Southern European Country Research Articles

Differences in the work-family experience of mothers and fathers of a southern European country

Abstract Background The intense childrearing years often coincide with the heightened work demands and responsibilities of the career-building years. We aimed to evaluate the association between family-life stage and men’s and women’s experience of work and private demands, and the conflict between these demands. Methods We evaluated 3532 mothers and 731 fathers as part of the Portuguese population-based birth cohort Generation XXI (2018-2020). Data on family-life stage (exposure), work demands, private demands, and work-to-family conflict (outcomes) were retrieved at the 13-year follow-up wave, as well as data on sociodemographic and household characteristics. Family-life stage was operationalized according to the age of the youngest child: stage 1 (≤5 years), stage 2 (6-11 years), and stage 3 (≥12 years). Ordinal logistic regression models were used to estimate associations. Results Men reported more frequently long working hours, while women spent more time on household and child-related tasks. After adjustment for parents’ and household characteristics, mothers and fathers with younger children were more likely to report spending more time on child-related tasks (ORmothers = 1.83; 95%CI 1.44, 2.33; ORfathers = 2.36; 95%CI 1.41, 3.94), compared to those with older children. Fathers with younger children were also more likely to report spending more time on household tasks (OR = 2.20; 95%CI 1.30, 3.73 for routine tasks and OR = 1.75; 95%CI 1.03, 2.97 for sporadic tasks). Mothers exhibited a significant association between family-life stage and time-based work-to-family conflict when they had younger children (OR = 1.24; 95% CI 1.05, 1.47 for family-life stage 2 and OR = 1.28; 95% CI 1.00, 1.63 for family-life stage 1). Conclusions Both fathers and mothers with young children experienced increased private demands, but only mothers experienced work-to-family conflict. This reveals that family and working arrangements remain marked by a gendered pattern against women.

S2016 Rising Incidence and Prevalence of Autoimmune Hepatitis in a Southern European Country Cohort: Clinical Features and Treatment Response

S2016 Rising Incidence and Prevalence of Autoimmune Hepatitis in a Southern European Country Cohort: Clinical Features and Treatment Response

Comparing mechanical ventilation control strategies for indoor air quality: Monitoring and simulation results of a school building in northern Italy

Demand-controlled ventilation systems and carbon dioxide monitoring are critical to ensure indoor air quality (IAQ) comfort conditions. Their importance has become significantly more evident since the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Control strategies for mechanical ventilation based on CO2 concentration are commonly used, although they are rarely applied in Italian and other Southern European country schools. Moreover, optimised ventilation systems can help maintain indoor air quality while reducing energy consumption for heating (i.e. exploiting heat recovery). The proposed paper aims to compare different remote-control strategies to manage three detached mechanical ventilation units (DMV) installed in a junior-high-school demo building in Torre Pellice (Northwest Italy), monitored with room detail since April 2021. Eight IAQ control logics are analysed considering both in situ tests, handling DMV accordingly to room sensors, and simulation tests using the Energy Management System of EnergyPlus in the neutral season. All different solutions are compared by considering air quality, temperature, and energy need indicators. Additionally, a yearly energy verification via hourly simplified analyses is performed by considering fan consumption and energy conservation. Threshold-based control logics result to be more effective than time-dependent ones, while all cases guarantee very high IAQ levels, although energy savings are limited. The choice of the correct control threshold(s) is site-dependent being influenced by user local habits.

For, against, and beyond: healthcare professionals’ positions on Medical Assistance in Dying in Spain

