Traditional Demographic Variables Research Articles

Segmenting the customers of system delivery projects based on data heterogeneity

Purpose This paper aims to examine project management segments based on customer satisfaction drivers and loyalty rather than traditional demographic or behavioural variables. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered over 18 consecutive months, and 3,129 surveys were completed using a questionnaire. The statistical methods included partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modelling, finite mixture segmentation, prediction-oriented segmentation (PLS-POS) and multi-group analysis (PLS-MGA). Findings The findings indicate the existence of three segments among system delivery project customers based on the differences in the strengths of the path coefficients in the customer-centric structural model. In Segment 1, satisfaction based on the proposal was crucial for loyalty, with the value-for-money construct negatively impacting the repurchase intent construct. Segment 2 had a solid value-for-money orientation. In Segment 3, the critical path indicated that satisfaction drove repurchase intention, with satisfaction based mainly on the installation. Originality/value The research contributes to the segmentation theory by introducing a new way to segment the systems delivery projects customers based on the perceived strength of the relationships in a customer-centric structural model, which aligns with traditional segmentation theory in a way that most segmentation analyses do not. A new segmentation approach to the domain of project management theory is presented. Based on the results, treating the system delivery project customer base as a single homogenous group can lead to managerially misleading conclusions.

Mining for Retention Gems and Unearthing Identity and Belonging

ObjectiveTo determine the relationship between first-year retention and variables related to professional engagement and professional, academic, and personal identities. MethodsThis study evaluated data from 3 cohorts of students at a private 0–6 college of pharmacy. A theoretical and conceptual framework linking professional identity and retention informed the study. Professional engagement scores from the first semester of pharmacy school served as a surrogate of professional identity. Grade point average (GPA) and traditional demographic variables (eg, gender, race/ethnicity, in-state resident) served as surrogates of academic and personal identities, respectively. Logistic regression models were used to determine the relationship between first-year retention and identity variables. ResultsBelonging, a domain of professional engagement, was positively related to first-year retention. In multivariable models, belonging and cumulative GPA were associated with increased odds of retention, while in-state status was associated with decreased odds. In separate models for those with GPA ≥3.00, and<3.00, belonging was associated with first-year retention in both. Belonging was also associated with first-semester retention, but not second-semester retention. ConclusionA decision to leave a Doctor of Pharmacy program is complex, but the vast majority of the literature in pharmacy education appears to focus most intently on academic variables, including GPA. This study demonstrates that belonging, an important element in professional identity formation, remains related to first-year retention, even after controlling for grades and other personal variables. This finding unearths several theory-informed gems and strategies that educators may employ to enhance retention.

Predicting Post-operative Atrial Fibrillation in Cardiac Surgery – The Added Value of Echocardiography

INTRODUCTION: Post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a frequent rhythmic complication in cardiac surgery with the potential to cause sudden hemodynamic instability and catastrophic thromboembolic complications. Despite vast scientific research, it is still hard to predict and prevents its occurrence. AIM: The aim of this study was to determine whether selected pre-operative and intraoperative echocardiographic variables would be of added value in POAF prediction. МАTERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective observational follow-up study included 178 cardiac surgery patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft intervention. Demographic as well as echocardiographic variables of interest were examined to detect significant independent predictors for POAF. RESULTS: POAF was detected in 90 (50.56%) patients versus 88 (49.44%) patients without POAF. Patients who developed POAF were significantly older and burdened with multiple comorbidities. In multiple regression analysis pre-operative echocardiographic variables-diastolic dysfunctions, enlarged left atrial (LA) volume indexed for body surface area, mitral annular calcification, and secondary mitral regurgitation were predictive of POAF. LA appendage flow velocity obtained by intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography was also a significant intraoperative predictor for POAF. CONCLUSION: The results of this study confirmed that two-dimensional echocardiography is a valuable diagnostic and prognostic tool in relation to POAF. The addition of the aforementioned echocardiographic independent predictors to traditional demographic variables could be a solid foundation of a new predictive model for POAF.

