SES Level Research Articles

Emotional Intelligence of Prospective Teachers With Reference To Certain Biographical Factors

The present research was conducted on prospective teachers to analyze their Emotional Intelligence in relation to Gender, Caste and SES. For the purpose a sample of 300 (150 male and 150 female) prospective teachers was selected from the B.Ed. Colleges affiliated to Bundelkhand University, Jhansi by using semiprobability sampling techniques. Emotional Intelligence Test constructed by K.S. Mishra and self-made General Information sheet were used to collect the data. Results revealed that the there is a significant difference in the mean of emotional intelligence scores of the male and female prospective teachers. The prospective teachers belong to GEN category scored high on emotional intelligence scale as compared to the OBC & SC prospective teachers. The levels of SES of prospective teachers do not cause significant variation in emotional intelligence.

Spiritual Intelligence of Prospective Teachers In Relation To Their Biographical Factors

The present research was conducted on prospective teachers to analyze their Spiritual Intelligence in relation to Sex, Caste and SES. For the purpose a sample of 300 (150 male and 150 female) prospective teachers was selected from the B.Ed. Colleges affiliated to Bundelkhand University, Jhansi by using semiprobability sampling techniques. Spiritual Intelligence Scale constructed by Roquiya Zainuddin and Anjum Ahmed was used to collect the data. Results revealed that the there is no significant difference in the mean of spiritual intelligence scores of the male and female prospective teachers. The prospective teachers belong to GEN category scored high on Spiritual Intelligence Scale as compared to the OBC & SC prospective teachers. The levels of SES of prospective teachers do not cause significant variation in Spiritual intelligence.

Effect of Audio-Visual Intervention Program on Cognitive Development of the Preschool Children

Preschool may not be a place where formal education is imparted but yes, it definitely is a place where children have their first taste of independence. Preschool education is the provision of education for children before the commencement of statutory education usually between the ages of 2 and 5. Thus the purpose of the study was to study the effectiveness of the audio-visual intervention program on the cognitive development of preschool children in relation to their socio economic status. The researcher employed experimental method to conduct the study. The sample consisted of 100 students from preschool of Rohini, Delhi. Thus the totalstudy consisted of 100 children of class L.K.G, besides, all (100) parents of the all sampled children covered under the experimental and control groups were included in the sample so as to collect the data related to their SES. The Cognitive Development Test was developed by investigator and Socio Economic Status scale was developed by Rajeev Bhardwaj. The findings of the study were: (i) Audio-visual Intervention Program has also positively affected the overall cognitive development of the preschool children; and (ii) the Audio-visual Intervention Program has not been found to be differently affecting the cognitive development of the preschool children at different SES levels. Hence, in many ways the findings of the present study can be beneficial in strengthening the non-formal preschool education component. It can be useful for the young children, the teachers who handle the young children, teacher training institutions and the policy makers as well.

Abstract 358: Predictors for Not Transferring the Major Trauma Patients to Trauma Centers. A Nation-wide Population Based Research in Taiwan

Background: The predictors for not-transferring the major trauma patients to trauma centers were analyzed in a logistic regression model. Methods: From the claim data of one million beneficiaries of Taiwan National Health Insurance during the year of 2006 to 2008, all of the trauma patients were identified from the database by the ICD-9-CM system. ICD-MAP 90 was used for calculating the Injury Severity Score as the variable controlling the disease severity. The patients of major trauma were defined as ISS more than fifteen. We used patients’ diagnosis one year before trauma admission for calculating Charlson Comorbidity Index. We set up the rule for transferring major trauma patients to trauma centers as (1)Triage class I & II or (2)ISS>25 or (3)age>55. Factors like age, genders, intubation, ICU admission, different SES levels and triage classifications were adjusted in a logistic regression model for finding out the predictors of “not transferring to trauma centers”. Results: There were 5912, 5611 and 5760 trauma patients admitted from emergency department from 2006 to 2008, and there were 2497 major trauma patients (ISS more then 15). The totally mortality rate was 12.49% (6.98% in the youngest group and 18.19% in the oldest group, P<0.01). All the variables like age, genders, co-morbidity, injury severity, triage classifications and the SES were not the significant predictors for not transferring major trauma patients to the trauma centers. But, intubation and ICU admission in the first hospitals were significant predictors for not transferring the major trauma patients to the trauma centers. Compared with the patients not admitted to ICU, the odds ratio for “patients admitted to ICU” was 0.54 (OR=0.54, P < 0.001). Compared with the patients were not intubated, the odds ratio for “patients who were intubated” was 0.65 (OR=0.65, P=0.013). Conclusions: Our results hint that pre-hospital transfer protocols are important for sending major trauma patients to trauma centers. Based on our results, once the major trauma patients were intubated or admitted to ICU in the first regional hospitals, the patients got lower chance to be transferred to trauma centers.

