How do people value life?
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Li M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3313554 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Feb
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
How do people value life?
Li Meng M Vietri Jeffrey J Galvani Alison P AP Chapman Gretchen B GB
Psychological science 20091222 2
Who should be saved when health resources are limited? Although bioethicists and policymakers continue to debate which metric should be used to evaluate health interventions, public policy is also subject to public opinion. We investigated how the public values life when evaluating vaccine-allocation policies during a flu epidemic. We found that people's ratings of the acceptability of policies were dramatically influenced by question framing. When policies were described in terms of lives saved ...[more]
Similar Datasets
Project description:People with neurological disorders suffer from poor mobility, poor balance, fatigue, isolation and monotonous everyday activities. Studies show that equine-assisted interventions can improve their mobility and balance, but could these kinds of interventions also increase participants' activity repertoire and self-assessed health, and reduce their fatigue? The study was conducted as a prospective, controlled study with three cohorts followed for one year: intervention group (n = 14), control group Passive (n = 29), and control group Active (n = 147). Participants in the study were affected by neurological disease or injury that limited their opportunities for an active everyday life. The intervention group lacked regular activities outside the home before the intervention, which consisted of riding once a week, led by a certified therapist. Control group Passive lacked regular activities outside the home, while control group Active had several activities outside the home per week. Primary outcome measures were activity repertoire measured with Occupational Value Assessment questionnaire. Secondary outcome measures were global self-assessed health measured with EuroQol-VAS and fatigue measured with Shirom-Melamed Burnout Questionnaire. The intervention group's activity repertoire and self-assessed health increased significantly compared to both baseline and the control groups. Equine-assisted interventions could help to improve the perceived value of everyday occupations and quality of life, as well as break isolation and increase the activity repertoire of people with neurological disorders.
| S-EPMC7177295 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Entrepreneurship has undoubted social value as it contributes to socio-economic development of the context where entrepreneurship takes place. When the entrepreneurial activity is undertaken among especially vulnerable groups in the labor market, the multiplying effect of this value is made explicit in society, in general, and in the collective of people with disabilities (PWDs), in particular. The objective of this research study is to explore under which conditions this happens through the analysis not only of the relationship between the competencies that PWDs attribute to themselves and their development of the entrepreneurial activity but also of that between entrepreneurship and certain conditions that potentially create value by increasing the autonomy among this collective. A quantitative methodology based on the analysis of the survey carried out on a sample of 224 entrepreneurs with physical, sensory, or organic disabilities throughout Spain has been used. According to the results, entrepreneurs with disabilities (EWDs) have a higher self-evaluation competency. Furthermore, significant results concerning the link between the form of autonomous cohabitation of this collective and entrepreneurship have been obtained.
| S-EPMC8292768 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We developed a comprehensive and culturally applicable empowerment intervention social self-value package with an aim to assess its efficacy in order to improve the quality of life (QoL) of HIV infected people receiving antiretroviral treatment. Participants were randomly allocated to receive either six weekly intervention sessions or standard care. Nonlinear mixed-effects models were performed to compare changes in empowerment scores over time. Between September and November 2014, 1447 individuals were screened, of whom 132 were randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. The mean scores of empowerment, social support and quality of life increased and stigma scores were reduced in the intervention group at 3- and 6-months. An intervention effect on social support, stigma and QoL was significantly increased by time and group with low and high empowerment. No adverse events were reported. The empowerment intervention was efficacious in improving QoL of HIV infected people.
| S-EPMC5422450 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:In present-day life-insurance medical underwriting practice the risk assessment starts with a standard health declaration (SHD). Indication for additional medical screening depends predominantly on age and amount of insured capital. From a medical perspective it is questionable whether there is an association between the level of insured capital and medical risk in terms of mortality. The aim of the study is to examine the prognostic value of parameters from the health declaration and application form on extra mortality based on results from additional medical testing. METHODS:A history register-based cohort study was conducted including about 15.000 application files accepted between 2007 and 2010. Blood pressure, lipids, cotinine and glucose levels were used as dependent variables in logistic regression models. Resampling validation was applied using 250 bootstrap samples to calculate area under the curves (AUC's). The AUC was used to discriminate between persons with and without at least 25% extra mortality. RESULTS:BMI and the overall assessment of the health declaration by an insurance physician or medical underwriter showed the strongest discrimination in multivariable analysis. Including all variables at minimum cut-off levels resulted in an AUC of 0.710 while by using a model with BMI, the assessment of the health declaration and gender, the AUC was 0.708. Including all variables at maximum cut-off levels lead to an AUC of 0.743 while a model with BMI, the assessment of the health declaration and age resulted in an AUC of 0.741. CONCLUSIONS:The outcome of this study shows that BMI and the overall assessment of the health declaration were the dominant variables to discriminate between applicants for life-insurance with and without at least 25 percent extra mortality. The variable insured capital set by insurers as factor for additional medical testing could not be established in this study population. The indication for additional medical testing at underwriting life-insurance can possibly be done on limited variables instead of the obligatory medical testing based on age and the amount of insured capital.
