Proportion Of Single-parent Families Research Articles

Abstract TP96: Association Between Infarct Volume, Neighborhood-Level Deprivation, and Outcomes in Pediatric Stroke

Introduction: Recent studies in adults have reported an association between neighborhood-level deprivation, infarct volume and outcome. However, this is yet to be investigated in pediatric arterial ischemic stroke (AIS). Our study aimed to assess the relationship between neighborhood-level deprivation, infarct volume, and neurological outcome in children diagnosed with AIS. Methods: We conducted a study of a consecutive cohort of children aged > 28 days-18 years and diagnosed with AIS between 2004 and 2019 at a comprehensive stroke center. Patient demographic, clinical characteristics and neighborhood material deprivation data including household income, parental educational attainment, the proportion of single-parent families, and housing quality were collected. Lesion volumes were determined by conducting semi-automatic segmentation of diffusion-weighted MRI brain scans at stroke presentation. Neurological outcome was assessed using the Pediatric Stroke Outcome Measure Severity Classification System wherein poor outcome was defined as moderate-to-severe deficit at 18 months post-stroke. Wilcoxon rank sum test was conducted. Results: Seventy-two patients were included in the study (62% male, median age of stroke onset 6.1 years [IQR 1.0-12.7]). 39% of patients were White, 72% lived in an urban region, and 64% in highly deprived neighborhoods. 70% of patients arrived within 6 hours from onset of stroke. Cardiac disease and other risk factors including infection and head trauma represented the most common risk factor. 55% presented with moderate stroke severity (as per the PedNIHSS). Median lesion volume was 14 cm 3 (IQR 2-51) and a mean infarct volume of 3% was reported. Race, rurality, and neighborhood-level material deprivation were not significantly associated with either percent infarct volume or neurological outcome; however, percent infarct volume was significantly associated with neurological outcome at 18 months post-stroke (W = 79, p = 0.025). Conclusion: Our study findings confirm the relationship between infarct volume and pediatric AIS outcomes. Future multi-center studies are warranted to further understand the interplay between material deprivation, infarct volume, and post-AIS neurological outcomes in children.

Этнодемографическая характеристика населения Чукотки

The article presents an ethno-demographic characteristic of the population of Chukotka from the 18th century to the present. Until now. The source base of the study is statistical materials, published documents concerning the number and characteristics of settlement, the way of life of the indigenous people of Chukotka, scientific literature on the problems of ethnic demography. The paper presents a comparative analysis of the results of surveys and censuses of the population of Chukotka for 1897, 1926/27, 1939, 1959, 1970, 1979, 1989, 2002, 2010 (and partly 2020) The main components of the change in the population and the national composition of the region (natural, general, migration population growth) in the Soviet and post-Soviet periods are characterized. According to the data of the 2002 and 2010 censuses, the number of Chukchi, Koryaks, and Yukagirs increased during the intercensal period; the number of Eskimos, Evens, Chuvans and Kereks decreased. The ambiguous demographic picture among indigenous peoples is connected, on the one hand, with the real processes of depopulation in some of them, and, on the other hand, with the qualitative side of the census. The main reasons for the decline in the number of indigenous people of Chukotka: problems with natural growth against the background of high birth and death rates. The decline in the birth rate is associated with a change in traditional attitudes towards having many children, a decrease in marriage rates and an increase in the proportion of single-parent families. Although the Chukchi, Eskimos, Evens and Yukagirs are classified by demographers as a group with an increased birth rate. The demographic situation is also influenced by the increase in the number of mixed marriages. It should be noted that despite the decline in the birth rate among the indigenous inhabitants of Chukotka, its rates are still higher than among the visiting population of the region. The increase in mortality rates in Chukotka is due to a change in the age structure of the inhabitants, since in the 1990s a significant part of the able-bodied population left the district, the growth in the share of indigenous people in the structure of total mortality increased. The life expectancy of indigenous peoples is significantly lower than the national and regional indicators. The current ethno-demographic situation in Chukotka will become clear after the publication of the results of the 2020 All-Russian Population Census. It can be stated with confidence that there is a significant decrease in the number of permanent residents of the region, and the number of indigenous people in the total population of the ChAO continues to increase.

