Social Level Research Articles

The Challenge and Response of Network Security in The Era of Artificial Intelligence

With the emergence of artificial intelligence, new situations, new problems, and new challenges in the field of network security are emerging one after another, affecting the global economic pattern, development pattern, and security pattern, also putting forward higher requirements for network security assurance. Nowadays, cases of using fake audio and video such as AI face-changing and AI voice-changing to commit new cybercrimes occur occasionally. From the individual level, artificial intelligence lowers the threshold for personal cybercrime. At the social level, artificial intelligence forges false information that misleads the public and poses a certain threat to people’s property. This article aims to analyse the function of artificial intelligence and discuss the impact of emerging technologies on social development. This article by comparing domestic and foreign researches on artificial intelligence, using a qualitative research methodology with case studies and literature, and expresses views and ideas regarding the laws about artificial intelligence. The article finds that maintaining network security is the common responsibility of the whole society and requires the joint participation of governments, social organisations, and the majority of netizens. Therefore, it is suggested that other security risks that may be caused by artificial intelligence in the future, should be prevented based on risk prevention, and active use laws and regulations to regulate and guide. Secondly, by referring to the law, ensuring the protection of personal information, and standardise the cyber security environment is so significant. Finally, carry out online publicity and education to improve the network security awareness.

Comparison of personality abilities and self-suppression in women applying for divorce and non-applicant women

Introduction: Considering the effects and negative consequences of divorce at the individual and social levels, especially for women, the need for preventive measures to reduce these damages is evident. Aim: The current research aimed to compare personality abilities and self-suppression in women applying for divorce and non-applicant women. Methods: The current research is applied in terms of purpose and causal-comparative type of descriptive in terms of research method type and the statistical population was all the women who referred to counseling centers in Qom in 2022, from which 30 women who applied for divorce and 30 women who did not apply for divorce were selected using the available sampling method using G*Power software. The research tools were Values in Action Inventory of Strengths by Peterson and Seligman (2003), and Silencing the Self Scale by Jack (1991). To analyze the data, multivariate analysis of variance was used for the main hypothesis and univariate analysis of variance using SPSS26 software was used. Results: The results showed that there is a difference between personality abilities and self-suppression in women applying for divorce and non-applicant women (P<0.01) and women applying for divorce obtained a higher score in self-suppression and a lower score in personality abilities Conclusion: The results showed that there is a difference between personality abilities and self-suppression in women applying for divorce and non-applicating women. In order to increase personal abilities, it is suggested to focus on individual abilities such as hope, optimism, creativity and vitality in couple training and couples therapy sessions.

Social group size alters social behavior and dopaminergic and serotonergic systems

ABSTRACT Social behavior is affected by social structure type, but how neural function changes with social type remains unclear. We investigated whether social group size affects social behaviors based on dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) systems. Four-week-old male mice were housed under different social group sizes: one, two, four, and eight mice per cage (1mpc, 2mpc, 4mpc, 8mpc, respectively). After 4 weeks, social preference, social interaction, and forced swim tests were performed to test sociability and anxiety, respectively, followed by analysis of DA and 5-HT and their metabolites (3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid [DOPAC], 3-methoxytyramine [3-MT], norepinephrine, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid [5-HIAA]). Social interactions and anxious behavior decreased with increased social group size. DA, 3-MT, and 5-HT levels decreased with increasing social group size, whereas DOPAC and 5-HIAA levels increased in the extended mesocorticolimbic system, including the dorsal striatum. Moreover, the increased social group size resulted in increased DOPAC/DA and 5-HIAA/5-HT ratios, accompanied by a decrease in the 3-MT/DA ratio within the extended mesocorticolimbic system. Linear regression analysis also revealed that social group size affects DA and 5-HT turnover. These suggest that social group size may influence behavior and monoamine levels, potentially contributing to DA- and 5-HT-related psychiatric disorders.

