Sustainable Development Goal 1: No Poverty (1975)

The importance and role of tourism around the world is not new; it is enough to mention that tourism represents one of the fastest-growing and most profitable global economic sectors. However, tourism has negative impacts in destinations, such as the displacement and relocation of communities and disruption of economic systems, socio-political processes and organizations. It must be recognized that new strategies are required, because growth itself is not sufficient to fight poverty and inequality. Local people, especially the disadvantaged sections of the communities, need to be protagonists and able to control the tourism sector and benefit from it. The aim of this paper is to contribute to wellbeing, sustainability, and tourism research by proposing issues and ways forward related to enhancing well-being through community-based tourism (CBT). The paper is divided into three sections. The first focuses on CBT approaches. The second concerns the conceptual framework of wellbeing, with special emphasis on wellbeing in tourism, including host/guest relations; we present different evaluations of wellbeing, e.g., (socio-cultural, psychological, economic, and environmental). The third section discusses how wellbeing is presented in CBT and proposes ways forward for research. The paper is theoretical, and is based on previous literature and institutional and organizational documents. Full article

The United Nation’s Agenda 2030, with its seventeen sustainable development goals, aims to alleviate poverty and reduce social inequality, among other things. The political program provokes numerous ambitious measures but leaves room for various definitions and interpretations about which measures perform well. The challenge lies in understanding poverty and inequality in ways that move beyond a pure income-related perspective. In accepting this challenge, measures have been elabourated, which are supposed to advise the Austrian government in their efforts to implement the SDGs. The ‘unconditional basic income’ and the ‘all citizens’ insurance scheme’ represent two approaches among those measures, which call themselves for a comprehensive consideration of social justice. Both approaches will be discussed in terms of their political and normative claims. While basic income remains dominated by income, the insurance scheme engages with the question of who is entitled to benefits. Both approaches are ultimately unable to unfold their potentials as long as a territorial–administrative space concept is utilized. Since urban environments have their own specific social and spatial characteristics, it is essential to trigger a thorough discussion of political concepts which cope with the particular causes and effects of urban poverty, exclusion and inequality. Full article

The goal of the basic business perspective has switched from previously maximizing profit to the current three fields of environment, society, and the economy, within the viewpoint of corporate social responsibility (CSR). This study, from the perspective of sustainability, discusses the current business model of the relationship between CSR and the performance of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), a state−owned bank, with SBM-DEA and Tobit regression methods, and it puts forward a direction for improvement for future business models. Through the analysis of the years from 2010 to 2018, it has been found that the years with the best performances are 2010, 2011, and 2018, and some empirical evidence from the ICBC is as follows. First, corporate financial leverage closely follows gross domestic product (GDP) growth in terms of utilizing total assets. The ICBC seems to place less attention on its sales and on the number of deposits because of its high ratio of government stock holdings. Second, the ICBC raises labor productivity through education and training of its employees as well as through the proper utilization of capital for input-side management. Lastly, performance has improved as the ICBC has focused more on long-term society contributions, which are directed toward charity donations, loans for poverty alleviation, and green economy development in terms of output-side management. Therefore, through the above three CSR strategies, the ICBC has positively contributed toward environmental innovation and the societal transition of China, and its practices can be used as a sustainable model for future development. Full article