BackgroundIn 2021, Spain became the first Southern European country to grant and provide the right to euthanasia and medically assisted suicide. According to the law, the State has the obligation to ensure its access through the health services, which means that healthcare professionals’ participation is crucial. Nevertheless, its implementation has been uneven. Our research focuses on understanding possible ethical conflicts that shape different positions towards the practice of Medical Assistance in Dying, on identifying which core ideas may be underlying them, and on suggesting possible reasons for this disparity. The knowledge acquired contributes to understanding its complexity, shedding light into ambivalent profiles and creating strategies to increase their participation.MethodsWe conducted an exploratory qualitative research study by means of semi-structured interviews (1 h) with 25 physicians and nurses from primary care (12), hospital care (7), and palliative care (6), 17 women and 8 men, recruited from Madrid, Catalonia, and Andalusia between March and May 2023. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded in Atlas.ti software by means of thematic and interpretative methods to develop a conceptual model.ResultsWe identified four approaches to MAiD: Full Support (FS), Conditioned Support (CS), Conditioned Rejection (CR), and Full Rejection (FR). Full Support and Full Rejection fitted the traditional for and against positions on MAiD. Nevertheless, there was a gray area in between represented by conditioned profiles, whose participation cannot be predicted beforehand. The profiles were differentiated considering their different interpretations of four core ideas: end-of-life care, religion, professional duty/deontology, and patient autonomy. These ideas can intersect, which means that participants' positions are multicausal and complex. Divergences between profiles can be explained by different sources of moral authority used in their moral reasoning and their individualistic or relational approach to autonomy.ConclusionsThere is ultimately no agreement but rather a coexistence of plural moral perspectives regarding MAiD among healthcare professionals. Comprehending which cases are especially difficult to evaluate or which aspects of the law are not easy to interpret will help in developing new strategies, clarifying the legal framework, or guiding moral reasoning and education with the aim of reducing unpredictable non-participations in MAID.

Orthopaedic surgeons' attitude toward physical activity for people after total hip or knee replacement: Northern vs Southern European country

BackgroundRegular physical activity (PA) is a key factor of lifestyle behavior enhancing general health and fitness, especially in people after total hip or knee replacement (THR and TKR). Orthopaedic surgeons can play a primary role in advocating the benefits of an active lifestyle. Aim of the study was 1) to assess the attitude of orthopaedic surgeons towards PA for people after THR/TKR and 2) to compare the attitude between a Northern European (the Netherlands) and a Southern European (Italy) country and analyze which factors influence the attitude towards PA.MethodsA cross-cultural study. An (online) survey was distributed among orthopaedic surgeons in Italy and the Netherlands. Chi-square and Mann–Whitney tests were used to compare surgeons’ and clinics’ characteristics, and questionnaires’ scores, respectively. A linear regression analysis was conducted to assess which surgeon characteristics influence attitude towards PA.ResultsA cohort of 159 surgeons (103 Italians and 56 Dutch) was analyzed. The median score of overall orthopaedic surgeons’ attitude towards PA was positive (57 out of 72). Dutch surgeons showed a more positive attitude compared to Italian surgeons (p < 0.01). Main difference was found in the “Physical activity concern” factor, where Italian surgeons showed more concern about the negative effects of PA on the survival of the prosthesis. The regression analyses showed that “Country” and “Type of clinic” were associated with the surgeons’ attitude.ConclusionsOverall, the orthopaedic surgeons’ attitude towards PA for people with THR and TKR was positive. However, Dutch surgeons seem to be more positive compared to the Italian. The country of residence was the item that most influenced attitude. Further investigations are needed to untangle specific factors, such as cultural, socioeconomic, or contextual differences within the variable “country” that may influence orthopaedic surgeons’ attitudes towards PA.

Households’ energy burden during the 2022 crisis: a policy impact assessment in a Southern European country

Households’ energy burden during the 2022 crisis: a policy impact assessment in a Southern European country

Border control within Spanish prisons? Intersections between immigration control and imprisonment at the southern border of Europe

Recent scholarship has highlighted that, for many foreign nationals, Western European prisons function as 'places of crimmigration' where non-citizens are over-represented, often excluded from rehabilitation efforts, sometimes held in segregated prisons, and where it is common for incarceration to lead to deportation. However, this literature has mainly focused on north-western European countries and has neglected countries on the EU's southern border, where different dynamics may be at work. This research aims to provide a broader understanding of how border control shapes imprisonment in Western European prisons by including Spain, a Southern European country, in the picture. To this end, this article examines prison regulations on foreign inmates and original statistics on their release and expulsion from prison. In doing so, this paper demonstrates that the aims of border control have permeated Spanish prisons, making imprisonment into an exclusionary punishment for certain non-citizens and introducing a new role for prison staff. The findings of this study also indicate that expulsions are used selectively on a small proportion of incarcerated noncitizens. This result is consistent with previous research suggesting a discrepancy between crimmigration discourse and practice, while also revealing the existence of hierarchies of belonging.

