Search Results (3,857)

Unintended pregnancies among adolescent and young women in low- and middle-income countries pose major public health challenges, underscoring the need for improved access to modern contraceptives. This study examined prevalence, preferences, and correlates of modern contraceptive use among young women living in urban slums of Kampala, Uganda, to inform targeted interventions. We analyzed baseline data from The Onward Project On Wellbeing and Adversity (TOPOWA), an NIH-funded, multi-component prospective cohort study on mental health among women aged 18–24 years. In 2023, 300 participants were recruited from three sites (Banda, Bwaise, Makindye). Interviewer-administered surveys assessed contraceptive choices, lifestyle, and demographic factors. Modified Poisson regression was used to examine correlates of contraceptive use. Among participants, 66.0% had ever used contraception, 40.0% were current users, and 38.0% reported modern contraceptive use. Multivariable analyses showed that having a consistent partner (PR = 3.28; 95% CI: 1.90–5.67), engaging in sex work (PR = 2.10; 95% CI: 1.46–3.02), older age (PR = 1.08; 95% CI: 1.01–1.16), and having children (PR = 1.72; 95% CI: 1.12–2.66) were associated with higher modern contraceptive use. Findings highlight important gaps in sustained contraceptive use and the need for tailored interventions addressing economic, social, and educational barriers to improve reproductive health in this low-resource setting. Full article

Financial literacy is essential for sustainable social and economic development, but several demographics and financial behaviors can influence informed decision-making. In this investigation, we examine the interaction between Financial Literacy (FL) and Financial Wellbeing and Behavior (FWB) across 286 Brazilian education professionals. We employ a two-step approach for analysis: step one is determining the influential demographic variables for Financial Literacy (FL); in step two, FL serves as a primary variable for explaining Financial Wellbeing and Behavior (FWB). We utilize both multiple regressions and supervised machine learning for factor verification for both concepts. The findings show that superior Financial Literacy is a highly significant and substantial positive antecedent of excellent Financial Wellbeing and Behavior ($p<0.01$). We also find that a significant gender gap exists in financial knowledge, such that women significantly underperform men on financial literacy tests. Machine learning models confirm that FL is the strongest feature for FWB prediction by far and that gender is the strongest antecedent of a consumer’s level of financial literacy. These findings suggest that policymakers must do more than provide primary financial literacy; they also need to deploy behavioral insights to raise long-term financial freedom and close the gender gap. Upscaling teacher financial literacy is a strategic social sustainability investment that promotes the explicit Sustainable Development Goals, including “Quality Education,” “Gender Equality,” “Decent Work” and “Economic Growth”. Full article

Urban wetlands are strategic socio-ecological systems that provide diverse cultural ecosystem services, including recreation, environmental education, and spiritual connections with nature. At the same time, they can generate ecosystem disservices, undermine human well-being, and challenge urban sustainability. This study investigates visitors’ perceptions of such disservices in three Ramsar-designated wetlands in Bogotá, Colombia (Santa María del Lago, Juan Amarillo, and Córdoba) to assess their influence on tourist experiences and their potential role in fostering urban peace. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining structured surveys, quantitative analysis, and qualitative coding. The results reveal that pollution, insecurity, and unpleasant odors significantly reduce visitors’ willingness to return, with notable variations across gender groups and wetland sites. Visitors also emphasized the need to strengthen infrastructure, surveillance, and environmental education. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating disservice analysis into wetland governance as a strategy to advance regenerative tourism, promote environmental justice, and support peacebuilding in Latin American metropolitan contexts, with broader implications for global urban sustainability. Full article

Early childhood education is a demanding profession. Understanding how early childhood (EC) professionals’ draw on internal assets and external resources to sustain well-being is critical, as their well-being is linked to the quality of the care and education they provide. This phenomenological study examined professionals’ strengths and assets, how they used them to manage workplace demands to sustain well-being, and how they engaged with broader systems to enhance the quality of care and education they provide. Thirteen focus groups were conducted with 98 English-speaking (n = 87 female, 3 male, 8 missing gender) and 23 Spanish-speaking (n = 22 female, 1 missing gender) EC professionals. Analysis identified three interdependent themes: (1) holistic well-being; (2) centrality of relationships; and (3) interactions with systems. Participants reported well-being ranging from struggling to sustaining. Relationships with children, families, and co-workers were a source of motivation, commitment, and satisfaction with their work. Participants emphasized the importance of caring for their own well-being to effectively care for others. Systems both supported and hindered well-being. Participants used support-seeking, problem-focused, proactive, and restorative strategies to cope with stressors. Findings underscore the relational and systemic dimensions of EC professionals’ well-being and the strategies they employ to sustain it. Full article

