Single Households Research Articles

Patterns of Cognitive Function Trajectory and Their Associated Factors in Korean Older Women in Single Households

The aim of this study was to identify distinct patterns of cognitive function trajectory among Korean older women in single households and to investigate their associated factors. We used data from the five waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA), a nationally representative longitudinal survey collected biennially from 2006 to 2014. The sample was 244 women aged 65 or above who had maintained the single household status for the five waves. Using Growth Mixture Modeling, distinct patterns of cognitive function trajectory were identified. Then, multinomial regression analysis was employed to examine the associations between identified trajectories and various factors (socio-demographic, health-related, psychological, and interpersonal factors at wave 1). Results showed that there were three distinct patterns of cognitive function trajectory: ‘maintaining-low’ (20.9%), ‘moderate-decreasing’ (33.6%), and ‘maintaining-high’ (45.5%). Specifically, compared to the ‘maintaining-low’ group, younger women were more likely to belong to the ‘moderate-decreasing’ group and the ‘maintaining-high’ group. Furthermore, those with higher household income, and who participated in more various types of social activities (e.g., participation in leisure/culture/sports clubs, volunteering work) were more likely to belong to the ‘maintaining-high’ group. Compared to the ‘moderate-decreasing’ group, those who were younger and participated in more various types of social activities were more likely to belong to the ‘maintaining-high’ group. Findings suggest that socioeconomic status and social engagements may be critical for cognitive function among older women in single households, and encouraging them to remain socially active may help prevent poorer cognitive outcomes.

The Financial Presentation of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias

Dementia, a currently incurable degenerative cognitive disease, represents a major threat to financial stability. Early signs of dementia can include difficulties managing money and forgetting to pay bills, raising concerns about the implications of pre-clinical disease for financial well-being. We linked Medicare claims data to 20 years of consumer credit data for more than 80,000 older Americans living in single households to study the financial presentation of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias. Using non-parametric regression models, we find elevated rates of payment delinquency, subprime credit, and withdrawal from use of credit products up to 6 years before dementia is clinically diagnosed. Similar patterns did not appear with a number of placebo acute and chronic health conditions, suggesting that the adverse financial events are unique to dementia and do not occur with other acute or chronic illnesses. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Economics of Aging Interest Group.

Did the elderly suffer more from housing deprivation? Evidence from Poland

PurposeThe elderly seem to be more subject to housing problems due to lower income, older age of the housing stock and lower mobility. Nonetheless, housing deprivation (HD) is commonly analysed amongst the general population. Less is known about the differences between age clusters, which seems to be a crucial issue in countries like Poland due to population ageing. What is more, the current literature usually analyses only the occurrence of HD, while also an accumulation of its indicators seems to be substantial. The aim of this article is to identify the differences in HD (its occurrence and accumulation) amongst elderly and non-elderly households and to diagnose the risk factors behind those phenomena.Design/methodology/approachThe HD index was calculated and compared. Next, the multinomial logit models were used to assess risk factors of HD.FindingsThe study showed that, surprisingly, HD in Poland occurs more frequently amongst non-elderly households. The elderly ones suffered more from housing cost overburden, while non-elderly from the overpopulation. In large part, analysed risk factors had a stronger influence on housing conditions of the elderly than non-elderly households.Social implicationsSocial policy tools should focus on the situation of single elderly households, especially living in houses, often in villages. This group is particularly affected by problems with the quality of the dwelling and housing cost overburden.Originality/valueIn the paper, the occurrence and accumulation of HD indicators were analysed. The authors applied a methodological framework that is applicable to other European Union (EU) member states based on the EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) data. It is possible to continue the research study and compare different economies.

노인단독가구의 주거빈곤과 삶의 만족도에 관한 연구 : 도시와 농촌 지역의 비교를 중심으로

본 연구의 목적은 노인단독가구의 주거빈곤과 삶의 만족도간의 관계를 확인하고, 이러한 관계가 도시와 농촌지역 간 차이가 있는지 살펴보는 것이다. 분석을 위해 2019년 한국복지패널 14차년도 자료를 이용하여 만 65세 이상 노인단독가구 가구주 2,732명을 대상으로 다중회귀분석을 실시하였다. 분석결과 노인단독가구의 주거불안정성이 높을수록, 그리고 최저주거기준에 미달할수록 삶의 만족도는 낮은 것으로 나타났다. 도시지역에 거주하는 노인단독가구의 경우 주거불안정성 요인이, 농촌지역은 최저주거기준미달 요인이 노인단독가구의 삶의 만족도에 더욱 부정적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타나 차이를 보였다. 이러한 연구결과를 바탕으로, 노인단독가구의 주거조건과 관련한 삶의 만족도 향상을 위해, 노인단독가구의 주거지원을 강화하고 도시와 농촌지역의 지역 특성을 반영한 주거지원정책의 필요성을 제언하였다.

