Search

Investigating pedestrian safety disparities across sociodemographic groups is essential for enhancing traffic safety. This study examines the impact of sociodemographic and built environment characteristics on pedestrian crashes. It introduces a comprehensive macro spatial analysis framework that includes a global regression model, spatial autoregressive models, and a local spatial regression model. Three measures of pedestrian injury are analyzed. The findings reveal that a higher percentage of the high-income population significantly correlates with lower rates of pedestrian injuries across all three measures. Conversely, a higher percentage of the low-income population shows a significant positive correlation with the proportion of crashes involving the Black population, and with the proportion of severe pedestrian crashes involving the Black population. Pedestrian-oriented network density is negatively associated with fatal or severely injurious crashes involving the Black population. These results emphasize the need to account for spatial variations and equity when addressing pedestrian safety disparities. • A comprehensive spatial modeling framework using OLS, SAR, and MGWR explores spatial autocorrelation and non-stationarity in pedestrian crashes. • The research analyzes disparities in pedestrian safety and evaluates pedestrian crash rates and Black population involvement in total and severe crashes. • Higher-income areas have lower pedestrian injury rates, while low-income areas see more severe crashes involving the Black population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Federally Qualified Health Centers may increase access to HIV prevention, care, and treatment for at-risk populations. A pooled cross section of ZIP Code Tabulation Areas from cites in the U.S. South with high HIV diagnoses were used to examine Federally Qualified Health Center density and indicators of HIV epidemic control. The explanatory variable was Federally Qualified Health Center density—number of Federally Qualified Health Centers in a ZIP Code Tabulation Areas' Primary Care Service Area per low-income population—high versus medium/low (2019). Outcomes were 5-year (2015–2019 or 2014–2018) (1) number of new HIV diagnoses, (2) percentage late diagnosis, (3) percentage linked to care, and (4) percentage virally suppressed, which was assessed over 1 year (2018 or 2019). Multiple linear regression was used to examine the relationship, including ZIP Code Tabulation Area–level sociodemographic and city-level HIV funding variables, with state-fixed effects, and data analysis was completed in 2022–2023. Sensitivity analyses included (1) examining ZIP Code Tabulation Areas with fewer non–Federally Qualified Health Center primary care providers, (2) controlling for county-level primary care provider density, (3) excluding the highest HIV prevalence ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, and (4) excluding Florida ZIP Code Tabulation Areas. High-density ZIP Code Tabulation Areas had a lower percentage of late diagnosis and virally suppressed, a higher percentage linked to care, and no differences in new HIV diagnoses (p <0.05). In adjusted analysis, high density was associated with a greater number of new diagnoses (number or percentage=5.65; 95% CI=2.81, 8.49), lower percentage of late diagnosis (−3.71%; 95% CI= −5.99, −1.42), higher percentage linked to care (2.13%; 95% CI=0.20, 4.06), and higher percentage virally suppressed (1.87%; 95% CI=0.53, 2.74) than medium/low density. Results suggest that access to Federally Qualified Health Centers may benefit community-level HIV epidemic indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have examined whether neighborhood deprivation is associated with severe maternal morbidity (SMM) in already socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Little is known about to what extent neighborhood deprivation accounts for Black–White disparities in SMM. This study investigated these questions among a statewide Medicaid-insured population, a low-income population with heightened risk of SMM. Data were from Michigan statewide linked birth records and Medicaid claims between 01/01/2016 and 12/31/2019, and were analyzed between 2022 and 2023. Neighborhood deprivation was measured with the Area Deprivation Index at census block group and categorized as low, medium, or high deprivation. Multilevel logistic models were used to examine the association between neighborhood deprivation and SMM. Fairlie nonlinear decomposition was conducted to quantify the contribution of neighborhood deprivation to SMM racial disparity. People in the most deprived neighborhoods had higher odds of SMM than those in the least deprived neighborhoods (aOR [95% CI]: 1.27 [1.15, 1.40]). Such association was observed in Black (aOR [95% CI]: 1.34 [1.07, 1.67]) and White (aOR [95% CI]: 1.26 [1.12, 1.42]) racial subgroups. Decomposition showed that of 57.5 (cases per 10,000) explained disparity in SMM, neighborhood deprivation accounted for 23.1 (cases per 10,000; 95% CI: 16.3, 30.0) or two-fifths (40.2%) of the Black–White disparity. Analysis on SMM excluding blood transfusion showed consistent but weaker results. Neighborhood deprivation may be used as an effective tool to identify at-risk individuals within a low-income population. Community-engaged interventions aiming at improving neighborhood conditions may be helpful to reduce both SMM prevalence and racial inequity in SMM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From June to August 2022, the financial barrier to public transport use almost completely disappeared in Germany due to the 9-Euro-Ticket. It enabled anyone with access to public transport infrastructure across Germany to use public transport for 9 euros per person per month. As this completely changed the conditions for public transport use, especially for low-income households with children, the following research questions arise: (1) what effect does the 9-Euro-Ticket have on the travel practices and social participation of low-income households with children? (2) how and by what were the travel practices shaped by the 9-Euro-Ticket? and (3) what happened to the interviewees' travel practices after the measure expired? To answer these questions, twelve qualitative interviews were conducted with low-income households with children in the Hanover region. This study found that the 9-Euro-Ticket removed the financial constraint of public transport use, changed the travel practices of most interviewees and had a wide range of positive meanings. The respondents associate the 9-Euro-Ticket with freedom, joy at being able to offer their children something, along with financial and psychological relief. Additionally, the 9-Euro-Ticket enabled the interviewees to engage in leisure activities, to visit relatives, contributed to integration, had an empowering effect, especially for women and children, and thus represents a measure to increase social participation. After the three months of the 9-Euro-Ticket, financing public transport use challenges low-income households again and financial constraints prevent them from reaching certain places and engaging in out-of-home activities. • Investigates the effect of a nearly fare-free public transport ticket. • In-depth analysis of the 9-Euro-Ticket using qualitative empirical research. • Low-income people's mobility and social participation benefits from affordable PT. • This study reveals six main findings of interest for policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various pro-cycling policies emerged around the world with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. France experimented with a €50 bike repair subsidy. Our questionnaire survey (n = 7343) focuses on beneficiaries' sociological profiles. Despite its success in quantitative terms, the repair subsidy benefited more regular cyclists—who cycle daily—and people who are confident cycling in urban areas. Women were more likely to benefit than men, and people in low-income households more than those in high-income households. Because these populations are usually underrepresented among cyclists in France, the scheme may appear to have reduced inequities in cycling. However, the scheme could have reached out more to the low-income population who were largely unaware of it. This selectivity is partly explained by awareness of the subsidy, which is lower among the younger and the less educated part of the population. Our survey shows that the scheme is selective primarily because of its design. It would have been necessary to accompany it with measures specifically designed for vulnerable groups. • Bike repair subsidy has been successful in quantitative terms. • Bike repair subsidy mainly benefited regular, confident, and women cyclists. • Low-income cyclists benefited the most although they were poorly informed. • Access to information about subsidies is itself socially selective. • Although the scheme is based on equal treatment, it can hardly be considered fair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the rate of visual impairment (VI) from uncorrected refractive error (URE) and associations with demographic and socioeconomic factors among low-income patients presenting to the Michigan Screening and Intervention for Glaucoma and Eye Health through Telemedicine (MI-SIGHT) program. Cross-sectional study. Adults ≥ 18 years without acute ocular symptoms. MI-SIGHT program participants received a telemedicine-based eye disease screening and ordered glasses through an online optical store. Participants were categorized based on refractive error (RE) status: VI from URE (presenting visual acuity [PVA], ≤ 20/50; best-corrected visual acuity [BCVA], ≥ 20/40), URE without VI (PVA, ≥ 20/40; ≥ 2-line improvement to BCVA), and no or adequately corrected RE (PVA, ≥ 20/40; < 2-line improvement to BCVA). Patient demographics, self-reported visual function, and satisfaction with glasses obtained through the program were compared among groups using analysis of variance, Kruskal–Wallis, chi-square, and Fisher exact testing. PVA, BCVA, and presence of VI (defined as PVA ≤ 20/50). Of 1171 participants enrolled in the MI-SIGHT program during the first year, average age was 55.1 years (SD = 14.5), 37.7% were male, 54.1% identified as Black, and 1166 (99.6%) had both PVA and BCVA measured. VI was observed in 120 participants (10.3%); 96 had VI from URE (8.2%), 168 participants (14.4%) had URE without VI, and 878 (75.3%) had no or adequately corrected RE. A smaller percentage of participants with VI resulting from URE reported having a college degree, and a larger percentage reported income < $10 000 compared with participants with no or adequately corrected RE (3.2% vs. 14.2% [ P = 0.02]; 45.5% vs. 21.6% [ P < 0.0001], respectively). Visual function was lowest among participants with VI from URE, followed by those with URE without VI, and then those with no or adequately corrected RE (9-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire composite score, 67.3 ± 19.6 vs. 77.0 ± 14.4 vs. 82.2 ± 13.3, respectively; P < 0.0001). In total, 71.2% (n = 830) ordered glasses for an average cost of $36.80 ± $32.60; 97.7% were satisfied with their glasses. URE was the main cause of VI at 2 clinics serving low-income communities and was associated with reduced vision-related quality of life. An online optical store with lower prices made eyeglasses accessible to low-income patients. Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme financial shocks often elicit extraordinary policy interventions that preclude financial activity on a large scale, for example as the 1933 U.S. "bank holiday." We study these interventions using a random matching framework where the financial contagion process is explicit and the diffusion of the initial shock can be analytically characterized. The study suggests that there is scope for forced closures of individual firms or even economy-wide financial lockdowns only when firms are financially vulnerable and policy institutions are not well-functioning. Here, ordinary policy alone cannot prevent or sufficiently mitigate contagion, while complementing it with a lockdown or individual closures can do so, and improve social welfare if the initial shock is severe but not widespread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Joint assessment of accessibility and safety revealed inequity issues more clearly. • Low-income people have disadvantages in terms of job accessibility and traffic safety. • Low-income zones have the highest crash risk and/or lowest job accessibility by bicycle. • City centers are the best zones regarding safety and accessibility. • People aged between 45 and 64 are exposed to higher cycling crash risks while having lower job accessibility. Problem: Transport policies generally prioritize improving safety and accessibility levels, as they are regarded as the most important indicators of the quality of the transport system serving the public. However, inequalities associated with safety and accessibility issues are generally overlooked in these policies. Despite the importance and necessity of transport policies to address equity issues, there is still scarce knowledge on the interactions between equity, safety, and accessibility. This research aims to address this gap in the literature by creating a better understanding of the relationships between accessibility levels and traffic safety with a focus on social equity perspectives. Method: A crash risk evaluation method and a Gravity model are utilized to analyze cycling safety and accessibility to jobs by bicycle. Two linear regression models (LM) were conducted to investigate the statistical correlations between cycling crash risk and accessibility. Moreover, the Bivariate local Moran's I method was employed to assess the spatial inequalities of distribution of crash risk and job accessibility over different income-level populations. Results: The analyses showed that low-income people are not only disadvantaged in terms of job accessibility by bicycle but are also exposed to higher cycling crash risks, compared to high-income groups. Furthermore, most disadvantaged zones that have the highest need for road safety and accessibility improvements are identified as areas where low-income populations are exposed to higher crash risk and/or have lower access to jobs by bicycle. Summary: This study contributes to the transport literature by investigating the interactions between safety and accessibility and the impacts on transport equity. The findings of the statistical and spatial analysis are beneficial for the decision-makers, considering the probable mutual implications of land-use and transport developments and projects aiming to improve safety, accessibility, or both for different population groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the pregnant adolescent's perception of group prenatal care is necessary for introducing and implementing this model of care. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore adolescent pregnant women's perception of group prenatal care in Iran. This qualitative study was conducted in Iran from November 2021 to May 2022 to explore adolescents' perception of group prenatal care during pregnancy. Fifteen adolescent pregnant women (from a low-income population) who received group prenatal care were recruited and interviewed individually at a public health care center through an intentional sampling method. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim in Persian, and analyzed using conventional content analysis. From the data analysis, 2 themes, 6 main categories, and 21 subcategories emerged. The themes were "Maternal empowerment" and "Pleasant prenatal care." The first theme included four categories: knowledge enhancement, improving self-efficacy, perceived support, and feeling of security. The second theme was composed of 2 categories: motivation and effective interaction with peers. The findings of this study show the effectiveness of group prenatal care in promoting feelings of empowerment and satisfaction of adolescent pregnant women. Further research is needed to assess the benefits of group prenatal care for adolescents in Iran and other populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Four-day school week is associated with: • Minimal overall impact on 3rd grade test scores • Reductions in 3rd grade scores for above median scorers on pre-K assessments • No impact on 3rd grade scores for below median scorers on pre-K assessments • Reductions in 3rd grade scores for White, general education, and gifted students • No impact on 3rd grade scores for minority, low income, and special ed students This study explores the impact of four-day school weeks on early elementary achievement. Using covariate adjusted regression analyses and data on all students who entered kindergarten in Oregon, USA between 2014 and 2016, we examine differences in 3rd grade math and English Language Arts test scores (i.e., achievement) for students enrolled in a four-day school week versus a five-day school week at kindergarten entry. On average, we find minimal differences between 3rd grade test scores of four-day and five-day students, but there are notable differential effects across the spectrum of these students' kindergarten readiness scores and educational program participation. We find that above median performers on kindergarten assessments, White students, general education students, and gifted students – student groups that make up more than half our sample – are the most negatively impacted by the four-day school week during the early elementary period. We generally find no statistically significant evidence of detrimental four-day school week achievement impacts for students who were below median performers on kindergarten assessments, minority students, economically disadvantaged students, special education participants, and English as a second language students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The planning of urban areas towards positive energy transformation implies a long horizon and ambitious objectives of decarbonization with large scale deployment of renewable energy sources. It is essential to foster renewable energy sources and to increase energy efficiency by achieving positive energy annual balance, reducing carbon footprint and implementing the right financial investments. To accelerate the positive energy transition, it is necessary to include all key elements such as socio, economic, cultural and political dynamics. The traditional approach to energy systems, where consumers are involved, in a passive way, must be replaced by an active approach that is based on knowledge, inclusiveness and shared by "positive energy communities. This approach must also avoid possible inequality or exclusion of citizens who, for example, are economically in a disadvantaged position. This special issue presents the original results obtained by researchers focusing on renewable energy generation for the widespread development of positive energy communities globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the general political efforts to normalise bicycle use in cities, empirical evidence indicates that cycling investments tend to prioritise central and wealthy neighbourhoods rather than economically disadvantaged and peripheral areas. Among the potential causes, scholars claim that the lack of awareness about the social impacts of cycling and the general absence of equity-oriented appraisal methods during planning and decision-making processes may perpetuate the uneven distribution of bicycle-related investments. In response, this paper introduces a novel planning support tool for assessing the relative equity impact of bicycle planning (TIRE), which provides a micro-scale spatial assessment of the effects of cycling network allocation on the accessibility levels of distinct socioeconomic groups, allowing a vertical equity assessment with high spatial detail. In order to apply the tool to a real-case scenario, the cycling strategy under implementation in Lisbon, Portugal, was assessed as a testbed. The results were presented to local planning practitioners in an experiential workshop, enabling participants to define strategies supported by the tool and evaluate its user-friendliness and usefulness for planning practice. TIRE revealed hotspots in the city where the cycling network distribution is equitable and areas where disadvantaged representatives have levels of accessibility below the municipality average, thus requiring special attention during the bicycle planning process. In addition, the tool supported local planning practitioners in identifying target areas and equity-oriented strategies, increasing awareness about the equity impacts of cycling infrastructure allocation. • The inner city has higher levels of accessibility than the outskirts. • Disadvantaged groups have less access to opportunities than advantaged ones. • The tool increased planners' awareness of an equity-oriented planning paradigm. • The tool supported planning practitioners in developing new strategies. • Planners positively evaluated the tool in all dimensions of experienced usefulness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Smoking rates differ by insurance type; rates are often double for Medicaid and uninsured compared with that for Medicare or privately insured. State-funded tobacco quitlines' provision of free nicotine replacement therapy varies. In some states, Medicaid beneficiaries must obtain nicotine replacement therapy from a physician, whereas others get nicotine replacement therapy mailed to them.Methods: This secondary analysis examined the differences in the source and use of cessation treatment by insurance type and their impacts on cessation. The parent trial excluded people who were pregnant, had private insurance, or were not ready to quit. From June 1, 2017 to November 15, 2020, a total of 1,944 low-income people who smoke daily completed a baseline survey and were enrolled in a quitline program; 1,380 (71%) completed a 3-month follow-up. Analyses were completed in August 2022. Participants were classified as Medicaid/dual (55%), Medicare/Veterans Affairs (14%), or uninsured (31%). Nine months into the trial, owing to a system error, the quitline provided nicotine