Time For Social Activities Research Articles

Time Use and Well-Being in Family and Other Unpaid Caregivers of Older Adults.

Caregivers report limited freedom to engage with others, participate in physical activities, pursue leisure activities, and sleep. Few studies have focused on caregivers' time use across different activities, particularly how different patterns of time use are associated with well-being. This study aimed to (a) identify time-use profiles of family caregivers of older adults and (b) examine associations between identified time-use profiles and caregiver well-being. We analyzed data from 1,640 family caregivers of community-dwelling older adults from Round 7 (2017) of the National Study of Caregiving and the National Health and Aging Trends Study. Latent profile analysis was used to estimate time-use profiles based on 4 indicators (i.e., regenerative time, discretionary time, eldercare-related committed time, non-eldercare committed time). We conducted regressions to examine the relationship between the latent profiles and well-being outcomes. Three profiles of caregivers emerged based on time-use patterns. The Overloaded profile (20%) spent the greatest time in non-eldercare committed activities, such as household activities and paid work. The Flexible profile (49%) spent the most amount of time in social activities and physical activities, and the least amount of non-eldercare committed time compared to the other 2 caregiver types. Lastly, the Occupied profile (31%) allocated time relatively evenly in all activities. When comparing well-being outcomes, caregivers in the Flexible profile had lower levels of anxiety than the Occupied profile. The profiles acknowledge the diverse experiences of caregivers, underscoring the significance of granting them greater latitude in balancing eldercare responsibilities and personal life for enhanced well-being.

Women's Employment in Local Administrations: The Example of Muş Municipality

In this study, it is aimed to analyse women's employment in local government institutions and the gender-based difficulties experienced by women working in municipalities. In this direction, purposive sampling method was preferred, and interviews were conducted with female employees of Muş Municipality. Data were collected by applying semi-structured interview technique and three themes were determined by analysing the data with content analysis method. Sub-themes were created for each theme. It has been determined that participations are generally satisfied with their employment, but they encounter some basic problems in their employment satisfaction and evaluation of their after-hours time. It has been observed that the women employed in the municipality are spiritually comfortable due to their profession, but they have financial problems and do not focus much on their personal development. Although women could not reach the level they wanted to spend time in social activities and for themselves, it was seen that there was progress in this area and moreover, they were supported by their spouses and relatives while doing housework. On the other hand, gender-based discrimination, external factors and marital status/parenting theme show that one of the main problems women experience in their working life is to struggle with the gender-related behaviour and role expectations of the society they live in. Gender roles negatively affect women's business life and prevent them from benefiting from employment areas in the municipality as much as men.

Interpersonal relation recognition: a survey

People spend a considerable amount of their time in social activities, where person-to-person relations are of main relevance. Recently, there has been an increasing research interest in automatically analyzing interpersonal relations, for the social and behavioral implications, and the many practical applications it may have. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is not a systematic study providing a harmonized view of the literature in the field. On this ground, we summarize in our work interpersonal relation recognition datasets and methods aiming to help researchers to have a better understanding of the characteristics of the state-of-the-art. In the proposed study, we distinguish between methods that address objective relations that do not depend on behavior or emotional state, and methods that consider subjective ones that depend on emotions. It turns out quite evidently that aiming at the latter recognition task is more challenging, with the existing methods that provide convincing results only on limited and very specific cases. For both the broad categories, we discuss datasets and methods according to the different behavioural and psychological models used to annotate and classify the data. We conclude our review work, by providing a comprehensive discussion pointing out current limitations and future research perspectives.

