Inclusion in education of all the children is necessary for the success, equality and peace among individuals and societies. In this context, special attention needs to be paid to the minorities. ...These groups might encounter additional difficulties which make them more vulnerable to be involved in bullying and cyberbullying. The current study was conducted with the objective of describing the involvement in bullying and cyberbullying of students from the majority group and also from sexual and ethnic-cultural minorities. The second objective was to explore if the implication is predicted by the interaction with gender, grade and the size of the population where the schools are located. It is an
transversal descriptive study with a survey on a representative sample of adolescents enrolled in the Compulsory Secondary Education in the south of Spain (Andalusia). The survey was answered by 2139 adolescents (50.9% girls) in 22 schools. These participants were selected through the random multistage cluster sampling with the confidence level of 95% and a sampling error of 2.1%. The results show that the minority groups, especially sexual minorities, are more involved in bullying and cyberbullying. Regression analyses show that being in the majority or a minority group predicts a small but significant percentage of variance of being involved in bullying and cyberbullying. Results are discussed taking into account the social vulnerability of being a part of a minority group and the need of designing educational programs which would prevent this vulnerability thorough the inclusion in education. There is a need for an educational policy that focuses on
and
which would promote the social and educational development of all the students.
It is believed that shared transport services (STSs) can reduce transport poverty and social exclusion. This paper proposes a definition of "social acceptability" and "social acceptance" and examines ...whether vulnerable groups accept STSs. The notions "acceptability" and "acceptance" were distinguished and four necessary conditions, especially for vulnerable groups, or the 4As were identified: "availability", "accessibility", "affordability", and "attractability". In the context of STSs, "social acceptability" is defined as the degree to which an individual intends to use a STS before experiencing it in everyday travel based on the expected availability, accessibility, affordability, and attractability of the service, while "social acceptance" also incorporates the use of a STS after experiencing it in everyday travel based on a minimum level of perceived availability, accessibility, affordability, and attractability. This paper further reviews the scientific literature in transport research regarding the "acceptability" or "acceptance" of STSs by vulnerable groups. While several studies include socio-economic and demographic variables (e.g. age, gender) to explain the "acceptability" of STSs, only a few studies specifically focus on vulnerable groups. More research on the "social acceptance" of STSs, especially shared scooters, ride-sharing, and apps and Mobility as a Service (MaaS), by vulnerable groups is needed.
This study aims to explore the impact of climate change anxiety on various aspects of social work and examine the relationship between anxiety and socio-demographic variables. The study’s ...participants comprised students enrolled in social work education programs in Turkey. The results suggest that students who are highly anxious about climate change express anxiety regarding various problem areas within social work. The study suggests that anxieties about climate change can potentially lead to anxiety within social work domains, thus exerting a negative impact on social work policy and practices.
Purpose of review
The COVID-19 outbreak profoundly influenced human lives on different levels. This narrative review aims to present recent data relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and internet use and ...internet-based addictive behaviours problematic Internet use (PIU), Internet addiction, Internet gaming disorder, problem gambling or gambling disorder, social media addiction including smartphone use disorder, problematic pornography use, and compulsive buying.
Recent findings
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of Internet use and Internet-based addictive behaviours increased in all age groups. The COVID-19 pandemic and related containment measures were been associated with increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression in the general population, especially among children and adolescents, which are the vulnerable groups for the development of mental disorders during the crisis. Furthermore, the fear resulting from the disease, the ‘lockdown’ measures, high levels of uncertainty regarding the future, and financial insecurity increased levels of loneliness, PIU, and Internet addiction.
Summary
Longitudinal researches focused on the negative impacts of Internet use in prolonged stress situations on mental health, vulnerable groups, and quality of life (QoL) are needed to help clinicians and policymakers to reduce adverse consequences. Prevention programs for Internet use and Internet-based addictive behaviours must be customized to meet the needs of children, adolescents, and adults. Also, treatment programs must be tailored to the needs of patients with different Internet-based addictions.
