Urban Facilities Research Articles

Common adolescent mental health disorders seen in Family Medicine Clinics in Ghana and Nigeria.

Mental health disorders among adolescents is on the rise globally. Patients seldom present to mental health physicians, for fear of stigmatization, and due to the dearth of mental health physicians. They are mostly picked during consultations with Family Physicians. This study seeks to identify the common mental health disorders seen by family Physicians in Family Medicine Clinics in Nigeria and Ghana. A descriptive cross-sectional study involving 302 Physicians practicing in Family Medicine Clinics in Nigeria and Ghana, who were randomly selected for the study. Data were collected using self-administered semi-structured questionnaire, and were entered into excel spreadsheet before analysing with IBM-SPSS version 22. Descriptive statistics using frequencies and percentages was used to describe variables. Of the 302 Physicians recruited for the study, only 233 completed the study, in which 168 (72.1%) practiced in Nigeria and 65 (27.9%) in Ghana. They were mostly in urban communities (77.3%) and tertiary health facilities (65.2%). Over 90% of Family Medicine practitioners attended to adolescents with mental health issues with over 70% of them seeing at least 2 adolescents with mental health issues every year. The burden of mental health disorder was 16% and the common mental health disorders seen were depression (59.2%), Bipolar Affective Disorder (55.8%), Epilepsy (51.9%) and Substance Abuse Disorder (44.2%). Family Physicians in Nigeria and Ghana attend to a good number of adolescents with mental health disorders in their clinics. There is the need for Family Physicians to have specialized training and retraining to be able to recognize and treat adolescent mental health disorders. This will help to reduce stigmatization and improve the management of the disease thus, reducing the burden.

Assessment of vulnerability to waterlogging in subway stations using integrated EWM-TOPSIS

Waterlogging in subway stations has a devastating impact on normal operation of important urban facilities and can cause harm to passengers and property. It is difficult to assess the vulnerability of metro stations to waterlogging because many complex factors are involved. This study proposes a hybrid model to assess the vulnerability of subway stations to waterlogging by integrating the entropy weight method (EWM) with a technique for order preference based on similarity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS) (the EWM-TOPSIS method). The model is based on analysis of factors influencing the vulnerability of subway stations to waterlogging. The proposed method was applied to a field case (Jinshahu station in Hangzhou, found to be vulnerable to waterlogging at level IV). The results from EWM-TOPSIS, EWM, and TOPSIS were compared. The results using the EWM-TOPSIS method were more accurate and reliable than those using EWM and TOPSIS. However, the reliability of EWM-TOPSIS was determined based on historical data, which cannot capture rapidly changing factors. Based on the assessment results, recommendations were made to promote the overall health and development of urban areas to satisfy the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG11).

Mapping urban scenescapes of ethnicity: a study of Tibetan cultural scenes in downtown Chengdu, China

ABSTRACT Urban scenescapes are significantly influenced by cultural groups representing different ethnicities. In order to foster a cohesive and inclusive urban environment, it is crucial to comprehend the scale, type, and distribution of scenes associated with ethnicity. With the aim of exploring Tibetan cultural scenescapes in Chinese cities, this study employed the theory of scenes to develop a socio-spatial research method. By focusing on the five downtown districts of Chengdu as the study area, the study evaluated the effectiveness of urban facilities in expressing Tibetan culture and delineated the scenescapes related to Tibetan ethnicity in the designated region. This study’s findings indicate the following: 1) different urban facilities exhibited notable variation in their cultural performance; 2) currently, seven distinct scene clusters showcase Tibetan culture in downtown Chengdu; 3) these scene clusters can be categorised into three types. Based on the findings, this study has proposed strategies for planning scene clusters and designing facilities, with the overarching objective of fostering an inclusive and multicultural urban environment.

Strategi Desain Integrasi Rumah Susun dan Fasilitas Pertanian Perkotaan berbasis Self-sufficiency

<p><em>This paper focuses on the implementation of the concept of self-sufficiency in energy and food into residential buildings by adding agricultural facilities. There is still no specific literature on the application of self-sufficiency in residential buildings with urban agricultural facilities. Current literature. The current literature discusses self-suffiency in general, or the application of one aspect of self-suffiency in buildings, such as energy. In addition, the scale of discussion on large-scale self-sufficiency and not specific to residential buildings with urban agricultural facilities Therefore, this article can be one of the literature that discusses self-sufficiency specifically in residential buildings with urban agricultural facilities and on a microscale. Using theories from Mahdi, Magdalenna and Suharyanto , we formulate how to apply the self-sufficiency concept to the residential building by calculating the food and energy needed by the residents and how to achieve it. This project is a model of how to achieve self-sufficiency in residential buildings</em></p>