Unending dialectical politics of identity in Ethiopia

Background Identity politics is one of political terminology which is subjected to continuous and increasingly contested conceptualization and use. Moreover, identity exists in all social level starting for individual to international level, which makes identity a multi-layer concept. There has been a great deal of identity-based terminological distortion and misconception in Ethiopian political discourses and practice since its formation in the modern form. One of the primary challenges in Ethiopian present political discourse is misconception, complexity, and contradiction between ethnic identity (የብሄር ማንነት) and civic identity or citizenship (የዜግነት ማንነት), which must be addressed in Ethiopian political discourse. Methods In this paper, critical post-modernism research philosophy and Dialectical Method is used to analyze the rotation of contradiction between Pan-Ethiopianism and Pan-ethnic nationalism. The narrative analysis is used to make a critical investigation of the vicious cycle unending dialectics of identity politics in Ethiopia. Discussion The current political situation is an indication of unending dialectics of Ethiopian politics. The existing politics of ethnic identity and citizenship indicate unending dialectic of political friction with the rotation of thesis and anti-thesis which left the state building projection of country incomplete and weak dialectical process. Wrong policy and political responses of successive regime to the nationality questions (quests for power sharing and autonomous self-government) resulted in the sustained and vicious circle of conflict. Conclusion Generally, it is argued that prescription of one side of nationalism at the expense of the other will never resolve the political crisis of the country. Therefore, it is recommended that both integrationist and accommodationist institutional design and multinational democratic federalism should be implemented effectively to cope with the salience of identity politics in the country.

Development and validation of a dynamic nomogram to predict alexithymia in young and middle aged stroke patients

Alexithymia, characterized by difficulty in expressing and recognizing emotions, is prevalent among young and middle-aged stroke survivors and can significantly impact rehabilitation outcomes. This study aims to develop and validate a dynamic nomogram to predict the risk of alexithymia in this population. This cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2022 to August 2023 at two tertiary hospitals in Jinzhou City and Cangzhou City, enrolling 319 patients. Predictive factors for alexithymia, such as Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scores, social support levels, lesion location, educational background, and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores, were identified through univariate and multivariate analyses. These factors were integrated into a web-based dynamic nomogram. The model’s accuracy was evaluated using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves and 1000 bootstrap resamples. In the training cohort, 47.8% of patients were diagnosed with alexithymia. The nomogram demonstrated excellent fit and reliability, with an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.837 (95% CI: 0.787–0.889) in the training cohort and 0.847 (95% CI: 0.767–0.928) in the validation cohort, enabling reliable early detection of alexithymia. The dynamic nomogram provides healthcare professionals with an important tool for early detection and management of alexithymia in young and middle-aged stroke survivors. While the model shows high predictive accuracy, its applicability may be limited to similar clinical settings. Future studies should evaluate its utility across diverse healthcare systems. This tool has the potential to significantly improve rehabilitation outcomes by supporting personalized therapeutic strategies and interventions.

