Sharing Mechanisms for Information Technology in Developing Countries, Social Capital and Quality of Life.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: James J
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2737119 | biostudies-other | 2009 Oct
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
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Project description:This paper seeks to examine the extent to which technological advances can enhance inter-organizational information sharing in disaster relief. Our case is the Virtual OSOCC (On-Site Operations Coordination Centre) which is a part of the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS) under the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA). The online platform, which has been developing for more than a decade, provides a unique insight into coordination behaviour among disaster management agencies and individual actors. We build our study on the analysis of a complete database of user interaction including more than 20,000 users and 11,000 comments spread across approximately 300 disaster events. Controlling for types and severities of the events, location-specific vulnerabilities, and the overall trends, we find that the introduction of new features have led to increases in user activity. We supplement the data-driven approach with evidence from semi-structured interviews with administrators and key users, as well as a survey among all users specifically designed to capture and assess the elements highlighted by both interviews and data analysis.
| S-EPMC5008756 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundDespite their importance in population health among children and adolescents, our understanding of how individual items mutually interact within and between pediatric health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and school social capital is limited.MethodsWe employed network analysis in a general population sample of 7759 children aged 9-15 years to explore the network structure of relations among pediatric HRQOL and school social capital items measured using validated scales. Furthermore, network centrality was examined to identify central items that had stronger and more direct connections with other items in the network than others. Network structure and overall strength of connectivity among items were compared between groups (by sex and age).ResultsOur analysis revealed that the item related to school/academic functioning and the item related to shared enjoyment among students had the highest strength centrality in the network of HRQOL and school social capital, respectively, underpinning their critical roles in pediatric HRQOL and school social capital. Additionally, the edge connecting "I trust my friends at school" and "trouble getting along with peers" had the strongest negative edge weight among ones connecting school social capital and pediatric HRQOL constructs. Network comparison test revealed stronger overall network connectivity in middle schoolers compared to elementary schoolers but no differences between male and female students.ConclusionThe network approach elucidated the complex relationship of mutually influencing items within and between pediatric HRQOL and school social capital. Addressing central items may promote children's perceived health and school social capital.
| S-EPMC7710098 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe public healthcare sector in developing countries faces many challenges including weak healthcare systems and under-resourced facilities that deliver poor outcomes relative to total healthcare expenditure. Global references demonstrate that information technology has the ability to assist in this regard through the automation of processes, thus reducing the inefficiencies of manually driven processes and lowering transaction costs. This study examines the impact of hospital information systems implementation on service delivery, user adoption and organisational culture within two hospital settings in South Africa.MethodsNinety-four interviews with doctors, nurses and hospital administrators were conducted in two public sector tertiary healthcare facilities (in two provinces) to record end-user perceptions. Structured questionnaires were used to conduct the interviews with both qualitative and quantitative information.ResultsNoteworthy differences were observed among the three sample groups of doctors, nurses and administrators as well as between our two hospital groups. The impact of automation in terms of cost and strategic value in public sector hospitals is shown to have yielded positive outcomes with regard to patient experience, hospital staff workflow enhancements, and overall morale in the workplace.ConclusionThe research provides insight into the reasons for investing in system automation, the associated outcomes, and organisational factors that impact the successful adoption of IT systems. In addition, it finds that sustainable success in these initiatives is as much a function of the technology as it is of the change management function that must accompany the system implementation.
| S-EPMC3570341 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundWith growing recognition of the social determinants of health, social capital is an increasingly important construct in international health. However, the application of social capital discourse in response to HIV infection remains preliminary. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of social capital on quality of life (QoL) among adult patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).MethodsA convenient sample of 283 patients receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART) was investigated in Anhui province, China. QoL data were collected using the Medical Outcomes Study HIV Survey (MOS-HIV) questionnaire. Social capital was measured using a self-developed questionnaire. Logistic regression models were used to explore associations between social capital and QoL.ResultsThe study sample had a mean physical health summary (PHS) score of 50.13 ± 9.90 and a mean mental health summary (MHS) score of 41.64 ± 11.68. Cronbach's α coefficients of the five multi-item scales of social capital ranged from 0.44 to 0.79. When other variables were controlled for, lower individual levels of reciprocity and trust were associated with a greater likelihood of having a poor PHS score (odds ratio [OR] =2.02) or PHS score (OR=6.90). Additionally, the factors of social support and social networks and ties were associated positively with MHS score (OR=2.30, OR=4.17, respectively).ConclusionsThis is the first report to explore the effects of social capital on QoL of AIDS patients in China. The results indicate that social capital is a promising avenue for developing strategies to improve the QoL of AIDS patients in China, suggesting that the contribution of social capital should be fully exploited, especially with enhancement of QoL through social participation. Social capital development policy may be worthy of consideration.
