scholarly journals Local Context Influence, Activity Space, and Foodscape Exposure in Two Canadian Metropolitan Settings: Is Daily Mobility Exposure Associated with Overweight?

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Lebel ◽  
Yan Kestens ◽  
Robert Pampalon ◽  
Marius Thériault ◽  
Mark Daniel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fast Food ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Activity Space ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Quebec City ◽  
Mobility Patterns ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Contextual Risk ◽  
Contextual Indicators

It has become increasingly common to attribute part of the obesity epidemic to changes in the environment. Identification of a clear and obvious role for contextual risk factors has not yet been demonstrated. The objectives of this study were to explain differences in local overweight risk in two different urban settings and to explore sex-specific associations with estimated mobility patterns. Overweight was modeled within a multilevel framework using built environmental and socioeconomic contextual indicators and individual-level estimates of activity space exposure to fast-food restaurants (or exposure to visited places). Significant variations in local levels in overweight risk were observed. Physical and socioeconomic contexts explained more area-level differences in overweight among men than among women and among inhabitants of Montreal than among inhabitants of Quebec City. Estimated activity space exposure to fast-food outlets was significantly associated with overweight for men in Montreal. Local-level analyses are required to improve our understanding of contextual influences on obesity, including multiple influences in people's daily geographies.

scholarly journals Using Twitter to Analyze the Effect of Hurricanes on Human Mobility Patterns

Urban Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Ahmouda ◽  
Hartwig H. Hochmair ◽  
Sreten Cvetojevic
Keyword(s):  
Human Mobility ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Mean Square Displacement ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Body ◽  
Activity Space ◽  
Radius Of Gyration ◽  
Mobility Patterns ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Urbanized Areas

Understanding human mobility patterns becomes essential in crisis management and response. This study analyzes the effect of two hurricanes in the United States on human mobility patterns, more specifically on trip distance (displacement), radius of gyration, and mean square displacement, using Twitter data. The study examines three geographical regions which include urbanized areas (Houston, Texas; Miami-Dade County, Florida) and both rural and urbanized areas (North and South Carolina) affected by hurricanes Matthew (2016) and Harvey (2017). Comparison of movement patterns before, during, and after each hurricane shows that displacement and activity space decreased during the events in the regions. Part of this decline can be potentially tied to observed lower tweet numbers around supply facilities during hurricanes, when many of them are closed, as well as to numerous flooded and blocked roads reported in the affected regions. Furthermore, it is shown that displacement patterns can be modeled through a truncated power-law before, during, and after the analyzed hurricanes, which demonstrates the resilience of human mobility behavior in this regard. Analysis of hashtag use in the three study areas indicates that Twitter contributors post about the events primarily during the hurricane landfall and to some extent also during hurricane preparation. This increase in hurricane-related Twitter topics and decrease in activity space provides a tie between changed travel behavior in affected areas and user perception of hurricanes in the Twitter community. Overall, this study adds to the body of knowledge that connects human mobility to natural crises at the local level. It suggests that governmental and rescue operations need to respond to and be prepared for reduced mobility of residents in affected regions during natural crisis events.

scholarly journals A Time-Based Objective Measure of Exposure to the Food Environment

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. 1180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Scully ◽  
Anne Moudon ◽  
Philip Hurvitz ◽  
Anju Aggarwal ◽  
Adam Drewnowski
Keyword(s):  
Food Environment ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Objective Measure ◽  
Mobility Patterns ◽  
Time Duration ◽  
Positioning Systems ◽  
Global Positioning ◽  
Fast Food Restaurants ◽  
Logistic Regressions ◽  
The Relationship