Alone in a Time of Pandemic: Solo-Living Women Coping With Physical Isolation.

For people in single households, living alone has become literal and absolute during the social-distancing measures related to COVID-19 and can lead to decreased health and wellbeing. In this article, we examine how solo-living women think, feel, make sense of, and practice COVID-19-related social-distancing measures and, consequently, physical isolation. During lockdown, we interviewed 23 solo-living women between the ages of 25 and 69 years living in Slovenia. We present three levels of responses to social-distancing measures: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. We identified dissonances between these levels of responses, and we learned that affective responses play a significant role in shaping one's orientation toward and respect for the social-distancing measures.

Partnership Living Arrangements of Immigrants and Natives in Germany.

This paper compares the partnership arrangements of Turkish and Ethnic German immigrants (i.e., return migrants from Ethnic German communities from predominantly Eastern European countries), the two largest migrant groups in Germany, and native Germans. Most existing analyses of migrants' partnerships focus on intermarriage, marriage formation, or union dissolution. We know only a little, however, about the prevalence of non-marital living arrangements. Given that single person households and cohabitation are widespread phenomena mainly in post-materialist societies, analyzing whether immigrants engage in these behaviors sheds light on potential adaptation processes. The analyses are based on the German Microcensus of the years 2009 and 2013, with a focus on adults in the 18–40 age group. First, we present descriptive findings on the prevalence of partnership arrangements of immigrants and native Germans. Second, we estimate cross-sectional regressions with the partnership arrangement as the outcome variable in order to control for compositional differences between immigrant groups with respect to education. Our results show that while the vast majority of first-generation immigrants are married, the share of married natives is considerably smaller. Living in an independent household without a partner and cohabitation are rare phenomena among immigrants. By contrast, about one in seven natives is cohabiting and more than one quarter is living in an independent household without a partner. The most prevalent partnership living arrangement of the Turkish second generation is living in the parental household without a partner. These results are robust after controlling for education, age, and year in the multiple regression analysis.

Addressing Unintentional Exclusion of Vulnerable and Mobile Households in Traditional Surveys in Kathmandu, Dhaka, and Hanoi: a Mixed-Methods Feasibility Study

The methods used in low- and middle-income countries’ (LMICs) household surveys have not changed in four decades; however, LMIC societies have changed substantially and now face unprecedented rates of urbanization and urbanization of poverty. This mismatch may result in unintentional exclusion of vulnerable and mobile urban populations. We compare three survey method innovations with standard survey methods in Kathmandu, Dhaka, and Hanoi and summarize feasibility of our innovative methods in terms of time, cost, skill requirements, and experiences. We used descriptive statistics and regression techniques to compare respondent characteristics in samples drawn with innovative versus standard survey designs and household definitions, adjusting for sample probability weights and clustering. Feasibility of innovative methods was evaluated using a thematic framework analysis of focus group discussions with survey field staff, and via survey planner budgets. We found that a common household definition excluded single adults (46.9%) and migrant-headed households (6.7%), as well as non-married (8.5%), unemployed (10.5%), disabled (9.3%), and studying adults (14.3%). Further, standard two-stage sampling resulted in fewer single adult and non-family households than an innovative area-microcensus design; however, two-stage sampling resulted in more tent and shack dwellers. Our survey innovations provided good value for money, and field staff experiences were neutral or positive. Staff recommended streamlining field tools and pairing technical and survey content experts during fieldwork. This evidence of exclusion of vulnerable and mobile urban populations in LMIC household surveys is deeply concerning and underscores the need to modernize survey methods and practices.

