Search Results (81)

Background/Objectives: Against the backdrop of increasing global aging and the trans-formation of family structures, grandparental caregiving has become commonplace, and its impact on the mental health of older persons is of great concern. Methods: Based on data from the 2023 Xi’an Jiaotong University Urban and Rural Elderly Family Support and Psychological Condition Survey, this study analyzed the impact of grandparental care-giving behaviors on the mental health of the elderly through the Psychological Condition Measurement Scale (PCMS), and comprehensively assessed the presence, intensity, and heterogeneous impact of grandparental caregiving behaviors by gender by applying linear regression modeling, the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method, and the Instrumental Variables Method (IVM). Results: Grandparental care has a significant positive effect on the mental health of older people, but this positive effect diminishes as the intensity of care increases. The results of the sub-sample estimation show that grandparental caregiving has a positive effect on men’s and low-intensity caregiving on women’s mental health, but high-intensity caregiving has a negative effect on women’s mental health. In addition, in-tergenerational financial support and intergenerational emotional comfort play an im-portant mediating role between grandparental caregiving and the mental health of older persons, in line with the explanatory framework of intergenerational exchange theory. Conclusions: It is recommended that the Government support grandparental care for the elderly at the financial, social security, and policy levels; that society build a diversified system of elderly care services and strengthen public childcare services; and that families establish a value identity of two-way support. Full article

This article examines the impact of everyday life infrastructure on well-being through the lens of feminist economics, with a specific focus on gender disparities within the European context. Combining the capability approach (CA) and subjective well-being (SWB) theory, this study introduces a gender-sensitive well-being budget indicator, the Well-being and Infrastructure by Gender Index, or just WIGI, to assess the differential impacts of public expenditures on women and men. Drawing on feminist critiques of infrastructure planning, it highlights how gendered patterns of access and use shape experiences of well-being. The literature review synthesizes recent contributions on well-being measurement, gendered capabilities, and the role of public infrastructure in supporting everyday life. The research utilizes the Benefits of Gender Equality through infrastructure Provision (BGGEIP) survey from the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) from 28 EU member states in 2015 to evaluate the contribution of key public services—such as transport, childcare, and healthcare—to individual capabilities and subjective well-being outcomes. The findings underscore the importance of integrating gender-sensitive methodologies into infrastructure planning and public policy to promote social inclusion and equitable well-being outcomes. This article concludes by advocating for feminist economics-informed policies to enhance the responsiveness of public investments to the lived experiences of women and men across Europe. Full article

The creation of child-friendly communities has become a key goal in sustainable global development. However, South Korea continues to experience a shortage of childcare facilities, resulting in gaps in the public care system and a growing reliance on private educational resources. Ensuring spatial spaces and implementing rational planning for children’s spaces have become critical tasks in building child-friendly cities. This study analyzed the accessibility of childcare facilities by housing type in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, using the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method, focusing on children residing in the district. It also evaluated whether these facilities were spatially and equally distributed. The findings are as follows. First, the overall accessibility to childcare facilities in Seongbuk-gu is limited, with significant disparities in accessibility depending on housing type. Second, the spatial equity assessment revealed high inequality indices for most facilities, particularly for those in apartment areas, which showed relatively higher levels of inequality. In conclusion, childcare facilities in Seongbuk-gu require substantial improvements in terms of both accessibility and equity. This study provides a policy framework for creating child-friendly communities and promoting equal access to care services for children by analyzing the spatial accessibility and equity of childcare facilities. Full article

The Brazilian population in the United States is growing, and many Brazilian workers are employed in settings that may lack occupational health and safety (OHS) protections. In this study, we examined two domains of OHS (measured by the Occupational Health and Safety Vulnerability Survey), namely, Workplace Hazards (potential dangers that may result in injury or illness) and Workplace Vulnerability (inadequate occupational health and safety resources), and described health and demographic characteristics associated with these conditions. Eligible participants were women aged 18 and over, born in Brazil, currently residing in the United States, and employed. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between July and August 2020. Recruitment occurred through community partnerships and social media. Multivariable models among n = 191 women revealed that greater exposure to Workplace Hazards was associated with employment in private household settings, including childcare and housecleaning (p < 0.001). The association between Workplace Vulnerability and jobs in private household services approached statistical significance (p = 0.07). Both Workplace Hazards and Workplace Vulnerability were associated with lower incomes and educational attainment, as well as having public insurance. Our findings suggest the need for stronger OHS protections and policies, particularly among those working in private household services, to ensure safer working conditions for Brazilian immigrant women. Full article

