To save content items to your account,
please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies.
If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account.
Find out more about saving content to .
To save content items to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org
is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings
on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part
of your Kindle email address below.
Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations.
‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi.
‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
There is growing evidence that optimising dietary quality and engaging in physical activity (PA) can reduce dementia and cognitive decline risk and improve psychosocial health and quality of life (QoL). Multimodal interventions focusing on diet and PA are recognised as significant strategies to tackle these behavioural risk factors; however, the cost-effectiveness of such interventions is seldom reported. A limited cost consequence based on a 12-month cluster-randomised Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) and walking controlled trial (MedWalk) was undertaken. In addition, QoL data were analysed. Programme costs ($AUD2024) covered staff to deliver the MedWalk programme and foods to support dietary behaviour change. The primary outcome measure of this study was change in QoL utility score, measured using the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL-8D). Change scores were compared for the groups using general linear models while controlling for demographic factors associated with baseline group differences and attrition. Change in QoL (decreased, maintained or improved) was determined using a cross-tabulation test. MedWalk programme costs were estimated at $2695 AUD per participant and control group cost at $165 per person – a differential cost of $2530. Mean change in utility scores from baseline to 12 months was not statistically significant between groups. Nevertheless, the MedWalk group was significantly less likely to experience a reduction in their QoL (20·3 % MedWalk v. 42·6 % control group) (P = 0·020). A MedDiet and walking intervention may have a role in preventing decline in QoL of older Australians; however, longer-term follow-up would be beneficial to see if this is maintained.
To evaluate research exploring food policy, practice and provision in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings, using the socio-ecological model (SEM).
Design:
A scoping review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Methodology for scoping reviews and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Five databases were systematically searched. Eligible studies were retrieved after full-text screening. Data were extracted and synthesised based on food policy, practice and provision concepts and grouped according to SEM level. Results were presented using a narrative summary.
Results:
Twenty-four studies were included, the majority had qualitative (n 13, 54 %) or cross-sectional study designs (n 11, 46 %) and presented findings at the organisational SEM level. Nursery settings were most represented (n 16, 67 %), followed by childminders (n 5, 21 %), then preschools (n 3, 13 %). Studies were conducted in England (n 20, 83 %) and Scotland (n 2, 8 %); however, no studies were undertaken in Wales or Northern Ireland. Studies reported poor adherence to food policies in ECEC. Recommended practices were frequently adhered to; however, food provided did not consistently meet nutritional recommendations. Common barriers to implementing healthy food practices and provision were cost, staff shortages, lack of training and awareness of available guidance.
Conclusions:
This review identified a need for research that targets a range of SEM levels and is conducted in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Our findings support the need for increased governmental support for ECEC, through food standards, free meal provision for ECEC and more accessible nutrition training.
Military sexual trauma (MST) (sexual harassment or sexual assault experienced during military service) is associated with adverse mental health outcomes. This systematic review assessed international, published, peer-reviewed academic literature and aimed to (1) identify the mental health outcomes of MST for serving and ex-servicewomen, (2) understand whether sexual harassment and sexual assault impact mental health differently, and (3) identify individual differences that may influence mental health outcomes. Included sources were peer reviewed, primary research, which investigated MST as a predictor of mental health outcome(s) in women. Database searches (June 2023, May 2024, and March 2025) yielded 63 studies, most of which (n = 58) were conducted in the United States and used quantitative methods (n = 60). A narrative synthesis approach facilitated data synthesis. Quantitative studies identified associations between MST and adverse mental health outcomes, with qualitative studies providing further context to these associations. Military sexual assault appeared to have a stronger relationship with adverse mental health than other MST experiences. Posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms were associated with further outcomes, such as suicidality, disordered eating, and substance use. Some additional trauma exposures exacerbated the impacts of MST on mental health, whilst social support mitigated negative mental health outcomes. This review identifies significant mental health impacts of MST and highlights the importance of formal and informal support for serving and ex-servicewomen with MST experiences.
Experts recommend preparedness to manage chronic diseases in case of disaster-related resource disruption. This study’s goal is to identify factors underlying personal medical preparedness (PMP) among participants from a hurricane-prone region.
Methods
A cross-sectional survey was completed during the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season with 120 insured adults age ≥50 in Southeast Louisiana with hypertension and ≥1 regular medication. PMP was measured using the validated Household Emergency Preparedness Instrument Access and Functional Needs Section (HEPI-AFN). Multivariable logistic regression analysis tested associations between PMP and exposure variables, including demographics, health, and hurricane experience.