Analysis of the Formation of Zhang Yuansu's Idea of "Nourishing Stomach Qi

Zhang Yuansu's ideology and theory of “Nourishing stomach qi as the foundation” is a concentrated manifestation of Zhang Yuansu's academic thought, which is a combination of the academic treasures of the sages and physicians of past dynasties, as well as Zhang's independent knowledge and innovations in clinical practice. Its view of the spleen and stomach and stomach qi is the fundamental thought content, specifically embodied in: the importance of the care of the nature of the nursery, indicating that “strong stomach qi, the five organs and six bowels are strong”; internal injuries and diseases, the first to supplement the spleen and stomach and then transform its injuries; the use of medicines is prudent, avoiding bitter, cold and harsh ones, in order to prevent damage to the stomach qi. On the basis of this theory, combined with a large amount of literature and historical data, to clarify the formation of its factors: natural climatic factors affecting Zhang Zhongjing attaches importance to the use of the doctrine of the five elements in the treatment of visceral organ identification and treatment, and indicates that the spleen and stomach internal injury disease clinical evidence of medication, it is necessary to combine with the seasonal diagnosis and treatment in order to support the maintenance of the stomach qi; on the social level, Zhang Zhongjing was in the era of wars, the economy and culture have been damaged, social instability and anxiety, the people are tired of running for their lives, and are susceptible to fatigue, worry, hunger, and the need to take care of the stomach. The social level, Zhang Yuansu lived in the era of wars, economic and cultural destruction, social unrest, people were tired of running around, easily suffering from fatigue, worry, hunger, and satiety problems affecting the spleen and stomach, which is to say, internal injuries to the spleen and stomach were more common during this period. At this time, there was the phenomenon of the abuse of doctors and the popularity of a large number of warm and dry medicines, which caused many ills. Therefore, Zhang Yuansu paid particular attention to the internal causes of spleen and stomach diseases and put forward the academic idea of "raising the stomach qi as the foundation. Finally, it is concluded that Zhang Yuansu's view of the spleen and stomach and his academic thoughts are the inevitable development of the era, natural geography, personal understanding, and innovation; and finally formed the treatment idea of “nourishing the stomach and qi as the basis,” which is to stabilize and harmonize the spleen and stomach. This therapeutic idea became an important part of The School of Yi Shui and was the foundation for the development of the academic ideas related to the spleen and stomach in later generations.

After neonatal care, what next? A qualitative study of mothers’ post-discharge experiences after premature birth in Kenya

BackgroundApproximately 15 million babies are born prematurely every year worldwide. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Asia account for more than half of the global preterm deliveries. Prominent healthcare structural and socio-economic factors in SSA, for example poverty and weak health systems, amplify vulnerabilities for mothers and premature babies; often leading to poor outcomes. Post-discharge mortality rates are high, and readmission is common. For mothers of premature babies, the transition home from hospital is marked by challenges and uncertainties. This study explored the post-discharge experiences of mothers of premature babies with the aim of identifying their needs and suggests strategies to strengthen and support their discharge preparation to care for their premature baby at home, and to and reduce mortality and readmission rates.MethodsNarrative interviews were conducted face-to-face in English or Swahili with 34 mothers of premature babies recruited from two public hospitals and a social support group in Nairobi, Kenya between August—November 2021. Interviews were audio and video-recorded and transcribed for analysis. After transcription, the interviews were translated, where applicable, and thematic analysis was undertaken.ResultsFor mothers of premature babies, discharge from neonatal care and the transition home is a complex process marked with mixed emotions; many reported feeling unprepared and facing stigma while in hospital and in their communities. Mothers described the emotional challenges of discharge from the neonatal unit and their information and support needs. Minimal involvement in their baby’s care while in the neonatal unit appeared to contribute to the mothers’ lack of confidence in caring for their babies independently post-discharge when they no longer had the support of the clinical and nursing staff. Insufficient information provided on discharge hindered a smooth transition to home, highlighting the need for information to support mothers’ confidence after discharge. Stigma relating to beliefs around preterm births was experienced by some of the mothers in the community and within some health clinics.ConclusionsTo support transitions home, strengthening the timing and adequacy of information provided to mothers at discharge from the neonatal unit in low-income settings in SSA and Asia – such as Kenya—is essential. Introducing strategies to build and assess mothers’ competencies with skills such as breastfeeding and identifying signs of deterioration before discharge could support their smooth transition home. Targeted engagement interventions at the community level could demystify and address stigma and knowledge gaps about premature deliveries at the community and social levels more broadly and within the health system.

Social Work Students’ Perceptions of Sex Offender Management Policies

ABSTRACT Social work educators and curricula continue to struggle with educating students about sex offenders, including community policies that may have collateral consequences for sex offenders and minimal benefit to society. There have been no studies specifically examining social work students’ attitudes toward sex offender management policies and connecting them to the EPAS. Hierarchical linear regression models were estimated to examine the relationship between social work program level, demographics, and policy endorsement. BSW-level students were less supportive of adult sex offender management policies compared to MSW students. Given the charge of social workers to examine biases and how they relate to service delivery, identifying areas in which bias and fear have dictated public policy is concerning and should be considered.

