Government Financial Assistance Research Articles

Trends in household food insecurity from the Canadian Community Health Survey, 2017 to 2022.

Income-related food insecurity is an important determinant of health. This study aimed to provide an update on the food security status of Canadian households using the most recent available data from a health-oriented national-level survey. This study also examined trends in food insecurity since 2017, and how these have tracked with changes in price inflation. Data on household food security status in the 10 Canadian provinces came from five annual cycles of the population-representative cross-sectional Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS): 2017, 2018, 2020 (September to December), 2021, and 2022. The Household Food Security Survey Module was used to categorize household food security status during the previous 12 months as food secure or marginally, moderately, or severely insecure. Before 2019, approximately 1 in 10 households had experienced some level of food insecurity in the previous 12 months (9.6% in 2017 and 11.6% in 2018). Household food insecurity prevalence was slightly lower and stable during the COVID-19 pandemic years (8.5% in fall 2020 and 9.1% in 2021) and increased to 15.6% in 2022. Levels of household food insecurity generally tracked with changes in consumer price inflation. Compared with 2021, there were notable increases in levels of moderate and severe food insecurity in 2022 among one-parent households with children, renters, and those reliant on government financial assistance. The prevalence of household food insecurity in the CCHS was relatively stable from 2017 to 2021, increased in 2022, and generally tracked with changes in price inflation. Monitoring levels of household food insecurity will continue to be important as price inflation eases but the cost of living remains high.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadian performing and creative artists: An interpretive descriptive study using the social-ecological model.

Public health restrictions during the Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Canada have substantially reduced the work and income of performing and creative artists. We aimed to understand how factors at the public policy, community, organizational, interpersonal and individual levels affected Canadian performing and creative artists' health and livelihood during the pandemic. We interviewed 14 creative and performing artists from an academic hospital-based healthcare center in Toronto, Canada. In addition, we conducted secondary data analysis on an existing set of 17 transcribed interviews from a quality improvement study that included relevant information to answer the present study's research question. We applied an interpretive descriptive approach to our qualitative inquiry and used the social-ecological model (SEM) as our analytic framework. We identified factors at all levels of the SEM that tended to synergistically affect the health and livelihood of artists during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health restrictions and government financial assistance programs have downstream effects on other levels. During the pandemic, many artists sensed an overwhelming loss of community, financial instability, and limited access to healthcare; which in turn affected their health. For those who accessed financial assistance programs, the stability of income afforded time for rest without the stress of food insecurity or housing instability. Use of the SEM as an analytic framework reflects the multidirectional intricacy and dynamic interplay among factors operating within and across all five levels, bringing to light potential areas of improvement at various levels to strengthen resilience and reduce risk factors associated with artists' health and healthcare access. Findings also accentuated the fragility of precarious work that inundates the performing arts industry, which emphasizes the need for interventions and policies to address this issue. Such interventions might include financial support programs for artists, access to affordable healthcare services, and efforts to strengthen social support networks within the arts community.

Barriers and facilitators experienced by South Korean women undergoing fertility treatment: A qualitative socioecological study

The purpose of this qualitative study was to use interview data to identify and describe the intrapersonal, interpersonal, community, and policy barriers and facilitators experienced by South Korean women undergoing fertility treatment. The researchers conducted one-on-one interviews with 14 women who had undergone fertility treatment and then completed a thematic content analysis on the collected interview data. Guided by the socioecological model, the researchers explored the barriers and facilitators women experienced during fertility treatment. The participants described their struggles and ­emotional distress as well as their coping mechanisms: addressing their physical and emotional stress; soliciting support from their husband, personal network, online peers, and healthcare team; and seeking government financial assistance. The information gained from this study can help healthcare providers and government agencies design effective psychosocial and national policies and interventions for this population.

