Madrid Region Research Articles

Assessing the effectiveness of perimeter lockdowns as a response to epidemics at the urban scale

From September 2020 to May 2021 Madrid region (Spain) followed a rather unique non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) by establishing a strategy of perimeter lockdowns (PLs) that banned travels to and from areas satisfying certain epidemiological risk criteria. PLs were pursued to avoid harsher restrictions, but some studies have found that the particular implementation by Madrid authorities was rather ineffective. Based on Madrid’s case, we devise a general, minimal framework to investigate the PLs effectiveness by using a data-driven metapopulation epidemiological model of a city, and explore under which circumstances the PLs could be a good NPI. The model is informed with real mobility data from Madrid to contextualize its results, but it can be generalized elsewhere. The lowest lockdown activation threshold Theta considered (14-day cumulative incidence rate of 20 cases per every 10^5 inhabitants) shows a prevalence reduction >20% with respect to the scenario Theta =10^3, more akin to the case of Madrid, and assuming no further mitigation. Only the combination of Theta =20 and mobility reduction >90% can avoid PLs for more than >20% of the system. The combination of low Theta and strong local transmissibility reduction is key to minimize the impact, but the latter is harder to achieve given that we assume a situation with highly mitigated transmission, resembling the one observed during the second wave of COVID-19 in Madrid. Thus, we conclude that a generalized lockdown is hard to avoid under any realistic setting if only this strategy is applied.

Bilingual school choice and socio-economic segregation: an analysis for Spain based on PISA 2015

ABSTRACT In the academic year of 2004–2005, the Spanish region of Madrid began to implement a bilingual educational programme (MBP hereinafter) in state schools. One of the objectives of this programme was to make the study of a foreign language (English) accessible to students from economically disadvantaged families who cannot afford private foreign language classes. Our study aims to evaluate whether students from a disadvantaged socio-economic background really do have the same probability of participating in the MBP as their more privileged peers. The analysis use the PISA 2015 database which corresponds to the representative sample of the Community of Madrid in Spain, with added administrative information supplied by the Madrid Regional Ministry of Education concerning the identification of bilingual and non-bilingual schools. Using these data, we estimate a logit model directed at identifying which factors explain the choice by students of whether to attend a bilingual state school. The results obtained reveal that the probability of attending a bilingual school is higher for students belonging to socio-economically and culturally better-off households. This suggests that the MBP could be fostering segregation within the state education sector in Madrid.

Bullying as Determinant of Academic Performance. A Case Study for the Community of Madrid Using Administrative Data

ABSTRACT Bullying is a problem that affects children and teenagers around the world and its repercussions can endure throughout adult life. The main objective of this research is to study the incidence of bullying on the academic performance of students in schools in the Madrid Region. The databases used are those of Competency Tests, a census evaluation carried out on all 10th grade students in Madrid during the year 2017 (almost 32.000 students). To analyze these data, we carry out a multilevel methodological approach to identify the quantitative association of bullying with academic performance and to estimate the probability that performance is affected by the level of bullying that exists in the school. The results indicate that bullying has a negative correlation with all the competencies evaluated and that bullying can affect students with low or high academic achievement in different ways, depending on what competency is evaluated.

Short-term impact of noise, other air pollutants and meteorological factors on emergency hospital mental health admissions in the Madrid region

BackgroundA number of environmental factors, such as air pollution, noise in urbanised settings and meteorological-type variables, may give rise to important effects on human health. In recent years, many studies have confirmed the relation between various mental disorders and these factors, with a possible impact on the increase in emergency hospital admissions due to these causes. The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of a range of environmental factors on daily emergency hospital admissions due to mental disorders in the Madrid Autonomous Region (MAR), across the period 2013–2018. MethodologyLongitudinal ecological time series study analysed by Generalised Linear Models with Poisson regression, with the dependent variable being daily Emergency Hospital Mental Health Admissions (EHMHA) in the MAR, and the independent variable being mean daily concentrations of chemical pollutants, noise levels and meteorological variables. ResultsEHMHA were related statistically significantly in the short term with diurnal noise levels. Relative risks (RRs) for total admissions due to mental disorders and self-inflicted injuries, in the case of diurnal noise was RR: 1.008 95%CI (1.003 1.013). Admissions attributable to diurnal noise account for 5.5% of total admissions across the study period. There was no association between hospital admissions and chemical air pollution. ConclusionNoise is a variable that shows a statistically significant short-term association with EHMHA across all age groups in the MAR region. The results of this study may serve as a basis for drawing up public health guidelines and plans, which regard these variables as risk factors for mental disorders, especially in the case of noise, since this fundamentally depends on anthropogenic activities in highly urbanised areas with high levels of traffic density.

