Occupational Background Research Articles

'I'd Heard it was Such a Grand Place': Mid-19th Century Internal Migration to London

In the mid-19th century, the migration of people into London was at its height. Studies of gross and net migration patterns from other regions demonstrate the importance of London as a goal destination, but until now the underlying structure of migration movements was difficult to access due to the volume of material involved. This paper exploits the recent indexing of the currently available censuses to identify the individual migration behaviour of young men from Devon, Norfolk and Sussex to London. Findings relating to the size and locality of source places, occupational backgrounds, kinship and to residential and occupational choice upon reaching London are presented for each county. The importance of information as a spur to migration is underlined and differing responses in terms of occupation are attributed to distance depreciation of such information.

Nativity is associated with sugar-sweetened beverage and fast-food meal consumption among Mexican-origin women in Texas border colonias.

BackgroundTrends of increasing obesity are especially pronounced among Mexican-origin women. There is little understanding of dietary patterns among U.S.- and Mexico-born Mexican-origin individuals residing in new-destination immigrant communities in the United States, especially behaviors related to obesity, such as consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and fast-food meals (FFM).MethodsThe study used survey data of 599 adult Mexican-origin women from the 610 women who completed the 2009 Colonia Household and Community Food Resource Assessment (C-HCFRA), which was completed in person by trained promotora-researchers in 44 colonias near the Texas border towns of Progreso and La Feria. Data included demographic characteristics (age, education, nativity or country of birth, household income, household composition, and employment status), access to transportation, self-reported height and weight, food and nutrition assistance program participation, and consumption of SSB and FFM. Descriptive statistics were calculated by nativity (U.S.-born vs. Mexico-born); multivariable linear regression models were estimated for correlates of consumption of SSB and FFM.ResultsThere are three major findings related to nativity. First, U.S.-born women consumed more SSB and FFM than Mexican-born counterparts in the same areas of colonias. Second, in the combined sample and controlling for other population characteristics, being born in Mexico was independently associated with FFM (fewer FFM), but not with SSB. Third, in analyses stratified by nativity, FFM and SSB were associated with each other among both nativity groups. Among Mexico-born women only, age, presence of a child, or being a lone parent was significantly associated with SSB; full-time employment, being a lone parent, and SSB consumption were each independently associated with increased frequency of FFM.ConclusionsOur analyses revealed differences in prevalence and correlates of SSB and FFM based on country of birth. Nativity, as a proxy for acculturation, may indicate the extent that immigrants have adopted behaviors from their new environment. However, nativity could also indicate limited accessibility to resources such as food/nutrition assistance programs, transportation, and proper documentation. Additionally, future research should focus on expanding our understanding of the meaning of nativity among individuals who share common contextual factors, but may have different life course experiences and resources needed to transition into a new place. Additional measures should be considered such as educational and occupational background, migration history, documentation status, and dietary acculturation, which may better explain heterogeneity within Hispanic subgroups.

COGNITIVE RESERVE, HOMOCYSTEINE, AND COGNITION IN THE BAVARIAN SCHOOL SISTERS STUDY

COGNITIVE RESERVE, HOMOCYSTEINE, AND COGNITION IN THE BAVARIAN SCHOOL SISTERS STUDY

Who is studying science? The impact of widening participation policies on the social composition of UK undergraduate science programmes

This paper reports the findings of an Economic and Social Research Council-funded study investigating patterns of participation in UK higher education science programmes across two decades. Using data on applications and acceptances to university, the paper describes trends in the proportions of candidates who choose to study science and science-related degree programmes. Two key findings emerge. Firstly, in terms of age, occupational background and ethnic group, patterns of participation in science subjects have remained relatively stable over the period considered. Where inequalities do exist they appear largely unaffected by policies aimed at widening access. Secondly, the characteristics of students who study the broad range of science and science-related subjects are little different to those of the wider student population. However, where differences do occur they are in the type of science degree that individuals choose, with entrants from traditional backgrounds more likely to study the more prestigious science subjects. This is exemplified in the physical sciences which remain largely the preserve of White, traditional-age students from professional and managerial backgrounds. The analyses suggest that policies aimed at increasing or widening participation in science in UK higher education appear to have had limited impact on the social composition of the full-time undergraduate science population, in terms of their age, occupational and ethnic group.

Is there a consensus among Hungarian agricultural economists?