89 The Neuropsychology of Complex Homelessness

Objective:Although the cognitive profiles of people experiencing homelessness have been described in the literature, the neuropsychological profile of people experiencing complex homelessness has not been delineated. Complex homelessness is homelessness that continues despite the provision of bricks and mortar solutions. People experiencing complex homelessness often have an array of physical health, mental health, substance use, neurodevelopmental and neurocognitive disorders. The present study aimed to delineate the neuropsychological profile of people experiencing complex homelessness and explore the utility of neuropsychological assessment in supporting this population.Participants and Methods:19 people experiencing complex homelessness in Sydney, Australia, were consecutively referred by specialist homelessness services for neuropsychological assessment. They underwent comprehensive assessment of intelligence, memory and executive functioning and completed questionnaires to screen for the presence of ADHD, PTSD, depression, anxiety and stress. A range of performance validity measures were included. Referrers were asked to complete questionnaires on history of childhood trauma, psychological functioning, drug and alcohol use, functional cognitive abilities, homelessness factors, personality, risk of cognitive impairment and adaptive functioning and to note existing or suspected mental health, neurodevelopmental and neurocognitive disorders. Referrers also completed a post-assessment pathways questionnaires to identify whether the neuropsychological assessment facilitated referral pathways (e.g., for government housing or financial assistance). Clinicians completed a post-assessment diagnosis survey, which was compared to the pre-assessment known or suspected diagnoses. Finally, referrers were asked to complete a satisfaction questionnaire regarding the neuropsychological assessment.Results:Mean (SD) WAIS-IV indexes were VCI = 81.1 (14.5), PRI = 86.1 (10.9), WMI = 80.5 (13.0), PSI = 81.6 (10.2). Mean WMS-IV Flexible (LMVR) indexes were AMI = 68.3 (19.6), VMI = 77.1 (19.3), IMI = 72.7 (17.2), and DMI = 70.5 (17.6). The majority of participants showed unusual differences between WAIS-IV and TOPF-predicted WAIS-IV scores and between WAIS-IV General Ability and WMS-IV Flexible (LMVR) scores. Demographically corrected scores on tests of executive functioning were mostly one or more standard deviations below the mean. The majority of participants screened positive on screening measures of executive dysfunction, PTSD and ADHD and had elevated self-reported psychological distress scores. At least one new diagnosis was made for nine (47%) participants, established diagnoses were confirmed for two (11%) participants, diagnoses were supported for 15 (79%) participants, tentative diagnoses were made for 16 (84%) participants, and five (26%) participants had at least one diagnosis disconfirmed/unsupported. Referrers indicated that the majority of post-assessment pathways were more accessible following the neuropsychological assessment and that they were very satisfied with the neuropsychological assessments overall.Conclusions:This is one of the first studies to delineate the neuropsychological profile of people experiencing complex homelessness using robust psychometric approaches, including performance validity tests. This population experiences a high burden of cognitive impairment and associated substance use, neurodevelopmental and mental health comorbidities. Neuropsychological assessment makes referral pathways more accessible and is valued by referrers of people experiencing complex homelessness.

Achieving Sustainability in Nigerian Households: Investigating Factors Impacting Energy Efficiency Practices

The looming global energy crisis of the 21st century is predicted to worsen as building energy consumption is expected to rise by 50% by 2060. Investing in energy-efficient technologies and reducing carbon emissions is essential to combat this crisis. To this end, this paper delves into the complex issue of energy-efficient building practices in Nigerian households and how they can help curb carbon emissions. Using a statistical method known as the Relative Impor- tance Index (RII), we analyzed nine key factors that influence a building’s energy efficiency. The research revealed that government oversight, support, and financial and technical assis- tance are crucial for achieving household energy efficiency. It also highlights the significance of addressing the energy crisis in Nigeria through the development, implementation, and ad- aptation of energy-efficient building practices.