Recurrence after retromuscular repair or posterior components separation: How to address them. A retrospective multicentre cohort study

Abdominal wall hernias are common entities that represent important issues. Retromuscular repair and component separation for complex abdominal wall defects are considered useful treatments according to both short and long-term outcomes. However, failure of surgical techniques may occur. The aim of this study is to analyze results of surgical treatment for hernia recurrence after prior retromuscular or posterior components separation. We have retrospectively reviewed patient charts from a prospectively maintained database. This study was conducted in three different hospitals of the Madrid region with surgical units dedicated to abdominal wall reconstruction. We have included in the database 520 patients between December 2014 and December 2021. Fifty-one patients complied with the criteria to be included in this study. We should consider offering surgical treatment for hernia recurrence after retromuscular repair or posterior components separation. However, the results might be associated to increased peri-operative complications.

Explanatory Factors of Daily Mobility Patterns in Suburban Areas: Applications and Taxonomy of Two Metropolitan Corridors in Madrid Region

Understanding the characteristics that shape mobility could help to achieve more sustainable transport systems. A considerable body of scientific studies tries to determine these characteristics at the urban level. However, there is a lack of studies analyzing those factors for the heterogeneous zones existing in the suburbs of big cities. The study presented in this paper intends to fill this gap, in the context of two metropolitan corridors in the Madrid Region. Correlation analyses are used to examine how mobility patterns are affected by socioeconomic and urban form variables. Then, a cluster analysis is carried out to classify the types of zones we may find in the suburbs. Results show that the main characteristics leading towards higher car use are low urban density, few local activities, a high percentage of children, and a low percentage of seniors. As for the variable distance to the city center, it does not explain car use. Moreover, some remote areas have many walking trips. This is well understood in the cluster analysis; there are zones far away from the city center but that are dense and well provided for, which work as self-sufficient urban centers. Results reinforce the theories underlying polycentrism as a solution to the urban sprawl challenge.

Institutional Bioethical Malpractice at Spanish Public Hospitals

ABSTRACT Three recent studies carried out in the Spanish regions of Madrid, Valencia, and Murcia have shown that medical residents at public hospitals are systematically required to work for more than 48 hours a week. This practice is institutionalised, and there are indicators suggesting that it also occurs in other public hospitals throughout Spain. The obligation to work excessive hours has been shown to have harmful consequences for workers’ physical and psychological health while jeopardizing residents’ and patients’ safety. I argue that behaviours contrary to people’s health and safety imply bioethical and, in this case, institutional, malpractice.

Teleworking and its impacts on mobility in the Region of Madrid

Teleworking and its impacts on mobility in the Region of Madrid

Evolution of public transport demand in the Region of Madrid because of the Covid-19 pandemic

Evolution of public transport demand in the Region of Madrid because of the Covid-19 pandemic

Exploring the profile of innovative enterprises in high-tech manufacturing sectors: The case of the regions of Madrid and Catalonia in 2016

Exploring the profile of innovative enterprises in high-tech manufacturing sectors: The case of the regions of Madrid and Catalonia in 2016

(In)equity in CLIL programs?