| S-EPMC3490922 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Quality of life (QoL) is a multidimensional concept that is affected by various factors. According to the literature, social capital is one of the key determinants of QoL that improves the living conditions of the entire community. This study aimed to investigate the association between social capital and QoL in pregnant women. METHODS:This cross-sectional study included 240 pregnant women with a mean age of 27.98?years who were referred to healthcare centers in Qazvin, Iran. A two-stage random sampling method was used to select the health centers and participants. Social capital, QoL, demographic and obstetric characteristics were assessed. RESULTS:The mean scores of social capital, physical and mental dimensions of quality of life were 67.43, 70.2 and 71.88 respectively. All dimensions of social capital except for family and friends' connection and tolerance of diversity had positive significant correlations with the physical and mental health dimensions of quality of life (r?=?0.17 to 0.28 p?<?0.05). A univariate regression model revealed that social capital had a significant association with both the physical health (B?=?0.40, 95% CI: 0.19-0.61, p?<?0.001) and mental health (B?=?0 .44, 95% CI: 0.18-0.58, p?<?0.001) dimensions of pregnant women's quality of life. In the adjusted model, each unit increase of social capital increased pregnant women's QoL in both the physical health and mental health dimensions. CONCLUSION:Social capital has a significant association with women's QoL during pregnancy. Therefore, QoL during pregnancy could be improved by considering physical, psychological and social components of their healthcare.
| S-EPMC6842465 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:There is limited knowledge on the mediating role of different health risk behavior on the relationship between social capital, socioeconomic status (SES), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Chinese older adults. We conducted this study to (a) investigate the condition of health risk behaviors of the Chinese elderly, and (b) assess the relationship between SES, social capital, health risk behaviors, and HRQoL. METHODS:A sample of 4868 adults aged 60?years and older were included in this study, from the China's Health-related Quality of Life Survey for Older Adults 2018. Participants' demographic characteristics, SES (education level, family income), health risk behaviors (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, unhealthy weight, and sleep disorder) were collected. Social capital and HRQoL were assessed by the 16-item Personal Social Capital Scale (PSCS-16) and WHOQOL-Old, respectively. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to examine the associations between variables. RESULTS:The proportion of smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, unhealthy weight, and sleep disorder were 32.1, 36.3, 62.5, 45.7, 31.8, and 45.5%, respectively. Significant differences were observed in education level, family income, and social capital between elderly individuals with and without each of the six health risk behavior (all p-values <?0.05). Elderly individuals who reported smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, and sleep disorder had significantly lower HRQoL than those without these unhealthy behaviors (all p-values <?0.05). SEM analysis showed that SES and social capital positively associated with alcohol consumption. Social capital negatively associated with smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, and sleep disorder. SES negatively associated with smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, unhealthy weight, and sleep disorder. Smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, and sleep disorder correlated with poorer HRQoL. CONCLUSIONS:Chinese older adults demonstrated a high incidence of health risk behaviors, especially for physical inactivity (62.5%) and unhealthy dietary behavior (45.7%). Social capital and SES were correlated with the elderly's HRQoL, as well as with the health risk behaviors. Health risk behaviors played potential mediating role on the relationship between social capital, SES, and HRQoL in Chinese older adults.
