Household Context Research Articles

SARS-CoV-2 setting-specific transmission rates: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background Understanding the drivers of SARS-CoV-2 transmission is crucial for control policies but evidence of transmission rates in different settings remains limited. Methods We conducted a systematic review to estimate secondary attack rates (SAR) and observed reproduction numbers (Robs) in different settings exploring differences by age, symptom status, and duration of exposure. To account for additional study heterogeneity, we employed a Beta-Binomial model to pool SARs across studies and a Negative-binomial model to estimate Robs. Results Households showed the highest transmission rates, with a pooled SAR of 21.1% (95%CI:17.4%-24.8%). SARs were significantly higher where the duration of household exposure exceeded 5 days compared with exposure of ≤5 days. SARs related to contacts at social events with family and friends were higher than those for low-risk casual contacts (5.9% vs. 1.2%). Estimates of SAR and Robs for asymptomatic index cases were approximately a seventh, and for pre-symptomatic two thirds of those for symptomatic index cases. We found some evidence for reduced transmission potential both from and to individuals under 20 years of age in the household context, which is more limited when examining all settings. Conclusions Our results suggest that exposure in settings with familiar contacts increases SARS-CoV-2 transmission potential. Additionally, the differences observed in transmissibility by index case symptom status and duration of exposure have important implications for control strategies such as contact tracing, testing and rapid isolation of cases. There was limited data to explore transmission patterns in workplaces, schools, and care-homes, highlighting the need for further research in such settings.

Job Satisfaction of Recent University Graduates in Economics Sciences: The Role of the Match Between Formal Education and Job Requirements

This paper aims to analyse the job satisfaction of recent graduates that finished their studies at the Facultad de Ciencias Economicas of the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Using a database specially designed for this project, we first look at the relationship between overall job satisfaction and its subdomains. Second, we inquiry on the relationships of overall job satisfaction and some of its subdomain with the degree of matching between the graduate’s education and skills with those required by his/her job, controlling by a set of variables related with individual characteristics, relationship statuses, personality traits, household context, human capital background, occupational context, institutional background, and job status. Finally, we look at the recent graduates’ job satisfaction by differentiating specific subgroups: by gender and matched/mismatched job statuses. The evidence shows that eight subdomains are positively associated with overall job satisfaction; they are satisfaction with pay, fringe benefits, general work environment, relationship with supervisors, intellectual challenge, job responsibilities, the possibility of professional development, and working hours. Additionally, the econometric analysis shows that overall job satisfaction and its subdomains are affected differently by individual characteristics, social and economic context, personality traits, occupational context, job status, among others. Importantly, a better match between formal education and job requirements impact positively on job satisfaction and its subdomains. These results give support to the approach of splitting overall job satisfaction into different dimensions to identify the sources of the values of job satisfaction differences.

Empowerment and IPV in Married Women of Reproductive Age: Evidence from Pakistan Demographic Health Survey 2017-2018.

The study was an attempt to identify demographic, household, and women empowerment factors that predicted emotional, physical, and sexual violence in ever-married women of reproductive age (15-49 years, n = 3,965) in Pakistan by performing secondary analysis on Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey, 2017-2018. The analysis was done using SPSS (v.22) and binary and multivariate logistic regression techniques were performed for analyses. The analysis found that 30.2% of women experienced emotional, 24.1% reported less severe physical, 6.5% experienced severe physical, and 4.3% experienced sexual violence, respectively. The multivariate analysis found that husband's age, education, wealth, and alcohol consumption were significant predictors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Additionally, womens' age, education, and number of children also significantly predicted IPV. With respect to empowerment variables, ownership of house was a significant predictor of less severe physical violence, ownership of property significantly predicted emotional violence, and autonomy in household purchase decisions was significantly related to severe physical violence. The control on husband's income as a measure of empowerment significantly predicted all four types of IPV. Belief in patriarchy also turned out to be an important factor in determining emotional and less severe physical violence. The study concludes that women empowerment in household context can prevent less serious forms of violence but to hinder serious forms of violence, interventions at family and community level will be required.

