Influence Of Sociodemographic Characteristics Research Articles

Comparative analysis of diets in Sioux Falls: Influence of sociodemographic characteristics, alignment to US national diet and healthy diet

Continuous examination of diets and factors that influence dietary patterns is vital to improve diet quality. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the average diet of adults in the Sioux Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area (SFMSA), USA, examining sociodemographic differences in dietary intake and compare the average diet in the SFMSA (SF Diet) to the U.S. national average and USDA healthy dietary guidelines. A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted and 127 individuals were surveyed from August 2020 to August 2021. Dietary intake was assessed using the self-reported single 24-h dietary recall method and sociodemographic questions. Main effects and first order interactions of participant sociodemographic characteristics were considered. Main findings show that men had higher intake of meat, poultry, and eggs (p < 0.05) and alcohol, particularly older men (p < 0.05), than women. Higher alcohol intake was found for participants with lower levels of income and education (p < 0.01). The intake of fish and seafood was higher for older adults with a high level of income (p < 0.01). Differences were found between the SF diet and the national average but both followed a similar trend (e.g., low in fruits and vegetables and high in solid fats) and did not meet dietary guidelines, particularly for nutrient-dense foods. The intake of total vegetables (p < 0.001) and dark green vegetables (p < 0.001) was higher in the SF Diet and the national average was higher in total grains (p < 0.05), refined grains (p < 0.01), oils and fats (p < 0.001), solid fats (p < 0.001), and added sugar (p < 0.001). By not meeting the dietary guidelines, the findings of this study raise public health concerns.

Physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep knowledge and self-efficacy among parents of young children in Canada.

Engaging in healthy movement behaviours in early childhood is beneficial for children's development, and parents play a critical role in shaping movement habits during these formative years. This study aimed to explore parents' knowledge of the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years (The Guidelines) and their perceived knowledge and self-efficacy of movement behaviour concepts in early childhood. The influence of sociodemographic characteristics on these variables was also examined. Via a cross-sectional online survey with parents/guardians (n = 576) of young children in Canada, participants' knowledge of The Guidelines (11 items), and perceived knowledge (11 items; 5-point scale) and self-efficacy (11 items; 11-point scale) of movement behaviour concepts in early childhood were examined. Descriptive statistics were calculated for independent variables and multivariate regression models were estimated to examine sociodemographic factors that were associated with participants' knowledge and self-efficacy. Few participants (11.9%) reported to be familiar with The Guidelines. Parents were most knowledgeable about the screen time guideline for children under 2 years (75.0% correctly identified the guideline) and least familiar with the recommendation for toddler/preschooler total physical activity (14.7% correctly identified the guideline). Parents/guardians perceived they were the most knowledgeable about safe sleep practices (65.9% very/extremely knowledgeable) and least knowledgeable about muscle- and bone-strengthening activities (71.8% not at all/somewhat knowledgeable). Overall, parents/guardians were moderately confident in promoting healthy movement behaviours (M = 6.01; SD = 1.73). Participants with higher levels of education reported significantly higher perceived knowledge compared to those who were less educated (p = .004), and parents/guardians identifying as White reported significantly higher levels of self-efficacy compared to parents/guardians from minority ethnic groups (p = .028). Finally, parents/guardians who were more physically active reported both higher perceived knowledge (p < .001) and self-efficacy (p < .001) than those who were less active. These findings shed light on the need to raise awareness of The Guidelines among parents of young children and highlight specific movement behaviour concepts in need of focus in future training for this population. Targeted education for parents/guardians from lower socioeconomic groups is also needed to address equity concerns. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s44167-024-00051-x.

АДАПТАЦИЯ И ВАЛИДИЗАЦИЯ ШКАЛЫ ПРОЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКОЙ МОТИВАЦИИ НА РОССИЙСКОЙ ВЫБОРКЕ

The objective of the study was the translation and adaptation of Motivation Toward the Environment Scale (Pelletier et al., 1998) into the Russian language. The methodology is based on the theory of self-determination, where behavior is determined by different reasons and the level of control. The scale contains 6 types of motivation: intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, which includes integrated, identified, introjected and externally regulated motivation, and amotivation. On a sample of 462 respondents, the factorial structure of the scale and the internal consistency of the subscales were confirmed. Further, the test-retest validity of the scale was demonstrated (n = 56). To study convergent validity, correlations of motivation types with environmental concerns and nature connectedness were considered. The most self-determined types of motivation (intrinsic, integrated, identified, and introjected) were positively related to each other and to proenvironmental variables. The identified regulation, which focuses on the expediency of pro-environmental actions, is the most common, both in Canada, where the scale was developed, and in Russia. Other types of motivation were also positively related to each other. Externally regulated motivation, which considers social influence rather than economic incentives in this scale, was the least related to other study variables. Additionally, the influence of sociodemographic characteristics on the types of motivation was considered, where gender and income level turned out to be significant variables. The analysis revealed that the adapted scale is largely equivalent to the original one. Based on the obtained results, the reliability, the test-retest, and the convergent validity of the adapted inventory for measuring pro-environmental motivation were proved.

