Problem In Spain Research Articles

Differential Impact of School Segregation in the Performance of Native and Non-Native Students in Spain

There is evidence of the impact of school segregation on students’ academic achievement, but it is debated whether the extent of this impact is dependent on students’ socioeconomic status, or on their native or non-native condition. This research addresses the problem in Spain, seeking to determine how immigrant and socioeconomic segregation affect the academic achievement of native and non-native students. With this aim, the PISA study database was specially exploited by means of two-tier Multilevel Models, estimating school segregation through the Hutchens Square Root Index. Specifically, the study estimates the influence of school segregation on students’ academic achievement in the subjects of Mathematics, Language and Science. The results confirm that school socioeconomical and immigrant segregation affect students’ academic achievement differently. Whereas socioeconomic segregation negatively affects both groups in all three subjects, immigrant segregation affects non-native students more strongly. Thus, data shows school segregation on socioeconomic grounds is always significant, and always has a considerable impact on achievement, regardless of students’ national origin. School segregation reproduces and accentuates conditions of social injustice. To counter its harmful effects, it is necessary to act first and foremost on socioeconomic segregation, as this causes the most devastating effects in education, particularly for non-native students.

The role of systems theory in political science: The case of unemployment in Spain

This paper will be consecrated to the problem of unemployment in Spain from the perspective of Systems Theory. But first I would like to emphasize, in a very schematic form, some of the possibilities and advantages of Systems Theory in Political Science. The purpose is only to suggest that the application of some theoretical and methodological principles of Systems Theory could contribute significantly to the development and efficiency of political systems. Let us say for the moment that the endevour requires to fulfill two main prerequisites: first to adopt the basic systemic principle which is to select the essential variablesfor any given piece of research within a polity; and second, to discover the ”system of values” that underlines this polity. To ignore these two fundamental prerequisites should be in principle theoretical and methodologically criticized as we hope to show when we study the unemployment problem in Spain. The application of the model could reduce unemployment from the current 17,1 % until some 12% in the period of 4 years.

Breath Alcohol Concentration and Perception of Drunkenness: A Comparison between Adolescents and Young Adults Drinking Alcohol in Public Settings.

Alcohol use is a persisting social and health problem in Spain that often takes place within the recreational context. This study aims to analyze objective and self-reported measures of alcohol use and to assess the potential role of social factors on alcohol intake in open-air public settings. A total of 1475 participants (47.4% women), including 27.8% adolescents organized into 355 natural groups of friends, were interviewed while they were socializing at night in the streets of Palma (Spain). Breath alcohol concentration (BrAC), self-reported measures of alcohol use, and social variables were assessed. Men showed statistically higher scores in BrAC than women. However, adolescents’ Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores were not statistically different by gender. Correlation between objective and self-reported measures was low. Interestingly, BrAC of drinkers was lower when some friends in the group were sober. Moreover, especially in young adults, variables related to the social environment were statistically significant factors to predict BrAC. In conclusion, we found a high prevalence of alcohol intake in young people in open-air public settings, low relationship of objective and self-reported measures, and social factors linked to alcohol use, although differences by age and gender must be considered.

Citizen and Educational Initiatives to Support Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation for All

Sustainable Development Goal 6 affirms the need to “ensure water availability, sustainable water management and sanitation for all” and thereby highlights a current problem in Spain caused by climate dynamics in the south and southeast of the peninsula and the islands. This study is based on a non-probabilistic online survey with 455 participants (n = 455) carried out to identify citizens’ views across the Autonomous Communities and detect good and bad practices, including efficiency gains and specific problems, derived from water management. Differences in perceptions were found regarding place of residence, gender, and education level, which were all especially significant in relation to territory. Generally, people who live in areas with greater water abundance are less aware of the need to make good use of it. There are no major differences in terms of gender, although there is a greater awareness among women about the effects of climate change and the need for good water management. It is argued that education should employ innovative materials and pedagogically motivating resources from school to university levels.

Randomised controlled trial of a treatment adherence programme for prisoners with mental health problems in Spain.

The prevalence of psychiatric disorders is high among prisoners, who often need psychotropic medication, but compliance with treatment is often poor. This combination leads to poorer prisoner-patient health and increased health costs.The aim of this study was to test the impact of a treatment adherence programme (TAP) on medication adherence and subjective well-being among prisoners with mental health problems. We conducted a randomised controlled trial of a treatment adherence programme compared with treatment as usual (TAU) among 183 prisoners with mental health problems. Those in the TAP group showed greater treatment adherence and reported better subjective well-being with medication than those in the TAU group. We conclude that the treatment adherence of prisoners who require medication for mental health problems may be improved through specific intervention programmes. This could make a positive contribution to individual health and well-being.