Assessing the play and learning environments of children under two years in peri-urban Lima, Peru: a formative research study

BackgroundHome-based interventions have potential for improving early child development (ECD) in low-resource settings. The design of locally acceptable strategies requires an in-depth understanding of the household context. In this formative research study, we aimed to characterize the home play and learning environments of children 6–23 months of age from low-income households in peri-urban Lima, Peru.MethodsDrawing on the developmental niche framework, we used quantitative and qualitative methods to understand children’s physical and social settings, childcare practices, and caregiver perspectives. We conducted interviews, unstructured video-recorded observations, and spot-checks with 30 randomly selected caregiver-child dyads, 10 from each child age group of 6–11, 12–17, and 18–23 months of age, as well as key informant interviews with 12 daycare instructors. We analyzed the data for key trends and themes using Stata and ATLAS.ti and employed an adapted version of the Indicator of Parent-Child Interaction to evaluate the observations.ResultsChildren’s social settings were characterized by multi-generational homes and the presence of siblings and cousins as play partners. Access to books and complex hand-eye coordination toys (e.g., puzzles, building blocks) in the home was limited (30.0 and 40.0%, respectively). Caregivers generally demonstrated low or inconsistent levels of interaction with their children; they rarely communicated using descriptive language or introduced novel, stimulating activities during play. Reading and telling stories to children were uncommon, yet 93.3% of caregivers reported singing to children daily. On average, caregivers ascribed a high learning value to reading books and playing with electronic toys (rated 9.7 and 9.1 out of 10, respectively), and perceived playing with everyday objects in the home as less beneficial (rated 6.8/10). Daycare instructors reinforced the problems posed by limited caregiver-child interaction and supported the use of songs for promoting ECD.ConclusionsThe features of the home learning environments highlighted here indicate several opportunities for intervention development to improve ECD. These include encouraging caregivers to communicate with children using full sentences and enhancing the use of everyday objects as toys. There is also great potential for leveraging song and music to encourage responsive caregiver-child interactions within the home setting.

Inequality of Opportunity in Mexico and its Regions: A Data-Driven Approach

This research proposes a first approximation of Inequality of Opportunity (IOp) in Mexico based on a concept of ex-post compensation, fully consistent with Roemer s approach of In-equality of Opportunity. This framework considers the advantage reached by an individual to be determined by the circumstances at origin and by the effort exerted. Following Brunori and Neidhofer (2020), we construct a data-driven procedure using regression trees to identify types based on circumstances. To identify degrees of effort, an algorithm estimates the distribution of outcome in each type based on coefficients of Bernstein polynomials. Our results underline the differences, in terms of opportunities, faced by individuals, based on the territory in which they grew up, the household context, and their sex. We find that the education and the wealth of parents are the principal circumstances that shape their trajectories. Importantly, territorial variables are significant determinants of IOp among the most disadvantaged at origin, but they hold less importance for the most advantaged. IOp is lower in urban areas, in the Northern region and in Mexico City compared to other regions. The Southern region and rural territories are the most unequal. We also estimate that the weight of IOp in terms of total inequality varies according if we adopt an ex-post or an ex-ante approach, which can lead to different conclusions.

Does the household context matter for job satisfaction among low-wage workers?

Previous research has established that low-wage earners have on average lower job satisfaction. However, several studies have found personal characteristics, such as gender, age and educational level, moderate this negative impact. This article demonstrates additional factors at the household level, which have not yet been empirically investigated, and which may exacerbate gender differences. The authors analyse the job satisfaction of low-wage earners depending on the contribution of individual earnings to the household income and on household deprivation using the 2013 special wave of the EU-SILC for 18 European countries. The study finds that single earners in low-wage employment report lower job satisfaction whereas low-wage employment does not seem to make a difference for secondary earners. Furthermore, low-wage earners’ job satisfaction is linked with the ability of their household to make ends meet.

