Full-time Occupation Research Articles

Tangible to Non-Tangible Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Life Satisfaction of Farmers in Kerala, India

While Kerala’s transition from an agrarian to a service-oriented economy is widely acknowledged, discussions are most often confined to material domains, overlooking overall life satisfaction, which is critical to pursue any profession. This state-wide community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted to gather data from farmers residing in three geographical zones of Kerala, India, North, South and Central, to understand their life satisfaction and how it correlates to their access to resources and social support. From each zone, we randomly chose two districts, and from each district, two panchayats. From each panchayat, we chose one ward to identify a total of 580 eligible farmers. Structured interviews were conducted using door-knock surveys to elicit information from the respondents using a set of standardized questionnaires. The results suggest that the respondents had a mean age of 54.5, with 19.8% being over 65, indicating demographic ageing in the farming sector. Only 46% chose farming as their full-time occupation. Farmers with higher levels of education who owned large plots of land experienced life satisfaction. Interpersonal relationships and social support were significant determinants of life satisfaction, as these factors were pivotal in their access to formal and informal services. With social support being pivotal in life satisfaction, it is imperative to change the social mindset towards farming. Additionally, the government should promote advanced technologies and high-yielding agricultural practises to transform the economic landscape of Kerala in favour of agriculture, which is imperative for the food security of the state.

#3081 ASSOCIATION OF URINE PROTEIN EXCRETION LEVELS, AS A MEASURE OF DISEASE ACTIVITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN IGA NEPHROPATHY PATIENTS

Abstract Background and Aims Little is known about the quality of life (QoL) of patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Understanding the relationship between disease activity (as measured by urine protein excretion [UPE]) and QoL could allow decision-makers to understand how treatments that improve UPE might improve patient QoL. Methods The 2021 United States subset of the Adelphi IgAN Disease Specific Programme™ was a point-in-time survey of 43 nephrologists (who completed structured forms for 305 IgAN patients) and 70 patients (who elected to complete patient surveys of the 305). This analysis utilised physician-reported data (patient demographics, disease characteristics, and current 24-hour UPE levels [categories: ≤0.5, >0.5 to ≤1, >1 to ≤2, >2 to ≤3.5, >3.5 grams/day]) and patient-reported data (symptoms, Kidney Disease Quality of Life [KDQOL] scores, and EQ-5D scores). The association between UPE and patient-reported symptoms was evaluated using chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests. The association between UPE and QoL (KDQOL, EQ-5D) was evaluated using generalized linear regression to adjust for age, sex, chronic kidney disease stage, corticosteroid use, and non-steroidal immunosuppressant use. Results The analytical dataset included 69 patients with UPE data (reported by 8 physicians) out of the 70 patients who completed the patient survey. Of these 69, data were complete for the symptoms (n=63), KDQOL (n=60), and EQ-5D (n=67). Patients were an average age of 43 years, an average BMI of 26.3, 49% male, 55% White, 23% Asian, 64% never smokers, 78% in full-time occupation, and 74% with commercial health insurance. The most prevalent comorbidities were hypertension (33%), hyperlipidemia (30%), and diabetes (11%). UPE was not associated with any demographic characteristics, regular dialysis, or kidney transplants. Among comorbidities, higher UPE was associated with a higher percentage of hyperlipidaemia (P = .03). Among medications for IgAN, higher UPE was associated with a higher percent use of diuretics (P = .046), sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (P = .002), corticosteroids (P = .0009), non-steroidal immunosuppressants (p<0.0001), and anti-depressants (P = .0009). Higher UPE was associated with a higher percentage of patient-reported aching joints (P = .04), self-awareness of high cholesterol (P = .001), tiredness (P = .005), swollen feet/ankles/legs (p<0.0001), sleep problems (P = .02), feeling sick (P = .0003), and tea-colored urine (P = .03). Higher UPE was associated with worse KDQOL scores (burden [p<0.0001], effects [P = .007], physical health [P = .002], and mental health [p<0.0001]). After adjustment (Table 1), higher UPE continued to be associated with worse KDQOL burden (P = .01) and mental health (P = .03) scores. Unadjusted and adjusted analyses (Table 2) indicated that higher UPE was associated with worse EQ-5D scores. Conclusion The results indicate that higher levels of disease activity (UPE) in IgAN are associated with increased symptom burden, worse kidney disease QoL, and worse overall QoL.