Oral health attitudes and caries-preventive behaviour of Czech parents of preschool children

To characterize the oral health-related attitudes and behaviour of Czech parents of preschool children. A representative sample of 796 parents was recruited for the cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Study data were collected using a validated questionnaire with 44 attitudinal items related to different aspects of caries prevention. The data were analyzed by explorative factor analysis, extracted factors were subjected to reliability analysis and Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA was used to test differences in the factor scores in respondents with different levels of education and self-perceived SES. The factor analysis extracted 3 factors, labelled "Toothbrushing - perceived significance and parental efficacy" ; "External caries control" and "Internal caries control". They explained 28.9% of the data variability. The comparison of the factor scores in groups with different SES and education of mothers showed highly significant differences. For all three factors, median values of the aggregated Likert scale increased with increasing SES and education of the mother. The parents report that they are aware of their responsibility for the prevention of tooth decay in their children. In caries prevention they concentrate on toothbrushing. Dietary measures do not seem to be of similar importance to them. The increasing self-perceived SES of the family and the education level of the mother have a significantly positive effect on the caries-preventive attitudes of the parents. Based on the study results, the message to the public health sector in the Czech Republic should include the need to highlight the importance of a non-cariogenic diet and the role of fluorides in caries prevention.

Social Class and Expectations of Rural Adolescents: The Role of Parental Expectations

This study investigated mechanisms involved in the intergenerational transmission of social class, specifically addressing the prediction of career expectations. The results indicated that among rural high school students (N= 200) in Grades 10–12, there was no direct effect of socioeconomic status (SES; as measured by parent education and occupation) on career expectations. However, there was a direct effect of educational expectations on occupational expectations. Building on the importance of educational expectations in the prediction of occupational expectations, the results suggested that perceived parental expectations explain variance in educational expectations. Overall, it seems that the effect of SES on occupational expectations was mediated by educational expectations; therefore, individuals of lower SES who have increased educational expectations are more likely to have occupational expectations similar to those of their higher SES peers. Moreover, increased parental expectations were positively associated with educational expectations among individuals of various SES levels.

Abstract 2513: An examination of socioeconomic status, race, and health outcomes in the 2009 CHIS adult population.

Abstract Introduction: The social gradient effect refers to incremental disparities in health status and conditions and extends beyond differential health status found in comparisons between those from the poorest groups and those from the wealthiest groups. The social gradient also results in differential health profiles among all levels of social class as members from the middle class also have poorer health profiles than those from the wealthiest class.A highly overlapping construct with social status, particularly in the U.S., is race and ethnicity. It is difficult to disentangle the effects of one from the other as ethnic and racial minorities are disproportionately represented in lower levels of SES. Methods: We examine the social gradient and its influence on different health outcomes (i.e., limited activity due to a chronic condition, high blood pressure, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, BMI, and perceived health) and preventive behaviors (i.e., smoking status, sedentary lifestyle, dietary behaviors, and drinking) among adults in the 2009 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). We assess linear and non-linear trends of the relationship between SES and various outcomes for White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian participants. We rely on two proxies of SES: education and family income. Educational attainment had four levels: less than a high school diploma, high school/GED completion, some college, and college degree and beyond. Family income as % of the federal poverty level (FPL) had four levels: 0-99%, 100-199%, 200-299%, and 300% and beyond. Results: In general, Whites reported more favorable health behaviors and health status in comparison to Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and American Indians. In addition, the trends analyses indicated that educational attainment and family income significantly predicted all health status and health behavior variables for the total population, providing evidence for the social gradient after adjusting for age, gender, race, and acculturation. Race stratified analyses indicated that Whites demonstrated the most consistent effects of the social gradient collapsed across all outcomes and behaviors for both educational attainment and family income. The social gradient was observed the least for Blacks and American Indians, particularly when educational attainment was used to capture SES. In addition, Hispanics and Asians were the most likely to demonstrate non-linear effects of the social gradient in comparison to other racial and ethnic minority groups. Conclusion: The extent of income inequality contributes to the health of a nation as the average health status of a person is determined by income differences between the poorest and richest members of society. Future studies should examine temporal trends to track the impact of the social gradient for different racial and ethnic populations in tandem with indices of national income inequalities. Citation Format: Anh B. Nguyen, Richard Moser, Wen-Ying Chou. An examination of socioeconomic status, race, and health outcomes in the 2009 CHIS adult population. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2513. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2513

