High Social Participation Research Articles

More than 40% of those not taking antiseizure medication with recent seizures reported that epilepsy or its treatment interfered with their recent activities, 2010 and 2013 US National Health Interview Surveys.

From the combined 2010 and 2013 National Health Interview Surveys, we estimated US national age-standardized prevalence of adults with active epilepsy who reported that a nervous system/sensory organ condition caused a limitation (e.g., walking; memory; or physical, mental, or emotional problems) and, separately, that epilepsy interfered with their activities (e.g., working, schooling, or socializing) during the 30days preceding the survey. Sixty-one percent of adults who took antiseizure medication and had recent seizures and 51% of those who took medication and had no seizures reported having limitations caused by a nervous system/sensory organ condition. Sixty-two percent of adults who took antiseizure medication and had recent seizures and 20% of those who took medication and had no seizures reported that epilepsy or its treatment interfered with their recent activities. Forty-one percent of those who did not take medication and had recent seizures also reported that epilepsy interfered with their activities. To reduce activity limitations in people with epilepsy, health and social service providers can ensure that adequate policies and practices that promote access to high quality care and social participation are in effect in organizations and communities.

Risk and protective factors for heat-related events among older adults of Southern Quebec (Canada): The NuAge study.

Extreme heat is known to increase heat-related health outcomes (HRHO). Incidence and predictors of HRHO were examined among older adults living in Quebec (Canada). This prospective five-year study used data from the first follow-up of community-dwelling older adults from the NuAge cohort (2005-2006), located in three health regions of Southern Quebec. Medical, social and environmental factors, identified in Health Canada guidelines (2011), were used to develop the Older Adult Health Vulnerability Index (OAHVI). HRHO, obtained from a medico-administrative database, were defined as events occurring on a hot day (maximal temperature ≥30°C) between 2006 and 2010. Two outcomes were examined: heat-related 1) emergency department presentations (EDPs) and 2) health events (i.e., EDP, hospitalizations or deaths). Multivariate logistic regressions were performed to assess the associations between risk and protective factors, including OAHVI, and both outcomes. EDP and hospitalizations were, respectively, 2.6 (95% CI: 2.0-3.5) and 1.7 (95% CI: 1.1-2.6) times more frequent on hot days compared to normal summer days. Low household income and disability increased risk of heat-related EDP (AOR = 3.20; 95% CI: 1.16-8.81 and AOR = 2.66; 95% CI: 1.15-6.14 respectively) and health events (AOR = 2.84; 95% CI: 1.06-7.64 and AOR = 2.51; 95% CI: 1.13-5.61 respectively). High social participation was a protective factor of heat-related EDP (AOR = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.01-0.20) and health events (AOR = 0.04; 95% CI: 0.01-0.18). Older adults presenting ≥6 OAHVI factors out of 9 were 7-8 times more at risk of heat-related EDP (OR = 7.40; 95% CI: 1.51-36.19) and health events (OR = 7.77; 95% CI: 1.63-37.20) compared to participants having 0-1 factor. Social participation, reduced autonomy and low income were predictors of HRHO. The OAHVI, also a strong predictor, should help clinicians identify high-risk elderly patients.

Aspirations of rural youth towards self-development

The present research “Aspirations of rural youth towards self-development” was conducted in Ramtek and Kamthi taluka of Nagpur district of Maharashtra State. 100 youth were selected randomly from 10 villages. The data was collected by personal interview of the rural youth with the help of interview schedule. In case of profile of rural youth nearly half of respondents (46.00 %) had medium age (24 to 28 years). The 30.00 per cent of rural youth educated up to college level. Majority of respondents (71.00 %) had medium experience in farming (4 to 7 years) and 72.00 per cent had medium family size (4 to 7 members), majority of respondents (56.00 %) had semimedium (2.01 to 4.00 ha) land holding, 40.00 per cent respondents had high social participation and 46.00 per cent had medium extension contact, whereas 44.00 per cent respondents had high mass media exposure and majority of respondents (59.00 %) had medium cosmopoliteness. It was observed that majority of respondents (51.00 %) performed medium level overall role in village development activities. In case of role of rural youth in agricultural development activities majority of respondents (56.00 %) were played role in sowing, drilling, dibbling, etc. activities, in case of rural youth role in social development activities of village majority of respondents (52.00 %) played role in cultural and recreational programmes. In case of role of rural youth in economic development activities over two fifth of respondents (43.00 %) were participated in work of marketing of agriculture product.