Results
The sample included 50% women, 43% Black, with mean age 62.6 (SD = 8.1) years and mean 51.3 (SD = 18.1) years living in hurricane-impacted area. Participants were prepared on an average 79% (SD = 21) of applicable HEPI-AFN items; 42 (35%) were prepared on 100% of PMP items. The most missed item was having 2 weeks of extra medication; open-responses noted refill policies as a common barrier to PMP. No factors were associated with increased odds of PMP.
Conclusions
While many participants in this insured, disaster-experienced sample are medically prepared, restrictive pharmaceutical refill policies may be a barrier. Research is needed to understand the impact of prescription refill and other policies on PMP.
Objectives/Goals: To support the growing number of clinical research professionals (CRP) working in behavioral and social science contexts, relevant formative assessments of research skills are needed. This study examines the development of an objective formative assessment designed to assess skills relevant to conducting social and behavioral research. Methods/Study Population: A multidisciplinary group at the University of Michigan was convened to develop the assessment. Case studies depicting clinical and translational research conducted in behavioral and social science contexts were used to measure proficiency in seven of the eight ECRPTQ competencies: Scientific Concepts & Research Design, Ethical & Participant Safety Concerns, Clinical Trial Operations (Good Clinical Practice), Study & Site Management, Data Management & Informatics, Leadership & Professionalism, Communication, and Teamwork & Team Science. Three difficulty levels of questions were developed: basic, intermediate, and advanced. To reinforce knowledge and skill development, the assessment was designed to give respondents formative feedback after responding to each question. Results/Anticipated Results: A preliminary “pre-pilot” test was conducted with three postdoctoral scholars to ensure that the assessment items were understandable. The assessment was then pilot tested with a larger group of 40 clinical research professionals (CRP) to test for the clarity and difficulty level of the items. A smaller group of 20 of these CRPs agreed to participate in focus groups to obtain feedback on their user experience. Data regarding years of experience as a CRP, types of studies engaged with, and information regarding professional certification were collected and used in the analyses. Demographic data collected were not connected to user responses. Results of the pilot test and focus groups were used to revise the questions on the final version of the assessment. Discussion/Significance of Impact: To our knowledge, this is the first objective assessment of research skills for CRP working in behavioral and social science contexts. We will discuss how other institutions can use this instrument to evaluate the training needs of their social and behavioral research workforce.
This paper is a review of existing sources across disciplines focusing on the topic of female farm ownership. Throughout the centuries, females have been explicitly excluded from owning and prevented from inheriting land. The purpose of this paper is to examine historical customs and rules governing female land ownership in Ireland and to demonstrate how the ‘old’ laws and customs have contributed significantly to the patriarchal system of farm ownership that is still in existence today even though the gender-based laws have disappeared. This paper argues that a contributing factor to the current male-dominated farm ownership figures is the normalisation of patriarchy by way of the old, gendered laws and practices. Although gender discrimination is no longer acceptable in such a direct legal form, the tradition and culture that established and supported such customs can still be seen today, as males account for 87% of Irish farmholders. This research addresses a lacuna in our understanding of women’s unequal position when it comes to the ownership of farms in Ireland.
Indonesia has long been the country of origin for millions of migrant workers. Indonesian men and women have left their homes in search of work to provide a better life for themselves and their families. Most migrant workers are in semi-skilled or unskilled positions in fields such as agriculture, construction, manufacturing, and domestic work, which are mostly low-wage and difficult jobs. There are large numbers of Indonesians in Asia, such as in Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and in wealthy countries in the Persian Gulf, such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. Migrant workers leave Indonesia both through official, legal channels, as well as through illegal, unofficial channels. These workers are often referred to as “irregular” migrants. Migrants are often treated poorly and are found in dangerous, undesirable jobs. The Indonesian government is increasingly compelled to try and address abuses of their citizens. The Indonesian government is highly attuned to the treatment of its citizens abroad and has embarked on many measures to try and improve their safety overseas. Ultimately, the government has seen some successes at protecting compatriots, but continues to face significant challenges in doing so for a larger number of their workers overseas.