This article investigates the degree of consensus among Hungarian agricultural economists on specific propositions on the basis of a survey using a consensus index. In comparison with previous studies of agricultural economists this study finds much more diversity among them. In contrast to earlier studies, we found no evidence that there was a difference in views between positive and normative propositions. The results suggest that personal characteristics of agricultural economists, such as age, occupation and educational background may have an influence on the pattern of responses. We also found some support for the role of positive and normative influences when it comes to policy judgement.

Evaluating poverty duration and transition: a spell-approach to rural China

This article uses a discrete-time multivariate duration model to study poverty transition in rural China between 1989 and 2006. The analysis identifies nonlinear negative duration-dependence for both exit and re-entry rates of poverty. There is significant difference in hazard rates of exit and re-entry associated with geographic location and educational level of households, but less related to gender, occupation or ethnic background of household head. The factors facilitating households' ending a poverty spell are found to be education, land ownership, asset accumulation, health insurance and outmigration, whereas larger family size and dependence ratio may reduce the chance of exit.

Building grass roots capacity to tackle childhood obesity

In recognition of the increasing problem of child obesity in London and elsewhere, we were commissioned to build capacity to tackle this major public health concern. This paper describes one of the outputs of this work: to develop and deliver effective brief intervention training on the subject of childhood healthy/unhealthy weight and obesity to be used by anyone who works with children and families, regardless of their job title or level of educational achievement. A literature review informed the process. The slim evidence derived was combined with the expertise of an expert working group to develop clear learning objectives for training and then to develop a flexible one-day training programme suitable for delivery to mixed groups of participants, to meet the learning objectives. Evaluation was built into the programme by means of a questionnaire at the end of the training session and by the use of a structured reflective log to be returned by participants once they had put their training into practice. The training programme was delivered free of charge to over 560 people during the course of a Regional Public Health Group-sponsored project. Subsequently it has been delivered to several more audiences working in the NHS, local government and third sectors in London on a not-for-profit basis. The programme, based on best available evidence and clear evidence of needs, provides a low-cost evaluated intervention that permits people from diverse professional and occupational backgrounds to acquire the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to raise the subject of healthy and unhealthy weight with parents of primary school-aged children and signpost them to appropriate local facilities and services. Although developed in London, the programme may be used anywhere in the UK, with the substitution of local information about prevalence of overweight and obesity and about local services and facilities.

A Research Survey on the Information Gathering Methods, Attitudes, and Requests from Care Managers about the Pharmaceutical Service by Pharmacists in Home Care

Care Managers (CMs) were surveyed to clarify the issues involving the promotion of cooperation between care managers and pharmacists in long-term-care and explore solutions. The length of work experience, occupational background, experience of pharmaceutical service; pharmacist visit patients' home for providing medicine and pharmaceutical care into a care plan, degree of understanding on pharmaceutical service, and awareness of work involved in pharmaceutical service were studied to see whether there made differences in the requests from CMs for information on pharmacists and for information gathering methods. The χ(2) test was used to this end. The opinions and requests described by the CMs were validated through text mining. More CMs tended to obtain information and knowledge through training sessions and professional magazines than those who did so through cooperation with pharmacists on a practical level. However, the survey strongly indicated that CMs with high level of understanding and awareness of pharmaceutical service wished to obtain information on pharmacists through cooperation with them on a practical level, and CMs with low level of understanding and awareness of pharmaceutical service wished to obtain such information through training sessions and professional magazines. Results of text mining showed that CMs wished pharmacists to strengthen the cooperation with physicians and provide information on pharmaceutical service. These findings have led to the conclusion that the issues surrounding the promotion of cooperation between CMs and pharmacists centered around "work cooperation on a practical level" and "provision of information to CMs about the roles of pharmacies and pharmacists and their work."

Smoking and workers’ autonomy: A qualitative study on smoking practices in manual work

A massive amount of research has brought out the association of daily smoking with social class. Smoking remains very common in the most disadvantaged groups, but it has also maintained its popularity among manual workers. The starting point of the article is that what needs to be taken into account in explaining the social differentiation of smoking is the social context in which smoking takes place. The study is based on interviews of daily smokers, ex-smokers and occasional smokers from different occupational backgrounds. In this article, the focus is on manual workers (N = 19), and the main interest is in the meaning of smoking in working-class contexts and how it is attached to daily routines and social settings in manual work. Theoretically, the study draws on the pragmatist idea of habits and how they are formed in accordance with the context. As a shared ritual, smoking was a self-evident part of daily routines at the workplaces under scrutiny. The study shows how smoking was a legitimate way to challenge the official rules and to make the work more bearable by increasing social contacts and a sense of belonging. Paradoxically, smoking was to a great extent an unquestioned routine, but at the same time it increased the autonomy of the workers in terms of their daily tasks.