Lexical Richness in Maternal Input and Vocabulary Development of Turkish Preschoolers in the Netherlands

The present study examined lexical richness in maternal input to Turkish preschool children in the Netherlands and the relationship with their vocabulary. Fifteen Turkish mother-child dyads were videotaped at the age of 3 and 4 in three settings: book reading, picture description and block building. Children's vocabulary in Turkish was measured at the age of 3 and 4 and in Dutch at the age of 5;10. The lexical richness of the input was analysed both quantitatively (tokens) and qualitatively on diversity, density, and sophistication. The results indicate that lexical richness varied largely among mothers, which could partially be attributed to their SES levels and literacy practices. Furthermore, lexical richness differed between the settings, with the highest richness in the book setting. More importantly, lexical richness in maternal input related to the vocabulary of children in L1 (Turkish) and in the longer run also to L2 (Dutch). Quality of the input (diversity, density and sophistication) turned out to be more influential than quantity.

The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers: Reliability in a Diverse Rural American Sample

This study investigated the psychometric properties of the modified checklist for autism in toddlers (M-CHAT) in a diverse rural American low-socioeconomic status (SES) sample. Four hundred and forty-seven English (n=335) and Spanish (n=112) speaking caregivers completed the M-CHAT during their toddler's 18- or 24-month well visit in a Southwest Virginia pediatric clinic. The M-CHAT did not show acceptable internal consistency in groups with low maternal education or minority status. Caregivers reporting low maternal education and minority status were more likely to endorse items suggestive of autism. These results indicate that the M-CHAT may require modifications to be more internally consistent and accurate across ethnic and educational groups in rural areas with low levels of SES. Recommendations to increase the utility of the M-CHAT are discussed.

Individual and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status Effects on Adolescent Smoking: A Multilevel Cohort-Sequential Latent Growth Analysis

We examined the prospective effects of parental education (as a proxy for individual socioeconomic status [SES]) and neighborhood SES on adolescent smoking trajectories and whether the prospective effects of individual SES varied across neighborhood SES. The study included 3635 randomly recruited adolescents from 5 age cohorts (12-16 years) assessed semiannually for 3 years in the Minnesota Adolescent Community Cohort study. We employed a cohort-sequential latent growth model to examine smoking from age 12 to 18 years with predictors. Lower individual SES predicted increased levels of smoking over time. Whereas neighborhood SES had no direct effect, the interaction between individual and neighborhood SES was significant. Among higher and lower neighborhood SES, lower individual SES predicted increased levels of smoking; however, the magnitude of association between lower individual SES and higher smoking levels was significantly greater for higher neighborhood SES. We found evidence for differential effects of individual SES on adolescent smoking for higher and lower neighborhood SES. The group differences underscore social conditions as fundamental causes of disease and development of interventions and policies to address inequality in the resources.

Comparison of individual-level versus area-level socioeconomic measures in assessing health outcomes of children in Olmsted County, Minnesota

BackgroundSocioeconomic status (SES) is an important determinant of health, but SES measures are frequently unavailable in commonly used datasets. Area-level SES measures are used as proxy measures of individual SES...

Terengganu Schools Extent of Computer Literacy and Internet Usage

This study investigated the computer literacy and Internet usage levels in a semi-urban school in the East Coast of Terengganu. The study also investigates whether if there existed a significant relationship between computer literacy level and Internet usage skills. Further, the researcher also found out whether SES level and gender have a bearing on the computer literacy level of the sample. The instrument distributed to the students was found to have a strong reliability. Both the computer literacy and Internet usage levels of the sample were found to be satisfactorily high as indicated by the respective means. Correlation analysis was done to find out if there existed a significant relationship between computer literacy and Internet usage skills. It was found that a significant positive relationship exists between computer literacy and Internet usage (r = 0.003, p<0.05). Lastly the researcher used the comparison of means and t-testing to find out if income group or gender has a bearing on computer literacy of the sample. No significant difference in the literacy level was found between the two genders or between the income groups. This sample comes from a rural area, future researchers should replicate this study using an urban sample.