Identifying Risk Inequity Among Same-Sex Households During COVID-19 Mitigation

The purpose of this study was to examine adherence to COVID-19 nonpharmaceutical interventions within the context of same-sex households. Same-sex households within City of Saint Louis census-tracts were identified using U.S. Census Bureau data. Secondary smart-device GPS data was used to ascertain community-mobility during shelter-in-place orders. Among 305 census-tracts, 35 were identified as having ≥25% report being same-sex households. These 35 tracts had significantly more residents leaving home for work during shelter-in-place. Sexual minorities may be at higher risk for COVID-19 by living in communities where residents are required to leave for work more often.

Multiple long-term conditions within households and use of health and social care: a retrospective cohort study.

BackgroundThe daily management of long-term conditions falls primarily on individuals and informal carers, but the impact of household context on health and social care activity among people with multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs) is understudied.AimTo test whether co-residence with a person with MLTCs (compared with a co-resident without MLTCs) is associated with utilisation and cost of primary, community, secondary health care, and formal social care.Design & settingLinked data from health providers and local government in Barking and Dagenham for a retrospective cohort of people aged ≥50 years in two-person households in 2016–2018.MethodTwo-part regression models were applied to estimate annualised use and cost of hospital, primary, community, mental health, and social care by MLTC status of individuals and co-residents, adjusted for age, sex, and deprivation. Applicability at the national level was tested using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD).ResultsForty-eight per cent of people with MLTCs in two-person households were co-resident with another person with MLTCs. They were 1.14 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.00 to 1.30) times as likely to have community care activity and 1.24 (95% CI = 0.99 to 1.54) times as likely to have mental health care activity compared with those co-resident with a healthy person. They had more primary care visits (8.5 [95% CI = 8.2 to 8.8] versus 7.9 [95% CI = 7.7 to 8.2]) and higher primary care costs. Outpatient care and elective admissions did not differ. Findings in national data were similar.ConclusionCare utilisation for people with MLTCs varies by household context. There may be potential for connecting health and community service input across household members.

Vulnerability, family assets, and income-generating strategies of households in rural Mexico

ABSTRACT This study is a first step in analyzing, on a national scale in Mexico, the assets, income and vulnerability context of households in rural communities. A multinomial logit model was used to show the impact of family labor, education, indigenous status, climate change, and access to markets on the probability of belonging to the different categories of households with diverse sustainable livelihoods. Our results provide evidence that increasing investment in human capital encourages participation by large numbers of households in the productive activities that offer the greatest returns. The findings also suggest that public policies should aim to solve structural concerns that limit the efficacy of the use of assets to promote sustainable development in rural communities in countries like Mexico.

Linking the Historical Sample of the Netherlands with the USA Censuses, 1850–1940

During the 19th and early 20th century about 220,000 Dutch born persons migrated to the USA. The Historical Sample of the Netherlands (HSN) contains about 85,500 persons born in the Netherlands between 1812 and 1922. In this article we report the way we have matched persons from the HSN with the American censuses from the period 1850 till 1940. For this purpose, a linking process was designed, comprising of three stages: harmonization, matching and validation. The different nature of the two datasets (HSN and the USA Censuses) asked for some harmonization prior to the matching. Once the data had been properly prepared, two strategies were applied in order to link the data sets. The first one, called Similarity Approach, matched individuals from both datasets by comparing on the basis of resemblance of first and last names. The second approach, called Transformation Approach, made use of dictionaries with Anglicized versions of Dutch first and last names and their most common or most likely Dutch original(s). Because of the sample character of the HSN even exact matches showed ambiguity that needs to be resolved. For this reason, a validation process comparing the household context was run to provide a more trustworthy result. In the end we identified 484 individuals present in the HSN database with reliable links to the American censuses. We also evaluated the result in the light of what we know from emigration patterns to the USA over time and period and we concluded that our efforts have produced a reasonable result. Nevertheless, we are aware that we may have missed links. We also found that at least 45% of the emigrants returned to the Netherlands at some point during their life course.

Effects of maternal depression and prenatal SSRI exposure on executive functions and susceptibility to household chaos in 6-year-old children: prospective cohort study.