Environmental Factors Associated With Social Participation of Older Adults Living in Metropolitan, Urban, and Rural Areas: The NuAge Study.

We compared the social participation of older adults living in metropolitan, urban, and rural areas, and identified associated environmental factors. From 2004 to 2006, we conducted a cross-sectional study using an age-, gender-, and area-stratified random sample of 1198 adults (aged 67-82 years). We collected data via interviewer-administered questionnaires and derived from Canadian censuses. Social participation did not differ across living areas (P = .09), but after controlling for potential confounding variables, we identified associated area-specific environmental variables. In metropolitan areas, higher social participation was associated with greater proximity to neighborhood resources, having a driver's license, transit use, and better quality social network (R(2) = 0.18). In urban areas, higher social participation was associated with greater proximity to neighborhood resources and having a driver's license (R(2) = 0.11). Finally, in rural areas, higher social participation was associated with greater accessibility to key resources, having a driver's license, children living in the neighborhood, and more years lived in the current dwelling (R(2) = 0.18). To enhance social participation of older adults, public health interventions need to address different environmental factors according to living areas.

Analysis of the Social Wellbeing Status in the Rural Settlements Based on Keyes Model, Miringof and Quality of Life (Case Study: Zanjan County)

1. INTRODUCTION One of the basic needs in the field of rural development is providing social health for villagers to to create appropriate basis to use social, economic and environmental possibilities of the village. So, rural development does not just include economic and agricultural aspects, but includes other aspects of life such as environmental, social, wellbeing and health aspects. Henceforth, dealing with the concept of health and specifically in social dimension, is one of the necessities in rural planning and development in our country, so that -through pathology of rural settlements in this sector, the solutions for social well-being promotion and subsequent development of rural economic, scientific, social, cultural and environmental aspects are provided in these settlements. Thus, the present study aimed to analyse and evaluate the state of social well-being in rural settlements in the county of Zanjan and identify strategies for its development and strengthening in these settlements. 2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Health, including Full Welfare of physical, mental and social. One of the most important aspects health, social well-being. To analyze the social well-being in society, health -Pivot and patient-Pivot approaches are studied. In most studies and social researches, the health-Pivot approach is used. There are also different models in this field, that social well-being model of Keyes, model and Miringof model and quality of life model of the most important models in this regard. Social well-being studies done in rural areas in the form of healthy village approach. Based on this approach, healthy rural is village in which they continually be prepared the optimum conditions, the possibility expanding of cooperation Intersectoral of environmental engender. Hence, in the rural with high social well-being, participation and environmental preservation is a priority than other factors. 3. METHODOLOGY This research using descriptive-analytical method, social well-being in rural settlements of Zanjan County is reviewed. In the context, for collecting data from field studies methods and the library is used. The Statistical Society is 258 rural point. And using method of simple cluster sampling, and with the help of province political boundaries from each district were selected randomly 1 village. Thus, 12 rural point were selected as the samples. In the next phase given that the households number of simple rural 12 of about 4213 households is. Using Morgan table, 352 households were selected as samples for the questionnaire distributed. To analyze the data, with Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, the amount of normal Frequency distribution of experimental and theoretical Frequency was evaluated. Then by using exploratory factor analysis, the main factors to determine the appropriate Pattern of variables were identified. The statistical calculations were performed using SPSS software and Lisrel. Indicators of research based on models and theories indicator Keyes social well-being, social well-being indicators of Miringof and the indicators of quality of life of Malcolm Shukner is set. And for each of the three models separate questionnaire was designed. 4. DISCUSSION The study shows that the social well-being status of rural, based on Keyes model, the amount of social well-being in this rurals is at an average level with an average of 3.32. Also, Based on calculations Kolmogorov-Smirnov, the significant level (P-Value) participation in indicators, prosperity and social cohesion less than P 0.05. And the null hypothesis is confirmed. Quality of life model is not in Desirable condition, with a mean of 2.6. Weakness in the index, has a direct refers to the weakness of social and economic infrastructure. In this context, Kolmogorov-Smirnov goodness of fit test indicates that Economic and health indicators with a significant level of 0.000 (P<0.05), the distribution is not normal and K-S amount in this indicator indicates weakness in this part of rural life. However, environmental and social indicators of has acceptable status. Finally, for determine the relative contribution of each of the models and factor in explaining social well-being status of rural settlements from exploratory factor analysis using the rotation method is used. In this context, the Keyes Model of with 6.465 have most share in explaining social well-being status rural settlements. 5– CONCLUSION According to the results obtained and based on theories and previous studies, for reinforce social well-being in rural settlement, it seems essential consider some strategies: Attention to rural education; Pathology of the social problems of youth; Creating self-esteem among rural youth in order to solidarity, maintain and strengthen of indigenous values; Strengthening the role of the local media and the production of audio-visual programs in the field of social well-being; Strengthening economic infrastructure; Plans Preparation of macro and micro economic and social fields in order to solve concerns of young people in rural households in the field employment, marriage, housing, income, insurance, education, sports and leisure.