Out of Pocket Expenditure and Utilization of Government Financial Assistance Among Women Who Had Institutional Delivery in An Urban Slum of Telangana, India

Background: Out of Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) are expenditures directly made by households at the point of receiving health care. In Telangana State the average OOPE per delivery in public health facility is Rs. 3846. The study helps to know the OOPE among mothers undergoing institutional deliveries and emphasise on the expenditure even after utilising the government financial assistance. Objectives: To estimate the OOPE among women undergoing institutional delivery and to find its association with government financial assistance utilization and socio-demographic factors. Methodology: A community based cross sectional study was done among 200 mothers who delivered recently residing in an urban slum under our health and training centre. Ethical clearance was taken before the conduct of study. Results: The median direct out of pocket expenditure among mothers in our study was Rs.500 i.e., 6.6 $ (0 to 1600). OOPE was present among 68.5% of mothers. Availability of government financial assistance, age and occupation of the mother and type of delivery was found to be significantly associated with p value <0.05. Conclusion: The financial assistance definitely reduced the burden of OOPE among the mothers. The implementation of such schemes is important and needs to be evaluated time to time to ensure proper reach of its benefits to the community.

Poor Family Classification Decision Support System using the Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) Method

Poverty is a problem that continues to be the focus of attention for the government. Poverty has also caused people to be willing to sacrifice anything for their survival. To anticipate this problem, various policies have been adopted by the government to break the chain of poverty. One of them is providing assistance funds to poor families (PKH). This is felt directly by all levels of underprivileged society. One of the efforts of the Koto Ranah Tapan government to eradicate poverty that occurs in Koto Ranah Tapan is to follow the central government program, namely the launch of government financial assistance (PKH). These funds will be distributed to poor residents in Koto Ranah Tapan through the nagari guardian office in Koto Ranah Tapan. However, the distribution of aid funds to poor families is often not on target due to a large level of manual calculation error which makes the aid not on target and also the office of the nagari village of high cliff village has not been able to objectively determine the families who receive the aid. To help determine which families are worthy of receiving poor family assistance funds, a decision support system is needed. With this Decision Support System (DSS), it is hoped that the decision-making process can minimize the occurrence of wrong targets that often arise in the process of selecting poor families who wish to receive aid funds . In this calculation the author uses the Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) method, because this method is suitable for accurate calculations and is very helpful in calculating any data obtained. The results obtained were that Ade Irma Suryani got the highest score with a score of 10.8 and was ranked at the top (Best 1), so she could be considered the best recipient of aid funds.

PUBLIC POLICIES TO SUPPORT SMES’ ACCESS TO FINANCING: BETWEEN CHALLENGES OF CRISES AND THE FUNCTIONING OF MARKETS

Access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises has been identified in many studies as the most important factor determining the survival and growth of SMEs in both developing and developed countries. Access to financing means access to working capital to finance current activity, but also investments and the acquisition of modern technologies, thus ensuring the competitiveness of SMEs, as well as the performance of the economy and society as a whole. Governments, through specialized agencies, often in cooperation with financial regulatory authorities and banking associations, develop various measures and programs aimed at better access to finance for SMEs. Of course, the motivations, scope and success of these initiatives are influenced by the level of development and sophistication of the financial banking sector, by its orientation and composition, by the way in which the various objectives and needs of small and medium businesses are understood. The implementation and prioritization of these programs and schemes are dramatically influenced by the availability of financial and non-financial resources, organizational skills and, finally, the sincerity and stability of dedicated public policies. This paper aims to analyze the impact of financial support policies for SMEs, the effects of crises (economic, financial, pandemic) on these policies, but also the evolution of interest in this type of support at the level of European companies. We found that government financial assistance helps SMEs to improve their financial performance and thus be able to access, in the future, various forms of financing, but also that there are significant differences, by activity sectors, types of companies and, respectively, countries, in regarding the importance and impact of public support to the business sector.

Equally Public and Private Refugee Resettlement: The Historical Development of Canada’s Joint Assistance Sponsorship Program

For over 40 years, Canada’s Joint Assistance Sponsorship Program has combined government financial assistance, professional settlement services, and private sponsor settlement support for refugees identified as having “special needs.” With high public and private involvement, the program offers another potential model for sponsorship, yet existing knowledge about the program is limited. This article explores the historical development of the program, highlighting three time periods: 1979–1981, when it launched; 1998–2001, when it welcomed thousands of Kosovars and expanded as selection criteria prioritized vulnerability; and 2014–2019, as it increasingly competed with other sponsorship programs.