Global disease burden of cervical cancer and the association of screening coverage with quality of disease management.

To analyze the global disease burden of cervical cancer and the association between screening coverage and the quality of disease management. The data of global burden of cervical cancer 2021 and the data of cervical cancer screening 2019 were obtained from IHME Global Burden of Disease (GBD) and the WHO Global Health Observatory (GHO), respectively. The age-standardized disease burden index was calculated, the Quality of Disease Management Index (QCI) was determined with principal component analysis, the correlation between QCI and cervical cancer screening coverage was examined with linear regression analysis by regions and populations. The burden of cervical cancer and the quality of its management exhibited significant variability across countries with differing levels of social development. The indicators of cervical cancer burden in China were close to the average level of countries with higher socia-demographic index (SDI). The global QCI was 22.22 (10.50, 35.43), and that of China was 26.30. The global screening coverage rate for cervical cancer was 42% (12%, 86%) and that in China was 31%. After adjusting for the social development level of countries, the coverage level of cervical cancer screening was associated with QCI (β=0.27, P<0.01), no matter in countries with low or high SDI (P>0.05). The association was significantly stronger among younger women (β=1.48, P<0.05). There are discrepancies in both the disease burden of cervical cancer and the quality of disease management among countries with different socioeconomic levels, and there is still considerable room for improvement in China. Expanding coverage of cervical cancer screening may be an effective strategy to enhance the management quality of cervical cancer, particularly among younger women where the screening benefits are most pronounced.

Exploring the relationship between personality traits, social appearance anxiety, and quality of life among nursing students

BackgroundNursing students represent a unique group that faces specific stressors. One of these stressors is social appearance anxiety, which can adversely affect the quality of life. Personality traits are strong predictors of coping with stress and anxiety. This study explored the relationship between personality traits, social appearance anxiety, and quality of life among nursing students.MethodsThe study employed a correlational descriptive cross-sectional research design. One thousand twenty-one students from the bachelor program’s first, second, third, and fourth years participated in the study. The data was collected over three months from June to August 2024 by using four tools: the student's academic and socio-demographic profile, Novo Psych Five Factor Personality Scale (NFFPS-30), Social anxiety about appearance Scale (SAAS)., and The WHO Quality of Life Scale-Brief (WHOQOL-Brief).ResultsThe personality trait with the highest mean score is agreeableness (21.0 ±2.8), while neuroticism has the lowest mean score (18.4 ±4.3). (SAAS) results show that the majority of students (79.5%) experience low social anxiety levels. Additionally, (WHOQOL-Brief), general health, and social domains had the highest mean scores (58.2 and 53.2), compared to the physical domain, which scored the lowest at (40.6).ConclusionThe study concluded that all personality traits correlate significantly negatively with SAAS except neuroticism. QOL was positively correlated with all personality traits except neuroticism. SAAS and neuroticism traits of personality are strong negative predictors of QOL. Further research and interventional programs are necessary to detect students’ level of anxiety and their personality traits and improve their social appearance anxiety.

Переживание утраты взрослого ребенка в пожилом возрасте

&lt;p&gt;Parental grief is associated with many collateral losses and severe consequences at the mental, physical, and social levels. Most studies of parental loss are concentrated in the area of infant mortality, while increasing life expectancy entails an increase in the number of cases of adult child loss among older people. Anamneses of elderly people are often burdened by cumulative psychotraumatization, somatic and mental disorders. At the same time, older subjects have a wider range of coping strategies available. This review examines the consequences of the superposition of the factors of the severity of the stressor under study and the pronounced gerontogenetic diversity. Based on the analysis of 76 literary sources, a comparison and specification of the empirical research results were carried out, which preliminary revealed universal psychological consequences of losing a child at an older age, including a sense of guilt, a feeling of abnormality of what happened, complication of the age crisis, deformation of the "Self-concept", chronification of grief. Specific tendencies in the course of grief due to the type of loss are systematically described. Loss of a violent nature is the most traumatic in comparison with loss due to an unfavorable outcome of the disease and is accompanied by the desire of parents to take revenge, restore justice. Losses of children performing official duties during military operations are associated with extremely high ambivalence of experiences, while losses associated with emergency situations are associated with survivor's guilt. Illegal grief (death due to a stigmatized disease, suicide, violation of the law, substance use) is burdened by shame, which prevents getting help. The study points out the need for empirical clarification of the data obtained and has practical value, specifying the targets of providing psychotherapeutic assistance to grieving elderly parents.&lt;/p&gt;

