Social Activities Research Articles

Social prescribing for healthy ageing: insights from older people referral and uptake in Portugal

Abstract The population ageing presents multifaceted challenges for health systems, with implications for healthcare delivery and health and well-being outcomes. Innovative integrated-care approaches are needed to promote healthy aging and the quality of life of older people. Social Prescribing (SP) has emerged as a promising strategy to address the complex health and social needs of populations, including those older, offering non-medical interventions that encompass social, cultural, and community-based activities. SP has been implemented in Portugal since 2018 and currently target different subgroups, including elderly. This study aims to examine referral and uptake of older people to SP in Portugal. This cross-sectional study analysed sociodemographic, health condition, referral and uptake-related data from older patients (≥65 years) engaged in SP, collected through a survey and registries at primary healthcare units in Lisbon between 2018-2023. Of the 1060 patients referred to SP, 43.9% (n = 465) were aged 65 years or older. Within this age group, 38.1% were 71-80 years old and 36.1% were 81-90 years old; 67.5% were female. Around 48% were referred to SP for social isolation, 40% for social and financial support, and 32.5% for functional dependency. Two thirds had two or more chronic conditions, with cardiovascular disease (59,1%), mental health disorders (29,2%), and obesity (27,1%) being the most frequent. The SP consultations uptake rate was 59.1%, and patients were referred to a range of activities provided by third-sector organisations, as psychosocial support, home care, senior university classes, arts activities, and support in medicine management. The elderly population accounts for a large proportion of SP referrals. Further efforts are needed to identify the factors that influence patients’ acceptability and adherence and to promote the sustainability of SP and the well-being of the population. Key messages • Older people referred to SP initiative in Portugal have complex health-social needs, which reinforces the relevance of adopting a holistic centred-care approach to respond to the aging challenges. • Through SP older people have been integrated in community-based activities that promote their health and wellbeing, thus it is needed to develop tailored strategies to improve patient uptake.

Health Promotion and the case of social prescription of laughter

Abstract Introduction The use of laughter to change lifestyle and promote active and successful ageing is an area of interest within the scope of health promotion. The positive effects of laughter practices occur throughout the life cycle. That is why “laughing” has been identified and indicated as a human activity of social prescription promoting healthy lifestyles. This communication aims to (1) identify the benefits for health, health promotion, well-being, and healthy lifestyle of using laughter activities and practices, (2) identify “laughing” as a social prescription activity that promotes a healthy lifestyle. Methods This work is structured in a narrative review of the literature and the authors’ lived experience as professionals in the well-being area. Results Studies show that laughing and using laughter-inducing approaches have immediate effects on the person who experiences them (e.g. increased general well-being, reduced cortisol levels) with benefits for the immune system and cardiovascular health. Daily practices that are structured and systematic interventions that induce laughter were revealed to have lasting and durable effects. Studies also highlighted the effectiveness of laughter and its important role in improving communication in healthcare professional-patient encounters. Discussion Several behaviors are associated with well-being, happiness and positive affect, but the one that is accessible to all people and with the most immediate effects is laughter. Daily practices, structured and systematic interventions that induce laughter are part of non-pharmacological approaches that promote health and well-being. The principles underlying laughter practices are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, namely goal 3 (Health), goal 4 (Education) and goal 16 (Peace).

Social listening applied to tailor communication on immunization in the Republic of Moldova.

Although the Republic of Moldova had good vaccination rates, anti-vax messages have recently begun to spread, eroding the population's confidence. Vaccination coverage against measles, mumps, and rubella at the target age of 12 months decreased from 95% in 2008 to 83% in 2021. The recent measles outbreak in Romania and three confirmed cases in Moldova, combined with the refugee crisis, have highlighted the importance of vaccination and sparked online conversations on this subject. A mixed-methods study was conducted, involving social listening activities on immunization using the Talkwalker software and qualitative analysis of the identified narratives. Out of 450 identified comments, 30 were selected for further analysis. Over 5 months, a total of 865 results were obtained, with an engagement rate of 6300. The peak in results occurred between 11 and 18 December, driven by the recent measles outbreak in Romania, which saw several confirmed cases and one death, as well as the first cases of measles in Moldova after 3 years. However, no significant increase in the engagement rate was recorded. Comments on immunization tended to reflect distrust in authorities and doctors, political and ideological views, and a lack of knowledge about the risks of vaccine-preventable diseases. The analysed conversations are assessed as having a low risk of spreading, though some employ techniques to influence or manipulate behaviours. The topic of vaccination is used to promote political ideologies through messages issued by the mass media. The information vacuum must be filled with messages designed to produce attitude change regarding vaccination.

