SES Variables Research Articles

An Investigation of Secondary School Students’ Written Vocabulary

A majority of the studies in language education are designed to measure students’ vocabulary size. Thus, they point to the fact that children receive education that focuses on language and comprehension tools, and content materials are taught and tested. Experiments have been conducted to determine the effect of vocabulary size on the performance of linguistic skills in Turkey and confirmed that vocabulary size affects reading and listening comprehension. This paper uses causal comparison scanning, which investigates the causes and effects of the difference between specific groups and how much a dependent variable is affected by an independent variable. The population of this research is seventh and eighth grade students in the city of Istanbul. Socioeconomic variables were considered in the selection of the sample. There are 151 seventh graders and 102 eight graders. The results of the analyses indicate that the students in the sample have significantly different vocabulary assets depending on their SES, gender, reading habit, and reading frequencies variables. The analysis conducted to find the effect of the grade variable shows that the only significant difference is in favour of the seventh grade students’ total word count. Overall, it is reasonable to argue that male students, socioeconomically disadvantaged students and students who do not have reading habits need more support in vocabulary teaching.. Since vocabulary teaching is not systematically planned in Turkey, educational planners should consider doing so. Finally, research should be conducted to improve vocabulary teaching and test the effectiveness of new educational programs and practices. © 2016 IOJES. All rights reserved

The role of socioeconomic differences and material deprivation in peer violence

In schools around the world in the 21st century the dominant and worrying problems are: an increase in the number of poor and financially and materially deprived and a continuous increase in violence among peers, which brings us to the intriguing question whether there is a connection between these two phenomena. Therefore, the theoretical part of this paper analyzes the increase of peer violence in the context of socioeconomic inequalities of different societies which students live in and socioeconomic family factors. The aim of the empirical part is to determine which variables of socioeconomic status and material deprivation of children predict the status of perpetrators or victims of peer violence. The study included 610 (44.8% M; 51.6% F) primary school students, with average age of 13,88 years from different regions of the Republic of Croatia. For data collection the socioeconomic status questionnaire, scale of material deprivation of children in school and scale of victimization and violence among peers were used. The results indicated that 34.8% of respondents have acted violently toward peers because of their poorer financial status, and 45.7% were victimized for the same reason. It was also found that the analyzed SES variables and material deprivation do not predict committing violence against peers. Living in unfavorable socioeconomic conditions is associated with the role of victims, lower education of mothers, lower work status of the father, child’s experience of fear because of the family’s poor financial situation, and material deprivation in school are statistically significant predictors of victimization. It is suggested that practitioners, the public and policy makers pay attention and assist the growing number of children from socioeconomically disadvantaged families. They must be in focus of all school preventive programs, especially due to the increased risk for those children of being exposed to peer violence.

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Contextual Influences and Campaign Awareness Among Young Adults: Evidence from the National truth® Campaign

Mass media campaigns have been found to shape the public's knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behavior around tobacco. This study examines the influence of contextual factors with respect to awareness of the national truth® campaign, a mass media, branded tobacco use prevention campaign, among a sample of young adults (n = 2,804) aged 24–34 years old; these respondents were within the age range for both the primary and secondary targets of the campaign during the period (2000–2007) when the campaign was airing television advertising at consistently high levels. Mulitvariable models reveal lower educational attainment and Hispanic ethnicity as significant contextual factors predictive of lower campaign awareness, controlling for media use. In contrast, gender, state tobacco control policy, sensation-seeking, current smoking status, and community-level SES variables were not significantly associated with campaign awareness. Further research is needed to identify the mechanisms through which public education campaigns operate, particularly among disadvantaged communities.

Examining Life-Course Socioeconomic Position, Contextualized Stress, and Depression among Well-Educated African-American Pregnant Women

PurposeThis article explores how childhood and adulthood socioeconomic position (SEP) and socioeconomic mobility, as indicators of life-course experiences, impact the relationship between contextualized stress and depression among well-educated, pregnant African-American women. MethodsThe Jackson, Hogue, Phillips Contextualized Stress Measure and the Beck Depression Inventory were administered to 101 well-educated, pregnant African-American women during their first and second trimesters. Bivariate associations and regression analysis were conducted to assess life-course SEP, mobility, and contextualized stress as predictors of depression. Based on the demographic data for childhood and adult SES, the SEP and mobility variables were created. ResultsResults from χ2 analysis revealed that high contextual stress was significantly associated with no change in mobility, that is, staying the same. Results from regression models found that contextualized stress was the only predictor for depression. Additionally, life-course SEP and mobility did not moderate the relationship between contextualized stress and depression. ConclusionsOur findings illuminated the persistence of racial and gendered stress as risk factors for depression among well-educated, pregnant African-American women, regardless of life-course SEP. We offer an explanation as to why African-American women who possess the material and social resources thought to mediate psychosocial and pregnancy risks remain in jeopardy.

