Home Duties Research Articles

Teen at Work: The Burden of a Double Shift on Daily Activities

The purpose of this study was to the evaluate time spent by working and nonworking adolescents on daily activities (work, home duties, school, transportation, other activities, leisure, sleep, and naps). Twenty-seven students, 8 male workers, 8 female workers, 5 male nonworkers, and 6 female nonworkers, ages 14–18 yrs participated in the study. They attended evening classes Monday–Friday (19:00–22:30 h) in a public school in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The students answered a comprehensive questionnaire on the characterization of their life, work, and health conditions. Simultaneously, they wore actigraphs (Ambulatory Monitoring, Inc.) and completed a diary of their daily activities (time spent at work, on home duties, commuting, leisure, other activities) for a minimum of 10 to a maximum of 17 consecutive days. The means of the variables were tested for differences by a two-factor (work and sex) ANOVA and Student-t test applied to pair-wise samples (weekdays and weekends). The average duration during weekdays of working time was 7 h 09 min and home duties 0 h 48 min. As for commuting time, there was a work effect [F(1,23) = 4.9; p = 0.04]; mean commuting time was 2 h 22 min for workers (males and females) and 1 h 25 min for nonworkers. There was a significant difference between workers and nonworkers [F(1,23) = 4.6; p = 0.04] regarding extra-cirricular class activities; workers spent a mean of 3 min/day on them as opposed to 1 h 14 min by nonworkers. The average daily time spent on leisure activities by workers was 6 h 31 min; whereas, for nonworkers it was 7 h 38 min. Time spent in school amounted to 2 h 47 min for workers in comparison to 3 h 22 min by nonworkers. There was a significant work effect upon sleep [F(1,23) = 10.0; p < 0.01]. The work effect upon nighttime sleep duration was significant [F(1,23) = 16.7; p < 0.01]. Male workers showed a mean night sleep of 6 h 57 min and female workers 07 h 15 min. The average nighttime sleep duration for nonworkers was 9 h 06 min. There was a significant interactive effect between work and sex [F(1,23) = 5.6; p = 0.03] for naps. Female workers showed took shortest nap on average (36 min; SD = 26 min), and female nonworkers the longest naps (1 h 45 min; SD = 35 min). Study and employment exert significant impact on the life and activities of high school students. Work affects sleep and nap duration plus the amount of time spent in school and other extra-curricular activities.

Risk factors for hypertension during pregnancy in South Australia.

To identify risk factors for hypertension in pregnancy among South Australian women. A population-based retrospective analysis using the South Australian perinatal data collection for 1998-2001. Three groups of women with hypertension (pre-existing hypertension, pregnancy hypertension, and superimposed pre-eclampsia) were compared with normotensive women using unconditional logistic regression analysis on 70,386 singleton births to identify sociodemographic and clinical risk factors for hypertension in pregnancy. Nulliparity, Aboriginal race and Caucasian race (compared with Asian) and pre-existing and gestational diabetes were demonstrated to be risk factors for all hypertensive disorders, as was increasing maternal age for pre-existing hypertension and superimposed pre-eclampsia. Risk was increased for pregnancy hypertension and superimposed pre-eclampsia among women who gave their occupation as 'home duties' and also for superimposed pre-eclampsia among unemployed women. Women with hypertension were more likely to give birth in teaching hospitals. Urinary tract infections were not found to be a risk factor for any type of hypertension. Smoking during pregnancy was protective for all types of hypertension. The present study used a statewide population perinatal database and has confirmed that Aboriginal race, Caucasians, nulliparity, and pre-existing and gestational diabetes are independent risk factors for all types of hypertension in pregnancy. Increasing maternal age increased the risk for pre-existing hypertension and superimposed pre-eclampsia. There appeared to be appropriate referral of women with hypertensive disorders to teaching hospitals. A new finding is the increased risk among unemployed women and women engaged in home duties.

Sitting time and work patterns as indicators of overweight and obesity in Australian adults.