replacement therapy to all study participants regardless of insurance type.Results: Before error versus after error, Medicaid participants reported lower nicotine replacement therapy receipt (3.2% vs 50.8%) and use (32.4% vs 52.6%). The odds of quitting (7-day point prevalence) by 3 months increased for people who smoke who completed more quitline calls and used any (36% quit) versus used no (20% quit) pharmacotherapy, but quitting did not differ by insurance classifications (27%-29%). Getting and using nicotine replacement therapy from the quitline produced the highest quit rates (38%).Conclusions: Results illustrate the benefit of receiving nicotine replacement therapy from the quitline on cessation. Mailing nicotine replacement therapy to all people who smoke should be standard practice to reduce smoking disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The negative health effects and mortality caused by the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately fell upon older and disabled people. Protecting these vulnerable groups has been a key policy priority throughout the pandemic and related vaccination campaigns. Using data from the latest survey of the UK Household Longitudinal Study on COVID-19 we found that people who receive informal care have higher probability of being infected when compared to those not receiving informal care. Further, we found that care recipients who are in the lowest income groups have a higher probability of catching the virus when compared to those in the highest income groups. We also estimated the likelihood of being infected for informal carers versus those who did not provide any care during the pandemic and found no significant differences between these two groups. Our empirical findings suggest that the standard measures introduced with the aim of protecting vulnerable groups, such as closing care homes or prioritising the vaccination of their staff, were not sufficient to avoid the spread of the virus amongst disabled and older people. Informal carers play an important role in the social care sector. As such, protecting vulnerable people by investing in the informal care sector should be a priority for future health policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change poses severe systemic risks to the financial sector through multiple transmission channels. In this paper, we estimate the potential impact of different carbon taxes (€50, €100, €200 and €800 per ton of CO2) on the Italian banks' default rates at the sector level in the short term using a counterfactual analysis. We build on the micro-founded climate stress test approach proposed by Faiella et al. (2022), which estimates the energy demand of Italian firms using granular data and simulates the effects of the alternative taxes on the share of financially vulnerable agents (and their debt). Credit risks stemming from the introduction of a carbon tax - during periods of low default rates - are modest for banks: on average, over a one-year horizon, the default rates of firms increase but remain below their historical averages. The effect is heterogeneous across different sectors and rises with the tax value; however, even assuming a tax of €800 per ton of CO2, the default rates are below their historical peaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The burden of osteoarthritis (OA) has increased steadily due to an aging population, increasing life expectancy, obesity and lifestyle factors. Total hip replacement has become one of the most prevalent and successful operations globally and it is projected that demand will continue to grow as the incidence of OA continues to increase. Patients undergoing the operation expect much-improved function and pain relief but also increasingly need to return to work postoperatively, especially given the growing demand for the procedure and the encouragement of older people to continue working by most governments in the developed world. This review provides an overview of function and employment outcomes after hip arthroplasty. Despite the generally good success rate, some patients do not attain good functional outcomes and it is important that we develop ways to identify these patients preoperatively. We describe the effect of demographic, clinical and other factors on functional outcomes, as well as trajectories of physical function and pain recovery beyond the first few weeks after total hip replacement. Regarding employment outcomes, many people in work preoperatively are likely to resume to work after recovery; however, patients feel that they lack guidance from clinicians about returning to work postoperatively. Our review encompasses factors associated with return to work, timing of return to work, and potential temporary or permanent limitations that people might experience at work depending on type of employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The historical oppression of women in China mirrors the experiences of women in many other cultures. During the imperial era, Confucian ideologies and institutions played a significant role in perpetuating women's disenfranchisement. This perception has become deeply entrenched, to the extent that contemporary discussions on women's status often automatically refer to lingering Confucian legacies as one of the obstacles to achieving gender equality. However, this study offers a nuanced perspective by shedding light on how certain aspects of Confucianism, notably meritocracy, may serve to empower modern-day women. The research focuses on the Chinese context, particularly the historically significant Confucian-based meritocratic institution known as the civil examination system (keju). I argue that historical meritocratic legacies can have a lasting impact on contemporary behavior, specifically by reducing the gender gap in political participation in local village elections. Using data from historical archives and the China General Social Survey, I find a negative correlation between a prefecture's historical success in the keju exams and the gender gap in village election turnout among present-day respondents. Further exploratory analyses reveal that the enduring Confucian tradition of meritocracy also empowers other low-status social groups, including the economically disadvantaged and the less educated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policymakers have adopted built environment policies to modify people's travel behavior and the related emissions. However, few studies have examined the interactive impact between income level and built environment attributes on travel-related carbon emissions (TCE), and only several studies consider their nonlinear relationships. With data from the Twin Cities, US, this study estimated the nonlinear effects of built environment attributes and demographics on TCE. It further examined the interactive impacts between household income and built environment attributes. The findings highlight that demographics exert a greater influence on TCE than the built environment. Employment status, job accessibility, and gender are the most important predictors. Besides individual nonlinear relationships, household income and built environment attributes have salient interactive impacts on TCE. The results suggest that providing environment friendly and affordable transportation choices to low-income population, switching to clean energy vehicles, and offering more matched job opportunities to low-income population near their residence are promising to create a sustainable transportation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact on the income of families benefiting from the "Minha Casa Minha Vida" Brazilian Social Housing Program through the integration of photovoltaic (PV) generation systems into housing financing, as outlined by Law 14,620 enacted in July 2023. Given the novelty of this legislation, there is no existing database for analysis. Consequently, simulations of PV generation were carried out for the typical dwellings provided by the program across the five macro regions of Brazil. The simulation takes into account maintenance and equipment replacement costs, tariff rules, and standard adjustment rates in the country. Across all examined scenarios, the installation of residential rooftop PV systems yielded favorable outcomes, resulting in a reduction in electricity costs for the low-income population. Making provisions for a Sinking Fund in the program was identified as crucial to provide sustainability, long-term operation, maintenance and replacement. Additionally, it was observed that civil construction companies play a crucial role in popularizing the proposal. In conclusion, legislation incorporating PV generation into the national housing program represents merely the initial step toward realizing the widespread adoption of this energy generation technology in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intergenerational mobility (IM) has recently generated significant attention. However, the mechanisms of IM, including the neighborhood effects, are still not well understood. This research aims to advance the research on IM by emphasizing the role of neighborhood environments and their mediating effects in the United States. Our results suggest that childhood neighborhood conditions significantly affect IM, and IM is determined by childhood physical and socioeconomic status (SES) or conditions and outmigration. Specifically, we find that natural and built environments affect IM indirectly through neighborhood SES, and, therefore, the effect of SES has been overestimated. Moreover, there are complex pathways linking neighborhood SES to IM. A dense, mixed-use, and walkable neighborhood may show lower IM because such neighborhoods usually have higher concentrations of poor people and single parents. We also find that outmigration is a pathway to IM. Desirable childhood neighborhood environments and high outmigration returns lead to higher IM in rural areas than in urban areas, and also higher IM in the West North Central region than in the East South Central and South Atlantic regions, although these regions have similarly low SES. Our study highlights the significant effects of the neighborhood environment on IM. • Childhood physical and socioeconomic conditions and outmigration affect intergenerational mobility (IM). • Disadvantaged socioeconomic conditions are spatially concentrated, leading to even higher neighborhood effects on IM. • Natural and built environments affect IM indirectly through neighborhood socioeconomic conditions. • Dense, mixed-use, and walkable neighborhoods show lower IM indirectly due to higher poor people and single parents. • Desirable childhood neighborhoods and high outmigration returns lead to higher IM in rural areas than urban ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving living conditions, quality of public services and social safety nets in blighted and underdeveloped urban areas also are important aspects of urban renewal. In another way, achieving sustainable urban development requires more improvements. Equity, sustainability, and universality are core principles of sustainable development and should be integrated into urban renewal strategies. For instance, urban renewal in old town areas presents multiple challenges, including balancing public investment needs, social justice considerations, and environmental impacts. Studies have shown that inequalities often arise during implementation, disproportionately affecting low-income residents in old town areas. While energy justice is a key concept for reducing these inequalities during renewal process, however existing frameworks lack a multi-dimensional approach. This study proposes a comprehensive evaluation framework that combines sustainable development with energy justice principles during the renewal of old town areas. This framework aims to achieve equitable and sustainable development outcomes in renewal of old urban areas by systematically examining the unequal impacts on low-income groups and proposing equitable energy services and inclusive policies. The proposed equity evaluation framework includes two key components: 1) Main factors in existing renewal strategies, which include equitable access to energy resources, sustainable energy systems, affordability, and public participation. 