Social Network, Social Trust and Shared-Goals towards Organizational-Knowledge Sharing

This study ascertains that organizational-knowledge sharing is facilitated by social network, social trust and shared-goal in a culture of trust, cooperation and participation. Trust advancement and civil participation networks facilitate relationship and reinforce existing information about trust of people. Individuals move closer to each other in social ceremonies by doing the same behaviors. This concordance leads to trust and confidence and high social participation in limited, medium and wide ranges. There is a close relationship between in group trust and participation and formation of voluntary and civil associations. Employing Descriptive Research design, including survey, in-depth study, correlation and comparison, data was gathered on the prevalence of organizational-knowledge sharing. It was found out that social network, social trust and shared-goals are independent of age and educational attainment; however, social thrust was found dependent with the respondents’ work-department. Moreover, social network social trust and shared-goals were found highly significantly related to their attitude towards knowledge-sharing, subjective norms on knowledge-sharing, and intentions to share knowledge.

Profile characteristics of Stree Shakthi Programme beneficiaries

The study was conducted in the purposively selected two taluks of Chitradurga district based on maximum number of Stree Shakthi Groups (SSG's). From each taluka, 12 SSG's and five members from each SSG's were selected randomly thus, making a total sample of 120. The results revealed that majority of respondents belonged to young age, high level of education, nuclear family, agriculture as main occupation, high social participation, high extension participation, high mass media exposure, had income up to Rs.20,000/- and medium livestock possession. Hence, it can be concluded that strategic manipulation of these variables of SSP beneficiaries through extension educational activities can motivate them to avail the benefits of the women empowerment programme.

Indicators for Healthy Ageing — A Debate

Definitions of healthy ageing include survival to a specific age, being free of chronic diseases, autonomy in activities of daily living, wellbeing, good quality of life, high social participation, only mild cognitive or functional impairment, and little or no disability. The working group Epidemiology of Ageing of the German Association of Epidemiology organized a workshop in 2012 with the aim to present different indicators used in German studies and to discuss their impact on health for an ageing middle-European population. Workshop presentations focused on prevalence of chronic diseases and multimorbidity, development of healthy life expectancy at the transition to oldest-age, physical activity, assessment of cognitive capability, and functioning and disability in old age. The communication describes the results regarding specific indicators for Germany, and hereby contributes to the further development of a set of indicators for the assessment of healthy ageing.

Social participation and mental health: moderating effects of gender, social role and rurality

BackgroundPrevious studies have reported that older people’s social participation has positive effects on their health. However, some studies showed that the impacts of social participation on health differ by gender. We sought to examine whether the effects of social participation on mental health differ for men and women in a Japanese population. We also examined the moderating influence of social position within the organization as well as urban/rural locality.MethodsWe used two waves of the Aichi Gerontological Evaluation Study’s longitudinal survey, which targeted residents with aged 65 years or over (n = 2,728) in a central part of Japan. The first wave survey was conducted in 2003, and the second wave in 2006. Depressive symptoms of the study participants were assessed using the short version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). A multilevel logistic regression model was used with individual-level as level 1 and the school district-level as level 2.ResultsWe found that higher social participation and performing key roles in the organization had protective effects on depressive symptoms for women. However, there were no main effects of these variables for the mental health of men. We found an interaction between social participation, organizational position, and rural residence among men only. That is, men who occupied leadership positions in organizations reported better mental health, but only in rural areas.ConclusionsOur findings support the notion that increasing the opportunities for social participation improves older people’s heath, especially for women. However, in the rural Japanese context, offering men meaningful roles within organizations may be important.