Associação entre sobrepeso, obesidade e transtornos mentais comuns em nutricionistas

Objetivo Analisar a associação entre sobrepeso, obesidade e transtornos mentais comuns em profissionais nutricionistas da rede pública de hospitais do município do Rio de Janeiro. Métodos Estudo seccional, com 289 nutricionistas de hospitais públicos do município do Rio de Janeiro, de outubro de 2011 a agosto de 2012. Foi utilizado o índice de massa corporal (kg/m2) pela aferição de peso e altura, e os transtornos mentais comuns (TMC) pelo General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Variáveis sociodemográficas (SES), laborativas e de saúde também foram incluídas no estudo. Resultados As prevalências de sobrepeso, de obesidade e de TMC foram de 32,3%, 15,3% e 37,7%, respectivamente. A análise múltipla não apresentou associação significativa após o ajuste pelas variáveis SES, laborativas e de saúde (OR = 0,60; IC95% 0,32-1,10 para sobrepeso e OR = 1,09; IC95% 0,50-2,37 para obesidade). Conclusão Não encontramos associação entre sobrepeso, obesidade e TMC. Entretanto, as prevalências desses eventos na população estudada foram consideradas altas, o que aponta para a necessidade de estratégias de prevenção e promoção da saúde por se tratar de uma população de trabalhadoras envolvidas com o cuidado da população.

A study on the horizontal stratification of higher education in South Korea

This study analyzed university and college graduates’ income gap in South Korea to investigate factors influencing such disparities. Specifically, this study focused on types of higher education institutions and academic disciplines among the many factors affecting post-graduation income differences, using a hierarchical linear model. According to the analysis, there were differences in post-graduation income of graduates based on types of higher education institutions they attended. There was an especially large income gap between graduates from 4-year universities located in Seoul and other types of institutions. However, the coefficient size of income differences between graduates from 4-year regional universities and 2-year junior colleges either decreased, when SES variables were controlled for. This result implies that income gap between 4-year regional universities and the other types of institutions can be explained by the differences in students’ socioeconomic background. In addition, the effects of SES on graduates’ income varied in academic disciplines. Based on these results, it can be said that the horizontal stratification of higher education is affected by the combination of institutional types and academic disciplines in Korea.

The Factors Associated with Obesity among the Older Adults in the Gulf Coast Area, with Comparison to the U.S.

This paper tries to examine the social, demographic, and behavioral factors on obesity in three Gulf Coast states, namely Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, which has shown higher obesity prevalence in the U.S. One assumes that contributing factors on obesity in this area would follow the national trend: the lower the socioeconomic status, being a minority, African American, and less exercise increases the odds of having obesity. By using the logistic regression, the study found that the Gulf Coast Area did not fully follow the national trend from the 2012 BRFSS data. Rural older males are less likely to be obese, which is surprising. The effect of SES and female African American in the Gulf Coast Area were greater than those in the U.S. The SES variables constructed by education and household income here estimated the unequal effect of SES on obesity clearer: only the highest SES category was statistically significant, unlike the education showed a linear relationship in other studies. It would be appropriate to consider the result of this study for more effective policies and/or programs.

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health Care Utilization among U.S. College Students: Applying the Institution of Medicine Definition of Health Care Disparities.

The authors apply the Institute of Medicine's definition of health care disparities to college students. The analysis pools data from the first two waves of the Healthy Minds Study, a multicampus survey of students' mental health (N = 13,028). A probit model was used for any past-year service utilization, and group differences in health status were adjusted by transforming the entire distribution for each minority population to approximate the white distribution. Disparities existed between whites and all minority groups. Compared to other approaches, the predicted service disparities were greater because this method included the effects of mediating SES variables. Health care disparities persist in the college setting despite improved access and nearly universal insurance coverage. Our findings emphasize the importance of investigating potential sources of disparities beyond geography and coverage.

The Relationship Between Skin Tone and School Suspension for African Americans

This study contributes to the research literature on colorism–discrimination based on skin tone—by examining whether skin darkness affects the likelihood that African Americans will experience school suspension. Using data from The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, logistic regression analyses indicated that darker skin tone significantly increased the odds of suspension for African American adolescents. Closer inspection of the data revealed that this overall result was disproportionately driven by the experiences of African American females. The odds of suspension were about 3 times greater for young African American women with the darkest skin tone compared to those with the lightest skin. This finding was robust to the inclusion of controls for parental SES, delinquent behavior, academic performance, and several other variables. Furthermore, this finding was replicated using similar measures in a different sample of African Americans from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The results suggest that discrimination in school discipline goes beyond broad categories of race to include additional distinctions in skin tone.

