scholarly journals The Importance of Water and Climate-Related Aspects in the Quality of Urban Life Assessment

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6573
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Ptak-Wojciechowska ◽  
Anna Januchta-Szostak ◽  
Agata Gawlak ◽  
Magda Matuszewska

Global challenges such as urbanization, aging societies, climate change, and environmental and water crises are becoming increasingly important in terms of the impact they might have on the quality of life (QoL) in cities. Appraisal instruments for QoL assessment, such as rankings and guides, should therefore include these aspects. The aim of this research was to verify the significance of water and climate-related aspects in assessment tools. A comparative analysis of 24 selected QoL assessment tools shows to what extent these aspects are included in the domains, criteria, and indicators proposed in the instruments. The method of verification is a comparison of the position of winning cities in QoL rankings and city resilience rankings. The results show that water and climate-related aspects are still underestimated in the QoL rankings and guides, and only a few cities with the highest quality of life ranked highly in sustainability and climate resiliency ratings. Our results suggest that the tools for the evaluation and comparison of cities need remodeling, taking into account the most important global risks and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in order to create aging-friendly and climate-neutral cities.

Spatium ◽  
2017 ◽  
pp. 51-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tijana Zivanovic-Milic ◽  
Sinisa Trkulja

A new global framework to guide urban development and housing policy in the next twenty years - the New Urban Agenda was adopted at the end of the Habitat III Conference held in Quito, Ecuador. This time, the Agenda was tailored and adopted to the requirements of the Sustainable Development Goals and particularly to the requirements of Goal 11 - Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, established in 2015. The paper outlines the basic facts indicating the complexity of Agenda-making and the entire Habitat III process. It also points to the first controversies that have arisen around and after the conference in Quito and examines the importance attached, and the one that the Agenda might have in the future in the Danube countries, especially in Serbia, taking into account demographic trends, diversity in the level of the existing quality of urban life and challenges to be met.


2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (04) ◽  
pp. 181-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher D. Bauch ◽  
Susan G. Lynn ◽  
Donald E. Williams ◽  
Michael W. Mellon ◽  
Amy L. Weaver

The impact of tinnitus and overall levels of distress were measured with three assessment tools for patients with tinnitus. The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) and an activities limitations questionnaire were administered to 53 audiology patients reporting tinnitus. Forty-three percent of these patients experienced either quality of life reductions associated with tinnitus, substantial perceived handicap, and/or a high level of distress. Results from the General Severity Index (GSI) of the SCL-90-R indicated that 25% of these patients displayed distress greater than that of the general medical population. The SCL-90-R can be a useful tool for audiologists working with tinnitus patients in assessing needs for referral for psychological or psychiatric counseling.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Patricia Concheiro-Moscoso ◽  
Betania Groba ◽  
Sílvia Monteiro-Fonseca ◽  
Nereida Canosa ◽  
Cristina Queirós

(1) Background: Stress is a major public health problem due to its relevant health, social and economic repercussions. Moreover, stress can be associated with work; when stress increases over time, burnout can occur, an occupational phenomenon recognized by the WHO in 2019. There is interest in the use of wearable devices to monitor and control stressors and their influence on the condition of workers. This study aims to identify the level of job stress and its influence on the quality of life of workers. (2) Methods:This longitudinal study was carried out between the end of May and mid-July 2021. Three assessment tools along with a daily and a weekly questionnaire were computerized through the RedCap platform. The participants had to fill out the diary and weekly questionnaires and wear a Xiaomi Mi Band 5 during the project. (3) Results and discussion: Thirty-six workers from the University of Coruña and from the University of Porto participated in the project. This study promotes the awareness of workers regarding their work stress and the influence of this factor on their quality of life using physiological (e.g., activity, sleep, and heart rate) and psychological indicators (self-report questionnaires in different moments).


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3C) ◽  
pp. 607-612
Author(s):  
Sergey Kokhan ◽  
Elena Romanova ◽  
Vladislav Dychko ◽  
Elena Dychko ◽  
Danil Dychko ◽  
...  