Media Representation of Scientists in Jornal Nacional: Reaffirmation of Stereotypes During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific authorities were routinely consulted by mainstream media outlets through interviews, statements and/or supporting images. In this framework, our goal in this study was to analyze the media representation of scientists in Brazil during the first year of this global public health crisis. To this end, we applied a research protocol and, using statistical techniques, quantitatively analyzed newscasts on the country’s main TV news program, Jornal Nacional. On this program, scientists were interviewed about “vaccination,” a topic of broad interest given that the vaccine had been described from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic as a response to cope with the public health crisis. We discuss information about gender, age, and race, the speaking time and screen time of these social actors, the format in which scientists are inserted into news reports, and the presence/absence of science icons. The data reveal that the predominant image of the scientist transmitted to the audience – a mature white man – reinforces stereotypes that persist in the media and in the public understanding of science.

The Theory of Dyadic Morality and Moral Identity Explain the Public's Response to Harm Done by Government and Organisations

ABSTRACTHarm functions complexly in moral judgement but has been treated differently in the Social Intuitionist Model (SIM) and the Theory of Dyadic Morality (TDM). Both the SIM and TDM see felt harm as an outcome of experienced negative moral emotions (e.g., disgust), but the SIM regards harm as a kind of epiphenomenon in the sense that it does not affect moral judgement or behaviour, whereas the TDM interprets harm as an essential mediator of the link between negative moral emotions and immorality. The TDM also develops an explanation for how harm functions to initiate reactions to triggering events marked by an intentional agent causing injury to a vulnerable social actor. Here norms serve a regulatory function modulating the effects of harm committed by the agent on negative moral emotions. We conduct two experiments on representative samples of adults () and address two different moral contexts (companies doing badly and government doing badly with respect to a threatened health crisis), two different normative moderators (moral identity and belief in conspiracies) and two different moral action tendencies (intentions and word of mouth). Harm is found to have direct and contingent mediated effects on moral action tendencies, in accord with the TDM. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.

Abstract concepts and expertise: the case of institutional concepts

Recent views recognize that abstract concepts encompass a variety of exemplars, each relying on different dimensions, including not only sensorimotor but also inner, linguistic, and social experiences. How these dimensions characterize types of abstract concepts, and whether their weight varies across contexts and individuals remains an open question. We investigated the role of linguistic and social situations in the processing of institutional concepts, such as justice, by individuals with different levels of expertise. In a priming study, legal experts and non-experts were asked to respond to target words (go-trials) consisting of different kinds of abstract (institutional, theoretical) and concrete concepts (food, tools) and to ignore filler words (no-go trials). The verbal stimuli were primed by pictures depicting social-action, linguistic-social, linguistic-textual situations, and a control condition. As predicted, critical priming modulated performance on abstract concepts, likely due to their highly context-dependent meaning. Interestingly, we found that the processing of institutional concepts was selectively facilitated by social action prime, suggesting that this situational content may be integrated to support their representation. Crucially, the dialogic context, the linguistic social prime, affected more non-experts than law-experts, who tended to frame institutional concepts as shared idea for regulating social practices. Our results show that linguistic and social inputs become differently salient for institutional concepts representation depending on individual competence.

Promoting health information and healthy behaviors: Results from a qualitative study

Abstract Background and aim Healthy living behaviors can prevent many chronic diseases. This study aimed to explore qualitative perceptions and behaviors about healthy lifestyles in a district’s residents. Methods This qualitative research was conducted through in-depth interviews with 24 participants aged 28 to 63 in Türkiye. Results Of the 24 participants, six were men. The themes were daily routines; health information-seeking behavior, beliefs, motivation for healthy living, dietary habits, daily movement, psychological relaxation, unhealthy behaviors, facilitators, and barriers. Individuals’ daily routines were shaped by caregiving duties or work. Health information was preferred from professionals, TV, family health history, and the Internet. Male participants lacked the need to seek health information. Also, some participants believed that diseases are unavoidable and incurable. People with growing children or a family member with a serious illness like cancer often report practicing healthy behaviors. Participants have different healthy eating patterns, including organic eating, home cooking, regular meals, more fruits and vegetables, increased water intake, avoiding late-night eating, and steering clear of packaged foods, salt, and sugar. Many participants walked regularly for physical and mental health; they also expressed avoiding negative people and engaging in hobbies and social activities to maintain psychological well-being. Smoking participants had attempted to quit smoking. Some participants said that adding salt to their food before tasting. Factors cited as hindering healthy behaviors included lack of time, financial constraints, and cultural reasons. Conclusions Despite awareness of healthy living, many participants struggle to implement it due to lack of motivation, busy work schedules, social and physical environments, and economic factors. Multisectoral collaboration to create environments that support healthy behaviors can improve public health.