Physical Symptoms, Chronic and Life-Threatening Illness Trajectories among Minority and Aging Populations

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship across race/ethnicity relative to reported subjective physical symptoms and clinically assessed medical conditions among the aging minority population using the Health and Retirement Study data for years 1998–2000. Poisson and negative binomial regressions were used to estimate three count dependent variables: physical symptom, chronic, and life-threatening medical conditions. Results indicate that while Black respondents were 18% more likely to report physical symptoms when compared to White respondents (B = .171, p < .01, e.171 = 1.18) and 1.06 times more likely to report life-threatening medical conditions (B = .058, p < .01, e.058 = 1.06), when SES variables were added being Black was no longer significantly associated with physical symptoms and chronic conditions. However, being Black did remain statistically significant and positively associated with life-threatening conditions, even after controlling for SES. Results bear statistical and clinical significance, given that we are examining racial and ethnic groups. First, Blacks are at higher risk for premature death for a variety of reasons; this has implications on financial expenditures and on the quality of life. Second, growth among the Hispanic population is outpacing both White and Black populations. Policy initiatives, including geriatric health education, partnerships with community and grass-roots leaders will promote awareness.

Social Integration, Social Support and Mortality in the US National Health Interview Survey

Social relationship quantity and quality are associated with mortality, but it is unclear whether each relationship dimension is equally important for longevity and whether these associations are sensitive to baseline health status. This study examined the individual and joint associations of relationship quantity (measured using a social integration score) and quality (measured by perceived social support) with mortality in a representative US sample (n = 30,574). The study also evaluated whether these associations were consistent across individuals with and without diagnosed chronic illness and whether they were independent of socioeconomic status (SES; education, income, employment, and wealth). Baseline data were collected in 2001 and were linked to vital status records 5 years later (1836 deaths). Both social integration and social support were individually related to mortality (hazard ratios [HRs] = 0.83 [95% confidence interval {CI} = 0.80-0.85] and HR = 0.94 [95% CI = 0.89-0.98], respectively). However, in multivariate models including demographic and SES variables, social integration (HR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.83-0.89) but not social support (HR = 1.03, 95% CI = 0.98-1.08) was associated with mortality. The social integration association was linear and consistent across baseline health status and men and women. Social integration but not social support was independently associated with mortality in the US sample. This association was consistent across baseline health status and not accounted for by SES.

Trends in consumption and purchases of products sweetened with caloric and low‐calorie sweeteners among U.S. households, 2000–2010

Current food databases might not capture rapid changes in the food supply, such as increased use of both caloric (CS) and low‐calorie sweeteners (LCS) in products.Using the Nielsen Homescan longitudinal dataset 2000–10 (n=523,445) and NHANES 2003–10 (n=36,802), we explored trends in purchases and intake of foods and beverages containing LCS, CS or both (LCS+CS) among U.S. households (HH); as well as SES and HH predictors of these patterns. We estimated percapita intake and purchases (ml/day); and % consumers and % HHs purchasing products containing LCS, CS or LCS+CS. We estimated change in purchases associated with SES and HH variables using average marginal effects from random‐effects longitudinal models.From 2000–2011, trends in per capita intake and purchases decreased for CS products, but increased for LCS products. In particular, per capita and % HH purchasing LCS+CS products increased among all types of HH and particularly among HH with children. Factors such as African‐American HH; Hispanic HH and presence of children were associated with increased % of CS purchases (+11%; +4%; +3% resp., P<0.001) and decreased % of LCS daily beverage purchases (−14%; −6%; −2% resp., P<0.001). Higher income was associated with decreased CS (−2.4%, P<0.001) and increased LCS +1.3%, P<0.001) daily beverage purchases.We found unique trends in products containing LCS+CS, which are rising particularly among HH with children.Grant Funding Source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant 70017; National Institutes of Health R01‐HD030880 R01‐ HL104580 R01‐HL114091 R01‐HL108427

Do US Ambient Air Lead Levels Have a Significant Impact on Childhood Blood Lead Levels: Results of a National Study