Assessment of molecular detection of Fusarium circinatum in insects and passive spore traps in Pinus radiata plantations

AbstractFusarium circinatum is the causal agent of pitch canker, a destructive disease that threatens natural and planted pine forests around the world. Although pitch canker has caused problems in Spain and Portugal, concerning Europe as a whole, the fungus is not established across the pine distribution area. Its dispersion by wind and/or insect vectors could nevertheless play a role in the colonization of currently uninfected stands. It is therefore crucial to develop monitoring tools for its detection. To this end, we assessed the molecular detection of the pathogen in environmental samples of bark beetles and passive spore traps, collected in two infected Pinus radiata plantations in Basque country, Spain. The spread pattern of F. circinatum was assessed by an experimental design that included insect and spore traps installed at the centre, at the edge and outside the plots. Our results showed that F. circinatum was detected in both types of samples, at almost all collection dates. In both type of samples, positive detections were mainly found at the centre of the plots, a lower proportion at the edge, and very few outside. This suggests that long‐distance dispersion of Fusarium circinatum does not rely on wind spore dispersal neither on insect flight. Our study also shows that molecular methods are a powerful tool to monitor the pathogen in environmental samples.

Predictive factors of early readmission and mortality in patients with heart failure hospitalized in the Department of Internal Medicine of the San Carlos University Hospital, Spain

IntroductionL’insuffisance cardiaque (IC) est un problème de santé en Espagne dont l’incidence croissante est en rapport avec le vieillissement de la population, et présente des taux de mortalité et de réadmissions hospitalières élevées. Evaluer les caractéristiques cliniques des patients souffrant d’IC qui entrent en médecine interne et les facteurs associés à la réadmission et la mortalité intrahospitalière.Méthodesétude transversale, descriptive et rétrospective de révision des dossiers cliniques de patients ayant un diagnostic principal d’IC dans l’Ensemble Minimal de Base de Données (CMBD, Conjunto Mínimo Básico de Datos), qui abandonnèrent le Service de Médecine Interne de l’Hôpital Clinique San Carlos (HCSC) en 2014.RésultatsCent quatre-vingt-dix-neuf (199) patients y furent inclus, âge moyen 82,7 ans et 61,8% de femmes; 85% présentaient une FEVG (Fraction d’Ejection du Ventricule Gauche) > 40%, avec un pro-BNP moyen de 9.101,3 pg/ml; 64,3% des patients présentèrent une fibrillation auriculaire permanente. 30,2% revinrent en < 30 jours avec une moyenne de réadmissions/an de 1,45(±0,86). 25% des patients moururent intra hospitalièrement pendant le suivi. Parmi les facteurs associés à la mortalité intrahospitalière l’âge avancé fut une variable associée OR 1,050 (1,002-1,101) (p = 0.04). Quant aux facteurs associés à la réadmission précoce, la polypharmacie (p = 0,024) ainsi que les critères de pluripathologie d’Ollero 4,974 (1,396-17,730) (p = 0,024) furent les plus importants. Les patients hospitalisés pour cause d’IC dans notre milieu sont des patients âgés et sous polymédication.ConclusionLes patients hospitalisés pour insuffisance cardiaque sont âgés, présentant pluripathologie et polypharmacie. Son pronostic à court terme est associé à des taux élevés de réintégration et de mortalité à l'hôpital principalement pour ceux souffrant d’affection rénale et/ou neurologique.

Impact of the extension of learning time on the learning space of the platform for people affected by mortgages Tarragona

Abstract Housing became a social problem in Spain after the beginning of the economic crisis in 2008, affecting not only adults but also children, and as we discuss here, their learning process due to their difficult situation. Thus, in this article we analyse the case of the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages in Tarragona, which chose to organise a unique learning space in January 2017 where children could do their homework and receive support in preparing for exams while their parents participated in the assembly. More specific, we analyse the impact of a Successful Education Action, the Extension of Learning Time, on the educational reinforcement of children who participated in the PAH Tarragona learning space. Six children were interviewed (for 3 of them, this was the second school year they participated in the programme, and, for the other 3, this was their first school year), and communicative observations were conducted for 13 months. Moreover, two discussion groups with parents were carried out. The results show how children give meaning to their learning and transform their educational expectations with the Extension of Learning Time, along with participating in quality learning activities in a dialogic environment.