Potential profiling of social alienation in older female patients with stress urinary incontinence

BackgroundWith the global trend of aging, stress urinary incontinence is becoming more common in older adults, which may have some impact on patients' quality of life. Social alienation can generate negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, loneliness, and morbid stigma, and reduce patients' quality of life. However, the current status of social alienation is different among different older adult female patients with stress urinary incontinence. Therefore, this study categorizes older adult female stress urinary incontinence patients through potential analysis to understand the category characteristics of social alienation level of older adult female stress urinary incontinence patients, and explores the influencing factors of social alienation level of different categories of older adult female stress urinary incontinence patients, which can provide a reference to personalized intervention programs for the characteristics of social alienation of older adult female stress urinary incontinence in the future.MethodA convenience sampling method was used to select 365 cases of older adult female stress urinary incontinence patients from March 2023 to April 2024 in three communities in Jinzhou City. The General Information Questionnaire, the Family Care Index Scale, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and the General Alienation Scale were used to conduct the survey.ResultsA total of 365 respondents were included, and three potential categories of social alienation were finally identified, namely, low social alienation (29.0%), medium social alienation-self alienation (49.4%), and high social alienation (21.6%). The results of multifactorial logistic regression analysis showed that occupational status, marital status, whether living alone, place of residence, BMI, whether other chronic diseases, level of narrative disorders, and level of family care were the influencing factors of social alienation in older adult female patients with stress urinary incontinence (P &amp;lt; 0.05).ConclusionThe social alienation of older adult female patients with stress urinary incontinence is characterized by a significant number of categories, and healthcare professionals can identify the characteristics and influencing factors of each category at an early stage, which can provide a basis for the development of targeted clinical interventions to help patients reduce the level of social alienation.

Individuals with disabilities in grassroots football clubs: volunteering and social capital

Abstract Volunteering might be a leisure activity that supports the development of social capital of individuals with disabilities in organized sports. This study investigates the link between having a disability (i.e., physical, mental, or both), the likelihood and extent of volunteering, and the level of social capital in grassroots football clubs. We further examine a moderating effect of volunteering hours on the relationship between having a disability and social capital. Drawing on leisure constraints theory, individuals with disabilities are assumed to have a lower probability to volunteer than able-bodied individuals. Also, we hypothesize that individuals with disabilities perceive their social capital as lower than able-bodied individuals. Based on the motivational model, we assume that sport volunteers with disabilities perceive a higher social capital if they volunteer more hours. Data were collected via an online survey in seven European countries and targeted at adult volunteers and members in football clubs (n = 16,989 volunteers). Results of regressions show that having a physical disability is significantly negatively associated with the probability to volunteer in a football club. Further, having either a physical or mental disability is significantly negatively related to an individuals’ social capital level. The moderation analyses indicate that volunteers having both types of disabilities perceive a higher social capital if they volunteer more hours per month.

Effectiveness and Efficiency Analysis of Three Methods of Lecturer and Employee Attendance at UIN Salatiga

This research analyzes the effectiveness and efficiency of three methods of lecturer and employee attendance used at the State Islamic University (UIN) Salatiga, namely: Squadron Android application, Smart Staff Android and iOS applications, and Fingerprint. This research uses a comparative quantitative approach with data collected through questionnaires from 76 respondents. The results of the research indicate that the Squadron Android application method has the highest level of satisfaction, accuracy, and socialization compared to other methods. However, all methods still face technical constraints, such as tool sensitivity and limited reach. This research recommends technical improvements, increased functionality, and integration of attendance systems to improve user experience. The Squadron Android application attendance method shows a higher value than Smart Staff Android and iOS applications and Fingerprint. Many respondents considered the ease of use and accuracy of the Squadron Android application attendance method better than other attendance methods.