Frailty and related factors among community-dwelling older adults in Türkiye

Abstract Background Frailty in elderly can lead to complex challenges in the follow-up and management of health services. Ensuring comprehensive primary care services and social support can avert, reverse, or mitigate frailty in old age. We aimed to evaluate frailty and its associated factors in individuals aged ≥65 years. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in patients applying to primary care centres in 2024, in a city where 10% of the population is elderly. The centres were divided into clusters based on the socioeconomic status of the regions they serve, and nine were randomly selected by weight. A total of 1154 elderly who consecutively presented were included. A questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics, Edmonton Frailty Scale, Loneliness Scale for the Elderly (LSE), Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), International Falls Effectiveness Scale (FES-I) was applied to the elderly. Results The mean age was 71.3±5.3 years, and 50.8% were male. In the study, 20.1% were frail, and 19.6% were apparently vulnerable. It was found that those aged 70-79 and ≥80 years, women, deceased/separated from their spouses, those with low education, those whose occupation was housewife, those earning below minimum wage, those who lived alone, non-exercisers, those taking >8 medications/day, and those who had ≥2 falls/last year were more frail. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, illiteracy (Odds ratio-OR:15.2, 95%CI:1.7-135.5), taking >8 medications/day (OR:4.1, 1.7-9.9), falling ≥2 times/last year (OR:3.4, 1.8-6.4) and ≥4 points on the CCI (OR:1.9, 1.0-3.4) were found to be predictors of frailty. Each score on the FES-I and LSE increased the risk of frailty by 1.08 (1.05-1.11) and 1.13 (1.08-1.17) times, respectively. Conclusions One in five people was found to be frail. Low education level, >8 medications/day, ≥2 falls in the last year, severity of comorbidity, fear of falling, and high levels of loneliness were found to be predictive factors for frailty. Key messages • Encouraging a healthy lifestyle to prevent comorbid diseases and early interventions to avoid falls can reduce frailty. • Providing social activities in primary care and promoting the elderly to participate in these activities can help prevent loneliness, which is a risk factor of frailty.

Effects of Cognitive Flexibility, Prosocial and Problem Behaviours, Parenting Style and Social Support on Social Adaptation Among Children With Leukaemia: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach.

Leukaemia children often encounter various social adaptation issues stemming from changes in their living environment. Identifying and optimising the factors associated with social adaptation is crucial in improving social adaptation in children with leukaemia. To investigate social adaptation in children with leukaemia and to clarify the impact pathway of cognitive flexibility, problem behaviour, prosocial behaviour, parenting style and social support on social adaptation. Using a convenience sampling method, 264 leukaemia children completed a cross-sectional survey. Data were collected using the Social Adaptation Assessment Scale for Children with Leukaemia, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Cognitive Flexibility Scale, Short-Egna Minnenav Barndoms Uppfostran and Multi-Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Structural equation modelling was used to test the influencing factors of social adaptation. Social support directly influenced social adaptation (β = 0.19, p < 0.01) and indirectly influenced social adaptation through prosocial behaviour (β = 0.06, p < 0.01) and problem behaviour (β = 0.18, p < 0.01). Prosocial behaviour (β = 0.17, p < 0.01) and problem behaviour (β = -0.61, p < 0.01) directly influenced social adaptation. Negative parenting directly influenced social adaptation (β = 0.12, p < 0.01) and indirectly influenced social adaptation (β = -0.23, p < 0.01) through problem behaviour. Our finding indicated that there are prominent social adjustment problems in the recovery process of children with leukaemia. These findings suggest that targeted education is needed to enhance social adaptation among children with leukaemia. The final model should serve as a framework to guide intervention research targeting social support and negative parenting to improve the social adaptation of children with leukaemia. During the recovery process, nurses need to regularly follow up on the children's social adaptation and encourage them to participate in social activities to increase social support while providing family guidance based on improving parenting styles. The subjects of this study were children with leukaemia aged 8-18 years. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

