Well-being Issues Research Articles

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Information: Progress, Pitfalls, and Prospects.

Despite significant developments in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health information over the last 25 years, many challenges remain. There are still uncertainties about the accuracy of estimates of the summary measure of life expectancy, and methods to estimate changes in life expectancy over time are unreliable because of changing patterns of identification. Far too little use is made of the wealth of information that is available, and formal systems for systematically using that information are often vestigial to non-existent. Available information has focussed largely on traditional biomedical topics and too little on access to, expenditure on, and availability of services required to improve health outcomes, and on the underpinning issues of social and emotional wellbeing. It is of concern that statistical artefacts may have been misrepresented as indicating real progress in key health indices. Challenges and opportunities for the future include improving the accuracy of estimation of life expectancy, provision of community level data, information on the availability and effectiveness of health services, measurement of the underpinning issues of racism, culture and social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB), enhancing the interoperability of data systems, and capacity building and mechanisms for Indigenous data governance. There is little point in having information unless it is used, and formal mechanisms for making full use of information in a proper policy/planning cycle are urgently required.

Governance challenges in esports: a best practice framework for addressing integrity and wellbeing issues

ABSTRACT The exponential growth of esports gives rise to a number of regulatory and governance issues which expose a number of different stakeholders, including vulnerable, young participants, to potential harms. This paper examines critical challenges which currently exist in the esports ecosystem, namely integrity and participant wellbeing, with the aim of addressing the knowledge deficit in relation to best practice governance and policy process aimed at protecting relevant stakeholders in esports. Using a corporate governance framework previously developed by Burger and Goslin, this paper also generates governance reform options in relation to the identified critical issues whilst having regard to the inherently commercial and networked nature of the sector. The paper proposes an integrated policy process model to address the practicality of developing and implementing a robust, dynamic governance system with a focus upon close engagement with stakeholders to influence legitimacy of protectionist policy. This paper builds upon earlier literature on governance and policy process in sport and proposes a research agenda to address the need for governance in this burgeoning landscape.

(Re)creating a healthy self in and through disability sport: autoethnographic chaos and quest stories from a sportswoman with cerebral palsy

Those with physical disabilities are at increased risk of poor physical, mental and social health. Despite widely reported physiological and psychosocial benefits of sport for disabled people’s health and wellbeing, participation remains low and is in decline. Subsequently, we answer calls for greater focus on individuals’ voices to understand the complexities of disabled people’s participation in sport. Through a narrative autoethnographic approach we critically show and examine the lived experiences of a young female sportswoman with a disability (Gemma), as she reflects on the role of sport in, through and beyond her childhood. Framed within Arthur Frank’s narratives of injury and illness, we highlight the sport-based posthumanist narrative(s) that enabled Gemma’s (re)construction of a healthy self. Ultimately, we offer narrative inquiry, including autoethnographic methods, as a framework for understanding the lived experiences of children and young people with physical disabilities and practical recommendations for expanding narrative resources.

Culture and attitudes towards contraception of women in subsistence markets: the role of values and social axioms

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of culture on attitudes to contraception by rural-based women in a developing economy.Design/methodology/approachBased on data collected from 395 rural women in Eastern Zimbabwe, this study examines the hypothesized relationships between values (resultant conservation, resultant self-enhancement), social axioms (reward for application, social cynicism, religiosity, social complexity, fate control and Ubuntu) and contraceptive attitudes, considering the moderating effects of age and education.FindingsUsing covariance-based Structural Equation Modelling and Multi-Group Analysis, this study found that resultant self-enhancement, fate control, the reward for application and religiosity significantly relate to attitudes to contraception whilst resultant conservation, social complexity, Ubuntu and social cynicism, did not produce significant correlations. Age and education moderate the significant relationships.Research limitations/implicationsThe study's findings suggest that contraception social marketers, non-governmental organizations and health practitioners should develop marketing strategies to neutralize the negative impact of these beliefs held by rural contraceptive consumers to increase contraceptive awareness and uptake in such subsistence markets. In addition, this study provides empirical evidence on the role of Ubuntu as a new culture construct in African markets.Originality/valueDespite being limited to a single developing economy, this paper extends prior research on consumer culture and attitudes on contraception use by exploring the role of values and social axioms, an imperative issue for rural women health and general subsistence market well-being.

