Policy for children and young people: What is the evidence and can we trust it?

In a range of settings in health, education, social care, housing and justice, policy makers are urged to make decisions based on research evidence. At present, those seeking sound research evidence to underpin interventions with children and young people will frequently find the evidence cupboard disappointingly bare. This article signposts resources pointing to networks producing research evidence for policy and practice, and discusses drivers and obstacles to the use of research evidence in policy. The authors highlight the importance of synthesising different kinds of evidence in order for practice, policy and end point research users to have greater confidence in interventions in the lives of children and young people.     

季节性退休移民的日常行为与身心健康关系——候鸟老人的绿色空间暴露分析

在中国人口老龄化背景下,退休老年群体出于追求身心健康的动机向环境更好的地方季节性流动的现象越来越普遍,这类季节性退休移民被称之为"候鸟老人".本文运用时空行为的环境暴露测量,采用混合研究方法探讨候鸟老人日常行为中对迁入地绿色空间的实际使用与身心健康的关系.研究发现:候鸟老人在迁入地的日常活动范围主要集中在以家为中心的1...     

Diaphyseal growth in a nineteenth century skeletal sample of subadults from St Thomas' church,Belleville, Ontario

This study presents skeletal growth data for a nineteenth century church cemetery sample from Belleville, Ontario. Skeletal growth profiles (SGPs), plotting measurements of growth against age estimated by tooth formation, were constructed for the sample. Means and confidence intervals for 1-year cohorts up to 12 years of age are presented for each of the long bones, the ilium and scapula. Comparison of the SGPs created for this sample with modern and archaeological samples demonstrates that the nineteenth century Belleville children followed a growth pattern similar to their modern counterparts, at least until 12 years of age. It is recommended that these data can be used by other investigators as a comparative sample of nineteenth century children; they can also be used as standards of growth for the purpose of estimating age from diaphyseal lengths for other archaeological samples of similar temporal context and population affinities. It is argued that confidence intervals rather than standard deviations be used to report variation, as the former controls for sample size as well as variance.     

Entropy vs. human ontogeny: the Shannon information measure; a reliable general indicator of human health?

ABSTRACT

A measure of health based on exact sciences is not considered by social sciences to evaluate human development. We propose the H measure of information of Shannon ([1948]. “A Mathematical Theory of Communication.” The Bell Systems Technical Journal 27 (3): 379–423, 623–656), renamed as H _cto , as a general indicator of human health which can be subsequently aggregated at any statistical level. Several advantages of H _cto are explained: (i) connections with thermodynamics and information theory; (ii) combination of physical and statistical elements; (iii) measurements of entropy and/or information depending on the reference point, and (iv) a collection of examples based on the scientific literature that supports the application of H _cto . Simplified graphical models of the ontogeny of health condition are also shown. The empirical feasibility of using H _cto is also analysed, by concluding that it could be a tangible reality in the near future.     

‘Nature makes people happy,that’s what it sort of means:’ children’s definitions and perceptions of nature in rural Northwestern Ontario

ABSTRACT

Nature exposure positively impacts children’s physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive health and development. We know less about how children perceive their connection with nature and what nature means to them. This study uses focus groups to understand how rural Canadian children define, experience, and perceive benefits of nature. Using thematic analysis, we identified three primary themes. First, while children associate nature with specific activities, natural elements, and locations, they also conceptualize nature as ‘a whole community.’ Second, children experienced nature through doing, highlighting how activities connected them with nature while recognizing constraints on those engagements. Finally, children demonstrated agency in accessing nature to improve their emotional states. These findings indicate that from children’s views, nature is more than just space with natural elements. Children are also knowledgeable about the health benefits of nature, and capitalize on this knowledge. These findings can inform interventions to increase children’s interactions with outdoor environments.     

They say ‘kids with asthma don’t play sports’: geographies of asthma

ABSTRACT

Asthma is common among children worldwide. Although complex, physical activity participation is important in asthma management, to decrease chronic disease risk, and to facilitate healthy lifestyles for children. Team sport participation is a common way for children to engage in physical activity, but the spaces in which team sport is experienced can present social, physical and emotional challenges for children with asthma. This research aims to understand elements of the environment, broadly defined, that impact experiences of asthma in sport. In-depth interviews were conducted with youth team sport athletes (n?=?11) diagnosed with asthma, and youth team sport coaches (n?=?18) in Ontario, Canada. Results suggest that understanding the physical and social needs of child and youth athletes, and ensuring well-controlled asthma, are critical to maximizing performance and improving quality of life for asthmatic athletes.     