We Do Not Enjoy Equal Political Rights

This study explores Ghanaian women’s perception and voices about issues of gender equality in terms of exercising their political and decision-making rights in connection with political participation and governance in Ghana. The study uses demographic survey and six different focus group discussions to capture the views of a total of 68 women with different educational, socioeconomical, and occupational backgrounds, in two regions of the Ghana. The findings indicate that even though theoretically the constitution of Ghana gives women equal rights as their male counterparts to actively participate in the governance of their country, in practice, women face issues of gender-based power imbalance and discrimination in addition to other structural, institutional, cultural, and traditional barriers and roadblocks. These barriers expose women as being inferior and second-class citizens compared with their male counterparts in term of participation and inclusion in the governance of their country. The study discusses the social and policy implications of the issues of gender inequality and social exclusion of women in politics and calls for empowerment and organization of women and structural change in the system.

Board Structure, CEO Turnover, and Bank Performance

This study systematically investigates the impact of board structure on forced bank CEO turnovers. Using a sample of 149 bank CEO turnovers, I show that forced CEO turnover is motivated more by high risk level than by poor performance, suggesting that bank directors place “safety and soundness” before profitability. This study is the first to document that occupational background of independent directors can have a significant impact on forced bank CEO turnovers. In contrast with previous studies, I do not find any significant correlation between board independence ratio and the probability of forced bank CEO turnover, or changes in post-turnover performance.

The Effect of Change On Adaptive Performance: Does Expressive Suppression Moderate the Indirect Effect of Strain?

This study examined the relation between employees' perceived extent of change and adaptive performance, focusing on the roles of expressive suppression (i.e. the habit of suppressing overt expressions of emotion) at work and perceived strain. Analysing survey data of 153 employees in Germany with different occupational backgrounds via bootstrapping, the conceptual moderated indirect effect scheme was supported. As hypothesized, greater changes were associated with higher strain. Strain, in turn, was negatively related to adaptive performance. Although extent of change did not directly affect adaptive performance, the data supported the expected indirect relationship via strain. Finally, expressive suppression at work acted as a buffer of this indirect effect: extent of change was only negatively related to strain for employees low in suppression. In line with newer evidence, our results indicate that the suppression of overt emotional expressions at work can have positive effects under certain circumstances.

Outcome competences for practitioners in infection prevention and control

1. Foreword s Chair of the steering group overseeing this work it is my great pleasure on behalf of the four United Kingdom Chief Nursing Offi cers to commend this document to you. The work, which was funded by the Department of Health, led by the Infection Prevention Society, developed in conjunction with government leads for infection prevention and control, and supported by Skills for Health is a milestone in the evolution of infection prevention and control practice in the UK. This is a real example of what can be achieved through effective collaboration, cooperation and consultation between the professions, stakeholders and practitioners in the fi eld. A lthough infection prevention and control has been an established part of the NHS landscape for many years, for a number of those years it has been seen as the domain of a small group of designated specialists and has mainly focused on acute care. More recently, the determination of all four UK governments to address public concerns about healthcare associated infection and to drive improvements in patient safety throughout the health and social care system has placed infection prevention and control at the very top of the health and social care agenda and radically changed the expectations and requirements of practitioners working in this important area of practice. Today's infection prevention and control practitioners can come from a range of professional and occupational backgrounds and require a much broader range of competences than ever before. They know that a robust knowledge of infection prevention and control is not enough, they need to be looking ahead to future threats; developing the evidence base and working across the whole health and care system. They also need high-level leadership and team working skills if they are to effect strategic change at a national organisation level, and the interpersonal skills to use improvement science-based methods to sustain behavioural change in everyone involved in the care of patients and clients. We, in turn have to ensure that our expectations of practitioners in infection prevention and control are clear and consistent and that appropriate education, training and development is in place to ensure that the right people with the right capabilities are available today and in the future as we take infection prevention and control forward. This competency framework provides a solid foundation on which to do that and I look forward to seeing it used to meet expectations.

Extent Of Director Involvement In The Strategic Management Process: Does Occupational Background Make A Difference?