Time-Use and Spatio-Temporal Variables Influence on Physical Activity Intensity, Physical and Social Health of Travelers

Using a multi-dimensional three-week household time-use and activity diary, this study aims to investigate the interaction between time-use and activity travel participation, built environment, leisure-time physical activity, travel parameters, and physical intensity on physical and social health. The relationship between time-use and activity travel participation is complex. Therefore, physical activity (PA) intensity is assumed to intermediate the relationship between endogenuous and exogenous variables. This study use a comprehensive set of data that was collected at a household level for twenty-one (21) consecutive days. A total of 732 individuals and 191 households were recorded, representing 0.029% total population of Bandung Metropolitan Area (BMA). The data analyzed with descriptive and linear regression analysis using Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS version 26.0.0 software (IBM: Armonk, NY, USA). An advanced model, such as the hierarchical Structural Equation Model (SEM), is used to validate the relationship between activity patterns and health parameters. The estimated results indicate that a minute increase in public transport mode has an 8.8% positive correlation with physical health and 9.0% with social health. Furthermore, an increase in the one-minute duration of in-home maintenance and out-of-home leisure activities are positively correlated by 2.9% and 3.2%, respectively, with moderate-intensity PA and by 4.5% and 1.8% strenuous-intensity PA. Additionally, high accessibility and availability of basic amenities at a walkable distance and using auxiliary time in social activities are significantly correlated with better physical and social health. Moreover, this study adopted multidisciplinary approaches for better transport policy and a healthier society with a better quality of life.

Prevalence of Non-Alcoholic Energy Drink Consumption among University Students in Turkey

The global consumption of Energy Drinks (EDs) has been increasing over recent years. The aim of the present study is to determine the prevalence of EDs consumption among university students, and to investigate the relationship between their eating habits and lifestyles. This was a single-center, cross-sectional study and conducted with 705 students receiving university education on health care at Afyon Kocatepe University, in Western Turkey. Data was collected using the face-to-face interviewing technique. The normally-distributed continuous variables obtained from independent measurements were analyzed using the independent samples 't' test and non-normally distributed data was analyzed using the Pearson chi-square test. Of the 705 students included in the study, 226 (32.1%) were males and 479 (67.9%) were females. The mean age was 20.76 ± 1.89 years (min-max: 18-32). Of all the students, 28 (39.9%) were found to consume ED. Students who did not consume EDs had healthier dietary habits, exercised more regularly, and afforded more time for social activities. The findings of the present study indicated that the students had limited information on the contents of EDs and the reasons for use. Students who had not consumed EDs were found to have healthier eating habits and more regular studying programs. This study should be replicated in larger samples and based on findings various educational programs should be designed to increase awareness among students on ED consumption.

Living With Diabetes: Perceived Barriers of Adolescents.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is the most common endocrine disease during infancy and adolescence. Diabetes causes serious coping problems during adolescence because of the need for continuous observation and because of diabetes-related complications. Thus, adolescents must adapt to and effectively manage their diabetes. This study was designed to determine the perceived barriers to home care in adolescents with Type 1 diabetes using the Health Promotion Model. Eighteen adolescents were selected from the qualified patients who applied to a diabetes polyclinic at a training and research hospital in western Turkey. Interview questions were created based on the Health Promotion Model. A phenomenological analysis of the data was conducted using the content analysis method. The barriers that participants identified as negatively impacting their ability to manage their disease effectively were categorized into the three themes of "negative feelings about having diabetes," "personal barriers," and "environmental barriers." The barriers identified included school, friends, family, fear of complications, lack of information, and personal characteristics, among others. This qualitative study enables us to understand what patients feel because the participants explained their difficulties in managing their disease and in maintaining metabolic control. The findings provide an understanding of the subjective experiences of adolescent patients with diabetes. The findings of this study are intended to be helpful in restructuring training in clinics, raising diabetes awareness among teachers and students, socializing diabetic adolescents, and providing family-centered education.

Burden on caregivers of patients with sequelae of cerebrovascular accident.

to evaluate the burden and its relationship with the sociodemographic characteristics of caregivers of people with sequelae of stroke. a cross-sectional, exploratory, and quantitative study was conducted with 151 caregivers of people with sequelae of stroke, through home interviews between September and December 2017. there was a general mean of low burden. The items that indicated the worst changes were: "My time for social activities with friends," "My time for family activities," "My ability to cope with stress," and "My physical functioning." There was an association of burden with the female sex and with caregivers who have been assisting for longer. the results allow us to reflect on the need to create a policy aimed at family caregivers to reduce the impact of care delivery.