The prevalence of mental disorders in prisons is a growing phenomenon involving various social actors, the health of persons deprived of liberty and the functioning of penitentiary institutions. The ...objective of this study is to describe the challenges and strategies implemented by the members of the Technical Committees (TC) to attend, evaluate and monitor the prison treatment of persons deprived of liberty with mental disorders in the CEDES of the state of Tamaulipas. Through semi-structured interviews applied to the personnel of the Technical Committees of state penitentiaries, it was found that one of the main obstacles to the care of this social group is the lack of psychiatrists, as well as specialized personnel for their care; therefore, the staff develops various strategies to meet the requirements of this social group in occupational therapy, primary care and pharmacotherapy.
The Roma are Europe's largest ethnic minority. Their history has been shaped by marginalization, stigmatization, discrimination, slavery, persecution and murder, and to date, they continue to face ...prejudice and social exclusion. The Roma population is generally poor, living in crowded and low quality housing in segregated communities on the outskirts of cities, often lacking basic physical infrastructure, including adequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). To better understand the obstacles the Roma are facing, we aimed to review and synthesize available peer-reviewed literature, and identify obstacles to improvement.
We conducted the first systematic review of peer-reviewed literature on water, sanitation and hygiene among Roma communities in Europe, published between 2000 and 2020. A total of 30 publications met the inclusion criteria. We extracted data relating to WASH conditions and services, associated risk factors, exposures and outcomes, examined the role of cultural norms in shaping health behaviors, and obstacles to improvement.
Our review shows that across Europe, Roma communities face more challenges than the majority population with respect to access to WASH, waste management and environmental hygiene, appropriate housing and hygienic living environments. Prominent themes in the literature to describe WASH conditions about European Roma populations include limited access, affordability, and quality of WASH services; self-management of WASH as response and adaptive tactic; unsafe WASH as a reason for eviction; and health risks associated with substandard WASH services. The same factors determining the poor quality of WASH services and environmental health impede their improvement. Major barriers to WASH access and affordability among the Roma include discrimination, social exclusion, lack of formal education, poverty, geography, legal and social aspects, and cultural perceptions of health risks, political top-down approaches, lack of political will, and lack of involvement of the Roma community in planning. Besides, Roma are not well represented in national statistics, with data collection being complicated not only by difficulties of access and underfunding, but also by distrust and culturally distinctive health beliefs.
The situation and cultural context of WASH among Roma is challenging and complex. Our review demonstrates not only the urgent need for action for Roma communities in particular, but may have broader applicability to ethnic and social minorities in other parts of the world. Future research to overcome obstacles to improvement needs to be inclusive, and involve community members as key informants, with their participation enhancing the reliability of data, contributing to social justice and solidarity, disseminating information, contributing to feasible recommendations and implementation of interventions.
Recent scientific evidence has indicated that the elderly have increased risk of COVID-19 infections, with over 70s and 80s being hardest hit – especially residents of care homes and in clinical ...settings, ethnic minorities, people who work indoors and those who are overweight and obese. Other potential risk factors include lack of exposure to sunlight, darker skin pigmentation, co-morbidities, poor diet, certain medications, disadvantaged social and economic status, and lifestyle factors such as smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol. A key question is to understand how and why certain groups of people are more susceptible to COVID-19, whether they have weakened immune systems and what the roles of good nutrition and specific micronutrients are in supporting immune functions. A varied and balanced diet with an abundance of fruits and vegetables and the essential nutrients like vitamin D, vitamin A, B vitamins (folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12), vitamin C and the minerals, Fe, Cu, Se and Zn are all known to contribute to the normal functions of the immune system. Avoidance of deficiencies and identification of suboptimal intakes of these micronutrients in targeted groups of patients and in distinct and highly sensitive populations could help to strengthen the resilience of people to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to highlight evidence-based public health messages, to prevent false and misleading claims about the benefits of foods and food supplements and to communicate clearly that the extent of knowledge between micronutrients and COVID-19 infection is still being explored and that no diet will prevent or cure COVID-19 infection. Frequent handwashing and social distancing will be critical to reduce transmission.