Influence of Sociodemographic, Organizational, and Social Factors on the Engagement of Long-Term Care Employees

Abstract Aim. The aim of the study was to identify the most important macro-, meso-, and micro-level factors influencing work engagement and motivation for employment in long-term care (LTC) in Slovenia. Material and methods. A correlational cross-sectional survey design with a self-reported standardized online questionnaire was used among Slovenian workers (N = 452LTC). Results. The results show that LTC workers generally enjoy going to work (68%), feel enthusiasm for their work (61%), and take great pride in their work (90%). Enjoyment increases with age, and is correlated with education and position. Joy is the lowest among those working in nursing homes. However, nursing and care teams show the greatest enthusiasm for and pride in the work done. Those who believe that their work is valued by society and their family enjoy going to work more. Although income is the most important factor in leaving the LTC sector, there are no differences in work engagement regarding the level of monthly income. Over 58% of the variance in work engagement was explained by the influence of sociodemographic characteristics, social recognition, and work environment.. Conclusions. To promote employee engagement, LTC leaders should provide a better work environment and social recognition.

Socio-demographic influence on the pregnant women's comprehension of maternal health information in Tanzania

BackgroundPregnant women's understanding of maternal health information is critical in the application of information for pregnancy care, birth preparedness, and newborn care. However, the influence of socio-demographic characteristics on pregnant women's understanding of maternal health information is least understood. PurposeThe study examined the influence of social and demographic characteristics on pregnant women's comprehension of maternal health information. MethodologyA mixed research approach and descriptive cross-sectional design were applied. Questionnaires and focus group discussions were used to collect data from 132 pregnant women and 8 nurses/midwives. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 21 and thematic analysis. FindingsMost of the pregnant women had a good ability to comprehend maternal health information. Level of education was found to influence the reading ability and language understanding ability of the pregnant women unlike age, marital status, income, and occupation. Age, level of education, monthly income, occupation, and marital status were found to influence the ability of pregnant women to understand maternal health information. ConclusionThe socio-demographic characteristics of pregnant women have an influence on their ability to comprehend maternal health information.

Blood concentrations of metals, essential trace elements, rare earth elements and other chemicals in the general adult population of Barcelona: Distribution and associated sociodemographic factors

BackgroundVery little information is available on the population distribution and on sociodemographic predictors of body concentrations of rare earth elements (REE) and other chemicals used in the manufacturing of high-tech devices. ObjectivesTo analyze the distribution and associated sociodemographic factors of blood concentrations of chemical elements (including some metals, essential trace elements, rare earth elements and other minority elements) in a representative sample of the general population of Barcelona (Spain). MethodsA sample of participants in the Barcelona Health Survey of 2016 (N = 240) were interviewed face-to-face, gave blood, and underwent a physical exam. Concentrations of 50 chemical elements were analyzed by ICP-MS in whole blood samples. ResultsAll 50 chemicals studied, including 26 REE and minority elements, were detected. Lead, silver, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, antimony, strontium, thallium and six essential trace elements were detected in more than 70% of the population. The most frequently detected REE and minority elements were europium (62%), thulium (56%), gold (41%), indium (31%), ruthenium (24%), and tantalum (20%). Less affluent occupational social classes had higher percentages of detection of some REE. Median concentrations of silver, arsenic, cadmium and mercury were: 0.091, 3.01, 0.309, and 3.33 ng/mL, respectively. Women had lower median concentrations than men of lead (1.47 vs. 2.04 μg/dL, respectively), iron and zinc, and higher concentrations of copper and manganese. The influence of sociodemographic characteristics on chemical concentrations differed by sex. ConclusionsWhile well-known contaminants as lead, mercury, cadmium, or arsenic were detected in the majority of the population, numerous individuals had also detectable concentrations of chemicals as europium, indium, thulium, or gold. Sociodemographic and physical characteristics (sex, age, social class, weight change) influenced concentrations of some chemicals.