Increasing levels of physical inactivity and sedentariness are contributing to the current overweight and obesity epidemic. In this paper, the findings of two recent studies are used to explore the relationships between sitting time (in transport, work and leisure), physical activity and body mass index (BMI) in two contrasting samples of adult Australians. Data on sitting time, physical activity, BMI and a number of demographic characteristics were compared for participants in two studies-529 women who were participants in a preschool health promotion project ('mothers'), and 185 men and women who were involved in a workplace pedometer study ('workers'). Relationships between age, number of children, physical activity, sitting time, BMI, gender and work patterns were explored. Logistic regression was used to predict the likelihood of being overweight or obese, among participants with different physical activity, sitting time and work patterns. The total reported time spent sitting per day (across all domains) was almost 6 h less among the mothers than the workers (P<0.001), and compared with the mothers, a significantly greater proportion of the workers was classified as overweight or obese (BMI > or =25 kg/m(2)). Univariate analysis found that, compared with men in full-time work, women who worked full-time (OR=0.42, CI: 0.24-0.74), part-time (OR=0.35, CI: 0.20-0.59) or in full-time home duties (OR=0.51, CI: 0.29-0.88) were about half as likely to be overweight or obese. Participants who reported high daily levels of sitting (> or =7.4 h) were also significantly more likely than those who reported 'low' levels (<4.7 h/day) to be overweight or obese (OR=1.68, CI: 1.16-2.42). Multivariate analysis (including physical activity, work patterns and sitting time) confirmed that full-time and part-time working women (but not 'home duties' women) were less likely to report BMI > or =25 kg/m(2) than full-time working men (full-time: OR=0.44, CI: 0.25-0.78; part-time: OR=0.45, CI: 0.24-0.86), but the OR for BMI > or =25 among those in the high sitting category was attenuated (OR=1.61, CI 0.96-2.71). The findings suggest a need for inclusion of measures of both activity and inactivity in future studies, so that the complex relationships between these behavioural determinants of BMI can be clarified.

Unintentional fatal injuries arising from unpaid work at home

Objective: Unpaid work in and around the home is a common and potentially high risk activity, yet there is limited information about the circumstances surrounding resulting injuries. This study aimed...

Социально-экономическая зависимость женщин

Relying on the empirical results the author concludes that the social and economic dependence of females is multivariable. Their dependence in the family is stipulated not by the economic factor but also by non-economic factors such as spouse relations, emotional affection. Under the current culture a woman that has children could change the realms of her dependence but it is much more difficult for her to exit the dependence. The financial dependence of a woman leads to the social dependence during the relation process with her man. Economic dependence from her parents and state has less restriction to her freedom. Economic dependence plays the key role in the gender inequality reproduction: home duties of women limit their possibilities on the labour market and determine the lower wages, that consolidates the established labour division in the family. The issue of the possible overcoming this female dependence remains challenging. The author states that only the changes in the culture, consciousness and mentality could solve the problem.

Screening for bowel cancer among NSW adults with varying levels of risk: a community survey

To estimate the extent and modality of screening for colorectal cancer in NSW among community-dwelling adults aged over 40 with varying degrees of familial risk. Cross-sectional telephone survey with participants randomly selected from the electronic NSW telephone directory. 5.7% of people at average risk aged 40-49 report having had at least one faecal occult blood test (FOBT) in the previous five years, compared with 18.4% of those at average risk aged 50 and over. Of those at above-average risk (by age and familial risk), 7.9% reported that they had had an FOBT in the previous five years. Around 5% of respondents aged 40-49 and 10% of those aged 50+ reported having had a colonoscopy/sigmoidoscopy for screening within the previous five years, compared with 30% of those at above-average risk. People with medical insurance were more likely to have undergone a screening test (either FOBT or sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy), than those without insurance (PR = 1.30; 95% CI 1.02-1.67). Compared with those employed full time, those who were retired (PR = 1.45 95% CI 1.01-2.09) and those who reported home duties (PR = 1.54 95% CI 1.01-2.36) were slightly, but significantly more likely to report having had a test. As perception of personal risk for colorectal cancer increased, so did the likelihood of having had a screening test within the previous five years (PR = 1.19; 95% CI 1.05-1.35). We have reported important baseline data with which to compare the progress of both pilot screening programs and more widespread implementation of colorectal screening in Australia. In particular, we have highlighted the need for greater participation in screening for those at increased familial risk.

Принципы распределения труда между супругами в современной городской семье

Work takes a considerable part of our life; its significance is even bigger if we take into account the work at home. It is also obvious that there is visible inequality between males and females on the labour market. Despite the fact that women play an active role on the labour market they bear the most part of the home work. Even if a woman has a well-paid job she is traditionally responsible for home duties. Our knowledge in this topic is so rich that it becomes suspicious. Moreover there are a lot of feministic speculations of «downtroddenness» of Russian women that they work like men on the labour market plus they do all the home work.There are also other speculations like that the gender discrimination disappears in the cities as men are more and more engaged in home work.

