308 research outputs found
PROJECTING THE IMPACT OF DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE ON THE DEMAND FOR AND DELIVERY OF HEALTH CARE IN IRELAND. RESEARCH SERIES NUMBER 13 OCTOBER 2009
No full textPrimary care is often the first point of contact with the health care system for people requiring care. Primary care is often thought synonymous with general practitioners, but actually encompasses a large range of different professionals and services including nurses/midwives; physiotherapists; occupational therapists; dentists; opticians; chiropodists; psychologists and pharmacists. The list is not exhaustive, but still gives an indication of the wide range of services that can be grouped under the general heading of primary care. Nonetheless, GPs do have a core part to play in primary care as well as performing the role of ‘gate keeper’ to other health services such as accident and emergency or outpatient care in hospitals. The balance of treatment and referral between general practice and secondary care is, therefore, a very important issue and it has been argued that the under development of primary care services in Ireland in recent decades has contributed, and indeed, may be the most important reason, for the over-crowding of accident and emergency services and long waiting lists for elective procedures in Irish health care (Layte et al., 2007b; Tussing and Wren, 2006)
Temporary Jobs in Ireland: Does Class Influence Job Quality?
No full textFixed term and casual employment have become increasingly common in OECD countries in the last decade. Research suggests that non-permanent contracts are associated with lower job quality. This paper examines differentials in three indicators of job quality in Ireland: hourly wage, probability of training and level of autonomy. The paper also examines four hypotheses on job quality derived from transaction cost and insider-outsider theories which suggest an important interaction between social class position, non-permanent employment and job quality. Results show that fixed term and casual contracts are associated with lower earnings, less training and lower autonomy.
Maternal smoking during pregnancy and child well-being: a burning issue.
No full textThe Growing Up in Ireland study allow us to examine whether smoking conveys an increased risk for behavioral problems when we take account of these social factors. Importantly, the study collected information on the mother’s level of smoking in pregnancy and this provides us with an important additional tool with which to corroborate the causal relationship between exposure to cigarette smoke in the womb and behavioral problems at age 9. If the strength of the relationship between smoking and behavioral problems increases with the level of maternal smoking, this is more persuasive than a simple association.
In a paper recently published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, Cathal McCrory and Richard Layte (McCrory & Layte 2012) did just this. They showed that the risk of the child being reported by his/her teacher as having conduct, attention or hyperactivity problems at age 9 was significantly related to whether the mother smoked during pregnancy and, moreover, that the risk increased with the number of cigarettes smoked during pregnancy
Sexual risk-taking at home and on holidays: the importance of context for the late application of condoms
No full textSeveral studies have examined condom use during ‘holiday’ sex but have not considered condom errors in this context. This study aims to identify factors associated with late application of condoms during participants’ most recent vaginal intercourse at home and away from home (holidays or short breaks). Method: Participants aged 19–30 years from a national Irish survey were recontacted (n = 388; 51% men; mean age: 23.9 years). Telephone interviews regarding participants’ most recent sex at home (n = 362) and away from home (n = 178) were conducted. Results: A higher proportion reported condom use away from home (79% v. 62%), with a lower prevalence of late application (14% v. 24%). Pregnancy prevention as the primary motive for condom use increased the odds of late application at home (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 4.56, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.10–9.90) and away (AOR: 3.97, 95% CI: 1.36–11.59). A weak desire to use a condom also increased the likelihood of late application at home (AOR: 2.40, 95% CI: 1.03–5.62) and away (AOR: 11.18, 95% CI: 2.84–43.98). Subgroup analysis of those reporting both sexual events suggests that young adults take greater sexual risks with casual partners at home compared to away. Conclusions: The findings suggest that young adults take greater sexual risks at home than when away. Regardless of location, young adults are most likely to report late application when they have a weak desire to use a condom and when they use condoms primarily to prevent pregnanc
Welfare regimes and poverty dynamics: The duration and recurrence of poverty spells in Europe.
No full textErwerbsverläufe in Deutschland, Großbritannien und Schweden : Ähnlichkeiten, Unterschiede und Veränderungen über die Zeit
No full textThis paper aims to provide a descriptive analysis of the changing patterns of labour market participation, non-participation and unemployment in Great Britain, Sweden and Germany. Since the mid 1970s, most European countries have experienced two parallel developments: on the one hand they have witnessed a huge growth in the proportion of women participating on the labour market. On the other however, they have experienced the return of mass unemployment and a growing insecurity of employment for those in work. In this paper, a typology of work histories is constructed using decade periods. Retrospective and panel data from Germany, Britain and Sweden are then used to compare the effects of different employment and welfare regimes on the proportions of respondents with different types of work histories and how these are combined with unemployment
Reassessing Income and Deprivation Approaches to the Measurement of Poverty in the Republic of Ireland
No full textThis paper reassesses the validity of a poverty measure combining relative income and non-monetary deprivation indicators, first developed and applied to Irish data for 1987, in the light of experience since then and current debates. A crucial issue is whether the measure has failed to capture fundamental changes in livings patterns and expectations. A range of analyses confirm that it continues to identify a set of households experiencing distinctive levels of generalised deprivation, economic strain, psychological distress and exposure to persistent income poverty.
Equity in the Utilisation of Hospital Inpatient Services in Ireland? An Improved Approach to the Measurement of Health Need
No full textThe complex interweaving of public and private provision in Irish hospitals has led to concerns that hospital care is not available to all on the basis of need alone. Previous research on Irish hospitals found that utilisation was neutral across the income distribution controlling for health status – i.e., there was essentially equal treatment for equal need irrespective of income. However, the health indicator used in these analyses may not consistently measure health status across income groups. In this paper we combine multiple indicators into a composite "Ill Health Index" and find that the measure used for standardisation has important consequences.
Did the Celtic Tiger Decrease Socio-Economic Differentials in Perinatal Mortality in Ireland?
No full textIrish perinatal mortality rates have been falling steadily for a number of decades but evidence from the 1980s showed pronounced differentials in mortality rates across socio-economic groups. Between 1995 and 2006 Irish gross national product increased from 60 per cent of the EU average to 110 per cent. Real incomes increased across the income distribution during this period but income inequality between the top and bottom income deciles increased marginally. This paper examines whether socio-economic differentials in Irish perinatal mortality rates changed between the 1980s and 2000s. This task is complicated by demographic change in Ireland since the 1980s and its interaction with the birth registration process. Overall perinatal mortality rates have fallen from 14 per 1,000 in 1984 to 7 per 1,000 in 2006. Without adjusting for demographic change, differentials between professional and unskilled/unemployed groups have decreased from 1.99 to 1.79. Adjusted estimates suggest the real differential has decreased to 1.88.
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