scholarly journals Exploring Perceived Well-Being from Urban Parks: Insights from a Megacity in Latin America

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7586
Author(s):  
Andrea Parra-Saldívar ◽  
Sebastián Abades ◽  
Juan L. Celis-Diez ◽  
Stefan Gelcich

Urbanization has impacted biodiversity and ecosystems at a global scale. At the same time, it has been recognized as a driver of the physical and emotional gap between humans and nature. The lack of direct contact with nature can have a negative impact on several aspects of human well-being and change knowledge and attitudes of people towards the environment. However, this phenomenon is still poorly understood in megacities outside developed countries. Here, we explore the relationship between ecological knowledge and self-reported well-being in an important urban park in Santiago, Chile. We conducted semi-structured surveys of park users to explore their beliefs, preferences, ecological knowledge of plants and birds, and self-reported well-being. Citizens associated urban parks mainly with “nature,” and particularly with the presence of trees and plants. Trees were recognized as the most relevant elements of urban parks; in turn, birds were ranked as the less relevant. Regarding formal ecological knowledge, respondents correctly identified an average of 2.01 plants and 2.44 birds out of a total of 10 for each taxon, and exotic species were more likely to be recognized. Park users also reported high scores for self-reported well-being. Interestingly, variance of self-reported well-being scores tended to increase at low levels of ecological knowledge of trees, but no significant relationship was detected with knowledge of birds, nor native species. Ecological knowledge of trees was positively related to self-reported well-being. Results suggest that parks can positively contribute to bring people closer to nature in middle-income countries. Improving ecological knowledge can be critical to restore the relationship between humans and nature in megacities.

Author(s):  
Andrea Parra-Saldívar ◽  
Sebastián Abades ◽  
Juan L. Celis-Diez ◽  
Stefan Gelcich

Urbanization has impacted biodiversity and ecosystems at a global scale. At the same time, it has been recognized as a driver of the gap between humans and nature. The lack of direct contact with nature can deteriorate several aspects of human wellbeing, and change knowledge and attitudes of people towards the environment. However, this phenomenon is still poorly understood in Megacities outside developed countries. Here, we explore the relationship between ecological knowledge and self-reported wellbeing in an important urban park in Santiago, Chile. We conducted semi-structured surveys to park users to explore their notions, preferences, ecological knowledge of plants and birds and self-reported wellbeing. Citizens associated urban parks mainly with “nature”, and particularly with the presence of trees and plants. Trees were recognized as the most relevant elements of urban parks, in turn, birds were ranked as the less relevant. Regarding ecological knowledge, respondents correctly identified an average of 2.01 plants and 2.44 birds out of a total of 10 for each taxon, and exotic species were more likely to be recognized. Park users also reported high scores for self-reported wellbeing. Interestingly, variance of self-reported wellbeing scores tended to increase at low levels of ecological knowledge of trees, but no significant relationship was detected with knowledge of birds, nor native species. These results suggest that parks can positively contribute to bring people closer to nature. Ecological knowledge was related to self-reported wellbeing. Improving ecological knowledge can be critical to restore the relationship between humans and nature in megacities.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garrett Todd Pace ◽  
Shawna Lee ◽  
Andrew Grogan-Kaylor

Spanking is one of the most common forms of child discipline used by parents around the world. Research on children in high-income countries has shown that parental spanking is associated with adverse child outcomes, yet less is known about how spanking is related to child well-being in low- and middle-income countries. This study uses data from 215,885 children in 62 countries from the fourth and fifth rounds of UNICEF’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) to examine the relationship between spanking and child well-being. In this large international sample which includes data from nearly one-third of the world’s countries, 43% of children were spanked, or resided in a household where another child was spanked, in the past month. Results from multilevel models show that reports of spanking of children in the household were associated with lower scores on a 3-item socioemotional development index among 3- and 4-year-old children. Country-level results from the multilevel model showed 59 countries (95%) had a negative relationship between spanking and socioemotional development and 3 countries (5%) had a null relationship. Spanking was not associated with higher socioemotional development for children in any country. While the cross-sectional association between spanking and socioemotional development is small, findings suggest that spanking may be harmful for children on a more global scale than was previously known.


2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 618-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sambuddha Ghatak ◽  
Aaron Gold

This study relates economic development to one of the well-observed predictors of domestic terrorism—minority discrimination—and revisits the relationship between terrorism and economic development. We argue that terrorism may be a rational choice when minorities’ exclusion from political power and relative deprivation from public goods increases and the unsettling forces in the initial phases of economic development provide aggrieved people with opportunities for mobilization. We find that economic development has a curvilinear relationship with terrorism. Highly developed countries are less likely to experience domestic terrorism than less-developed ones and the least developed countries have few targets. However, both rich and middle-income countries are vulnerable to domestic terrorism in the presence of minority discrimination.


Author(s):  
Suman Verma

Effective social protection policies are crucial to realizing adolescents’ rights, ensuring their well-being, breaking the cycle of poverty and vulnerability, and helping them realize their full developmental potential. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have extended social security coverage to ensure basic protections—while continuing to develop social protection systems. Social protection for LMIC adolescents in the context of gross violations of their basic rights is examined. Prevalence, consequences of protection rights violations, and the role and impact of social protection programs in ensuring enhanced opportunities for development and well-being among young people are discussed. Results demonstrate direct impacts (e.g., increased income, consumption, goods and services access; greater social inclusion; reduced household stress). LMICs need integrated social protection policy and program expansion if the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is to be realized. With adolescent-centered policies and investments, governments can help adolescents realize their rights to a fulfilling and productive life.