The Athenian Bank: a Conspicuous Example of Labour Specialisation

SummaryMy research applies the categories of labour specialisation and professionalism to the Athenian bank with a view to demonstrating that banking was a full-time occupation requiring a complex set of skills and that bankers could be considered professionals rather than simple workers. This paper is divided into three sections. In the first, I scrutinise all the sources regarding the banks’ activities and the bankers’ clients to show that thetrapezaiwere constantly frequented by traders, members of the wealthy upper class and most likely individuals belonging to the social middle class. This first section reveals how the banks’ clients exerted a high and constant demand for the services offered by the Athenian bankers. The second section explores the set of skills required to run a bank or even simply to work as a bank employee and aims at demonstrating how important it was that banks were efficiently organised through a precise division of labour. Such a division clearly shows that banking was a highly specialised activity. In the third section I identify the features that qualify bankers as professionals, namely social prestige, the passing down of knowledge and skills to individuals other than the bankers’ sons, and the creation of a wide network of international contacts. The analysis conducted on Athenian bankers to determine whether or not they constitute professionals is reinforced with several parallels to bankers active in other prosperous poleis, such as Delos.

What Builds Resilience? Sociodemographic and Social Correlates in the Population-Based LIFE-Adult-Study

Resilience is closely related to mental health and well-being. Identifying risk groups with lower resilience and the variables associated with resilience informs preventive approaches. Previous research on resilience patterns in the general population is heterogeneous, and comprehensive large-scale studies are needed. The aim of our study is to examine sociodemographic and social correlates of resilience in a large population-based sample. We examined 4795 participants from the LIFE-Adult-Study. Assessments included resilience (RS-11), social support (ESSI), and social network (LSNS), as well as the sociodemographic variables age, gender, marital status, education, and occupation. The association of resilience with sociodemographic and social correlates was examined using linear regression analyses. Higher resilience was associated with female gender, married marital status, high education, and full-time occupation. Social support and social network were positively associated with resilience. Our results implicate that resilience is related to various sociodemographic variables. Social variables seem to be particularly important for resilience. We identified risk groups with lower resilience, which should be given special attention by public health policies, especially in times of crisis. Reducing loneliness and promoting social connectedness may be promising ways to build resilience in the general population.

Community Development Quotas and Support of Small-Scale Fisheries as Two Key Concepts for Blue Growth in Fisheries

Blue Growth has become one of the key topics of ocean management. It is defined as a holistic framework for an environmentally friendly and socio-economically sustainable development of ocean-related activities with a special emphasis on technological innovation. Capture fisheries are widely considered to have no substantial growth potential and consequently are not subject to the European Union’s Blue Growth strategy. In our review, we, however, argue that capture fisheries should play an essential role in national Blue Growth strategies. We identified two interconnected management strategies to foster Blue Growth in fisheries, a) the implementation of Community Development Quota (CDQ) systems and b) the support of small-scale fisheries (SSF). They hold the potential to benefit fishery-dependent coastal communities and therefore counteract consolidations in the fishing sector. Additionally, they provide the possibility to improve quota access for small-scale fishermen. Besides having better access to quota, the future of SSF depends on sources of public funding for technical improvement and innovation as well as increased representation in the management. In this perspective, we present different cases that successfully implemented CDQs (the Alaska pollock fishery) or have considerable potential to implement CDQ programs or improve their current approaches (United Kingdom, Ireland, and Iceland). We further discuss examples for successful management strategies to support SSF directly. If these aspects are considered in a Blue Growth strategy, the survival of fishery-dependent communities could be assured, and SSF could develop from predominantly part-time or subsistence fisheries to a full-time occupation. By those means, they would be part of a fostering Blue Economy and strengthen environmentally friendly and socio-economically sustainable fishing practices in Europe.