2) Criteria for refining energy justice evaluation framework, which include accessibility, energy efficiency, community participation, and policy coordination. The research emphasizes the importance of fairness in providing affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy opportunities within urban renewal initiatives. This focus can provide rational perspective and reference for decision makers, thereby empowering vulnerable groups, giving equitable energy access and contributing to achieve sustainable urban development. • Energy inequalities impede sustainable urban development. • Proposed assessment framework integrates sustainable development and energy justice. • Key components: equality access, affordability, sustainability & public participation. • Urban renewal challenges: lack of investment, injustice, and environmental threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The study provides a new conceptual framework to account for pro-poor economic development. • This is achieved by extending political settlements analysis with a critical investigation of growth–poverty linkages. • We apply this framework to the recent trajectories of Laos and Rwanda. • We show to what extent Laos and Rwanda have implemented pro-poor development strategies and how they have done so. • This is the first comparative study of the political economy of Laos and Rwanda. Political settlements analysis is a framework that helps us understand different development trajectories. While it has been used to study the politics of pro-poor growth, there has been little explicit engagement with the economic mechanisms that may alleviate or reproduce poverty. This article extends the political settlements approach to that effect and presents a new, integrated framework to account for pro-poor economic development by conceptualizing political conditions as well as key mechanisms – employment and social provision – linking growth and poverty. This framework is empirically applied to scrutinize two recent development 'success stories', those of Laos and Rwanda. Both countries have emerged from a violent past to record over two decades of fast economic growth. The paper assesses how they have done so and to what extent their development strategies have been pro-poor. We demonstrate that the combination of economic growth and of centralized and ideologically committed ruling coalitions has enabled large-scale investments in social service provision that have spearheaded significant reductions in multidimensional poverty in Laos and Rwanda. Moreover, key governance capabilities have enabled both countries to achieve a certain degree of structural change. Yet, this change has been misdirected to extractive industries and hydropower (Laos) and high-end services (Rwanda) with weak employment and limited forward and backward linkages, compounded by a relative lack of productivity growth in the historically more relevant agricultural and manufacturing sectors. This has intensified land pressures and vulnerability, leading to increased inequality in Laos and sustaining already high levels of inequality in Rwanda. Using the ambitious conception of pro-poor development that underpins our integrated framework, we problematize these growth trajectories and argue that neither of them has been pro-poor. We recommend that researchers advance political settlements analysis to examine and strengthen the possibilities for social justice-oriented and bottom-up pro-poor development strategies more systematically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High blood pressure (BP) is the leading preventable risk factor for death, but only one in three patients achieve target BP control. A key contributor to this problem is poor population awareness of high BP, as the majority of patients are asymptomatic. The Shop-To-Stop Hypertension study is a multicenter, cluster-randomized controlled trial to identify, refer and follow adults in need of hypertension care, whilst raising population-wide awareness. In participants with high BP measured by SiSU Health Stations located in major hardware chain stores across New South Wales, Australia, we will determine whether text message-based nudges will encourage repeat BP checks and visits to their doctor. Based on pilot data, we anticipate 65,340 participants will be screened over 12 months, of which 18% will have high BP. Thirty hardware stores will be randomized (1:1) to: (i) Intervention: participants detected with high BP (≥140/≥90 mmHg) will receive text message-based nudges to return for a repeat SiSU Health Station BP check and to visit their general practitioner (GP) to check and manage their BP; (ii) Control: participants with high BP will not receive text messages. The primary outcome is the difference in the proportion of participants with high BP having a repeat BP check at hardware Health Stations in the intervention vs. control group at 12 months. This novel setting for screening utilises a novel 'citizen science' approach inviting the general public to perform their own BP screening at health kiosks and foster behavioral change. This will allow screening in a low-stress environment. • Large, multicenter cluster-randomized trial with 12 months duration. • Identify, refer and follow adults in need of hypertension care, whilst raising population-wide awareness. • Primary outcome: difference in the proportion of participants having a repeat BP check at a health kiosk. • Combines screening with phone text message reminders to foster behavioral change to enter the care pathway. • Findings may increase hypertension diagnosis and health engagement with patients by facilitating a pathway to improved BP control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food insecurity is associated with poor glycemic control and increased risk for diabetes-related complications. The clinical benefit of addressing these challenges through a medically supportive grocery prescription (GRx) program in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) remains unclear. We report the aims and design of a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a 6-month GRx intervention on hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels among low-income adults with T2D. The Kaiser Permanente E valuating N utritional Inte r ventions in Food- I nse c ure H igh-Risk Adults (KP ENRICH) Study is a pragmatic randomized trial enrolling 1100 participants within Kaiser Permanente Northern California and Southern California, two integrated health care delivery systems serving >9 million members. Medicaid-insured adults with T2D and baseline HbA1c ≥7.5% will be randomized at a 1:1 ratio to either GRx, delivered as $100 per month for select items from among a curated list of healthful food groups in an online grocery ordering and home-delivery platform along with biweekly digital nutrition educational materials, or control, consisting of free membership and deliveries from the online grocery platform but without curated food groups or purchasing dollars. The primary outcome is 6-month change in HbA1c. Secondary outcomes include 12-month change in HbA1c, and 6- and 12-month change in medical resource utilization, food security, nutrition security, dietary habits, diabetes-related quality of life, and dietary self-efficacy. The results of this large randomized clinical trial of GRx will help inform future policy and health system-based initiatives to improve food and nutrition security, disease management, and health equity among patients with T2D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We study a zone districting problem to regulate reliability of public census data. • The problem can address equity for poorly sampled population segments. • Problem is a variation of max-p-regions problem with margin of error bound. • A tabu search heuristic is proposed and solved for New York City census tracts. • Reduced variance when inputting this data to population synthesis. While data plays an important role in transportation research, sampled data is not always reliable. Data reliability issue is significant especially for minority groups. In this study, a districting approach is proposed which improves data reliability through aggregation of basic spatial units (BSU), adapted from a max-p-regions problem. The model generates as many aggregated zones as possible that minimize intrazonal heterogeneity while minimizing data margin of error (MOE) of all aggregated zones using a controlling MOE threshold. The problem is first formulated as an integer programming which selects optimal set of zones from a pre-generated set of candidate zones. The difficulty of solving the formulation lies in the generation of the candidate set, so a heuristic solution algorithm is proposed. Two case studies are provided to illustrate the method and validate its performance by evaluating the resulting data quality in an example subsequent planning model. First is an area in Downtown Manhattan with 62 census tracts, comparing the aggregated zones with Neighborhood Tabulation Areas (NTAs) and Taxi Zones. Second is the generation of the New York City Equitable Zoning (NYCEZ), which generated 574 Equitable Zones that reduce the average MOE% of demographic data by 48% for seniors, 75% for low-income population, and 46% for long commuters, all with a district number that is higher than NTAs (2 2 1) and Taxi Zones (2 6 3). NYCEZ and census tracts are then compared in a subsequent model, synthetic population generation, showing an improvement of 6.2% in standard deviation across simulated populations under the proposed zone design. NYCEZ showed smaller variation in the generated population data. The algorithm can help the decision making of public agencies and the service design of mobility providers by producing reliable and equitable data. The algorithm can also be applied to data-sharing between mobility providers and agencies to alleviate privacy concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Examines the effect of financial