Managing work and family in small “copreneurial” business: an Australian study

This paper reports on a recent Australian study of 20 “copreneurial” marital partners who own and manage a small business together. For “copreneurs”, the disadvantages of living and working together are outweighed by opportunities for maximum autonomy and personal control, and working together in a common cause which capitalises on individual strengths and values. Work and family management is enhanced by this form of family business, allowing partners to combine career and home duties flexibly and effectively. Traditional gender roles are apparent in “copreneurship”, with women predominantly responsible for the home domain and family care. “Copreneurship” helps promote a “family‐friendly” work environment for the business partners and for their employees. This “family‐friendly” culture also fosters an entrepreneurial spirit in children, which bodes well for the next generation of small business owners and salaried employees.

Women's Health Australia: on the progress of the main cohort studies.

More than 41,000 women aged 18-23, 45-50, and 70-75 years in 1996 are participating in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (Women's Health Australia). Baseline surveys were conducted for all three cohorts in 1996, and the first follow-up survey of the mid-age group in 1998 has achieved a response rate exceeding 90%. The main findings so far reflect the large differences in the life experiences of the three cohorts. The young women report high levels of stress. The physical and mental health of those with young children is worse than for those without children, but confounding by sociodemographic characteristics may account for the differences. Two thirds of young women in the healthy weight or underweight range would like to weigh less, and early onset of dieting is associated with poorer physical and mental health. Most of the women in the mid-age group have multiple roles--in paid work, home duties, and caring for children and other dependents. The potential of the study to investigate the long-term impact of such busy lives on health outcomes is considerable. At this stage, the main health issues for these women relate to tiredness, weight gain, and menopause. The older cohort presents a picture of positive aging. These women are heavier users of health services than the mid-age and younger women, and they are also more satisfied with these services. Although their physical health is poorer, their mental health is better, and they report less stress than women in the other two cohorts. The follow-up survey of this group, planned for 1999, will focus on the coping strategies used by these women. An overall goal of the project is to understand the interactions among social roles, life events, and women's health in order to provide a basis for improved health policies and services. Analysis of these interactions, which relies on both quantitative and qualitative data, poses many challenges that will be addressed as the longitudinal data become available.

Nutritional counselling in general practice: a cost effective analysis.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical and cost outcomes of providing nutritional counselling to patients with one or more of the following conditions: overweight, hypertension and type 2 diabetes. DESIGN:...

Tak Tent. Studies conducted in a cancer support group.

A descriptive study using two interviewer-administered questionnaires was conducted with the aim of getting to know more about cancer support groups and the people who are using these services. All 71 patients and relatives attending six cancer support groups in the West of Scotland at the time of the investigation were interviewed. They were asked about their satisfaction with care and support, past and current concerns, global health and quality of life, and needs. The majority of participants were married women, middle class, aged 50-65 years old, and were long-time survivors. Fifty-two per cent of cancer patients and 70% of relatives of cancer patients stated that they were very satisfied with support were receiving. Nearly 90% of patients reported that they did not receive any counselling either during their pretreatment from their cancer specialists or latter from a professional counsellor. The "general perceived health" and "global quality of life" among patients and relatives were found to be moderately good or good. Concerns of patients and relatives were studied. Patients reported optimistic changes, while relatives were more negative. Needs assessment indicated that 52% of patients require symptom relief and family support, whereas 53% of relatives need counselling from a professional counsellor and informational support. One-third of patients reported that they had no problems at present, and the rest identified difficulties with home duties, shopping and transportation, and financial problems. The study suggests that there is value in encouraging cancer patients and their relatives to take part in existing cancer support groups. This may help to reduce the burden of disease and the care-burden imposed on families.

A descriptive study of a cancer support group

Six cancer support groups in the West of Scotland were studied. All 31 patients attending these groups were interviewed. The majority of participants were married females, middle class, 50-65 years old and were long-time survivors. Fifty-two per cent stated that they were very satisfied with the support they received. A high proportion of patients reported that they did not receive any counselling during their treatment from their cancer specialists (90%) or at present from a professional counsellor (84%). the general perceived health and 'global quality of life' among participants were found to be moderately good or good. Concerns of patients were studied and they reported optimistic changes. Needs assessment indicated that most patients (52%) require symptom relief and family support. Most patient (32%) reported that they had no problem at that time while the rest identified difficulties in home duties, shopping and transportation, and financial problems. The study suggests there is value in encouraging cancer patients and their relatives to take part in existing cancer support groups.