Covid-19 Pandemic: The Impact on Mental Health and Education among Young Adults

Mental health is an important aspect of individuals in order to perform adequately. The covid-19 pandemic had a drastic effect on everyone. People had never experienced such an emergency health situation in the recent past and the sudden entry of it made them overwhelmed. Students had one of the major impacts both in terms of mental health and education. The confinement, lack of social interaction and situations at their residences caused mental disturbances like stress and anxiety. Simultaneously, a drastic shift from offline to online education affected their learning. This was a new experience and it appears most of the time for students to adjust and nevertheless they had problems such as lack of technological knowledge, network problems and was not very much helpful for group interactions. In this review, we looked at papers that studied the COVID-19 impact on mental well-being issues and the preferences between online and offline modes of learning with the problems faced during the same course. It implied that issues like anxiety, stress and depression had in fact affected negatively among student’s mental health and they preferred a hybrid mode consisting of both modes of learning that would benefit for them.

The Effect of Pets on Human Mental Health and Wellbeing during COVID-19 Lockdown in Malaysia.

Simple SummaryPets are an integrative part of everyday life. Understanding the impact that pets have on human mental health and wellbeing, especially during periods of prolonged social isolation, is vitally important to determine whether animals can be integrated in prevention, recovery and intervention programmes to promote mental health and wellbeing. Research, with Western samples, suggests a positive impact of pets on humans; however, there is a lack of research on the effects of human–animal interactions in Southeast Asia. The aim of this study was to address this gap and to explore whether and how pets impact mental health and wellbeing in Malaysia during the COVID-19 induced movement control order (MCO). Additionally, the study explored if there was any interaction between other demographics, like age, gender, education, and pet ownership when it comes to mental health and wellbeing. The results show that in comparisons with people without animals, pet owners had significantly higher levels of mental wellbeing, in that they felt they could cope better with adverse situations and experienced significantly more positive emotions during the lockdown. On the other hand, there were no differences in levels of depression, stress, resilience, anxiety and negative emotions between the two participant groups. These results indicate that although the information about human–animal interaction is limited in Malaysia, pets can have a positive impact on some aspects of mental health and wellbeing and be actively integrated into promoting mental health and wellbeing in situations where people are socially isolated and experiencing difficulties coping with adversities or negative emotions.The adverse impact of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) on mental and physical health has been witnessed across the globe. Associated mental health and wellbeing issues include stress, social isolation, boredom, and anxiety. Research suggests human–animal interactions may improve the overall wellbeing of an individual. However, this has been less explored in Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia and the present study examined the effect of pets on the mental health and wellbeing of Malaysians during the lockdown, or movement control order (MCO), due to COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional survey was carried out, with 448 Malaysian participants, who completed online assessments for psychological outcomes, psychological wellbeing, positive–negative emotions, resilience, and coping self-efficacy. Results indicate that pet owners reported significantly better coping self-efficacy, significantly more positive emotions, and better psychological wellbeing, but contrary to expectations, there was no differences on other measures. Among pet owners, cat owners reported more positive emotions and greater wellbeing than dog owners. The results show that that pets have some impact on improved psychological health of their owners and could be integrated into recovery frameworks for promoting mental health and wellbeing.

Production, Consumption, and Potential Public Health Impact of Low- and No-Alcohol Products: Results of a Scoping Review.