Youth Participation in Agriculture and Poverty Reduction in Nigeria

With data from 683 systematically selected households, the study employed the Heckman two-stage model and the propensity score matching method (PSM) to examine the impact of youth participation in agriculture as a primary occupation on income and poverty in Nigeria. The results indicate that the gender of the youth and their determination to stay in agriculture significantly increases the probability that youth will participate in agriculture as a primary occupation. In addition, youth participation in agriculture as a main occupation contributes significantly to per capita household income and has the likelihood to reduce poverty by 17%. The daily wage rate of hired labor and the total farmland owned are the variables that positively explained the per capita income. Poverty was reduced by market access, having agriculture as a primary occupation, income from agricultural production, the total monetary value of all the household assets, determination to remain in agriculture, and the square of the respondents’ age. These results imply that creating employment for youth by engaging them in agriculture as a full-time occupation can increase their income and reduce poverty. However, the promotion of other secondary occupations, land, and market access is also vital.

Socio-Economics And Livelihood Status Of Coastal Fishers In The Puducherry Union Territoryof India - An Exploratory Study

Knowledge on the socio-economics and livelihood status of fishers is important in view of stagnating capture fisheries production in recent years and to plan suitable additional livelihood interventions. A study undertaken among the coastal fishers (n=145) of Puducherry and Karaikal Districts of Puducherry Union Territory along the south-east coast of India in 2018-19, indicated that while fishing was the full time occupation for Karaikal fishers, about 56% of the coastal inland fishers of Puducherry District realised their income from non-fisheries occupations due to insufficient emolyment and income in fisheries. The fishers’ mean livelihood score was found to be 70% which indicated that they need supplementary activities for employment and income generation. Therefore, Department of Fisheries (DoF) may plan a two-pronged strategy comprising natural resource restoration measures such as re-stocking and stock enhancement involving habitat protection. Similarly the DoF may inititate capacity enhancement programme on culture based fisheries like cage and pen farming in the open waters with the technical support of research institutions and homestead based additional income generating activities with the support of non-governmental organisations to enhance the livelihood security of fishers. It is right time that the DoF may propose plans for both resource conservation and culture fisheries based livelihood security programmes under the newly launched Prime Minister’s Fisheries Development Scheme (Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana-PMMSY) of Govt. of India to ensure the livelihood security of fishers.

Predictors of treatment outcomes for trauma-affected refugees - results from two randomised trials

IntroductionTreatment effects in trials with trauma-affected refugees vary considerably between studies, but the variability in outcome between individual patients is often overlooked. Consequently, we know little about why some patients benefit more from treatment than others. The aim of the study was therefore to identify predictors of treatment outcome for refugees with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). MethodsData was derived from two randomised trials including 321 refugees, who had all participated in a 6-7 months bio-psycho-social treatment programme. Outcome measures were the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (PTSD, self-rating), Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (depression and anxiety, self-rating) and Hamilton Depression and Anxiety rating scales (observer-ratings). Using hierarchical regressions models, associations were analysed between pre- to post treatment score changes (dependent variable) and a range of variables including sociodemographics, pre-migration trauma, post-migratory stressors, baseline symptom scores and level of functioning. ResultsA high baseline score (=more symptoms) and a high level of functioning were found to be associated with improvement on all ratings. Additionally, the following variables were associated with symptom improvement on at least one outcome measure: short time in host country, full time occupation, young age and status as family reunified (in contrast to refugee status). Being Muslim was inversely correlated with improvement. LimitationsTranslated self-ratings were used, which could impact reliability. ConclusionThese results call for screening and early interventions for arriving refugees. For clinical populations, level of functioning should be included in assessments of refugees, to possibly begin stratifying samples to different interventions based on their likelihood of responding.

P398 Most adult patients with cystic fibrosis at Stockholm Cystic Fibrosis Centre have a full-time or part-time occupation

P398 Most adult patients with cystic fibrosis at Stockholm Cystic Fibrosis Centre have a full-time or part-time occupation

Relative burden of lung and pleural cancers from exposure to asbestos: a cross-sectional analysis of occupational mortality in England and Wales

ObjectivesTo explore the extent to which asbestos-exposed jobs vary in the ratio of excess mortality from lung cancer to deaths from pleural cancer.DesignUsing data on underlying cause of death and...

Patient support groups are a lifeline for those with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

After living in Austria for a long time, in 2003, I moved back to the UK and stayed temporarily with my parents. My mum had been diagnosed with dementia and I became her main carer (my dad passed away in 2004). As her health deteriorated, it became a full-time occupation and I was barely able to go out and as a result was not walking anywhere, always taking the car, even for short journeys. In 2012, I visited the castle at Tintagel (Cornwall, UK), which has an extremely steep climb up to the ancient ruin.

