Indicadores sociales y psicosociales de calidad de vida de las personas mayores en un municipio = Social and psychosocial quality of life indicators of older persons in a municipality

A research about the quality of life of the older persons of a municipality starting from the analysis of the perceptions, evaluations and expectations related to concrete spheres of their lives (familiar characteristics, housing, health, nearby environment, activities, needs and dependencies and persons helping them to satisfy needs) is presented. Answers to 1988 questionnaires obtained from two representative samples of older per - sons living in private homes in the city have been analysed: persons over 65 years old and a specific one composed by a sub-sample of the general one, with persons over 75 years living alone. Data shaping contextual indicators related to housing have been analysed. The auto - nomy to drive and the evaluation of on’s health seem to be positive indicators to take in account while sutying quality of life at these ages. Sentinel indicators of the physical and relational conditions in the family and indicators of dependency are analysed as well. The evaluations of the older persons about their own life conditions are also analysed through psychosocial indicators connected to housing, nearby environmenent, their activities andincomes. The results obtained are applicable in order to improve the decision making process in social intervention programmes developed in the field of ageing aiming to take into account their perspectives

Del gimnàs al lleure-salut. Centres de Fitness, Fitness Center, Fitness & Wellness, Spa, Balnearis, Centres de Talassoteràpia, Curhotel

Actualment, el sector “gimnasos i centres esportius” constitueix una parcel·la de gran importància dins del panorama de la indústria del lleure. L’apogeu creixent del sector lleure-salut s’està produint des de fa diverses dècades, de manera que a hores d’ara el lleure i el temps de lleure, i l’exercici físic i l’esport com a lleure són predictors de qualitat de vida. En aquest sentit, podem relacionar i hem de relacionar el lleure amb la qualitat de vida, un concepte multidimensional que inclou tots els àmbits de la vida humana (estat de la salut, benestar, participació social, condicions de vida...). En aquest treball analitzem de quina forma han anat evolucionat els centres dedicats a la practica esportiva i a la salut. Un sector que des de l’antiguitat fins als nostres dies ha hagut d’anar adaptant i ampliant la seva oferta d’activitats i productes, segons les necessitats dels usuaris.

Del gimnasio al ocio-salud Centros de Fitness, Fitness Center, Fitness & Wellness, Spa, Balnearios, Centros de Talasoterapia, Curhotel

Actualmente el sector “gimnasios y centros deportivos” se constituye como una parcela de gran importancia dentro del panorama de la industria del ocio. El auge creciente del sector ocio-salud se viene produciendo desde hace varias décadas, de modo que en la actualidad el ocio y tiempo de ocio, y ejercicio físico y deporte como ocio son predictores de calidad de vida. En este sentido es cuando podemos y debemos relacionar ocio con la calidad de vida, un concepto multidimensional que incluye todos los ámbitos de la vida humana (estado de la salud, bienestar, participación social, condiciones de vida...). En este trabajo se analiza como han ido evolucionado los centros dedicados a la practica deportiva y a la salud. Un sector que desde la antigüedad hasta nuestros días ha tenido que ir adaptando y ampliando su oferta de actividades y productos según las necesidades de los usuarios.

Calidad de vida y sus factores determinantes en universitarios españoles de Ciencias de la Salud

La calidad de vida en la población universitaria adquiere una especial importancia ya que permite obtener información sobre las condiciones de vida de los universitarios y, sobre todo, de cómo éstos las perciben. Objetivo: Evaluar la calidad de vida de los universitarios que cursan estudios en ciencias de la salud y su relación con diferentes factores tales como: hábitos de vida, parámetros antropométricos y la influencia de las distintas variables sobre su percepción. Material y Método: Estudio transversal de una muestra de 1.753 estudiantes de ciencias de la salud de nueve universidades españolas con diseño muestral aleatorio y estatrificado según curso y facultad al que se le aplicó un cuestionaro ad hoc que recogía todas las variables a estudio. Resultados: La calidad de vida percibida por los participantes fue Me = 75. Los factores explorados de la calidad de vida se co-relacionaron significativamente con la percepción global de calidad de vida de los estudiantes (p<0,001). Se establecieron 3 dimensiones y el impacto de cada una de ellas sobre la percepción de calidad de vida global fue p<0,001. Los varones percibieron mejor calidad de vida que las mujeres y también los estudiantes con menor Índice de Masa Corporal (IMC). Conclusión: Los universitarios son una población clave para realizar actividades de promoción y prevención de la salud por lo que resulta necesario crear mejores infraestucturas y recursos educativos para mejorar la CV y fomentar hábitos y estilos de vida saludable con especial atención en la alimentación y la realización de una adecuada actividad física.