A Study on Living Characteristics and Housing Service Needs of Single Person Households

The purpose of this study is to identify living characteristics and needs for housing services that can contribute to the improvement of quality of life of single person households. Online survey was conducted between May 9 and 16, 2019 for residents over 20 years of age in Seoul and the metropolitan area with the highest single-person household ratio, and 463 responses were used for the final analysis. The conclusions are as follows: First, the living problems that singleperson households perceived the most were social activities and relationships. Therefore, it is required to develop a service that can support the social activity and relationship formation in one person households. Second, respondents had high demands for exercise space provision, program operation, health/diet management among daily living support services. Among housing management support services, respondents had high demands for fire disaster prevention facilities and management, security/safety facilities and personnel. Third, while single-person households had the highest perception of problems in social activities and relationships, the demand for community-vitalization was the lowest. Fourth, single-person households were prominent in the problem of housekeeping due to lack of space and lifestyle, and in connection with this, they demanded services such as goods storage, storage consulting, and home repair consulting.

청년 1인 가구의 여가경험에 대한 탐색적 연구

청년 1인 가구의 여가경험에 대한 탐색적 연구

Noncustodial fathers’ financial contributions to children in three-generation households

• Custodial mothers in three-generation households are less likely to receive non-cash support. • There are significant differences by specific types of non-cash child support. • Differences in the receipt of non-cash support are driven by guest mothers. • There are no significant differences in the likelihood and amount of cash child support receipt. Co-residing with a grandparent and one or both parents, usually referred to as a three-generation household, is becoming more common for U.S. children, and it may be more common for children in single mother households. Despite this increase and the salience of child support for many of these households, little is known about how child support policies interact with complex households. Whether the presence of grandparents in the custodial mother’s household is associated with differential receipt of financial contributions from the noncustodial father is unknown. Using data from the March/April 2014 Current Population Survey (CPS)-Child Support Supplement (CSS), we examine the financial contributions (cash and non-cash) received by custodial mothers in three-generation households. We find no significant differences in the receipt of cash child support, but we do find significant differences in the likelihood of receiving any non-cash support. Implications for custodial mothers and their children as well as for family policies are discussed.

Evaluation and optimization of off-grid and on-grid photovoltaic power system for typical household electrification

This study aims to design a renewable energy system that can meet the desired electrical load of households with low energy cost, high renewable energy fraction and low CO2 emissions. Photovoltaic solar power systems used to electrify typical households in Iraq were investigated through simulation and optimisation. One-minute resolution simulations and optimisations were performed to determine the performance and net present cost of two photovoltaic power system configurations, namely (i) off-grid and (ii) on-grid solar photovoltaic power systems. Results show that the two systems exhibit excellent performance, but the on-grid photovoltaic power system requires cheaper cost compared with the off-grid photovoltaic power system. The total energy generated from the off-grid photovoltaic power system meets the desired electrical load of households and recharges the batteries, whereas the excess electricity from the on-grid photovoltaic power system feeds the grid. The two designed systems are environmentally friendly and economically viable. The total net present cost of the off-grid solution is $6,244, and its energy cost is $0.196/kWh. By contrast, the total net present cost of the on-grid system is $6,115, with energy cost equal to $0.183/kWh. The obtained results confirm the suitability of photovoltaic power systems for electrifying single households in addition to feeding the national grid.

Essential and Vulnerable: Implications of Covid-19 for Farmers in Ireland

ABSTRACT Objectives: This paper seeks to: provide an overview of the impacts of and responses to the spread of COVID-19 in Ireland; assess the vulnerability of the population living in rural areas to COVID-19; compare the health status of male farmers to underlying medical conditions frequently associated with those experiencing the worst impacts of the illness; and assess the implications of COVID-19 for farmers living alone and farm households with children. Methods: We present an overview of the impact and response to COVID-19 through the use of public health statistics and reference to policy documents. We subsequently draw on the results of ongoing geographic and health research to present an overview of the impacts and potential implications of COVID-19. Results: The population of many rural areas and farmers in particular are highly vulnerable to adverse outcomes to COVID-19 infection. Single person farm households are at particular risk of isolation, whilst those families with children are at increased risk of stress. Conclusions: There is an urgent need to address both COVID-19 challenges and the health and wellbeing issues confronting farmers and farm families arising out of the current pandemic by supporting these populations adopt and sustain health behaviour changes, improve their wellbeing and develop the resources that support resilience.

The effectiveness of social bubbles as part of a Covid-19 lockdown exit strategy, a modelling study.