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SINGLE-PARENT FAMILY STRUCTURE AND AGE OF SEXUAL DEBUT AMONG YOUNG PERSONS IN JAMAICA.

There is a high and increasing proportion of single-parent families in Jamaica. This has raised concerns about the potential impact of single-parent families on the social, cognitive and behavioural development of children, including their sexual relationships. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between being raised in a single-parent family and age of sexual debut among young people in Jamaica. The study was cross-sectional in design, and based on a multi-stage sampling procedure. The study was conducted in July/September 2016. The study sample comprised 233 respondents (110 males and 123 females) aged from 18 to 35 years (mean 26.37 years; SD 5.46). Respondents completed a self-administered questionnaire with questions on socio-demographic characteristics, family structure, sexual debut and current sexual behaviour. Ninety-seven (41.7%) respondents grew up in single-parent families. A total of 201 (86.3%) had had sex (102 males and 99 females). Their mean age of sexual debut was 15.51 years (SD 3.41). Sixty-five (32.3%) had early sexual debut (<16 years). Respondents from single-parent families were more likely to have had early sexual debut (56.9%; n=37) compared with those from two-parent families (43.1%, n=28; p=0.004). Only 44.6% (n=29) of those who experienced early sexual debut used a condom during their first sexual encounter compared with 73% (n=100) of those who had a later sexual debut (≥16 years; p=<0.001). A single-father family structure was a significant predictor of early sexual debut (AOR 5.5; 95%CI: 1.1-25.8). The study found a significant association between single-parent family structure and age of sexual debut.

Community social structure, social capital and adolescent smoking: A multi-level analysis

Using a sample of 6818 individuals in 83 public school districts in Iceland, this study explored the influence of three community characteristics: Residential mobility, proportion of single-parent families, and poverty on adolescent daily smoking. Building on Coleman's social capital theory, we also examined the mediating and moderating role of several measures of social capital. Both self-reported and official data were used to measure key variables. The main findings are consistent with theoretical predictions showing that social capital partly mediates the association between community characteristics and adolescent daily smoking both on the community and individual levels. Likewise, the findings show that the association between individual level poverty and adolescent daily smoking varies across levels of neighborhood social capital.

Infant Mortality and Proximity to Industrial Facilities Modification Effect by Neighborhood Socioeconomic Characteristics

O-30B5-5 Background/Aims: Evidence of social health inequalities is well established; socioeconomically disadvantaged populations are more strongly affected by health problems. In spite of numerous risk factors already identified, a part of these inequalities remain unexplained. Environmental nuisances are suspected to play a role in this disparity. Objective: To investigate association between infant mortality and presence of polluting industries and to assess whether the strength of the association is modified by socioeconomic characteristics. Methods: An ecological study was conducted in Lille (226,000 inhabitants) located in North France. Information on industries' location was drawn from the French database of the European-Pollutants-Emission-Register. We used census data to characterize neighborhood socioeconomic status. Mortality information was obtained at a municipality level. We investigated by logistic regression the association between infant mortality and the presence of polluting industries in the town of residence of the mother, stratified by socioeconomic characteristics. Results: There were 705 infant mortality cases in Lille between 2000 and 2009 (death rates of 4.2 per 1000 live births). A greater death risk was found in municipalities hosting 1 or more polluting industries (OR = 3.1; P = 0.043). The strength of the association was modified by socioeconomic neighborhood characteristics. While there was no association in the subgroup of municipalities with low unemployment or proportion of single-parent families, the risk was increased among municipalities with high unemployment or proportion of single-parent families (OR = 6.6; P = 0.07–OR = 8.4; P = 0.06). Conclusion: This observation may result from a greater exposure to industrial pollution due to a greater number of emitting plants in deprived municipalities. It could also stem from a vulnerability phenomenon whereby residents might be more sensitive to the exposure effect because of a poorer health status and lower access to appropriate care. More refined analyses are underway to identify the most plausible explanations and to communicate a public health message to local authorities.

Hip fractures and area level socioeconomic conditions: a population-based study.

