Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities have unique strengths, needs, and health seeking behaviours reflecting their cultural background. Therefore, top-down population-level health promotion initiatives with externally imposed performance indicators are frequently ineffective in CALD contexts. Accordingly, the Healthy New Communities (HNC) program implements an equity-based bottom-up commissioning model aimed at addressing socio-cultural factors impacting health seeking behaviours with people from refugee and migrant backgrounds. In the first phase of a comprehensive evaluation of the HNC program commissioning model, stakeholders involved in the implementation of commissioned activities and programs shared their experiences with this innovative funding model pioneered by the Queensland Health Metro South Hospital and Health Services, Health Equity and Access Team. Their perspectives were gathered in focus groups and interviews and analysed using an inductive approach to thematic analysis. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the HNC program commissioning model in engaging CALD communities in health promotion initiatives. Flexibility, responsiveness, trust, relationships, shared commitments, and cultural representation facilitated community members' participation in the commissioned activities. The impacts of the HNC program commissioning approach extend beyond the adoption of healthy lifestyles and include positive social, emotional, cultural, and physical impacts across a range of life domains and the creation of employment, training, and career pathways. The HNC program demonstrates how socio-cultural determinants of health can be influenced by commissioning models that prioritise community engagement, relationships, co-design, and the culturally shaped health-seeking behaviours of CALD individuals, families, and communities in the funding, design, and implementation of health promotion initiatives. SO WHAT?: Phase one results are promising and lay the foundation for an in-depth investigation of the potential of equity-based commissioning models for improving health and wellbeing outcomes for CALD communities across Queensland and beyond.

The Spanish long-term care system reaches majority of age: A narrative review of evidence and lessons obtained.

To assess the socioeconomic consequences of critical illness by quantifying changes in household income level and unemployment among ICU survivors in a universal health coverage setting. This nationwide retrospective cohort study used the Korean National Health Insurance Service database. Adult ICU survivors between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2022, were included. Patients who died within 1 year or had missing data were excluded. The final cohort consisted of 582,341 survivors. None. The primary endpoint was the change in household income level (scale 0-20) between pre-ICU and post-ICU years, analyzed using generalized estimating equation models. The most salient finding was a profound financial polarization among survivors. While the overall cohort experienced a significant and progressive decline in income rank (1-yr ratio of means [RoM], 0.994; 2-yr RoM, 0.976; both p < 0.001), this average masked a severe impact on the highest income quartile (Q4), which exhibited a substantial 6.5% relative drop in mean rank (RoM, 0.935). In contrast, the lowest quartile (Q1) showed relative stability (RoM, 2.198) due to a "floor effect" and transitions into the social safety net. Descriptively, 160,682 survivors (27.6%) experienced income decline, 60,432 (10.4%) suffered catastrophic decline, and 12.3% of 326,125 previously employed survivors were no longer employed within 1 year. Critical illness is associated with progressive socioeconomic deterioration characterized primarily by financial polarization. Even with universal health coverage, the economic burden hits previously high-earning households most severely, while lower income groups face potential asset depletion before transitioning to social safety nets. Policies integrating sustained financial protection and vocational rehabilitation into post-ICU survivorship care are essential.

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities are recognised as a priority population within Australia's preventive health strategies. Community-based wellbeing programs can enhance mental and physical health, but culturally tailored approaches are essential for engaging CALD populations and reducing health inequities. Over 3 years, we worked with Vietnamese, Iraqi Syriac, and Indian men and men from the African diaspora in metropolitan Victoria to adapt an existing health education and exercise program, Sons of the West (SOTW). Guided by community consultations, the culturally adapted program (CALD SOTW) was delivered across 10 sites to 317 participants aged 19-84. Feedback was collected via open-ended surveys, focus groups, and facilitator interviews. Dropout rates ranged from 0% to 33%, and retention from 17% to 95%. Cohorts with older participants and higher rates of retirement or unemployment showed greater attendance and retention. Participant feedback indicated CALD SOTW was culturally appropriate, acceptable, and contributed to positive health behaviour changes by the end of the program. Findings highlight barriers and enablers to participation and inform recommendations for program deliverers to effectively engage CALD men in wellbeing programs. SO WHAT?: This study demonstrates that culturally adapting community-based health programmes can improve participation and retention among men from diverse backgrounds, supporting efforts to reduce health inequities. By engaging Vietnamese, Iraqi, Syriac, Indian and African diaspora communities in Australia, it expands the limited evidence base on CALD experiences of wellbeing programmes and offers a transferable model, with practical recommendations, for programme deliverers working with diverse communities.