Social participation and drug use in a cohort of Brazilian sex workers

BackgroundStructural interventions focused on community mobilisation to engender an enabling social context have reduced sexual risk behaviours among sex workers. Interventions to date have increased social participation and shown an...

Social Capital Influence in Illicit Drug Use Among Racial/Ethnic Groups in the United States

Data from the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health was utilized to elucidate the relationship between individual-level social capital and illicit drug use among racial/ethnic groups. Analysis of variance indicated that Whites had different perceptions of social capital compared to other groups, in measures of social participation, neighborhood cohesion, trust, and norms of reciprocity. Logistic regression analysis showed that individual-level social capital, measured by trust and norms of reciprocity, was weakly associated with illicit drug use. However, individuals with higher social participation were less likely to have used illicit drugs ever or during the month prior to the interview. The association between social capital and illicit drug use is discussed, as well as the role of social participation in illicit drug use. Rather than an individual-level measure of social capital, future research should employ a neighborhood-level measure of social capital that aggregates neighborhood cohesion, trust, norms of reciprocity, and social participation.

Can the higher risk of disability onset among older people who live alone be alleviated by strong social relations? A longitudinal study of non-disabled men and women

to investigate if the increased risk of disability onset among older people who live alone could possibly be moderated by either high social participation or by being satisfied with the social relations. logistic regression models were tested using two waves in a study population of 2,697 non-disabled older men and women from The Danish Longitudinal Study on Preventive Home Visits. living alone and low social participation were significant risk factors for later male disability onset. Not being satisfied with the social relations was significantly associated with onset of disability for both genders. Among men who lived alone low social participation was a significant predictor of disability onset [odds ratio, OR = 2.30 (1.00-5.29)]; for cohabiting men social participation was not associated with disability onset, [adjusted OR = 0.91 (0.49-1.71)]. Similar results were present concerning satisfaction with the social relations among men. There was no significant interaction for women. the study suggests that men who live alone can possibly alleviate their risk of disability onset by being socially active and by having access to satisfactory social relations. Women do not seem to benefit as much from cohabitation as men, although women who live alone and who are not satisfied with their social relations also constitute a significant risk category.

Influence of psychological characteristics and social relations on receiving preventive home visits in older men and women

The purpose was to analyze whether psychological characteristics and social relations in older men and women were related to accepting and receiving preventive home visits during 3years, when offered as part of a national scheme. The study was based on secondary data from the Danish Intervention Study on Preventive Home Visits in 34 municipalities. The study population included 3,377 men and women who answered questions about psychological characteristics and social relations at baseline, survived and took part in the threeyear follow-up study. Number of preventive home visits was registered during 3years in a specially designed software installed in the municipalities. Psychological characteristics were measured by questions on sadness, aggressiveness, life satisfaction, mood, loneliness and sense of coherence. Social relations were measured by questions on cohabitation status, diversity in social relations and social participation. Covariates included age and disability. Older men with poor psychological rating on most of the variables had larger odds ratios of accepting and receiving preventive home visits compared to older men with higher ratings. Older women with poor rating on the psychological characteristics and high social participation had larger odds of accepting and receiving preventive home visits, and women with a strong sense of coherence had larger odds of receiving many visits. It is concluded that psychological characteristics and social relations in older persons seem to influence whether they accept and receive preventive home visits, but patterns of associations are complex and vary for men and women.

Early menopause, association with tobacco smoking, coffee consumption and other lifestyle factors: a cross-sectional study.

