Presence Of Children In Household Research Articles

Socio-Economic Impacts of COVID-19 on Working Mothers in France.

Beyond its devastating consequences for public health, the COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on gender inequalities, labour markets and families. Compared to many European countries, the French approach to lockdown was among the more stringent, although the measures taken by the French government to support employment, to some extent, mitigated the worst effects of the crisis on families. This article analyses the implications of COVID lockdown restrictions on gender equality and well-being for couples with children in France. The study adopted a multidimensional approach to gender inequalities associated with paid work and various dimensions of living conditions, involving gender-differentiated access to personal work spaces in the home, personal leisure time outside the home, and local support networks during the first phase of lockdown (March−June 2020). Drawing on data from the COCONEL survey, carried out by the Institut national d’études démographiques on a quota sample of the French adult population in April/May 2020, the authors controlled for variables including socio-economic status, age, family structure and place of residence. The survey data were complemented by a longitudinal set of in-depth interviews enabling the research team to capture the differential effects of the pandemic within couples. The main findings indicate that, despite the frequency of dual-employment arrangements for heterosexual couple households with dependent children, French mothers were nevertheless more likely to reduce their working time and/or withdraw from the labour market. Within the households surveyed, mothers were less likely than fathers to leave the home during the day, particularly for personal leisure activities. The presence of children in households increased gender inequality in both employment and living conditions across all socio-economic categories. In conclusion, the authors consider whether the pandemic might have a long-term impact on gender norms and inequalities within families, and how the findings about changes in gender inequalities could be used to inform public policy development.

Rent burden determinants in hot and cold housing markets of Davidson and Shelby counties, Tennessee

AbstractRent burden is a situation when a renter‐occupied household spends a sizable portion of its income on housing costs. Using census tracts as the scale of analysis, this article examines rent burden determinants in Shelby and Davidson counties, the two largest of Tennessee. These counties differ substantially in terms of their housing markets, demographics, and the state of their economy. Mapping reveals distinct spatial patterns of rent burden and its geographic extent. Correlations and spatial regression analyses suggest that in both counties, a lack of access to an automobile, crowded living, and the presence of children in households similarly associate with higher rent burden. In contrast, educational attainment, race, and a lack of medical insurance do not demonstrate such consensus. Compared to Davidson County, race is a less crucial predictor of rent burden in Shelby County, likely due to its predominantly African American composition across different income groups. Besides, the positive effect of education is more pronounced in Shelby County. Results indicate that rent burden tends to be more of a socioeconomic class issue in Shelby County, whereas it is not as strongly associated with the socially disadvantaged in Davidson County.

The presence of children in households was associated with dietary intake among Japanese married women: the POTATO study.

A growing body of evidence from Western countries shows that the presence of children in households is associated with the dietary intake of adults, but little is known about this relationship in non-Western countries with different food cultures. Our aim was to examine whether dietary intake was different with respect to the presence of young children in the home among Japanese married women. Subjects were Japanese married women (aged 23-44 years) living with children aged less than 5 years (n 73) and married women who did not have children (n 85). Data regarding habitual dietary intake were obtained using a validated, self-administered diet history questionnaire. A cross-sectional comparison between women with young children and women without children was conducted using ANCOVA adjusted for potential confounding factors. Women with young children had a significantly greater intake of protein, carbohydrates, Na, Zn and Cu than did women without children. Intake of cereals, pulses and sugar was significantly higher among mothers than among non-mothers. Intake of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages was significantly higher among non-mothers than among mothers. Thus, the presence of young children at home might influence women's intake of macronutrients and some minerals, especially Na, and beverages among Japanese married women. Our findings suggest that effective dietary interventions among Japanese mothers with young children may differ from those of married women without children.

Female Employment and Fertility Decisions; Is there an Implication for Household Consumption in South-West Nigeria?

This study examined the impact of female employment and fertility decisions on household consumption in a working life cycle of South-West Nigeria. Survey method was used to collect data and multistage sampling technique was used to select a sample of 600 households in South-West Nigeria. 514 questionnaires were analysed after removing the incomplete. Linear Structural Relations Models was use to analyse the data. The result showed that household consumption is caused by fertility decision, female employment, income and female education. Fertility decisions had a positive and statistically significant relationship with household consumption while female employment has a negative but significant relationship with household consumption. The study concluded that the presence of children in households increases consumption in a working life cycle.

Estimating the effectiveness of health-risk communications with propensity-score matching: application to arsenic groundwater contamination in four US locations.