In northeastern Brazil, a region with extreme droughts and the smallest rainfall index in the whole country, water sources are crucial to ensure the survival of humans and nonhumans in this semi-arid region, known as sertão nordestino. Since the mid-twentieth century, classical cultural expressions focusing on this area have emphasized poverty in a desert of dry vegetation. Unlike romanticized portrayals of the backland in the 1990s, contemporary visual culture resorts to speculative and science fictional elements to reflect on possible futures amidst pressing socio-environmental challenges in the Capitalocene. This article examines how speculative and science-fictional elements in the film Bacurau (2019) by Juliano Dornelles and Kleber Mendonça Filho and the sertãopunk comic Cangaço Overdrive (2018) by Zé Wellington and Walter Geovani configure human–nonhuman and life–death entanglements to rearticulate both the representation of these communities as backward or picturesque and their historical de-futuring due to neo-colonialism and extractivism. These Brazilian visual productions problematize the notion of sustainability as a linear progression of human-centric futurity. In a dialogue between feminist posthumanist (Donna Haraway) and decolonial (T. J. Demos) works and the visual productions, I offer the notion of ‘vernacular sustainabilities’ that decenters the human while fashioning new conceptualizations of entangled and diverging futures in the sertão. Full article

There are few studies on lead’s effect on bone mineral density (BMD) in childhood. In this study, we examined the association between lead exposure and BMD among 13,951 children and adolescents aged 8–19 years from NHANES 1999–2006 and 2011–2018. The whole blood lead levels (BLLs) were used as lead exposure biomarkers, and total BMD, subtotal BMD, lumbar spine BMD and limb BMD were used as outcome variables. The survey weighted multivariable generalized additive models (GAMs) with smoothing terms were used to explore the association between blood lead levels and BMDs, adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, height, weight, family-income-to-poverty ratio and blood cadmium. Subgroup analyses stratified by sex and bony sites were further performed. We found an N-shaped curve association between BLLs and total BMD, subtotal BMD and limb BMD for males and females, whereas the association between BLLs and lumbar spine BMD was only significantly negative for females. The findings suggested that lead exposure had different effects on BMD of different bony sites (highly cortical or trabecular regions) in childhood and adolescence and had different effects on the same bone among different ages population and/or at different levels. Full article

The concept of water poverty integrates water stress, access to safe water and sanitation, socioeconomic capacity, water uses and environmental aspects. This study presents a new concept to demonstrate gender-differentiated impacts of water poverty for different livelihood groups in a peri-urban setting. The objective is to identify how gender and livelihood groups are affected by dynamic water poverty. A few peri-urban areas around Dhaka city were selected as the study area, and male and female industrial workers, small-scale male and female farmers, and economically inactive women were the target groups. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey of 220 respondents and using a number of participatory appraisal tools, such as focus group discussions, and semi-structured and key-informant interviews. Water poverty was assessed by its five components: resource, access, capacity, use and environment. Peri-urban water poverty is found not only to be limited to scarcity, or physical availability, of water resources, but also to encompass political, social, economic and institutional dimensions. The study found that inadequate availability and quality of water, restricted access and use, poor socioeconomic capacity and fragile environment affected every livelihood group, but these factors eventually led to extreme impoverishment for adolescent girls, and physically challenged and elderly women. Suggestions are provided as to how gender issues of water can be balanced at different levels to make water management decisions gender-sensitive. Full article

Nearly 40% of the world’s population lives within 100 kilometres of the coast with the risk that this implies in terms of exposure to the effects of climate change. Ocean energy, according to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) in 2019, has been identified as one of the measures for mitigating these effects. In addition, ocean energy can play an essential role in achieving some of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) set at the Paris Climate Summit in 2015, namely SDG 7 (clean and affordable energy) and SDG 13 (climate action) and could have a substantial impact on others such as SDG 1 (poverty eradication), SDG 2 (end hunger), SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 6 (universal energy access), SDG 8 (promote sustainable economic growth), SDG 9 (build resilient infrastructure), SDG 14 (sustainable conservation of oceans and seas) and SDG 17 (promote sustainable development cooperation). There are several projects under development around the world aimed at extracting energy from waves. However, to date, no technology has been found that, in general terms, is superior to others. There are several conditioning factors that prevent this type of energy from reaching the level of maturity of other marine renewable energies. These are mainly economic, technological, environmental, and regulatory, to mention the most important. This article aims to analyse the approaches that other researchers have adopted to evaluate wave energy projects and, through a prospective method of expert consultation such as the Delphi methodology, will present the most generally accepted criteria for successful wave energy projects. Subsequently, the validity of these results will be analysed for the case of the use of the energy produced for self-consumption in ports. Full article