The Association between Social Engagement, Social Network, Social Embeddedness and Quality of Life among University Students

Quality of life (QoL) among university students is a critical concern that impacts not only their academic success but also their overall well-being and prospects. Social relationships are critical for university students' quality of life. Positive social interactions and a supportive network can enhance students' sense of belonging and emotional well-being. However, many students struggle with loneliness and social isolation on campus. This study aims to investigate the association between civic engagement (social engagement, social network, and social embeddedness) and the QoL among university students. We conducted this cross-sectional study among 179 university students on the UiTM Puncak Alam campus via an online survey. We adapted the questionnaire from previous studies and used SPSS version 29 to analyze the data. The Pearson correlation test revealed a link between all the independent variables and the dependent variable, demonstrating both convergent and concurrent validity. The regression analysis showed that social embeddedness was the best predictor of QoL, followed by attitude and behavior. A secure social environment can help one adapt more effectively and provide emotional support, which lowers the risk of depressive symptoms and improves the QoL. In addition, active involvement in social activities helps to increase the sense of belonging to the university community. Identifying oneself as a member of a group of peers, faculty, and staff contributes to the student’s self-concept and higher self-esteem, which is vital in terms of psychological health and QoL.

Multidimensional Adult and Child Poverty in India—Establishing Consensus About Socially Perceived Necessities for a New Measure of Poverty

This article describes the use of the Consensual Approach to poverty measurement in a pilot survey conducted in Telangana state in 2020/21. Respondents were asked about whether a series of items and activities, ranging from two pairs of all-weather shoes to attending important social functions were essential for adults and children and whether they had them or could take part. Households that answered negatively were then asked why. Following the approach pioneered by Mack and Lansley, households whose lack was enforced were identified as deprived. We found high levels of endorsement for a wide range of items such as three meals a day, school uniforms and equipment, health facilities and transport access as well as the ability to afford clothing, social activities and savings. We also found similar levels of consensus over a wide range of necessities across religion, location, caste and education. The results underscore the importance of dimensions and specific deprivations that are not entirely captured by existing monetary and multidimensional poverty approaches used in India. This reinforces the call for child-centric methodologies such as United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF’s) Multiple Overlapping Deprivation Analysis (MODA), which distinguish between age groups and their evolving needs. Our results also suggest that simply relying on existing Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) surveys leads to underestimation of the extent to which widely endorsed needs are satisfied. Furthermore, our findings challenge policymakers to consider expanding the measurement of poverty to include the public’s perception of necessities, which will enrich the index with culturally specific and socially validated indicators.

Residential mobility and social capital: Regional analysis in Finland

AbstractMultiple factors can influence the rates of residential mobility flows between different regions of a country. Studies have often focused on demographic and economic factors, but social conditions may be relevant as well. We examined whether different indicators of social capital (i.e., social support, loneliness, social trust, community participation, cultural activities, and meeting other people) were associated with population migration rates across 299 municipalities of Finland. Data for the social characteristics were derived from the Regional Health and Wellbeing study (n = 100,750 respondents) aggregated to the level of municipalities using multilevel regression with post‐stratification (median number of participants was 115 individuals per municipality, range from 5 to 10,616). Residential mobility rates were derived from census data. Municipalities with higher levels of social support, higher social trust, more cultural activities, and more frequent social contacts had higher net migration rates, that is, more people moving in than out of the municipality. Social support, cultural activities, and community participation were associated with higher in‐migration. Social trust and frequency of meeting people were associated with lower out‐migration. The findings provide empirical support for the hypothesis that regions with stronger social capital are more attractive destinations for within‐country residential mobility.

Design and Validation of a Health Inequalities Questionnaire for Occupational Health Nurses and Occupational Health Nursing Students in Spain.

This article aims to describe the methodology for the design, validation, reliability, and pilot testing of a questionnaire aimed at exploring the knowledge and training needs on health inequalities of occupational health nurses (OHNs) and occupational health nursing students in Spain. Working and employment conditions are social determinants that influence the health of workers. The unequal distribution of these factors leads to inequalities. The training and competencies of OHNs need to focus on the social determinants of health to reduce social inequalities. The questionnaire was structured in five sections and 24 closed questions, self-administered and online. It was validated by a panel of experts using Moriyama's criteria and achieved an average consensus of 93.85%. Internal reliability reached a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.843 and a McDonald's omega of 0.953. Participation in the pilot test was 92.5% of the sample recruited. Achieving higher levels of health of the working population requires a consensus among different social actors to integrate social determinants, gender and equity perspectives into the overall health policy of the company.