The 15 min city concept seeks to promote health, well-being, and quality of life by ensuring that essential services are located within a 15 min walking or cycling distance from housing and are accessible through sustainable modes of transportation. This study aims to evaluate the compliance of this concept in a developing country context and provide supporting evidence by examining if residing within the 15 min reach to basic services affects perceived health, perceived accessibility, and life satisfaction. To assess pedestrian accessibility in Lahore, Pakistan, we adapted the NEXT proximity index—originally developed as part of the Landscape Metropolis Project in Italy—which scores 15 min access using open data sources. A network analysis was conducted to determine the shortest travel times to various points of interest, including education, transportation, healthcare, shops, restaurants, leisure spaces, places of worship, and financial services. Each hexagonal unit in the study area was assigned an access score proportional to its proximity to these facilities. These access scores were then analyzed using multiple regression models, based on survey data collected from 519 university students regarding their perceived health, perceived accessibility, and life satisfaction. According to the network analysis conducted using WorldPop estimates of Lahore’s population, only up to 30% of the population resides in areas that qualify as a 15 min city for each facility type. Moreover, access to bus stops significantly enhances both perceived accessibility and life satisfaction, while proximity to healthcare services shows the strongest positive association with life satisfaction. Full article

Background: Compassion fatigue (CF) is a state of emotional and physical exhaustion in the caregiving relationship, which can negatively impact patient safety and quality of care. Maternity care professionals are particularly vulnerable to CF due to their continuous empathetic engagement with patients in an unpredictable, high-stress work environment. Despite its significance, research on CF in maternity care is limited. The aim of this study is to explore experiences of CF among maternity care professionals. Methods: A thematic analysis of semi-structured in-depth interviews was conducted. The sample consisted of seven midwives and three gynecologists from different hospitals and outpatient care in Flanders (Belgium). Results: Experiences, risk factors and protective factors were identified as three organizing themes and further refined into 12 subthemes. Participants showed limited familiarity with the term CF but recognized its symptoms, including emotional exhaustion, reduced empathy, and a diminished ability to provide care, ‘as one normally would’. Key risk factors included high workload, emotional strain from ‘energy-consuming’ patients, fear of errors, and administrative burden. A supportive team environment, compassion satisfaction (CS), job autonomy and personal coping skills were identified as protective factors. Participants emphasized the need to recognize and address signals of CF. Conclusions: CF among maternity care professionals is underrecognized but appears to impact both caregiver well-being and patient care quality. Interventions should target awareness, team communication, psychological safety, and organizational context. A multilevel approach—combining individual, team, and systemic strategies—is needed to sustainably mitigate CF in maternity care. Full article

Ecosystem service value (ESV) is a critical indicator of regional ecological well-being. Assessing and forecasting ESV are essential for achieving the coordinated development of environmental and economic systems. This study employs the SD-PLUS model, integrating Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) and Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) to assess the spatiotemporal dynamics of land use and land cover change (LUCC), as well as ESV in Zhengzhou from 2030 to 2040. It analyses the impact of various driving factors on ESV and examines the spatial correlations among ecosystem services across different regions. The results indicate that the total ESV is expected to decrease by 73.53 × 10⁷ yuan, primarily due to significant reductions in cropland and water areas. By 2040, ESV is projected to increase by 14.51 × 10⁷ yuan under the SSP126 scenario, decrease by 73.18 × 10⁷ yuan under the SSP585 scenario, and show a moderate decline under the SSP245 scenario. Climate factors, transportation location, and topographical features have a significantly positive impact on ESV, while environmental and socioeconomic factors exert a negative influence. The analysis of interrelationships among ecosystem services shows that synergies dominate, especially between supporting and cultural services, with only localised trade-offs observed. These findings contribute valuable insights for the development of scientifically sound, well-reasoned, and efficient strategies for ecological conservation and sustainable development. Full article

This study investigated the long-term trends in human parainfluenza virus (HPIV) types 1, 2, and 3 in Korea by year, age group, and season. A total of 23,284 nasopharyngeal swabs collected from patients with respiratory symptoms at a tertiary hospital in Korea between 2007 and 2024 were tested for HPIV using real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Of the 23,284 specimens tested, 481 were positive for HPIV-1, 164 for HPIV-2, and 1102 for HPIV-3. HPIV-3 showed the highest incidence between 2010 and 2016, a decline after 2018, a sharp decline during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, and a resurgence in 2021. HPIV-1 and HPIV-2 incidence fluctuated between 2007 and 2019, followed by a sharp decline in 2020. HPIV-3 activity peaked in spring and summer, whereas HPIV-1 and HPIV-2 peaked in autumn. For all three types, infection rates were generally highest among children aged 1–12 years, followed by those in infants, but infection rates varied significantly by type, year, season, and age group. These findings emphasize targeted pediatric prevention, predictive modeling of seasonal peaks, and continued molecular surveillance to clarify the genetic and antigenic diversity of HPIV types after the pandemic, supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3 for Good Health and Well-Being). Full article