Linking investment decisions and future food security to the regulation of genetic-based technologies

The paper makes explicit the link between regulation of genetic-based technologies and long run food security through the effect on investment decisions related to these technologies using a real options model. Of all the drivers of social change, alterations in food security status are one of the most disruptive to societies. Improvements can release individuals and groups from chronic hunger, malnourishment, anxieties stemming from continually having to search for the next meal and obtaining food being a full time occupation. Deterioration can lead to declining productivity, mass migrations, famine and death – all of which can spark social change. Forecasting changes in food security is, hence, important for policy makers. Improving food security requires increases in agricultural productivity. New plant breeding technologies based on genomics do not rely on controversial transgenic technology. It is important to understand the link between regulatory policy and firm's decisions to invest in the development of new crop varieties. By making the link between regulation and investment explicit suggests that the regulatory regime chosen for technological advance in genomics and associated enabling techniques should be considered carefully in the context of the need for investments in productivity enhancing technology and for forecasting food security challenges.

Designers’ road(s) to success: Balancing exploration and exploitation

This study unravels different paths to success for independent designers and focuses on the balance between the artistic and economic considerations they have. Therefore, a comparative case study is presented for 48 designers looking into both business growth and perceived success. The configurational analysis explores the combination of different variables regarding success: exploration (artistic consideration), exploitation (economic consideration), job rate and tenure. The application of fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis contributes to the exploration of a configurational theory of conditions that explains why some designers achieve business growth and perceived success. To achieve both, a fulltime occupation as designer is essential. No significant proof was found for simultaneously balancing exploration and exploitation to achieve growth. However, most pathways leading to perceived success show a balance between exploration and exploitation. These findings enhance the configurational understanding of the design industry and the development of a configurational theory of performance for creative professions.

The Runaround: Punishment, Welfare, and Poverty Survival after Prison

AbstractBased on 17 months of ethnographic fieldwork and 45 in-depth interviews with formerly-incarcerated men, this article explores how former prisoners navigate criminal justice and welfare bureaucracies in their daily lives. Formerly-incarcerated men must repeatedly engage with parole, public assistance agencies, transitional housing facilities, and community-based service providers to maintain freedom and access food, shelter, and rehabilitative services. Accessing resources requires the men simultaneously to manage multiple, overlapping entanglements across a fragmented network of bureaucracies. This runaround exacerbates the stress of poverty, breeds distrust of state authorities, and, in some cases, precipitates recidivism. Former prisoners learned how to cope with the runaround by treating systems navigation as a full-time occupation, but these skills did not translate into long-term economic security. Most study participants recurrently cycled between low-wage jobs, transitional housing facilities, and public assistance programs for years after release. This article illustrates the need to theorize prisoner reentry as a process that unfolds across a network of criminal justice and welfare bureaucracies and demonstrates how formerly-incarcerated men experience citizenship not only through coercive encounters with the criminal justice system but also through their simultaneous entanglements with safety-net bureaucracies.

Obituary of Harvey Lincoff

Harvey Alan Lincoff, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology, the Newhouse Clinical Scholar and the former Director of Retinal Research of the New York Presbyterian Hospital–Weill Cornell Medical Center, was a giant...

EARLY LIFE AND COGNITIVE RESERVE: ASSOCIATIONS WITH DEMENTIA AMONG OLDER PEOPLE IN CENTRAL AFRICA IN THE EPIDEMCA POPULATION-BASED STUDY