Effects of Guizhi Tang on inflammatory cytokines in myocardial ischemia and hyperlipidemia rats

To explore the effects of Guizhi Tang on the inflammatory cytokines in myocardial ischemia and hyperlipidemia rats. The early changes of hyperlipid and atherosclerosis are caused by utilizing multiple factors including feeding hyperlipid and propylthiouracil and high doses of vitamin D3 for 12 weeks. Sixty male SD rats were randomly divided in to 5 groups: control group, model group, simvastatin group, low-dosage Guizhi Tang group, high-dosage Guizhi Tang group. At the end of six weeks treatment, pituitrin(pit) is abdominal cavity injected every 24 hours for a total of three times. Detecting the serum levels of SES, CRP, NO, SOD, MDA and the content of cardiac muscle tissue SOD, MDA, The expression of TNF-alpha in cardiac muscle tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry. Guizhi Tang significantly decreased levels of SES, CRP and MAD, increased levels of NO and SOD, Guizhi Tang markedly decreased the level of protein expression of TNF-alpha in cardiac muscle tissue. Guizhi Tang may inhibit the proinflammatory factors and oxidation in myocardial ischemia and hyperlipidemia rats.

The Complexity of Non-Completion: Being Pushed or Pulled to Drop Out of High School

Using a model of student dropout with only two possible outcomes – “still in school” or “dropout” – hides the complex reasons that students leave high school. We offer a model with three outcomes: in school, pushed out or pulled out. Using data from the Educational Longitudinal Survey, we find that for black students, differences in SES explain higher likelihoods of being either pushed or pulled out as compared to white students, but Latino students remain more likely to be pulled out even after we control for SES. We also find that SES moderates the relationship between race/gender and being pushed out, and that higher levels of SES may be detrimental to students of color in the context of high poverty schools.

Loan Aversion Among Canadian High School Students

Evidence is presented on whether the willingness to borrow for education varies significantly among some at-risk students: low SES levels, First Nations, and first generation students. 1248 students participated in a survey, a numeracy assessment and took part in experimental decisions. During these sessions, students were presented with a series of paid binary decisions: bursaries vs. cash, loans for postsecondary education studies vs. cash, intertemporal decisions and risky decisions. The paid binary decisions involved trade-offs between cash and various types of student financial aid, allowing us to generate a cost per dollar of educational financing (grants, loans, mixtures of loans and grants). Prices for the various types of educational financing overlapped substantially in order to more clearly distinguish the impact of loan aversion on the decision to take up financial assistance to pursue PSE. Results show that several factors influence the subjects’ decisions about education financing but the most prominent influence was the price of educational subsidies. Participants were marginally sensitive to the form of financing (grant or loan), with no evidence of systematic loan aversion being detected.

COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT FOLLOWING CHILDHOOD EXPOSURE TO MODERATE DOSES OF IONIZING RADIATION

Background and Aims:Exposure to high doses of ionizing radiation results in a spectrum of cognitive deficits but the impact of lower doses is much less clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of childhood exposure of the head to a mean dose of 1.5 Gy on reported memory problems and attention deficit after about 50 years. Methods:The study population included a subsample of individuals derived from the tinea capitis cohort, of which 253 irradiated and 162 non-irradiated subjects were interviewed (compliance rate 79.1% and 48.2% respectively, among those who could be located). Subjects completed a questionnaire covering socio-demographic and health topics. A section concerning memory problems and attention deficit (including details on symptoms, severity, and treatments) was incorporated using closed and free-text fields. To assess the effect of radiation on cognitive problems, multivariate Poisson regression models were performed. Results:About half of the study population was females and most individuals (73%) were aged between 55-64 years at interview. The mean age at irradiation was 7.4 years (range 1-15) and the average follow-up period was 52 years (range 44-63). More irradiated subjects than non-irradiated subjects reported memory problems (55.7% vs 35.8%, p&lt;.001) and attention deficit (33.2% vs. 14.8%, p&lt;.001). Controlling for age, gender, and SES level, irradiated subjects had a higher risk of having moderate-high severe memory problems (RR=2.00, 95%CI: 1.19-3.26) and moderate-high severe attention deficit (RR=3.48, 95%CI: 1.77-6.85) compared to the non-irradiated. Female gender and low SES level were found to be independent risk factors for memory problems. Conclusions:This study suggests that cognitive impairment may be a health outcome of exposure to moderate ionizing radiation in childhood. The long term effects of this exposure continue to be a public health concern considering the growing use of diagnostic modalities involving this exposure (primarily CT).