BackgroundEarly onset of menopause is a risk factor for several health problems. The objective was primarily to investigate the association between early menopause and current, past active and passive smoking. A second aim was to investigate the association between coffee and alcohol consumption and early menopause.MethodsThe present population-based cross-sectional study included a sub-sample of 2123 postmenopausal women born in 1940–41 who participated in the Oslo Health Study. Early menopause was defined as menopause occurring at an age of less than 45 years. We applied logistic regression analyses (crude and adjusted odds ratio (OR)) to examine the association between early menopause and selected lifestyle factors.ResultsCurrent smoking was significantly associated with early menopause (adj. OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.11–2.28). Stopping smoking more than 10 years before menopause considerably reduced the risk of early menopause (adj. OR, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.05–0.33). Total exposure to smoking (the product of number of cigarettes per day and time as a smoker) was positively related to early menopause and, at the highest doses, nearly doubled the odds (adj. OR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.12–3.30). These data suggest a possible dose-response relationship between total exposure to smoking and early menopause, but no dose-response relationship was detected for the other variables examined. We found no significant association of coffee or alcohol consumption with early menopause. Of the lifestyle factors tested, high educational level (adj. OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.34–0.72) and high social participation (adj. OR, 0.60, 95% CI, 0.39–0.98) were negatively associated with early menopause.ConclusionThis cross-sectional study shows an association between current smoking and early menopause. The data also suggest that the earlier a woman stops smoking the more protected she is from early menopause. Early menopause was not significantly associated with passive smoking, or alcohol or coffee consumption.

Anxiolytic–hypnotic drug use associated with trust, social participation, and the miniaturization of community: A multilevel analysis

The concept of social capital has gained wide interest in public health research in recent years. However, we suggest a concept that was introduced and developed by Fukuyama, named “miniaturization of community”, as an alternative to that of social capital. The concept of miniaturization of community emphasizes that a high level of social participation can be accompanied by a low level of trust, both at the individual and at the community level, which may in turn result in social disorder and lack of social cohesion. When society becomes more disordered, people may tend to feel more insecure and anxious. Use of anxiolytic–hypnotic drugs (AHDs) could under such circumstances be a coping strategy. In this study, we first wanted to investigate whether the contextual component of the miniaturization of community concept (i.e. area high social participation and low trust) is associated with individual AHD use, over and above individual characteristics. Secondly, we aimed to study whether people living in the same municipality share a similar probability of AHD use, after adjusting for individual characteristics, and if so, how large this contextual phenomenon is. We used data on 20,319 women and 17,850 men aged 18–79 years from 58 municipalities in six regions in central Sweden, who participated in the Life & Health year 2000 postal survey. We applied multilevel logistic regression analysis with individuals at the first level and areas at the second level. Our results suggest that living in an area with a high level of miniaturization of community seems to be associated with individual AHD use, beyond people's individual characteristics including their own level of social participation and trust. The concept of miniaturization of community may be an extension of the classic concept of social capital and may increase our understanding of contextual effects on health.

SOCIAL CAPITAL, THE MINIATURIZATION OF COMMUNITY AND HIGH ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION: A POPULATION-BASED STUDY

To study the impact of social participation, trust, and the miniaturization of community, i.e. high social participation/low trust, on the risk of high alcohol consumption. The Scania 2000 public health survey is a cross-sectional, postal questionnaire study. A total of 13 604 persons aged 18-80 years were included. A logistic regression model was used to investigate the association between the social capital variables and high alcohol consumption (168.0 g/week or more for men and 108.0 g/week or more for women). The multivariate analyses analysed the importance of confounders (age, country of origin, education, and economic stress) on the risk of high alcohol consumption according to the social capital variables. A 14.0% proportion of all men and 7.8% of all women had an alcohol consumption above recommended levels. High alcohol consumption above recommended levels was not associated with social participation but negatively associated with trust among men. The miniaturization of community category, i.e. high social participation/low trust, had significantly higher risks of high alcohol consumption compared to the high social capital (high social participation/high trust) category among men. High social participation combined with low trust, i.e. the miniaturization of community, is positively associated high alcohol consumption among men. A structural/social factor which may affect the amount of alcohol consumed has thus been identified in this study.

Social capital, the miniaturization of community and cannabis smoking among young adults.