School food has a major influence on children’s diet quality and has the potential to reduce diet inequalities and non-communicable disease risk. Funded by the UK Prevention Research Partnership, we have established a UK school food system network. The overarching aim was to build a community to work towards a more health-promoting food and nutrition system in UK schools. The network has brought together a team from a range of disciplines, while the inclusion of non-academic users and other stakeholders, such as pupils and parents, has allowed the co-development of research priorities and questions. This network has used a combination of workshops, working groups and pump-priming projects to explore the school food system, as well as creating a systems map of the UK school food system and conducting network analysis of the newly established network. Through understanding the current food system and building network expertise, we hope to advance research and policy around food in schools. Further funding has been achieved based on these findings, working in partnership with policymakers and schools, while a Nutrition Society Special Interest Group has been established to ensure maximum engagement and future sustainability of the network. This review will describe the key findings and progress to date based on the work of the network, as well as a summary of the current literature, identification of knowledge gaps and areas of debate, according to key elements of the school food system.
OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Limited access to medication and poor medication adherence exacerbate chronic diseases following disasters. Experts recommend individuals in disaster-prone areas be prepared to manage their chronic diseases in the event of resource disruption. This study’s goal is to identify factors underlying personal medical preparedness. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: A cross-sectional survey of 120 insured adults age ≥50 in Southeast Louisiana with hypertension and ≥1 daily medication during the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season is underway. The survey includes the Household Emergency Preparedness Index Access and Functional Needs Section (HEPI AFN), a validated measure of medical preparedness that accounts for special circumstances including refrigerated medication and electricity-dependent medical equipment. The mean score of the 9-item tool ranges from 0 to 1, with higher scores indicating more preparedness. The survey also includes 3 open-ended questions where participants can explain difficulties with medication adherence during hurricanes in their own voice. Data collection is ongoing. This interim analysis provides descriptive statistics. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: An interim analysis of the first 50 respondents included 46% women, 52% Black, mean age 61.2 (SD=7.3) years, and mean 52.5 (SD=16.2) years living in a hurricane-impacted area. Participants had a median of 1 comorbid condition; 72% reported taking >5 daily medications. Most respondents (94%) stated their household was at least “somewhat prepared” to handle a disaster and reported medical preparedness on an average of 82% of HEPI-AFN items (mean score = 0.82, SD=0.18); 90% reported that they had never had a healthcare worker talk to them about personal medical preparedness. On open response questions, participants cited insurance restrictions as the primary barrier to having extra medication on hand. In the final sample, regression models will be used to examine factors associated with increased preparedness. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: While most participants in this insured, disaster-experienced preliminary sample are medically prepared, few have discussed preparedness with a healthcare provider. Identifying socio-demographic factors associated with preparedness will help to strengthen mitigation strategies addressing widening of health disparities during disasters.
The UK's decision to leave the EU has opened up huge existential questions for Northern Ireland as it marks its centenary. Constitutional conflict in Northern Ireland had been regarded as largely resolved and settled, but Brexit has altered the wider constitutional framework within which the 1998 Good Friday Agreement is situated. With the question of Irish unity gaining renewed and sustained traction, and with trade, relationships and politics across 'these islands' in a state of flux, Northern Ireland approaches a constitutional moment.
Murphy and Evershed examine the factors, actors and dynamics that are most likely to be influential, and potentially transformative, in determining Northern Ireland's constitutional future. This book offers an assessment of how Brexit and its fallout may lead to constitutional upheaval, and a cautionary warning about the need to prepare for it.
A uniquely hybrid approach to welfare state policy, ecological sustainability and social transformation, this book explores transformative models of welfare change. Using Ireland as a case study, it addresses the institutional adaptations needed to move towards a sustainable welfare state.
The clinical and translational research workforce involved in social and behavioral research (SBR) needs to keep pace with clinical research guidance and regulations. Updated information and a new module on community and stakeholder engagement were added to an existing SBR training course. This article presents evaluation findings of the updated course for the Social and Behavioral Workforce.
Methods and Materials:
Participants working across one university were recruited. Course completers were sent an online survey to evaluate the training. Some participants were invited to join in a focus group to discuss the application of the training to their work. We performed descriptive statistics and conducted a qualitative analysis on focus group data.
Results:
There were 99 participants from diverse backgrounds who completed the survey. Most reported the training was relevant to their work or that of the study teams they worked with. Almost half (46%) indicated they would work differently after participating. Respondents with community or stakeholder engaged research experience vs. those without were more likely to report that the new module was relevant to study teams they worked with (t = 5.61, p = 0.001), and that they would work differently following the training (t = 2.63, p = 0.01). Open-ended survey responses (n = 99) and focus group (n = 12) data showed how participants felt their work would be affected by the training.