High sodium chloride (NaCl) intake is associated with health risks. NaCl may be replaced by potassium chloride (KCl) to decrease sodium intake. However, increased potassium may also have negative ...health effects. We conducted a benefit and risk assessment of increasing potassium by ratios of 30:70, 50:50, 70:30 (weight % K+: weight % Na+) in children, adolescents and adults in Norway, using intake data from national food consumption surveys and available literature on potassium health effects. An intake of at least 3.5 g/day of potassium decreases risk of stroke and hypertension, and this level was used in the benefit assessment of the healthy population. Three g/day of potassium added to mean food intake is assumed safe, and these levels were used in the risk assessment. Not all persons reached the protective level of potassium, and increasing numbers exceeded the safe levels, in these scenarios. In addition, elderly above 85 years and infants below one year of age, as well as several patient groups and medication users, are particularly vulnerable to hyperkalemia. In conclusion, the number of Norwegians facing increased risk is far greater than the number likely to benefit from this replacement of sodium with potassium in industrially produced food.
•At least 3.5 g/day of K+ is beneficial against stroke and high blood pressure.•Up to 3.0 g/day of K+ above mean food intake is safe for a healthy population.•If replacing 30–70% of Na+ with K+, not all adults may reach beneficial K+ level.•If replacing 30–70% of Na+ with K+, adult intakes may exceed safe K+ levels.•Number of persons in risk is far greater than number to benefit from replacing Na+ with K+.
Involving the public in the co-production of research to inform public service delivery can help to ensure the appropriateness of services. However, vulnerable groups are often systematically ...excluded from these activities. To raise awareness and stimulate discussion, this review 1) describes how vulnerable groups are currently involved in the co-production of research aimed at improving public services; (2) consolidates the challenges researchers encountered in these instances; and (3) produces an overview of the emergent solutions and recommendations for overcoming these challenges. The authors conclude that critical reflection, mutual learning, and capacity building can promote the involvement of vulnerable groups.
The staggering amount of chemicals in clothes and their harmful effects on human health and the environment have attracted the attention of regulatory agencies and the scientific community worldwide. ...Azo dyes are synthetic dyestuffs with widespread use in textile industries, currently classified as emerging pollutants of great health concern to consumers. These compounds may release one or more aromatic amines (AAs) after reductive cleavage of their azo bounds. Twenty-two AAs have already been regulated due to their carcinogenic effects. However, since information on their potential toxicity is not currently available, several AAs have not been still regulated by the European Union. Considering this gap, the present study aimed to assess the levels of forty non-regulated AAs in 240 clothing items from Spain and Brazil. The potential impact on the health of vulnerable population groups after dermal exposure to those garments was also evaluated. In Brazil, at least one AA was detected in the clothes, while in samples obtained in Spain, only two of them showed values below the limit of detection for AAs. In 75 clothes, at least one of the measured AAs was higher than the hazardous threshold (30 mg/kg), which can mean risks to human health since these compounds are suspected to be mutagenic. Aniline, the most common AA, showed a high detection rate (82%) in clothes, with significantly higher concentrations in items commercialized in Brazil (0.35 vs. 0.17 mg/kg; p = 0.032). Moreover, o-aminobenzenesulfonic and p-phenylenediamine, suspected mutagenic, were found at relevant concentrations in several clothes, mainly made of synthetic fibers. In this study, the hazard index associated with exposure to AAs through clothing was low (0.006–0.13) for all the population groups of both countries in the medium-bound scenario. However, its value was close to 1 for Brazilian pregnant women (0.998) when the maximum concentration value was considered under an upper-bound scenario. The risk of exposure to non-regulated AAs may be underestimated since only dermal exposure was considered for risk assessment. Moreover, the co-occurrence of other carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic substances present in skin-contact clothes should mean an additional source of potential risk.
•The levels of at least one AA were higher than the hazardous threshold.•Aniline showed a high detection rate and significantly higher levels in Brazil.•Synthetic fibers showed higher concentrations of non-regulated AAs.•Regulation is a tool to reduce exposure to AAs through clothing by consumers.•Non-regulated AAs are currently present at relevant levels in clothes from Spain.
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