Switching from higher strength to low- and no-alcohol products could result in consumers buying and drinking fewer grams of ethanol. We undertook a scoping review with systematic searches of English language publications between 1 January 2010 and 17 January 2021 using PubMed and Web of Science, covering production, consumption, and policy drivers related to low- and no-alcohol products. Seventy publications were included in our review. We found no publications comparing a life cycle assessment of health and environmental impacts between alcohol-free and regular-strength products. Three publications of low- and no-alcohol beers found only limited penetration of sales compared with higher strength beers. Two publications from only one jurisdiction (Great Britain) suggested that sales of no- and low-alcohol beers replaced rather than added to sales of higher strength beers. Eight publications indicated that taste, prior experiences, brand, health and wellbeing issues, price differentials, and overall decreases in the social stigma associated with drinking alcohol-free beverages were drivers of the purchase and consumption of low- and no-alcohol beers and wines. Three papers indicated confusion amongst consumers with respect to the labelling of low- and no-alcohol products. One paper indicated that the introduction of a minimum unit price in both Scotland and Wales favoured shifts in purchases from higher- to lower-strength beers. The evidence base for the potential beneficial health impact of low- and no-alcohol products is very limited and needs considerable expansion. At present, the evidence base could be considered inadequate to inform policy.

Editor's notes

Editor's notes

Research on Migrant Works' Concern Recognition and Emotion Analysis Based on Web Text Data.

Based on the characteristics of convenience, autonomy, and equality, online self-media has become an important way for contemporary migrant workers to observe the world, understand society, examine themselves and express their demands. On the basis of the analysis of the domestic migrant works' concerns and their emotion analysis, we crawl data on Weibo about migrant works' topics as the basic corpus of migrant works' concerns, and then uses a combination of TF-IDF and Word2Vec methods to construct a recognition model of migrant workers' concerns. We found that wages, children's education, medical care and returning home are the main concerns of migrant workers. Meanwhile, further emotion analysis of the migrant works' concerns of using a deep learning model fused with Bi-LSTM and CNN was conducted. The results show that the proportion of negative emotion such as worries, complaints and impetuosity was significantly higher than that of other positive and neutral emotion like encourage and comfort. And the time when the negative emotion are concentrated is significantly related to the social events that occur in the corresponding time period. On the one hand, it shows that the concerns and emotion of migrant workers can be effectively observed and predicted through web text data. On the other hand, it also shows that the core well-being issues of migrant workers in the process of urban integration have not been effectively solved, and the government and relevant departments need to take targeted measures and give priority attention.

Dynamics of environmental pollution, socio-economic factors and total fertility rate in MENA, ECOWAS and ASEAN regions

One of the critical items in the environmental agenda is managing and controlling regional haze and air pollution. These haze, emissions and air pollution are emitted into the environment, causing dangerous harm and imposing threats to public health, human wellbeing, and fertility issues, which sometimes lead to death. The researcher aims investigates broad effects of environmental pollution, socio-economic factors on total fertility rate in MENA, ECOWAS and ASEAN regions from 1970 to 2019. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions consist of 21 countries, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) comprises 15 countries. While 10 viable countries constitute the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). A longitudinal/panel dataset covering the regions is sourced mainly from the 2019 World Development Indicators (WDI) to examine the study objectives. In the methodology, a panel fixed-effect (FE) model are employed in estimating the objective after ascertaining the FE suitability using the Hausman Test. The results show that (i) environmental pollution (as proxied by CO2 emissions) has a negative and statistically significant effect on total fertility rate in MENA and ECOWAS but has a significantly positive effect on TFR in ASEAN. Based on the findings, many robust policies are recommended to manage/control environmental pollution to drive down fertility and other public health threats.

Gender differences in the coping mechanisms to disruptions brought by COVID-19 pandemic among working adults in the Rural Philippines: The Case of Visayas State University

The various social restrictions imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19 virus have brought unprecedented disruptions in people’s lifestyle. The academic institutions were caught unprepared and had to adjust abruptly. With this, we assessed how working adults in a state university in rural Philippines are coping with the disruptions brought by the pandemic. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey on May 18 to 23, 2020 where 133 working adults from the Visayas State University, Leyte, Philippines responded to the survey. Results show that the top most rank coping mechanism for both men and women is doing household chores. Results further suggest that men are more inclined to surfing the net and use social media while women focus more on praying and gardening. Pets are considered as an important companion to cope better with the pandemic. Our results highlight differences in coping mechanisms between working men and women in dealing with the pandemic. Empirical findings suggest that working adults with diversified activities and engaged more in physical activities such as household chores and gardening tend to cope better during lockdowns. In addition, income and access to internet are significant determinants of coping mechanisms. Policy makers and administrators in state university in Philippines may benefit from understanding gender differences in coping with the pandemic and can tailor approaches that may contribute to wellbeing issues among working adults.