Exploring adverse childhood experiences in the wake of system change - A natural experiment comparing East and West Germany.

Invasive plant species pose significant ecological and economic challenges, threatening biodiversity and altering soil properties, while conventional control methods are often costly and resource-intensive. This review examines the potential of composting invasive plant biomass as a viable and sustainable alternative that aligns with circular economy principles. Invasive plant biomass can contain up to 2%-3% nitrogen, 1%-2% phosphorus, and 2%-5% potassium, making it a nutrient-rich organic soil amendment that can reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers by up to 30% in terms of cost, enhance soil health, and improve crop growth. Despite these benefits, many challenges remain, including the persistence of allelopathic chemicals, viable seeds, and regulatory complexities. This review also identifies critical research gaps, scalability of composting technologies, and socio-economic implications while also addressing the regulatory frameworks needed to enable its safe and practical application. Additionally, it explores opportunities for green job creation and policy innovation. In conclusion, overcoming these gaps is essential to unlocking the full potential of invasive plant composting as a viable and sustainable waste management strategy.

Oral functions, including chewing and occlusal function, are associated with nutritional intake, cognitive function, muscle strength, and balance. Therefore, maintaining oral functions is crucial for extending healthy life expectancy. This study aimed to identify factors associated with perceived chewing difficulty as a functional oral outcome and its worsening following the Great East Japan Earthquake, with a particular focus on disaster-related psychosocial factors. This cross-sectional study investigated self-reported chewing difficulty, psychological factors (e.g., traumatic reactions and psychological distress), disaster-related experiences (e.g., evacuation and experiences related to the nuclear accident, job loss, loss of a close person), medical history, and lifestyle factors among 64,188 residents aged 16-101years who experienced the earthquake on March 11, 2011. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each factor associated with prevalent and exacerbated chewing difficulty. The proportions of participants with prevalent and exacerbated chewing difficulty were 2.8% and 0.31%, respectively. Multivariate-adjusted ORs (95% CIs) for factors associated with exacerbated chewing difficulty were as follows: post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, 3.23 (2.35-4.43); psychological distress, 3.71 (2.71-5.09); experience of the nuclear accident, 1.57 (1.14-2.17); job loss, 1.47 (1.08-2.02); history of mental illness, 2.94 (2.00-4.32); dyslipidemia, 1.47 (1.06-2.05); and current exercise habit, 0.60 (0.44-0.83). These findings suggest that previously underexplored post-disaster psychosocial factors, including PTSD symptoms, experience of the nuclear accident, and job loss, as well as physical factors such as a history of mental illness and dyslipidemia, are associated with perceived chewing difficulty. In contrast, regular exercise habits were negatively associated with perceived chewing difficulty and may have a preventive role.

Employment creation is one of the sustainable development goals’ top priorities to be achieved by 2030, and economic uncertainty poses a major threat to this goal. Using data from 1990 to 2017, our study examines the impact of economic uncertainty (EUI), economic growth (EG), and globalization on unemployment in E7 countries. Our study employs the second generation panel tests and the Cross-Section Augmented Autoregressive Distributed lag CS-ARDL and the Pooled Mean Group (PMG) estimation techniques. The findings of the CS-ARDL and PMG indicate that a decrease in EUI reduces unemployment in the long-run. In addition to decreasing unemployment, economic growth exhibits the Okun's law. The PMG results indicate that globalization has a positive and significant relationship with unemployment, while the CS-ARDL results indicate that globalization has a negative but insignificant effect on unemployment. The Juodis, Karavias, and Sarafidis (JKS) Granger-causality test demonstrates a unidirectional causal effect from EUI, EG, and globalization to unemployment. The policy implication is that the government and policymakers should adopt measures to reduce economic uncertainty. Moreover, unemployment, SDGs, and the Paris Agreement are interlinked, with the SDGs offering sustainable development that involves decent work and economic growth (SDG-8), whereas the Paris Agreement addresses climate change, which can affect employment and economic growth.