This paper provides a demonstration of propensity-score matching estimation methods to evaluate the effectiveness of health-risk communication efforts. This study develops a two-stage regression model to investigate household and respondent characteristics as they contribute to aversion behavior to reduce exposure to arsenic-contaminated groundwater. The aversion activity under study is a household-level point-of-use filtration device. Since the acquisition of arsenic contamination information and the engagement in an aversion activity may be codetermined, a two-stage propensity-score model is developed. In the first stage, the propensity for households to acquire arsenic contamination information is estimated. Then, the propensity scores are used to weight observations in a probit regression on the decision to avert the arsenic-related health risk. Of four potential sources of information, utility, media, friend, or others, information received from a friend appears to be the source of information most associated with aversion behavior. Other statistically significant covariates in the household's decision to avert contamination include reported household income, the presence of children in household, and region-level indicator variables. These findings are primarily illustrative and demonstrate the usefulness of propensity-score methods to estimate health-risk communication effectiveness. They may also be suggestive of areas for future research.

Voter demand for fluoridated water: a tale of two c(av)ities

Government fluoridation of public water systems to promote dental health has long been advocated by many health associations, based on the findings of mainstream scientific studies. Despite this, fluoridation remains a controversial issue. Some in the public are antithetical to the science behind fluoridation while others view it as an infringement on individual choice. Voting data from referendums in two of the six largest US cities without fluoridated water (Portland, Oregon, and Wichita, Kansas) are used to examine the factors driving voter demand for and against fluoridation. Although regression analysis reveals differences between the cities, a strong commonality is greater support for fluoride coming from voting precincts with higher concentrations of college graduates. Additionally, even though advocates often laud water fluoridation as a relatively inexpensive way to extend dental health benefits to all children (regardless of income levels), presence of children in households surprisingly does not appear to translate into voter support. Lastly, after controlling for socio-economic factors, results suggest that opposition to fluoridation does not appear to come from the political centre, but from the libertarian right and environmental left.

Geodemographics profiling of influenza A and B virus infections in community neighborhoods in Japan

BackgroundThe spread of influenza viruses in a community are influenced by several factors, but no reports have focused on the relationship between the incidence of influenza and characteristics of small neighborhoods in a community. We aimed to clarify the relationship between the incidence of influenza and neighborhood characteristics using GIS and identified the type of small areas where influenza occurs frequently or infrequently.MethodsOf the 19,077 registered influenza cases, we analyzed 11,437 influenza A and 5,193 influenza B cases that were diagnosed by the rapid antigen test in 66-86 medical facilities in Isahaya City, Japan, from 2004 to 2008. We used the commercial geodemographics dataset, Mosaic Japan to categorize and classify each neighborhood. Furthermore, we calculated the index value of influenza in crude and age adjusted rates to evaluate the incidence of influenza by Mosaic segmentation. Additional age structure analysis was performed to geodemographics segmentation to explore the relationship between influenza and family structure.ResultsThe observed number of influenza A and B patients in the neighborhoods where young couples with small children lived was approximately 10-40% higher than the expected number (p < 0.01) during all seasons. On the contrary, the number of patients in the neighborhoods of the aging society in a rural area was 20-50% lower than the expected number (p < 0.01) during all seasons. This tendency was consistent after age adjustment except in the case of influenza B, which lost significance in higher incidence areas, but the overall results indicated high transmission of influenza in areas where young families with children lived.ConclusionsOur analysis indicated that the incidence of influenza A and B in neighborhood groups is related to the family structure, especially the presence of children in households. Simple statistical analysis of geodemographics data is an effective method to understand the differences in the incidence of influenza among neighborhood groups, and it provides a valuable basis for community strategies to control influenza.

Changing Household Composition and Food Security among the Elderly Caretakers in Rural Western Kenya

A descriptive cross-sectional study including quantitative and qualitative methods was carried out in rural western Kenya to examine household composition and food security among the elderly caretakers. The findings indicate that the deteriorating economic conditions and HIV/AIDS pandemic have led to the increase in the number of children in need of care and the unprecedented involvement of the elderly in caretaking responsibilities. The presence of children in households of the elderly have changed household composition and introduced a different social context in which intergenerational relationships between grandparents and grandchildren have been redefined. Contrary to the past, it is no longer a desire but a routine responsibility of the elderly to provide food for the increasing number of dependant children in their households.

Factors influencing households' participation in recycling

The success of a recycling programme depends on the active and sustained participation of citizens in the correct separation and collection of recyclable waste. An effective study of strategies aimed at augmenting people's involvement in recycling involves understanding which factors influence the decision to co-operate with a recycling programme. This research investigates the influence of attitudes, incentives, presence of children in household and information through direct media, on households' participation in recycling. The results suggest that positive attitudes toward recycling and information are important factors in explaining recycling participation. Some guidelines that may be considered in future communication and intervention strategies designed to promote recycling participation are discussed.