Conclusion:
The updated course was rated highly, particularly by those whose work was related to the new course content. This course provides an up-to-date resource for the training and development for the Social and Behavioral Workforce.
The implications of Brexit for Northern Ireland are profound, given its history and geographical position as a land border with the European Union. Four decades of sectarian violence have been replaced by a period of sustained peace, economic growth and development, yet the trenchant political divide remains. The ongoing fractious relations within the Northern Irish Assembly threaten to derail any hope the region might have on influencing the discussion and direction of the Brexit negotiations.
Mary C. Murphy offers a detailed and in-depth analysis of Northern Ireland's relationship with the EU, the role the EU has played in rebuilding the region after the Troubles, and the challenges and opportunities that Brexit might offer Northern Ireland in terms of its fragile politics and economy.
Northern Ireland has long occupied a greater political space than might seem warranted, given its size and relatively underdeveloped economy. This space may yet again become the most hotly contested and divisive topic in future Brexit negotiations, if it doesn't in fact prove to be the key to the successful UK withdrawal and future relations with our European neighbours.
The concept of ‘publicness’ addresses the intersection between people and their physical surroundings, and the ways in which they affect each other in an ongoing process. This point of relational exchange is the core concept behind ‘Public Space in European Social Housing’ (PuSH), a three-year HERA-funded project conducted by a transnational, multidisciplinary team of researchers. Large-scale modernist postwar housing estates, often used for social, cooperative, or mass rental housing, tend to be problematised as places of segregation and disintegration in European cities. Yet they are potentially also primary sites for integration between people of different cultural origins and social backgrounds. By investigating publicness in relation to social housing, including cooperative housing and mass rental housing estates, PuSH aims to better understand how cultural encounters happen, and ultimately to reflect on how integration can be better sustained. In this paper, we take a relational conception of publicness as our point of departure to explore the differentiations and intersections between sites and modes of public life in relation to our approach and the social housing estates we investigate. Moreover, we present our conceptual contribution to the concept of publicness, both theoretically and methodologically using multidisciplinary theories and methodologies, and four analytical categories: heritage, practices/policies, democracy, informality, and moreover exhibitions are used as a research tool. This paper is a collaborative output whereby different researchers on the project present their theoretical developments and positions, identify the analytical categories and theoretical vocabularies on which they daw, and reflect on potential ways in which these concepts can be operationalised, and on the synergies that may develop between them. Taken together, our approach offers significant interpretations of publicness in relation to questions of public space, and tackles some of the most pronounced tensions in discussions of public space.
Rapid antigen detection tests (Ag-RDT) for SARS-CoV-2 with emergency use authorization generally include a condition of authorization to evaluate the test’s performance in asymptomatic individuals when used serially. We aim to describe a novel study design that was used to generate regulatory-quality data to evaluate the serial use of Ag-RDT in detecting SARS-CoV-2 virus among asymptomatic individuals.
Methods:
This prospective cohort study used a siteless, digital approach to assess longitudinal performance of Ag-RDT. Individuals over 2 years old from across the USA with no reported COVID-19 symptoms in the 14 days prior to study enrollment were eligible to enroll in this study. Participants throughout the mainland USA were enrolled through a digital platform between October 18, 2021 and February 15, 2022. Participants were asked to test using Ag-RDT and molecular comparators every 48 hours for 15 days. Enrollment demographics, geographic distribution, and SARS-CoV-2 infection rates are reported.
Key Results:
A total of 7361 participants enrolled in the study, and 492 participants tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, including 154 who were asymptomatic and tested negative to start the study. This exceeded the initial enrollment goals of 60 positive participants. We enrolled participants from 44 US states, and geographic distribution of participants shifted in accordance with the changing COVID-19 prevalence nationwide.
Conclusions:
The digital site-less approach employed in the “Test Us At Home” study enabled rapid, efficient, and rigorous evaluation of rapid diagnostics for COVID-19 and can be adapted across research disciplines to optimize study enrollment and accessibility.
This appendix offers readers who are unfamiliar with Ireland a brief introduction to the 100-year-old Irish state and its institutional features. Understanding Ireland's distinct social ecology and how it impacts on the functioning of politics, administration and economy is important to make sense of the case study sections at the end of each chapter. Apart from its openness and peripherality, three features of the Irish state merit particular attention from the perspective of transformation: the small size of the state (approximately 5.1 million in 2022); its highly centralised distribution of power; and the scale and speed of recent change.