AbstractThis study explores issues of potential (in)equity in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) programs in bilingual secondary schools in the Madrid region (Spain). Based on their general L2 proficiency, students in grades 7 to 10 are streamed into either High Exposure (HE) or Low Exposure (LE) strands, with different degrees of exposure to CLIL. Although this system ensures that all students in a bilingual secondary school receive CLIL to a certain degree, recent voices have signaled the potential risk of fostering inequality among students by streaming within the program (Fernández-Agüero & Hidalgo-McCabe, 2020;Hidalgo-McCabe, 2020). In this study, we explore classroom interactional practices by one science teacher teaching the same content in both groups (grade 7 HE and LE strands), and the effect of such interactional practices on enhancing (or not) students’ higher order thinking skills and the expression of academic content in the L2 or L1. For the analysis, we developed a multi-layered analytical model which incorporates the construct of cognitive discourse functions (CDFs) (Dalton-Puffer, 2013) and the semantic dimension of Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) (Maton, 2013,2020). We find significant differences across the two groups in the use of CDFs and ‘semantic codes’ for knowledge construction and meaning making. More specifically, the results show a more frequent use of the CDFevaluateand a higher rate of semantic density (abstractions) in classroom discourse in the HE strand.

Local food policies from a city-region approach: Fostering the SFSCs in the Region of Madrid

Local scale is increasingly taking the lead in the food system transition to sustainability with a focus on city-region based food provision. Short food supply chains (SFSCs) are key in this approach. This paper has an explorative rationale to better understand the role of the local and regional policies fostering SFSCs. This paper focuses on SFSCs; specifically, on barriers, and measures to deal with these barriers, from the local government's point of view. It considers why municipal measures to support SFSCs could be enhanced from the city-region food-systems (CRFS) approach, particularly, this study elaborates on the CRFS approach as a framework to tackle barriers and leverage potential solutions for municipalities to foster SFSCs. A mapping of SFSC public local initiatives in the Region of Madrid along with 35 semi-structured interviews to council members were conducted. Municipalities face, among others, issues related to the limited production, budget, and demand constraints. Regional legislation or improving the access to information about measures to support SFSCs, along with higher inter-municipal and cross-scale collaboration, are some actions that imply a territorial approach. The results give insights of how the CRFS approach has a great potential to address the necessities and barriers of municipal food policies.

COVID-19 dynamics in Madrid (Spain): A new convolutional model to find out the missing information during the first three waves.

This article presents a novel mathematical model to describe the spread of an infectious disease in the presence of social and health events: it uses 15 compartments, 7 convolution integrals and 4 types of infected individuals, asymptomatic, mild, moderate and severe. A unique feature of this work is that the convolutions and the compartments have been selected to maximize the number of independent input parameters, leading to a 56-parameter model where only one had to evolve over time. The results show that 1) the proposed mathematical model is flexible and robust enough to describe the complex dynamic of the pandemic during the first three waves of the COVID-19 spread in the region of Madrid (Spain) and 2) the proposed model allows us to calculate the number of asymptomatic individuals and the number of persons who presented antibodies during the first waves. The study shows that the following results are compatible with the reported data: close to 28% of the infected individuals were asymptomatic during the three waves, close to 29% of asymptomatic individuals were detected during the subsequent waves and close to 26% of the Madrid population had antibodies at the end of the third wave. This calculated number of persons with antibodies is in great agreement with four direct measurements obtained from an independent sero-epidemiological research. In addition, six calculated curves (total number of confirmed cases, asymptomatic who are confirmed as positive, hospital admissions and discharges and intensive care units admissions) show good agreement with data from an epidemiological surveillance database.

Epidemiology of Fabry disease in patients in hemodialysis in the Madrid community

This study screened for Fabry disease (FD) in patients in hemodialysis (HD) in the region of Madrid (CAM) with a cross-sectional design to evaluate HD-prevalent patients, followed by a three-year period prospective design to analyze HD-incident patients. Inclusion criteriapatients older than 18 years on HD in the CAM, excluding patients diagnosed with any other hereditary disease with renal involvement different from FD, that sign the Informed Consent (IC). Exclusion criteria: underaged patients or not agreeing or not being capable of signing the IC. Results3470 patients were included, 63% males and with an average age of 67.9±9.7 years. 2357 were HD-prevalent patients and 1113 HD-incident patients. For HD-prevalent patients, average time in HD was 45.2 months (SD 51.3), in HD-incident patients proteinuria was present in 28.4%. There were no statistical differences in plasmatic alpha-galactosidase A (α-GAL-A) activity or Lyso-GL-3 values when comparing HD-prevalent and HD-incident populations and neither between males and females. A genetic study was performed in 87 patients (2.5% of patients): 60 male patients with decreased enzymatic activity and 27 female patients either with a decreased GLA activity, increased Lyso-Gl3 levels or both. The genetic variants identified were: p.Asp313Tyr (4 patients), p.Arg220Gln (3 patients) and M290I (1 patient). None of the identified variants is pathogenic. Conclusions76% of HD Centers of the CAM participated in the study. This is the first publication to describe the prevalence of FD in the HD-population of a region of Spain as well as its average α-GAL-A-activity and plasmatic Lyso-Gl3 levels. It is also the first study that combines a cross-sectional design with a prospective follow-up design. This study has not identified any FD patient.