Teacher wellbeing is a matter of social justice since burnout syndrome disproportionately affects those working in under-resourced and diverse educational contexts by limiting their ability to foster inclusive and equitable learning. To this situation, art museums respond as pedagogical spaces for wellbeing while contributing to socially just and sustainable arts education. School teachers are offered new opportunities for ongoing professional development tailored to their well-being needs, such as burnout prevention. A two-round international Delphi study with experts from universities, schools, museums, and arts-and-wellbeing organizations (n = 26 1st round, n = 17 2nd round)—rather than focusing on teachers’ personal accounts—develops consensus on a pedagogical framework for art-based programs designed to prevent teacher burnout and enhance wellbeing. The findings identify nine pedagogical guidelines highlighting participatory approaches—audience, objectives, content, methodology, scheduling, facilitators, activities, evaluation, and program adherence. By positioning art museums as democratic, inclusive, and relational spaces, the framework advances the role of the arts in addressing systemic challenges in education, such as supporting teachers’ wellbeing. This research contributes to the international debate on socially just arts education by demonstrating how teacher wellbeing can be fostered through innovative, evidence-based museum practices aligned with SDG 4. Full article

Our study analyzes the essential role of social innovation in reducing social exclusion and unemployment while improving citizens’ well-being through targeted public policies that enhance GDP allocations to social protection. Using Eurostat data and European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) from 2019 to 2020, a comparative econometric analysis of all 27 EU member states, focused particularly on Romania, examines the interdependence between social innovation, social protection expenditures, social exclusion, and unemployment rates. Regression and ANOVA models confirm a significant positive relationship between social innovation and social protection spending. However, Romania’s overall share of social protection in GDP remains well below the EU average, despite higher relative spending on health, pensions, and family support, reflecting structural limitations and a slower diffusion of innovative practices. As an exploratory effort, the study acknowledges possible distortions caused by the pandemic, which temporarily increased expenditures and altered long-term trends. Broader macroeconomic factors such as inflation, demographics, and technology were not included but may refine future analyses. The findings provide both theoretical and practical insights, suggesting that enhancing social innovation through public policy can strengthen social cohesion, improve quality of life, and support the sustainable development of national protection systems. Full article

Engineering education for sustainability extends beyond environmental awareness. It is aimed at the cultivation of resilient and self-regulated learners capable of continuous growth. The present work draws upon empirical data from three complementary investigations on first-year engineering students’ affective behavior, mathematical difficulties and the use of online quizzes as self-assessment tools. By integrating these findings, the paper proposes a framework for sustainable learning practices in engineering mathematics. The results highlight that affective factors, such as confidence, self-efficacy and motivation, interact significantly with students’ self-regulatory strategies and performance outcomes. Digital self-assessment tools, when purposefully designed, can promote metacognitive reflection and foster a sustainable cycle of feedback and self-improvement. The study argues that sustainable education in engineering must include pedagogical approaches that empower students with interindividual differences to manage their own learning, overcome affective barriers and develop adaptive resilience in demanding quantitative subjects. The proposed model offers practical implications for designing assessment systems that support long-term learner autonomy and well-being, aligning engineering mathematics education with the broader goals of sustainable development. In alignment with SDG 4.7 and the European Skills Agenda, which both emphasize lifelong learning, learner autonomy and the cultivation of adaptive competences for sustainable futures, the proposed framework positions self-regulation and resilience as core sustainability-oriented outcomes in engineering mathematics education. Full article

This study aims to explore and enhance sustainable design practices for improving indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in residential buildings in Jordan, particularly within government institutions. It focuses on integrating design capabilities, core technologies, and human-centered values to develop a context-specific framework for green IEQ management. A mixed-method approach is employed, combining qualitative and quantitative methods. The study includes a comprehensive literature review, expert interviews, and focus group discussions, followed by a structured survey with 100 residential building occupants. Three key pillars—core technologies and competences, business models, and human values—are identified and analyzed to guide the development of an innovative IEQ framework. The proposed framework is validated by domain experts to ensure alignment with Jordan’s socio-economic and environmental conditions. The findings reveal that integrating technological innovation, adaptable business models, and occupant well-being significantly enhances the implementation of sustainable IEQ strategies. This research offers a novel design-led framework tailored to the Jordanian context, addressing the underexplored intersection between human-centered design and sustainable IEQ practices. Unlike traditional approaches focused primarily on energy efficiency, this study incorporates social and institutional dimensions to enable more holistic and implementable solutions. Full article