We explore what associations Norwegian citizens have with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through an analysis of their knowledge of and attitudes towards these goals. To achieve this, we combine three methodological approaches: (1) structural topic modelling (STM) providing topic prevalence, (2) manual content analysis including exploration of attitudes, and (3) analysis of how individuals’ background characteristics relate to expressions of negative or positive sentiments towards SDGs. The data consist of 4046 answers to an open-ended question, formulated as follows: What comes to mind when you read or hear the expression ‘UN Sustainability Development Goals?’, fielded during the autumn of 2020, through a survey at the Norwegian Citizen Panel/DIGSSCORE. Major findings: The most prevalent topics associated with the SDGs are poverty, climate/environment, resources, future generations and consumption. The analysis indicates that the Norwegian awareness-raising campaigns have been relatively successful. However, the manual analysis shows that the SDG is an unknown concept for 12% of the respondents, and that 10% hold a negative view. Nine percent of the respondents hold a positive view of the goals. In addition, their attitudes differ clearly according to various background variables (gender, age, political preference). The findings are important for further efforts to spread knowledge of, and raise interest in, the SDGs, at different levels (government, regional and local contexts). Full article

Background: The capability approach conceptualizes poverty as capability deprivation. Given that functionings and opportunities as key factors are diverse, the combination of a varied lack of functionings and opportunities will lead to different deprivation patterns. Therefore, we sought to investigate the association between the category of capacity deprivation and the subjective acquisition of rural households. Methods: Data were collected from the micro survey of 892 households in six provinces. The overall sense of acquisition was measured by self-assessment of life satisfaction and the relative sense of gain was measured by self-assessment of social status and communication confidence. Capability deprivation was assessed through evaluation functionings and opportunities for a better life, such as education, social security, medical and health services, living conditions and spiritual and cultural activities. The factor mixture models were used to investigate the group categories of capability deprivation and ordered probit regression was used to estimate the associations between the categories of capability deprivation and sense of gain. Results: There were mild, moderate and severe differences among the deprivation items reflecting functionings and opportunities. In addition, capability deprivation was grouped into four classes: double deprivation of functionings and opportunities, severe deprivation of opportunities, functionings deprivation and non-poverty. There was a significant negative relationship between deprivation classes and the subjective sense of gain. Conclusion: The deprivation from some social participation functions and services led to a reduced sense of acquisition. However, serious deprivations from educational opportunities and social participation opportunities were the main reason for the lower sense of gain. Eliminating the unequal educational opportunities and social participation opportunities for people is imperative to improving the subjective sense of gain. Full article

The public housing stock across the European Union is generally constituted of old buildings (built prior to 1980) with high energy demand and indoor thermal comfort issues, which could be exacerbated by climate change. The aim of this paper was to quantify the impact of climate change on the energy demand of the public housing building stock. A neighbourhood located in Bari (south Italy) is considered as representative of a common construction typology of late 1970s in Italy. Energy models were created and calibrated with real-time data collected from utilities’ bills. The results showed a medium to strong correlation between age and energy consumption (r = 0.358), but no evident correlation between the number of tenants and energy consumption, although a significantly low energy consumption was found in apartments occupied by more than five tenants. An energy penalty of about 7 kWh/m² of heating energy consumption for every 10 years of increase in the average age of tenants was calculated. Moreover, the impact of future weather scenarios on energy consumptions was analysed and an average annual energy penalty of 0.3 kWh/m² was found. Full article