The Influence of Sociodemographic Factors on the Level of Hope in Women with Breast Cancer.

We aimed to determine the level of hope in breast cancer patients along with the influence of sociodemographic characteristics on the expressed level of hope. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on the sample size of 72 female patients with breast cancer diagnosis. The study was conducted at the University Clinical Center of Kragujevac, Serbia from November 2020 until March 2022. Data were collected from the patients in a form of the Sociodemographic Variables Questionnaire (Q-SV). The Herth Hope Index (HHI) was used in assessing the level of hope. The value of the total HHI score was ranging from 14 to 48, whereas the mean value of the HHI score was 40.00±5.92. The significantly higher level of hope was reported in female patients who: searched the Internet for gathering information on their disease (39.24±6.23; P=0.047), were religious (38.77±6.13; P=0.003), believed in God (38.45±5.51; P=0.004), had no formal medical education (38.44±5.75; P=0.036) and after therapy (38.76±6.49; P=0.022). Hope is an existential internal resource possibly affecting the manner in which female patients perceive their own health state and future as well. A better understanding of the meaning of hope during treatment can be of great value in supporting cancer patients.

Influences of sociodemographic characteristics and parental HPV vaccination hesitancy on HPV vaccination coverage in five US states.

In the United States (US), half of new human papillomavirus (HPV) infections occur among young people aged 15-24years. Despite the effectiveness of HPV vaccination in protecting against HPV-associated cancers, its coverage among adolescents remains suboptimal. This study examined the association of sociodemographic characteristics and HPV vaccination hesitancy with HPV vaccination coverage in five US states with disproportionately low adolescent coverage rates compared to the national average. Responses to an online Qualtrics survey from 926 parents of children aged 9-17years in Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and Southern Illinois in July 2021 were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression to estimate the association of sociodemographic characteristics and HPV vaccination hesitancy with HPV vaccination coverage. Of the parents, 78 % were female, 76 % were non-Hispanic White, 61.9 % lived in rural areas, 22 % were classified as HPV vaccine hesitant, and 42 % had vaccinated their oldest child between the ages of 9-17years against HPV. Children of vaccine hesitant parents were less likely to have received any doses of the HPV vaccine than children of non-vaccine hesitant parents (AOR: 0.17, 95 % CI:0.11-0.27). Male children were less likely to have initiated the HPV vaccine series than female children (AOR: 0.70, 95 % CI:0.50-0.97). Older children (13-17 vs 9-12years), receiving the meningococcal conjugate or most recent seasonal influenza vaccine were all associated with higher likelihoods of receiving any doses of the HPV vaccine (AOR: 6.01, 95 % CI:3.98-9.08; AOR: 2.24, 95 % CI:1.27-3.95; AOR: 2.41, 95 % CI:1.73-3.36, respectively). Adolescent HPV vaccination coverage remains low in our targeted states. Children's age, sex, and parental vaccine hesitancy were significantly associated with likelihood of HPV vaccination. These findings offer the opportunity for targeted interventions among parents in regions with low vaccine uptake and underscore the importance of developing and implementing strategies to address parental HPV vaccination hesitancy to improve uptake in the US.

The (in) dependence of students' anxiety levels on socio-demographic factors during distance learning

The main purpose of this study is to describe and identify the general anxiety level and the influence of socio-demographic characteristics on anxiety among students during online learning because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. This is a quantitative non-experimental study. The instrument used in the study is the questionnaire Beck Anxiety Inventory. The results showed that during remote learning students experienced moderate anxiety levels. In addition, the results indicated that the variables of gender and educational profile had a significant impact on the anxiety levels experienced by students. In the light of study findings, we recommend the following: the need to conduct further systematic research on factors that influence the preparedness and performance of students during online learning; develop pilot studies on online learning that are not related to the pandemic context, structures of specialised training with regard to anxiety management techniques and the factors that encourage it. Keywords: Anxiety, distance learning, pandemic, socio-demographic variables, student.