ABSTRACT How do business cycle disturbances and policy affect racial labour market inequality? We estimate the effects of six macroeconomic shocks – monetary, government spending, tax, financial, technology, and oil supply – on the US Black-white unemployment rate gap. All shocks have significantly larger effects on Black unemployment. Contractionary shocks widen the gap. Government spending has particularly strong effects.

This study aims to analyse the spatial dependence of the Human Development Index (HDI) determinants across districts and cities in East Java Province using the Spatial Lag Model (SLM). The research employs a quantitative spatial econometrics approach with secondary data obtained from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) and spatial boundary data in shapefile format. The variables used include HDI as the dependent variable, and population, open unemployment rate (TPT), regional gross domestic product (PDRB), and labour force participation rate (TPAK) as explanatory variables. Spatial dependence was tested using Moran’s I and Lagrange Multiplier tests. The results indicate a significant positive spatial autocorrelation of HDI, implying that regions with high HDI tend to cluster geographically. The estimation of the Spatial Lag Model shows that the spatial lag parameter (ρ) is positive and significant (ρ = 0.4313), revealing strong spatial dependence among neighbouring regions. The SLM also performs better than the classical OLS model, with a lower AIC (193.3610) and higher R-squared (0.7266). These findings suggest that the HDI of a region is influenced not only by socioeconomic factors but also by spill-over effects from adjacent areas. Therefore, spatial-based development policies are recommended to enhance human development more equitably across regions.

ABSTRACT In an era characterised by the impacts of the cost-of-living crisis and COVID-19, this research examines the effects of the UK’s cost-of-living crisis on the well-being, attendance, and retention of undergraduate Business School students through an online questionnaire. The findings unveil that students grappling with soaring rent and mortgage expenses endure adverse effects on their mental health rating and attendance in classes. Moreover, it is revealed that students are more inclined to discontinue their studies in the face of rent or mortgage rate hikes. Additionally, students burdened with high commuting costs, caregiving responsibilities, stagnant incomes, or job loss face heightened risks to their mental well-being and are prone to increased absenteeism, thereby considering abandoning their education. Furthermore, the research sheds light on the hurdles students encounters due to the cost-of-living crisis, their coping mechanisms, and proposed solutions from the university.

To describe the implementation and outcomes of Work-Able Solutions a multisite, early access, work-focused occupational therapy intervention, adopting a transdiagnostic approach to support job retention, return to work, and work role functioning. Working-age adults with rheumatic and musculoskeletal disorders (RMDs), employed or receiving illness benefits ≤ 6 months, and reporting work difficulties were recruited across three sites. Participants received a 2 h assessment followed by individualised occupational therapy sessions, delivered face-to-face, virtually, or at the workplace. Interventions were guided by the Person-Environment-Occupation-Performance framework, incorporating biopsychosocial and person-centred strategies for symptom management, overcoming workplace barriers, self-advocacy, reasonable accommodations, and return-to-work planning. Primary outcomes were work status and illness benefit; secondary outcomes included work role functioning, future work ability, perceived job loss risk, quality of life, and symptom burden. Outcomes were collected pre-post-intervention and three-month follow-up. Non-parametric analyses included McNemar, Friedman, and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. 283 participants were recruited (mean age 47.9 ± 11.7 years, 72% female); 195 completed three-month follow-up. Work status improved post-intervention (p < 0.001) and was sustained at follow-up (p = 0.003). Illness benefit usage declined (p < 0.001). Work role functioning, quality of life, coping, and symptom measures (pain, fatigue, disability) improved post-intervention and at three months (all p < 0.001). Future work concerns and perceived likelihood of job loss due to RMD decreased (p < 0.001). Early individualised work-focused occupational therapy supports adults with RMDs to maintain employment, enhance role functioning, improve quality of life, and symptoms, indicating real-world effectiveness for job retention and return to work.