inclusion on roof quality among Chilean slums. • Utilizes satellite data to provide a method for assessing permanent materials among slum roofs. • Presents empirical evidence indicating a reduction in transaction costs as a relevant benefit resulting from financial inclusion for families residing in slums. • Identifies a positive effect of financial inclusion on roof quality among Chilean slums. • Provides evidence supporting entrepreneurship activities as a potential transmission channel through which financial inclusion affects slum-roof quality. Although not all residents of slums are necessarily poor, and conversely, not all low-income individuals live in slums, housing precarity is a distinctive feature of these communities. This paper examines the relationship between financial inclusion and roof quality improvements for individuals living in slum settlements in Chile. We use satellite images to measure the quality of dwelling roofs as well as the CajaVecina initiative to measure the level of financial inclusion of the families that live there. Our results reveal that a higher level of financial inclusion results in an expanded presence of permanent-material roofs within slums. Moreover, we provide evidence that financial inclusion encourages self-employment activities among low-income individuals which is evidence of a transmission channel for the effect studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stunting is a major health problem in low-income countries. We aimed to describe the implementation of a lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) program in a rural neighborhood in Cambodia and to assess its impact on statural growth. This was a before–after comparative study. The program was promoted by the Pédiatres du Monde (PDM) organization between 2011 and 2019 in six villages in a rural area in Cambodia. The supplementation program consisted of daily administration of LNS during the third semester of pregnancy for the mothers and then between 6 and 24 months of age for the toddlers. Anthropometric data of the children were recorded during PDM visits before and after the program implementation, which allowed us to compare child growth in the two groups: control and intervention groups. Primary outcome was height-for-age between 24 and 35 months of age. Overall, 198 data were collected for children between 24 and 35 months of age in the control group. A total of 347 pregnant women were enrolled in the intervention phase. A total of 188 data were collected for children between 24 and 35 months of age in the intervention group. The mean height-for-age z-score in the population receiving LNS was higher than in the control group (−1.14 vs. −1.60, p < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding the weight-for-height z-score (WHZ; −1.11 vs. −1.26, p = 0.18) and children in the intervention group had a higher middle upper-arm circumference z-score (MUACZ; −0.75 vs.. −1.1, p < 0.001). LNS supplementation significantly and increased the HAZ between 24 and 35 months of age. However, the fight against malnutrition is complex and needs intervention on multiple levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying factors that influence adolescent intentions for COVID-19 vaccination is essential for developing strategic interventions to increase uptake, particularly in subgroups of at-risk adolescents. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adolescence is characterized by difficulties regulating attention and behavior, social impairment, and impulsive risk-taking behaviors, which may impact vaccine hesitancy and vaccine uptake. This study examined hesitancy toward COVID-19 vaccines among adolescents with and without ADHD, and explored how ADHD status interacted with malleable social mechanisms and other social determinants of health in predicting vaccine hesitancy. Participants were 196 U.S. adolescents (44.4% male), 45.6% diagnosed with ADHD. Adolescents reported their confidence and willingness toward COVID-19 vaccines from March to May 2021. Adolescents with ADHD reported greater hesitancy and less confidence in COVID-19 vaccine safety compared to adolescents without ADHD (p <.01). Only 61.8% of adolescents with ADHD reported vaccine acceptance, compared to 81.3% of adolescents without ADHD. For all adolescents, those who identified as Black or Latinx and with lower family income had greater hesitancy and reduced confidence, whereas greater COVID-19 concerns, media use, and perceived negative impact on relationships was associated with greater vaccination willingness. Social contextual processes significantly interacted with ADHD status such that for adolescents without ADHD, concerns about COVID-19 were associated with increased confidence in vaccine safety. Being noncompliant with social distancing guidelines was associated with greater vaccine hesitancy, only for adolescents with ADHD. A concerted effort is needed to increase trust, confidence, and social relevance among adolescents, especially those with ADHD and from lower socio-economic backgrounds. • Adolescents with ADHD show greater vaccine hesitancy than those without ADHD. • Low income and racial/ethnicity minority backgrounds are associated with hesitancy. • Adolescents with ADHD who engage in large gatherings report greater hesitancy. • Interventions should target social-cognitive processes for adolescent vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Longitudinal data for self-regulation in dual-language learners from 4 sites were analyzed. • Participating children were predominantly from families of low income. • Three patterns of growth were observed: early, later, and intermediate. • Those in the latter group did not develop self-regulation until after school entry. • Boys and lower SES children were more likely to be in the later growth group. Despite strong evidence self-regulation skills are critical for school readiness, there remains a dearth of longitudinal studies that describe developmental trajectories of self-regulation, particularly among low-resource and underrepresented populations such as Spanish-English dual-language learners. The present study examined individual differences in trajectories of self-regulation among 459 Spanish-English dual-language learners who were Hispanic from 4 different samples and 3 geographic locations in the United States. Self-regulation was assessed in all samples using repeated administration of the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders (HTKS) task from early childhood through early elementary school. Results of latent growth curve analyses revealed that growth was best represented by quadratic trajectories. Latent class growth analyses captured significant individual differences in self-regulation trajectories. One group of children (41%) started with higher HTKS scores and displayed rapid early growth in performance. A similar percentage of children (41%) displayed intermediate growth in self-regulation, starting with lower HTKS scores but displaying rapid growth commencing arrange 4.5 years. Finally, about 18% of the sample did not display growth in HTKS performance until after entry to elementary school, around age 6 years. Girls were half as likely as boys to be in this later developing group. Likewise, children from families at the upper end of the socioeconomic distribution in this low-income sample were significantly less likely to be in the later developing group relative to children from families with lower SES. Study findings indicate the importance of monitoring growth rates in self-regulation as a means of identifying children at risk for entering school without the requisite self-regulation skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Parents and teachers of low-income children in Tulsa, OK experienced spikes in depression following the COVID-19 outbreak. • Parents, especially those who were Hispanic/Latinx, also experienced a spike in food insecurity because of COVID-19. • The best predictor of parents' and teachers' depression during the COVID-19 pandemic was having been depressed before the pandemic. • The best predictor of parents' and teachers' food insecurity during the pandemic was having been food-insecure before the pandemic. • In addition, parents reporting more chaotic households and teachers reporting lower executive function had greater odds of depression during the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented strains on both parents and teachers, both of whose mental and financial hardships have serious implications for young children's wellbeing. We drew on an existing cohort study of families with low incomes in Tulsa, OK when children were in their Spring of first grade in 2020. We surveyed parents and teachers – children's caregivers on both sides of the screen during distance learning – before and after the COVID-19 pandemic hit and schools were closed. We first compared the proportion of parents and teachers who were depressed and food-insecure before and after the pandemic struck. We then used pre-pandemic characteristics of parents and teachers in separate models to predict their depression and food insecurity during the pandemic. Results showed that rates of depression among both parents and teachers spiked after COVID-19, and food insecurity rates also increased among parents. For both parents and teachers, the strongest predictor of depression during COVID-19 was having experienced depression before the pandemic. Similarly, the strongest predictor of food insecurity during COVID-19 was having experienced food insecurity beforehand. These results point intervention efforts towards identifying the caregivers of children in low-income contexts whose mental and financial wellbeing are likely to be most compromised during this and perhaps future disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Adequate childhood nutrition contributes to prevention of chronic diseases. The supplemental foods and nutrition education provided by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, a federal program serving women, infants, and children up to age 5 years in low-income families and at nutritional risk, intend to optimize dietary intakes. This study assesses associations between duration of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children participation, early feeding practices, and children's diet quality at age 3 years.Methods: Using data collected between 2013 and 2017 from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2, investigators derived 4 mutually exclusive patterns of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children participation: participation in the child's first year only, participation into the second year, participation into the third year, and intermittent participation across 3 years. In 2021, multivariable regression assessed associations between these patterns, early feeding practices, and 2015 Health Eating Index total score at age 3 years.Results: When compared with children who participated in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children into their third year, children who participated in their first year only (p<0.01) had 2015 Healthy Eating