The process of institutional accreditation establishes crucial mechanisms that lead to better quality childcare in orphanages through the development of organizational stability and trained staff, in addition to healthcare improvements. The assessment of accreditation effects on children’s health draws from learning organizations and quality assurance frameworks in this systematic review. A systematic database review yielded 35 peer-reviewed publications that followed PRISMA analysis procedures. Research evidence shows that accredited orphanages attain better results when it comes to hygiene practices, as well as nutrition standards, healthcare access, mental healthcare support. Accreditation enables institutions to learn continuously because the process promotes service delivery improvements. The advantages of accreditation in orphanages are clear, but accreditation faces the barriers of monetary constraints, employee reluctance towards external inspections, and erratic policy execution, which reduce its widespread adoption. Accreditation efforts in orphanages require purposeful funding alongside built-up staff competencies and stronger regulatory policies to achieve their maximum potential benefit. Full article

Background: The PediCenter and Niles Children’s Clinic provide pediatric primary and urgent care services in central California. We remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, providing scheduled well child-care and sick visits. Methods: Beginning in September 2020, we implemented a COVID-19 screening program. Screening was performed on all patients presenting for care and was made available to patients requiring testing for any purpose. Herein, we provide results from that program, including a description of clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in our patients. Results: Key findings: A total of 11,649 COVID-19 antigen screening tests were performed (age range 0.1 to 17.0, mean 8.7, SD 4.5). In total, 1560 pts. (13.4%) tested positive. Among these, 665 (43%) were asymptomatic, 560 (36%) had mild disease, 318 (20%) had moderate disease, and 17 (1%) had severe disease. No critical cases or transfers to the emergency room were reported. Younger patient age was associated with an increased severity of illness, as was time from the onset of the pandemic. A total of 4446 patients reported no symptoms at the time of screening, 15% of whom tested positive. In total, 7203 patients reported symptoms at the time of testing. Among these, 87.6% tested negative and 12.4% tested positive. Disease severity was similar between these two groups. COVID-19 is generally a mild respiratory tract infection in healthy children. Conclusions: Screening is effective in identifying cases, including asymptomatic cases. Statistical models further revealed associations between patient age, time from the onset of the pandemic, and disease severity. Full article

Annually, over 931 million tons of plate food waste is generated in food services, affecting various aspects of sustainability. Therefore, this review aims to evaluate the most effective strategies or actions to reduce plate food waste. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following a PROSPERO-registered protocol [#CRD42024501971], searching multiple databases and gray literature until August 2024. Studies evaluating strategies and actions against waste in various food services [restaurants, institutional services in hospitals, childcare centers, schools, universities, or businesses] were included, with no language, location, or date restrictions. The risk of bias was assessed using JBI tools. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed in R (version 4.2.1), with subgroup analyses based on intervention type, food service type, meal type, management, and distribution systems. Of the 6070 studies, 18 were included in the narrative synthesis and 6 in the meta-analysis. The most effective strategies or actions targeted clients (vs. employees), meals on plates (vs. trays), school canteens (vs. other services), self-managed establishments (vs. outsourced), and à la carte services (vs. self-service). In this sense, strategies focusing on clients, plate-served meals, school canteens, self-management, and à la carte services are more effective in reducing food waste. Further actions are needed in other areas like customers, trays, different kitchen types, outsourced services, and self-service menus. Full article

As gestures play an important role in human communication, there have been a number of service robots equipped with a pair of human-like arms for gesture-based human–robot interactions. However, the arms of most human companion robots are limited to slow and simple gestures due to the low maximum velocity of the arm actuators. In this work, we present the JF-2 robot, a mobile home service robot equipped with a pair of torque-controlled anthropomorphic arms. Thanks to the low inertia design of the arm, responsive Quasi-Direct Drive (QDD) actuators, and active compliant control of the joints, the robot can replicate fast human dance motions while being safe in the environment. In addition to the JF-2 robot, we also present the JF-mini robot, a scaled-down, low-cost version of the JF-2 robot mainly targeted for commercial use at kindergarten and childcare facilities. The suggested system is validated by performing three experiments, a safety test, teaching children how to dance along to the music, and bringing a requested item to a human subject. Full article