Author(s):  
Germina-Alina Cosma ◽  
Alina Chiracu ◽  
Amalia Raluca Stepan ◽  
Marian Alexandru Cosma ◽  
Marian Costin Nanu ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to analyze athletes’ quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved 249 athletes between 15 and 35 of age, M = 21.22, SD = 5.12. The sample was composed of eight Olympic Games medalists, three European medalists, 67 international medalists, and 63 national medalists. The instruments used were: (1) COVID-19 Anxiety Scale, (2) Athlete Quality of Life Scale, (3) Impact of Pandemic on Athletes Questionnaire, and (4) International Personality Item Pool (IPIP Anxiety, Depression, and Vulnerability Scales). The results indicate significant differences in COVID-19 anxiety depending on the sport practiced, F (9239) = 3.81, p < 0.01, showing that there were significant differences between sports. The negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic mediates the relationship between trait anxiety and the athletes’ quality of life. The percentage of mediation was 33.9%, and the indirect effect was −0.11, CI 95% (−0.18, −0.03), Z = −2.82, p < 0.01. Trait anxiety has an increasing effect on the intensity of the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, 0.23, CI 95% (.10, 0.35), Z = 3.56, p < 0.01, and the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has a decreasing effect on quality of life, −0.47, CI 95% (−0.67, −0.27), Z = −4.62, p < 0.01. Gender and age did not moderate the relationship between the negative impact of COVID-19 and athletes’ quality of life. The results of the study highlighted the impact that social isolation and quarantine have on athletes’ affective well-being.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 16-16
Author(s):  
Sungsim Lee

Abstract This presentation describes a supportive mindfulness practice for caregivers of older adults based on the principles of Won Buddhism (an integrative, a modernized Buddhism). As the aging population grows, there is a significant increase in recognition of the negative impact of caregiver stress on older adults’ quality of life. The ability for caregivers to deal compassionately with stress is essential, as caring for older adults can awaken feelings about one’s own vulnerability and mortality. The ‘Mindful Gratitude Practice’ offers a way to cope with stress, cultivate self-care, and improve the care of others. Relevant research will be summarized, which shows mindfulness and gratitude practice respectively benefit positive influence in both physical and emotional well-being. Mindful Gratitude Practice as a spiritual approach that fosters caregivers' emotional stability, reduces their stress and improves the relationship between older adults and their caregivers. In this presentation, three processes of Mindful Gratitude Practice will be described: 1. Understanding a mindfulness practice by establishing intention, attention, and attitude, 2. Learning the principles of a gratitude practice and implementation, and 3. Incorporating mindfulness into a gratitude practice. Research results have demonstrated that through this learning process, caregivers have acquired the concept of interconnectedness, experience grateful moments, and a deep feeling of appreciation in their caregiving relationships. The presenter will guide participants in a short experience of Mindfulness Gratitude Practice. Further readings and resources will be provided for those who are interested.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. e034986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Valdebenito ◽  
Aja Murray ◽  
Claire Hughes ◽  
Adriana Băban ◽  
Asvini D Fernando ◽  
...  

IntroductionViolence against children is a health, human rights and social problem affecting approximately half of the world’s children. Its effects begin at prenatal stages with long-lasting impacts on later health and well-being. The Evidence for Better Lives Study (EBLS) aims to produce high-quality longitudinal data from cities in eight low- and middle-income countries—Ghana, Jamaica, Pakistan, the Philippines, Romania, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Vietnam—to support effective intervention to reduce violence against children. EBLS-Foundational Research (EBLS-FR) tests critical aspects of the planned EBLS, including participant recruitment and retention, data collection and analysis. Alongside epidemiological estimates of levels and predictors of exposure to violence and adversity during pregnancy, we plan to explore mechanisms that may link exposure to violence to mothers’ biological stress markers and subjective well-being.Methods and analysesEBLS-FR is a short longitudinal study with a sample of 1200 pregnant women. Data are collected during the last trimester of pregnancy and 2 to 6 months after birth. The questionnaire for participating women has been translated into nine languages. Measures obtained from mothers will include, among others, mental and physical health, attitudes to corporal punishment, adverse childhood experiences, prenatal intimate partner violence, substance use and social/community support. Hair and dry blood spot samples are collected from the pregnant women to measure stress markers. To explore research participation among fathers, EBLS-FR is recruiting 300 fathers in the Philippines and Sri Lanka.Ethics and disseminationThe study received ethical approvals at all recruiting sites and universities in the project. Results will be disseminated through journal publications, conferences and seminar presentations involving local communities, health services and other stakeholders. Findings from this work will help to adjust the subsequent stages of the EBLS project.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2909
Author(s):  
Esther Pagán-Castaño ◽  
Javier Sánchez-García ◽  
Fernando J. Garrigos-Simon ◽  
María Guijarro-García

Teaching is one of the professions with the highest levels of stress and disquiet at work, having a negative impact on teachers’ well-being and performance. Thus, well-being is one of the priorities in human resource management (HRM) in schools. In this regard, this paper studies the relationship between HRM, well-being and performance, observing the incidence of leadership and innovation in these relationships. The objective is to measure the extent to which it is necessary to encourage sustainable environments that promote the well-being of teachers and, by extension, students. The study used the methodology of structural equations and a sample of 315 secondary school teachers. The work validates the influence of leadership by example and information management on HRM and performance. In addition, we confirm the significant effect of human resource management on educational performance. The relationship is observed both directly and through the mediating effect on the improvement of well-being. On the other hand, the positive influence of innovation on performance, both in schools and in the classrooms, is reaffirmed. These results suggest the need to zero in on the human resources policies in schools linked to the improvement of teacher well-being and educational performance. They also highlight the role of school and classroom innovation as a key element in maintaining educational quality.


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