Tough adults, frail babies: an analysis of stress sensitivity across early life-history stages of widely introduced marine invertebrates

All ontogenetic stages of a life cycle are exposed to environmental conditions so that population persistence depends on the performance of both adults and offspring. Most studies analysing the influence of abiotic conditions on species performance have focussed on adults, while studies covering early life-history stages remain rare. We investigated the responses of early stages of two widely introduced ascidians, Styela plicata and Microcosmus squamiger, to different abiotic conditions. Stressors mimicked conditions in the habitats where both species can be found in their distributional ranges and responses were related to the selection potential of their populations by analysing their genetic diversity. Four developmental stages (egg fertilisation, larval development, settlement, metamorphosis) were studied after exposure to high temperature (30°C), low salinities (26 and 22 ) and high copper concentrations (25, 50 and 100 µg/L). Although most stressors effectively led to failure of complete development (fertilisation through metamorphosis), fertilisation and larval development were the most sensitive stages. All the studied stressors affected the development of both species, though responses differed with stage and stressor. S. plicata was overall more resistant to copper, and some stages of M. squamiger to low salinities. No relationship was found between parental genetic composition and responses to stressors. We conclude that successful development can be prevented at several life-history stages, and therefore, it is essential to consider multiple stages when assessing species' abilities to tolerate stress. Moreover, we found that early development of these species cannot be completed under conditions prevailing where adults live. These populations must therefore recruit from elsewhere or reproduce during temporal windows of more benign conditions. Alternatively, novel strategies or behaviours that increase overall reproductive success might be responsible for ensuring population survival.

Inclusion of soil erosion impacts in life cycle assessment on a global scale: application to energy crops in Spain

Purpose: Despite the fundamental role of ecosystem goods and services in sustaining human activities, there is no harmonized and internationally agreed method for including them in life cycle assessment (LCA). The main goal of this study was to develop a globally applicable and spatially resolved method for assessing land-use impacts on the erosion regulation ecosystem service.Methods: Soil erosion depends much on location. Thus, unlike conventional LCA, the endpoint method was regionalized at the grid-cell level (5 arc-minutes, approximately 10×10 km2) to reflect the spatial conditions of the site. Spatially explicit characterization factors were not further aggregated at broader spatial scales. Results and discussion: Life cycle inventory data of topsoil and topsoil organic carbon (SOC) losses were interpreted at the endpoint level in terms of the ultimate damage to soil resources and ecosystem quality. Human health damages were excluded from the assessment. The method was tested on a case study of five three-year agricultural rotations, two of them with energy crops, grown in several locations in Spain. A large variation in soil and SOC losses was recorded in the inventory step, depending on climatic and edaphic conditions. The importance of using a spatially explicit model and characterization factors is shown in the case study.Conclusions and outlook: The regionalized assessment takes into account the differences in soil erosion-related environmental impacts caused by the great variability of soils. Taking this regionalized framework as the starting point, further research should focus on testing the applicability of the method trough the complete life cycle of a product and on determining an appropriate spatial scale at which to aggregate characterization factors, in order to deal with data gaps on location of processes, especially in the background system. Additional research should also focus on improving reliability of the method by quantifying and, insofar as it is possible, reducing uncertainty.