The prevalence of skin diseases in Greece, impact on quality of life and stigmatization: A population‐based survey study

AbstractBackgroundThere is no population‐based evidence on the prevalence and impact of skin diseases in Greece.ObjectivesTo describe the prevalence of 12 main skin diseases and their impact on quality of life (QoL) and feelings of stigmatization in the Greek population.MethodsA population‐based survey in an adult Greek representative sample was carried out as part of the multinational ‘EADV burden of skin diseases study’. Quality of life (QOL) was measured using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) from the EuroQol‐5D (EQ. 5D) questionnaires.ResultsIn 1010 participants, 47.8% (n = 483) declared at least one skin disease or condition or skin‐related unpleasant sensation in the last 12 months. Fungal skin infection was reported with the higher prevalence (7.5%), followed by alopecia (5.7%), atopic dermatitis (5%), acne (3.6%), sexually transmitted diseases (2.7%), psoriasis (2.2%) chronic urticaria (1.5%), rosacea (1.3%), nonmelanoma skin cancer (1.5%), vitiligo (0.6%), cutaneous melanoma (0.6%) and hidradenitis suppurativa (0.3%). Mean VAS‐EQ. 5D and DLQI scores were 77.8 and 2.2, respectively. Among those reporting at least one skin problem, 68.1% reported an impact of the skin condition on their personal life and 51% reported an impact on time to take care of themselves. Regarding the impact on work‐life decisions, 22.2% reoriented their professional activity, 13% were refused a professional offer, 22.2% did not get the job they hoped to and 16.7% chose their work with their skin problem in mind. Regarding feelings of stigmatization, 12% felt left out/rejected by others, 6.6% were refused access to leisure facilities and 9.8% reported the impression to be looked at with disgust.ConclusionsOur population‐based study provides new information on the prevalence of skin diseases in the Southern European country of Greece and highlights the impact of prevalent skin disease on life‐altering decisions and stigmatization.

Factors affecting mentoring services - cross-national perspective

Abstract The research aims at the identification of factors influencing mentoring services with a particular emphasis on the country of origin of the mentor and the mentee. The quantitative research was conducted in four Central and Eastern European countries, i.e., Bulgaria, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania and one Southern European country, Italy. The implemented methodology covered Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and reliability analysis, which were performed to identify factors influencing the process of communication in the mentor–mentee relationship. Moreover, to diagnose statistically significant differences between individual countries in terms of factors influencing the effectiveness of communication, the Kruskal–Wallis H Test and the Mann–Whitney U Test, as well as pair-wise comparisons, were used. Factors influencing communication in the mentor–mentee relationship are mentor traits, mentor’s personal background, mentor’s professional background, non-verbal communication channels, communication barriers, written communication channels, online communication, quality of content and the ability of content processing by the mentee. There are differences in the perception of individual factors in the analysed countries. So far, no cross-country comparison has been conducted of factors influencing mentoring services. As a direction for future research, more detailed research can be recommended concerning factors of the mentoring process in such countries as Lithuania, Latvia and Italy by developing separate models (or EFA) for mentors and mentees.

The Conversation around Islam on Twitter: Topic Modeling and Sentiment Analysis of Tweets about the Muslim Community in Spain since 2015

Social media, especially Twitter, has become a platform where hate, toxic, intolerant, and discriminatory speech is increasingly spread. These messages are aimed at different vulnerable social groups, due to some of their differentiating characteristics with respect to the dominant one, whether they are phenotypic, religious, cultural, gender, sexual, etc. Of all these minorities, one of the most affected is the Muslim community, especially since the beginning of the Mediterranean refugee crisis, during which migration from the Middle East and North Africa increased considerably. Spain does not escape this reality as, given its proximity to Morocco, it is one of the main destinations for migrants from North Africa. In this context, there are already several studies focused on specifically investigating Islamophobic speech disseminated on social platforms, normally focused on specific cases. However, there are still no studies focused on analyzing the entire conversation around Islam and the Muslim community that takes place on Twitter and in a southern European country such as Spain, aiming to identify the latent sentiments and the main underlying topics and their characteristics, which would help to relativize and dimension the relevance of Islamophobic messages, as well as to analyze them from a more solid base. The main objective of the present study is to identify the most frequent words, the main underlying topics, and the latent sentiments that predominate in the general conversation about Islam and the Muslim community on Twitter in Spain and in Spanish during the last 8 years. To do this, 190,320 messages that included keywords related to Muslim culture and religion were collected and analyzed using computational techniques. The findings show that the most frequent words in these messages were mostly descriptive and not derogatory, and the predominant latent topics were mostly neutral and informative, although two of them could be considered reliable indicators of Islamophobic rejection. Similarly, while the overall average sentiment in this conversation trended negatively, neutral and positive messages were more prevalent. However, in the negative messages, the sentiment was considerably more pronounced.