Institutions
Irish public and policy institutions have evolved in a relatively consensusoriented democracy characterised by a centralised multi-party system with a two-chamber parliament and a prime minister (Taoiseach) with a moderate amount of influence. The institutional and policy context is characterised by the paradox of a strongly centralised state and weak local government, alongside a political culture dominated by strong localism that is reinforced by a proportional national electoral system organised around 41 constituencies. A growth in agencies is fracturing central power and creating new veto points which pose challenges for climate and social policy implementation (Torney, 2020). While local county loyalty is strong, sub-national or ‘county’-level power in Ireland is weak, with low density populations and one-off housing creating consequences for institutional capacity, planning and governance (Dekker, 2020). The local autonomy index (Ladner et al, 2015) ranks Ireland as one of the weakest countries in Europe with respect to local autonomy, with strong limiting consequences for the potential role of local government in local procurement and regional planning. In comparative terms, Ireland is grouped with countries with unitary governance and weak local autonomy including Portugal, Romania and Slovenia.
The relatively unique electoral system – proportional representation through a single transferable vote (PR-STV) – reinforces a pre-existing political culture of brokerage and clientelism and fosters localism and a strong sense of local community and loyalty which was a strong asset in the context of pandemic responses and is potentially an anchor for societal responses to climate change.
While this is largely a book about how welfare and social policy needs to change, the starting point is defining the problem: how the political economy of 21st-century capitalism impacts so negatively on both environmental sustainability and societal inequality. Inspired by Polanyi (1944), a fruitful way of understanding social policy is as a reaction and a decommodifying response to capitalism and its unrelenting commodification of labour, land and money (Gough et al, 2008, p 327; Kirby, 2021). A call for decommodification underpins the analysis throughout this book.
Contemporary political economy models and the related worlds of welfare capitalism are deficient, failing to secure gender and other equalities, socioeconomic justice, health and wellbeing, social reproduction, democratic participation as well as sustainable ecologies. The case for transformation is altogether stronger from these multiple perspectives and demands a comprehensive political response. The case for an ecosocial solution is manifold, and true from the obvious perspective of climate change, as well as the wider perspective of system change.
The analysis rejects green-growth solutions that are overly productivist or techno-optimist in nature. This is consistent with a post-growth transformation to an ecosocial model that demotes economic growth as a policy objective, instead maximising human wellbeing, meeting basic needs and protecting our common eco-system. Each chapter concludes by exploring the chapter topic in the anchoring case study of Ireland.
Transition of a sufficient scale towards an ecologically oriented social model demands a fundamental overhaul of existing welfare trajectories. This means shifting focus away from institutions and policies that ‘commodify’ labour and prioritise productivity growth and employment as the primary mechanism to social citizenship. This necessitates practical changes in supporting institutions (discussed in Chapter 4) and UBS (discussed in Chapter 5) but also to income supports, the focus of this chapter. Decommodification requires that policy and practice promote greater varieties of participation beyond the labour market and reciprocal interdependent care relationships throughout our life cycles.
The income support system needs to complement principles of an enabling and facilitating welfare system that primarily works through UBS to meet collective needs. The first section of this chapter explores a spectrum of income support options including Universal Basic Income (UBI), Minimum Income Guarantees (MIG) and Participation Income (PI). The mid-section of the chapter offers PI as an example of a state income support system that de-emphasises production, consumption and employment, and enables and values other forms of work, recovering time for activities that have social and ecological value such as providing care, democratic participation and sustaining the environment. The Irish case study offers a blueprint for income support reform towards a PI, in the form of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and a 2022 artist basic income pilot.
An income support to complement UBS
Options for income support
So far, this book has argued that a just transition demands a fundamental overhaul of existing welfare trajectories. However, the role of social policy in enabling sustainable transition remains marginal within the literature on decarbonisation (Bohnenberger, 2020). Recent literature argues that transitioning towards an ‘ecosocial’ welfare model requires re-anchoring welfare institutions in a ‘post-productivist’ architecture wherein income supports and public services are targeted at meeting essential needs rather than catalysing labour productivity and economic growth (Hirvilammi and Koch, 2020). While there is a growing consensus about the need for such an ecosocial policy agenda, there is far less agreement about what specific social policies might contribute to this reorientation.