‘Brothel of the Pacific’: Syphilis and the Urban Regulation of Laikini Wahine in Honolulu, 1855–75

ABSTRACT

By 1860, Hawai‘i’s Indigenous population had declined by 75 per cent when compared to its estimated pre-contact level. Legislators and physicians attributed this crisis to the seasonal migration of Hawaiian prostitutes. After contracting syphilis from sailors in Honolulu, these women returned to their Native villages where they unwittingly spread the disease. Drawing on legislation, health reports, and newspapers, this article underscores the urban-rural nature of Hawai‘i’s syphilis epidemic by analyzing the 1860 Act to Mitigate the Evils and Diseases Arising from Prostitution (ATM). The law compelled prostitutes to enlist on a government registry, undergo medical inspections, and submit to treatment if infected. Arresting depopulation, adherents argued, hinged on the government’s ability to police Indigenous women within a conspicuous urban environment. In designing and enacting the ATM, legislators and physicians characterized Honolulu as a syphilitic breeding ground that catalyzed Indigenous depopulation by sheltering transient carriers of this highly gendered disease.     

中国老年人口自评健康水平的空间分异及影响因素研究

基于2005年和2015年1%人口抽样调查资料以及2010年人口普查资料，采用ArcGIS分级制图和空间自相关分析等方法，刻画中国老年人口健康水平的时空格局及变化，并使用面板数据线性回归模型和Tobit回归模型识别影响老年人口健康水平空间分异的主要因素。结果表明：①中国老年人口健康水平存在明显的空间分异，老年人口健康水平高的地市主要分布在东南部省份、华北平原和新疆北部，老年人口健康水平低的地市主要集中在青藏高原及其周边地区；②十年间，老年人口健康水平的空间分异水平有所降低，老年人口健康水平中等的地市数量大幅增加；③老年人口健康水平呈现显著的空间正相关性，随着空间分异的缩小，空间集聚程度上升；老年人口健康水平的高-高类型区主要集中在东南部地区，低-低类型区主要分布在青藏高原及周边区域；④社会经济发展水平、人口结构、饮食习惯和自然地理因素是影响老年人口健康水平空间分异的重要因素，东部、中部和西部地区老年人口健康水平的影响因素存在显著的差异。     

Evaluating human skeletal growth: An Anglo-Saxon example

Cross-sectional growth data were obtained from the skeletal remains of non-adults from the Raunds Anglo-Saxon site. Standard measurements of the diaphyseal lengths of the long bones of the upper and lower limbs and the maximum breadth of the ilium were recorded in order to construct skeletal growth profiles (SGP). In addition regression equations were used to estimate diaphyseal length from proximal and distal shaft widths, and epiphyseal breadth data for fragmentary remains. The skeletal measurements were then plotted against age estimates determined by the dental formation standards of Moorrees, Fanning and Hunt, and Anderson, Thompson and Popovich. The growth data were compared with sixth to seventh century German, ninth century Slavic and modern Caucasian data. With the exception of the ancient Slavic material, the Anglo-Saxon remains demonstrated the smallest rates of growth. Diaphyseal ageing curves derived from the Anglo-Saxon sample were tested for applicability on the non-adult cohorts of the Berinsfield and Exeter Anglo-Saxon/Early Medieval samples. Differences were observed between diaphyseal age as determined from the skeletal growth profiles for Raunds and calcification age assessed for individuals within the test samples. It is proposed that variation in long bone growth as well as dental age confounds consistent and reliable ageing of skeletal remains based on diaphyseal length. Assessment of changes in health and evaluation of methodological problems inherent to studies of skeletal growth from archaeological populations are discussed. Population comparisons for changes in general health are recommended over individual assessments.     

主观感知的城市环境对居民健康的影响研究——基于全国60个县市的大样本调查

在“健康中国”战略推进和健康城市建设背景下，关注城市建成环境对公共健康影响的研究日益增加。目前相关研究主要纳入了客观测量的城市环境变量，而主观感知的城市环境变量能够体现出客观测量的城市环境变量难以捕捉的健康影响效应，具体作用有待深入探究。本研究建立了个体、社区和城市三个层面的分析框架，基于中国社会科学院社会发展战略研究院于2016年开展的“社会态度与社会发展状况”全国大样本问卷调研数据，探究主观感知的城市物质环境和服务环境对居民自评健康的影响作用并识别显著影响要素。研究发现：感知的城市环境对居民自评健康具有显著影响，其中居民对城市绿化、基础设施状况、住房保障和医疗服务的感知是影响自评健康较为主要的环境感知因素。最后本研究基于定量分析结果讨论对健康城市评价和研究的启示，推动健康城市的发展。