The Government of Ghana proposed a bill in 2019 for establishing an integrated Iron and Steel Corporation, aimed at exploiting the country’s commercial iron ore resources for job creation. In this work, the potential for using waste materials as feedstock in the production of high-grade iron nuggets from the Pudo iron ore in the Upper East Region of Ghana is investigated. Carbonaceous materials generated from charred corn cob (CCC) and its blends with end-of-life high density polyethylene (HDPE) were used as reductants. Corn cob was charred and pulverised in a laboratory ball mill to 106 μm, followed by mixing with pulverised HDPE samples. The generated carbonaceous materials were characterised by XRD, SEM/EDS and FTIR analyses. Reduction studies were conducted on composite pellets of the ore in a domestic microwave oven (AKAI brand, 2400 MW, 2.45 GHz). It was observed that iron nuggets can be produced from the Pudo iron ore using CCC, HDPE and their blends. The measured extent of reduction was up to 98.7%, attained for a CCC-HDPE blend ratio of 2:3, providing a sustainable and locally sourced path for iron nugget production aligned with Ghana’s industrial development goals.

Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes) serve as a strategic institutional instrument for accelerating rural economic development and poverty alleviation in developing nations like Indonesia. This study aims to investigate the empirical impact of the BUMDes program's contribution on local community welfare, focusing on a rural setting in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Employing a quantitative approach with a descriptive survey design, data were collected proportionally from 39 rural households. The empirical analysis was conducted using simple linear regression to examine the relationship between BUMDes program contributions and community welfare. The findings reveal that the BUMDes program's contribution is perceived to be highly effective (average score 3.65), aligning with a high level of community welfare (average score 3.58). Statistical analysis confirms a positive and significant impact, evidenced by a regression coefficient of 0.484 (t-value = 4.184 &gt; t-table = 1.687) and a coefficient of determination (R-squared) of 32.1%. These results imply that BUMDes significantly stimulates income generation, job creation, and the expansion of local business services. The study concludes that optimizing the governance and institutional capacity of BUMDes is imperative for achieving sustainable rural welfare and empowering local economic resilience.

There is a regulation regarding oil and gas business activities that includes criminal sanctions is Law Number 22 of 2001 concerning Oil and Gas as amended by Law Number 11 of 2020 concerning Job Creation in conjunction with Law Number 6 of 2023 concerning the Preparation of Work and Budget Plans. Which explicitly regulates that every downstream business activity, including transportation, storage, trade, and processing, must have government permission, and that the trade in subsidized fuel can only be conducted by businesses with a trade license. Violations of these provisions are subject to criminal sanctions, indicating that the state takes the misuse of subsidized fuel management and distribution seriously. Although the law has prohibited and threatened heavy penalties and a regulatory framework is available, in reality, many people still engage in the misuse of transportation and trade licenses for subsidized diesel fuel. The purpose of this research is to explain the application of criminal penalties against subsidized solar traders without a business license in court rulings. The research method used is empirical juridical, which is legal research conducted by examining legal events in the field. The research results show that the application of criminal penalties against subsidized diesel traders without a business license in the court decisions reviewed reflects the state's commitment to protecting public interests, securing state finances, and creating order in the subsidized fuel distribution system. However, the effectiveness of criminal penalties as an instrument of law enforcement will only be optimally achieved if it is balanced with consistency in the imposition of sanctions, strengthening the supervision of subsidized fuel distribution in the field, and the continuous enhancement of public legal awareness.

ABSTRACT Using an event history analysis approach, this study examines the adoption of budget stabilization funds (BSFs) among U.S. states. It delves into two primary mechanisms of policy diffusion, learning and emulation, and finds evidence that emulation is the driving mechanism of BSF adoption. In particular, a state is more likely to adopt BSFs if its richest neighboring state has already adopted BSFs, indicating that states follow the lead of their more affluent neighbors in adopting financial stabilization measures. Additionally, a state is more likely to adopt BSFs if its governorship and legislature are under unified party control, its balanced budget requirements are less restrictive, and it has a lower unemployment rate.