Exposure to food environments has mainly been limited to counting food outlets near participants’ homes. This study considers food environment exposures in time and space using global positioning systems (GPS) records and fast food restaurants (FFRs) as the environment of interest. Data came from 412 participants (median participant age of 45) in the Seattle Obesity Study II who completed a survey, wore GPS receivers, and filled out travel logs for seven days. FFR locations were obtained from Public Health Seattle King County and geocoded. Exposure was conceptualized as contact between stressors (FFRs) and receptors (participants’ mobility records from GPS data) using four proximities: 21 m, 100 m, 500 m, and ½ mile. Measures included count of proximal FFRs, time duration in proximity to ≥1 FFR, and time duration in proximity to FFRs weighted by FFR counts. Self-reported exposures (FFR visits) were excluded from these measures. Logistic regressions tested associations between one or more reported FFR visits and the three exposure measures at the four proximities. Time spent in proximity to an FFR was associated with significantly higher odds of FFR visits at all proximities. Weighted duration also showed positive associations with FFR visits at 21-m and 100-m proximities. FFR counts were not associated with FFR visits. Duration of exposure helps measure the relationship between the food environment, mobility patterns, and health behaviors. The stronger associations between exposure and outcome found at closer proximities (<100 m) need further research.

scholarly journals Effects of transition on HIV and non-HIV services and health systems in Kenya: a mixed methods evaluation of donor transition

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela C. Rodríguez ◽  
Diwakar Mohan ◽  
Caroline Mackenzie ◽  
Jess Wilhelm ◽  
Ezinne Eze-Ajoku ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Health Facilities ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Mixed Methods Evaluation ◽  
The Us

Abstract Background In 2015 the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) initiated its Geographic Prioritization (GP) process whereby it prioritized high burden areas within countries, with the goal of more rapidly achieving the UNAIDS 90–90-90 targets. In Kenya, PEPFAR designated over 400 health facilities in Northeastern Kenya to be transitioned to government support (known as central support (CS)). Methods We conducted a mixed methods evaluation exploring the effect of GP on health systems, and HIV and non-HIV service delivery in CS facilities. Quantitative data from a facility survey and health service delivery data were gathered and combined with data from two rounds of interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted at national and sub-national level to document the design and implementation of GP. The survey included 230 health facilities across 10 counties, and 59 interviews and 22 FGDs were conducted with government officials, health facility providers, patients, and civil society. Results We found that PEPFAR moved quickly from announcing the GP to implementation. Despite extensive conversations between the US government and the Government of Kenya, there was little consultation with sub-national actors even though the country had recently undergone a major devolution process. Survey and qualitative data identified a number of effects from GP, including discontinuation of certain services, declines in quality and access to HIV care, loss of training and financial incentives for health workers, and disruption of laboratory testing. Despite these reports, service coverage had not been greatly affected; however, clinician strikes in the post-transition period were potential confounders. Conclusions This study found similar effects to earlier research on transition and provides additional insights about internal country transitions, particularly in decentralized contexts. Aside from a need for longer planning periods and better communication and coordination, we raise concerns about transitions driven by epidemiological criteria without adaptation to the local context and their implication for priority-setting and HIV investments at the local level.

Calories and Cents

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 325-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Gertner ◽  
Alex K. Gertner ◽  
Denizar Vianna Araujo ◽  
Luciana Bahia ◽  
Isabel Bouzas
Keyword(s):  
Fast Food ◽  
Customer Value ◽  
Quantity Discounts ◽  
Fast Food Industry ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
Lifestyle Choices ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Global Health Issue ◽  
Value Pricing ◽  
New Consumer

In recent decades, obesity has become a critical global health issue. Experts and laypeople alike attribute high obesity rates to lifestyle choices involving diet and exercise. Following decades of increasing portion sizes and decreasing nutritional value, the food and beverage and fast-food industries have felt intense pressure to answer to new consumer priorities and what some see as their role in fueling the obesity epidemic. This article examines marketing and pricing practices implemented by some of the most popular food and beverage and fast-food industry players in the U.S. market that are involved in this response. Although marketers claim they are offering healthier choices and supporting the fight against obesity, our analysis reveals common industry strategies, including value pricing, psychological pricing, quantity discounts, and combo deals that undermine healthy food choices. We argue that in order to truly encourage healthy eating, these industries must revise not only their products but also their fundamental approach to creating customer value. It is also imperative that consumers, legislators, and the media be informed about deceitful strategies used pervasively by food and beverage manufacturers and fast-food restaurant chains that ultimately aggravate the obesity epidemic.

scholarly journals Can Digitalization Help Deter Corruption in Africa?