Colocations of spatial clusters among different industries

Spatial colocation has been studied in many contexts including locations of urban facilities, industry entities and businesses. However, identifying colocations among a small number of facilities and establishments holds the risk of introducing false positive in that such a spatial arrangement may have occurred by chance. To account for the association between a group of facilities that frequently colocate with each other, this study proposes a two-step approach consisting of identifying statistically significant clusters of each facility type using the False Discovery Rate (FDR) controlling procedure, and subsequently measuring the colocation of those clusters with the frequent-pattern-growth (FP-growth) algorithm. Empirical analysis of 6 million business and industrial establishments across Japan suggests that 10 out of 86 industry types form clear colocations and their colocations form a multi-layered, cascading structure. The number of layers in the multi-layered structure reflect the city size and the strength of the association between the colocated clusters of industries. These patterns illustrate the utility of detecting colocation of clusters towards understanding the agglomeration of different businesses. The proposed method can be applied to other contexts that would benefit from investigations into how different types of spatial features can be linked with each other and how they form colocations.

Alexithymia, Burnout, and Hopelessness in a Large Sample of Healthcare Workers during the Third Wave of COVID-19 in Italy.

In the present study, we aimed to assess the frequency of and the relationships between alexithymia, burnout, and hopelessness in a large sample of healthcare workers (HCWs) during the third wave of COVID-19 in Italy. Alexithymia was evaluated by the Italian version of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and its subscales Difficulty in Identifying Feelings (DIF), Difficulty in Describing Feelings (DDF), and Externally Oriented Thinking (EOT), burnout was measured with the scales emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalisation (DP), and personal accomplishment (PA) of the Maslach Burnout Test (MBI), hopelessness was measured using the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), and irritability (IRR), depression (DEP), and anxiety (ANX) were evaluated with the Italian version of the Irritability' Depression' Anxiety Scale (IDA). This cross-sectional study recruited a sample of 1445 HCWs from a large urban healthcare facility in Italy from 1 May to 31 June 2021. The comparison between individuals that were positive (n = 214, 14.8%) or not for alexithymia (n = 1231, 85.2%), controlling for age, gender, and working seniority, revealed that positive subjects showed higher scores on BHS, EE, DP IRR, DEP, ANX, DIF, DDF, and EOT and lower on PA than the not positive ones (p < 0.001). In the linear regression model, higher working seniority as well as higher EE, IRR, DEP, ANX, and DDF scores and lower PA were associated with higher hopelessness. In conclusion, increased hopelessness was associated with higher burnout and alexithymia. Comprehensive strategies should be implemented to support HCWs' mental health and mitigate the negative consequences of alexithymia, burnout, and hopelessness.

Utilization of Proximate Healthcare Facilities and Children’s Wait Times in Senegal: An IV-Tobit Analysis

Universal health coverage (UHC) defines individuals’ timely access to healthcare services without suffering any health-related financial constraints. The Senegalese government has shown commitments towards achievement of UHC as a way of improving access by the population to quality healthcare services. This is very pertinent for promoting some indicators of under-five health in Senegal. Therefore, this study analyzed the factors influencing sick children’s utilization of the nearest healthcare facilities and their wait times in Senegal. The data were from the Service Provision Assessment (SPA) survey, which was conducted in 2018. The instrumental Tobit regression model was used for data analysis. The results showed that 63.50% and 86.01% of the children utilized health posts and publicly owned facilities, respectively. Also, 98.46% of the children utilized urban facilities. The nearest facilities were utilized by 74.55%, and 78.19% spent less than an hour in the facilities. The likelihood of using the nearest healthcare facilities significantly reduced (p &lt; 0.05) with caregivers’ primary education, higher education, residence in some regions (Fatick, Kaokack, Saint Louis, Sediou, and Tambacounda), and use of private/NGO not-for-profit facilities, but increased with not having visited any other providers, residence in the Kaffrie region, vomiting symptoms, use of health centers, and use of health posts. Moreover, treatment wait times significantly increased (p &lt; 0.05) with the use of nearest facilities, residence in some regions (Diourbel, Kaokack, Matam and Saint Louis), use of private for-profit facilities, use of private not-for-profit facilities, and urban residence, but decreased with secondary education, use of health centers, use of health posts, vomiting symptoms, and showing other symptoms. It was concluded that reduction in wait times and utilization of the nearest healthcare facilities are fundamental to achieving UHC in Senegal. Therefore, more efforts should be integrated at promoting regional and sectoral equities through facilitated public and private healthcare investment.