An Evaluation of Current Leadership Practices in Secondary Schools in Madrid

<p style="text-align: justify;">This study aims to evaluate the leadership practices of a sample of secondary school principals in the Madrid region. An attempt will be made to provide some insights into their professional profile, their performance of leadership tasks, and the different elements that define their leadership model. An online questionnaire was used to collect their opinions on the day-to-day performance of their leadership role, as well as on the factors that influence their leadership style. From a methodological point of view, a quantitative approach is used within an interpretative framework, given that the emphasis is not on the generalisation of results but on understanding how school principals operate in their particular context. Results revealed that instructional leadership in Spain is still seen as a challenging goal for principals. This is closely in line with the bureaucratic nature of the headship role in Spanish schools.</p>

Spanish cities as filming locations: analysis and spatial distribution

The main objective of this article is to show the spatial distribution of Spanish cities according to the degree of their cinematographic projection. For this purpose, a sample consisting of 178 feature films was selected. After viewing each of them, 3,071 exterior clips from these movies were geo-localized. Using this methodology has enabled us to circumvent the feature film as a unit of analysis, and instead focus attention on the clips, understood as such as sequences shot in exteriors, with their precise duration and geo-localization. The article describes and differentiates between three large territorial areas for filming: the Autonomous Regions of Madrid, Spain’s coastal cities, and Spain’s interior cities, examining factors that explain the distribution of the shootings, whether geographic, cinematographic or administrative-economic. Information from the highest-rated movies reveals a group of Spanish cities with limited cinematographic dissemination, for which some recommendations are made for improving the projection of the city’s image.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Nursing Homes: Study Design and Population Description.

Nursing homes for the elderly in Spain have experienced high rates of infection and mortality from COVID-19, although rates have varied from one region to another. Madrid is the region where most institutionalized older adults have died from the coronavirus. However, there is little known about the psychosocial and environmental factors involved in the high incidence of COVID-19 among the institutionalised population in this region. This article describes the protocol of a study on nursing homes during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in the Autonomous Community of Madrid (hereafter: Region of Madrid or Madrid Region) and provides information on the study design, measures used, and characteristics of the population studied. A questionnaire about life in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic was designed and a total of 447 persons over 60 years of age without cognitive impairment-220 in private nursing homes and 227 in public nursing homes-participated by answering questions about different topics: personal situations during the pandemic, feelings and methods of coping, residential environment, health, quality of life, ageism, and self-perception of ageing. The institutionalised person profile discussed in this study was an old woman, widowed, without children, with a low level of education, with multimorbidity, and who perceived her health and quality of life positively. Most of the participants were very concerned about COVID-19 and its effects. In fact, 38% had been diagnosed with COVID-19, of whom 20% were admitted to hospital and 20% had suffered negative impacts, such as pain and neurological problems. In addition, 70% of the residents remained confined to their rooms, which increased their perceptions of loneliness and social isolation. The worst-rated aspects of the nursing home resulted from the restrictive measures imposed on nursing homes during the pandemic. This research offers useful material for understanding the pandemic and its consequences from the perspective of the older institutionalised population, which could provide insights for designing public policies.

Sex and educational level differences in physical activity and motivations to exercise among Spanish children and adolescents.