The impact of social participation, trust and the miniaturization of community, i.e. the combination of high social participation and low trust, on cannabis smoking was investigated. The 2000 public health survey in Scania is a cross-sectional study. A total of 13,715 persons aged 18-80 years, of which 3,978 persons aged 18-34 years were included in this study, answered a postal questionnaire, which represents 59% of the random sample. A logistic regression model was used to investigate the association between the social capital variables and ever having experienced cannabis smoking. The multivariate analysis was performed to investigate the importance of possible confounders (age, country of origin and education) on the differences in having experienced cannabis smoking according to social participation, trust and their four combination categories. Cannabis smoking is not associated with social participation, but positively associated with low trust among both men and women, and the miniaturization of community, i.e. the combination of high social participation and low trust, among men. This study suggests that the miniaturization of community, i.e. the combination of high social participation and low levels of generalized trust of other people, may enhance the experience of cannabis smoking.

Social relations as determinant of onset of disability in aging

The purpose of the study was to analyze whether social relations are related to onset of disability among old people at 1.5 year follow-up and whether these relations vary by age and gender. The study is based on baseline and 1.5 year follow-up data on 1396 older non-disabled adults. Social relations were measured by questions about diversity in social relations, social participation, satisfaction with social relations and instrumental social support. Onset of disability was described as developing need of help in at least one of six mobility activities. The results showed that a large diversity in social relations and high social participation were important factors for maintaining functional ability among the 75-year-old men and women, while social support was a risk factor for functional decline among the 80-year-old men. The present study suggests that being “embedded” in a strong network of social relations provides protection against disability by reducing risk of developing disability.

Social capital and the miniaturization of community among daily and intermittent smokers: a population-based study

Background The impact of social participation, trust, and the miniaturization of community on daily and intermittent smoking was investigated. Methods The 2000 public health survey in Scania is a cross-sectional study. A total of 13,715 persons answered a postal questionnaire, which represents 59% of the random sample. A logistic regression model was used to investigate the association between the social capital variables and daily and intermittent smoking. The multivariate analysis was performed by using a logistic regression model to investigate the importance of possible confounders (age, country of origin, education, and snuff consumption) on the differences in daily and intermittent smoking between high versus low social participation, trust, and their four combination categories. The differences in the prevalences of the 13 social participation subitems between the high social capital and miniaturization of community categories were compared by t tests. Results Daily smoking is negatively associated with both social participation and trust, while intermittent smoking is positively associated with social participation and negatively associated with trust. This latter combination, named “the miniaturization of community,” is an indirect measure of the ideologically and culturally increasingly narrow forms of social participation that excludes generalised trust to other people. Study circles, meetings of organisations, theatre/cinema, arts exhibition, and gathering of relatives are more prevalent in the high social capital category, while visit(s) to night club/entertainment is more prevalent in the miniaturization of community category. Conclusions Low social capital is associated with daily smoking. “The miniaturization of community,” i.e., high social participation and low trust, is significantly associated with intermittent smoking. The results have direct implications for smoking prevention strategies.

Social network, social support and the rate of decline of CD4 lymphocytes in asymptomatic HIV-positive homosexual men.

To test a stress-disease hypothesis by investigating the influence of social network and social support factors on the course over time of the CD4 lymphocytes in an HIV-positive population of gay men. The study is a prospective cohort study of a representative population of HIV-positive gay men, undertaken at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Malmö University Hospital. This is the only clinic providing care for HIV-positive individuals in the city of Malmö in southern Sweden (population 248,000). A total of 115 HIV-positive homosexual men, who had not received an AIDS diagnosis, were invited to take part in the study. Seventy-five men (65%) accepted to be interviewed and 64 men (56%) fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the statistical analysis. In a multivariate analysis adjustments were made for age, level of the first CD4 count and time since first contact with the clinic. Men with high family contact frequency had a longer half-life (20.3 years) of the CD4 lymphocyte count than men with a low family contact frequency (7.4 years) (p = 0.03). Men with high social participation also had a longer half-life of CD4 lymphocyte count (14.7 years), compared with men with low social participation (6.3 years, p = 0.10). The findings of this study imply the importance of social support and social network factors as modifiers of the rate of decline of the CD4 lymphocyte level, which is an important prognostic marker of survival in HIV-positive homosexual men.