SOCIAL INEQUALITY IN PERCEIVED AIR QUALITY USING COMBINATION OF INDIVIDUAL-BASED AND AREA-BASED SOCIOECONOMIC CHRACTERISTICS IN SEOUL, KOREA

Background and Aims: The majority of urban air quality studies focused on scientifically measured air quality. Scant attention has so far been paid to the perceived air quality. perceived air quality is another important component for health and quality of life. In this paper, we offer a current picture of urban air quality in which residents think about air pollution. This study investigated t hat the relation between measured air quality and perceived air quality and the determinants of perceived local air quality focusi ng on the both individual and area characteristics. Methods: we used representative survey (Seoul Citizen’s Health Indicators Survey (SCHIS)) and integrated measured air qualit y (TAQ). The total study population was 15,856. We extracted individual-level sociodemographic and socioeconomic variables fr om SCHIS: age, sex, marital status, self-rated health, educational attainment and household income. We also considered comm unity variables which may affect perceived air quality, such as percentage of college educated aged 20 over, satisfaction of publi c transportation and percentage of below poverty line. Multilevel analysis techniques were applied for parameter estimates. Results: Mean distributions of air quality perception by community level was opposite against the total air quality patterns using simple linear statistics by plotting. There are area variances in perceived air quality and socioeconomic status across 25 KUs. W e found that the degree of perceived air pollution was younger age (20-34 aged, odds ratio:1.397), higher educational attainmen t(graduate, odds ratio:1.667), lower household income. For area level, Communities more economically deprived and higher per centage of college educated aged 20 over were associated with poor perceived air quality. Conclusions: This paper sought to show how the perception of air quality may be affected by individual SES and area level SE S. Education was a stronger predictor of perceived air quality than economical measurement such as income and poverty line of this study

Determinants of Breast, Cervical and Colorectal Cancer Screening Adherence in Mexican–American Women

Despite the effectiveness of cancer screening procedures, its utilization among Latinas remains low. Guided, in part, by the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations, this study examined the associations between predisposing, enabling, and need factors with self-reported breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening adherence. Participants were 319 Mexican-American women, from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds, living near the United States-Mexico border. Women were adherent with breast cancer (BC) screening (≥42years) if they had received at least one mammogram within the last 2years, with cervical cancer (CC) screening (≥40years) if they had received at least one Pap exam in the last 3years, and with colorectal cancer (CRC) screening (≥52years) if they had undergone one or more of the following: Fecal Occult Blood Test within the last year, or sigmoidoscopy in the last 5years, or colonoscopy within the last 10years. BC and CC screenings were higher in the current sample compared to national and state figures: 82% with mammography and 86% adherent with Pap exam screening. However, only 43% were adherent with CRC screening recommendations. Characteristics associated with mammography adherence included CC adherence and usual source of care. BC adherence was associated to CC adherence. Characteristics associated with CRC adherence included BC adherence, being premenopausal, and insurance coverage. A key correlate of cancer screening adherence was adherence to other preventive services. Results underscore the need for continued efforts to ensure that Latinas of all SES levels obtain regular and timely cancer screenings.

Soluble Endothelial Selectin in Acute Lung Injury Complicated by Severe Pneumonia

Pneumonia is still one of the most frequent causes of death in the elderly. Complication of acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) by pneumonia makes patients very ill due to severe respiratory failure. Biomarkers that can discriminate the presence of complicating ALI/ARDS are required for early detection. The aim of this research was to investigate whether soluble endothelial selectin (sES) could be a biomarker for ALI. Serum sES levels were measured in 27 pneumonia patients, who were enrolled between April 2006 and September 2007. Among these patients, six had ALI or a condition that was clinically comparable to ALI (cALI). All patients who were enrolled were successfully treated and survived. Circulating sES levels were elevated in pneumonia patients with ALI/cALI, and sES levels decreased following treatment of their pneumonia. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that sES was the only significant factor for identifying complicating ALI/cALI, independently of C-reactive protein (CRP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). By receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the cut-off value for sES was 40.1 ng/mL, with a sensitivity of 0.8 and a specificity of 0.8. sES may be a useful biomarker for discriminating complicating ALI/cALI in patients with severe pneumonia.

Cognitive effects of bilingualism: digging deeper for the contributions of language dominance, linguistic knowledge, socio-economic status and cognitive abilities

This study explores the extent to which a bilingual advantage can be observed for executive function tasks in children of varying levels of language dominance, and examines the contributions of general cognitive knowledge, linguistic abilities, language use and socio-economic level to performance. Welsh–English bilingual and English monolingual primary school age and teenage children were tested on two executive function tasks, a tapping task and a Stroop task. Bilingual children came from homes in which only Welsh, Welsh and English, or only English was spoken. Results differed by task. On the tapping task, bilingual children from only Welsh homes showed overall superior performance, monolinguals inferior, with the other two bilingual groups between them. Performance correlated with general cognitive abilities with number and pattern discrimination, as well as, at the older age, with balanced use of the two languages. On the Stroop task, language tested mattered; there were no differences across groups in Welsh, but complex patterns in English. The only strictly bilingual advantage on the Stroop was at the younger age for children from Welsh and English homes when tested in English, and performance was also influenced by SES level, cognitive abilities, vocabulary levels and use of the two languages.