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Sleep in gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals: The roles of minority stressors and identity positivity
No full textObjectives: Although there are increasing reports suggesting that sexual minorities sleep badly, very few empirical studies have used standard sleep measures. Moreover previous studies have not considered the ways in which different identities and identity processes may interact with sleep. Methods: We addressed this in an on-line sample of almost 300 self-identified lesbian women (N = 40), gay men (N = 55) and bisexual men (N = 87) and bisexual women (N = 118). We assessed sleep using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Insomnia Severity Index and Epworth Sleepiness Scale, among others; wellbeing using measures of life satisfaction, anxiety and depression, and lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) identification, social support, discrimination, identity resilience and minority stressors. Results: All sleep measures suggested that sexual minorities sleep poorly, and experience identity challenges, minority stressors, high levels of anxiety and depression and reduced life satisfaction. The latter wellbeing variables and BMI account for substantial amounts of variance in scores on standard sleep measures, as do identity and minority stressors. These variables mediate each other such that a confident sexual identity is associated with reduced effects of minority stressors on sleep, and enhanced wellbeing and sleep. There were no differences between LGB subgroups in these effects, except for insomnia, which was worse in bisexuals than in lesbian and gay individuals. Conclusions: Standard self-report measures of sleep confirm that sexual minorities sleep poorly, and identification with or stresses due to minority status exascerbates this
Mitigating the environmental effects of healthcare: the role of the endocrinologist
No full textHuman health depends on planetary health, and yet healthcare provision can have unintended consequences for the health of the planet. Emissions from the healthcare sector include greenhouse gases, air pollution and plastic pollution, alongside chemical contamination. Chemical pollution resulting in endocrine disruption has been associated with plastics, which are a source of concerning additives such as phthalates, bisphenols, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and flame retardants (all routinely found in healthcare products). Many endocrine-disrupting chemicals are persistent and ubiquitous in the environment (including water and food sources), with potential secondary harms for human health, including disrupting reproductive, metabolic and thyroid function. Here we review evidence-based strategies for mitigating environmental effects of healthcare delivery. We focus on what endocrinologists can do, including reducing demand for healthcare services through better preventative health, focusing on high-value care and improving sustainability of medical equipment and pharmaceuticals through adopting circular economy principles (including reduce, reuse and, as a last resort, recycle). The specific issue of endocrine-disrupting chemicals might be mitigated through responsible disposal and processing, alongside advocating for the use of alternative materials and replacing additive chemicals with those that have lower toxicity profiles, as well as tighter regulations. We must work to urgently transition to sustainable models of care provision, minimizing negative effects on human and planetary health
Collaborative networks in community-based health and social care services:insights from Blackpool and the Fylde Coast (United Kingdom)
No full textBackground: Globally, health and social care systems have been responding to the demand for better integrated service delivery to tackle complex public health and socioeconomic challenges. Similarly, services in the United Kingdom strive for comprehensive, person-centred care to support health equity and improved quality of life. This study took place in Blackpool and the Fylde Coast, United Kingdom, where socioeconomic deprivation and health inequalities persist and effective collaboration among health and social care providers offers an opportunity to tackle such complex challenges. The study used social network analysis (SNA) to investigate collaboration patterns between organizations to identify key characteristics and areas for improved integration. Methods: Data were collected from March to June 2023. First, a comprehensive mapping exercise identified a total of 453 community-based providers who were invited to participate via email. Data on service provision were collected using an adapted version of the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) form from organizations’ websites. Service descriptions were thematically categorized into 11 domains. A total of 44 organizations provided information on their collaborations through an online survey, reporting on collaborations across 321 organizations. SNA examined collaboration patterns via visualization and multivariate network regressions (MRQAP). Results: The mapping identified a great range of community-based support. The network density indicated relatively low overall collaboration (2.2%) among 321 organizations. Within the subset of 44 organizations who completed the questionnaire, collaborations were more frequent (15%). Collaboration ties were unevenly distributed, where some organizations had more connections. MRQAP showed that organizations within the same domain were more likely to collaborate. Some combinations, such as collaborations between housing, shelter and nutritional support with child and family support and mental health were significantly overrepresented. Discussion: The network had low density, highlighting the potential for more collaborations. The network appears fragmented, probably owing to a tendency for organizations to collaborate with others operating in the same service domain. The frequent collaborations between certain domains highlight the complex needs of local communities. Effective integrated care initiatives, data sharing and place-based partnership/voluntary, community, faith, social enterprise sector capacity-building programmes could build more resilient and interconnected networks that meet community needs
Gender and medication use in Turkey: Evidence from a general population survey
