Exploring children's foodscapes

In this article, we discuss children's becoming as food consumers in the intersection of various foodscapes. We draw from a project, Children as co-researchers of foodscapes, where we have been working with children as co-researchers, using basically ethnographic methods, and as co-designers in a collaborative design effort. This article focuses on the findings from a theoretically inspired perspective, using the concept of foodscapes. These are food-related structures of different kinds, which evolve as the child explores them and where children as food consumers are generated. In this article, we highlight the scapes of taste, routines, people, things, commerce, child (as opposed to adult) and health and give brief accounts of the way the children related to them. Finally, we turn to the benefits of working with foodscapes for a better understanding of children's becoming as food consumers in the intersection of various foodscapes. This article is based on data gathered by the children, but also on our fieldwork notes and observations following the children in their foodscapes.     

Using Simulated Data to Examine the Determinants of Acute Hospital Demand at the Small Area Level

The aim of this article is to establish whether spatial variation exists in acute hospital utilization in Ireland and, if it does, to identify the microlevel factors influencing this variation. First, an alignment process is used to calibrate the acute inpatient attendance and nights spent in hospital variables produced by a spatial microsimulation model at both the national and the subnational levels. Comparing the results of the national and subnational alignment allows us to examine whether spatial variation exists. Second, after establishing that hospital utilization displays a significant spatial pattern, we use a nationally representative survey to determine which individual‐level factors significantly affect inpatient attendance and the number of nights spent in hospitals. Using the calibrated data from the aforementioned spatial microsimulation model, we examine whether the spatial patterns of those variables found to influence hospital utilization match the spatial pattern of actual hospital utilization rates at the small area, electoral division level. That is, are the individuals/areas with the highest demand for acute hospital services utilizing acute hospital services? Finally, the results of this research are discussed in relation to both the national and international literature. El objetivo de este artículo es determinar si existe variación espacial en la utilización aguda y urgente (acute) de hospitales en Irlanda, y de ser así, identificar los factores microeconómicos que influyen en esta variación. En primer lugar, se utiliza un proceso de alineación para calibrar las variables de concurrencia (asistencia) de pacientes hospitalizados con casos agudos y de noches de estancia en el hospital, producidas por un modelo microsimulación espacial, tanto para niveles nacionales como subnacionales. Comparar los resultados de alineación de los niveles nacionales y subnacionales nos permite examinar si existe variación espacial. En segundo lugar, después de establecer que la utilización de hospitales muestra un patrón espacial significativo, empleamos una encuesta (un censo) nacional representativa para determinar qué factores a nivel individual afectan significativamente la concurrencia de pacientes hospitalizados y el número de noches de estancia en los hospitales. Al usar los datos calibrados del ya mencionado modelo de microsimulación espacial, analizamos si los patrones espaciales de esas variables que influyen en la utilización de hospitales concuerdan con el patrón espacial de las tasas reales (existentes) de utilización hospitalaria al nivel de las áreas pequeñas de división electoral (DE). En otras palabras, ¿Son las/los individuos/áreas con la mayor demanda de casos agudos de servicios de hospitalización las/los que están utilizados los servicios de hospitalización aguda? Finalmente, los resultados de esta investigación se analizan (discuten) en relación a la literatura especializada nacional e internacional. 本文的研究目的在于通过建立模型以检验爱尔兰急症医院的利用是否存在空间分异。如果存在空间分异,则识别影响其空间分异的微观尺度的驱动因子。首先,在国家和地方两个尺度,通过空间微观模型对所要构建模型的求诊人数及他们花费的夜间数进行校正和调整,并通过对比国家与地方两个尺度的校准结果,来检验其是否存在空间分异。其次,通过建立的模型检验出急诊医院的利用具有显著的空间模式,利用一份具有全国代表性的调查以确定哪些个体层面因素显著影响着求诊人数与在医院花费的夜间数。利用上述空间微观模拟模型检测影响医院利用的那些变量的空间模式,与实际的医院利用率的空间模式在被划分的小区域尺度上是否匹配。也就是说,这些对急症医院服务具有最大需求的个体或区域是否真正实际在使用着这些服务。最后,将本文结果与国内和国际文献进行了相关探讨。.