panel, an ongoing longitudinal national representative survey, from 2008 to 2017, to identify the status of economic activity of women by year and age group. We estimate the association between female employment status and medical expenditures by using random effect panel Tobit models. Furthermore, we investigate the association between employment status and the range of healthcare services in biomedicine and traditional Korean medicine (KM) by conducting conditional fixed-effects logistic regression analyses. ResultsFor women aged between 25 and 65 in 2017, the majority of them were employed or self-employed. (The proportion of employment of self-employment equals 64.80%). In addition, working women spent 11.6% less on healthcare than nonworking women, and self-employment lowered the healthcare expenditure by 13.1%. Neither work nor the type of work is related to the types and range of healthcare service use. Being employed or self-employed is negatively associated with women’s expenditure on healthcare. ConclusionsThe findings show that employment is associated with less spending on healthcare. They imply that employment has a positive impact on women’s health.

Tuning Random Forests for Causal Inference under Cluster-Level Unmeasured Confounding

Recently, there has been growing interest in using machine learning methods for causal inference due to their automatic and flexible ability to model the propensity score and the outcome model. However, almost all the machine learning methods for causal inference have been studied under the assumption of no unmeasured confounding and there is little work on handling omitted/unmeasured variable bias. This paper focuses on a machine learning method based on random forests known as Causal Forests and presents five simple modifications for tuning Causal Forests so that they are robust to cluster-level unmeasured confounding. Our simulation study finds that adjusting the default tuning procedure with the propensity score from fixed effects logistic regression or using variables that are centered to their cluster means produces estimates that are more robust to cluster-level unmeasured confounding. Also, when these parametric propensity score models are mis-specified, our modified machine learning methods remain robust to bias from cluster-level unmeasured confounders compared to existing parametric approaches based on propensity score weighting. We conclude by demonstrating our proposals in a real data study concerning the effect of taking an eighth-grade algebra course on math achievement scores from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study.

To Prove and Improve: An Empirical Study on Why Social Entrepreneurs Measure Their Social Impact

This large-scale statistical study tests the validity of two factors that explain why social entrepreneurs measure their social impact as addressed by qualitative case based research. For this purpose, data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2015-survey is used to test the significance of the ‘measuring to prove’ and ‘measuring to improve’ dichotomy. Based on the results of a fixed-effects logistic regression analysis, this paper finds validation for both factors. Hence, the empirical setup allows for generalising the findings to a broader scope. Regarding ‘measuring to prove’, this paper finds that social entrepreneurs who receive funding from the government are more likely to measure their social impact compared to receiving funds from other sources. Regarding ‘measuring to improve’, this paper finds that social impact measurement is more likely among social entrepreneurs who innovate and prioritise their social mission. In addition, the ‘measuring to improve’ factor seems to be a stronger predictor for measuring social impact than the ‘measuring to prove’ factor. This paper may guide the actions of funders , policy makers and scholars who are engaged in the field of social entrepreneurship, generally, and social impact measurement, specifically.

Understanding Charter School Leaders’ Perceptions of Competition in Arizona

Purpose: School choice policies are expected to generate competition leading to improvement in school practices. However, little is known about how competition operates in public education—particularly in charter schools. This paper examines charter-school leaders’ competitive perception formation and the actions taken in response to competition. Research Methods: Using Arizona charter-school leaders’ responses to an original survey, Arizona Department of Education data, and the Common Core of Data, we examined the factors predicting the labeling of a school as a competitor. We estimated fixed effects logistic regression models which examine factors predicting the labeling of competitor schools and of top competitors. We used logistic regression models to understand charter-school leaders’ responses to competition. Findings: We find charter-school leaders in Arizona perceived at least some competition with other schools, and their perceptions vary by urbanicity. While distance between schools mattered generally for labeling a school as a competitor, distance did not factor into labeling “top competitor” schools. Student outcomes did not predict competition between schools, but student demographics were associated with labeling a school a competitor. Charter-school leaders responded to competition through changes in outreach and advertising rather than curriculum and instruction. Competitive responses were related to the respondent school’s quality and the level of perceived competition. Implications for Research and Practice: We found charter-school leaders perceive competition and respond by changing school practices. Responses typically focus on marketing activities over productive responses. The novel state-level analysis allows us to test the effects of local market conditions typically absent in the literature.

African American and Latino discrimination complaints: comparing volume and outcomes

AbstractObjectiveResearch has investigatedracial and ethnic discrimination in America without examining discrimination complaints or focusing on housing. To help fill this void, we explore volume and outcomes in Fair Housing Act complaints filed by African Americans and Latinos between 1989 and 2010 in order to compare enforcement by federal, state, and local civil rights agencies.MethodsRelying on data obtained from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), we test a multivariate fixed effects logistic regression model.ResultsFirst, the data show that African Americans are more likely to file complaints than Latinos, but Latinos are slightly more likely to receive favorable outcomes. Second, an increased number of complaints filed per state capita by each group significantly increases the likelihood of a favorable outcome, but this effect is much smaller and weaker for African Americans than for Latinos. Third, local agencies are significantly more likely to provide favorable outcomes for Latinos than are federal or state agencies.ConclusionTaken together, these findings indicate that favorable outcome rates for African Americans are more stable than those for Latinos and that independent variables such as agency caseload and level of government agency produce much greater variance in the favorability rates for Latinos as compared to African Americans.

Prevalence and risk factors of Taenia hydatigena in dogs, pigs, and cattle in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.

Taenia hydatigena is a globally distributed canine tapeworm. The canine tapeworm results in economic impacts for farmers owing to organ condemnation. T. hydatigena utilizes dogs and other carnivores as definitive hosts while swine and ruminants serve as intermediate hosts. T. hydatigena is endemic in Vietnam; however, information on the prevalence and risk factors associated with infection is scarce. This cross-sectional study aims to identify the prevalence of T. hydatigena taeniasis in dogs and T. hydatigena cysticercosis in pigs and cattle. The risk factors associated with taeniasis in dogs were identified using a fixed effects logistic regression model and quantified using population attributable fractions. The prevalence of T. hydatigena taeniasis in dogs and T. hydatigena cysticercosis in pigs and cattle was 10.31% (95% CI 8.21 to 12.84%), 7.60% (95% CI 6.34 to 9.08%), and 11.11% (95% CI 7.63 to 11.81%), respectively; these levels were lower than those reported in other regions of Vietnam. The population attributable fraction of risk factors associated with T. hydatigena taeniasis in dogs for dogs living in proximity of an abattoir, those having access to raw pork or beef viscera, and those living in multi-dog households were 80%, 19%, and 7%, respectively. This current study identified and quantified the risk factors for taeniasis in dogs thus advocating for targeted community intervention programs to break the lifecycle of T. hydatigena in Dak Lak province.