An exploration of sociopolitical grief

ABSTRACT Grief is most commonly understood as an individual response to the death of a loved one. However, this view of grief is highly individualistic and does not incorporate the complexity of the grief experience as a response to many different types of losses. Grief may be individually and/or collectively experienced. It may also be present not just after the death of a loved one, but due to the ‘death’ of deeply held values, ideals, and identities that originate in social and/or structural spheres. A unique form of grief that has significant relevance to current world events is sociopolitical grief, which occurs in losses that result from the implementation of political policies, laws, organisational norms, and social messaging that have a profound impact upon specific individuals and groups. In this article, the concept of sociopolitical grief will be explored from many different perspectives, along with the unique implications for losses that originate at the governmental, structural, and/or social levels.

Midwives perspectives of barriers and facilitators for the practice of promoting women's positive childbirth experience in China: A qualitative study.

Women-centered care for positive childbirth experiences is currently a global trend. However, there are some barriers to promoting women's positive childbirth experiences in practice. This study explored midwives' perspectives on the barriers and facilitators to promoting women's positive childbirth experience in practice. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 18 midwives in the birth unit of four tertiary care hospitals in Hefei, Anhui Province, China. Thematic analysis was used to code the interviews with deductive codes, and we organized findings according to levels of influence within the Dahlgren and Whitehead rainbow model, a socioecological model of health. Midwives reported barriers to women's positive childbirth experience were identified on four levels: individual factors included psychological barriers and childbirth expectations (micro level), social and community and organization factors included interpersonal violence, medical mistrust and obstetric violence and outcome (meso level), healthcare system factors included midwife shortage and hospital environment (macro level). Facilitators for a positive birth experience include antenatal education, community continuum of care, and respectful and understanding care. This study indicated that midwives experienced several barriers and facilitators in providing positive childbirth experience care to women in the Chinese context. The findings will help maternity care providers and policymakers develop multi-level implementation strategies at the individual, social, community, organization, and healthcare system levels.

'It's Not Written All Over My Face': Constructing Chronic Pain as Invisible in Pain Clinic Consultations and Interviews.

Historically in medicine and beyond, the understanding of and treatment of pain is based on finding tissue injury. The fact that for chronic pain, there often is no (longer) any traceable tissue injury, in combination with the fact that pain essentially is a private experience, poses a challenge for clinical communication. This paper therefore examines how pain is linguistically and interactionally constructed as invisible. The qualitative approach of interactional sociolinguistic analysis is used to analyse 37 consultations and 11 semi-structured interviews with patients with chronic pain, collected at a Belgian pain clinic. This fine-grained approach to studying communication provides an in-depth empirical understanding of phenomenon under scrutiny. The data show that pain is constructed as invisible on several levels: 1) on the biomechanical and clinical level in terms of its lack of visible or traceable tissue injury, 2) on the level of interaction, as pain needs to be made apparent to other people through pain displays, and 3) on the social level, as chronic pain often is not visible or apparent in society more largely. The discussion explores how on these three levels, notions of the abnormal or deviant body come into play, in which patients and health professionals complexly construct pain both as not normal (i.e. not a neutral or desirable state of being), while, at the same time, the lack of traceable tissue injury is constructed as medically normal for chronic pain. This also shows how patients and healthcare providers often orient to the stigma around chronic pain.