Unit costs for allopathic and AYUSH outpatient care in public facilities in Urban Delhi, India.

The National Health Policy, 2017, suggests pluralism in health care with the integrated delivery of AYUSH and allopathic care at public facilities. Information on unit cost of outpatient visits for both types of care at public facilities is useful to guide the policies on health-care delivery. The costs in 2019-20 were estimated for each type of care at allopathic urban primary health center (UPHC) and AYUSH facilities using top-down methodology and adding out-of-pocket expenditures (OOPE) incurred to reflect true costs. Data from national health survey, annual government budgets, and reports were used. The average cost of an outpatient visit for allopathic care was ₹325 at a UPHC and ₹189 in a homeopathic dispensary and ₹692 in an Ayurvedic dispensary. While OOPE per visit at UPHC was ₹177, no OOPE was incurred at AYUSH facilities. The government expenditure per visit for allopathic care at UPHC at ₹148 was the lowest compared to any type of AYUSH care. The cost per facility for allopathic UPHC was higher than both Ayurvedic and homeopathic dispensaries. Unani dispensaries were least cost-effective, both in terms of cost per visit and cost per facility. Costs per visit at a facility are impacted by footfalls. For Ayurveda, despite lower facility costs as compared to UPHC, per visit costs were higher due to low utilization. Improving evidence-based utilization of AYUSH care is critical for the success of the government policy of mainstreaming AYUSH care at low cost.

Service-specific Readiness for Hypertension and Diabetes Care and Its Related Factors in Primary Health Facilities in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria: A Comparative Service Availability and Readiness Assessment Study

Abstract Background: According to the global action plan of the World Health Organization (WHO), private and public health facilities (HFs) must possess at least 80% of affordable basic technologies and essential medicines to tackle the rising burden of hypertension and diabetes (H and D) globally. Literature regarding the realisation of this target is scarce in resource-poor settings like Nigeria. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess and compare the service-specific readiness for H and D care in selected urban and rural primary health-care (PHC) facilities in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: The WHO’s service availability and readiness assessment tool was adapted and deployed to assess readiness for H and D care in 214 PHCs randomly sampled from the entire 426 government-owned PHCs in the state. Results: A total of 214 PHCs were surveyed (urban, 51.4%). Overall, more urban than rural PHCs had essential drugs (4.8% vs. 0.9%), laboratory equipment (81.7% vs. 76.4%), and were ready for H and D care (23% vs. 11%). Availability of drug-revolving funds (odds ratio [OR] = 4.09; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03–1.12) and the number of health workers (OR = 1.08; 95% CI = 1.03–1.33) were significantly associated with readiness. Conclusion: The level of readiness for H and D care was low in both urban and rural primary HFs. The correlates found to be associated with the readiness for H and D care are the availability of drug-revolving funds and the number of health workers.

Use of Cell/Smartphone Technology in an Urban Free-Standing Hemodialysis Facility in the United States: A Single Center Study

Use of Cell/Smartphone Technology in an Urban Free-Standing Hemodialysis Facility in the United States: A Single Center Study

Monitoring Scheme for Safety Hazard Status of Urban Rail Transit Operation Equipment and Facilities Based on Blockchain Technology

Urban rail transit plays a very important role in cities’ social and economic development. To ensure the safe and stable operation of urban rail transit operation equipment and facilities, it is necessary to monitor a large number of safety hazard statuses and data and improve the over-centralisation of traditional monitoring. This paper designs a scheme for storing, validating and monitoring the safety hazard status of urban rail transit operation equipment and facilities based on blockchain technology. The safety hazards of equipment and facilities during the operation stage of urban rail transit are listed using the literature analysis method and the case study method. The European RAMS (reliability, availability, maintainability and safety) standard method is used to determine the safety hazard status of equipment and facilities by availability index. Based on the features of the consensus mechanism, smart contract and other features of blockchain technology, this paper designs an overall scheme for storing, verifying and monitoring the safety hazard status of equipment and facilities. This scheme provides a practical operation method for evaluating the safety hazard status of rail transit equipment and facilities, which is conducive to the safety rectification of the entire urban rail transit.