Professional fulfillment and burnout among physicians at a large NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center

<h3>Objectives:</h3> We sought to assess composite physician wellness and burnout at a large NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and to determine the association of performance on the Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index (PFI) with career satisfaction. <h3>Methods:</h3> This was a cross-sectional study of physicians employed at the James Cancer Hospital at The Ohio State University in December of 2019 using a 115-question instrument that included the PFI, demographics and other validated measures of wellbeing and compassion. The PFI is a validated 16-item survey that measures burnout and professional fulfillment using a five-point Likert scale. Data were analyzed using independent t-tests, ANOVAs, and Pearson's correlations. <h3>Results:</h3> A total of 173 physicians responded (46.6% response rate) with 141 respondents completing at least 75% of the survey. Sixty-three percent were males (n=89), 70% between the ages of 30-49 (n=98), and 29% with between 5-10 years of clinical practice (n=41). Respondents worked a mean of 62 hours per week (range 8-120, Med=60) with over half of the cohort providing direct clinical care for >50% of this time (58%, n=82). Thirty-four percent of respondents were medical oncologists (n=48), 32% were surgeons (n=45), 20% were hospital-based (radiation oncology, anesthesiologists, and hospitalists (n=28), and 14% self-classified as other (n=20). 87% of respondents were married/partnered (n=123) with a majority of partners/spouses in a nonmedical field or out of the workforce (n=76, 54%). Most respondents had children at home (n=85, 60%). There were no relationships between PFI subscale scores and collected demographic data (Table 1). All PFI subscales were significantly correlated with all categories of personal/professional support. Support from administration demonstrated the strongest correlation with both Professional Fulfillment and Burnout. PFI Burnout was significantly correlated with average hours worked per week. Higher scores on PFI Professional Fulfillment were associated with a willingness to encourage their children to pursue medicine and a report that they would again pursue medicine as a career; higher PFI Burnout scores produced the opposite effect. Finally, all PFI scales were significantly correlated with a likelihood of leaving their current practice within two years. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> There were no differences between PFI performance and traditional demographic variables, however an increase in hours worked per week was associated with higher rates of reported exhaustion, disengagement and overall burnout. Participant attitudes toward medicine as a profession highlight the role of professional fulfillment and burnout in how personal and professional decisions are made. Additionally, we found that performance on the PFI was associated with a likelihood of leaving the institution. These findings could identify a cohort of physicians who would benefit from additional intervention and support.

Age patterns in subjective well-being are partially accounted for by psychological and social factors associated with aging.

Subjective well-being has captured the interest of scientists and policy-makers as a way of knowing how individuals and groups evaluate and experience their lives: that is, their sense of meaning, their satisfaction with life, and their everyday moods. One of the more striking findings in this literature is a strong association between age and subjective well-being: in Western countries it has a U-shaped association over the lifespan. Despite many efforts, the reason for the curve is largely unexplained, for example, by traditional demographic variables. In this study we examined twelve social and psychological variables that could account for the U-shaped curve. In an Internet sample of 3,294 adults ranging in age from 40 to 69 we observed the expected steep increase in a measure of subjective well-being, the Cantril Ladder. Regression analyses demonstrated that the social-psychological variables explained about two-thirds of the curve and accounting for them significantly flattened the U-shape. Perceived stress, distress-depression, an open perspective about the future, wisdom, satisfaction with social relationships, and family strain were measures that had pronounced impacts on reducing the curve. These findings advance our understanding of why subjective well-being is associated with age and point the way to future studies.

Entrepreneurship in Pakistan: A comparative assessment of the role played by perceptions

This paper conducts a preliminary assessment of how perceptions influence the decision to opt for entrepreneurship, and whether they vary across selected countries. The central focus is Pakistan: the country’s outcomes are duly contrasted with results from Bangladesh, an amalgamated grouping of factordriven economies, and a broad sample of global economies. A pooled dataset of 69 countries surveyed in 2010 and 2011 by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor is utilized. The model takes perceptual factors into account, in addition to the traditional demographic variables which dominate the literature. The results indicate that, globally, three perceptual variables namely opportunity awareness, personally knowing an entrepreneur, and self-confidence in one’s own knowledge, skills and abilities increase the likelihood of a person turning into an entrepreneur; the latter two variables are also correlated with the decision to pursue entrepreneurship in Pakistan. However, there are differences in the impact of other perceptual variables like opportunity awareness and fear of failure and also among some standard demographic variables across the set of countries which constitute the research.

Environmental correlates of urban dog bites: A spatial analysis

ABSTRACTTo be able to design effective urban public health programs to reduce the risk of dog bites and transmission of disease, the very complex factors that lead to bites need to be considered holistically. This research focuses specifically on the role of spatial and environmental factors as urban public health risks. In doing this, it addresses the following research questions:(1) What are the relative powers of traditional demographic versus environmental variables in explaining dog bites?(2) Do different areas of the city evidence different correlates of bites?The answer to the first is that despite a long tradition in the literature, demographic variables do a relatively poor job of explaining variation in the rates of emergency room visits due to dog bites. Rather, environmental and spatial variables, particularly crime, vacancy, and blight, are better predictors of dog bites than traditional demographic variables such as age and gender. However, even the best-fitting regression model leaves dog bites in many areas of a city unexplained; bite covariates differ by neighborhood. Thus, to effectively address the risk of dog bites in urban areas, different policies are required for different neighborhood conditions.

