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This study addresses urban vulnerability in the Barcelona metropolitan area. The first stage involved constructing an urban vulnerability index of metropolitan neighbourhoods to establish a hierarchical structure and carry out a longitudinal analysis for the period 2001-2011, identifying change and persistence within the index hierarchy. The second stage entailed conducting an explanatory analysis of the permanence of, and transition to, extreme vulnerability, focusing on the role of institutional thickness. A methodology new to urban studies was used that was based on Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). The results showed persistent extreme vulnerability in the area and provided evidence that institutional thickness plays a complex and limited role in this phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses urban vulnerability in the Barcelona metropolitan area. The first stage involved constructing an urban vulnerability index of metropolitan neighbourhoods to establish a hierarchical structure and carry out a longitudinal analysis for the period 2001-2011, identifying change and persistence within the index hierarchy. The second stage entailed conducting an explanatory analysis of the permanence of, and transition to, extreme vulnerability, focusing on the role of institutional thickness. A methodology new to urban studies was used that was based on Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). The results showed persistent extreme vulnerability in the area and provided evidence that institutional thickness plays a complex and limited role in this phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to contribute to the debate on the gender impact of telework, using the home lockdown of the Catalonian population during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study. Specifically, men’s and women’s experiences and evaluations of remote work are analysed based on a survey on time-use during the lockdown conducted by the Centre Estudis Opinió. The results indicate that the experience of remote work, far from fostering co-responsibility in domestic and care work, further reinforced the gender gap in reproductive labour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strength of a tie is feature commonly studied in the analysis of personal networks. It is data apparently simple to create, that offers a great predictive potential on the exchanges that take place within a relationship, and of its position within the network. However, the wide diversity of indicators that can be found in the literature show evidence of the vagueness in the definition of the concept and the subsequent difficulty to operationalize it, returning mixed results in empirical observation. With this theoretical, methodological and empirical revision, the authors aim to contribute to the definition of the concept. A theoretical dimensionalization of the concept is proposed, distinguishing the expressive, social and structural aspects of the notion. A comparison of various indicators of the different dimensions is offered, using a sample of 441 personal networks and 13,230 relationships, from a survey conducted in Catalonia between 2009 and 2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antibiotics are overprescribed for respiratory tract infections (RTIs). However, the decision to prescribe is often complex. Delayed antibiotic prescription (DAP), a strategy designed to promote more rational antibiotic use, is still not widely used. The aim of this study was to explore perceptions and attitudes in primary care professionals, regarding antibiotic use and different DAP strategies for uncomplicated RTIs. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study, using an inductive thematic approach to generate themes, based on focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with professionals, recruited from 6 primary care centres (Barcelona metropolitan area, Spain). Results: 26 professionals (25 family physicians and one nurse) were included in four focus group discussions and three semi-structured interviews. Participants commented that RTIs were a main reason for consultation, motivated often by patient anxiety and fear of possible complications, and this was associated with the patients' poor health-related education. Acknowledging inappropriate antibiotic use in the health system, participants attributed this, mainly to defensive medicine strategies. DAP was used when in doubt about the aetiology, and considering factors related to patient-physician interactions. The main perceived advantage of DAP was that it could reduce the need for additional visits, while the main disadvantage was uncertainty regarding proper use by the patient. Conclusions: DAP was used by participants in cases of doubt, in specific situations, and for specific patient profiles. Weak points were detected in our primary care system and its users that affect the proper use of both antibiotics and DAP, namely, time pressure on professionals, poor patient health-related education, and the lack of a patient-physician relationship in some scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]