The Influence of Sociodemographic Characteristics and the Experience of Recreational Divers on the Preference for Diving Sites

Understanding the preferences of scuba divers is crucial for authorities to establish appropriate management plans and for service providers to offer a wide range of recreation opportunities to promote long-term industrial sustainability. This study categorized diving preferences into two subgroups (physical and biological) to explore the association between diving preferences and divers’ sociodemographic characteristics, as well as diving experiences through multiple regression analysis. Questionnaire surveys were administered, with 398 completed responses successfully collected from diving hotspots in Hong Kong. Results revealed that divers’ sociodemographic status, particularly monthly salary, could affect their physical and biological preferences. Meanwhile, divers’ diving experience was found to be a significant predictor in figuring out their biological preferences. However, no relationship between diving experience and physical preference was identified in this study. These results could inform management authorities in implementing ecological and environmental protection because biological conditions are considered the most attractive motivation for divers to dive in Hong Kong. Similarly, these results may help managers better understand divers’ recreation needs based on different sociodemographic characteristics and diving experiences to create diverse recreation opportunities while enhancing their satisfaction by avoiding the negative impacts associated with identified preference attributes.

Perceived School Fairness and Willingness to Report Bias-Based Bullying Among Youth During COVID-19 Pandemic.

As COVID-19 has let many students into remote learning environments and exacerbated inequality among marginalized individuals, there is a growing concern about Bias-Based Bullying (BBB) in online spaces among school-aged youths. Learning modality and perceived school fairness may affect youth's likelihood of reporting BBB. Data were collected as part of "No Place For Hate" (NPFH) project, which was conducted by an equity office of a school district. A sample of middle and high school students (N=1117) in the school district was used as an analytic sample. We conducted a series of independent samples t tests and calculated a hierarchical stepwise multivariate regression model to examine the proposition. Results demonstrated that students in fully remote modality reported slightly higher levels of witnessing BBB (t=2.29, p < .05), lower perceived school fairness (t=-2.94, p < .01), and higher levels of likelihood of reporting BBB (t=2.31, p < .05). Results of the regression model showed that perceived school fairness was positively associated with likelihood of reporting BBB, even when considering the influences of sociodemographic characteristics, learning modality, and experience of witnessing BBB. Findings of this study suggest that learning modality and perceived school fairness can meaningfully explain witnesses' likelihood of reporting BBB. Additional research should continue investigating how schools can encourage students to increase their likelihood of reporting and adopt the bystander response of reporting against BBB at school to ensure school health and safety.

ATTITUDES AMONG HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS TOWARD THEIR HEALTH

This article focuses on the attitudes of healthcare workers toward their health and the influence of socio-demographic characteristics and harmful habits (smoking, drinking alcohol) on them. According to the national projects “Demography” and “Public Health,” one of the key contemporary strategic goals is to increase average life expectancy, which requires ongoing interaction with the population to lower risks of developing certain diseases. This can be achieved through regular medical check-ups, breaking bad habits, and in a variety of other ways. It is assumed that the circulation of information and expert knowledge on the importance of good health practices will increase public attention to their health. The study of the behavior of expert groups is pertinent because of the low life expectancy among medical professionals and high interest in their healthcare practices among the public. Using Merton’s anomie theory as a framework, this article attempts to account for the differences in attitudes among healthcare professionals toward their health. We conducted a quantitative sociological survey among medical professionals who work for the Moscow Health Care System. This research allows us to determine the dispersion of various types of health attitudes, including attitudes toward medical examinations, adherence to bad habits, and their impact on healthcare practices among groups with expert knowledge. The results of this study demonstrate the effective influence of expert knowledge on attitudes toward one’s health.

Factors associated with depression and determining dimensions of job satisfaction among physicians in Bangladesh

BackgroundDepression in physicians emerges early in their academic and professional careers. Lengthy and irregular duty time, high levels of obligation, job dissatisfaction, workstation culture, organizational rules, and so on significantly increased the psychological pressure on physicians. ObjectivesThe study's aim was to measure the level of depression, association, and influence of socio-demographic characteristics and job satisfaction on depression among physicians in Bangladesh, as well as to explore the factor structure of job satisfaction measure and examine its internal reliability. MethodsData were collected using a self-administered questionnaire in a cross-sectional survey of 301 physicians. The factors related to depression were investigated using a multivariable logistic regression model, and factor analysis was done to identify the important factors associated with job satisfaction. ResultsMale respondents made up 49.5 percent of the sample overall, while female respondents made up 50.5 percent. 24.58% of the physicians had mild depression, whereas 13.29%, 7.31%, and 0.66% of the participants had moderate, moderately severe, and severe depression, respectively. In multivariable analysis, sex (male vs. female, AOR: 2.16, 95% CI:1.28–3.62), monthly income <15000 BDT vs. >40000 BDT, (AOR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.14–0.89), and income <15000 BDT vs. 15,000–24,999 BDT (AOR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.15–0.89) were the essential factors associated with depression. Furthermore, with each unit increase in the job satisfaction score was related to a 71% decrease in the odds of physicians having depression. ConclusionThe findings of this study indicate that providing appropriate organizational support, proper work assignments, and an adequate opportunity to develop their professional skills and career irrespective of sex may increase overall job satisfaction. Ultimately, this will serve to improve patient care as well as the whole health system's output.