Background: Some (minority) groups (MGs) are more vulnerable to sexual violence (SV) exposure than others. Othering-based stress (OBS) may mediate the relationship between minority identification and SV. This study aims to assess the prevalence of SV in different MGs to explore the relationship between minority identification and SV, to investigate whether belonging to multiple MGs moderates this relationship, and to explore OBS SV moderation for different MGs. Method: Through an online survey administered to a nationally representative sample in Belgium, data was collected from 4632 persons, of whom 21.01% self-identified as belonging to a MG (SI-Minority). SV prevalence was measured using behaviorally specific questions based on the WHO definition of SV. SI-Minority participants received an additional scale on OBS. Results: SI-Minority participants reported more SV victimization compared to the non-minorities. However, this increased risk was not moderated by minority identification but linked to the socio-demographic SV risk markers common to minority individuals. Multiple-minority participants were found more at risk of SV compared to single-minority respondents. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, pan-/omnisexual, asexual, and other non-heterosexual (LGB+) participants were found more at risk than heterosexual participants. OBS was found to be significantly correlated to SV in sexual and gender minorities and in cultural minorities. Conclusions: This study contributes to our understanding of the relationship between minority identification, OBS, and SV. Studying both specific and common SV vulnerabilities and outcomes within specific societal subgroups and the general population may inform policy makers when allocating resources to those interventions with the largest societal impact. Full article

Tourism’s capacity to alleviate poverty is one of the most important subjects in tourism studies, as tourism is capable of boosting economic growth and generating employment. On the other hand, it is known that lack of income and unemployment have negative effects on outbound tourism; however, the relationship between outbound tourism and poverty has been understudied. In this paper, we compute a vector autoregressive (VAR) model to analyze the relationship between tourist departures from Mexico and a modified misery index to measure the effect of the loss of well-being, measured in terms of this index, on the number of outbound tourists. The results indicate that increases in the misery index have negative effects on the number of outbound tourists. Conversely, there is no statistically significant effect of tourist departures on the misery index. The results also suggest that the depreciation of the national currency exerts a positive effect on the misery index. Finally, based on the historical decomposition analysis, it was verified that the misery index was not closely related to outbound tourism during the first COVID-19 wave. Full article

Police violence is a multidimensional issue that requires consideration of the violent events and how these events reflect systemic oppression. Violence and policing practices are influenced by race and ethnicity, place/neighborhood, structural inequality, and racism. We performed an integrated literature review to critically evaluate the current evidence, focusing on the racial composition of communities and neighborhoods and its association with police-involved violence and fatal shootings between 2000 and 2022. We used Scopus and Web of Science to include peer-reviewed articles in English that studied racial/ethnic differences in police-involved violence in the United States between January 2000 and February 2022. We excluded prior systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and articles on drug-related arrests. Using a PRISMA approach from 651 identified articles, we included 37 articles. Our findings showed that racial/ethnic minorities are disproportionately stopped, experience a higher probability of arrest, and are more commonly subjected to police-involved fatal shootings. Victims are more likely to live in neighborhoods with lower income and distressed communities of color, higher poverty ratios, and the highest levels of criminal violence. Citizens reporting of negative interactions with police is strongly associated with race/ethnicity. Maintaining the highest standards of professional practice consistent with the law and protections guaranteed by the Constitution may reduce police violence. In addressing police violence, policymakers not only need to consider the multidisciplinary nature of vulnerability to address the needs of vulnerable populations and create a collaborative environment but also to control police violence. Considering community-based approaches, encouraging training to interact with minority individuals, and adjusting the racial composition of the police officers by the racial composition of communities are other strategies; more importantly, prioritizing strategies to reduce social inequality and structural racism are crucial. Full article