Despite coverage of two doses of mumps-containing vaccines, mumps epidemics persist among children and young adults in China. This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of mumps in Jiangsu Province, with a particular focus on breakthrough cases among high-incidence groups. Mumps cases reported in 2023 were systematically collected from the Infectious Disease Surveillance and Reporting System. A comprehensive descriptive epidemiological analysis was performed to elucidate the characteristics of the reported cases. A joinpoint regression (JPR) model was utilized to identify the temporal trends across various periods. Subsequently, immunization information for cases under 15 years of age was obtained through the Jiangsu Province Vaccination Integrated Service Management Information System to identify breakthrough cases and conduct exploratory analyses. A total of 4142 mumps cases were reported in Jiangsu Province in 2023, yielding an annual incidence rate of 4.86/100,000. A total of 81.75% of the cases were students and childcare children, and the gender ratio was 1.5:1 (male/female). The JPR model analysis of weekly reported cases identified five distinct trend segments (1st: 1–8, weekly percent change (WPC) = 26.67 *; 2nd: 9–28, WPC = 3.11 *; 3rd: 29–34, WPC = −5.31; 4th: 35–37, WPC = 15.48; 5th: 38–52, WPC = −4.06 *), and the gender subgroups demonstrated similar trends to the overall pattern. Notably, 89.14% (3692/4142) of the total cases were among individuals under 15 years, with 96.02% (3545/3692) having been vaccinated against mumps. The number of single-dose breakthrough cases (SdBCs) was approximately fourfold (2847/698) that of two-dose breakthrough cases (TdBCs). The main population composition of TdBCs was children aged 0–5 years old, and the classification was dominated by childcare children and scattered children. The median time interval between initial immunization and onset were shorter in TdBCs than in the SdBCs group, and the median time interval between the last immunization and onset was interestingly similarly shorter. However, these situations were interestingly reversed in 105 laboratory-confirmed breakthrough cases. Therefore, the current vaccination strategies have demonstrated tangible effectiveness in preventing and controlling mumps. However, the high incidence of breakthrough cases among high-risk pediatric populations indicates that mumps immunization strategies still deserve more attention and research for better herd protection. Full article

Among several reasons preventing the effective labour market integration of immigrant women, the motherhood penalty and unpaid care responsibilities stand out prominently. In line with this, the present scoping review shows how motherhood affects the labour market integration of immigrant women in Australia, Canada, the UK, and the USA. This review shows that parenthood exacerbates the gender pay gap and limits labour market access, favouring men with children over immigrant mothers. Moreover, the effect of the motherhood penalty might be moderated by the level of education, age of the children, and the country of origin/ethnicity of immigrants. In the four countries examined, labour market outcomes for immigrant women are particularly poor. Factors contributing to this include limited language proficiency, traditional gender norms that restrict the full-time employment of certain groups of immigrant women, and institutional barriers like work-permit processing delays. To address these challenges, Australia, Canada, the UK, and the USA have implemented various policies facilitating immigrant mothers’ workforce participation. These measures include language and legal-system education, subsidised childcare, and integration programmes for both mothers and children. Additionally, some programmes in Canada and the USA provide employment assistance and financial support for childcare, while Australia and the UK offer comprehensive integration and settlement services. Full article

Research on mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) interventions within refugee and migrant communities has increasingly focused on evaluating implementation, including identifying strategies to promote retention in services. This study examines the relationship between participant characteristics, study setting, and reasons for intervention noncompletion using data from the Entre Nosotras feasibility trial, a community-based MHPSS intervention targeting refugee, migrant, and host community women in Ecuador and Panama that aimed to promote psychosocial wellbeing. Among 225 enrolled women, approximately half completed the intervention, with varying completion rates and reasons for nonattendance across study sites. Participants who were older, had migrated for family reasons, had spent more time in the study community, and were living in Panamá (vs. Ecuador) were more likely to complete the intervention. The findings suggest the need to adapt MHPSS interventions to consider the duration of access to the target population and explore different delivery modalities including the role of technology and cellular devices as reliable or unreliable source for engaging with participants. Engaging younger, newly arrived women is crucial, as they showed lower completion rates. Strategies such as consulting scheduling preferences, providing on-site childcare, and integrating MHPSS interventions with other programs could enhance intervention attendance. Full article