Perceptions of People with Disabilities (PwDs) on the Potential of Small Enterprises and Entrepreneurship from Home for Accessibility of Private Premises

Covid -19 which has started to spread to Malaysia in 2020 has changed the lifestyle of the people in terms of economic, social and environmental. The new living norms introduced have changed lives and have stunted the economic growth of the country especially when many companies have closed their businesses. An impact from the movement control order (MCO) implemented has an impact on the employment sector. This is because, many employment sectors had to be closed in an effort to help the government curb the spread of COVID-19 from continuing to spread in the community. Most companies, business operations, private organizations and the government were shut down immediately during MCO, which has resulted in many companies not being able to cover their expenses, causing companies to lay off employees. Although it affects everyone but the disabled are more impressed with the limitations they have experienced before. The purpose of this study is to find out the perception of persons with disabilities (PwDs) on the potential of upgrading the accessibility of private premises to be PwDs friendly as a physical stimulus for the development of PwDs businesses and small enterprises. Therefore, this study uses an exploratory mixed method design approach by starting the study by reviewing the documents related to government financial assistance and subsequently distributing the survey form. The conclusion of this study will highlight the perceptions of PWDs in the field of entrepreneurship in physical premises and government financial assistance that has been provided before and during the pandemic in Malaysia.

Character Strength and Mental Health Problems among Children from Low-Income Families in South Korea.

This study was conducted to understand the association between character strength and mental health problems among children in early adolescence from low-income families in South Korea. This study used a cross-sectional and descriptive study design with 214 fifth- and sixth-grade elementary school children from low-income families enrolled in 20 community centers and receiving government financial assistance. A bivariate probit model was used to examine the association between character strength and mental health problems in the children. We found that character strength lowers the likelihood of developing hyperactivity–inattention and emotional symptoms among children from low-income families. Additionally, adverse life events were associated with increased mental health problems, whereas adverse life events were not significantly correlated with character strength in the current study. Specific interventions should be developed to cultivate character strength among children in early adolescence from low-income families who are at a high risk of mental health problems under cumulative adverse life events.

The Crisis of Public Transport in India: Overwhelming Needs but Limited Resources

The rapid growth of India’s urban population has put enormous strains on all transport systems. Burgeoning travel demand far exceeds the limited supply of transport infrastructure and services. Public transport, in particular, has been completely overwhelmed. Most bus and train services are overcrowded, undependable, slow, inconvenient, uncoordinated, and dangerous. Moreover, the public ownership and operation of most public transport services has greatly reduced productivity and inflated costs. India’s cities desperately need improved and expanded public transport service. Unfortunately, meager government financial assistance and the complete lack of any supportive policies, such as traffic priority for buses, place public transport in an almost impossible situation.

The Crisis of Public Transport in India: Overwhelming Needs but Limited Resources

The rapid growth of India’s urban population has put enormous strains on all transport systems. Burgeoning travel demand far exceeds the limited supply of transport infrastructure and services. Public transport, in particular, has been completely overwhelmed. Most bus and train services are overcrowded, undependable, slow, inconvenient, uncoordinated, and dangerous. Moreover, the public ownership and operation of most public transport services has greatly reduced productivity and inflated costs. India’s cities desperately need improved and expanded public transport service. Unfortunately, meager government financial assistance and the complete lack of any supportive policies, such as traffic priority for buses, place public transport in an almost impossible situation.

Government Financial Support and Firm Innovation

Prior studies have documented a positive effect of government financial support on firms’ innovation. However, such a positive effect could be due to two alternative underlying mechanisms –‘additionality’ or ‘crowding-out’. The former, whereby government financial assistance relaxes financial constraints for recipient firms and enables their innovation, represents the desired positive effect. On the other hand, the crowding-out mechanism – whereby financially unconstrained recipient firms use government funding to simply replace their private spending – represents mistargeted government intervention. This paper attempts to disentangle these two mechanisms to understand which one of them drives empirical observations of a positive effect of government funding on firm innovation. We achieve this through formulating and testing two competing moderator hypotheses, each one being a unique derivative of the additionality and crowding-out mechanisms respectively. Our empirical analysis uses firm-level panel data from the Business Longitudinal Database (BLD) compiled by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 2011-2016, and addresses both endogeneity and selection problems in our estimation. We find that government financial support increases the number of innovation that recipient firms produce. However, we also find that this positive effect is likely a result of the crowding-out mechanism. Financially unconstrained firms appear to benefit more from government support than financially constrained firms.