Background: Schistosomiasis is a major poverty-related disease caused by dioecious parasitic flatworms of the genus Schistosoma with a health impact on both humans and animals. Hybrids of human urogenital schistosome and bovine intestinal schistosome have been reported in humans in several of Nigeria’s neighboring West African countries. No empirical studies have been carried out on the genomic diversity of Schistosoma haematobium in Nigeria. Here, we present novel data on the presence and prevalence of hybrids and the population genetic structure of S. haematobium. Methods: 165 Schistosoma-positive urine samples were obtained from 12 sampling sites in Nigeria. Schistosoma haematobium eggs from each sample were hatched and each individual miracidium was picked and preserved in Whatman^® FTA cards for genomic analysis. Approximately 1364 parasites were molecularly characterized by rapid diagnostic multiplex polymerase chain reaction (RD-PCR) for mitochondrial DNA gene (Cox1 mtDNA) and a subset of 1136 miracidia were genotyped using a panel of 18 microsatellite markers. Results: No significant difference was observed in the population genetic diversity (p > 0.05), though a significant difference was observed in the allelic richness of the sites except sites 7, 8, and 9 (p < 0.05). Moreover, we observed two clusters of populations: west (populations 1–4) and east (populations 7–12). Of the 1364 miracidia genotyped, 1212 (89%) showed an S. bovis Cox1 profile and 152 (11%) showed an S. haematobium cox1 profile. All parasites showed an S. bovis Cox1 profile except for some at sites 3 and 4. Schistosoma miracidia full genotyping showed 59.3% of the S. bovis ITS2 allele. Conclusions: This study provides novel insight into hybridization and population genetic structure of S. haematobium in Nigeria. Our findings suggest that S. haematobium x S. bovis hybrids are common in Nigeria. More genomic studies on both human- and animal-infecting parasites are needed to ascertain the role of animals in schistosome transmission. Full article

This study examined households’ poverty status and willingness to pay for renewable energy technologies (RETs) in Southwestern Nigeria. Three hundred and four households in Southwestern Nigeria were surveyed. Households were grouped into poor and non-poor using two-thirds of the mean per capita expenditure (MPCE), and poverty depth and severity were calculated using the Foster–Greer–Thorbecke (FGT) poverty measure. The poverty line (two-thirds of the MPCE) for the households was calculated to be ₦80,412.57 and the poverty depth 0.0827. The results of Heckman’s two-stage model revealed that age, marital status, level of education, household size, house location, income and awareness about RETs are factors influencing surveyed households’ WTP and payout levels for RETs. Full article

The digital transition processes have demonstrated an enormous capacity to develop and implement sustainable solutions, which allow solving several problems such as poverty, high rates of species extinction and lack of equal opportunity. However, little attention is paid to the connection between the digital transition and sustainability. Thus, a systematic bibliometric literature review was developed to fill this knowledge gap and demonstrate the potential contributions of the digital transition to environmental, economic, and social sustainability aspects. In environmental sustainability, the digital transition involves the application of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), and mobile technologies that are used to develop and implement sustainability solutions in areas such as sustainable urban development, sustainable production, and pollution control. In economic sustainability, emerging digital technologies can drive transformation into a more sustainable circular economy, the digital sharing economy, and establish sustainable manufacturing and infrastructure design. In the digital transition to social sustainability, the studies analyzed demonstrate the need for multidimensional policy perspectives to address the current digital divide. For effective management of the digital transition that achieves sustainability goals, the study discusses alternative approaches that include innovation through experimentation and dynamic and sustainable advantages achievable through temporary benefits. Full article

Poor health and poverty interact and restrict each other. While this relationship is acknowledged, little is known about the extent of its impact. By integrating multisource data, this study used spatial econometric models to quantitatively reveal the relationship between health and rural poverty and explore its intrinsic mechanisms. The results indicated that health-care system input, individual health status, and individual health-seeking behavior have a significantly positive effect on the eradication of rural poverty. The health-care system input is characterized by spatial spillover, significantly contributing to rural poverty alleviation in the region and neighboring regions, as well. However, the effect of health-care system services’ capability was negative. Thus, it is necessary to increase investment in the health-care system and pay attention to both the health status and healthy behaviors of rural residents. Moreover, further effort should be given to the supply-side reform of health services as a breakthrough point. Full article