Index total scores that were 3.6 points lower on a given day. Children introduced to sugar-sweetened beverages in their first year had scores that were 2.4 points lower than children not introduced to them in their first 2 years (p=0.03), whereas those breastfed longer exhibited a small increase in scores (p<0.01).Conclusions: Longer participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children improves children's diets, potentially mitigating chronic disease risk. Clinician efforts to refer at-risk families to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children during the early childhood years are supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Focusing on participation and utilization, this research helps to assess the potential impact and contributions of farmers' market incentive programs, often seen as means for improving nutrition and preventing disease among low-income families.Methods: Evaluating the largest farmers' market incentive program in the U.S. (California Market Match), this study used (1) 3 administrative databases (n=1,469, 6,799, and 30,506), (2) a participant survey (n=2,723), and (3) longitudinal interviews (n=163) with active and former participants. Quantitative data were analyzed with contingency tables and multiple regression. Qualitative data were coded into analytically significant themes. Data were collected in 2015-2018 and analyzed in 2018-2021.Results: Participation was typically low and varied across localities (3.7%-19.8% of eligible families in a sample of ZIP codes). According to administrative records, market visits by participants in 2 California regions averaged 2.18 and 3.12 per season. However, 77.1% of participants in the shopper survey indicated that they were repeat customers, and 51.0% indicated that they were regular utilizers. Deterrents to utilization included perceptions of inconvenience and high prices but not availability of produce in the community or travel time to markets. Utilization was most frequent among Asian shoppers and residents of Southern California outside Los Angeles County.Conclusions: Farmers' market incentive programs such as Market Match appear likely to benefit population health through a core of committed shoppers. Improvement in participation and utilization may be attained through a better understanding of the communities that the markets are intended to serve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To date, numerous cohort studies and meta-analyses have shown that childhood maltreatment is associated with a wide range of adverse physiological and psychological symptoms. Although childhood maltreatment has been linked to an increased risk of personality disorders, the direction and magnitude of the association remain uncertain. Therefore, this cohort study aimed to evaluate whether children who have suffered childhood maltreatment have a higher incidence of subsequent personality disorders, using a nationwide database in Taiwan.Methods: We conducted a large retrospective cohort study using data drawn from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database between 2000 and 2015. A total of 10,345 children who experienced childhood maltreatment were identified using International Classification of Disease codes. They were then compared with 41,380 children who never experienced childhood maltreatment in terms of the prevalence rates of personality disorders.Results: Childhood maltreatment was associated with an increased risk of personality disorders (considering the control as reference: adjusted hazard ratio, 2.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.90-2.36; p < 0.001). The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a significantly higher 15-year cumulative incidence of personality disorders among childhood maltreatment victims than among controls (log-rank test, p < 0.001).Conclusions: The present population-based study showed a positive association between prior childhood maltreatment and subsequent personality disorders in the general Taiwanese population. In order to reduce the risk of personality disorders, interventions should be implemented, identifying and supporting economically disadvantaged families and vulnerable children as early as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In the "Children's Hospital Zagreb Referral Centre for Paediatric Trauma of the Ministry of Health Republic of Croatia (MHC)" we observed a significant decline in the number of both hospitalised and ambulatory treated paediatric patients with burn injuries in the period from 2011 to 2018. Our hypothesis is that this decline could be either due to the decline of the paediatric population of Croatia or due to the economic growth and the improvement in the standard of living that Croatians have enjoyed in the past decade.Materials and Methods: In this observational study, we analysed data on the numbers of patients treated due to burn injuries from January 2011 to December 2018 in the Children's Hospital Zagreb Hospital. Indicators of standard of living and population size estimates were obtained from Eurostat and the Croatian Bureau of Statistics. Associations between the proportion of people with poor standard of living and the number of treated patients were analysed with logistic regression models.Results: Percentage of the population with low housing standards, percentage of Croatians with low level of education, percentage of children that live in jobless households, and percentage of children at risk of poverty and social exclusion were predictors of the rate of hospital admissions, ambulatory treated patients and total number of treatments. The slight decrease in the rate of treated patients was interrupted with notable decline in 2014 followed by the slight increase in 2015. Over following years, the rate did not change remarkably.Conclusion: Apart from the decline of the paediatric population of Croatia, it is reasonable to assume that the improvement in the standard of housing, level of education and employment rate as well as the reduction in the risk of poverty and social exclusion in children had a notable contribution to the decline in the rate of paediatric burns in the observed period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sharp decrease in public transport demand has been observed during the COVID-19 pandemic around the world. In this context, it is relevant to understand how mode preferences have changed since the surge of COVID-19. In order to better understand how the pandemic changed mode choice, particularly regarding the impact of crowding and face mask use in public transport, we conducted a stated preference on-line and on-street survey in Santiago, Chile. Our sample is balanced in gender but has a higher proportion of individuals with college degrees and those under 45 years of age than the population of Santiago. The data collected was then used to estimate two multinomial mode choice models, a latent class model and a mixed logit model with latent variables. The models yielded a value of travel time in crowded conditions (4 pax/m2) and low face mask use (50%) of 3.0–5.1 times higher than the case with low crowding (0.5 pax/m2) and 100% face mask use. Moreover, women tend to be more sensitive than men to the use of face masks in public transport. Besides, young and low-income people are relatively less sensitive to crowding. The crowding penalization obtained is higher than in pre-pandemic models calibrated for Santiago for similar passenger densities. Also, as we expected, it grows non-linearly with passenger density. Disinfection of vehicles, as well as the perception of health risk, cleanliness, safety and comfort, were also relevant in explaining mode choice. Further research shall discuss how the change of mode preferences together with new demand patterns influence the operational design of public transport services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ride-hailing has redefined vehicle access and has the potential to reduce travel difficulties for transit-poor areas and people with poor access to private and public transportation resources. Due to the lack of data, current studies lack a holistic understanding of how transportation resources serve different social groups and places in the ride-hailing era in low-density areas. This study uses multiple sources of data in Austin, Texas to understand: (1) how ride-hailing usage, transit supply, and vehicle ownership distribute across neighborhoods with different densities, income, and racial and ethnic compositions; (2) who are ride-hailing users among those with and without private vehicles, and how their ride-hailing usage and attitudes towards ride-hailing versus transit differ. Our study has shown that the ride-hailing services have provided residents living in low-income, low-density neighborhoods, and neighborhoods with a majority of Hispanics with an alternative transportation mode. However, residents living in low-density and low-income neighborhoods still use ride-hailing services less frequently than those living in high-density and high-income neighborhoods. The user survey further shows that ride-hailing users without private vehicles tend to be racial and minorities or younger people with higher education attainments. Ride-hailing services provide people with a convenient and safe transportation mode, regardless of their vehicle ownership. Our study shows the importance of ride-hailing in mitigating the social and spatial disparity and the opportunity of integrating ride-hailing and transit in transportation planning in low-density areas. • This study uses multiple data sources to study neighborhood and individual-level transportatation dirstributions. • Frequent ride-hailing usage, dense transit supply, and high share of zero-vehicle owners concentrate in downtown Austin. • Ride-hailing services support daily transportation for transport disadvantaged areas and people in Austin. • Ride-hailing services have the potential to integrate with public transit systems in low-density areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study aims to evaluate the trends in the impact of Medicaid expansion on the use of selected recommended clinical preventive services and examine the differences in use by income level over time.Methods: The data were obtained from the 2011-2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and were analyzed in 2021. This study conducted a difference-in-differences analysis of the association between Medicaid expansion and the use of 5 clinical preventive services, including colon/breast/cervical cancer screenings, HIV testing, and influenza vaccination. Annual percentage change was applied to assess the trends in the impact of Medicaid expansion on the use of clinical preventive services.Results: The use of all the 5 clinical preventive services varied over time. In almost every year, the use of 4 clinical preventive services (all but HIV testing) among Medicaid expansion states was higher than that among the nonexpansion states. People with lower income used 4 clinical preventive services (all but HIV testing) less frequently than those with higher income, regardless of