Early vestibular and visual dysfunction predicts prolonged symptomatology following paediatricpediatric concussion

ObjectiveVestibular and visual dysfunction, including accommodation disorder, symptoms with vestibular ocular reflex (VOR) testing, or receded near point of convergence, are common following concussion and have been associated with prolonged concussion symptomatology. The objective of this study was to determine whether vestibular and visual information contributed significantly to a model predicting the likelihood of having persistent concussion symptoms at 28 days after injury.DesignRetrospective cohort studySettingSports medicine concussion program within a large regional paediatric healthcare network.Participants274 consecutive patients aged 3-18 years with the diagnosis of concussion seen in the concussion programIndependent VariablesStandard demographic and clinical data, as well as vestibular and visual examination findings at presentationOutcome measuresSymptom recovery from concussion, defined as a symptom score=0 on the Post Concussion Symptom Scale at 28 daysMain resultsStudy subjects were 3–18 years (median=14), presenting a median of 14 days from injury. Applying a stepwise regression approach using traditional demographic and clinical variables (age, gender, past medical history, symptoms and balance testing) as well as information from vestibular and visual testing, we found that VOR testing is a statistically significant component (p=0.02) of the final predictive model. Furthermore, in the subset of patients presenting within 14 days of injury, positive VOR testing (p=0.02) and vision problems (p=0.01) significantly contribute to predicting ongoing symptoms at 28 days.ConclusionsSymptoms with VOR testing and vision problems upon presentation within 14 days of injury contributed significantly to the prediction model for prolonged symptoms following concussion and warrant further study.Competing interestsNone.

The influence of anthropometrics on physical employment standard performance.

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) recently implemented the Fitness for Operational Requirements of CAF Employment (FORCE), a new physical employment standard (PES). Data collection throughout development included anthropometric profiles of the CAF. To determine if anthropometric measurements and demographic information would predict the performance outcomes of the FORCE and/or Common Military Task Fitness Evaluation (CMTFE). We conducted a secondary analysis of data from FORCE research. We obtained bioelectrical impedance and segmental analysis. Statistical analysis included correlation and linear regression analyses. Among the 668 study subjects, as predicted, any task requiring lifting, pulling or moving of an object was significantly and positively correlated (r > 0.67) to lean body mass (LBM) measurements. LBM correlated with stretcher carry (r = 0.78) and with lifting actions such as sand bag drag (r = 0.77), vehicle extrication (r = 0.71), sand bag fortification (r = 0.68) and sand bag lift time (r = -0.67). The difference between the correlation of dead mass (DM) with task performance compared with LBM was not statistically significant. DM and LBM can be used in a PES to predict success on military tasks such as casualty evacuation and manual material handling. However, there is no minimum LBM required to perform these tasks successfully. These data direct future research on how we should diversify research participants by anthropometrics, in addition to the traditional demographic variables of gender and age, to highlight potential important adverse impact with PES design. In addition, the results can be used to develop better training regimens to facilitate passing a PES.

Employment modelling through classification and regression trees

The research paper leverages a big dataset from the field of social sciences - the combined World Values Survey 1981-2014 data - to investigate what determines an individual's employment status. We propose an approach to model this by first reducing data dimensionality at a small informational loss and then fitting a number of alternative machine-learning algorithms. A decision tree and a random forest model are studied in more detail. Variable importance is investigated to glean insight into what determines employment status. Employment is explained through traditional demographic and work attitude variables but unemployment is not, meaning that the latter is likely driven by other factors, including structural labour market characteristics and even randomness. The main contribution of this paper is to outline a new approach for doing big data-driven research in labour economics and apply it to a dataset that was not previously investigated in its entirety, thus achieving a more sophisticated process understanding.

Cortisol and politics: Variance in voting behavior is predicted by baseline cortisol levels

Participation in electoral politics is affected by a host of social and demographics variables, but there is growing evidence that biological predispositions may also play a role in behavior related to political involvement. We examined the role of individual variation in hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) stress axis parameters in explaining differences in self-reported and actual participation in political activities. Self-reported political activity, religious participation, and verified voting activity in U.S. national elections were collected from 105 participants, who were subsequently exposed to a standardized (nonpolitical) psychosocial stressor. We demonstrated that lower baseline salivary cortisol in the late afternoon was significantly associated with increased actual voting frequency in six national elections, but not with self-reported non-voting political activity. Baseline cortisol predicted significant variation in voting behavior above and beyond variation accounted for by traditional demographic variables (particularly age of participant in our sample). Participation in religious activity was weakly (and negatively) associated with baseline cortisol. Our results suggest that HPA-mediated characteristics of social, cognitive, and emotional processes may exert an influence on a trait as complex as voting behavior, and that cortisol is a better predictor of actual voting behavior, as opposed to self-reported political activity.