The Lawyer's Duty to Arbitrate in Good Faith and with Civility

Abstract Van Vechten (Johnny) Veeder delivered the 2001 Goff Lecture in Hong Kong on the topic of ‘The Lawyer’s Duty to Arbitrate in Good Faith’. He was especially concerned that there should be a ‘level playing field’ for advocates who come from different jurisdictions and who are subject to different national deontological rules. His concerns were echoed and amplified by other leading voices. This led to the issue being addressed in guidelines drafted by some arbitral institutions and organisations (such as the LCIA, the IBA arbitration committee and ICCA). While not addressed in his Goff lecture, Veeder was also concerned that advocates should treat each other with civility. This article, written as a tribute to Veeder, explores the extent to which various ethical codes of conduct, changes in law firm culture, issues of mental wellbeing, and effective advocacy, require lawyers to treat each other with courtesy, respect and civility.

The role of socioeconomic status and parental investment in adolescent outcomes

Using structural equation modeling on a nationally representative sample of Chinese middle school students in the China Education Panel Survey, this study examines whether the three dimensions of socioeconomic status (SES, i.e., economic status, parental education, and occupational status) are related to adolescent outcomes via different parental investment pathways, as hypothesized by the family investment model (FIM). There were two main findings. First, we found that all three components of SES significantly predicted various domains of family investments and adolescent outcomes. Second, material investments mediated the effects of SES on adolescents’ cognitive ability and behavioral problems, whereas both time investment and neighborhood quality mediated the effects of SES on adolescents’ psychological well-being and behavioral issues. Those findings expand our understanding of the effects of SES when applying the FIM and advance our knowledge of the FIM by identifying the specific mediating mechanisms that may account for family–child linkages.

A Muldimensional Approach of the Relationship Between Teleworking and Employees Well-Being – Romania During the Pandemic Generated by the Sars-Cov-2 Virus

The inclusion of the issue of well-being in the social space, by contextualizing the process in functions of reconfiguring working conditions is of significant interest for both employees and employers in win-win approach. The dynamical systems produce chaotic behavior amplified by specific nonlinear feedback mechanisms and irreversible irregularities. The pandemic generated by SARS-CoV-2 virus has determined the extension of the use of telework and the issue of the dichotomy related potential benefits/ disadvantages associated with it. The anomie of the society with multiple dysfunctions is potentiated by the individual anomie induced by anti-pandemic measures. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of telework on employee well-being, from the perspective of the theory of social production function, considering seven areas of evaluation, assessed on the basis of specific items. In order to collect the subjectively perceived information, we developed an opinion questionnaire. The information was processed using correlation analysis and regression analysis. We noticed there are some differences in the perception of well-being depending on the workplace and gender. There is a positive relationship between professional development and competences, job satisfaction, work-life balance, organizational climate and well-being, and a negative relationship between the emotional dimension, commitment, autonomy and well-being in the case of the telework © 2021, Amfiteatru Economic. All Rights Reserved.

Prevalence and effect of cardiac cachexia in advanced heart failure patients living in northern ireland