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.6in 0pt 40.5pt; tab-stops: .5in;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Propositions were tested with original survey data from 224 directors from nineteen hospitals to determine the extent of their involvement in the strategic management process. In most areas, board members whose occupational background is in health care tend to be less engaged than their counterparts whose background is not in health care. Significant differences were observed with respect to broad cross-functional strategic issues and overall hospital performance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Both groups had limited involvement in setting standards for rewarding top management and evaluating their performance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The results raise potentially important strategic and ethical dilemmas for hospitals and offer proponents of changes in board composition support for their normative suggestions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">     </span></span></span></p>

Childhood socioeconomic deprivation and later adulthood health

PurposeAlthough the link between socioeconomic deprivation and health status has been identified by many researchers, not much attention has been paid to the intergenerational effect of poverty on physical and psychological health status. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of childhood deprivation on health at the later stages of the working age.Design/methodology/approachData for individuals aged between 50 and 65 in six European countries are collected using purpose build questionnaires. The dataset provides information on issues such as physical and mental health status, past working experiences, socioeconomic and occupational background, incidence of diseases and sense of well‐being. Ordinary least squares (OLS) and ordered logit models are utilised to estimate the effect of childhood deprivation on health status indices. Logit models are also used to investigate the effects of childhood deprivation on the likelihood of an individual suffering from specific disease.FindingsThere is a consistent and significant negative effect of childhood deprivation on the overall health profile at later adulthood. For instance, for each additional unit of the childhood deprivation index, the index of the mobility status and physical health status in later adulthood decrease by 0.19 and 0.28, respectively, the index of the psychological health decrease by almost 0.41 and the odds of exhibiting better self‐assessed health decrease by a factor of 0.86 (all p‐values are <0.01). Similar negative effects of childhood deprivation on the likelihood of an individual suffering from a specific medical condition are unearthed.Originality/valueIt is shown that childhood socioeconomic deprivation has long lasting detrimental effects on the health of individuals that are observable at the later ages of working life. Hence, the relationship between childhood socioeconomic deprivation and adult health should be an important factor in social policy and health care planning in an era of aging populations.

Prevalence of Paediatric HIV Infection in Eastern India-First report

Prevalence of pediatric HIV has not been well characterized. We evaluate the prevalence, risks and contributing factors to the spread of HIV in India. This manuscript aims to describe prevalence of Pediatric HIV infection in Eastern India. We want to provide data on burden of HIV positive children visiting a tertiary care center located in the city of Kolkata, East India. Data is provided for routes of HIV exposure and occupational background and HIV status of the parents of infected children. Background: Various studies in India have documented high prevalence of HIV infection in children. Nearly 20 million babies are born each year and the number of infected babies could be >50,000 per year. According to Solomon S et al in India the prevalence of HIV among pregnant women varies widely from state to state and figures range from 0.5% to as high as 4.7% as in Namakkal, a small village in Tamilnadu. Objective: To determine and characterize the prevalence of pediatric HIV/AIDS in India Methods: This is a two year retrospective review of patients from the (with 100 beds) pediatric outpatient unit of the Medical college and Hospital, Kokata, was undertaken to determine the prevalence of pediatric HIV/AIDS in Kokata (or in North India). Results: 3,669 pediatric patients were admitted to the hospital, 437(11.9%) tested positive for HIV, 234 were males, while 203 were females (m:f=1.15:1). Children under the age of five years accounted for 81.7% of the HIV positive children. Mother-to-child transmission occurred in 73.7% of cases was the major route of transmission of HIV. Two other common routes included the use of blood/blood products (21 patients), hairdressing implements due to punctures in 4.8% each, while sexual abuse/sex activities were the probable route in 3.8% others. Most mothers of HIV children were either housewives (45.3%), or petty traders, trade that is conducted on a small scale (10.4%). Conclusion: The prevalence of pediatric HIV/AIDS was high in Eastern india. The most common mode of transmission was mother to child. Programs to work on education of prevention of this mode of transmission should be implemented by proper detection of disease in mothers,adequate counselling and administration of HAART to prevent mother to child transmission of AIDS.

Aspiration for global cultural capital in the stratified realm of global higher education: why do Korean students go to US graduate schools?

This study aims to understand Korean students’ motivations for studying in US graduate schools. For this purpose, I conducted in‐depth interviews with 50 Korean graduate students who were enrolled in a research‐centered US university at the time of the interview. In these interviews, I sought to understand how their motivations are connected not only with their family, school, and occupational backgrounds, but also with the stratification of global higher education. Theoretically, this paper attempts to combine the concept of global positional competition with Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital in the field of global education. By critically examining a push–pull model of transnational higher education choice‐making, this study situates Korean students’ aspirations in the contexts of global power and the hierarchy of knowledge‐degree production and consumption. After analyzing the students’ qualitative interviews, I classify their motivations for earning US degrees within four categories: enhancing their class positions and enlarging their job opportunities; pursuing learning in the global center of learning; escaping the undemocratic system and culture in Korean universities; and fulfilling desires to become cosmopolitan elites armed with English communication skills and connections within the global professional network. Based on this analysis, I argue that Korean students pursue advanced degrees in the United States in order to succeed in the global positional competition within Korea as well as in the global job marketplace. As they pursue advanced US degrees, Korean students internalize US hegemony as it reproduces the global hierarchy of higher education, but at the same time Korean students see US higher education as a means of liberation that resolves some of the inner contradictions of Korean higher education, including gender discrimination, a degree caste system, and an authoritarian learning culture. Therefore, this study links Korean students’ aspiration for global cultural capital to complex and irregular structures and relations of class, gender, nationality, and higher education that extend across local, national, and global dimensions simultaneously.