Children and adolescents worldwide, especially girls, do not meet moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) guidelines, a situation which is related to obesity and other comorbidities. Sex/gender differences in the practice of MVPA and motivations to engage in physical activity have not been previously examined among Spanish students considering different educational levels. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore these differences and analyse if motivations mediate the relationship between educational levels and MVPA in a large sample of students.From different schools in the Madrid region (primary: 11,122; lower secondary: 12,379; upper secondary: 3228) 26,729 students (13,491 boys and 13,238 girls; 9-19years old) were recruited to participate in this study. The short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the third version of the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire were used to evaluate, MVPA and motivations to exercise, respectively. Two-way ANCOVA and a mediation analysis were performed.Female students were found to be less active than males (43.4±38.7 and 58.6±45.9min of MVPA; p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.023) and showed lower intrinsic (ηp2 = 0.003), and integrated (ηp2 = 0.007) motivations than their male counterparts (p < 0.001). Primary school students were more active than lower and upper secondary students (53.3±44.2, 49.9±42.3 and 48.0±42.8min of MVPA; p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.002) and also presented higher intrinsic (ηp2 = 0.011) and integrated (ηp2 = 0.010) motivation than secondary school students (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Among Spanish children and adolescents, females showed lower levels of MVPA and intrinsic and integrated motivation across all the educational levels, and among primary school students in comparison to secondary school. This suggests that inner motivation is more determinant of increased engagement in MVPA and thus, there is need to reinforce it before the transition to secondary school and with special focus on females' preferences. What is Known: •Many children and adolescents worldwide, do not meet physical activity (PA) recommendations. • Within the self-determination theory, autonomous motivation seems to be the main responsible of greater PA levels. What is New: •This study shows for the first time sex and educational level differences in PA levels in a representative sample of Spanish students (9-19 yrs). •Autonomous motivation decreased from primary school onwards and was lower in female students than in their male counterparts.

Residential Environment Assessment by Older Adults in Nursing Homes during COVID-19 Outbreak.

The most vulnerable residential settings during the COVID-19 pandemic were older adult's nursing homes, which experienced high rates of incidence and death from this cause. This paper aims to ascertain how institutionalized older people assessed their residential environment during the pandemic and to examine the differences according to personal and contextual characteristics. The COVID-19 Nursing Homes Survey (Madrid region, Spain) was used. The residential environment assessment scale (EVAER) and personal and contextual characteristics were selected. Descriptive and multivariate statistical analysis were applied. The sample consisted of 447 people (mean age = 83.8, 63.1% = women, 50.8% = widowed, 40% = less than primary studies). Four residential assessment subscales (relationships, mobility, residential aspects, privacy space) and three clusters according to residential rating (medium-high with everything = 71.5% of cases, low with mobility = 15.4%, low with everything = 13.1%) were obtained. The logistic regression models for each cluster category showed to be statistically significant. Showing a positive affect (OR = 1.08), fear of COVID-19 (OR = 1.06), high quality of life (OR = 1.05), not having suspicion of depression (OR = 0.75) and performing volunteer activities (OR = 3.67) were associated with the largest cluster. It is concluded that a better residential evaluation was related to more favourable personal and contextual conditions. These results can help in the design of nursing homes for older adults in need of accommodation and care to facilitate an age-friendly environment.

An Analysis of the Spanish Aerospace Sector: The Case of the Start-Up Ecosystem in Madrid

Abstract After launching the First Survey on the Spanish aerospace industry, important results were obtained, which helped to delve into the roots of the digital transformation (DT) of this sector, focussing on the Madrid region (Spain). From this type of study, which had not been carried out until now at the regional level, extremely interesting data have emerged that allow us to define the situation of Madrid companies in the aerospace sector. We have characterised and quantified the influence of what we have called ‘transformative enablers’. We have also analysed their relationships with the general characteristics of the companies, such as location, number of employees, legal form or type of company. We also obtained interesting conclusions about the role of respondents within organisations to discover the ‘capillarity’ of their situations and thus understand the degree of DT in terms of whether they achieve the so-called Industry 4.0 (Fourth Industrial Revolution) specifications. Finally, we have carried out a monographic study of the disruptive innovations within the start-up ecosystem to understand its definition and scope in the aerospace industry as a precursor of the latter’s DT.