Consumer fears and familiarity of processed food. The value of information provided by the FTNS

Food choice and consumption behaviour are influenced by many interacting factors. In this paper we present an empirical effort to enhance understanding of the neophobia–neophilia forces affecting food choice. Starting from the analysis of consumer preferences for some of the most familiar highly processed foods, namely fat-reduced, functional (enriched drinks and yogurt) and ready-to-eat frozen food, our study investigates the role of traditional demographic variables vs attitudes to new food technologies in predicting the consumption behaviour of a sample of Italians buying such products. Consumer attitudes toward food technologies were collected by means of the Food Technology Neophobia Scale (FTNS). Moreover, this paper explicitly analyses the value of the information provided by the FTNS. Underlying the research is the hypothesis that the FTNS may contribute to provide a comprehensive picture of the driving forces behind consumers’ behavioural responses towards processed foods which are the end-result of mature technologies. The four FTNS components, once measured and used independently, help clarify the influence on food choices of each neophobia–neophilia force (risk perception and novelty seeking, media influence, own health and environmental concerns) into a single, comprehensive framework.

The 2012 Presidential Election and What It Reveals about Mexican Voters

AbstractThe 2012 presidential election in Mexico is significant for many reasons, not least of which is that it returned the Partido Revolucionario Institucional to power after two Partido Acción Nacional administrations. This essay reviews more than 50 surveys taken before and during the election to determine significant patterns among Mexican voters, comparing the most influential traditional and non-traditional demographic variables, as well as other variables such as partisanship and policy issues in this election, with those of the two previous presidential races. It also analyses other influential variables in the 2012 presidential race, including social media and the application of new electoral legislation. It identifies significant differences and similarities among voters today in contrast to the two prior elections, and suggests long-term patterns among Mexican voters which are likely to influence voting behaviour in future elections, ranging from regionalism and gender to partisanship and social media.

The Physiology of Political Participation

Political involvement varies markedly across people. Traditional explanations for this variation tend to rely on demographic variables and self-reported, overtly political concepts. In this article, we expand the range of possible explanatory variables by hypothesizing that a correlation exists between political involvement and physiological predispositions. We measure physiology by computing the degree to which electrodermal activity changes on average when a participant sequentially views a full range of differentially valenced stimuli. Our findings indicate that individuals with higher electrodermal responsiveness are also more likely to participate actively in politics. This relationship holds even after the effects of traditional demographic variables are taken into account, suggesting that physiological responsiveness independently contributes to a fuller understanding of the underlying sources of variation in political involvement.

History of viral suppression on combination antiretroviral therapy as a predictor of virological failure after a treatment change*

HIV-infected persons experience different patterns of viral suppression after initiating combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). The relationship between such differences and risk of virological failure after starting a new antiretroviral could help with patient monitoring strategies. A total of 1827 patients on cART starting at least one new antiretroviral from 1 January 2000 while maintaining a suppressed viral load were included in the analysis. Poisson regression analysis identified factors predictive of virological failure after baseline in addition to traditional demographic variables. Baseline was defined as the date of starting new antiretrovirals. Four hundred and fifty-one patients (24.7%) experienced virological failure, with an incidence rate (IR) of 7.3 per 100 person-years of follow-up (PYFU) [95% confidence interval (CI) 6.7-8.0]. After adjustment, patients who had rebounded in the year prior to baseline had a 2.4-times higher rate of virological failure after baseline (95% CI 1.77-3.26; P<.0001), while there was no increased incidence in patients whose last viral rebound was >3 years prior to baseline [Incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.06; 95% CI 0.75-1.50; P=0.73] compared with patients who had never virally rebounded. Patients had an 86% (95% CI 1.36-2.55; P<.0001), 53% (95% CI 1.06-2.04; P=0.02) and 5% (95% CI 0.80-1.38; P=0.72) higher virological failure rate after baseline if they were virally suppressed <50%, 50-70% and 70-90% of the time they were on cART prior to baseline, respectively, compared with those virally suppressed >90% of the time. Intensive monitoring after a treatment switch is required in patients who have rebounded recently or have a low percentage of time suppressed while on cART. Consideration should be given to increasing the provision of adherence counselling.