Expansion of a small-scale car-sharing service: A multi-method framework for demand characterization and derivation of policy insights

When a car-sharing system is small, at its early stages, the modal split for the service is very low (e.g. <50 trips per day for the entire system). This results in a situation, where it is not possible to account for the demand for the service through traditional mode choice models. In addition, the business model of such a car-sharing service can be designed for serving special trips (e.g., trips to furniture stores). In several cities, this special group of trips are not adequately reflected in the existing demand models. Therefore, the objective of this research is to develop a data-driven methodological framework for finding the demand for such a system and characterise the users. To characterise the users, a multinomial logit model is employed. A linear regression model is used to estimate the average daily demand for the whole system, and a dirichlet regression to distribute the system level daily demand to individual stations. The estimation results of the multinomial logit model indicate the influence of socio-demographic characteristics (age, employment, income, education, household vehicle ownership), use of conventional modes (bicycle, PT and private car) and supply parameter (fleet size). Moreover, the results reveal that the service can improve transport equity. The linear regression model shows that the average daily demand increases with an increase in the number of stations. Furthermore, the demand varies according to days of the week and months (i.e., seasonal variation). Similarly, the shares of demand for individual stations is influenced by days of week. In addition, the shares are affected by the system level daily demand, i.e., as the demand increases, certain stations attract more users. Besides the aforementioned findings, operational and policy measures are suggested under the following categories: (i) Mobility as a Service (MaaS), (ii) Pricing strategy, (iii) Hybrid fleet, and (iv) Campaigns. The contributions from this study enable several cities to characterise the car-sharing service at early stages for expansion and also support the sustainable growth and integration of the service towards MaaS, leading to a better and efficient transportation system.

Consumers’ Awareness, Behavior and Expectations for Food Packaging Environmental Sustainability: Influence of Socio-Demographic Characteristics

Packaging is a leading factor determining the total environmental effect of food products. This study investigated consumers’ awareness, behavior and expectations in relation to the environmental sustainability aspects of food packaging. Using an online survey, responses from 646 participants were collected. The effect of socio-demographic characteristics on all variable responses was explored by ANOVA models and t-tests. Participants were segmented according to a visual approach based on a principal component analysis applied on the consumers’ behavioral data. Gender, age, and education level affected consumer awareness, behavior and expectations differently. Four groups of consumers were distinguished on the grounds of their behavior in relation to food packaging: (1) More sustainable—packaging-role-oriented; (2) More sustainable—packaging minimizers; (3) Less sustainable; and (4) Medium sustainable. The most sustainable groups were mainly composed of females, while less sustainable consumers were mainly the youngest. The four groups differed in terms of expectations for sustainability-related information that can be communicated through food labels. In conclusion, this work provided new knowledge that is useful to understand the factors that influence consumer behavior and to promote the consumers’ packaging-related sustainability choices through food packaging.

Reasons for dropping out of intermediate vocational education and training in Spain: the influence of sociodemographic characteristics and academic background

ABSTRACT This article analyses the main reasons for dropping out of Spanish Intermediate Vocational Education (IVET) and the link to personal (sex, ethnicity, age), family (parents’ educational level) and financial sociodemographic characteristics, as well as academic background (repeating or expulsion). To do this, a cohort of IVET students was monitored over three years via three questionnaires presenting the results for students who, over the monitoring period, dropped out without obtaining the corresponding qualification. The study was carried out in a Mediterranean region (Mallorca) with the highest levels of school dropout in Spain and an economy essentially centred on tourism. Results show that the most important reasons for dropping out are finding a job or wanting to find one, obtaining bad results and wanting to do other courses. The analysis highlights differences in reasons for dropping out by sex, ethnicity, age, the perception of financial difficulties and previous academic background. The findings suggest that educational interventions aimed at reducing dropout at this level of education should take into account the heterogeneity of student profiles as well as the limitations of the quantitative perspective in analysing students’ reasons for dropping out.

Psychiatric symptoms in a Spanish sample with hereditary cancer risk.