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (68) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rasmané Ouedraogo ◽  
Amadou Sy
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
The Government ◽  
Submarine Cables ◽  
Use Of Internet

This paper studies the effect of digitalization on the perception of corruption and trust in tax officials in Africa. Using individual-level data from Afrobarometer surveys and several indices of digitalization, we find that an increase in digital adoption is associated with a reduction in the perception of corruption and an increase in trust in tax officials. Exploiting the exogeneous deployment of submarine cables at the local level, the paper provides evidence of a negative impact of the use of Internet on the perception of corruption. Yet, the paper shows that the dampening effect of digitalization on corruption is hindered in countries where the government has a pattern of intentionally shutting down the Internet, while countries that successfully promote information and communication technology (ICT) enjoy a more amplified effect.

Assessing Local “Diversity”: A Nationally Representative Analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 232949652110216
Author(s):  
Neeraj Rajasekar ◽  
Evan Stewart ◽  
Joseph Gerteis
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Racial Difference ◽  
The United States ◽  
Racial Ideology ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Local Diversity ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Diversity Discourse

The meanings and definition of “diversity” can change across different applications and contexts, but many such meanings have implications for racial difference and racial ideology in the United States. We provide a nationally representative analysis of how everyday Americans assess “diversity” in their own communities. We test how county-level racial, religious, economic, and political heterogeneity predict the view that one lives in a highly diverse locale; we also test how individual-level factors predict such a view. Among the four indicators of local difference, racial difference is most strongly and consistently associated with Americans’ assessments of local diversity. Individual-level factors do not weaken this relationship; rather, local context and individual-level factors conjointly predict assessments of local diversity. Despite the flexible, hyperinclusive nature of diversity discourse, local racial difference is salient in Americans’ assessments of “diversity” in their communities, and this pattern is not simply a product of individual-level factors. Our findings illustrate another dimension of the flexible-yet-racialized nature of diversity discourse in the United States. We also show that Americans are particularly aware of racial difference in their locale, which has implications for social and ideological responses to changing communities and a changing nation.

scholarly journals Open Innovation and Innovation Intermediaries in Sub-Saharan Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bertha Vallejo ◽  
Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka ◽  
Nicholas Ozor ◽  
Maurice Bolo
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Technology And Innovation ◽  
Innovation Intermediaries ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Desk Research ◽  
Science Technology And Innovation

This study explores the innovation intermediaries’ landscape in sub-Saharan Africa, considering Science Granting Councils (SGCs) as the key intermediaries in the system. Based on extensive desk research, personal interviews, and an online survey, the study discusses the roles and functions performed by SGCs as intermediators and influences of science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy. The results of the analysis corroborate the need for institutional and systemic changes to enable SGCs to perform their role. The realities, resources, and constraints at the local level cry out for the adaptation of current and future partnerships to the local context. The study concludes that only by tailoring partnerships to the development of capacity at the local level can SGCs perform effectively as influencers of national STI policy and mediators of partnerships with foreign development actors.

scholarly journals Insights on Urban and Periurban Adaptation Strategies Based on Stakeholders’ Perceptions on Hard and Soft Responses to Climate Change

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Martinez-Juarez ◽  
Aline Chiabai ◽  
Cristina Suárez ◽  
Sonia Quiroga
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Common Ground ◽  
Basque Country ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