| S-EPMC4696800 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In recent years, considerable progress has been made in miscanthus research: improvement of management practices, breeding of new genotypes, especially for marginal conditions, and development of novel utilization options. The purpose of the current study was a holistic analysis of the environmental performance of such novel miscanthus-based value chains. In addition, the relevance of the analyzed environmental impact categories was assessed. A Life Cycle Assessment was conducted to analyse the environmental performance of the miscanthus-based value chains in 18 impact categories. In order to include the substitution of a reference product, a system expansion approach was used. In addition, a normalization step was applied. This allowed the relevance of these impact categories to be evaluated for each utilization pathway. The miscanthus was cultivated on six sites in Europe (Aberystwyth, Adana, Moscow, Potash, Stuttgart and Wageningen) and the biomass was utilized in the following six pathways: (1) small-scale combustion (heat)-chips; (2) small-scale combustion (heat)-pellets; (3) large-scale combustion (CHP)-biomass baled for transport and storage; (4) large-scale combustion (CHP)-pellets; (5) medium-scale biogas plant-ensiled miscanthus biomass; and (6) large-scale production of insulation material. Thus, in total, the environmental performance of 36 site × pathway combinations was assessed. The comparatively high normalized results of human toxicity, marine, and freshwater ecotoxicity, and freshwater eutrophication indicate the relevance of these impact categories in the assessment of miscanthus-based value chains. Differences between the six sites can almost entirely be attributed to variations in biomass yield. However, the environmental performance of the utilization pathways analyzed varied widely. The largest differences were shown for freshwater and marine ecotoxicity, and freshwater eutrophication. The production of insulation material had the lowest impact on the environment, with net benefits in all impact categories expect three (marine eutrophication, human toxicity, agricultural land occupation). This performance can be explained by the multiple use of the biomass, first as material and subsequently as an energy carrier, and by the substitution of an emission-intensive reference product. The results of this study emphasize the importance of assessing all environmental impacts when selecting appropriate utilization pathways.
| S-EPMC5462955 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The prevalence of multimorbidity is increasing, creating challenges for patients, healthcare professionals, and healthcare systems. Given that chronic disease management increasingly involves eHealth, it is useful to assess its perceived value among people with multimorbidity.To explore challenges related to multimorbidity and patients' perspectives on eHealth.Ten semi-structured interviews with adults, living with multimorbidity in Copenhagen, Denmark. Interviews focused on patient-experienced challenges, from challenges related to self-management to challenges experienced in the healthcare sector, as well as perceptions of eHealth. During interviews, participants were presented with pictures of different eHealth technologies. Data analysis followed the systematic text condensation approach.Participants experienced challenges in their daily lives, e.g. when practicing self-management activities, when navigating the healthcare sector, and when interacting with healthcare professionals. Patient-perceived value of eHealth varied, depending on their burden of illness and treatment: those with a greater burden had more positive perceptions of eHealth, and expressed more intention to use it. Participants with less complex disease patterns and less burdensome treatment regimens were more likely to perceive eHealth as something worthless and undesirable. Participants stressed that eHealth should only be introduced as an optional supplement.eHealth can potentially address some patient-experienced challenges related to multimorbidity by promoting self-management, patient-centeredness, and access. However, patients' needs and preferences vary and eHealth cannot substitute the personal interaction between patient and healthcare professionals. Our findings point to the importance of patient assessment and stratification to ensure appropriate use of eHealth.