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke Background/Introduction: Cardiac cachexia (CC) is a multifactorial wasting syndrome, resulting in significant weight loss and reduction in muscle mass. This is reflected in a detrimental effect on the patients’ physical condition, quality of life and increases the patient’s risk of premature death. Nonetheless, cardiac cachexia remains frequently unrecognised in clinical practice and therefore understudied. Purpose To determine the prevalence and effect of cardiac cachexia in 200 patients with advanced heart failure (NYHA class III-IV) living in Northern Ireland. Methods A mixed methods cross sectional study of patients recruited from a regional heart failure centre. A total of 200 patients with NYHA class III-IV heart failure were consented, enrolled and detailed data collected from their records. Anthropometric measures were taken (i.e. measures of lean muscle mass and fat tissue) and each individual completed three validated questionnaires - EQ-5D-5L (quality of life), FACIT-Fatigue and FAACT (various wellbeing subscales). Results This population was predominately male (65.5%), with an average age of 74.4 years. Of the 200 NYHA class III-IV patients recruited, 30 were identified as cachectic (15%) Physically, cachectic patients were approximately 25 kg lighter than non-cachectic patients (p < 0.01) with an average BMI of 21.8 ± 4.4. The cachectic group showed significant reductions in mid-upper arm circumference (p < 0.01), skinfold thickness (p < 0.01) and upper arm fat area (p < 0.01), in comparison to the non-cachectic group. Measures of muscle mass were reduced, for example upper arm muscle circumference and area (p < 0.01), as well as grip strength (p < 0.01 for both right and left hands). Quality of life results from the EQ-5D-5L [see figure part b)] indicated an overall reduction for the cachectic group (p = 0.047). Of the EQ-5D-5L subscales, mobility and ‘usual activities’ were significantly reduced (p = 0.02 and p < 0.01 respectively), highlighting a significant change in the daily routine and ability of these patients. The FACIT-Fatigue questionnaire showed cachectic patients to be significantly more fatigued (p < 0.01) [see figure part a)], whilst the FAACT demonstrated reduced physical wellbeing (p = 0.02) and greater issues with diet and appetite (p < 0.01). Conclusions This is the first prevalence study of cardiac cachexia within Northern Ireland. The 15% prevalence rate shows that the syndrome is relatively common in the advanced heart failure population. Cardiac Cachexia has severe physical consequences, attributed to an individual’s weight loss in both fat and muscle tissue. Such changes may explain the subsequent decrease in mobility and the ability of these patients to conduct their ‘usual activities’. Increased fatigue, reduced physical wellbeing and issues with diet and appetite only intensify these dire physical effects. It is hoped that these results will highlight the impact of this syndrome and promote targeted interventions.

Social Vulnerability and Human Development of Brazilian Coastal Populations

There is a considerable gap linking human dimensions and marine ecosystem services with Sustainable Development Goals, and one of these issues relate to differing perspectives and ideas around concepts of human development. There is also a lack of contemporary evaluations of coastal communities from developing nations under the lens of wellbeing and social vulnerability indexes. This study contributes to that discussion by presenting an analysis of Brazilian coastal municipalities, based on two indexes: The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and the Municipal Human Development Index (MHDI). These indicators intend to map some aspects of social well-being and development in the Brazilian territory under different perspectives. MHDI illustrates the average population conditions in a certain territory for humans to thrive, while the SVI points more specifically to the lack of assets necessary for wellbeing in a territory. The main aims are to map inequalities between coastal municipalities based on these two indexes and to provide a critical view reinforcing the importance of also considering natural capital as a key issue for wellbeing. Both indexes were developed with data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics Census of 2010, the most recent one available for municipalities. Overall, 65.9 and 78% of a total of 387 Brazilian coastal municipalities assessed were ranked below SVI and MHDI country average values, respectively. Both indexes indicated higher human development conditions in Southern municipalities than in Northern ones, especially for income and education conditions, also showing large heterogeneity of discrepancies among and within regions. The importance of combined approaches for local socioeconomic wellbeing improvements, as measured by the MHDI and the SVI, and natural capital optimization seems essential for improvements in coastal communities’ quality-of-life conditions.