their residence in expansion or nonexpansion groups. Among the lower-income group, the use of 5 clinical preventive services increased after Medicaid expansion almost every year, with the use of colon cancer screening and HIV testing reaching statistical significance and the impact of Medicaid expansion in the use of each clinical preventive service kept stable from 2014 to 2019.Conclusions: These findings provide evidence that Medicaid expansion may be associated with sustainably increased use of the selected recommended clinical preventive services among the lower-income population and that Medicaid expansion to reduce financial barriers may be an effective strategy to improve population health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting socially sustainable mobility services for all social groups is one of the key elements for sustainable development according to the UN's sustainable development goals. Mobility as a Service (MaaS), a rapidly growing smart mobility concept, has the potential to achieve this goal. However, measuring societal impacts of MaaS considering vulnerable social groups' (elderly, disabled, low-income people) needs is still a question for scholars, practitioners, and policy makers. This paper presents a practical 3-stage framework to evaluate the accessibility and inclusion of MaaS systems based on a range of indicators, and a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method. A worldwide experts' view survey was conducted among transportation academics and practitioners with 105 valid responses to prioritise the main and sub-criteria in proving an accessible and inclusive MaaS system. The results of MCDM analysis show that accessible transport services, accessible MaaS platforms, and accessibility data collection have a share of 51 %, 29 %, and 20 %, respectively. The functionality of the proposed framework has been illustrated on a real-world multi-city MaaS implementation within the Solent area, in particular Portsmouth city located in Southeast England (UK). The policy recommendations proposed in this study shed light on guiding stakeholders and policymakers to select and implement an accessible and inclusive MaaS system. • Mobility as a Service (MaaS) has the potential to contribute to socially sustainable mobility in cities. • A 3-step MCDM framework and a set of indicators are developed to evaluate inclusivity and accessibility of MaaS. • A worldwide experts' view survey was conducted among transportation academics and practitioners to rank criteria and sub-criteria. • Accessible transport services, accessible MaaS platforms, and accessibility data collection have a share of 51%, 29%, and 20%, respectively. • Functionality of the proposed framework is tested on a real-world MaaS project in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muslims in the UK experienced a much larger decline in mental health than the rest of the population during the pandemic and this decline persisted even as mental health in the rest of the population bounced back to pre-pandemic levels. We use panel data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) to decompose the mental health gap between Muslims and non-Muslims into those attributable to differences between the characteristics of the two groups and find that these differences - particularly Muslims being younger and being substantially overrepresented at the bottom of the income distribution - explain a substantial proportion of this gap. However, over a third of the Muslim-non-Muslim mental health gap remains unexplained by these factors and is driven by the experiences of Muslims who are neither young nor poor suggesting that this may be a result of discrimination experienced by the community. We conclude that being Muslim, being young, and being poor all independently contributed to experiencing a mental health gap and to the persistence of this gap. • We examine changes in the mental health of Muslims in the UK during the pandemic. • We find a gap of 1.7 points on the GHQ scale compared to non Muslims. • The gap in mental health for Muslims persisted following the pandemic. • Differences in characteristics between the two groups explains much of the gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study seeks to provide insights into the subjective experiences and perceived benefits of urban gardening by gardeners in the city of Belgrade. It encompassed several forms of urban gardens, both collective and individual. The study involved conducting semi-structured interviews with 44 gardeners, supplemented by field observations. Thematic analysis revealed seven key themes of benefits. The findings slightly diverged from studies in developed countries, demonstrating less emphasis on the social aspects of urban gardening, as participants did not view social interaction as a primary motivation. Also, there was a stronger focus on the productive and economic aspects of gardening among the retired low-income population of home gardeners with previous experience in agriculture. • Fresh and healthy food is considered to be the main motivation for urban gardening. • The perceptions and appreciation of productive and economic benefits vary greatly among urban gardeners. • Socializing and engaging with the community are typically unintended but appreciated benefits of urban gardening. • Urban gardening can promote place attachment, engage citizens, and bolster local communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community forest management (CFM) has gained prominence globally and shown great value as a community-based conservation approach to protecting and sustainably managing forest ecosystems while, at the same time, devolving tenure rights to local populations and stimulating local livelihoods and economies. Given CFM's relative successes and socioeconomic goals, it is often assumed to be an inherently just approach. Here, we challenge that assumption. We present a framework rooted in environmental justice to uncover how some initiatives can perpetuate or exacerbate unfairness and thus undermine the core purpose and spirit of CFM. We put forward three questions on the fairness of CFM programs. First, we call to question the imposition of new CFM-related restrictions and rules, considering Indigenous and local communities' legal autonomy and/or long-standing de facto rights. Second, we interrogate the burden of CFM-related economic costs and opportunity costs, in light of communities' poverty conditions and vulnerable livelihoods. Third, we examine the fairness of focusing on the role of local communities in tackling deforestation and forest degradation, given these groups might not be the ones primarily responsible for those problems. Our discussion exposes several contradictions, trade-offs and justice implications of CFM that have remained largely unrecognized. We conclude by providing recommendations for a more just approach that centers a rights-needs-merit rationale. Our analysis is relevant for community-based conservation efforts around the globe. • We challenge the assumption that CFM initiatives are inherently just. • By imposing restrictions, CFM can perpetuate (autonomy) rights violations. • Imposing conservation-economy trade-offs on impoverished groups furthers inequalities. • CFM costs are even more unfair given communities are not the main driver of climate change. • We call for a more just approach to CFM that centers a rights-needs-merit rationale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In medical image diagnosis, fairness has become increasingly crucial. Without bias mitigation, deploying unfair AI would harm the interests of the underprivileged population and potentially tear society apart. Recent research addresses prediction biases in deep learning models concerning demographic groups (e.g., gender, age, and race) by utilizing demographic (sensitive attribute) information during training. However, many sensitive attributes naturally exist in dermatological disease images. If the trained model only targets fairness for a specific attribute, it remains unfair for other attributes. Moreover, training a model that can accommodate multiple sensitive attributes is impractical due to privacy concerns. To overcome this, we propose a method enabling fair predictions for sensitive attributes during the testing phase without using such information during training. Inspired by prior work highlighting the impact of feature entanglement on fairness, we enhance the model features by capturing the features related to the sensitive and target attributes and regularizing the feature entanglement between corresponding classes. This ensures that the model can only classify based on the features related to the target attribute without relying on features associated with sensitive attributes, thereby improving fairness and accuracy. Additionally, we use disease masks from the Segment Anything Model (SAM) to enhance the quality of the learned feature. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can improve fairness in classification compared to state-of-the-art methods in two dermatological disease datasets. • Existing debias method involve using demographic data during training process. • Privacy issues may restrict the use of demographic data. • Feature entanglement regularization achieves fairness without demographic data. • Accurate masking disease features can improve both fairness and accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems have witnessed significant growth worldwide, particularly in rapidly urbanizing cities in the developing world, often implemented through public-private partnerships to foster economic growth. However, the success of such ambitions relies on ensuring equitable transit access for all residents, including those living with poverty or other social disadvantages. The purpose of this study is to explore transit access, coverage, and equity of the BRT system in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania using infrastructure-based measures of proximity to transit stations and stops. In particular, the equitable distribution of transit access patterns is explored in relation to neighborhood socio-economic strata in the catchment areas within a 30-min walking distance. The study's findings reveal notable disparities in the level of access among various socio-economic strata, with the least deprived population benefiting the most from the Dar-es-Salaam BRT system. As more BRT phases are implemented, there is a continuous increase in the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) within the areas not covered by the BRT system. This suggests that access improvements predominantly favor the wealthier population rather than effectively addressing the needs of the impoverished population. To enhance access and achieve more equitable outcomes, it is crucial to implement targeted strategies and measures. These may include improved integration of the BRT with a feeder system, continuous improvement of Non-Motorized Transport (NMT) facilities, and the promotion of equitable transit-oriented development along the BRT corridor. These initiatives play a vital role in ensuring