Background: ​ During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown, contact clustering in social bubbles may allow extending contacts beyond the household at minimal additional risk and hence has been considered as part of modified lockdown policy or a gradual lockdown exit strategy. We estimated the impact of such strategies on epidemic and mortality risk using the UK as a case study. Methods: ​ We used an individual based model for a synthetic population similar to the UK, stratified into transmission risks from the community, within the household and from other households in the same social bubble. The base case considers a situation where non-essential shops and schools are closed, the secondary household attack rate is 20% and the initial reproduction number is 0.8. We simulate social bubble strategies (where two households form an exclusive pair) for households including children, for single occupancy households, and for all households. We test the sensitivity of results to a range of alternative model assumptions and parameters. Results: Clustering contacts outside the household into exclusive bubbles is an effective strategy of increasing contacts while limiting the associated increase in epidemic risk. In the base case, social bubbles reduced fatalities by 42% compared to an unclustered increase of contacts. We find that if all households were to form social bubbles the reproduction number would likely increase to above the epidemic threshold of R=1. Strategies allowing households with young children or single occupancy households to form social bubbles increased the reproduction number by less than 11%. The corresponding increase in mortality is proportional to the increase in the epidemic risk but is focussed in older adults irrespective of inclusion in social bubbles. Conclusions: ​ If managed appropriately, social bubbles can be an effective way of extending contacts beyond the household while limiting the increase in epidemic risk.

Types of grocery stores and demographic and household factors in Japanese provincial area

Abstract Background Neighborhood grocery stores, such as supermarkets (SM) and convenience stores (CVS), have received attention as a determinant of a food purchase behavior. Previous studies reported that grocery store entry or closure was associated with regional populations. This study examines the association of types of SM (i.e. cross-regional, local, or small chain stores), CVS, and household demographics in the cities, towns and villages (having its own incorporated government) in Hiroshima and Okayama Prefectures, Japan. Methods We hypothesized that the entry and closure of SM, CVS are associated with the regional population and type of family household from interview surveys with supermarket and wholesale operators. We collected data on SM and CVS from Large-Scale Retail Store Data in Japan, while data on demographics and households were collected from the census. Data sets from 59 municipalities (city, town, ward, and village) and 49 SM chains (498 stores) and 8 CVS chains (1235 stores) were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Results Some household factors showed significant associations with the number of SM and CVS at the municipality level. Those municipalities with a greater number of extended families and single households had significantly more “cross-regional” as well as “local chain SM” stores. Those municipalities with more nuclear families had significantly more “small chain SM” and fewer “local chain SM” stores. Those municipalities with more single households had significantly fewer SM stores. Conclusions In these prefectures, population declining and single household increasing are expected over the coming decades. If no political interventions are allowed on this issue, some of “food desert” may emerge for the hundreds of thousands people living in these areas; elderly people may not get fresh vegetables in their neighborhood, and young parents will have to drive for hours to “cross-regional SM” to buy fresh milk for their children. Key messages Supermarkets and convenience stores are determinant of a food purchase behavior. The association of the number of types of SM, CVS, and demographic and household factors.

건강가정지원센터의 1인 가구 대상 특화 프로그램 방향성 모색 – 서울시 사례를 중심으로

This study aimed to suggest the direction and guideline of specific program for single households in the Healthy Families Support Centers. This study focused on Seoul area. To collect the data the in-depth interviews for 9 staffs managing the program for single person in field are progressed. The major results were as follows. First, we found the demand and validity of a specific program for single person households. Because they are different each other in the context of age, sex, marriage experience, everyday life and need for program. So the specific programs can give higher satisfaction to the single person household. Second, to manage the specific program effectively in field we need the retraining of staffs, sharing materials between centers and other institutions, presentation and communication about the information on program management in field.

Identifying government’s and farmers’ roles in soil erosion management in a rural area of southern China with social network analysis

Agricultural production in China is mainly decentralized, small in size, and involved by independent single households. Farmers are the main implementers of soil erosion control projects. Their willingness and abilities, which are crucial to the effectiveness of these projects, are closely related to their social networks. However, the relationship between farmers’ social networks and soil erosion control remains unclear. Hengxi, a typical village in Jiangxi Province, China, was used as a case study. Traditional- and new-type of farmers’ social networks were built according to the planting structures based on survey data. The results showed that both types of networks had the characteristics of small-world network and scale-free network. The ability to obtain and dispense information was the significant distinction between the two networks. The dealer was an influential key node in both networks. The government agencies were key nodes in the new-type network but not in the traditional-type network, which made it difficult for traditional farmers to obtain indispensable information about soil erosion control. The characteristics of farmers and their corresponding networks had significant influences on their awareness of soil erosion. Soil erosion management projects could be deployed smoothly by the key farmers and government agencies in the new-type social network, but difficultly in the traditional-type social network. To improve the effectiveness of soil erosion control projects, cooperation with dealers is important for government agencies.