This study examined residents’ perceptions, preferences, and experiences of urban green spaces in four regional units of the Region of Attica—West Athens, Central Athens, South Athens, and Piraeus—demonstrating how demographic diversity, urban morphology, and external stressors—such as extreme heat and the COVID-19 pandemic—shape green space use. The results show that, while green spaces are essential for health, well-being, and social cohesion, their distribution is uneven, which limits their availability (27.3%) and access (21.8%) to residents. Main concerns expressed by residents when visiting green spaces and open green spaces are poor maintenance (50.7%), lack of security (36.7%), and socially irresponsible behaviour (e.g., littering, vandalism) (32.8%). Extreme heat emerged as a major constraint on outdoor activities, particularly affecting women and the elderly. Household-associated outdoor areas (balconies, courtyards, and verandas) were highly valued (59.8%), highlighting the role of private green spaces in dense urban environments. Major metropolitan parks were the most visited and valued by residents for providing contact with nature (23.0%) and benefiting from stress relief (54.0%) while practicing their favourite activity, though their use was limited during heatwaves (30.3% of the residents do not visit). Most activities during and after the COVID-19 pandemic were reported unchanged, though reported increases in walking (34.3%) and park visits (28.3%) demonstrate the importance of green spaces in fostering urban resilience. However, the reported lack of engagement in gardening (48.0%), indoor plant care (41.2%) and bird/wildlife watching (58.3%) suggest missed opportunities for ecological and cultural enrichment. Overall, the study underscores the urgent need for integrated planning strategies to improve accessibility, maintenance, and equity in green space provision. By aligning with the sustainable development goals, the four regional units of the Region of Attica can transform its green infrastructure into an inclusive, resilient system that supports public health, social inclusion, and climate adaptation. Full article

The rapid integration of emerging technologies into organizational processes has fundamentally redefined the role of strategic human resource management (SHRM). This paper explores how digital innovations—such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation (RPA), blockchain, and immersive technologies—are reshaping the workforce and transforming the way organizations attract, develop, and retain talent. In the context of the digital era, human capital is no longer a passive input but a strategic enabler of sustainable competitive advantage. The purpose of the study is to analyze how SHRM practices must evolve to align with technology-driven organizational models, combining insights from a systematic literature review, institutional reports, and illustrative corporate cases. Findings indicate that agility, continuous reskilling, ethical AI governance, and employee well-being are critical levers for sustainable advantage. Comparative tables highlight differences between traditional HRM and SHRM in the digital era, while case studies (IBM, Walmart, Unilever, and UiPath) demonstrate the strategic value of predictive analytics, diversity and inclusion programs, virtual training, and people analytics. By proposing a conceptual model that links emerging technologies, SHRM, and competitiveness, the paper contributes to current debates on the transformation of work and organizational resilience. The study offers practical implications for HR leaders, policymakers, and academics navigating digital transformation while reinforcing human-centric performance and sustainability. Full article

Healthcare providers in oncology experience exceptionally high stress rates. Research emphasizes that stress management programs must be quick to implement, flexible to accommodate demanding schedules, cost-effective, accessible to all staff, and tailored to the needs of oncology personnel. Programs that fail to meet these criteria often struggle with uptake and sustainability. This mixed-methods exploratory study aimed (1) to design an online stress management program, Breathe with the Waves (BWW), based on breathing techniques; (2) to evaluate its acceptability, satisfaction, and relevance; (3) to identify perceived benefits and challenges; and (4) to generate potential outcome measures for future studies. A team of Canadian researchers and end-users co-designed the intervention. Twenty oncology professionals completed BWW, which featured pre-recorded breathing videos, and provided feedback via questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. We used t-tests and Wilcoxon rank tests to analyze quantitative data, and template analysis for qualitative data. Participants found BWW highly acceptable, satisfactory, and relevant. Participants reported three categories of benefits: stress reduction, improved work performance, and increased mindfulness. Challenges included anticipated challenges and experienced challenges. Potential outcome measures fell into six categories: physical health, mental health, relational, work, mindfulness and personal practice. BWW, available in English and French, represents a promising and accessible approach to supporting the well-being of oncology personnel. Full article