| S-EPMC5777537 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Older patients see their general practitioners (GPs) relatively often and so recognition of their preferences can lead to improvement of quality of care in general practice. This study aimed to identify which aspects of GPs' behaviour are the most important for older people in their assessment of the quality of their visits and to explore the application of Jung's taxonomy differentiating task and affective behaviour in this context. A qualitative approach to generating data was chosen. We conducted semi-structured interviews with a sample of 30 patients aged 65 and older using GP services in two demographically diverse big cities in Poland. Participants were interviewed in 2010 according to a pre-determined topic guide. This research showed that older people assess both 'task performance' and 'affective performance' behaviours of general practitioners. There were nearly twice as many patient comments concerning affective performance behaviour relative to task performance behaviour. Older people expect that their physicians will be demonstrably friendly, kind, able to joke and have enough time for the consultation.
| S-EPMC4240907 | biostudies-other
Project description:BackgroundGlobal burden of COVID-19 has not been well studied, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and value of statistical life (VSL) metrics were therefore proposed to quantify its impacts on health and economic loss globally.MethodsThe life expectancy, cases, and death numbers of COVID-19 until 30th April 2021 were retrieved from open data to derive the epidemiological profiles and DALYs (including years of life lost (YLL) and years loss due to disability (YLD)) by four periods. The VSL estimates were estimated by using hedonic wage method (HWM) and contingent valuation method (CVM). The estimate of willingness to pay using CVM was based on the meta-regression mixed model. Machine learning method was used for classification.ResultsGlobally, DALYs (in thousands) due to COVID-19 was tallied as 31,930 from Period I to IV. YLL dominated over YLD. The estimates of VSL were US$591 billion and US$5135 billion based on HWM and CVM, respectively. The estimate of VSL increased from US$579 billion in Period I to US$2160 billion in Period IV using CVM. The higher the human development index (HDI), the higher the value of DALYs and VSL. However, there exits the disparity even at the same level of HDI. Machine learning analysis categorized eight patterns of global burden of COVID-19 with a large variation from US$0.001 billion to US$691.4 billion.ConclusionGlobal burden of COVID-19 pandemic resulted in substantial health and value of life loss particularly in developed economies. Classifications of such health and economic loss is informative to early preparation of adequate resource to reduce impacts.
| S-EPMC8165085 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Health related quality of life (HRQOL) is increasingly recognized as an important clinical parameter and research endpoint in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HRQOL in HCC patients is multifaceted and affected by medical factor which encompasses HCC and its complications, oncological and palliative treatment for HCC, underlying liver disease, as well as the psychological, social or spiritual reaction to the disease. Many patients presented late with advanced disease and limited survival, plagued with multiple symptoms, rendering QOL a very important aspect in their general well being. Various instruments have been developed and validated to measure and report HRQOL in HCC patients, these included general HRQOL instruments, e.g., Short form (SF)-36, SF-12, EuroQoL-5D, World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment 100 (WHOQOL-100), World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment abbreviated version; general cancer HRQOL instruments, e.g., the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT)-General, Spitzer Quality of Life Index; and liver-cancer specific HRQOL instruments, e.g., EORTC QLQ-HCC18, FACT-Hepatobiliary (FACT-Hep), FACT-Hep Symptom Index, Trial Outcome Index. Important utilization of HRQOL in HCC patients included description of symptomatology and HRQOL of patients, treatment endpoint in clinical trial, prognostication of survival, benchmarking of palliative care service and health care valuation. In this review, difficulties regarding the use of HRQOL data in research and clinical practice, including choosing a suitable instrument, problems of missing data, data interpretation, analysis and presentation are examined. Potential solutions are also discussed.
| S-EPMC5534362 | biostudies-other
Project description:Accurate measurement of quality of life (QoL) is important for evaluation of autism services and trials of interventions. We undertook psychometric validation of the World Health Organisation measure-WHOQoL-BREF, examined construct validity of the WHO Disabilities module and developed nine additional autism-specific items (ASQoL) from extensive consultation with the autism community. The sample of 309 autistic people was recruited from the Adult Autism Spectrum Cohort-UK. The WHOQoL-BREF had good psychometric properties, including criterion, convergent, divergent and discriminant validity. The WHO Disabilities module showed adequate construct validity and reliability. The ASQoL items form a unitary factor of QoL, with one global item. Future studies can use the WHO measures alongside the ASQoL items to measure QoL of autistic people.
| S-EPMC5889785 | biostudies-other