1,720,990 research outputs found
Spatial Analysis and Determinants of Asthma Health and Health Services Use Outcomes in Ontario
No full textThis thesis explores the spatial patterns and determinants of asthma prevalence and\ud
health services use (ICD-10 codes J45, J46) for the total population (all ages and both sexes combined) of the province of Ontario, Canada, between 2003 and 2013. Asthma is characterized by high health services use and reduced quality of life for asthma sufferers, representing a considerable burden on individuals, society and the health care system. While recent evidence suggests increasing asthma prevalence in Ontario, little research has been done to understand the identified spatial variability of this disease. Using population-based, ecological-level data and refined spatial analysis techniques, this research aims to explore the spatial patterns of asthma prevalence and health services use in Ontario, and examine the contribution of potential risk factors including air pollution, pollen, deprivation, physician supply and rurality. Results indicated considerable spatial variability in asthma outcomes across Ontario. Similar patterns were found between asthma prevalence and physician visits; clusters of high rates were generally found in southern urban/suburban areas, and clusters of low rates were mainly identified in most northern and southern rural areas. Conversely, clusters of high rates of ED visits and hospitalizations were found in most northern and southern rural areas, whereas clusters of low rates were found in south urban/suburban areas near Toronto. Findings from the spatial regression analysis indicated that while rurality was negatively associated with asthma prevalence and physician visits, it was positively associated with ED visits. Moreover, positive associations were also found between material deprivation and asthma prevalence and ED visits, and between NO2 and asthma physician visits. This\ud
research contributes to a better understanding of area characteristics that influence asthma disparities, which can help develop better, locally relevant public health strategies aimed at reducing the burden of asthma in Ontario. Further, it demonstrates the importance of using a population-based framework and spatial analysis approaches, which take into account the spatial nature of asthma morbidity and their determinants
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Environmental Health Risk Perceptions and Protective Actions: A Mixed-Method Study of New Mothers in Ontario, Canada
No full textThis thesis examines mothers’ risk perceptions and protective actions as they relate to their children’s environmental health. Children are more exposed and vulnerable than adults to environmental hazards, which have been found to be associated with numerous immediate and long-term negative health outcomes, due to physiological and behavioural factors. Despite the responsibility mothers typically bear as primary caregivers to their children, little is known about how they perceive and negotiate these risks in their day-to-day lives. To better understand mothers’ perceptions and associated protective actions across socioeconomic and geographic contexts, a mixed-method approach was employed involving a quantitative telephone survey (n=606) in Peel Region and Ottawa Public Health Units and qualitative face-to-face interviews (n=15) in Ottawa. Risk perceptions were influenced by income and perceived control, and concerns ranged from chemicals in household products to outdoor air pollution. There was a commonly reported perception that mothers should automatically become more concerned and take protective actions once they have children. When financial or other barriers prevented mothers from taking direct action to reduce risks, such as switching to safer products or changing food habits, they may have relied on emotion-focused coping techniques to reduce feelings of concern, including choosing to ignore risk information. Mothers’ information sources were examined to understand how risk information is best internalized; while the most common source of environmental health risk information was the Internet, many mothers expressed their mistrust in it and would have preferred to receive information directly from healthcare providers. This research contributes to the understanding of risk perception and protective action in a largely understudied population and the findings have practical implications for risk management and communication strategies targeting pregnant women and new mothers
Environmental Health Risk Perceptions and Protective Actions: A Mixed-Method Study of New Mothers in Ontario, Canada
No full textThis thesis examines mothers’ risk perceptions and protective actions as they relate to their children’s environmental health. Children are more exposed and vulnerable than adults to environmental hazards, which have been found to be associated with numerous immediate and long-term negative health outcomes, due to physiological and behavioural factors. Despite the responsibility mothers typically bear as primary caregivers to their children, little is known about how they perceive and negotiate these risks in their day-to-day lives. To better understand mothers’ perceptions and associated protective actions across socioeconomic and geographic contexts, a mixed-method approach was employed involving a quantitative telephone survey (n=606) in Peel Region and Ottawa Public Health Units and qualitative face-to-face interviews (n=15) in Ottawa. Risk perceptions were influenced by income and perceived control, and concerns ranged from chemicals in household products to outdoor air pollution. There was a commonly reported perception that mothers should automatically become more concerned and take protective actions once they have children. When financial or other barriers prevented mothers from taking direct action to reduce risks, such as switching to safer products or changing food habits, they may have relied on emotion-focused coping techniques to reduce feelings of concern, including choosing to ignore risk information. Mothers’ information sources were examined to understand how risk information is best internalized; while the most common source of environmental health risk information was the Internet, many mothers expressed their mistrust in it and would have preferred to receive information directly from healthcare providers. This research contributes to the understanding of risk perception and protective action in a largely understudied population and the findings have practical implications for risk management and communication strategies targeting pregnant women and new mothers
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Places of Tradition, Places of Research: The Evaluation of Traditional Medicine Workshops Using Culturally and Locally Relevant Methods
No full textThis thesis examines how traditional medicine workshops offered by an Aboriginal health centre contribute to capacity re-building through self-care in two local communities in Manitoulin Island, Ontario. Health disparities that exist between Aboriginal people and the rest of the population have prompted a need to better understand health determinants that are of relevance in these communities including the importance of culture, tradition, and self-determination. A variety of qualitative methods were employed in this work including in-depth interviews, focus groups and “art voice.” The use of art voice on Manitoulin Island advances decolonizing methodologies by emphasizing how the incorporation of locally and culturally relevant methods or “methods-in-place,” is an effective way to engage communities in the research process. Results show the need to approach traditional teachings, health programs, and research from an Aboriginal worldview and indicate that more frequent workshops are required to empower youth and adults to practice and share traditional knowledge. Furthermore, a continuum exists in which the interest in language, culture, and tradition increases with age. Capacity can therefore be re-built over time within communities promoting autonomy and self-determination through self-care. Findings can be expected to further inform the traditional programming in participating communities, enhance existing Aboriginal determinants of health models by including traditional medicine as an element of self-care, and can act as a springboard for the inclusion of unique place-based methods into community-based research projects in the future
- …