that vulnerable populations, especially the poor, have access to and can benefit from the BRT services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Hybrid reservation strategy, including first-reserved-first-served and auction reservation strategies. • Constructing an expected social cost minimization model and deriving the optimal parking quota for parking reservation platform. • Analysis the effects of resident time value, public transport service quality, road service quality, car park service quality, and parking space ratio on the optimal parking quota. • Quantifying vertical equity in parking reservation. Parking reservation, as an on-demand mobility service, can effectively address parking challenges. This paper examines the efficiency and equity of three parking reservation strategies: first-reserved-first-served (FRFS), auction and a hybrid strategy that combines both FRFS and auction. In the hybrid strategy, residents are given priority to make auction reservations initially, while the remaining spaces are allocated through FRFS reservations. Ultimately, a proportional allocation of spaces is achieved for both FRFS and auctions. Expected social cost minimization models are developed to determine the optimal parking quota for these strategies (FRFS, Auction and the hybrid strategy) and the optimal proportion allocated to the FRFS and auction in the hybrid strategy. Based on these works above, the solution properties of the proposed models are analytically explored. In addition, the Gini coefficient is used to investigate the equity of the above three reservation strategies. It is found that the auction strategy is the most efficient, but also the least fair. FRFS is the fairest but also the least efficient, and the hybrid is in the middle. The optimal parking quota increases with the value of time, the quality of road and parking services, but decreases with the quality of public transport services. In the hybrid strategy, increasing the allocation proportion to FRFS may lead to an increased or a decreased expected social cost, depending on the bidding price and FRFS price of parking spaces. The auction strategy is not always the most efficient for allocating parking spaces. In fact, it will become the worst strategy when the parking quota exceeds a certain critical value. Raising the lower bound of residents' incomes would narrow the gap between rich and poor, increase parking quotas, and generate higher parking revenues. The FRFS is more attractive to low-income residents, while the auction strategy favors higher-income residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper contends that the covid-19 pandemic has reconfigured how cities manage urban marginality within Zimbabwe. The pandemic enabled cities to push everyday mundane practices away from the centre of the city to the margins of the cities through securitisation and criminalising informal activities within the centre. The paper's methodological underpinnings are hinged on a six month ethnography within Bulawayo (Zimbabwe's second largest city). The paper maintains the view that managing urban marginality in the context of covid-19 must be framed within the binary of two opposing forces – governing institutions (the government and municipality) and the low-income residents. Using covid-19 as a pretext of "curbing the pandemic" governing institutions have pushed informal economic activities from the centre through employing law and force; on the other hand low-income residents have found eclectic means to counteract the measures imposed to constrain their agency. Finally, the paper suggests that covid-19 has reconfigured how cities manage urban marginality through pushing everyday informal practices to the periphery and how the low-income residents deploy their agency to counteract confinement hence managing urban marginality can be understood as a two-way process involving governing institutions and the low-income residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Notwithstanding the financial innovations of the digital era, globally, 1.4 billion people are still excluded from the formal financial system, thus precluding them from achieving financial health and wellness. Financial innovations, such as financial technology or fintech, have gained increasing global attention as powerful tools for financial inclusion and socioeconomic development. In this study, we explore the potential of technologically-enabled financial innovation to bring unbanked segments of society into the formal financial system and the repercussions of such innovation on financial stability during the pandemic. However, the excitement around fintech has also masked its risks to the financial system and low-income people. We analyze the interrelationships among fintech, financial inclusion, and financial stability through a systematic literature review of 163 academic articles published between 2010 and 2023. We seek to fill the knowledge gaps in these subject areas by (1) mapping the fintech-driven financial inclusion field, (2) synthesizing the findings to develop a conceptual framework, and (3) discussing theoretically sound future research directions. This study is related to innovation with a focus on finance, contributing to a small but growing literature on the role of inclusive innovation and fintech-driven financial inclusion in promoting inclusive development and poverty alleviation, particularly in emerging economies. We also explore the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the interactive roles of financial capabilities and regulatory and supervisory frameworks in the interrelationships above. • We explore how fintech innovation brings unbanked segments into the financial system. • We analyze fintech, financial inclusion, and financial stability. • We synthesize the findings to develop a conceptual framework. • We propose theoretically sound future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of first/last mile, the bicycle-transit intermodality could lessen accessibility problems of stations and stops, reducing the need for feeder services. Although extensively addressed in developed countries, bicycle-transit is less studied in Global South metropolises, where distinct usage patterns are observed. Thus, this research aimed to model the choice behavior of the low-income population for bicycle-transit integration in Fortaleza - Brazil, a large Latin American city with a deployed bike-sharing system focused mainly on bike-bus integration. A Stated Preference (SP) survey was conducted addressing socioeconomic and trip characteristics, as well as policy variables such as bicycle parking and cycleways/lanes. SP data allowed the estimation of nested and mixed logit models representing choice behavior, and sample segmentation was used to identify heterogeneity among different groups of individuals. The results show that investing in bicycle infrastructure could stimulate bike-bus integration in Fortaleza; however, their relative importance depends on the analyzed individual strata. Findings also indicate the influence of public and road safety issues, as well as gender, income, and trip characteristics such as purpose and access distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses the issue of low energy quality for low-income consumers, exploring whether the quality of electricity supplied to the low-income population is inferior to other residential consumers. The analysis is built by comparing various electricity service quality indicators among different groups of consumers. The study used different specifications of linear and nonlinear panel data, with disaggregated information in more than 300 million observations of consumer units served by Enel-GO (Goiás, Brazil) between 2014 and 2017. The results corroborate the study hypothesis, with consumers classified as low-income receiving lower-quality electricity than other consumers. • The article analyze whether low-income residential consumers receive worse quality energy when compared to other residential consumers. • The results reinforced our hypothesis that low-income residential consumers actually pay for low-quality energy, that is, with more interruptions to the detriment of other consumers. • The results are in line with the literature that states that power outages are affected by two main groups of variables: environmental and infrastructure. • The article therefore contributes to of the literature that points to the need for a more in-depth look at energy quality, respecting heterogeneity, especially for the poorest population in underdeveloped and developing countries. • The article makes some notes to ANEEL about the need to review its energy quality policy, in order to minimize impacts on the low-income population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are large differences in health care among countries. A higher perioperative mortality rate (POMR) in neonates than in older children and adults has been recognized worldwide. The aim of this study was to provide a systematic review of published 24-h and 30-day POMRs in neonates from 2011 to 2022 in countries with different Human Development Index (HDI) levels. A systematic review with a meta-analysis of studies that reported 24-h and 30-day POMRs in neonates was performed. We searched the databases from January 2011 to July 30, 2022. The POMRs (per 10,000 procedures under anesthesia) were analyzed according to country HDI. The HDI levels ranged from 0 to 1, representing the lowest and highest levels, respectively (very-high-HDI: ≥ 0.800, high-HDI: 0.700–0.799, medium-HDI: 0.550–0.699, and low-HDI: < 0.550). The magnitude of the POMRs by country HDI was studied using meta-analysis. Eighteen studies from 45 countries were included. The 24-h (n = 96 deaths) and 30-day (n = 459 deaths) POMRs were analyzed from 33,729 anesthetic procedures. The odds ratios (ORs) of the 24-h POMR in low-HDI countries were higher than those in very-high- (OR 8.4, 95% CI 1.7–40.4; p = 0.008), high- (OR 7.3, 95% CI 2.2–24.4; p = 0.001) and medium-HDI countries (OR 7.7, 95% CI 3.1–18.7; p < 0.0001) but with no odds differences between very-high- and high-HDI countries (p = 0.879), very-high- and medium-HDI countries (p = 0.915) and high- and medium-HDI countries (p = 0.689). The odds of a 30-day POMR in low-HDI countries were higher than those in very-high-HDI countries (OR 6.9, 95% CI 1.9–24.6; p = 0.002) but not in high-HDI countries (OR 1.4, 95% CI 0.6–3.0; p = 0.396). The review demonstrated very high global POMRs in a surgical population of neonates independent of the country HDI level. We identified differences in 24-h and 30-day POMRs between low-HDI countries and other countries with higher HDI levels. • A review on the neonatal 24-h and 30-day perioperative mortality rates (POMRs) • Mortality was assessed according to countries' Human Development Indexes (HDIs) • The review showed high global 24-h POMR and very high global 30-day POMR • The 24-h and 30-day POMRs are substantially high in low-HDI countries • Neonates represent a challenge in perioperative care in all countries in this century [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]