Maternal depressed mood during pregnancy may shape a child's adaptation to their environment and engagement in goal-directed behaviour such as executive functions. Whether everyday household context also alters executive functions in children with prenatal selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant exposure remains to be determined. To examine the impact of prenatal depressed maternal mood and SSRI exposure on child executive functions and to determine whether these exposures shape a susceptibility to household chaos. A prospective cohort study of mothers and their children (118 mother-children dyads (47 SSRI-exposed, 71 non-exposed)) followed from the second trimester to 6 years. Regression models examined relationships between maternal depressed mood and household chaos on maternal report of child executive functions. Competitive-confirmatory regression models examined whether children were susceptible to household chaos or were positively influenced by less chaos. Prenatal SSRI exposure, third-trimester maternal depressed mood and household chaos in a three-way interaction were associated with executive functions within a model of differential susceptibility. When household chaos was low, children of non-prenatally depressed mothers had better executive function than children of prenatally depressed mothers, regardless of whether the mothers were SSRI-treated. However, when household chaos was high, SSRI-exposed children of mothers who were not depressed during pregnancy had poorer executive functions at 6 years of age compared with SSRI-exposed children whose mothers were symptomatic during pregnancy. The impact of household chaos depended on whether mothers were prenatally depressed and whether mothers were SSRI-treated.

Linked Lives and the Gendered Household Context for Self-Employment in the UK

The importance of the household context for understanding transitions to self- employment is gaining recognition. We examine the gender dimension to this theme and establish whether there is a causal effect of the transition to parenthood, marriage or cohabitation on the transition to self-employment and business ownership for men and women using eight waves of Understanding Society (n=43,674), the nationally representative UK household panel survey. In order to develop our understanding of the household context through the lens of linked lives, we focus on how one partner’s long hours at work impact the other partner’s transitions to self-employment, and thereby examine the gendered asymmetries in this relationship for heterosexual couples. We bring out the different social positions of self-employment better by contrasting how the household context relates to self-employment status for business owners, arguably a more advantaged group, with a less advantaged group who enter self-employment from unemployment.

Connecting Public Policies for Family Farmers and Women’s Empowerment: The Case of the Brazilian Semi-Arid

The role played by women in worldwide food production and food security has reinvigorated debates about the recognition of women’s rights in the rural sector regarding better working conditions and the reduction of gender inequalities. In the 1980s, the social movement in Brazil restructured the politics in the agrarian sector by integrating farmers’ rights and women’s demands. Against this background, the objective of this study is to analyze, through the actors’ perspectives, whether and how the combination of public policies for family farmers affected the socio-economic and political empowerment of women. Our case study covers family farmers from traditional communities located in the Brazilian semi-arid. The results show that women achieved economic stability by participating in public food procurement programmes. In addition, access to cisterns released women from the daily work of collecting water. Women became more involved with political issues, increasing participation in institutions such as NGOs, associations and cooperatives. Among the negative aspects, the study found that the sexual division of labor increased within the household context, and, despite being fundamental for ensuring household food security, women still struggle to have access to the means of production.

Exploring the Underlying Socio-Cultural Dynamics of Domestic Violence against Women by their Intimate Partners: A Contextualized Study of Rural Localities in Southern Punjab, Pakistan

Domestic violence is considered as a serious socio-psychological and public health issue that has imperative implications on fecundity of women. This paper put forward consolidate findings about the prevalence of domestic violence in rural localities of Southern Punjab, Pakistan. The contextual realities demonstrated that women are considered to be subordinated in front of their marital partners where gender oppression is considered to be a “normal life phenomenon.” The researchers used obtrusive observations along with in-depth interviewing techniques to explore the contextualized underlying dynamics of the study phenomenon. The findings of this study demonstrate that husband was considered to own the hegemonic masculine powers, while women were subordinated in front of their intimate partners. Moreover, mother-in-law was also considered to be the most provoking person for aggravating domestic violence in household context. These violent acts directly affected the reproductive health of these victimized married females. Henceforth, education prevalence, gender awareness and role of sociologists to address the structural problems are the major recommendations that can be adopted to resolve this issue.