| S-EPMC7456043 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Living a healthy life in a supporting environment are key elements towards higher diet quality in older age. The Mediterranean Diet in Older Adults (MINOA) study collected cross-sectional data from adults ≥65 years old (n = 436) from April 2014 to November 2015 in rural Crete, aiming to understand the interrelations between Mediterranean Diet adherence, Social Capital and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL). Multivariate linear regression, carried out using SPSS 20.0, revealed that both Social Capital and HRQL has a positive impact on Mediterranean Diet adherence after adjustment for confounders and independently of each other. Total Social Capital as well as its Value of Life/Social Agency component (β = 0.04 and β = 0.1, p < 0.05, respectively) had a positive relationship with Mediterranean Diet adherence. As far as HRQL is concerned, only the Physical Health components were found to have a positive association with Mediterranean Diet adherence (β = 0.09, p < 0.001). At the same time Total Social Capital was also seen to have a positive relationship with perceived Physical and Mental Health (β = 0.21 and β = 0.28, p < 0.001, respectively). In a population of older adults Social Capital, HRQL and Mediterranean Diet adherence seem to share intricate interrelations that impact both diet quality and quality of life overall.
| S-EPMC8465589 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Social institutions that facilitate sharing and redistribution may help mitigate the impact of resource shocks. In the North American Arctic, traditional food sharing may direct food to those who need it and provide a form of natural insurance against temporal variability in hunting returns within households. Here, network properties that facilitate resource flow (network size, quality, and density) are examined in a country food sharing network comprising 109 Inuit households from a village in Nunavik (Canada), using regressions to investigate the relationships between these network measures and household socioeconomic attributes. The results show that although single women and elders have larger networks, the sharing network is not structured to prioritize sharing towards households with low food availability. Rather, much food sharing appears to be driven by reciprocity between high-harvest households, meaning that poor, low-harvest households tend to have less sharing-based social capital than more affluent, high-harvest households. This suggests that poor, low-harvest households may be more vulnerable to disruptions in the availability of country food.
| S-EPMC5846769 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo explore how three indicators of social capital (ie, group membership, social support and cognitive social capital and specific types within each type) are associated with infant birth weight.Study design and settingsCross-sectional analyses of the first wave of Young Lives Survey data collected in 2002 from India (Andhra Pradesh state), Peru and Vietnam.Participants807 mothers in India, 1528 mothers in Peru and 1706 mothers in Vietnam.Outcomes measureInfant birth weight was measured in grams. Participation in specific groups, receipt of social support from specific groups or individuals and perceptions of their community were measured for social capital indicators. Two-level random intercept linear regression models were fit separately by country (first level: individual and second level: community).ResultsMaternal group membership displayed a consistent positive association with infant birth weight across the three countries. There was no relationship with maternal cognitive social capital. Membership in a women's group was associated with infant birth weight consistently in all three countries (b=119.6, 95% CI 21.7 to 217.4 in India, b=133.4, 95% CI 40.9 to 225.9 in Peru, b=60.6, 95% CI 0.5 to 120.6 in Vietnam). However, membership in a political group in Peru was inversely associated with infant birth weight (b=-276.1, 95% CI -465.7 to -86.5).ConclusionAlthough a higher level of social capital is associated with higher infant birth weight, specific types of social capital may have different associations with infant birth weight depending on the social, political or cultural specificity of the country. These results pave the way for additional research on the mechanisms through which social capital influences birth weight outcomes in each country.
| S-EPMC6797356 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Health behavior theories state that social environments influence health behaviors, but theories of how this occurs are relatively underdeveloped. This article systematically surveys community social capital concepts in health behavior literature and proposes a conceptual framework that integrates these concepts into existing behavioral theory. Fifty-three studies tested associations between community social capital concepts and physical activity (38 studies), smoking (19 studies), and diet (2 studies). Trustworthiness of community members was consistently associated with more health-promoting and less disease-promoting behaviors in 19 studies. Neighborly reciprocity showed mixed results in 10 studies. Reporting a good sense of community was associated with more physical activity in only 5 of 16 studies. Neighborhood collective efficacy, which includes social cohesion and informal social control, was inconsistently associated with behaviors in 22 studies. Behavioral social norms were associated with smoking and physical activity in 2 of 6 studies, and neighborhood modeling of physical activity was associated with increased activity in 12 of 17 studies, with 1 opposing result. This review identifies several community social capital-related concepts that are, at times, associated with both health-promoting and disease-promoting behaviors and often have no associations. Theory explains these findings by describing the relationships and interactions among these concepts. Using these findings, this article proposes a conceptual framework that integrates community social capital concepts into existing behavioral theory. Iterative empirically based theory development is needed to address these concepts, which affect behaviors. These results can also inform theoretically based community-based and socially tailored interventions.
| S-EPMC4002661 | biostudies-literature