Depressive Symptoms Among Children and Adolescents in Iran: A Confirmatory Factor Analytic Study of the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children

This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Iranian translation of the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC) in school children and adolescents in Iran. The CES-DC is a 20-item self-report scale designed to measure depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. A total of 1,984 children and adolescents, aged 12–17 years, participated in this research. In addition to the CES-DC, all participants completed the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS) and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The CES-DC demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach Alpha = .87). Confirmatory factor analyses revealed the same four factor structure as proposed by Radloff. Invariance tests showed an equivalent structure among boys and girls and younger and older adolescents. The CES-DC total scores correlated significantly with the SCAS total scores and the SDQ emotional symptoms subscale, providing support of its convergent validity. To conclude, the CES-DC proved to be a reliable and valid measure of depressive symptoms in the Iranian context.     

Host odor synergizes attraction of virgin female Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae)

The sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis Lutz & Neiva (Diptera: Psychodidae) is the principle vector of Leishmania chagasi/infantum Cunha and Chagas, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis. The disease is transmitted by blood-feeding females, which seek aggregations of males above potential hosts both to mate and blood-feed. Pheromones produced by male sand flies could potentially be used as lures in L. longipalpis control programs. We investigated whether attraction of male and female sand flies to pheromone could be increased by addition of host odor. Pheromone was attractive to females in the absence of host odor, although a 10-fold increase in concentration did not increase numbers attracted or reduce the proportion of flies not responding during trials. Odors from Syrian hamsters, Mesocricetus auratus, were more attractive to females than air when presented without sex pheromone, but this effect was masked by hexane, suggesting attraction to host odor alone may be relatively weak. Addition of hamster odor both increased the number of virgin female L. longipalpis attracted to sex pheromone (relative to a solvent control) and reduced the number of nonresponders, indicating that host odor may have both a synergistic and activating effect. Male sand flies were not attracted to pheromone with or without host odor, although addition of pheromone did counteract an apparent avoidance of host odor combined with a hexane control. These results indicate L. longipalpis pheromones function primarily to attract females and that their efficacy as lures may be increased through addition of host odor, or by deploying traps in the vicinity of host animals.     

An Exploratory Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of the Connected Health Intervention to Improve Care for People with Dementia: A Simulation Analysis

Many people with dementia live in the community; thus, supporting informal caregivers is critical. The Connected Health intervention facilitates collection and sharing of patient data among informal caregivers and providers to identify emerging patient needs and support rapid decision-making. This study estimates the costs of care of dementia using time-driven activity based costing of an exemplar patient. Intervention costs and health utility values were derived from a feasibility study of the intervention. A Markov model produced estimates of the cost-effectiveness of the intervention under four scenarios: (1) a minimal effect of the intervention on disease progression; (2) moderate effects on disease progression, and minimal effects on quality of life (QOL) and cost; (3) minimal effects on disease progression and QOL, and a moderate effect on cost; (4) moderate effects on disease progression and cost, with minimal effects on QOL. Cost estimates of formal and informal care ranged from €3713 to €7614 per month. Intervention costs were €484 per month. Under scenarios 2, 3 and 4, the cost per quality-adjusted life year of the intervention falls below €45,000, the threshold below which the Health Information and Quality Authority in Ireland generally accepts interventions as cost-effective. The results suggest that the intervention would be cost-effective with limited reductions in rates of disease progression and cost of care, and with minimal improvements in quality of life. Future research should consider the specific experiences of intervention patients.     

Empowering senior citizens for healthy nutrition in Germany: A pilot study

Main goal of this study was to analyse how empowerment processes and bottom‐up activities aimed at healthier food choices and food environment could be initiated among a group of senior citizens (between 60 and 75 years old). The intervention was set up as a pilot study in a rural community (15,000 inhabitants) in the federal state of Bavaria, South Eastern Germany. A process evaluation documented how group formation and empowerment processes developed during the course of the intervention. Extensive field notes were taken in 27 meetings, interviews (n = 13) and focus groups (n = 4) were conducted with participants and key persons at different points of the intervention. Data were analysed using content analysis. The intervention succeeded in motivating senior citizens to participate in regular meetings over 11 months. During the intervention, the group members’ awareness of factors influencing their eating behaviour increased. Furthermore, they developed ideas to improve the community's food environment and accomplished duties needed to implement these ideas. However, initiating empowerment processes, especially in terms of fostering leadership and transferring responsibility, took longer than expected and could be realised only partially. The findings support a further use and evaluation of the empowerment approach for addressing nutritional aspects among senior citizens.     

Alcohol use and the wage returns to education and work experience

Despite a widely held belief that alcohol use should negatively impact wages, much of the literature on the topic suggests a positive relationship between nonproblematic alcohol use and wages. Studies on the effect of alcohol use on educational attainment have also failed to find a consistent, negative effect of alcohol use on years of education. Thus, the connections between alcohol use, human capital, and wages remain a topic of debate in the literature. In this study, we use the 1997 cohort of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to estimate a theoretical model of wage determination that links alcohol use to wages via human capital. We find that nonbinge drinking is associated with lower wage returns to education whereas binge drinking is associated with increased wage returns to both education and work experience. We interpret these counterintuitive results as evidence that alcohol use affects wages through both the allocative and productive efficiency of human capital formation and that these effects operate in offsetting directions. We suggest that alcohol control policies should be more nuanced to target alcohol consumption in the contexts within which it causes harm.