The declining marginal utility of social time for subjective well-being

Are people who spend more time with others always happier than those who spend less time in social activities? Across four studies with more than 250,000 participants, we show that social time has declining marginal utility for subjective well-being. In Study 1 (N = 243,075), we use the Gallup World Poll with people from 166 countries, and in Study 2 (N = 10,387) the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), to show that social time has declining returns for well-being. In Study 3a (N = 168) and Study 3b (N = 174), we employ the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) to provide initial evidence for both intra-domain (principle of diminishing satisfaction) and inter-domain mechanisms (principle of satisfaction limits). We discuss implications for theory, research methodology, and practice.

Assistive technology for students with learning disabilities: A glimpse of the livescribe pen and its impact on homework completion

This research investigated the effectiveness of an assistive technology tool, the Livescribe Pen (LSP), with an elementary student identified with dyslexia. Using interview and focus group methodologies over the span of one academic year, the study probed the perceptions of teachers, parent, and child. While the LSP was primarily utilized for curriculum accessibility and an audio tool to promote academic independence, the study’s findings reveal its impact as an assistive technology on both academic success for children with disabilities as well as non-academic gains. These included an increase in independence, more time for social activities, and the ability to develop strategies for homework success. Most importantly, the academic team and the parent reported a sense of higher aspirations for this student; ones they had not thought possible previously. Finally, the study revealed two elements critically important for students with disabilities. Those are the importance of fostering communities of support and the importance of self-determination.

Patterns of time use among low-income urban minority adolescents and associations with academic outcomes and problem behaviors.

Time budgets represent key opportunities for developmental support and contribute to an understanding of achievement gaps and adjustment across populations of youth. This study assessed the connection between out-of-school time use patterns and academic performance outcomes, academic motivations and goals, and problem behaviors for 504 low-income urban African American and Latino adolescents (54% female; M = 16.6 years). Time use patterns were measured across eight activity types using cluster analysis. Four groups of adolescents were identified, based on their different profiles of time use: (1) Academic: those with most time in academic activities; (2) Social: those with most time in social activities; (3) Maintenance/work: those with most time in maintenance and work activities; and (4) TV/computer: those with most time in TV or computer activities. Time use patterns were meaningfully associated with variation in outcomes in this population. Adolescents in the Academic cluster had the highest levels of adjustment across all domains; adolescents in the Social cluster had the lowest academic performance and highest problem behaviors; and adolescents in the TV/computer cluster had the lowest levels of intrinsic motivation. Females were more likely to be in the Academic cluster, and less likely to be in the other three clusters compared to males. No differences by race or gender were found in assessing the relationship between time use and outcomes. The study's results indicate that time use patterns are meaningfully associated with within-group variation in adjustment for low-income minority adolescents, and that shared contexts may shape time use more than individual differences in race/ethnicity for this population.

Response to Drs. Safer and Safer

To the Editor: We are grateful to Safer and Safer1 for commenting on the methodology used to measure body composition in our recent study.2 The validity of bioelectrical impedance analysis for assessing body composition is an important question, particularly when institutionalized elderly adults, whose daily life is spent almost exclusively within the institution, are being evaluated. Institutionalized elderly adults have particular characteristics that must be taken into account in this type of study. It has been reported that 65% of institutionalized elderly adults spend their time doing little or nothing, 12% of their time in social activities, and the majority of their time in their rooms, sitting and alone.3 Another study reported that most institutionalized elderly adults spend at least 17 hours per day in bed.4 The authors of the current letter believe that most institutionalized elderly adults in Portugal are in a similar situation. One of the consequences of this physical inactivity cycle is the restriction of activities of daily living to the physical space of the institution, including regular medical care, making it difficult to study this population outside institutions. Therefore, assessing body composition using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry or other nonportable instruments is not the best strategy for this population. Despite not being the criterion standard method, bioelectrical impedance analysis (TANITA TBF-215, Tokyo, Japan) can be assessed using a portable instrument and is an easily performed, noninvasive way to analyze body composition. Moreover, recent studies continue to use this methodology in assessing body composition in institutionalized elderly adults.5, 6 Safer and Safer argued that, in a recent study,7 a 12-week training program had a significant effect on time for changes in body fat, total lean mass, and total fat mass in elderly adults measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, but the population analyzed in that study, and the design of the training, with greater exercise intensity, is not comparable. Participants were healthy, independent, younger men and women (61.6 ± 5.3, vs 72.9 ± 6.6),7 and despite the interesting results, significant changes in body composition after 12 weeks of exercise are always more surprising than absence of change. Conflict of Interest: None. Author Contributions: Nelson Sousa and Romeu Mendes discussed, prepared, and supervised the manuscript. Sponsor's Role: None.