BackgroundOnly a limited number of studies have analyzed the association between hip fracture incidence and socioeconomic conditions. Most, but not all found an association, and results are in part conflicting. The aim of our study was to evaluate the association between hip fractures and socioeconomic conditions in Germany, from 1995 to 2004, on a census tract area level.MethodsWe used data from the national hospital discharge diagnosis register and data on socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of 131 census tracts from official statistics. Associations between the hip fracture incidence and socioeconomic conditions were analyzed by multiple Poisson regression models, taking overdispersion into account.ResultsThe risk of hip fracture decreased by 4% with a 7% increase (about one interquartile range) of non-German nationals. It decreased by 10% with a 6% increased rate of unemployment, increased by 7% with a 2% increase of the proportion of welfare recipients, and also increased by 3% with an increase of the proportion of single parent families of 1.9%.ConclusionOur results showed weak associations between indicators of socioeconomic conditions at area level and hip fracture risk; the varied by type of indicator. We conclude that hip fracture incidence might be influenced by the socioeconomic context of a region, but further analysis using more specific markers for deprivation on a smaller scale and individual-level data are needed.

Context Matters: The Interrelatedness of Early Literacy Skills, Developmental Health, and Community Demographics

Whereas the great majority of literacy research has been focused at the child level, this study examined the relationship between early literacy rates, developmental health of the population, and demographics in 23 school communities. The results showed that school-level literacy scores were related to the physical, social, and emotional maturity of the kindergarten population, as well as community demographics, including the proportion of families in each school catchment area living below the low income cutoff, the proportion of single-parent families, and the community 5-year mobility rate. Furthermore, the proportion of children at risk for literacy difficulties varied systematically by school, ranging from 0% to 44%; this risk was strongly related to developmental health and to demographics of the school community. The implications for models of early identification and corresponding intervention programs for at-risk children are discussed.

Comparison of Bayesian and frequentist approaches in modelling risk of preterm birth near the Sydney Tar Ponds, Nova Scotia, Canada

BackgroundThis study compares the Bayesian and frequentist (non-Bayesian) approaches in the modelling of the association between the risk of preterm birth and maternal proximity to hazardous waste and pollution from the Sydney Tar Pond site in Nova Scotia, Canada.MethodsThe data includes 1604 observed cases of preterm birth out of a total population of 17559 at risk of preterm birth from 144 enumeration districts in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Other covariates include the distance from the Tar Pond; the rate of unemployment to population; the proportion of persons who are separated, divorced or widowed; the proportion of persons who have no high school diploma; the proportion of persons living alone; the proportion of single parent families and average income. Bayesian hierarchical Poisson regression, quasi-likelihood Poisson regression and weighted linear regression models were fitted to the data.ResultsThe results of the analyses were compared together with their limitations.ConclusionThe results of the weighted linear regression and the quasi-likelihood Poisson regression agrees with the result from the Bayesian hierarchical modelling which incorporates the spatial effects.

Psychosocial distress and symptoms of single mothers and their children in a large community sample

As in other western countries the proportion of single parent families in Germany is growing. International studies showed lower socioeconomic status and elevated psychic distress in single mothers as well as increased problem behavior in their children. This study was performed to make up for the lack of epidemiologic investigations on this issue in Germany. The family status of a complete cohort of school beginners in Duesseldorf was screened (recruitment rate 97.5%, N = 5,048). Single mothers and their children were compared to a control group of married mothers (N = 278) with respect to social variables and psychic distress (SCL-90-R, CBCL). 907 (18.0%) of all children lived in single parent families. Socioeconomic status (income, education, receiving welfare) of single mothers (total N = 891) who fulfilled the inclusion criteria (N = 531) was lower, while psychic distress was significantly elevated (GSI 0.45 vs. 0.28). Single mothers without additional personal support for their child, younger as well as poor single mothers showed higher values of GSI. Statistically significant increased behavior problems were found only in boys of single mothers. Single mothers are socially disadvantaged. They show an elevated mean psychic distress compared to married mothers. Psychosocial support for higher impaired subgroups of single mothers should be developed.