A homeownership paradox: why do Chinese homeowners rent the housing they live in?

China is an ownership society, but with a paradox – many homeowners do not live in the apartments/houses they own, and instead live in rental housing. This is different from the pattern in Western economies where households own multiple properties but still live in an owned unit. The paper is situated within the literature on the financialization of housing and the changing meaning of homeownership. We examine the paradox by studying its patterns and dynamics using 2017 China Household Finance Survey data. We find that the owner-renting in China is a result of spatial, temporal and functional mismatches between housing needs. The intrinsic investment strategy and services linked to homeownership have made it imperative to own homes, regardless a household’s housing needs. Young, single, better-off and split households, and those in large, expensive cities are more likely to be owners-renting. In addition, institutional barriers in the housing market such as migrant status, housing purchase limit policy, and subsidized housing encourage owner-renting.

Social Determinants of Outcomes in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

In a population-based inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) cohort, we aimed to determine whether having lower socioeconomic status (LSS) impacted on outcomes. We identified all 9,298 Manitoba residents with IBD from April 1, 1995, to March 31, 2018 by applying a validated case definition to the Manitoba Health administrative database. We could identify all outpatient physician visits, hospitalizations, surgeries, intensive care unit admissions, and prescription medications. Their data were linked with 2 Manitoba databases, one identifying all persons who received Employment and Income Assistance and another identifying all persons with Child and Family Services contact. Area-level socioeconomic status was defined by a factor score incorporating average household income, single parent households, unemployment rate, and high school education rate. LSS was identified by any of ever being registered for Employment and Income Assistance or with Child and Family Services or being in the lowest area-level socioeconomic status quintile. Comparing persons with LSS vs those without any markers of LSS, there were increased rates of annual outpatient physician visits (relative risk [RR] = 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06-1.13), hospitalizations (RR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.31-1.44), intensive care unit admission (RR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.65-2.27), use of corticosteroids >2,000 mg/yr (RR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.03-1.21), and death (hazard ratio 1.53, 95% CI = 1.36-1.73). Narcotics (RR = 2.17, 95% CI = 2.01-2.34) and psychotropic medication use (RR = 1.98, 95% CI = 1.84-2.13) were increased. The impact of LSS was greater for those with Crohn's disease than for those with ulcerative colitis. LSS was associated with worse outcomes in persons with IBD. Social determinants of health at time of diagnosis should be highly considered and addressed.

COVID-19 IMPACTS ON DESTITUTION IN THE UK

We use microsimulation combined with a model of the COVID-19 impacts on individuals and households to obtain projections of households in destitution in the United Kingdom. The projections are estimated at two levels: aggregate quarterly for the UK, for all quarters of 2020; and annual for 2020 differentiated by region, sector and household demographics. At the aggregate level, destitution is projected to be about three times higher than the non-COVID counterfactual level in 2020Q2, as well as substantially higher than the non-COVID case for the remainder of the year. This increased destitution is initially largely due to the effect on the self-employed, and as the Furlough scheme is drawn down, also on the unemployed. Impacts upon different regions and sectors vary widely, and so do variations across different household types. The sectors particularly affected are construction and manufacturing, while London and its closely connected regions (South East and the Midlands) are most severely affected. Single adult households suffer the most, and the adverse effects increase with number of children in the household. That the effects upon youth remain high is a particularly worrying sign, and very high increases in destitution are also projected for 25–54 year olds and the elderly (75 years and older). Further, severe adverse effects are projected for sections of society and the economy where multiple impacts are coincident. Robust and sustained mitigation measures are therefore required.

Detached housing utilized as shared houses: establishment process and living style – case study in Yamaguchi Prefecture

AbstractIn this study, the habitation history and building repair history of wooden private houses in Yamaguchi Prefecture, and the circumstances that result in their repurposing as shared houses are investigated. Simultaneously, the nature of the repair work is grasped, and the features of the lifestyles of the tenants and space evaluation are explained by habitation condition analysis of youth single households with observational research. As the examples have space conditions suitable for their use as shared houses and repairs are performed by the manager, they can be repurposed as shared houses with low rents. The degree of satisfaction of the tenant's shared habitation is high; therefore these wooden private houses are model examples that demonstrate the possible practical use of wooden private houses as shared houses.