Who Acquires Friends Through Social Media and Why? “Rich Get Richer” Versus “Seek and Ye Shall Find”

There is an ongoing debate, not just among academics but in popular culture, about whether social media can expand people’s social networks, and whether online friends can be “real” friends. The debate refuses to die. This paper addresses this question subjectively, from the point of view of the user, and examines the predictors of acquiring new friends through social media use. This is a multi-method study with quantitative (n=617) and qualitative sections. Some previous studies have found a “rich-get-richer” effect where people who are socially active offline appear to benefit most from online interactions. This paper is based on the idea that whether online friends can be real friends may be subject to a self-fulfilling prophecy: those who do not believe that online friendships can be real friendships are not likely to make such connections. I compare the “Rich Get Richer” and “Seek and Ye Shall Find” models by examining relationships between the amount of offline socializing, amount of online social activity and the belief in online friendships. I also qualitatively examine reasons cited by respondents as to why online sociality is or is not a plausible route to meaningful friendship. The results show strong support for one of the earliest theories of computer-mediated-communication: hyperpersonal interaction. It appears that a sizable portion of the young generation finds online interaction positive because it is perceived to concentrate on the conversation itself, rather than on appearances, and is seen as freer of social judgments. African-Americans are significantly more likely to meet new friends online. There also appear to be underlying personality traits, apart from traditional demographic variables, that divide the population in terms of their attitude towards online sociality.

Association Analysis of Alumni Giving

A large sample (initially 33,000 cases representing a ten percent trial) of university alumni giving records for a large public university in the southwestern United States is analyzed by Formal Concept Analysis. This likely represents the initial attempt to perform analysis of such data by means of a machine learning technique. The variables employed include the gift amount to the university foundation as well as traditional demographic variables such as year of graduation, gender, ethnicity, marital status, etc. The foundation serves as one of the institution’s non-profit, fund-raising organizations. It pursues substantial gifts that are designated for the educational or leadership programs of the giver’s choice. Although they process gifts of all sizes, the foundation’s focus is on major gifts and endowments. Association Analysis of the given dataset is a two-step process. In the first step, FCA is applied to identify concepts and their relationships and in the second step, the association rules are defined for each concept. The hypothesis examined in this paper is that the generosity of alumni toward his/her alma mater can be predicted using association rules obtained by applying the Formal Concept Analysis approach.

Issues for Developmental Research Among Racial/Ethnic Minority and Immigrant Families

As the United States becomes increasingly diverse and the inclusion of children, women, and ethnic minorities in research is encouraged for clinical research (National Institutes of Health, 1998, 2001), researchers are increasingly responsible for examining the role of social context and cultural processes in mental health and illness among racially and ethnically diverse families including immigrant and nonimmigrant families. Strong theoretical frameworks, developmental approaches, and innovative methodologies are available to determine why and how cultural processes matter for mental health across the life span. The task, however, requires an expansion on and refinement of traditional demographic indicators and cultural variables such as acculturation and racial identity to examine complex social and cultural processes in greater detail. Conceptual advances in recent culturally relevant and developmentally sensitive longitudinal studies and national surveys suggest the potential of new methodologies to inform efforts to reduce health disparities for mental health. Future research on specific cultural processes across the life span may uncover critical periods of risk and vulnerability, potential for resilience, as well as optimal opportunities for mental health prevention and treatment among racial/ethnic minority and immigrant families.

The Demographic and Psychographic Antecedents of Attitude toward Advertising

ABSTRACT Attitude toward advertising has been widely researched in the last few decades. Its ubiquitous effect on the advertising industry manifests itself in the domain of consumer purchasing behavior and in the freedom of the industry in placing its messages in media outlets. Although the relationship of demographic variables with attitude toward advertising has been explored in past research, psychographic variables have not been looked at in the context of their effect on the construct. This article studies the individual-difference antecedents of attitude toward advertising. In addition to the traditional demographic variables, psychographic antecedents are suggested based on past theory.

Predictors of Health Status for Heart Failure Patients

Health status is poorly understood for patients with heart failure. The purpose of this study was to determine the relative importance of relevant sociodemographic, clinical, health perception, and emotional variables in predicting health status. In this study of 87 patients, health status was conceptualized as health-related quality of life, physical activity level, and symptom burden. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to determine sociodemographic, clinical health perception, and emotional variables associated with health status. Worse New York Heart Association class, higher anxiety, and higher depression predicted worse health-related quality of life. Better New York Heart Association class and higher anxiety predicted higher levels of physical activity. Worse New York Heart Association class and higher depression predicted greater symptom burden. Traditional demographic and clinical variables were not associated with health status. Although not routinely assessed, emotional variables had a major impact on health status. Interventions to improve health status should target both physical and emotional well-being.