Mortalidad hospitalaria y reingresos por insuficiencia cardiaca en España. Un estudio de los episodios índice y los reingresos por causas cardiacas a los 30 días y al año

Introduction and objectivesHeart failure (HF) is a major health care problem in Spain. Epidemiological data from hospitalized patients are scarce and the association between hospital characteristics and patient outcomes is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to identify the factors associated with in-hospital mortality and readmissions and to analyze the relationship between hospital characteristics and outcomes. MethodsA retrospective analysis of discharges with HF as the principal diagnosis at hospitals of the Spanish National Health System in 2012 was performed using the Minimum Basic Data Set. We calculated risk-standardized mortality rates (RSMR) at the index episode and risk-standardized cardiac diseases readmissions rates (RSRR) and in-hospital mortality at 30 days and 1 year after discharge by using a multivariate mixed model. ResultsWe included 77 652 HF patients. Mean age was 79.2±9.9 years and 55.3% were women. In-hospital mortality during the index episode was 9.2%, rising to 14.5% throughout the year of follow-up. The 1-year cardiovascular readmissions rate was 32.6%. RSMR were lower among patients discharged from high-volume hospitals (> 340 HF discharges) (in-hospital RSMR, 10.3±5.6%; 8.6±2.2%); P <.001). High-volume hospitals had higher 1-year RSRR (32.3±3.7%; 33.7±4.5%; P=.006). The availability of a cardiology department at the hospital was associated with better outcomes (in-hospital RSMR, 9.9±3.8%; 9.2±2.4%; P <.001). ConclusionsHigh-volume hospitals and the availability of a cardiology department were associated with lower in-hospital mortality.Full English text available from: www.revespcardiol.org/en

Listeriosis in Spain based on hospitalisation records, 1997 to 2015: need for greater awareness.

IntroductionListeriosis is a food-borne disease of public health importance that has recently been involved in prolonged outbreaks. Despite its relevance, listeriosis is under-reported in many European countries.AimWe aimed to describe listeriosis epidemiology in Spain from 1997–2015.MethodsWe performed a retrospective study using the Spanish hospitalisation database. We calculated the mean number of hospitalisations per year and region. Pregnancy and neonatal-related listeriosis rates were computed. Relation between death and the presence of underlying health conditions was explored.ResultsBetween 1997–2015, 5,696 listeriosis hospitalisations occurred, showing a constantly increasing trend. Higher hospitalisation rates were located in the north of the country compared to southern regions. The age group ≥ 65 years old was the most represented (50%). Pregnant women and newborns accounted for 7% and 4% of hospitalisations, respectively. An underlying immunocompromising condition was present in 56.4% of patients: cancer (22.8%), diabetes mellitus (16.6%) and chronic liver disease (13.1%). Death occurred in 17% of patients, more frequently among those ≥ 65 years old (67.5%), with sepsis (39.9%) or with meningoencephalitis (19.2%).ConclusionListeriosis is an emergent public health problem in Spain that calls for targeted action. Further prevention strategies are urgently needed, including food safety education and messaging for all at-risk groups.

España ante la debida diligencia en violencia de género

One of the most serious human rights problems in Spain is gender violence, especially that carried out by non-state actors and takes place in the private or family sphere. The States have the duty to comply with the due diligence standard. This paper has the aim of determining the elements of this standard and examining if Spain complies with it, according to UN developments.

In-hospital Mortality and Readmissions for Heart Failure in Spain. A Study of Index Episodes and 30-Day and 1-year Cardiac Readmissions.

Heart failure (HF) is a major health care problem in Spain. Epidemiological data from hospitalized patients are scarce and the association between hospital characteristics and patient outcomes is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to identify the factors associated with in-hospital mortality and readmissions and to analyze the relationship between hospital characteristics and outcomes. A retrospective analysis of discharges with HF as the principal diagnosis at hospitals of the Spanish National Health System in 2012 was performed using the Minimum Basic Data Set. We calculated risk-standardized mortality rates (RSMR) at the index episode and risk-standardized cardiac diseases readmissions rates (RSRR) and in-hospital mortality at 30 days and 1 year after discharge by using a multivariate mixed model. We included 77 652 HF patients. Mean age was 79.2±9.9 years and 55.3% were women. In-hospital mortality during the index episode was 9.2%, rising to 14.5% throughout the year of follow-up. The 1-year cardiovascular readmissions rate was 32.6%. RSMR were lower among patients discharged from high-volume hospitals (> 340 HF discharges) (in-hospital RSMR, 10.3±5.6%; 8.6±2.2%); P <.001). High-volume hospitals had higher 1-year RSRR (32.3±3.7%; 33.7±4.5%; P=.006). The availability of a cardiology department at the hospital was associated with better outcomes (in-hospital RSMR, 9.9±3.8%; 9.2±2.4%; P <.001). High-volume hospitals and the availability of a cardiology department were associated with lower in-hospital mortality.