Early Sexual Initiation

Objective. To elucidate which components of peer norms influence the process of sexual initiation for young adolescents. Design. Prospective cohort study. Setting. Fourteen elementary and middle schools in an urban public school district. Participants. The 1389 sixth-grade students who completed the questionnaire at the beginning (time 1) and at the end (time 2) of the school year comprise the study sample. Mean age at time 1 was 11.7 years. Results. Of students entering the sixth grade, 30% (n = 416) reported having already initiated sexual intercourse, 5% (n = 74) reported initiating sexual intercourse during the sixth-grade school year (initiated group), and 63% (n = 873) reported not having initiated sexual intercourse by the end of the sixth-grade school year (never group). Demographic comparisons revealed that students in the initiated group were significantly more likely than students in the never group to be older (11.9 years vs 11.6 years), male (58% vs 37%), African-American (70% vs 51%), attending a poorer school (87% vs 85%), and living in an area with a high proportion of single-parent families (45% vs 41%). Self-reports and reports of peers9 participation in nonsexual risk behaviors were more common for students in the initiated group. Students in the initiated group were more likely than students in the never group to perceive: 1) a high prevalence of sexual initiation among peers; 2) social gains associated with early sexual intercourse; and 3) younger age of peers9 sexual initiation. Students in the never group were more likely to believe that sexually-experienced 12-year-old boys would be negatively stigmatized compared with students in the initiated group. Three predictive models were developed to test the relationship between peer norms and the process of initiation. These models demonstrate that the strongest predictor of sexual initiation in sixth grade is having high intention to do so at the beginning of sixth grade. The strongest predictor of high intention is belief that most friends have already had sexual intercourse. Perceptions of social gain and stigma for sexually-experienced 12-year-old boys act independently of intention to decrease risk of early sexual initiation. Conclusion. Early sexual intercourse is not an unplanned experience for many teens. Decisions about initiation are strongly bound to social context with peers playing an important role in creating a sense of normative behavior. Specific components of peer norms impact the process of sexual initiation in both positive and negative ways. Interventions aimed at delaying the onset of sexual initiation need to focus on cohort norms as well as on an individual9s perceptions and behaviors.

Situação sócio-econômica e condições de vida: comparação de duas coortes de base populacional no Sul do Brasil

Socioeconomic and family characteristics of two cohorts of babies born in 1982 and 1993 in Pelotas (Southern Brazil) were compared. There were 6,011 births in 1982 and 5,304 in 1993. In relation to family income, there were fewer poor babies in 1993; 60.8 % of the families earned less than 3 times the monthly minimum wage in 1993, as compared to 69.5% in 1982. Sanitary conditions also improved over the decade, and the proportion of families with running water and flush toilets increased by 10%. On the other hand, there were no changes in the proportion of single-parent families or availability of home appliances like radios, stoves, and refrigerators. The mean number of persons per household increased from 3.0 in 1982 to 3.2 in 1993. In general, comparison of the two birth cohorts in this city suggests an improvement in quality of living over the time period for families with newborns. This finding should be taken into account when studying the evolution of health indicators over the course of the decade.