Von Hippel-Lindau disease: A case report.

Introduction and importanceVon Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease is a rare autosomal dominantly inherited genetic condition. Von Hippel characterized the illness independently in 1911, and Lindau in 1926. Its prevalence is estimated to be about 1 in every 36,000 live births. VHL is characterized by the production of several benign and malignant tumors, as well as cysts in other organs. For proper prognosis, good clinical judgement and timely diagnosis is warranted.Case presentationHerein, we report a case of a 50-year-old man with several central nervous system (CNS) lesions, retinal lesions, and renal cortical cysts with a diagnosis of VHL disease who was surgically treated. At a 3-month follow-up, he improved drastically with a marked alleviation of his signs and symptoms.DiscussionVHL is characterized by the creation of various benign and malignant tumors, as well as cysts in multiple organs, and is passed down through generations in an autosomal dominant pattern with near-complete penetrance. CNS lesions are surgically treated. Regular follow-up should be ensured.ConclusionsVHL disease is an extremely complicated disease with the need for diagnosis and genetic tests in the patient and family members, as well as intensive supervision of carriers of the mutated gene, thereby improving early diagnosis and successful treatment of the malignancies. The high cost of diagnostics and surgical therapies is a severe issue. Government care and financial assistance are critical considerations.

High occurrence of food insecurity in young people attending a youth mental health service in regional Australia.

AimDespite the relationship between food insecurity and poor mental health, food insecurity in young people attending mental health services in Australia remains understudied. This study aimed to determine the occurrence and predictors of food insecurity, and the relationship with dietary factors in young people attending a mental health service.MethodsA cross‐sectional online survey was conducted in a sample of young people (15–25 years) who attended a mental health service in Launceston, Australia. The survey utilised a single‐item food insecurity screening tool and eight demographic, health and service use questions. Five questions determined self‐reported intake of fruit, vegetables, breakfast, water, sugar‐sweetened beverages and takeaway foods. Binary logistic regression determined predictors of food insecurity. Cross‐tabulations determined differences in dietary intake according to food security.ResultsOf survey respondents (n = 48; 68% female), 40% (n = 19) were food insecure. Respondents living out of home or in unstable accommodation were at significantly higher risk of food insecurity (odds ratio [OR]: 4.43; SE: 0.696; 95% CI: 1.13–17.34; p = 0.032) compared to those living with their parents. Those receiving government financial assistance (OR: 5.00; SE: 0.676; 95% CI: 1.33–18.81; p = 0.017) were also at significantly higher risk of food insecurity. Regardless of food security status, self‐reported intake of fruits, vegetables and breakfast were low, and respondents regularly consumed takeaway foods and sugar‐sweetened beverages.ConclusionsThere was a high occurrence of food insecurity and poor dietary intake in young people attending a youth mental health service demonstrating that initiatives to support access to healthy food in this group should be a priority, with potential benefits for mental health outcomes.

Food Security During the COVID-19 Pandemic : Policy Comparison in Five Developing Countries in Asia

This study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted five developing Asian countries in terms of food security policies, particularly in Malaysia, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, and Indonesia. These five countries have several differences, such as population, the quantity of main imported foods, food self-sufficiency policies, and natural resource conditions. This research uses a qualitative approach with literature study methods. The study shows that each country's initial policies in response to COVID-19, especially in terms of transportation mobility restriction, has impacted on food distribution. Domestic food stocks, subsidies, and government financial assistance are considered capable of maintaining food security temporarily. Nevertheless, domestic policies alone will not be sufficient to maintain and ensure long-term availability, affordability, and safety of food products. This study concludes that the optimization of local food production and imported food products is essential to maintain the balance of the supply chain of food in the country.