Birth-sex cohort alcohol use transitions in the general population: the cross-sectional PEGASUS-Murcia project.

To examine the potential impact of prevalence of alcohol use in a birth-sex cohort on subsequent initiation and progression of alcohol use in the PEGASUS-Murcia project, a cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of non-institutionalized adults in Murcia (Spain). Data on lifetime history of alcohol use, DSM-IV use disorders, and remission were collected from 1,459 adults using face-to-face interviewers based on the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3.0). Life-table estimates based on survival functions for alcohol use age-of-onset and remission were used as time-varying predictors of subsequent individual-level alcohol use in discrete-time survival models. Nearly nine out of ten adults had a lifetime alcohol use history at time of interview. Of these lifetime users, 84.3% became regular users (>12 drinks a year) and 5.5-1.6% went on to meet criteria for DSM-IV alcohol abuse or dependence, respectively. By the age of 18, 70.9% of respondents had used alcohol, and one half (50.2%) had used regularly. Regular use sharply increased during early adulthood to reach 90.8% by age 22. Birth-sex cohort alcohol use was significantly and positively associated with increased odds of all subsequent transitions examined except for the transition from use to abuse. The findings highlight sensitive periods with rapid transitions to higher levels of alcohol use and emphasize the importance of cohort experiences in the full spectrum of stages of alcohol use. These results may contribute to predicting population-levels trends in alcohol-related problems in Spain.

Social engagement and socio-genesis of energy poverty as a problem in Spain

The current paper provides an in-depth analysis of actors’ engagement and its impact on the conceptualization and social perception of energy poverty, its analysis and the design of energy and social policies to confront it.Energy poverty in Spain is mentioned from 2012, conceptualized in 2013 and amplified, becoming socially visible, from 2014, when the phenomenon was quantified after the country deficient condition deterioration. Until 2017, the different actors express themselves through media, generating an impact that has been studied from a mixed design combining contents analysis with qualitative analysis. A triple analytical approach: chronological, thematic and ‘of actors’ has been applied to 487 journalistic articles and press releases.In conclusion, the actual impact of engagement is defined in three fundamental aspects: the establishment of a social base knowledge about energy poverty; the contribution to socializing and mobilizing dynamics which led to institutional response and decisions making at different levels of social and energy policies; and, thirdly, to the creation of a collective framework of understanding and confrontation of the problem of unequal access to energy resources, which has fostered debate and reflection around energy unfairness and acknowledgement of energy vulnerability.

Retrospective analysis of the use of quadruple therapy with bismuth (Pylera®) in real-life clinical practice in Spain

Abstract Objective The resistance of Helicobacter pylori to antibiotics is a growing problem in Spain and eradication rates must be improved. The new Spanish consensus considers quadruple therapy with bismuth as first- or second-line therapy. This study evaluated the use of Pylera® in real-life clinical practice. Patients and methods A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to evaluate the eradication rate of H. pylori in patients treated with Pylera® between March and September 2016. Patients (naive or with previous treatment failure) were treated for 10 days. Eradication was confirmed using a breath test with urea 30 days or more after treatment. In addition, demographic, clinical–analytical and treatment-related data were collected. Results A total of 185 patients were included (51.6 ± 16.19 years); 63.8% were women and 9.2% had a family history of gastric cancer. The most frequent indication was dyspepsia (55.1%). Approximately 57.8% received Pylera® as first-line therapy, while 95.7% received Pylera® in combination with omeprazole. A first-line eradication rate of 78.15% was observed in the intention-to-treat population (86.6% per protocol). There were no statistically significant differences between naive patients and those previously treated. Nine patients abandoned the treatment (4.9%), 7 due to mild side effects and 2 due to incorrect dosing. Conclusions Pylera® has acceptable eradication rates in first- and second-line therapy and shows a suitable safety profile.