Some evidence suggests that early life experiences, during the brain development and maturation period, influence the risk of developing dementia in late life. Indicators of brain development, early life nutrition, stressful life events as well as education and occupational attainment have shown associations with the prevalence or the incidence of dementia. However the evidence was mainly established in high-income settings. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between early life and cognitive reserve indicators with dementia in sub-Saharan African countries. A multicentre population-based study was carried out in Central African Republic and Republic of Congo between 2011 and 2012 including both urban and rural sites. Participants aged ≥65 years old were interviewed using a structured questionnaire and underwent a physical examination. Leg length (index of brain development), skull circumference (index of early life nutrition), early life events (residence, stressful life events), education, and occupational attainment data were collected. Participants in Congo were followed up for 2 years. DSM-IV and NINCDS-ADRDA criteria were required for dementia and Alzheimer's disease diagnoses at baseline and follow-up. The effect of covariates on dementia prevalence and incidence were modelled using Poisson and competing-risk regression models. At baseline, 2002 participants were included in both countries. Overall, mean age was 73.3 ± 6.7 years, sex-ratio M/F was 0.62 and 135 were diagnosed with dementia. Over 68% of the participants had no formal education, half were farmer/breeder (49.2%) and 11.6% reported a full-time occupation. Regarding early life, only 18.9% had never lived a stressful event during their childhood and 20.0% were born in the countryside. After adjustment on site, age, and sex, only a smaller skull circumference was significantly associated with dementia prevalence (PR=2.2 (95%CI:1.1–4.4). Interactions between early life and cognitive reserve indicators and sex or study area, as well as the effects on dementia incidence within the Congolese participants will be presented in details. Preliminary results support the effect of early life nutrition on dementia prevalence in late-life in Central Africa. These results will add to the scarce evidence on early life, cognitive reserve and dementia in sub-Saharan Africa.

Mortality from multiple sclerosis in British military personnel.

While analysing trends in occupational mortality in England and Wales, we noticed an unexpectedly elevated proportion of deaths from multiple sclerosis (MS) among men in the armed forces. To document and explore possible explanations for the observed excess. We analysed data on underlying cause of death and last full-time occupation for 3,688,916 deaths among men aged 20-74 years in England and Wales during 1979-2010, calculating proportional mortality ratios (PMRs) standardised for age. We compared PMRs for MS in the armed forces with those for each main social class, and in selected other occupations. We also compared PMRs for MS with those for motor neurone disease (MND). The overall PMR for MS in the armed forces during 1979-2010 was 243 (95%CI 203-288). The excess was apparent in each of three separate decades of study (PMRs, ranging from 220 to 259), and across the entire age range. PMRs for MS were not elevated to the same extent in comparator occupations, nor in any of the main social classes. There was no parallel increase in PMRs for MND. These findings suggest that the high proportional mortality from MS in British military personnel is unlikely to have occurred by chance, or as an artefact of the method of investigation. However, the only military cohort study with published results on MS does not support an increased risk. It would be useful to analyse data on MS from other established military cohorts, to check for evidence of a hazard.

Genomic perspectives on the history and evolutionary ecology of tropical rainforest occupation by humans

We review contributions from the field of genomics that have helped to inform our understanding of the history and evolutionary ecology of tropical rainforest hunting and gathering behavior by humans, and discuss potential opportunities for future studies. This perspective encompasses i) the question of the antiquity of full-time tropical rainforest occupation, ii) the characterization of biological adaptations to the particular ecological challenges of this habitat, including small adult body size or the “pygmy” phenotype, and iii) the timing and nature of interactions between hunter-gatherer groups and the farming populations that migrated into interior tropical rainforest habitats following the origins of agriculture.

Trends in mortality from occupational hazards among men in England and Wales during 1979–2010

ObjectivesTo monitor the impact of health and safety provisions and inform future preventive strategies, we investigated trends in mortality from established occupational hazards in England and Wales.MethodsWe analysed data from...

Grooming by honey bees as a component of varroa resistant behavior

Grooming behavior of honey bees can be considered in two major categories: autogrooming or self-grooming and inter-bee grooming, called allogrooming. Allogrooming can be one-on-one, or social, involving several nestmates acting collaboratively. In addition, some house bees become allogrooming specialists, and for them grooming their nestmates can be a full-time occupation for most of their lives. Early observations on the Eastern honey bee, Apis cerana, recorded autogrooming, one-on-one, and social allogrooming, all of which result in dead, visibly mutilated varroa mites falling to the hive floor. Similar behavior has been sought in the Western honey bee. Apis mellifera, with variant observations for the different subspecies. Most descriptions relate to A. m. carnica, some to A. m. ligustica, but with one notable exception, almost none to A. m. mellifera. The most impressive findings are from “Africanized” bees, which provide some of the best cases of natural, long-lasting tolerance to varroa mites in A. mellifera, although even some of these are controversial. The speed of both autogrooming and allogrooming responses is generally reported to be much slower in A. mellifera than in A. cerana, and the frequency and degree of damage to mites are also lower. Serious damage, such as severance of limbs and gashes of the idiosoma, shows a heritability (h²) of around .16 in A. mellifera overall.