Ireland: A Private Patriarchy?

Ireland has recently been characterised as a country dominated by private patriarchy. One indicator of private patriarchy is the incidence of women engaged in full-time ‘home duties’ rather than in paid employment. The participation of women in the Irish labour force has been comparatively very low because the majority of married women in Ireland are full-time housewives. Persistently high fertility rates—in 1987 the highest in Europe—and a state ideology which enshrined women's position in the home explained this phenomenon in the past. One might have expected industrialisation to have promoted greater change, yet its influence was minimal. Early industrialisation did not create a demand for female labour. In the 1960s export-oriented industrialisation generated a demand for female labour but this was obstructed by patriarchal state policy. In the 1970s, EU membership removed many legislative restrictions on the labour-force participation of married women. However, a patriarchal family based taxation policy and the absence of state supported child care still perpetuate private patriarchy in Ireland.

Children's Reading and the Culture of Girlhood: The Case of L.T. Meade

By the beginning of World War I, a separate culture of girlhood had taken shape in Britain. “Girlhood” had its own interests, values, and (perhaps) ethics; its own language, customs, and literature. Fifty years earlier, when publishers first began to identify readers in a category which they differentiated from the adult audience on the one hand and the general children's audience on the other, they were not quite sure who girls were and what they might be interested in. Publishers' advertisements used terms such as “the girl from 8 to 18” and “those who have left the schoolroom but not yet entered society.” The earliest girls' magazines, which appeared in the last quarter of the century, opened their readers' contribution pages to “girls” up to the age of twenty-five. Mid-nineteenth-century fiction about girls generally emphasized home life and home duties, but by 1900 many books dwelt on the values and interactions of girls themselves, with hardly any mention of adults. As a first step in discussing the creation of girlhood – and the values, attitudes, and understandings which this creation encoded – the case of L.T. Meade is instructive.

Vitamin D Deficiency Rickets in a Sunny Country: Pathogenesis, Clinical Picture and Management

ABSTRACT Vitamin D deficiency rickets occurs in sunny countries, mainly due to man-made environmental factors associated with avoidance of sunshine. This situation can be prevented by more health e...

Maternal Attitudes of Greek Migrant Women

This study examines groups of Greek migrant mothers and their attitudes towards their children in different stages of the migratory process. There were 2 lots of samples of Greek migrants mothers who had at least 2 children 8-10 years old, 1 from the home country (5 villages of the District Drama in East Macedonia) and 1 from the receiving country (the area of Baden-Wurtenberg, where most of the migrants from East Macedonia are living). The 4 groups are: 1) 20 mothers who have always lived with their child in the host country; 2) 20 mothers who live in the host country where their child has joined them in the last 2-4 years; 3) 27 mothers who have lived in the host country with their child and have returned home in the last 2-4 years; and 4) 24 non-migrant mothers who have always lived with their families in the home country (control group). Women were interviewed using 2 questionnaires: a survey and an attitude questionnaire. The range of mothers' ages was 20-50 years. The youngest mothers were in the control group whereas group 1 mothers were the oldest. Groups 1 and 2 were mostly unskilled workers; groups 3 and 4 were mostly housewives. The returnees stayed in the host country a mean of 10 years, whereas the other 2 migrant groups were there 14.6 years. There were significantly fewer children in the families of groups 1 and 2 than 3 and 4. The attitude questionnaire covered the following child rearing practices: 1) training the child to participate in home duties; 2) keeping clean and tidy; 3) self-reliance and social behavior towards visitors; 4) ways of dealing with a child's obedience/disobedience; 5) dealing with favor-seeking behavior, food, and sleeping problems; and 6) mother's degree of permissiveness, supervision, and intervention on child's personal and interpersonal sphere of life. Findings show that moving from home to host country and coming back home creates the most controlling mothers, probably because mothers and children face anxiety-producing situations as they redefine family roles and readjust to the social environment. Returnees are as emotionally involved with their children as mothers who have always lived with their children in the host country. There are more similarities than differences between the 2 migrant groups. Both groups show similar attitudes to the control on 5 out of 7 composite variables. These findings suggest there is a strong cultural pattern in maternal attitudes which has not been affected by the sociocultural environment. The 2 groups of migrant mothers are similar to the returnees in their attitudes towards boys and girls except that returnees were more overprotective of boys than girls.