Towards an Evaluation System of Disabled Individuals’ Friendly Communities from the Perspective of Inclusive Development—A Case Study in Jinan

The quality of travel for residents has improved in China’s urban renewal development, but there are still barriers to the activities of disadvantaged groups like people with disabilities in the city, including challenges with accessible travel and a lack of accessible design. All urban people should have access to services and be guaranteed equal rights, according to the inclusive development theory. This study examines the travel requirements and behavioural patterns of the barrier-free groups to safeguard the right of underprivileged groups to participate equally in the urban space. It also determines the impact of various types of urban land use and service facilities on the distribution of barrier-free facilities. An evaluation system based on the needs of the disabled group is established to evaluate the degree of barrier-free facilities in the surveyed areas, summarise the problems shown by the evaluation scores, and propose improvement strategies for the shortcomings of accessibility to residential areas and the controversy through web data crawling and a geographically weighted analysis. From the standpoint of inclusive development, the goal is to lessen the travel issues faced by underprivileged groups and to improve their capacity to take advantage of opportunities and have access to resources.

Revealing disaster dynamics and disparities in urban facility accessibility using an improved utilization-based metric

Quantifying socio-spatial disparities in accessibility to urban facilities is a crucial step toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of universal access to these facilities. Drawing on mobility big data in Wilmington metropolitan area in the United States, we proposed a novel dynamic utilization-based accessibility metric based on the traditional gravity model, and assessed the residents' grocery store accessibility and restaurant accessibility before, during and after Hurricane Florence in 2018, revealing disparities in residents' access patterns. Then, we investigated the roles of potential accessibility and neighborhoods' demographics and socioeconomic status in explaining the residents' accessibility both in the normal state and during the hurricane. Notably, our findings show that, despite a general decline in accessibility during hurricanes, our metric adeptly captures varying extents of disruption across different facilities. A surge in spatial inequity of restaurant accessibility was observed alongside reduced spatial inequity levels in grocery store accessibility. Interestingly, while normal-state grocery accessibility hinges on aspatial factors like median income and race, “potential accessibility” as a spatial factor emerges as the most significant determinant during the hurricane. The findings provide new insights for city planners and policymakers to promote sustainable mobility and resource allocations for social justice in emergency response.

Spatial Patterns and Multi-Dimensional Impact Analysis of Urban Street Quality Perception under Multi-Source Data: A Case Study of Wuchang District in Wuhan, China

The human spatial perception of urban streets has a high complexity and traditional research methods often focus on access surveys of human perception. Urban streets serve as both a direct conduit for pedestrians’ impressions of a city and a reflection of the spatial quality of that city. Street-view images can provide a large amount of primary data for the image semantic segmentation technique. Deep learning techniques were used in this study to collect the boring, beautiful, depressing, lively, safe, and wealthy perception scores of street spaces based on these images. Then, the spatial pattern of urban street-space quality perception was analyzed by global Moran’s I and GIS hotspot analyses. The findings demonstrate that various urban facilities affect street quality perception in different ways and that the strength of an influencing factor’s influence varies depending on its geographical location. The results of the influencing factors reveal the difference in the degree of influence of positive and negative influencing factors on various perceptions of the visual dimension of pedestrians. The primary contribution of this study is that it reduces the potential bias of a single data source by using multi-dimensional impact analysis to explain the relationship between urban street perception and urban facilities and visual elements. The study’s findings offer direction for high-quality urban development as well as advice for urban planning and enhanced design.

Estimation of the riverine input of organic ultraviolet filters (OUVFs) from the Pearl River Estuary to the South China Sea during the early Covid-19 pandemic

Organic ultraviolet filters (OUVFs) are functional ingredients used in cosmetics to protect skin from the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This study presents recent findings on the distribution of OUVFs in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), located in southern China. This investigation was conducted during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic when the stay-at-home policy was implemented. Analysis revealed the presence of OUVFs in both the surface and bottom water samples collected from eight major outlets of the Pearl River. The OUVFs were detected in both the dissolved phase and suspended particulate matter, with a total concentration ranging from 7.19 ± 6.54 to 20.5 ± 9.62 ng/L. Notably, OUVFs' concentrations in the study period were significantly lower compared to those reported before the pandemic. This implies that effective reduction of OUVF emissions can be achieved through usage reduction combined with the management of direct discharge and appropriate treatment by urban wastewater treatment facilities. During the study period, the annual release of OUVFs was approximately 12.6 kg/1000 people/year, with the greatest contribution from the Hu Men outlet. Consequently, it is imperative to consider the potential ecological risks associated with the release of OUVFs from the PRE into the marine environment, particularly with the potential for an accompanying rebound in risk upon the lifting of restrictions on outdoor activities in the post Covid-19 time.