Determinants of Spells of Poverty Following Divorce

Introduction Between 1967 and 1984, the proportion of single-parent families increased from 10 to 21 percent of all families (Congressional Budget Office, 1985). The poverty rate of all female-headed families in 1983 was 28 percent, compared to 8 percent for two-parent families. Female-headed households exhibit higher poverty rates than the elderly and disabled persons as well. Over one-half of black female-headed households fell below the poverty line in the same year (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1983). Although being a member of a female-headed household is not synonymous with being in poverty, the likelihood of a single-mother family being poor is much greater than for other demographic groups. In addition, the gap in the poverty rates between single-mother households and other groups has been widening over time (McLanahan, 1985; McLanahan, et al., 1987). This feminization of poverty has been the result of two factors: the improving economic health of other poor groups over time and the increasing proportion of people living in single-mother families (McLanahan and Garfinkel, 1989; Fuchs, 1986). While the feminization of poverty is a useful conceptual tool, the issue remains as to its root causes. Changes of family structure are by far the major cause of initial spells of poverty among female-headed households. Kniesner, et al. (1988) found that changes in family structure precede poverty spells in over 99 percent of the white single-mother families they studied, and in almost 97 percent of black families. Bane (1985) and Bane and Ellwood (1986), looking specifically at divorce, have estimated that 20 to 25 percent of the poor in the 1970's became poor as a result of changes in their family structure resulting from divorce. In a study of the economic health of women following divorce, Peterson (1985) found that failure to accumulate human capital was a significant factor in determining poverty status. He also found that, in general, nonwhites were more likely to be poor than whites and that human capital investments had less of an impact on the economic health of black female heads of household than their white counterparts. In addition, the holding of nontraditional attitudes about sex roles was correlated, ceteris paribus, with economic health following divorce. In this paper, we examine length of poverty spells following marital disruption for the resulting single-mother household. While never-married heads of household are also at economic risk, changes in family structure, particularly divorce, as discussed above, are significant determinants of poverty. For this reason, our analysis will focus on divorced women. Particular emphasis is placed on racial and cohort differences and the effect of women's accumulation of human capital on poverty status. Data and Model This analysis of the issues related to poverty following divorce uses data from the National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS). The National Longitudinal Surveys consist of five age-sex subsets of the United States population represented by the samples mature men/women, young men/women, and youth. Each of the five groups is represented by a national probability sample of approximately 5,000 individuals (1,500 nonwhites and 3,500 whites). The Center for Human Resource Research at the Ohio State University generates the data by conducting interviews at least once every two years. The first sample comes from the NLS for Young Women and consists of women who were aged 14 to 28 in 1968. The sample contains women who were married as of 1968 and divorced before 1982, or single (or divorced) in 1968 but (re)married and divorced (again) before 1982. For individuals who were divorced more than once, the latest divorce is used in the analysis. The sample size consists of 192 whites and 99 nonwhites. The second sample is taken from the NLS for Mature Women, women who were 30 to 44 in 1967. The same criteria for inclusion in the sample (vis-a-vis changes in marital status) as outlined above were used. …

The changing European family: lessons for the American reader.

The 7 chapters in this journal discuss the European family, including families in Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, the German Democratic Republic, Italy, and Sweden. The authors feel that observers in the US sometimes resort to peculiarly American explanations (the budget deficit, changes in welfare benefits) to account for recent trends in marriage and fertility. The articles in this issue demonstrate that the pattern of post-WWII family change has been generally similar in North America, Western Europe, and even part of Eastern Europe, suggesting that more global rather than particular national explanations need to be sought. The post-WWII years can be divided into 2 periods: 1) the period from 1945 to 1965 that brought the unexpected marriage rush and baby boom, and 2) the period from 1965 to the present that brought a reversal of those trends in the form of later marriage, a great increase in nonmarital cohabitation, a large rise in divorce, and a sharp fall in fertility to below the replacement level. The similarity of these large-scale trends in North America and Western Europe is striking. The US is most like Britain and, beyond Europe, Canada, and Australia, suggesting that influence of the common culture of the English-speaking Western world. Yet the US has, and probably always has had, higher rates of fertility, marriage, and divorce than most Western European nations. The proportion of single-parent families is unusually large, even though some nations such as Sweden and East Germany have higher proportions of births to unmarried but cohabiting women. The level of cohabitation in the US, although greatly increased, is still moderate by European standards. Concern over the burden of government support for the elderly already has prompted changes in the Social Security program. The ability to support programs for children and for poor families is being questioned, even though the level of government support for the family is relatively low by Western standards. Concern about the below-replacement birth rate is just beginning to emerge. For American as well as European readers, the major question left unanswered by the accounts presented in this issue is whether the continuing changes will lead to a greater degree of convergence in the future or to an elaboration of current variations on the Western theme. The former possibility would likely imply a massive erosion of marriage and radical change in the division of labor. The latter would still encompass substantial similarities (generally low fertility, increasing proportions of women in the labor force), but with important differences of historical, cultural, and political origin.

Blood lead levels among high-risk children, Detroit, Michigan.

Since 1972, a federally funded lead screening program has been operational in Detroit, Michigan. Blood lead screening data (27,430 initial tests on Black children less than or equal to 6 years) were assigned by census tract of child's residence to one of the 15 socioeconomically similar areas in geographic proximity to one another. Higher blood lead levels were associated with lower education, lower income, and increased proportion of single parent families. This emphasizes the need to continue screening efforts in lower socioeconomic areas with older housing.