No full textGender differences in health behaviors and outcomes were commonly documented by researchers. The focus of this study was the analysis of gender differences in medication use for a general population in Turkey. It also explored a range of factors associated with medication use at the individual level. A nationally representative cross-sectional data set was obtained from the 2019 wave of the Turkish Health Survey. The sample of this study included 17,083 adults residing in different regions of Turkey. Conditional mixed-process regression models were estimated for the whole sample and subsamples by gender. The rates of prescribed and non-prescribed medication use were 40.7% and 30.2%, respectively, in the adult population of Turkey. There were significant gender differences in medication use in the Turkish case. Females were 19.4% more likely to use prescribed medication, and they were 30.8% more likely to use non-prescribed medication compared to males in Turkey. There were negative associations between prescribed and non-prescribed medication use. On average, females were 9.2% less likely to report higher levels of health status, and they were 18.4% more likely to use healthcare services. Individuals with higher levels of self-rated health status were less likely to use prescribed medication. Both prescribed and non-prescribed medication use were positively related to healthcare service use. Complementing the earlier literature, the results of the present study demonstrated that gender-specific designs should be considered by health policies on the use of medications
150 years of international cooperation under the Metre Convention
Get PDFThe Metre Convention was signed in May 1875, bringing international agreement on how to measure accurately and consistently — a consensus that was essential for trade, industrialization and scientific progress. 150 years later, how does the metrology community continue this tradition
Broadening Data and Digital Skills within Communities to Access Digital Research Infrastructures
Get PDFThis paper advances understanding on how computational and data-driven research methods can be expanded within the Arts and Humanities community, including researchers and practitioners in the Cultural Heritage sector. In particular, the research investigates the catalysts and motivators to enhance the digital and data literacy of researchers and practitioners and recommendations for longer term adoption of these skills. The research is contextualised within current efforts to expand access to national and European Digital Research Infrastructures. It is conducted through a series of scaffolded learning interventions implemented through a training initiative in the United Kingdom (UK). The paper describes this training initiative and the evaluation of the effectiveness of these interventions employing a mixed data approach. The research concludes with a set of recommendations for designing training programmes amongst learning communities, including using skills curricula based on domain-specific data processes and infrastructures as well as active learning approaches
Language, economic and gender disparities widen the scientific productivity gap
Get PDFScientific communities need to understand and eliminate barriers that prevent people with diverse backgrounds from contributing to and participating in science. However, the combined impact of individuals’ linguistic, economic, and gender backgrounds on their scientific productivity is poorly understood. Using a survey of 908 environmental scientists, we show that being a woman is associated with up to a 45% reduction in the number of English-language publications, compared to men. Being a woman, a non-native English speaker, and from a low-income country is associated with up to a 70% reduction, compared to male native English speakers from a high-income country. The linguistic and economic productivity gap narrows when based on the total number of English- and non-English-language publications. We call for an explicit effort to consider linguistic, economic, and gender backgrounds and incorporate non-English-language publications when assessing the performance and contribution of scientists
Numerical Investigation of Damage Identification in Historic Ceilings via Vibrations Measurements
No full textThe sudden collapse of historic ceilings represents one of the major public safety issues threatening the heritage sector globally. The pressing need of fast, efficient and rigorous approaches to assess the health status of historic ceilings motivated the research presented in this paper. A stochastic approach is proposed as a tool to map the displacement response peak fractile at various locations of the ceiling, thus identifying any local anomalous deformation indicating critical areas within the ceiling. Extensive parametric studies on a FE model of a traditional plaster ceiling are undertaken to explore the potentiality of such approac
“Now You Must Cooperate, and Smile”:An Autoethnographic Poetic Inquiry into Survivors’ Experiences of Domestic Abuse, Investigated and Perpetuated through the UK Family Court System.
Get PDFThis article uses autoethnographic poetic inquiry to explore the experiences of domestic abuse survivors, as they navigate the Family Court system in the UK. The author’s lived experiences are explored and illuminated through a research poem, with this piece used as a pivot around which the academic literature spins. The analysis reveals a Court system that systematically fails parents and children who have experienced domestic abuse, particularly those from marginalised and vulnerable communities. Not only does this system fail to protect adults and children from risk, it often retraumatises them, and is easily used by perpetrators as a weapon through which to continue, intensify or instigate their abuse. There is an urgent need to address these issues, and to challenge the domestic abuse stereotypes, pro-contact culture, adversarial system, under-resourcing and reliance on the dubious concept of ‘parental alienation’ that underpins them. Autoethnography and poetic inquiry offer powerful tools through which to raise these important issues and ignite a call for change
Hard Times for British Soft Power
Get PDFA commissioned opinion piece for Apollo art magazine on the cultural and financial value of the British Council's art collection in the context of the institution's debt