Gender inequalities in occupational health related to the unequal distribution of working and employment conditions: a systematic review

Gender inequalities exist in work life, but little is known about their presence in relation to factors examined in occupation health settings. The aim of this study was to identify and summarize the working and employment conditions described as determinants of gender inequalities in occupational health in studies related to occupational health published between 1999 and 2010. A systematic literature review was undertaken of studies available in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Sociological Abstracts, LILACS, EconLit and CINAHL between 1999 and 2010. Epidemiologic studies were selected by applying a set of inclusion criteria to the title, abstract, and complete text. The quality of the studies was also assessed. Selected studies were qualitatively analysed, resulting in a compilation of all differences between women and men in the prevalence of exposure to working and employment conditions and work-related health problems as outcomes. Most of the 30 studies included were conducted in Europe (n=19) and had a cross-sectional design (n=24). The most common topic analysed was related to the exposure to work-related psychosocial hazards (n=8). Employed women had more job insecurity, lower control, worse contractual working conditions and poorer self-perceived physical and mental health than men did. Conversely, employed men had a higher degree of physically demanding work, lower support, higher levels of effort-reward imbalance, higher job status, were more exposed to noise and worked longer hours than women did. This systematic review has identified a set of working and employment conditions as determinants of gender inequalities in occupational health from the occupational health literature. These results may be useful to policy makers seeking to reduce gender inequalities in occupational health, and to researchers wishing to analyse these determinants in greater depth.

Mitochondrial dysfunction increases oxidative stress and decreases chronological life span in fission yeast

Background: Oxidative stress is a probable cause of aging and associated diseases. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) originate mainly from endogenous sources, namely the mitochondria. Methodology/Principal Findings: We analyzed the effect of aerobic metabolism on oxidative damage in Schizosaccharomyces pombe by global mapping of those genes that are required for growth on both respiratory-proficient media and hydrogen-peroxide-containing fermentable media. Out of a collection of approximately 2700 haploid yeast deletion mutants, 51 were sensitive to both conditions and 19 of these were related to mitochondrial function. Twelve deletion mutants lacked components of the electron transport chain. The growth defects of these mutants can be alleviated by the addition of antioxidants, which points to intrinsic oxidative stress as the origin of the phenotypes observed. These respiration-deficient mutants display elevated steady-state levels of ROS, probably due to enhanced electron leakage from their defective transport chains, which compromises the viability of chronologically-aged cells. Conclusion/Significance: Individual mitochondrial dysfunctions have often been described as the cause of diseases or aging, and our global characterization emphasizes the primacy of oxidative stress in the etiology of such processes.

Health-related quality of life in patients with dual diagnosis: clinical correlates

Background: Although the studies published so far have found an affectation in the Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in both psychiatric and substance use dependence disorders, very few studies have applied HRQOL as an assessment measure in patients suffering both comorbid conditions, or Dual Diagnosis. The aim of the current study was to assess HRQOL in a group of patients with Dual Diagnosis compared to two other non-comorbid groups and to determine what clinical factors are related to HRQOL. Methods: Cross-sectional assessment of three experimental groups was made through the Short Form 36 Item Health Survey (SF-36). The sample consisted of a group with Dual Diagnosis (DD; N=35), one with Severe Mental Illness alone (SMI; N=35) and another one with Substance Use Dependence alone (SUD; N=35). The sample was composed only by males. To assess the clinical correlates of SF-36 HRQOL, lineal regression analyses were carried out. Results: The DD group showed lower scores in most of the subscales, and in the mental health domain. The group with SUD showed in general a better state in the HRQOL while the group with SMI held an intermediate position with respect to the other two groups. Daily medication, suicidal attempts and daily number of coffees were significantly associated to HRQOL, especially in the DD group. Conclusions: The DD group showed lower self-reported mental health quality of life. Assessment of HRQOL in dual patients allows to identify specific needs in this population, and may help to establish therapeutic goals to improve interventions.