An integral part of the genetic counselling process is the assessment of psychiatric morbidity. The objectives of this study were first to assess psychometric properties of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28items) in a Spanish sample at increased risk of hereditary cancer, and second evaluated the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity and the contribution of socio-demographic and clinical characteristics to predict distress. A cross-sectional study was designed with 766 patients. Psychometric analysis with exploratory factor analysis was performed. The influences of socio-demographic characteristics were investigated by multiple linear regression analyses. Factor analysis supported the four-factor solution of the original GHQ-28; Depression and Social dysfunction scales were more stable than Anxiety and Somatic symptom scales. Psychiatric morbidity was detected in 212 (27.9%) patients. The variables predicting psychiatric morbidity were gender, age, patient affected by cancer, previous psychiatric treatment, and patients with relatives affected by cancer. The higher prevalence of psychiatric symptoms was in the age group from 41 to 59years (16.73%), women (24.37%), patients affected by cancer (19.89%), patients without previous psychiatric treatment (20.82%), and patients with relatives affected by cancer (21.74%). Screening psychological distress should consider socio-demographic and clinical characteristics with reference to improve the quality of care. Clinical trials identifier: NCT04428710.

The Influence of Socio-Demographic Characteristics on Caregivers' Burden and Quality Of Life of Elderly Diabetics Attending a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital.

Caregivers' burden and health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) associated with Diabetes Mellitus (DM) are affected by several factors, including socio-demographic characteristics of the patients and their caregivers. Unfortunately, studies evaluating the influence of socio-demographic characteristics on caregivers and patients with DM in this environment are limited. This study therefore aimed at assessing the level of the burden imposed on the primary caregivers, the level of HRQoL of Individuals with Diabetes Mellitus (IDM) and the influence of socio-demographic characteristics on these variables among IDM attending the Family Medicine clinic of Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa, Osun State, Nigeria. Seventy-eight consenting IDM and their corresponding primary caregivers were recruited over 13-weeks in this hospital-based cross-sectional descriptive study. The Well-Being Questionnaire and Zarit Burden Interview were administered on IDM and their corresponding caregivers to assess HRQoL and burden of care. Data were analysed on SPSS 17 using descriptive statistics and Pearson chi-square test at p<0.05. Mean ages of respondents were 70.4±6.33 and 23.7±7.58 years for diabetics and caregivers, respectively. The majority of the diabetic respondents were females (61.5%), married (66.7%), and retired (64.1%). The majority of the caregivers were females (87.2%), petty traders/students (71.8%) and unmarried (87.2%). Over half (51.3%) of the diabetic respondents and their caregivers had 'good' HRQoL and 'high' caregivers' burden. The caregiver being a female, having primary education, being single and having a nuclear family relation of the IDM influenced good HRQoL, whereas being a low-income earner and an uneducated IDM influenced high caregivers' burden.

The Influence of Socio-Demographic Characteristics on the Assignment of Roles and Its Associated Occupational Health and Safety Issues in the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining: The Case of Amansie Central District, Ghana

The Influence of Socio-Demographic Characteristics on the Assignment of Roles and Its Associated Occupational Health and Safety Issues in the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining: The Case of Amansie Central District, Ghana

Influence of Sociodemographic Characteristics and Inflammation-Related Gene Variants on the Comfort Level of Caregivers of Patients With Head and Neck Cancer.

Background: Sociodemographic characteristics and inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-1 cytokine receptor type 2 (IL1R2), IL-6, and triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells like 2 (TREML2), may influence psychological disorders, including discomfort. Single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) determine individual differences for the modulation of cytokines and indicate that genetics may also influence the comfort levels. However, the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics, holistic comfort, and the roles played by IL1B rs16944, IL1R2 rs4141134, IL6 rs1800795, and TREML2 rs3747742 SNVs on the comfort levels of family caregivers (FCGs) of head and neck cancer (HNC) patients in palliative care (PC) is unknown. Thus, its investigation consisted in the aim of the present study. Methods: A questionnaire was applied to obtain sociodemographic information on 95 FCGs. The genotypes were identified using TaqMan assays. The Holistic Comfort Questionnaire for the Caregiver, which consists of 49 questions, was used to measure comfort levels. Differences between groups were assessed by the t test and linear regression. Results: Employed FCGs (p = .04), those youngest (p = .04), smokers (p = .04), and those with IL1R2 GA or AA genotypes (p = .03) presented lower comfort regarding the overall, environmental, sociocultural, and psychospiritual domains, respectively. Conclusions: Employment status, smoking habit, young age, and SNV IL1R2 rs4141134 could influence the comfort levels of FCGs of patients with HNC in PC.