Interventions to Reduce Loneliness Among Community-dwelling Older Adults: A Network Meta-analysis and Systematic Review.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions in reducing loneliness among community-dwelling older adults. A network meta-analysis (NMA) and systematic review. Interventional studies were included if they contained original quantitative data on interventions to reduce loneliness among community-dwelling older adults. Qualitative studies were included if they contained views on loneliness coping strategies or intervention evaluation. Six English databases and 3 Chinese databases were searched for studies published before August 2023. We extracted mean and standard differences (SDs) for the NMA to examine the overall effectiveness and efficacy of different interventions on loneliness. Thematic analysis was used to derive perspectives on coping strategies to mitigate loneliness. Forty-six quantitative studies with 6049 participants and 40 qualitative studies with 1095 participants were included in the analysis. The pooled effect size was large and significant (standardized mean difference [SMD],-0.95; 95% CI,-1.32 to-0.58; P < .001), indicating a strong effect of interventions in reducing loneliness. Subgroup analyses revealed significant differences in effect sizes by study region and health risk. Results of the NMA suggested interventions seem to be most effective when having psychosocial interventions as the content, a combination of individual and group as the delivery mode, and a mixture of face-to-face and online methods as the contact mode. Findings of the qualitative synthesis revealed 2 main dimensions of activities for reducing loneliness, including delivery modes (individual or group or combination) and settings (indoor or outdoor or combination). Strategies for coping with loneliness at the social, cognitive, and behavioral levels were also identified. The present study identified the most effective components of loneliness interventions in reducing loneliness among older adults. Findings offer important insights for practice and policy-making on potential strategies that can be used to reduce loneliness among community-dwelling older adults.

Does social support improve self-management among rural hypertensive patients? An empirical analysis based on generalized propensity score matching.

This study aimed to examine the causal effect between perceived social support and self-management in rural patients with hypertension and to provide a basis for improving self-management. A cross-sectional study of 1,091 rural hypertensive patients in Shanxi Province was conducted from March through June 2022 to analyze the factors influencing social support as well as the causal effects of social support and self-management using generalized propensity score matching. Rural hypertensive patients had a low level of social support (social support score = 0.632 ± 0.178). Social support had a significant and inverted U-shaped relationship with self-management; with increasing social support levels, the levels of self-management first rose and then declined, with an inflexion point of 0.774. Social support had significant negative correlations with sex, age, number of child, living status (i.e., living alone or living with others), disease duration, family economic status, and decision-making power, and positive correlations with having a spouse and having medical insurance. Greater emphasis should be placed on the older adult, individuals living alone, those without spouses, only children, economically disadvantaged populations, and uninsured individuals to enhance the social support they received and ultimately improve their self-management of hypertension. Furthermore, establishing social support systems that are congruent with rural relational networks is crucial for promoting effective hypertension self-management.

Acceptability of improved cook stoves-a scoping review of the literature.

Improved cooking stoves (ICS) are intended to reduce indoor air pollution and the inefficient use of fuel yet there is often reticence to shift permanently to ICS. Drawing on a scoping review, this article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of factors affecting the acceptability of ICS. A scoping review was carried out using a systematic search strategy of literature. All articles identified in three major databases that included Pubmed/Medline, Scopus and Web of Science underwent screening followed by content analysis to generate major and minor themes using a structured social level analysis. The analysis identified factors at micro, meso, and macro-social levels that potentially contribute to an adoption of an improved cooking stove (ICS). The findings from the review were discussed and refined among a group of experts identified based on their prior academic or commercial contributions related to ICS. Adoption of ICS was dependent on functional outputs (e.g. cleanliness, and cooking efficiency) while meeting local social and cultural demands (e.g. cooking large meals, traditional meals, and taste). Health and cost benefits played an important role in the adoption and sustained use of ICS. The adoption of ICS was enabled by use among neighbors and other community members. Sustained use of ICS depended on fuel supply, fuel security and policies promoting its use. Policies offering subsidies in support of supply-chain garnered institutional trust among community members and resulted in the sustained use of ICS. In addition to design attributes of ICS that could meet both scientific and social demands, policies supporting promotion of clean energy, subsidies and supplies can substantially enhance the adoption of ICS.