The article shows the results of physical therapy of those who have had coronavirus infection COVID-19 and who have completed a month's course of physical rehabilitation as a part of rehabilitation measures in the conditions of the innovative clinic "Academy of Health". The aim of the research is to study the impact of pulmonary rehabilitation programs for patients with moderate to severe COVID-19. The implementation of special breathing exercises made it possible to improve the oxygen saturation in the blood, to reduce shortness of breath and indicators of respiratory symptoms.  The tolerance to exercise has increased; physical activity and the quality of life of patients with pneumonia associated with COVID-19 have improved. The best results of the EQ-5D quality of life assessment were recorded in the experimental group compared to the control group.


2021 ◽  
Vol 129 ◽  
pp. 01029
Author(s):  
Zuzana Stofkova ◽  
Peter Seemann

Research background: The paper deals with the quality of life and the impact of the pandemic COVID-19 on people’s lives in Slovakia and in selected region. The concept of quality of life and dimensions of quality of life, which are necessary for its evaluation are mentioned, too. It also describes the current state of the issue in Slovakia and abroad on the basis of the selected indicators, where individual countries of the world are compared. Purpose of the article: There are mentioned approaches to quality of life assessment and to conduct a survey of quality of life in a selected region which deals with the development of the quality of life. The paper deals with the analysis of the current state of the problem in Slovakia and abroad. Various definitions of the term quality of life through several authors and views. Methods: Indices in a global and national level for assessment of selected aspects of objective and subjective quality of life in terms of pandemics COVID-19 are mentioned. In order to assess the impact of a pandemic related to COVID-19 on satisfaction of citizens with several aspects of their lives in selected region is analyzed on the basis of an e-survey. Findings & Value added: The result of the article is a comparison of individual indicators of the subjective quality of life in selected EU member states and the Slovak Republic. A survey of the satisfaction of the inhabitants of selected region with selected areas of quality of their lives connected with the COVID-19 pandemic is carried out in order to monitor and evaluate the quality of life at the level of local governments.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamal Al-Qawasmi ◽  
Muhammad Saeed ◽  
Omar S. Asfour ◽  
Adel S. Aldosary

Urban quality of life (QOL) is a complex and multidimensional concept. A wide range of urban QOL assessment tools has been developed worldwide to measure and monitor the quality of urban life taking into account the particular conditions of cities/regions and the needs of their residents. This study aims to develop an urban QOL assessment tool appropriate for the context of Saudi Arabia (SA). For this purpose, this study developed and used a structured approach that consists of an in-depth analysis of 21 urban QOL assessment tools in use worldwide, combined with focus group analysis and feedback from a panel of experts. The results revealed that there is a lack of consensus among the existing tools regarding the usage of QOL indicators and domains, and that the majority of the tools demonstrate a lack of proper coverage of QOL subdomains. The results also show wide variations in the number of indicators used and that most of the examined tools are using objective measurable indicators. This study has identified 67 indicators distributed across 13 domains that constitute the core criteria of the proposed QOL assessment tool. The selected indicators and domains cover all the attributes of urban QOL and are evaluated by experts as important criteria to assess/measure QOL. Moreover, the results demonstrate the advantage of the developed framework and comprehensive list of criteria (CLC) as a structured and efficient approach to design better QOL assessment tools.


2020 ◽  
pp. 194589242097895
Author(s):  
Gloria Corredor-Rojas ◽  
María A. García-Chabur ◽  
Juliana Castellanos ◽  
Sergio Moreno ◽  
Martin Pinzón ◽  
...  