Introduction. Although lead paint and leaded gasoline have not been used in the US for thirty years, thousands of US children continue to have blood lead levels (BLLs) of concern. Methods. We investigated the potential association of modeled air lead levels and BLLs ≥ 10 μg/dL using a large CDC database with BLLs on children aged 0–3 years. Percent of children with BLLs ≥ 10 μg/dL (2000–2007) by county and proportion of pre-50 housing and SES variables were merged with the US EPA's National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) modeled air lead data. Results. The proportion with BLL ≥ 10 μg/dL was 1.24% in the highest air lead counties, and the proportion with BLL ≥ 10 μg/dL was 0.36% in the lowest air lead counties, resulting in a crude prevalence ratio of 3.4. Further analysis using multivariate negative binomial regression revealed that NATA lead was a significant predictor of % BLL ≥ 10 μg/dL after controlling for percent pre-l950 housing, percent rural, and percent black. A geospatial regression revealed that air lead, percent older housing, and poverty were all significant predictors of % BLL ≥ 10 μg/dL. Conclusions. More emphasis should be given to potential sources of ambient air lead near residential areas.

Cognitive sex differences in reasoning tasks: Evidence from Brazilian samples of educational settings

Sex differences on the Attention Test (AC), the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM), and the Brazilian Cognitive Battery (BPR5), were investigated using four large samples (total N=6780), residing in the states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo. The majority of samples used, which were obtained from educational settings, could be considered a nonprobability sampling. Females outperformed males on the AC (by 2 IQ points), whereas males slightly outperformed females on the SPM (by 1.5 IQ points). On the BPR5, sex differences favoring males were statistically significant (on average 6.2 IQ points). The largest difference was in Mechanical Reasoning (13 IQ points), and the smallest was in Spatial Reasoning (5 IQ points). In addition, two methods were adopted for determining whether sex differences existed at the level of general intelligence. First, a g factor score was estimated after principal axis factoring of test scores. Men had an advantage of 3.8 IQ points (statistically significant) on the g score, which was reduced to 2.7 IQ points (not significant), when the g score was estimated without including Mechanical Reasoning. Second, a confirmatory factor analysis approach was conducted that allowed testing of mean differences at the latent variable level. Again, sex differences favoring males were found (0.23 or 3.44 IQ points). Regarding educational and SES variables, some sex differences favoring males were found in the SPM and in the BPR5. In general, our results agree with studies that identify small, but consistent cognitive sex differences in reasoning tasks. Societal implications are discussed.

Caregiving Involvement, Job Condition, and Job Satisfaction of Infant-Toddler Child-Care Teachers in the United States

This study explored the degree to which infant-toddler child-care teachers were involved in their caregiving tasks, the nature of their job condition, and the relationships among caregiving involvement, SES variables (e.g., age, income, education, and work hours), and job condition including job satisfaction, burnout, and quitting behavior. Forty-one teachers from 10 daycare centers in small towns of the Southwest participated in the study. Results indicate that there was a high level of caregiving involvement and job satisfaction among the teachers. However, most teachers were dissatisfied with their current income levels, showed a moderate level of burnout, and yet did not express their intention to quit their present job. Correlation analyses reveal that teachers’ job satisfaction was positively related to their interaction with children and colleagues, resources, and training but negatively correlated to burnout and quitting behavior. Teachers’ burnout and quitting behavior were negatively correlated to their interaction with children and colleagues, resources, training, and income. While the desire to work with children had a significant impact on teachers’ job satisfaction and burnout, income and level of collegiality significantly predicted their quitting behavior.

Abstract 174: Cardiotoxic Neighborhoods: Marked Variations in Domiciles of Victims of Cardiac Arrest Within a Large Urban Area

Introduction: Out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) incidence rates may vary across regions. Prior studies measured OHCA variability by the location of the OHCA, rather than the victim's place of residence, thereby omitting potentially important demographic predictors of OHCA. Objectives: To measure variability of OHCA rates by residential address within a large urban centre, and the characteristics of persons living in areas that are associated with a higher rate of OHCA. Methods: We included 5656 adults aged 20+ y who experienced an OHCA in Toronto, Canada from 2006-2010. Each OHCA patient's home address was spatially mapped to 1 of 527 census tracts (CT). In order to assess variability we conducted (1) point cluster analysis using SatScan software, which identified areas with significantly higher counts of OHCA; (2) Poisson regression models were used to assess the OHCA relative risk (RR) by CT (after adjusting for age and sex); (3) We assessed the relationship between OHCA rates and socioeconomic (SES) variables within each CT. Results: Incidence of OHCA varied widely by CT (Figure 1). Adjustment for age and sex did not alter this variation. Cluster analysis identified 4 geographically distinct areas where there was higher risk of OHCA compared to adjacent CTs. With respect to SES variables, CTs with a higher median household income had a lower risk of OHCA (RR 0.98 per $10000 increase in income, 99% CI 0.95-1.00), as did CTs with higher education status (RR 0.996 per 1% increase in education, 99% CI 0.992-0.999). CTs with a higher percentage of South Asians (SA) were not at higher risk of OHCA (RR 1.003 per 1% increase in SA population, 99% CI 0.997-1.009), but those with a higher percentage of Afro-Caribbeans (AC) were (RR 1.007 per 1% increase in AC population, 99% CI 1.002-1.013). Conclusions: The risk of OHCA varies by the features of one's place of residence. Further study is required to investigate possible causes for these variations.