A Review of the Relation between Household Indoor Temperature and Health Outcomes

This paper provides a review of research that addresses the relationship between indoor temperatures and health outcomes, taking into consideration studies that focus heat or cold exposure within the household context. It aims to extend previous research by considering both indoor temperatures from existing housing, and empirical studies that focus on energy efficiency measures and subsequent health impacts. To achieve this aim, a literature review was undertaken, combining engineering and health databases. The review established that, overall, inadequate indoor temperatures are associated with poor health status, whereas energy efficiency measures have been associated to improved indoor temperatures and occupant’s health namely regarding cardiovascular, respiratory and mental health disorders. These health conditions are among the most prevalent non-communicable diseases (NCD). The review also highlighted the need for more empirical studies with an extended timeframe to deal with climate change challenges. It underlined the potential advantages of the convergence between health and energy efficiency studies, for better modelling and planning.

Unfolding unpaid domestic work in India: women\u2019s constraints, choices, and career

Unpaid domestic work is an important aspect of productive activities and an indispensable factor that contributes to the well-being of household and economy. However, the predominance of women in domestic work and keeping them out of ‘economic activities’ put unpaid domestic work under the shadow of invisibility, outside the production boundaries, and further outside the purview of economic policy. The nature of women’s work has endured substantial alterations during the neo-liberal paradigm of Indian economy, and women’s participation in the labor force and workforce has declined significantly. To understand the status of women in the labor market, it is necessary to comprehend the nature of their unpaid work, which has significant impact on their work participation rate in the economy. Therefore, the objective of this study is to examine the magnitude and factors that influence the unpaid domestic work status of women in India. The findings of this study reveal that the intensity to be engaged in domestic work is high among women who are less educated and belong to the lower wealth quintile in society. Women are engaged in unpaid domestic work because of three factors—Constraints (social and religious), Choices (failure of market and states to provide essential provisioning), and Career (low opportunity cost of unpaid work in the market). Therefore, a holistical approach within the broader context of household, state, market, and society through a macro, meso, and micro interconnects has to be considered for changing women’s status in the economy.

Atuação da equipe de saúde bucal na atenção domiciliar na Estratégia Saúde da Família: uma revisão integrativa

This is an integrative review that aimed to analyze the performance of the oral health team in home care within the Family Health Strategy, after the publication of the National Oral Health Policy Guidelines. Databases PubMed, Lilacs and SciELO were used in the 2004-2018 period. The selected papers (n=17) were organized in Excel sheet with data: author, year of publication, title, objectives, publishing journal, study location, type of study and thematic category. Two categories emerged from the thematic analysis: "Oral health practices in the household context and the work process of the oral health team" (n=11) and "Instruments for the management and evaluation of home care by the oral health team" (n=6). The scientific production showed low frequency of home visits, lack of prioritization and systematization of home care actions and weak interaction with the family health team. The home care protocols and instruments for the prioritization of home visits indicate the potential to overcome the clinical approach restricted to the dental office. Fourteen years into the publication of the National Oral Health Policy guidelines, the household is a territory to be conquered by the oral health team.

Strengthening Nutrition Interventions in Antenatal Care Services Had Modest Impacts on Diet Diversity, Micronutrient Intake, and Breastfeeding in Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract Objectives Interventions to improve maternal nutrition are poorly integrated into antenatal care (ANC) services in India. Alive & Thrive aimed to strengthen delivery of micronutrient supplements and intensify interpersonal counseling and community mobilization implemented through government ANC services. We evaluated the impact of nutrition-intensified ANC (I-ANC) compared to standard ANC (S-ANC) on diet diversity, consumption of iron-folic acid (IFA) and calcium supplements, and early breastfeeding practices. Methods We used a cluster-randomized design with cross-sectional surveys at baseline (2017) and endline (2019) (n ∼660 pregnant women and 1800 recently delivered women per survey) and a process evaluation. We derived difference-in-difference effect estimates, adjusted for geographic clustering, gestational age, infant age, and sex. Results Coverage of interventions was high at endline; 70–90% women were contacted by frontline workers at home or nutrition centers. Women in the I-ANC arm were significantly more likely to have received counseling on core nutrition messages (10–18 percentage points [pp]) than those in the S-ANC arm. Dietary diversity improved modestly among pregnant women in the I-ANC arm compared to the S-ANC arm (effect: 8.3 pp). The number of food groups consumed increased slightly over time but remained low in both arms. The percentage of women who consumed 100 + IFA improved equally in both arms (from 8 to 25%). Small significant impacts were observed for any consumption of IFA and calcium supplements (effects 10.3 and 12.4 pp, respectively). Significant impacts were also observed for non-prelacteal feeding (effect: −6.3 pp) and exclusive breastfeeding (effect: 7.4 pp) but not for early initiation of breastfeeding. The process evaluation found that system-level and supply-chain challenges, household context, and local diet preferences affected implementation and uptake. Conclusions Intensifying nutrition in existing government ANC services resulted in modest improvements in maternal nutrition practices. Dietary diversity and consumption of supplements remained sub-optimal. Additional efforts are needed for further improvement of maternal nutrition services. Funding Sources Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, through Alive & Thrive, managed by FHI 360.