Events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, that rapidly impact global communication and travel have significant consequences for the tourism industry, which is one of the pillars of global development. We assess the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the Colca y Volcanes de Andagua UNESCO Global Geopark in Peru. The Colca y Volcanes de Andagua Geopark was established immediately prior to the pandemic in October 2019. The instability of the government in Peru during the pandemic and the difficult living conditions in the high Andes, such as the lack of drinking water, cleaning agents, medical care, and the high levels of poverty, particularly in the geopark region, has contributed to the significantly high COVID-19 infection rates. In addition, detrimental impacts faced by the local community are a direct result of a reduction in travellers to the area due to legislative restrictions, which have had negative consequences on the local tourism industry. There is an urgent need for the recovery of the local tourism industry to prevent the permanent closure of tourism facilities and to minimise poverty rates. Full article

Background: Physical activity (PA) has been identified as a promising intervention to improve executive function (EF) and reduce ADHD symptoms in children. Few African American children with ADHD and Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBDs) from families with low incomes are represented in this literature. The purpose of this study is to test the relationships between PA and sedentary time (ST), and EF and academic skills among African American children with ADHD and DBD from low-income families. Methods: Children (n = 23, 6–13 years old) wore an ActiGraph for one week to measure PA and ST. EF was measured through parent report and direct neuropsychological tests. Academic skills were measured with the Curriculum-Based Measurement System. Bivariate correlations tested relationships between PA, ST, EF, and academic skills. Results: A significant correlation was observed between vigorous PA time and parent reported EF (r = −0.46, p = 0.040). Light PA and moderate PA were not related to EF or academic skills, and neither was ST. Conclusions: Vigorous PA may prove useful as an adjunct treatment to improve EF in African American children with ADHD and DBD in low-income neighborhoods. Research using experimental and longitudinal designs, and examining qualitative features of PA experiences, will be critical for understanding relationships between PA, academic skills, and EF in this population. Full article

Onshore wind energy has been one of the most promising new renewable energy sources in the Northeast region of Brazil. This technology has generated long-term energy without serious socio-environmental impacts for some and, therefore, has been considered clean, renewable, and sustainable. However, given its spatial complexity, water scarcity, and social poverty of indigenous populations, the development of wind energy in vulnerable areas of this region raises socio-ecological concerns. Hence, studies of sustainability challenges are essential. The aim of this article is to systematically review the main multidimensional sustainability challenges of studies on onshore wind power generation, resulting in a quick scoping review of the literature. The study highlighted the promise of onshore wind generation in the current period of climatic and socio-ecological crises, but also highlighted some resulting socio-ecological problems, such as: deforestation for the construction of wind farms, expropriation of subsistence arable land, generation of turbine noise, insignificant employment, maintenance of inequalities, rural–city migration, extinction of cultural traditions, and food insecurity. This review offers an overview of wind energy generation, aiming to inform society and decision makers about the nature of challenges that lead to unsustainability arising from wind energy technology. Full article

Climate change continues to have adverse effects on crop yields in Africa and globally. In Morocco, rising temperatures and declining precipitation are having daunting effects on the vulnerability of crops. This study examines the vulnerability of barley, maize, and wheat to variations in growing season precipitation and socio-economic proxies of adaptive capacity such as literacy and poverty rates at both national and sub-national scales in Morocco. The methodology is based on a composite vulnerability index (vulnerability is a function of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity). National and sub-national crop yield data used to compute the sensitivity index were downloaded from FAOSTAT and the global crop yield gaps Atlas. The mean annual growing season precipitation data at both the national and sub-national scales used to compute the exposure index were downloaded from the world bank climate portal. Proxy data for adaptive capacity in the form of literacy and poverty rates were downloaded from the world bank, figshare, and MPR archives. The CANESM model was used to validate the crop yield observations. The results show that wheat shows the lowest vulnerability and the highest adaptive capacity, while maize has the highest vulnerability and lowest adaptive capacity. Sub-nationally, vulnerability indexes decrease northwards while adaptive capacity and normalized growing season precipitation increase northwards. Wheat also shows the lowest vulnerability and highest adaptive capacity and normalized growing season precipitation at each latitude northward. Model validation shows that the models used here reproduce most of the spatial patterns of the crops concerned. These findings have implications for climate change adaptation and climate policy in Morocco, as it becomes evident which of these most cultivated crops are more vulnerable nationally and spatially. These results have implications for future research, as it might be important to understand how these crops perform under growing season temperature as well as what future projections and yield gaps can be observed. Full article