Chaos, poverty, and parenting: Predictors of early language development

Studies have shown that distal family risk factors like poverty and maternal education are strongly related to children's early language development. Yet, few studies have examined these risk factors in combination with more proximal day-to-day experiences of children that might be critical to understanding variation in early language. Young children's exposure to a chronically chaotic household may be one critical experience that is related to poorer language, beyond the contribution of SES and other demographic variables. In addition, it is not clear whether parenting might mediate the relationship between chaos and language. The purpose of this study was to understand how multiple indicators of chaos over children's first three years of life, in a representative sample of children living in low wealth rural communities, were related to child expressive and receptive language at 36 months. Factor analysis of 10 chaos indicators over five time periods suggested two factors that were named household disorganization and instability. Results suggested that after accounting for thirteen covariates like maternal education and poverty, one of two chaos composites (household disorganization) accounted for significant variance in receptive and expressive language. Parenting partially mediated this relationship although household disorganization continued to account for unique variance in predicting early language.

SEGMENTASI PEMAKAIAN INTERNET BROADBAND MENURUT USIA, JENIS KELAMIN, PENDIDIKAN, SEKS DAN PROVIDER INTERNET

The intensity of usage and Internet users continues to increase along with the development of devices smartphones/PDAs (Personal Digital Assistance), e-commerce and social media. Internet traffic volume continues to rise encourage all providers to provide connections with a large transport capacity through technology broadband.Banyaknya number of operators and the growth of broadband Internet customers require mapping of the segment as a basis for marketing activities. Segmentation parse a heterogeneous market into homogeneous groups according to the elements of geography, demographics, behavior and psikografi.Dalam this survey, segmentation based on demographic factors with the variables age, sex (gender), education, monthly expenditure (SES) and internet service providers . Segmentation is done through a survey conducted in several big cities in Indonesia with the cluster sampling method. The survey results showed that the level of Internet usage between men and women are relatively equal, so the aspect of gender did not significantly affect the process of offering Internet services. While education and SES variables have positive correlation with the level of usage (usage) internet. Other findings showed that the category of heavy internet users (heavy users) are dominant, with a percentage> 50% in nearly all surveyed operators.

DOES COMMUNITY VULNERABILITY AMPLIFY THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRAFFIC EXPOSURE AND ADVERSE BIRTH OUTCOMES? A UNIVERSITY-REGULATORY RESEARCH COLLABORATIVE ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH INEQUALITIES

Background: Studies within the United States and elsewhere have identified a relationship between air pollution, preterm birth, and low birth weight Spatial variation in air pollutant concentrations in urban areas have been attributed to traffic emissions, and documented for several pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide, ultrafine particles, and particulates. Epidemiological studies have linked residential proximity to traffic, such as distance to major roadways or traffic density near specific locations with adverse perinatal outcomes, including increased risk of preterm birth, small size for gestational age, and low birth weight. However, there remains a paucity of research on traffic density and birth outcomes, and few studies have examined effect modification by area-level SES measures. Methods: We build on existing work by examining links between traffic density and risk of preterm birth and effects on average birth weight in a large sample of singleton births (~1.5 million) in California between 2001-2005. We also assessed the potentially synergistic and confounding effects of area-level SES measures. Distance weighted traffic volume measures were geocoded to the mother’s address at the time of birth. Results: Results indicate a decrease in average birth weight with increasing traffic burden [-10.4 (95% CI: -7.1, -13.6)] in the highest versus lowest quintile of traffic density] and a higher risk of preterm birth with higher traffic density [1.04 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.07) highest versus lowest quintile of traffic density]. Effect estimates remained robust after controlling for maternal and neighborhood level SES variables. Although we did not observe effect modification by neighborhood-level SES, we did observe stronger effects for birth weight in areas characterized by higher levels of racial residential segregation. Conclusion: Results suggest that studies applying source-specific measures of ambient pollution, such as traffic density, can elucidate policy-relevant opportunities for reducing community exposure to multiple pollutants.