Household Transmission of SARS-CoV-2, Zhuhai, China, 2020.

BackgroundTo illustrate the extent of transmission, identify affecting risk factors and estimate epidemiological modeling parameters of SARS-CoV-2 in household setting.MethodsWe enrolled 35 confirmed index cases and their 148 household contacts, January 2020–February 2020, in Zhuhai, China. All participants were interviewed and asked to complete questionnaires. Household contacts were then prospectively followed active symptom monitoring through the 21-day period and nasopharyngeal and/or oropharyngeal swabs were collected at 3-7 days intervals. Epidemiological, demographic and clinical data (when available) were collected.ResultsAssuming that all these secondary cases were infected by their index cases, the second infection rate (SIR) in household context is 32.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 22.4%-44.4%), with 10.4% of secondary cases being asymptomatic. Multivariate analysis showed that household contacts with underlying medical conditions, a history of direct exposure to Wuhan and its surrounding areas, and shared vehicle with an index patient were associated with higher susceptibility. Household members without protective measures after illness onset of the index patient seem to increase the risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The median incubation period and serial interval within household were estimated to be 4.3 days (95% CI; 3.4 to 5.3 days) and 5.1 days (95% CI; 4.3 to 6.2 days), respectively.ConclusionEarly isolation of patients with COVID-19 and prioritizing rapid contact investigation, followed by active symptom monitoring and periodic laboratory evaluation, should be initiated immediately after confirming patients to address the underlying determinants driving the continuing pandemic.

Snacking, sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and child obesity in low-income households

PurposeSnacking contributes to one-quarter of children’s total daily energy intake in the USA, with many snack foods being nutrient-poor and energy-dense. Snacking and sugary beverage consumption have been identified as potential contributors to childhood overweight and obesity and may play a particularly important role among children from socioeconomically disadvantaged households that generally display higher rates of obesity. This exploratory study investigated associations between consumption of snack foods, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and overweight and obesity in children from low-income households.Design/methodology/approachData from households that participated in a multi-state cost-offset (CO-CSA) community supported agriculture intervention in 2016 and 2017 (n = 305) were analyzed. Fixed effect regression models were used to estimate associations between child monthly consumption of salty snack foods; sweet snack foods and SSBs; and child weight status, accounting for demographic characteristics.FindingsNo associations were found between snack or SSB consumption and child overweight. However, household income was significantly, negatively related to all three consumption variables (Salty snacks: ß = −0.09, SE = 0.04, p = 0.02; Sweet snacks: ß= −0.10, SE = 0.04, p = 0.01; SSB: ß= −0.21, SE = 0.05, p = 0.0001). The results suggest that household income may play an important role in children’s snacking and SSB behaviors among more disadvantaged households.Practical implicationsFactors beyond snack food and SSB consumption should be explored to better understand childhood overweight and obesity, and to inform future obesity interventions.Originality/valueSocioeconomic disparities in childhood obesity are an ongoing policy-relevant issue within the USA and internationally. This study provides new information about child snacking behaviors in a unique, low-income population and contributes to the evidence base regarding the role household context in shaping child consumption behaviors.