Effects of art therapy for family caregivers of cancer patients: a systematic review protocol

Effects of art therapy for family caregivers of cancer patients: a systematic review protocol

Family Caregiving in Heart Failure

Little is known about the experiences of family caregivers of patients with heart failure, despite the fact that these patients have disabling symptoms and diminished functioning that could lead to caregiver stress. Based on a caregiver model, the aims of this study were to (a) examine relationships among age, perceived control over managing heart problems, perceived difficulty with tasks, perceived outcomes, and perceived mental and general health among caregivers of persons with heart failure; (b) describe caregivers' perceptions of control over managing heart problems; and (c) describe the tasks and outcomes perceived as being most difficult and negative by caregivers. A sample of 21 family caregivers of patients with heart failure completed the study questionnaires. Most were women (n = 20), spouses (n = 20), and White (n = 18), with a mean age of 59.6 years. The patients with heart failure were male veterans with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II, III, or IV. Descriptive statistics and Spearman's rho correlations were used. Younger caregivers perceived their tasks to be more difficult and their mental health to be poorer. Caregivers' perceived control over managing heart problems was related moderately to poorer perceived mental health. Greater perceived difficulty with tasks was associated with negative perceptions of caregiver outcomes and poorer perceived mental health. Negative perceptions of caregiver outcomes were associated strongly with perceptions of poorer mental health. Performing household tasks and managing patient behaviors were most difficult, and the caregiver's emotional and financial well-being, time for social activities, and general health had deteriorated. The preliminary results support the model. Future longitudinal studies are needed in larger samples to evaluate predictors of caregiver-perceived negative outcomes to identify priority areas for interventions.

Gender roles and impacts of oil palm commercialisation on intra-household dynamics in Imo State, Nigeria

The study assessed gender roles and intra-house hold impacts of oil palm commercialization on rural households in lmo state, Nigeria. Data were collected from 96 respondents through interview schedule with the aid of questionnaire and analysed using frequency distribution tables and percentages. Findings revealed that women were more highly involved in oil palm commercialization process than men. The impacts of commercialization on gender relations showed that the economic and social benefits accrue more to men than women and children. It resulted to increased income, improved household food and nutrition security, increased purchasing power, enhanced decision making and education among others, on different household members. The economic and social costs of oil palm commercialization led to loss in human capital such as less time for social activities, less time for child care, decreased leisure time. Factors perceived as constraints to commercialization of oil palm products were lack of capital, poor transport, storage and marketing facilities, insufficient labour, tedious nature of traditional processing method, poor standard measurement for the products, etc. It is recommended among others that research should develop appropriate technology for oil palm processing, government should provide working capital to farmers to help them build their capital base, etc. some implications for the agricultural extension agency were also noted.Keywords: gender roles, oil palm commercialisation, intra-household dynamicsJournal of Technology and Education in Nigeria Vol. 9(2) 2004: 14-24

New Geographies of Comic Book Production in North America: The New Artisan, Distancing, and the Periodic Social Economy

Current interpretations of North American cultural production stress the spatial concentration of these activities in metropolitan centers. There are, however, multiple geographies of cultural production, with other cultural activities deconcentrated and, in some cases, dispersed to distant locations. This situation poses an enigma, since these activities normally form part of a social economy in which networks of personal communication remain important. This paradox is explored using the case of the comic book industry, which has shifted from an in-house Fordist-like mode of organization to widespread distancing employing neoartisanal workers who are sometimes located close to the publishing houses, but in other instances are at considerable distances and hence require electronic communication and overnight courier services. Comic book artists often work in isolation but participate from time to time in social activities that are necessary to their creative work. Their work is seen as one of a number of cultural activities that form a periodic social economy with a distinctive time geography.