Adapting to expected impacts of climate change is a task shared by multiple institutions and individuals, but much of this work falls over local and regional authorities, which has made them experts over the issue. At the same time, adaptation to climate change has been a research interest in different academic fields; while private companies provide research and development efforts on the issue. Views from perspectives may contain common ground and discrepancies, but benefits from the discussion may differ among these three sectors. This study shows the application of collaborative approaches to analyze impacts and adaptation measures at a local level. A stakeholder workshop was held in the city of Bilbao to discuss impacts of climate change and adaptation in the local context of the Basque Country. The contributions were proposed on three axes: impacts from climate change, good practices proposed or already in action, and costs and benefits derived from those strategies. Participants were asked to rank a series of measures and practices extracted from their previous inputs. These measures were analyzed after applying bootstrapping techniques, according to the perceived costs and benefits assigned to each of the grouped measures and practices. Participants estimated that groups containing green adaptation measures and those that had potentially positive impacts over climate change mitigation were the most efficient measures, as reduced costs combined with high benefits could lead to win–win adaptation strategies, while grey infrastructures were seen as providing high benefits at high costs.

Commonplace and common language: Kentucky's district mission statements

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-340
Author(s):  
W. Kyle Ingle ◽  
Terra Greenwell ◽  
Justin Woods
Keyword(s):  
State Policy ◽  
Mission Statement ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Mission Statements ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sequential Procedures ◽  
And Mathematics

PurposeWe sought to identify codes and themes in the mission statements of Kentucky's school districts and examine the relationship between district characteristics and the mission statements.Design/methodology/approachWe undertook a mixed methods design, specifically, a sequential transformative strategy with a theoretical lens overlaying the sequential procedures and guiding the analysis.FindingsAnalysis revealed a range of 1–7 codes per mission statement and a mean of 3.05. Generic student success and individual attention represented the most frequently occurring codes in the mission statements. Chi-square tests of bivariate association yielded no significant differences between districts by locale. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the percentage of students in the district scoring proficient or distinguished in both reading and mathematics was associated significantly (p < 0.05) with the theme of student support.Research limitationsAlthough we cannot establish causation between mission statements content and student outcomes or vice-versa, district mission statement remain a visible and public expression of why an organization exists that should guide actions and decision-making, whether instructional, financial or otherwise.Practical implicationsOur study revealed shared institutional language within mission statements across Kentucky's school district, largely without regard to local context. Our analysis suggests that federal and state policy makers are influencing mission statements more so than those at the local level.Originality/valueOur analysis provides further evidence that suggests that federal and state policy makers are influencing mission statements more so than those at the local level.

scholarly journals A Spatially Explicit Approach for Targeting Resource-Poor Smallholders to Improve Their Participation in Agribusiness: A Case of Nyando and Vihiga County in Western Kenya

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 612
Author(s):  
Mwehe Mathenge ◽  
Ben G. J. S. Sonneveld ◽  
Jacqueline E. W. Broerse
Keyword(s):  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Western Kenya ◽  
Household Decision ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Poor Households ◽  
Resource Poor

The majority of smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa face myriad challenges to participating in agribusiness markets. However, how the spatially explicit factors interact to influence household decision choices at the local level is not well understood. This paper’s objective is to identify, map, and analyze spatial dependency and heterogeneity in factors that impede poor smallholders from participating in agribusiness markets. Using the researcher-administered survey questionnaires, we collected geo-referenced data from 392 households in Western Kenya. We used three spatial geostatistics methods in Geographic Information System to analyze data—Global Moran’s I, Cluster and Outliers Analysis, and geographically weighted regression. Results show that factors impeding smallholder farmers exhibited local spatial autocorrelation that was linked to the local context. We identified distinct local spatial clusters (hot spots and cold spots clusters) that were spatially and statistically significant. Results affirm that spatially explicit factors play a crucial role in influencing the farming decisions of smallholder households. The paper has demonstrated that geospatial analysis using geographically disaggregated data and methods could help in the identification of resource-poor households and neighborhoods. To improve poor smallholders’ participation in agribusiness, we recommend policymakers to design spatially targeted interventions that are embedded in the local context and informed by locally expressed needs.

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