An Empirical Analysis of the Aircraft Emissions by Operating from Scheduled Flights within the Domestic Market in Spain

Over the past 20 years, civil aviation has substantially reduced its environmental impact to augment sustainable transportation. In Spain, the domestic market has been habitually characterized by a few enterprises providing air transport services linked to scheduled flights on domestic corridors. Because of geographic diversity and the highly concentrated population characterizing this southern European country, many of them could not be supplied by alternative transport modes in terms of both time and distance by comparison with air transportation. For air quality monitoring from 139 national corridors, this paper aims to study related aviation emissions to conduct an economic analysis in terms of positive or negative externalities. For such purposes, the study focused on these domestic routes served by the five most important Spanish airports, specifically on the number of passengers transported from 2011 to 2020. Up to 10 aircraft types representing no more than 89% of regular operations on these flyways were subsequently identified. In addition, certain engine types also were selected as representatives to evaluate their emissions, depending on the great-circle distance in each route. The research findings, though particularly conditioned by aviation peculiarities of such a domestic market, point decisively to significant dependence upon emissions in connection with the seasonality of the demand and the concentration of flights with low occupancy indices from any one of them. Results suggest that airlines would benefit from operating turboprops instead of turbojets on selected routes, especially when oil prices are high. However, it is not always easy to find a balance between uncompromising economic profitability and effective fleet availability, since nowadays air transport undertakings tend to unify their fleets by using a few aircraft families, mostly powered by jet engines, apart from regional carriers.

How active are right-wing party members? Portuguese right-wing delegates, from a comparative and a General Incentives Model (GIM) perspective

This contribution explores the role of the incentives and benefits of party affiliation, along with the ideological reasons for being politically active, in particular as a party delegate. The rational for party affiliation and for activism has developed over recent decades, ranging from individual to collective reasons. The incentives that explain activism have been an essential part of the discussion on the reasons for becoming a party member, particularly following the seminal study on the General Incentives Model (GIM)’s, Seyd and Whiteley (1992). Later developments from Whiteley et al. (2019) provided evidence on the activism of radical political forces, as is the case of UKIP in the United Kingdom. Following the GIM framework, this study explores these themes within a Portuguese context, and from a comparative perspective. To date, investigations in this field have rarely focused on Portugal. The research question is: how do delegates view their party’s incentives and benefits, and how is this influenced by their ideological self-positioning on the left–right scale? We argue that the larger the party, the lower the members’ assessment will be of the incentives and benefits achieved. In methodological terms, this study is based on the MAPP project and surveys, applied to Portuguese political party members, including delegates from right-wing parties. The relevance of this article lies in the application of the GIM to delegates of right-wing political parties, in a comparative perspective, considering a downward trend and a Southern European country that has, to date, been little explored in this context (Sierens et al. 2022). The goal is to find evidence of how right-wing party members and delegates view the incentives and benefits that play a role in party activism.

Women in family farming: Evidence from a qualitative study in two Portuguese inner regions.

The importance of family farming in food systems worldwide is recognized by different international bodies, as well as the leading role played by women and the inequalities they face in this sector of activity. The most recent data from Portugal highlight the importance of this type of agriculture in this Southern European country. In 2019, 68% of the total agricultural workforce in the country was concentrated in family farming, with almost half of them being women. This high permanence of women in agriculture is the result of a long process of feminization on this sector that is similar to other contexts. Despite this strong feminization of family farming, there are few studies that portrait agricultural activity from the women's viewpoint, since the voice of men is always predominant in all references. Based on the exploratory qualitative data from two focus groups, carried out in two Portuguese inner regions, we intend to address the perceptions and meanings of a small group of women farmers regarding their activity, the role taken by them in agriculture and the difficulties they experience. Issues such as changes in agriculture and the sexual division of labor will also be addressed in this article. Within these groups, women work in agriculture is perceived as long, solitary and uncertain. Also, the public/private dichotomy is evident, with decision-making and public places dominated by men. A prevalence of the discourse of "masculinization" still exists with certain tasks being attributed to men (e.g., operations with machinery). Younger women (34 and 40 years old) tend to overcome these gender differences choosing agriculture as a profession and healthy and sustainable life for their families.

In Search of a Good Life in a Southern European Country: The New Italian Migration to Athens and Valencia.