Testing a new multigroup inference approach to reconstructing past environmental conditions

A new, quantitative, inference model for environmental reconstruction (transfer function), based for the first time on the simultaneous analysis of multigroup species, has been developed. Quantitative reconstructions based on palaeoecological transfer functions provide a powerful tool for addressing questions of environmental change in a wide range of environments, from oceans to mountain lakes, and over a range of timescales, from decades to millions of years. Much progress has been made in the development of inferences based on multiple proxies but usually these have been considered separately, and the different numeric reconstructions compared and reconciled post-hoc. This paper presents a new method to combine information from multiple biological groups at the reconstruction stage. The aim of the multigroup work was to test the potential of the new approach to making improved inferences of past environmental change by improving upon current reconstruction methodologies. The taxonomic groups analysed include diatoms, chironomids and chrysophyte cysts. We test the new methodology using two cold-environment training-sets, namely mountain lakes from the Pyrenees and the Alps. The use of multiple groups, as opposed to single groupings, was only found to increase the reconstruction skill slightly, as measured by the root mean square error of prediction (leave-one-out cross-validation), in the case of alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon and altitude (a surrogate for air-temperature), but not for pH or dissolved CO2. Reasons why the improvement was less than might have been anticipated are discussed. These can include the different life-forms, environmental responses and reaction times of the groups under study.

Managing induced tourism image : relational patterns and the life cycle

The tourism image is an element that conditions the competitiveness of tourism destinations by making them stand out in the minds of tourists. In this context, marketers of tourism destinations endeavour to create an induced image based on their identity and distinctive characteristics.A number of authors have also recognized the complexity of tourism destinations and the need for coordination and cooperation among all tourism agents, in order to supply a satisfactory tourist product and be competitive in the tourism market. Therefore, tourism agents at the destination need to develop and integrate strategic marketing plans.The aim of this paper is to determine how cities of similar cultures use their resources with the purpose of developing a distinctive induced tourism image to attract tourists and the extent of coordination and cooperation among the various tourism agents of a destination in the process of induced image creation.In order to accomplish these aims, a comparative analysis of the induced image of two cultural cities is presented, Girona (Spain) and Perpignan (France). The induced image is assessed through the content analysis of promotional brochures and the extent of cooperation with in-depth interviews of the main tourism agents of these destinations.Despite the similarities of both cities in terms of tourism resources, results show the use of different attributes to configure the induced image of each destination, as well as a different configuration of the network of tourism agents that participate in the process of induced image creation

Impact of multimorbidity on disability and quality of life in the spanish older population

BACKGROUND: Population aging is closely related to high prevalence of chronic conditions in developed countries. In this context, health care policies aim to increase life span cost-effectively while maintaining quality of life and functional ability. There is still, however, a need for further understanding of how chronic conditions affect these health aspects. The aim of this paper is to assess the individual and combined impact of chronic physical and mental conditions on quality of life and disability in Spain, and secondly to show gender trends. METHODS: Cross-sectional data were collected from the COURAGE study. A total of 3,625 participants over 50 years old from Spain were included. Crude and adjusted multiple linear regressions were conducted to detect associations between individual chronic conditions and disability, and between chronic conditions and quality of life. Separate models were used to assess the influence of the number of diseases on the same variables. Additional analogous regressions were performed for males and females. RESULTS: All chronic conditions except hypertension were statistically associated with poor results in quality of life and disability. Depression, anxiety and stroke were found to have the greatest impact on outcomes. The number of chronic conditions was associated with substantially lower quality of life [β for 4+ diseases: -18.10 (-20.95,-15.25)] and greater disability [β for 4+ diseases: 27.64 (24.99,30.29]. In general, women suffered from higher rates of multimorbidity and poorer results in quality of life and disability. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic conditions impact greatly on quality of life and disability in the older Spanish population, especially when co-occurring diseases are added. Multimorbidity considerations should be a priority in the development of future health policies focused on quality of life and disability. Further studies would benefit from an expanded selection of diseases. Policies should also deal with gender idiosyncrasy in certain cases.