Social impact of disease parameters and damage accrual in adult Brazilian patients with childhood-onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

To describe the frequency and investigate potential associations of unemployment, need of financial assistance and health-related quality of life in adult patients with childhood-onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (cSLE). In this multicenter cross-sectional retrospective cohort study including cSLE adult patients, questionnaires were applied evaluating demographic characteristics, medical history, treatment, receipt of government financial assistance, work status, quality of life, economic classification, disease activity, and damage accrual. Disease activity and disease damage were measured at the study visit. Sixty-nine cSLE patients with a median age of 21 years from two Brazilian tertiary centers were included (median disease duration 9 years). Twenty-eight (40.6%) patients were unemployed and 16 (23.2%) were receiving financial assistance or retirement pension. Work unemployment was associated with higher damage scores (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.08 to 3.09, p = 0.024), and the need of financial assistance was associated with longer disease duration (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.31, p = 0.045) and worse economic score (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.99, p = 0.038). Emotional health and body image perception were the most compromised domains of quality of life but showed no association with disease parameters. Disease activity, on the other hand, was inversely associated with symptoms scores (β = -1.377, p = 0.014) and scores of adverse effects of medications (β = -1.286, p = 0.020). cSLE is a disease with severe outcomes and high social burden that profoundly impacts patients. Damage accrual is a major contributor to unemployment during adulthood and its prevention must be central in the management of cSLE.

Mental health symptoms in children and adolescents during COVID-19 in Australia.

COVID-19 has led to disruptions to the lives of Australian families through social distancing, school closures, a temporary move to home-based online learning, and effective lockdown. Understanding the effects on child and adolescent mental health is important to inform policies to support communities as they continue to face the pandemic and future crises. This paper sought to report on mental health symptoms in Australian children and adolescents during the initial stages of the pandemic (May to November 2020) and to examine their association with child/family characteristics and exposure to the broad COVID-19 environment. An online baseline survey was completed by 1327 parents and carers of Australian children aged 4 to 17 years. Parents/carers reported on their child's mental health using five measures, including emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms. Child/family characteristics and COVID-related variables were measured. Overall, 30.5%, 26.3% and 9.5% of our sample scored in the high to very high range for emotional symptoms, conduct problems and hyperactivity/inattention, respectively. Similarly, 20.2% and 20.4% of our sample scored in the clinical range for anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms, respectively. A child's pre-existing mental health diagnosis, neurodevelopmental condition and chronic illness significantly predicted parent-reported child and adolescent mental health symptoms. Parental mental health symptoms, having a close contact with COVID-19 and applying for government financial assistance during COVID-19, were significantly associated with child and adolescent mental health symptoms. Our findings show that Australian children and adolescents experienced considerable levels of mental health symptoms during the initial phase of COVID-19. This highlights the need for targeted and effective support for affected youth, particularly for those with pre-existing vulnerabilities.

Crisis Management Policy and Financial Performance - The Mediating Effect of Government Assistance and Cash Holding: Evidence from Italy

This research aims to investigate the main drivers of financial performance during the COVID-19 outbreak, particularly the role of national government and firm policy in relation to the negative economic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on firms' performance. A generalized linear model (GLM) has been conducted to test the influence of government assistance and cash holding on the financial performance of 79 firms listed in FTSE Italia over 2020. Likewise, our research adopts the Second Stage Least Squares Method (2SLS) and Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) to examine the moderating effect of cash held on the association between COVID-19 outbreak and firms' performance. Our results suggest that the Italian government aids their firms during the COVID-19 outbreak to support their financial performance, and firms themselves increase the level of cash holding to continue their operations as a crisis management policy to face the COVID-19 outbreak. Moreover, cash holding as a moderator weakens the negative impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the financial firms' performance. Therefore, during the COVID-19 outbreak, national governments and firms should consider a crisis management policy to reduce the negative effects on the firms' performance, mainly government financial assistance and cash holdings to sustain firms' operations during the outbreak.