Pondok, Tsangaya, and Old Age Spiritual Wellbeing

A Comparative analysis of practices obtained between the Pondok and Tsangaya with regard to traditional Islamic education and spirituality in Malaysia and Nigeria, indicates that, despite areas of similarity in origin and evolution, there exist a unique area of sharp contrast in relation to later life spirituality and elder care. The article maintains that, despite the two systems sharing wider similarities of originating from the traditional system of Arabic and Islamic education, the Pondok provides a complete platform for the spiritual life cycle, with opportunities for devotion from childhood to death. The Tsangaya on the other hand, covers childhood to early adulthood, thus, presenting a halfway approach to the spiritual life cycle. Recommendations were based on the need for the Tsangaya to model along aspects of the Pondok in a manner that will enable the incorporation of later life spiritual needs of the elderly. The purpose of this article is to carry out a comparative analysis of these two systems of traditional Islamic education , in relation to eldercare and spiritual wellbeing. The relevance of this paper lies in the fact that population aging is currently receiving attention as global crises, and issues of elderly wellbeing in all aspects are being explored towards addressing the needs of the elderly.

Exploring the mental health and wellbeing of professional academy footballers in England

ABSTRACT The mental health and wellbeing of elite footballers is beginning to receive much needed attention in research and practice terms. However, to date much of the knowledge generated and initiatives designed to improve provision for elite footballers’ mental health and wellbeing is centred on adults. The mental health and wellbeing of junior footballers attached to elite development programmes have largely been overlooked. In England, this is particularly concerning given an estimated 12,500 young professional academy footballers are attached to such systems. Semi structured interviews were conducted to explore the extent to which social ties and interactions with significant others shaped the mental health and wellbeing of twelve professional academy footballers based in four category one football academies in England . Drawing on concepts derieved from symbolic interactionism, the analysis of the findings highlighted; i) the demands and expectations of their role often negatively affected emotions, ii) concealment of mental health and wellbeing issues to significant others in primary and secondary social networks, and ii) portrayals of the self-intended to foster positive relations with significant others to avoid stigmatization. Future research and practice should seek to inform and promote more effective interventions and models that more adequately support the mental health and wellbeing of professional academy footballers.

Impact of Workplace Bullying on Psychological Wellbeing of Doctors in Health Care Sector of Pakistan

Organizations today are globally facing the dilemma of inappropriate work behaviours especially bullying, as it has long term negative effects on target employees. Workplace bullying is a major reason for work-related distress and subsequently psychological wellbeing issues for employees. The main objective of this study was to identify the effect of bullying on the psychological well-being of doctors in Karachi, Pakistan. Data from 135 doctors were collected through a structured questionnaire. Results of the study indicated that workplace bullying significantly affects the psychological well-being of employees’ and gender plays moderating effect in the relationship between workplace bullying and the psychological well-being of the doctors. The findings of the study are very important for policymakers and top management of the hospitals, to prevent the healthcare sector from the detrimental impact of this unhealthy practice and to minimize the psychological effect of bullying. This study suggests management should pay attention to designing and executing rules and policies against bullying in order to minimize the adverse results of workplace bullying. Moreover, the findings demonstrated that bullying affects create more devastating effects on female doctors than their male counterparts. Further, it was observed that skills and experience are major factors to obtain positive outcomes of employee psychological wellbeing.

Assessing the subjective perception of urban households on the criteria representing sustainable housing affordability

Housing affordability is typically assessed in economic terms, but housing affordability concerns transcend mere housing cost and its relationship to income, to wider issues of social wellbeing and sustainability. New studies on this subject are increasingly recognizing the need for a wider and more holistic understanding of the criteria representing sustainable housing affordability (SHA). Most key authors have embraced this evolution and view the change as positive, and have analyzed industry professionals, academics as well as stakeholders perception along these lines. However, it is not clear whether the views of households align with this since no study has surveyed household opinions. Regarding this, a comprehensive list of 81 potential sustainability performance criteria (SPC) were determined through the review of existing literature. Based on which a questionnaire survey was designed to assess the opinion of households residing in the 26 urban areas of Nigeria on the criticality of these SPC. Through statistical analysis, 30 critical sustainability performance criteria (CSPC) were established. This study posits that at present the housing affordability concerns in urban areas of Nigeria cannot be restrictedly defined by financial attributes. Our findings provide salient information to policymakers and stakeholders that could aid the sustainable delivery of affordable housing programs.