One of the main migration flows from southern Europe is the so-called ‘new emigration’ from southern Europe towards other developed countries, mainly in North Europe. Nevertheless, we still don’t know very much about the internal flows in the area. The main aims of this paper are to contribute to a better understanding of these processes and to find common pathways, discussing – in a comparative perspective – the first results of two inquiries conducted on Italians living in Attica (Greece) and Valencia (Spain). The two studies have been carried out with a qualitative method mixing the techniques of participatory observation in virtual and real communities and in-depth interviews. The main result of the comparison is that both migration flows go beyond the idea of a new emigration from Southern Europe predominantly caused by a lack of good jobs. Other factors and motives seem to be at stake today in these pathways of mobility: the cost of living, the safety of public spaces, the good weather or the geographical proximity to the origin areas, among others. Those factors do not replace the relevance of economic migration motives, but certainly put forward the complexity of these emerging intra-southern European countries migration flows, underlining the multidimensional factors pushing them.

Young retail shift workers (not) planning their future: working with customers in the 24/7 service society in the transition to adulthood

PurposeThe retail sector is not largely studied in Italy. The study offers a comparison between youth retail shift work in Milan and London. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the debate on the one hand on youth work and on the other hand to the debate on agency and structural factors in life planning, representation of the future and the transition to adulthood, observed in the United Kingdom's and Italian labour market. Even if the second one is a Southern European Country, these contexts are both characterised by a service-oriented economy and the widespread of precarious and flexible jobs.Design/methodology/approachQualitative methods were used: one year of ethnographic observation, 50 interviews and two focus groups were carried out between 2015 and 2018 with retail workers and trade unionists. The contexts are Corso Buenos Aires in Milan, Italy, and Oxford Street in London, United Kingdom. Analysing young workers' discourses, the author identifies narratives that allow to grasp their present agency and imagined future.FindingsObserving the crisis of the narrative (Sennett, 2020) allows to highlight the social consequences of working times on young workers' everyday life and future. The author argues that young workers struggle with the narrative of their present everyday life and the representation of the future. This relates to the condition of time alienation due to the flexible schedules and the fast pace of work in retail, both affecting the work-life balance.Originality/valueThe social consequences of flexible schedules in retail and fast fashion sector, which are new issues not yet sufficiently explored, are here investigated from the perspective of young workers. The study is focussed on the representations of young people working with customers in social and economic contexts characterised by flexible schedules and the deregulation of shop openings, the so-called 24/7 service society, not largely investigated in the sociological scientific literature, above all in the Italian context.

Incidence Trends of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in a Southern European Country: A Mirror of the Western World?

INTRODUCTION:Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects people from all age categories worldwide. Although the incidence of the disease is stabilizing or decreasing in most Western world countries, its prevalence is still increasing because of the rise in life expectancy and better disease management. This work intends to identify the trends related to IBD incidence nationwide, analyzing regional, sex, and age distributions.METHODS:Data were provided by the Portuguese Shared Services of the Ministry of Health. This study consisted of a retrospective analysis of all first consultations coded for “Chronic enteritis/ulcerative colitis” (D94) in a primary healthcare setting, between 2017 and 2020, in Portugal. The primary outcome measure was the IBD incidence rate per 100,000 inhabitants. We also calculated the incidence rate per person-year and forecasted incidence until 2024.RESULTS:Between 2017 and 2019, the incidence rate of IBD in Portugal decreased from 54.9 to 48.6 per 100,000 inhabitants. The average incidence was 20 new cases of IBD per 1,000 person-year. It was predicted that, in December 2023, IBD incidence would reach 305.4 new cases (95% Prediction Interval 156.6–454.3), a similar result to the values forecasted for December 2021 (305.4, 95% Prediction Interval 197.3–413.6).DISCUSSION:The incidence of IBD slightly declined from 2017 to 2019, and it is posed to stabilize in the future. The presented data are of the utmost importance for the characterization of IBD in Southern European countries and the establishment of future health policies in the setting of compounding prevalence in the Western world.

Life Cycle Inventory for Safflower Production in Southern Europe

Abstract Safflower is currently primarily cultivated as an industrial crop for its oil, which is used for food and industrial purposes, while the by-products can be used for animal feeding. Traditionally cultivated in the Mediterranean area, it was abandoned in the past for other oil crops, such as sunflower. However, it is now returning to be interesting due to its adaptability to low-input cultivation practices, especially when sown in autumn. The main aim of this study is to present a Life Cycle Inventory of safflower grown in a Southern European country, i.e. Italy, based on primary data on agricultural practices used in this country. The study was carried out following ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. Data were collected from experimental fields of the University of Perugia, to ensure a specific and accurate data collection for the definition of the complete supply chain. The reference unit of this study was defined as 1 ha. The stages from raw materials production to seed harvesting were considered. The data presented will be useful to increase the existing knowledge of safflower production in other Mediterranean countries.