A new benchmark for Internet use: A logistic modeling of factors influencing Internet use in Canada, 2005

Abstract Internet diffusion is not homogeneous and depends on many factors. This study uses data from the Canadian Internet Use Survey (CIUS) to explore the extent demographic variables affect Internet use by individuals in Canada. A logistic model confirms that certain factors, educational attainment, and geography in particular influence Internet use in Canada, controlling for age and income. Education maintains a strong, significant impact on Internet use such that the odds of using the Internet are about three times greater for someone who has some post-secondary education than someone who has, at most, a high school education. An urban–rural digital divide persists in Canada with the odds of using the Internet being almost one-and-a-half times greater for someone who lives in an urban area. While language also has a large effect on Internet use, the presence of children in households no longer seems to be a significant factor. This study thus underscores the changing digital environment in Canada and the need for adaptive, flexible policies addressing national connectivity issues and, in particular, broadband Internet availability.

Correction to "Adult Fat Intake Associated with the Presence of Children in Households: Findings from NHANES III"

Correction to "Adult Fat Intake Associated with the Presence of Children in Households: Findings from NHANES III"

Adult Fat Intake Associated with the Presence of Children in Households: Findings from NHANES III

Increasing prevalence of obesity and lifestyle related chronic disease is fundamentally tied to Americans' poor eating habits. Family environment, including the presence of children, may affect adults' diet behavior. To compare dietary fat intake between adults with and without minor children in the home. Secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES III) public use dataset. Adults aged 17 to 65 years with and without children younger than 17 years old in the home. Intake of total fat, saturated fat, and kilocalories based on a 24-hour dietary recall and a selection of high-fat foods from a food frequency questionnaire. Linear and logistic regression, accounting for the sample weights and complex survey design. The presence of children in the household was associated with significantly higher adjusted total fat consumption for adults (4.9 g/24 hours [95% CI: 0.8, 9.1]) and significantly higher adjusted saturated fat consumption (1.7 g/24 hours [0.3, 3.3]). Adults with children ate many high-fat foods more frequently than adults without children, including salty snacks, pizza, cheese, beef, ice cream, cakes/cookies, bacon/sausage/processed meats, and peanuts. The presence of children in the home may affect adults' diets. Providers should emphasize dietary discretion for the entire family.

Trajectories of fertility and household composition in the demographic profile of the Czech Republic.

The household composition matrix is a representation of the demographic structure of households, specific to age groups of household members and household heads. As such, the matrix reflects also the environmental conditions, housing in particular, that mould households' demographic structure. By specifically depicting the presence of children in households, household composition could be viewed as gauging fertility within the context of housing conditions. This stance is examined in an application to Czech census data for the year 1991, at the commencement of an intense process of socio-economic transformation that accompanied the collapse of communism across Eastern Europe. Within this process, housing had an inadvertent impact upon the structure of households in general, and upon fertility decline in particular. By using the standard matrix representation of household composition, correspondence between trajectories of age-specific fertility and household composition emerge throughout the Czech Republic. This correspondence illustrates the potential household composition analysis carries for fertility measurement and estimation in rapidly changing economic environments.

Influence of terrorism risk on foreign tourism decisions

This study explored relationships between selected factors and several key stages of the international vacation tourism decision-making process. A theoretical framework of vacation decisions involving terrorism risk served as the foundation for the analysis. Eight independent variables were examined, including international travel experience, risk perception level, international travel attitude, age, gender, education, income and presence of children in household. Dependent variables were three key stages of the decision-making process, including the general decision to travel internationally versus domestically, the extent of information search and concern for safety in evaluating destination alternatives. A mail survey of international tourists achieved a 48% response rate. Non-response bias was tested with telephone interviews. Data were analyzed using multiple and simple regression. International attitude, risk perception level and income were found to directly influence international vacation destination choice. Touristic experience and education were indirect influences

Demographic and socioeconomic correlates of safety belt use

This study analyzed the relationship between safety belt use rates—as measured by observational surveys at preselected sites—and demographic and socioeconomie characteristics—as reflected by the U.S. Census Bureau data for the sites. The results showed consistent and moderately high associations between observed safety belt use rates and socioeconomic status indicators, primarily home value. Once redundancies among variables were removed, other variables that contributed significantly to explaining differences between high- and low-belt use sites were the percentage of elderly people (55 + years old) and the mix of blue and white collar workers. Sites having high safety belt use rates had higher average home values, a higher percentage of elderly people, and a lower percentage of blue collar workers than sites having low use rates. Simple correlations with belt use rates were also obtained for race, marital status, presence of children in household, education, and income.