Background Assessment of nasal obstruction is imprecise due to a low correlation between findings on the physical examination and objective measures with the severity of symptoms reported by the patient even after septoplasty with turbinoplasty is performed. The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of subjective scales, and the correlation between them for the evaluation of nasal obstruction after surgery. Objective To assess the impact of undergoing septoplasty with turbinoplasty to relieve nasal obstructive symptoms and the quality of life in a mid-term period by using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE), and Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI). Methods A retrospective study was conducted of patients who underwent a septoplasty with turbinoplasty due to nasal septodeviation and secondary nasal obstructive symptoms at the Hospital Universitario Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá. Three scales were used to measure the outcomes one year after surgery: VAS (0–10), NOSE (0–100), and GBI (−100 to 100). Results Data from 56 patients (21 females, mean age 37.5 years of age, SD 12.13) was collected. The results showed that 75% of the patients had a post-surgical NOSE score below 50 and a VAS score below 6. Regarding the GBI scale, 75% of the patients improved in their quality of life. An inverse proportional correlation was found between the NOSE and GBI scales (rho = −0.3682) (95% CI −0.579 to –0.111), and there was a directly proportional correlation between the NOSE and VAS scales (rho = 0.7440) (95% CI 0.595 to 0.844). Conclusion Subjective measures suggest there was an improvement in nasal obstructive symptoms and quality of life after surgery. Non-anatomical causes such as rhinitis can be confounding factors to consider in subsequent studies. VAS stands out as a possible interchangeable scale with NOSE to measure nasal obstruction in these patients.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Dür ◽  
Lars Keller

Dealing with the great challenges of the 21st century requires far reaching changes in the lifestyle and perceptions of humans to ensure an appropriate quality of life for all, now and in the future. To provide people with the necessary competencies, the UN initiated the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) program. The two-year research-education, cooperative project ‘AustrIndia-4QOL’ aims to contribute to the goals of ESD. It is based on a collaboration between students from schools in Austria and India on the topics of quality of life, sustainability and global justice. The purpose of this particular case study is to explore the effects of a weeklong face-to-face collaboration in the final part of the AustrIndia-4QOL project. Therefore, it is examined whether or not Austrian and Indian students’ concepts regarding the Sustainable Development Goals ‘Gender Equality’ and ‘Decent Work and Economic Growth’ change as a consequence of encountering differing perspectives. Short texts written by the students at the beginning and at the end of this collaboration, according to guiding questions, form the basis for a qualitative content analysis. The findings illustrate that the students’ awareness increased and their evaluation of topics related to the discussed sustainable development goals changed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 439-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christos Argyriou ◽  
Christos Papasideris ◽  
George A Antoniou ◽  
Efstratios Georgakarakos ◽  
Nikolaos Papanas ◽  
...  

Purpose Lower limb varicose veins have a significant effect upon the quality of life and a considerable socioeconomic impact despite their relatively benign nature. The aim of this study is to compare the effects of various therapeutic strategies among patients with varicose veins to surgical ligation and vein stripping on the basis of quality of life. Methods PubMed/Medline and Scopus databases were systemically searched from 1 January 2000 until 23 December 2015 for studies reporting outcome on the quality of life of different treatment techniques for varicose veins. We used Cohen’s d to make the outcomes of the reported scales comparable. Heterogeneity was calculated with the use of the Q statistic and the I2. Results A total of 1047 participants were randomized across all analyzed trials. The number of participants in a single trial ranged from 30 to 308. The majority of participants in any trial were C2 on the CEAP scores. Overall, the quality of evidence was low. For the meta-analysis performed at 12 months postintervention (seven studies, n = 1047 patients) and after random effects meta-analyses due to high heterogeneity, no differences are observed between intervention and surgical ligation and vein stripping. The pooled estimate is −0.001 and the 95% confidence interval is −0.069 to 0.067 with a p = 0.98. In the case of the 24 months, postintervention analysis (six studies, n = 840 patients) the inference is almost identical. The effect of various interventional modes of treatment compared to surgical ligation and vein stripping is negligible in terms of clinical outcomes and quality of life so that surgical ligation and vein stripping versus the other interventional procedures were equally effective approaches to treat great saphenous vein incompetence in terms of quality of life measurements. Conclusion The procedures were at least equally efficient in treating patients with varicose vein disease in terms of quality of life assessment tools at 12 and 24 months compared to surgical ligation and vein stripping.


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