Prevalence of Barrett's esophagus in a Southern European country: a multicenter study.

Identification of Barrett's esophagus (BE) with the treatment of dysplasia is essential to prevent esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Moreover, determination of BE prevalence is important to define subsequent management strategies. However, precise estimates on BE prevalence from several European countries are lacking. We aimed to determine BE prevalence in a Southern European country. A cross-sectional, multicenter study from November 2019 to February 2020 was performed defining BE as a columnar extent in the distal esophagus greater than or equal to 1 cm with intestinal metaplasia. A total of 1550 individuals, 51% male with a mean age of 62 (SD = 15) years undergoing upper endoscopy were included. The overall BE prevalence was 1.29% (95% confidence interval: 0.73-1.85); significantly higher in men [2.05% (1.06-3.04)] vs. women [0.53% (0.01-1.04)]. Of the 20 BE patients, eight were newly diagnosed and 12 were under surveillance. The median extent was C3 (min 0; max 16) M4.5 (min 2; max 16). One patient each had EAC (0.06%) and high-grade dysplasia (0.06%) at the time of endoscopy. There was no difference in prevalence between geographical regions, centers, use of sedation or experience of endoscopists. Considering all reports, 93% used standardized terminology, 23% accurate photodocumentation and 69% photodocumented the esophagogastric junction (EGJ). Furthermore, 80% used Prague classification, 55% Seattle protocol, 60% distance to the squamocolumnar junction, 75% to the EGJ and 40% to the hiatal pinch. When considering only reports with EGJ photodocumentation or Prague classification, the prevalence was 1.78% (0.91-2.64) or 1.03% (0.53-1.53). We report for the first time BE prevalence in Southern Europe and report a low overall prevalence in an unselected population. Future studies need to determine progression rates and how to improve quality metrics.

Local Political Power and Social Protection Policies for Elderly People in the Portuguese Context - An Exploratory Study

Since the Carnation Revolution in April of 1974, and the consequent approval of the Portuguese Republic Constitution (1976), the country’s legislative trend has been geared towards the expansion of local government power, in Portugal. This issue has acquired new relevance recently, with the new reconfiguration of the political decentralization process, through Law No. 50/2018, of 16th August. This is a gradual process, still ongoing, and delayed by the current pandemic situation. Local authorities play a decisive role in the country's development, both in the present and in the past. Initially focused on creating essential and basic infrastructures for the people, now includes other concerns, such as social protection. The definition and implementation of social policies, targeted to different populations, has become an essential axis of action, in a country marked by territorial disparities and an aging population. This study aims to understand the role of local administration in the characterization of social policies targeted at senior populations. The present work is a study of qualitative and explorative nature. Using documentary research and content analysis, we identified and characterized the measures aimed at the senior population implemented by two municipalities (Gouveia and Ourém). The analysis of the results allows us to conclude that the municipalities implemented measures that target the elderly population directly. Seniors also benefit from other measures, applicable to other age groups. It is important that the discussion focuses on these measures and the achievement of their goals. Measures to protect the elderly population are urgent, especially in a southern European country like Portugal, that has an ageing population, with a considerable increase in people aged 65 and over.

Active Aging Governance and Challenges at the Local Level.

International and national guidelines have been promoting active aging while creating the necessary means for decision-makers and other relevant actors to work together (governance mechanisms) to implement local and active aging policies. This is especially important in the present COVID-19 pandemic context, posing greater challenges on older people who tend to be self-isolated. How are local actors conceptualizing active aging? What are their priorities related to a healthy life for older people? Which governance mechanisms are used to implement such policies? These are some of the questions addressed in this paper, targeting Portugal, a southern European country. A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design combining a survey conducted at a national level and interviews with key actors in the NUTS III Aveiro Region was employed to identify and understand the underpinning governance mechanisms. Findings confirm the ‘passive organization type’ in which European politico-territorial studies tend to place Portugal, as there are gaps in the way policies are formulated, implemented and evaluated, as well as a lack of coordination. Results of this study have important impacts on the way local governments and other stakeholders will prepare themselves in the post-pandemic period to design and implement policies addressing active aging.