Objective: To analyze the trend of pesticide-related suicide incidents in Jiangsu Province, and factors influencing changes in pesticide suicide rates, in order to provide reference for suicide prevention and pesticide management policy formulation. Methods: In December 2022, data on pesticide-related suicides in Jiangsu Province from 2006 to 2021 were collected. The autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) models were used for time series analysis. Granger causality test was used to analyze the causal relationship between pesticide-related suicide related indicators and socio-economic and agricultural related indicators. Results: From 2006 to 2021, a total of 41419 cases of pesticide poisoning were reported in Jiangsu Province, including 26426 cases of pesticide-related suicide poisoning, with a mortality rate of 7.84%. The pesticide-related suicide rate among women was 1.25/100000, which was significantly higher than that among men (0.78/100000, OR=0.61, 95%CI: 0.60-0.63, P<0.001). Pesticide-related suicide had obvious seasonal characteristics, with the highest proportion of cases in summer (35.11%). Granger causality test shows that the number of pesticide-related suicides was a one-way Granger cause of the average annual population, and the number of pesticide-related suicide deaths was a one-way Granger cause of pesticide-related suicide (P<0.05). No Granger causality was found between pesticide use, unemployment rate, per capita GDP, with the number of pesticide-related suicides. Conclusion: The number of pesticide-related suicide cases in Jiangsu Province has shown a continuous downward trend from 2006 to 2021, with women having a higher risk of suicide than men, and summer being high-risk periods.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the role of the manufacturing sector in the economy of East Java by applying a base sector approach and input–output analysis. The main objective is to assess the extent to which the manufacturing sector acts as a key driver of regional economic growth and generates intersectoral linkages and multiplier effects on output, income, and employment. Design/Methods/Approach: The study adopts a quantitative approach by combining location quotient (LQ) analysis and input–output analysis. The LQ method is used to identify whether manufacturing functions as a base sector in East Java’s economy, while input–output analysis examines the sector’s forward and backward linkages with other sectors. The analytical results are further interpreted in relation to Industry 4.0 and sustainability policy frameworks in East Java. Findings: The findings indicate that the manufacturing sector has an LQ value of 1.40 (&gt;1), confirming its role as a base sector with a substantial contribution to East Java’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP). Input–output analysis reveals strong forward and backward linkages between manufacturing and other sectors. An increase in manufacturing output is shown to stimulate the growth of related sectors and generate significant multiplier effects in terms of output expansion, income generation, and employment creation. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the economic literature by integrating base-sector analysis with input–output analysis while explicitly linking multiplier effects to Industry 4.0 and sustainability policies. This combined approach offers new insights into sectoral interdependencies and illustrates how technological transformation and sustainability initiatives can enhance the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector at the regional level. Practical/Policy implication: The results highlight the importance of policies that prioritize infrastructure development, improved logistics connectivity, and human capital development through vocational education and training aligned with Industry 4.0 technologies. In addition, incentives for green industries, export promotion, and strengthened international cooperation are essential to expand markets and enhance competitiveness. These policy recommendations can be applied to reinforce the manufacturing sector as a strategic pillar for sustainable economic growth in East Java.

Our study examines the relationship between business cycles and mortality rates in Italy over the period 2004-2019. Using the unemployment rate as a proxy for macroeconomic conditions, we investigate how economic fluctuations affect mortality rates across causes of death, age groups, genders, and educational levels. The analysis relies on data from the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) and applies panel data methods to control for province-specific heterogeneity and time effects. The findings reveal a procyclical pattern, with higher unemployment rates associated with lower mortality. Substantial heterogeneity emerges across demographic groups and causes of death. To test robustness, the analysis is extended to include the COVID-19 pandemic years (2020-2021), thereby assessing its impact on the previously identified relationships. Results suggest that the pandemic disrupted established unemployment-mortality dynamics, particularly for transport accidents and respiratory diseases. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of targeted public policies to mitigate health risks during economic expansions and provide insights into how macroeconomic conditions shape public health outcomes in Italy.

Public health crises may disrupt health behaviors and socioeconomic conditions that influence suicide risk. This study examined associations between COVID-19-related daily life disruptions and suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among Korean adults. We analyzed nationally representative data from 149 950 adults aged 19 to 64 years from the 2021 Korea Community Health Survey. Weighted multivariable logistic regression models assessed associations between changes in health behaviors (physical activity, smoking, alcohol use, instant food consumption) and socioeconomic conditions (household income, employment, work environment) and suicidal behaviors during the past 12 months. Both behavioral and socioeconomic disruptions were associated with higher odds of suicidal ideation. Increased smoking and alcohol consumption showed the strongest associations with both suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Decreased household income, job loss, and worsened work environments were significantly associated with suicide attempts. Behavioral instability in either direction was also linked to elevated suicidal ideation. Behavioral and socioeconomic instability may serve as early population-level indicators of suicide vulnerability during public health crises.