This study explored the association of spousal support and marital satisfaction with the subjective well-being of fathers and mothers using a mediation analysis. Data were gathered from 360 fathers and 338 mothers (aged 25–50 years). Subjective well-being was measured as an outcome using the Japanese version of the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index. Marital satisfaction was measured as a mediating variable using the Japanese version of the Marital Relationship Satisfaction Scale. Spousal social support (including instrumental, emotional, and appraisal support) was measured as an independent variable using four-point scales. Control variables were the father’s and mother’s ages, number of children, age of the youngest child, children going to nursery school or kindergarten, use of childcare services, self-evaluated low economic status, and weekday working hours. Among fathers, instrumental and emotional support had significant direct and indirect effects, with the latter mediated by the impact of marital satisfaction on subjective well-being; appraisal support had only significant indirect effects. Among mothers, instrumental support had significant direct and indirect effects; emotional and appraisal support had only significant indirect effects. Our findings indicate that social support from spouses has protective direct and indirect effects on subjective well-being among parents and suggest the need for mutual support between spouses to facilitate effective co-parenting. Full article

Children of parents with mental illness are at higher risk of developing cognitive, mental health or physical health difficulties. Previous studies have described several barriers for reaching parents with mental health problems (MHPs) and their utilization of psychosocial services. We conducted a cluster randomized controlled study in 24 pediatric and gynecologic practices to evaluate KID-PROTEKT, a psychosocial healthcare intervention that comprises a psychosocial assessment to identify families with psychosocial needs and refer them to support services. In this paper, we analyzed whether psychosocially distressed parents with additional MHPs (identified by the PHQ-9 and GAD-7) had higher support needs, could be referred to support and utilized it in comparison to parents with psychosocial burden only. In total, 178 pregnant women and mothers with psychosocial burden were included, of whom 55 had MHPs. Participants with MHPs were distressed in their relationships more often and medical staff rated their level of support needs higher compared to parents without MHPs. There were no significant differences between the groups regarding whether they were referred to support services or utilized the recommended services. All participants were most frequently referred to family or parent counseling/care or childcare assistance. The results indicate that despite existing barriers, parents with MHPs could be reached and identified by the KID-PROTEKT psychosocial assessment. A psychosocial intervention like KID-PROTEKT can help to provide support for mentally ill parents. Full article

Intergenerational integration has given rise to a novel aging paradigm known as all-age communities, which is garnering international attention. In China, the aging population and the implementation of the three-child policy have resulted in increased demand for retirement and childcare services among residents in older neighborhoods. Consequently, there is a pressing need to retrofit these older neighborhoods to accommodate all-age living arrangements given the high demand they generate. Therefore, this study undertakes research interviews with residents and constructs an exploratory theoretical model rooted in established theory. To assess the significance of our model, we employ Smart PLS 3.0 based on 297 empirical data points. Our findings indicate that anxiety has a significant negative effect on payment behavior; objective perception, willingness to pay, and government assistance exert significant positive effects on payment behavior. By comprehensively analyzing the mechanisms underlying residents’ payment behavior, this study provides valuable insights for the government for promoting the aging process within communities and formulating effective transformation policies. Full article

The prevention of oral diseases in children is highly achievable through providing early exposure to oral healthcare habits, which would make children more receptive towards dental services. A cross-sectional study used a structured, self-explanatory questionnaire to evaluate the knowledge and role of 190 paediatricians and paediatric residents towards infant oral healthcare and the dental home across Saudi Arabia. The authors sent a link to the questionnaire, comprising 36 questions, by email, as a Google e-form. The response rate obtained was 87.36%. A major proportion (95.8%) of the respondents considered that paediatricians play an important role in promoting oral health. Around 45.8% of the practitioners recommended tooth brushing after the eruption of the first tooth. About 38% of the practitioners were unaware of the children’s first dental visit. The majority (95.2%) agreed that there should be an increased awareness regarding home dental habits. Most of them (78.3%) examined the oral cavity for dental problems as a part of routine childcare, and the majority (75.3%) admitted that they did not evaluate fluoride needs. A statistically significant higher mean knowledge score was observed for practitioners with more than 30 years of experience (9.35 ± 2.29), and there was a significant positive correlation (r = 0.486) between the knowledge score and mean score for the role of paediatric practitioners. Overall, the study concluded that the knowledge of paediatricians and paediatric residents in SA towards infant oral healthcare and the dental home was inadequate, and their role in maintaining oral health was found to be moderately satisfactory. Full article