Study on the Locational Characteristics of Urban Function Induction Facilities from Differences in Improvement of the Station Square

Study on the Locational Characteristics of Urban Function Induction Facilities from Differences in Improvement of the Station Square

Relationship between the Inducing Zone of Urban Facility Location Plan and the Intention to Choose the Residence Place with COVID-19

Relationship between the Inducing Zone of Urban Facility Location Plan and the Intention to Choose the Residence Place with COVID-19

Urban environment, unhealthy buildings as a root of inequalities and importance of SDGs

Abstract The current pandemic reinforced inequalities and injustice on multiple levels: health, social, and especially urban environment. Cities represent human prosperity and wealth, but also inequity, and health detrimental environments lacking green spaces and sufficiently good air quality, transportation, water supply. Emergencies like COVID-19 pandemic, but also other natural disasters like earthquake and humanitarian crisis have brought a renewed interest in the urban environment and healthy living. With the special circumstances, last year's special attention from public health has become an urban environment concern. The built natural environment, various public spaces like urban parks and forests, transportation hubs and urban open public spaces, are not only significant factors influencing the spread of infectious diseases, but those spaces also have protective roles for health, particularly mental health. There are a lot of examples which reflect increased inequalities in urban areas. Various urban facilities and buildings are in very unhealthy conditions and produce a lot of risks for their inhabitants. Public spaces revealed influential properties for older patients, whereas middle and young-aged adults were more influenced by traveling and the location of business services. The ethnic and minority vulnerability has also a legacy of historical issues in urban planning and unhealthy buildings. This is characterized by diverse racial and minority group populations, with the increased risk from COVID- 19, but also noticeably lower accessibility to green open areas for physical activity. It seems that the Covid crisis have increased the risk of slowing down the achievement of sustainable development goals in urban areas: It is especially important to re-examine the goals and prevent the slowdown in progress towards goals 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 10 (inequalities) in connection with SDG 3 Health) and SDG 17 (strong global partnerships).

Neonatal jaundice detection in low-income Mexican settings: is there scope for mHealth innovation?

Abstract Introduction Neonatal jaundice (NNJ) is a common and usually harmless condition, but undetected severe cases can cause brain damage and disabilities in thousands of babies each year. Low- and middle-income countries often lack accurate methods for detection and rely primarily on visual assessment (VA), resulting in a higher incidence of consequences. Norwegian researchers developed an easy-to-use and affordable smartphone app (Picterus) to detect NNJ that has shown higher accuracy than VA in Norwegian and Mexican neonates. We evaluated the feasibility of implementing Picterus in low-income settings in Mexico to improve outcomes for affected newborns. Methods Qualitative methods, including 1 focus group, 15 semi structured interviews, and 4 observations, were used in urban and rural health facilities in Oaxaca, Mexico, with medical doctors, nurses, and health authorities as participants. Results Four themes were identified through thematic analysis guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research: (1) the current process to detect NNJ, (2) participants’ needs to improve it, (3) feasibility of implementing Picterus in the health system, and (4) users’ expectations from the app. The findings indicate deficiencies in the current process of NNJ detection and a desire among participants for a more accurate tool. Picterus was perceived as an easy-to-use and useful tool compatible with the work routine; however, barriers to adoption were identified, primarily related to internet deficiencies and costs. Conclusions Picterus has the potential to improve NNJ detection but contextual barriers must be addressed for a successful implementation in the setting. Additionally, there is scope to optimize VA to strengthen NNJ detection. Key messages • Prevalence of severe consequences of NNJ is higher in LMIC compared to high-income ones reflecting an unjust but preventable health inequity with significant health, social and economic costs. • Picterus offers a reliable and accessible tool to bridge the gap in NNJ detection, potentially improving outcomes for affected newborns in all settings.

Urban Rail Transit Station Type Identification Based on “Passenger Flow—Land Use—Job-Housing”

Urban rail transit stations serve as pivotal hubs that facilitate the advancement of diverse economic activities. Based on different types of metro stations, the sustainable and coordinated development of public transport and land use can be achieved through rational land use planning and the rational allocation of urban infrastructure and public service facilities. Drawing upon mobile phone signaling data and land use data, this article presents a complex classification methodology for metro stations, employing the lens of “passenger flow behavior—land use structure—job-housing density” in the context of Xi’an. The stations are categorized into six distinct types, including employment-led stations with a job–housing density balance, as well as stations characterized by job–housing mismatch with a high residential density. The results indicate a low level of coupling between the passenger flow patterns of the stations and the spatial characteristics of the station areas. In addition, the spatial distributions of the stations demonstrate a significant aggregation effect in each station type, while the degree of integration between the different station types remains limited. These findings collectively suggest that the urban rail transit stations in Xi’an have not achieved complementary development, thereby reflecting a notable trend of cross-regional commuter flow in the city.