Dinámicas complejas en el flujo: diferencias entre trabajo y no trabajo

ResumenEsta investigación se interesó por la dinámica del flujo (flow) en contextos laborales y no laborales con el objetivo de conocer diferencias y semejanzas de dicha experiencia motivational. Sesenta empleados de ocupaciones variadas contestaron un diario de flujo seis veces al día durante veintiún días consecutivos (6982 registros). Los datos fueron analizados a nivel entre e intra-sujeto y se utilizaron modelos lineales (i.e. regresión lineal) y no lineales (i.e. modelo de catástrofes) para conocer la capacidad predictiva del ajuste reto-habilidades sobre el flujo. Contextos laboral y no laboral han mostrado dos diferencias fundamentales: mayores fluctuaciones en el flujo en el segundo (desviaciones tipo mayores en las variables habilidades, disfrute, interés y absorción) y un significado distinto del reto. Por otro lado, la capacidad de predicción del modelo no lineal ha sido claramente mayor que su homólogo lineal (42% frente al 19%, en el caso del no trabajo; 44% frente a 33% en el trabajo). El flujo, tanto en contextos laborales como no laborales, muestra dinámicas no lineales que combinan cambios graduales y cambios abruptos. La investigación e intervención interesadas en este proceso deberían centrarse en la variable reto que se ha mostrado clave para entender dichas dinámicas complejas en el flujo.

中国四个城市吸引海外回流人才比较研究: 政策的视角

现有关于中国海外回流人才的研究，大多从国家的层次出发，强调中央或国家级的职能部门在指导全国规模的人才引进当中的政策、措施及作用。关于具体城市的人才流动则研究不足；对人才政策的区域性差异也有所忽略。为了弥补以上不足，本文从城市的层次和比较的视野，对海外回流人才政策进行初步分析。作者以中国四个最有代表性的城市—北京、上海、广州和深圳—作为研究重点。通过对这四个城市海外回流人才和政府官员的深入访谈，以及对各个城市所出台的人才政策及相关数据的分析，本研究显示：第一，对海外回流人才的吸引和使用，各个城市往往会根据当地的具体情况，出台“地方化”的人才政策，以增加其吸引力度和灵活性，从而呈现出不同的类型和特色。只有在比较研究的基础上，才能对整个中国的海外人才回流状况有更加真切和深入的了解。第二，有必要把海外人才回流放入一个多元互动的分析框架当中，避免陷入“就政策而政策”式的讨论。从根本上来说，回流人才的聚散取决于一个城市的产业结构所能够提供的就业机会和发展前景，同时受到社会、文化和地域等因素的制约。政策作为这个框架的重要一环，只有与其它因素相互配合，才能充分发挥其调控和疏导的作用。

What is there to be learnt from the 1950s and 1960s for contemporary trainee teachers in Further Education?

In this paper, some stories of staff who became Further Education (FE) lecturers during the 1950s and 1960s are reported upon. What emerges is that this period when FE was being established was heavily reliant on the imagination of the actors in their community settings. Moreover, these pioneers in the sector, often from strong occupational backgrounds but with limited formal qualifications, were employed because it was considered that they would be able to use their creative wisdom to forge the necessary links with local industry and other relevant stakeholders, so as to give the FE brand a high profile in its respective local communities. It is contended that in the current, most likely prolonged, period of austerity there is much to be drawn from these experiences of yesteryear, in that what is revealed in the following is very much a perspective that funding was not necessarily the be-all and end-all when these practitioners were endeavouring to deliver excellence. In particular, it is argued that lessons can be learnt from former times and thus, by recalling these and other such narratives and including them in FE lecturers’ Initial Teacher Training(ITT) and ongoing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes, we may stimulate our imaginations in relation to how FE can be further integrated into the local setting, despite the aforementioned contemporary financial constraints.