Social status and morbidity in Australia.

AbstractThe existence in western countries of an overall gradient in mortality related to social status has been established in a large number of studies from a variety of countries, including Australia. Due to lack of data, however, there has been much less work done on a similar national scale, investigating the relationship between social status and morbidity. This is particularly so in Australia.The recent release of unit record data from the 1977–78 Australian Health Survey (AHS) conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) means that data linking social status and morbidity at a national level are now available. This paper reports the findings of an investigation into the relationship between social status and morbidity, based on the AHS data.For men, those in lower status occupations tend to suffer a higher, age‐standardised rate of self‐reported recent illnesses, chronic conditions and days of reduced activity; the trends, however, are not straightforward. Mean levels of nonpsychotic mental illness show no clear association. Women show no simple correspondence between occupation and self‐reported health, with the exception of those who give “home duties” as their usual major activity. These women report consistently higher age‐standardised rates of illness and disability than those in paid employment.Males show a significant inverse gradient (after age‐standardisation) in association with education‐level‐attained for all the above‐mentioned morbidity indicators except chronic conditions. Even with chronic conditions, however, the least educated report significantly worse health than the rest of the population. Women show clear inverse trends (after age‐standardisation) for both recent illnesses and nonpsychotic mental illness, but not for chronic conditions and days of reduced activity.The most striking differences occur when relative affluence, based on income adjusted for family size, is used as the discriminatory variable. All four indicators of morbidity show significant relationships to affluence for both sexes after standardisation for age.The higher morbidity of those of low social status is partly reflected in their usage of doctors. The poor have significantly higher rates of consultations. As with morbidity, educational and occupational differences have a less clear‐cut influence.

Husbands' Attitude and Wives' Commitment to Employment

Primacy of home duties and a dependent relationship on her husband have been traditional role expectations for American wives. Two current trends challenge the image of dependent homemaker. First, the dual role of home and employment is increasingly popular among married women; for some this means career-commitment. Second, the new wave of feminism stresses autonomy (self-determination) for women. These two factors may be important in recasting or shattering the mold ofAmerican family life, especially through their impact on the marital relationship. Repeatedly, research has indicated how crucial the husband's attitude is for adjustments necessitated by the wife's employment. This research attempted to determine whether married women seek to make their role preference congruent with that of their husband. The study also examined the effect of wives' attitude to autonomy for women on their expectations as to which partner should adjust when there is tension or conflict over her role. Secord and Backman's theory of interpersonal congruency provided the theoretical model for the research. This theory suggests that behavioral stability and change are determined by one's desire for congruency in the interpersonal matrix formed by (S) self-concept, (B) relevant behavior, and (0) the perceived reaction of significant others. When incongruency threatens, adjustment is made among the components S, B, and/or 0. A purposive selection of women's clubs was made, and members were given mail-back questionnaires for themselves and their husbands. The women surveyed covered a broad range in terms of commitment to employment and attitude to autonomy for women. Two hundred thirty-five questionnaires were returned; most included the husband's also. The hypothesis that shared husband-wife role preference leads to role continuity or change, depending on whether this preference was for her present role or a different one, was strongly supported. The hypothesis that women with a liberal attitude to autonomy expect their husbands to make more adjustments and those with a conservative attitude expect to make more adjustments themselves was supported in general interaction but not when wives occupied roles in defiance of their husbands. Women moderate in attitude to autonomy evidenced more ambiguity over their roles than either the conservative or liberal women.

DELEGATION OF PHYSIOTHERAPY IN THE PUERPERIUM

As obstetric techniques continue to improve, there is a decided swing in favour of an early discharge from hospital of an ever-increasing number of well mothers and babies. In some larger teaching maternity hospitals, women are being discharged 48-hours post partum, and in many cases these women return to a situation where immediate responsibility for full home duties is put upon them. In accordance with this growing tendency and the question of delegation of physiotherapy, perhaps the aims of physiotherapy in the puerperium should be reconsidered. The community is constantly being made more aware of the need for physical fitness, and so, as physiotherapists already involved with obstetric after-care, we have a very real responsibility to teach both new mothers and multiparas the absolute importance of specific post natal muscle re-education, the necessity for back care in lifting and in posture, the value and place of relaxation (that is, active muscle decontraction) in the often trying and stressing puerperium, and the need for a rapid return to a state of general physical fitness.

Operative treatment of tuberculosis of the spine in old people.

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