Applying a theory of change framework to create transformative and equity‐based community engagement experiences at a small, liberal arts, Lasallian institution

AbstractSaint Mary's College of California is a small, Catholic Lasallian, liberal arts institution located in the San Francisco Bay area. Founded in 1863, the institution currently serves approximately 2,000 enrolled students. The Catholic Institute for Lasallian Social Action (CILSA) is the social justice and community engagement center that provides institutional support for curricular and co‐curricular community engagement (CE) experiences. In the academic year 2020–2021, CILSA staff collaborated with CE faculty, alumni, staff, and community partners to develop a Theory of Change to explore the challenges, values, and strategies of engagement work and make change in our community. In this article, we will highlight our engaged learning programs, describe our process to create CILSA's Theory of Change, share the ways CILSA staff support and collaborate with each other, and showcase the Head‐Heart‐Hands framework for student reflection.

Impact of compliance with project requirements on projects value outcomes: Evaluation from TASAF-III beneficiaries’ perspectives in Tanzania

The study sought to evaluate the impact of compliance with projects requirements on projects value outcomes from Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF)-III beneficiaries’ perspectives in Tanzania. Specifically, the study evaluated the impact of compliance with project requirements on households’ relief from transitional income poverty (as a measure of projects value outcomes) in Tanzania. The study was a cross sectional design with multiple cases approach undertaken in twelve TASAF-III supported community economic development (CED) projects. Under multistage sampling procedure, the said CED projects, their six hosting districts and regions (Kilosa–Morogoro; Handeni–Tanga; Misungwi–Mwanza; Uyui–Tabora; Kibondo–Kigoma; and, Rungwe–Mbeya) were identified using stratified sampling. Simple random sampling enhanced to determine a sample of 480 households. Data were collected using research schedules and were descriptively and inferentially analyzed using STATA software. Propensity score matching (PSM), coupled with logistic model was considered the apt test statistic. The average treatment effect on the treated (ATT) observation results shown that, the mean differences in incomes [TZS. 7 794.30; t=0.61(t&lt;2.00)] and spending [TZS 11 388.50; t=0.96 (t&lt;2.00)] between the treated and control households’ are non-significant at t&lt;2.00. This implied that, compliance with TASAF-III project requirements has no significant impact on households’ income poverty relief in Tanzania. Moreover, compliance with requirements does not necessarily lead to desired projects value outcomes—if requirements are not well defined. The study stresses on the selection of right projects’ requirements with positive outcomes rather than having a set of requirements which are non-predictive to the desired targets’ felt needs—when in compliance with.

Designing a Human Resource Empowerment Model for Pharmacists in Pharmacies in Tehran

Background: One of the most effective strategies to gain a competitive advantage in the current business environment is to enhance the efficiency of employees within organizations. The purpose of this research was to design a human resource empowerment model for pharmacists in pharmacies in Tehran. Methods: The research's statistical population includes two qualitative and quantitative components. In the qualitative part, 35 elite pharmacists from universities, industry, and the Ministry of Health were included, while the quantitative part involved a statistical sample of 220 individuals. For data analysis, the Grandad process of Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistical tests, independent one-sample t-test, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling were used. SPSS 25 and AMOS 24 software were used to analyze the research data Results: The findings showed that in the final development model of empowering pharmacists and personnel in Tehran courts, causal factors include psychological characteristics and training. The core category includes cultural and moral competence, as well as professional and technical competence. Background factors include commitment and skill. Intervening factors include moral values. Strategies include efficiency and speed. The consequences include creativity, innovation, and social responsibility.Results: The findings showed that in the final development model of empowering pharmacists and personnel in Tehran courts, causal factors include psychological characteristics and training. The core category includes cultural and moral competence, as well as professional and technical competence. Background factors include commitment and skill. Intervening factors include moral values. Strategies include efficiency and speed. The consequences include creativity, innovation, and social responsibility. Conclusion: It can be concluded that continuous training workshops should be organized for pharmacists in Tehran pharmacies to enhance their specialized knowledge. Periodic in-service courses should be provided to these individuals based on their professional activities. The organization should consider social activities and social behaviors as focal points.