Pain assessment in individuals with dementia and communication problems in Spain. A systematic review

Background and objectivePain assessment in individuals with advanced dementia and communication problems continue to be underdiagnosed and undertreated due to the difficulty in performing this assessment. This review explores and synthesizes how pain in individuals with advanced dementia and communication problems are being assessed in the context of Spanish healthcare. Materials and methodsA systematic review of the literature was conducted following the PRISMA criteria. We reviewed the databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Cinahl, Scopus, Dialnet and Cuitatge up to December 2017. Four independent reviewers identified studies that included instruments to assess pain in individuals with dementia and communication problems in the Spanish healthcare context. We performed a narrative synthesis of the included articles. ResultsAfter applying the inclusion criteria, 10 studies were included. Of these, 4 were methodological studies validating Spanish versions of scales (Abbey, Algoplus, Doloplus and PAINAD-Sp), and 1 was on the development of the original EDAD scale. We also identified 3 studies conducted in Spain that used a translation of the PAINAD, 1 study that used a Spanish translation of Doloplus2 and 1 publication that included the use in Spain of a scale not validated for this patient profile (Pain-VAS). ConclusionsThere are currently several instruments validated in Spanish to assess pain in individuals with advanced dementia and communication problems (Abbey, Algoplus, Doloplus y PAINAD-Sp). However, these instruments have still not been widely used in research, and their psychometric properties could be improved.

Análisis retrospectivo del uso de la cuádruple terapia con bismuto (Pylera®) en la práctica clínica real en España

ObjectiveThe resistance of Helicobacter pylori to antibiotics is a growing problem in Spain and eradication rates must be improved. The new Spanish consensus considers quadruple therapy with bismuth as first- or second-line therapy. This study evaluated the use of Pylera® in real-life clinical practice. Patients and methodsA cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to evaluate the eradication rate of Helicobacter pylori in patients treated with Pylera® between March and September 2016. Patients (naïve or with previous treatment failure) were treated for 10 days. Eradication was confirmed using a breath test with urea 30 days or more after treatment. In addition, demographic, clinical-analytical and treatment-related data were collected. ResultsA total of 185 patients were included (51.6±16.19 years); 63.8% were women and 9.2% had a family history of gastric cancer. The most frequent indication was dyspepsia (55.1%). Approximately 57.8% received Pylera® as first-line therapy, while 95.7% received Pylera® in combination with omeprazole. A first-line eradication rate of 78.15% was observed in the intention-to-treat population (86.6% per protocol). There were no statistically significant differences between naïve patients and those previously treated. Nine patients abandoned the treatment (4.9%), 7 due to mild side effects and 2 due to incorrect dosing. ConclusionsPylera® has acceptable eradication rates in first- and second-line therapy and shows a suitable safety profile.

Tuberculosis and immigration

Tuberculosis continues to be a major public health problem in Spain. The incidence of tuberculosis in the native population has declined steadily in recent years. Migration flows have changed drastically since the beginning of the 21st century, with Spain becoming a recipient country for immigrants. Because most of the immigrants comes from countries with high incidence of tuberculosis, the contribution of the migrant population to new cases of tuberculosis is higher in relative terms than its weight in the total population. Tuberculosis programmes must address the cultural, economic and medical aspects of the disease, and particularly target groups at risk, including the migrant population. In this paper, we will review the epidemiology and dynamics of tuberculosis in the migrant population, their differentiating clinical characteristics and the programmatic actions to address the problem.

A two-stage approach to estimate spatial and spatio-temporal disease risks in the presence of local discontinuities and clusters

Disease risk maps for areal unit data are often estimated from Poisson mixed models with local spatial smoothing, for example by incorporating random effects with a conditional autoregressive prior distribution. However, one of the limitations is that local discontinuities in the spatial pattern are not usually modelled, leading to over-smoothing of the risk maps and a masking of clusters of hot/coldspot areas. In this paper, we propose a novel two-stage approach to estimate and map disease risk in the presence of such local discontinuities and clusters. We propose approaches in both spatial and spatio-temporal domains, where for the latter the clusters can either be fixed or allowed to vary over time. In the first stage, we apply an agglomerative hierarchical clustering algorithm to training data to provide sets of potential clusters, and in the second stage, a two-level spatial or spatio-temporal model is applied to each potential cluster configuration. The superiority of the proposed approach with regard to a previous proposal is shown by simulation, and the methodology is applied to two important public health problems in Spain, namely stomach cancer mortality across Spain and brain cancer incidence in the Navarre and Basque Country regions of Spain.

The Taking Account of EU Previous Convictions in Joint/Accumulated Punishment: The Spanish Case

Council Framework Decision 2008/675/JHA of 24 July 2008 on taking account of convictions in the Member States of the European Union in the course of new criminal proceedings is governed by the principle of equivalence. The principle means that the taking account of previous convictions handed down by the court of another Member State is mandatory for a national court before which new criminal proceedings are brought to the extent previous national convictions are taken into account in a purely domestic situation. Questions about the application of the principle of equivalence arise, amongst others, when the penalty imposed in an EU previous judgment must absorb another sanction or be included in it (accumulation/absorption/confusion of punishments). This has been a huge problem in Spain.