Daytime activity budgets of feral goats (Capra hircus) on the Isle of Rum: influence of season, age, and sex

The activity budgets of feral goats (Capra hircus) on the Isle of Rum, northwest Scotland, were studied from January to December in 1981 and from May to November in 2000. We investigated differences in activity patterns in relation to season, time of day, and age–sex classes of goats, and their possible causes. Since the goats spent the night sleeping (or resting) in caves or other sheltered sites, only diurnal activity budgets were considered. Activity patterns were very similar between the two study periods (from May to November). All age–sex classes of feral goats spent most of the daytime feeding in both years, especially during autumn and winter. Feral goats increased the percentage of daytime that they spent feeding and decreased their resting time from summer to autumn–winter in response to the decrease in available day length and, possibly, the decrease in forage quality and biomass. Feral goats on Rum had two or three daily peaks of feeding in summer, but showed no obvious daily feeding peaks in winter, although their percentage of feeding time remained relatively high throughout the daytime in winter. No significant differences in general activity budgets between adult males and females were found, but yearlings were found to spend more time feeding than adults and kids. Adult males spent more time in social activities than did other age–sex classes, and adult males sharply decreased the percentage of daytime that they spent feeding during rutting periods, which may have contributed to their higher mortality over the subsequent autumn and winter.

Daily life in a nursing home: Has it changed in 25 years?

In 1974, Gottesman and Bourestom reported that nursing home residents spent 56% of their day doing nothing. Since then, activity programming has significantly expanded. This study reexamined how nursing home residents spend their day. Twenty-seven residents of a nursing home facility were observed for 13 h each. At 5-min intervals, location, position, mood, and activity were recorded. Residents spent 65% of their time doing little or nothing, and 12% of their time in social activities. They spent the majority of their time in their rooms, sitting and alone. Although this facility has a high standard of care and a creative activities department, residents still spent a great portion of their days inactive, immobile, and alone. These results indicate that improvements in programming are still needed. More engaging long-term care facilities may promote and support social interaction and meaningful activity throughout the day.

Social status of male Iberian rock lizards (Lacerta monticola) influences their activity patterns during the mating season

Not all individual lizards in a population are simultaneously active even when thermal conditions are suitable for activity. We examined inter-individual variability in activity levels of male Iberian rock lizards (Lacerta monticola) in a seminatural enclosure during the mating season, and analyzed whether social status affects their activity levels, time budgets, and body-mass changes. Activity levels of lizards varied significantly with time of day. However, activity levels of individual males were significantly correlated with their rank in the social hierarchy. When the males were active, their status did not influence the time spent basking, resting, or moving, but males with a higher status spent more time in social activities. Higher activity levels were costly, causing males to lose more body mass, although this could have been mainly due to the costs of maintaining a higher social status. We conclude that because attaining a higher status may require a male to be more active and more involved in agonistic encounters, subordinate individuals decrease their activity in order to decrease the costs of social behavior.

The impact of an open campus program upon high school students' sense of control over their environment

Students in an experimental and a control high school were compared in the fall and spring on their Locus of Control scores. An Open Campus policy was instituted in the experimental school, which essentially gave its upperclassmen the same freedom and responsibilities as those of a community college student. The experimentals increased significantly more than controls in internal control. Students reported that the Open Campus experience led to: after school jobs, greater time to pursue own interests, feelings of freedom, autonomy, and responsibility, a decline in grades due to “goofing off,” and less time for social activities.