Corporate regulation in the public interest– from concession to authorisation

ABSTRACT The current debate on corporate purpose challenges the idea that the corporation is solely a private actor. There is an increasing insistence that corporations are social and political actors as much as they are economic actors. If a key concern in the corporate purpose literature is to define and delimit the role that corporations now play in public and private life, then it is important to have a theoretical framework within which we can decide where and how those limits should be set. Available theories do not adequately capture this conceptual shift. The most likely candidate is concession theory, but it does not properly capture the role of the state in modern regulatory capitalism. This paper reconfigures the core elements of concession theory and develops a framework that provides a justification for the role of the state in regulating corporations.

Essential public health competencies in nursing during the COVID-19 pandemic: A Delphi study

Background &amp; Aim: Nursing practice, characterized by its multifaceted nature, encompasses diverse settings and situations in public health, making it difficult to clearly define the role of nurses in this setting. The study aimed to determine the applicability and relevance of the Regional Core Competency Framework for Public Health in nursing practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods &amp; Materials: Study based on the Delphi methodology, a structured approach to the systematic collectión of expert opinions, to obtain group agreements. Twenty-one nurses working in public health areas during the pandemic participated. Results: The competencies most applied by the nurses were in the domain of health situation analysis and surveillance and risk and damage control. 95% of the nurses were involved in care actions to prevent contagion; 71% analyzed social determinants of health, 100% were involved in the domain of policies, planning, regulation, and control, and 86% in the domain of health promotion. 89% made decisions to favor access to preventive and health care services. 78% valued social participation actions and 76% implemented immediate responses to COVID-19. Conclusion: The main public health competencies used by nursing for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic are the management of educational processes, health promotion, primary health care, analysis of social determinants, management of health policies, information analysis, and management of immediate responses to challenges generated by COVID-19.

The assessment of the perceived stress and the quality of life in the patients with myasthenia gravis: The mediating role of the psychological capital and social support

Background: Stress has been known as a risk factor for the onset and modification of autoimmune disorders such as myasthenia gravis (MG). However, the patients can control their stress and improve their quality of life (QOL) using some factors such as psychological and social support. Psychological capital and social support play a key role in decreasing stress and improving QOL in the patients with MG. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the mediator role of the psychological capital and social support in perceived stress and QOL of the patients with MG. Methods: In the present cross-sectional study, 203 patients with MG, including 138 women and 65 men, were selected from Iran Myasthenia Gravis Association and Shariati Hospital, Tehran City, Iran, using available sampling. The selected patients completed the Myasthenia Gravis Quality of Life questionnaire (MG-QOL), Luthans Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and Cohen Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14). To assess the mediator role of the psychological capital and the perceived social support in the relationshipwith the perceived stress and QOL of the patients with MG, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used. Results: There was a significant negative relationship between the perceived stress and the variables of psychological capital (including hope, resilience, optimism, and self-efficacy), perceived social support dimensions (including support from important people, support from family, and support from friends), and QOL dimensions (including social activity and mental health) (P &lt; 0.01). The results also showed that the perceived social support dimensions (including support from important people, support from family, and support from friends) and the variables of psychological capital (including hope, resilience, optimism, and self-efficacy) had a significant positive relationship with the QOL in patients with MG (P &lt; 0.01). The indirect effect of perceived stress on the QOL through social support and psychological capital was 0.16 and 0.15, respectively, which was statistically significant (P &lt; 0.05). Conclusion: The present study results show that a part of the shared variance between the conceptual circles of the perceived stress and QOL in patients with MG results from variability in the psychological capital and social support.

Planning Public Space Climate Comfortability: A GIS-Based Algorithm for the Compact Cities of the Far North

The issue of forming a comfortable environment in cities with complex climatic conditions has always been an urgent and difficult issue for urban planners. Cities located in the territories of the Far North are characterized by extremely harsh climatic characteristics that affect the planning solutions for the public spaces of the city. Low temperatures and strong winds reduce the time of comfortable stay in the open air, which leads to a decrease in the mobility of the population in the city and stimulates the use of personal cars. The research question is the rational placement of points of interest on the street network to ensure a comfortable travel time between objects. The research methodology of public space planning taking into account the climatic comfortability of Far North cities is proposed in this article. Also, an automated GIS-based algorithm for determining intermediate points on linear objects to increase POIs’ connectivity for the development of the public space of Far North cities under the condition of organizing climatic comfort is proposed. Development of safe and comfortable public space on the basis of network accessibility, taking into account the difficult climatic conditions of these cities, will increase the social activity of the population and tourists, as well as promote economic growth and business development in the city.