The aim of the article is to assess of development of poverty in EU countries in 2010 and 2019. The study used the model method of the linear ordering of objects—TOPSIS, considering the distance of each object from both the pattern and the non-pattern development. The originality of the work consists in the use of primary data obtained from the Eurostat database and the winsorized data that were created on the basis of outliers. The indicators characterizing the first goal of sustainable development—“No poverty” were used. The results of the research indicate that the inhabitants of western Europe and Scandinavia are less affected by poverty than the population of eastern and southern Europe. The division of countries according to the scale of poverty is reflected in the level of GDP per capita. Full article

Agriculture plays a prominent role in the economy of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and has considerable production potential. One of the most populous and poorest provinces in DRC is South Kivu, where many people live below the poverty line. This paper aimed to understand agricultural development’s role in reducing poverty and maintaining rural households’ food security in the DRC. This study developed a questionnaire to evaluate the household identity, source of income, access to land, crops grown on the land, farming and animal husbandry practices, and constraints faced by households in relation to agriculture. The survey included meetings with farm heads, data collection from 120 households on household characteristics of their livelihoods (human capital, land capital, social capital, financial, etc.), as well as an overview of living conditions and income from agricultural activities. The data were processed and analyzed using R 3.6.2 and Excel software. The results showed that access to land is problematic with relatively small farms, especially when one considers that household size is high and therefore, the “area per farm” ratio is low. Moreover, agriculture generates very little income and it is therefore very difficult for a farmer to emerge from poverty. As a result, implementing an effective and equitable anti-poverty policy in rural areas is important to address the issue of farming household incomes and target low incomes from all sources of income. Full article

To determine the association between altitude and the Framingham risk score in the Peruvian population, we performed a cross-sectional analytical study of data collected by the 2017–2018 Food and Nutrition Surveillance by Life Stages survey. The outcome of this study was the Framingham 10-year cardiovascular disease event risk prediction, which is composed of six modifiable and non-modifiable coronary risk factors. A generalized linear model (GLM) of the gamma family and log link function was used to report the crude and adjusted β coefficients. Several sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the association of interest. Data from a total of 833 surveyed participants were included. After adjusting for educational level, poverty level, alcohol consumption, physical activity level, the presence of any limitation, obesity, and area of residence, it was observed that altitude ≥ 2500 m above sea level (β = −0.42 [95% CI: −0.69 to −0.16]) was negatively and significantly associated with a decrease in the Framingham 10-year risk score. High altitude was significantly and negatively associated with Framingham 10-year risk scores. Our results will allow prevention strategies considering modifiable risk factors to avoid the development of cardiovascular diseases, especially in people living at low altitudes. Full article

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease associated with poverty. In the European Union TB tends to concentrate in urban settings. In Lisbon, previous studies revealed, the presence of migrant populations from a high endemic country, is one of the risk factors contributing to TB. To better understand TB in foreign-born individuals in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, a mixed-method case study was undertaken on a TB treatment centre in a high-risk part of urban Portugal. Quantitatively, annual TB cases were analysed from 2008 to 2018, dividing foreign-origin cases into recent migrants and long-term migrants. Qualitatively, we explored recent migrants’ reasons, experiences and perceptions associated with the disease. Our results showed that foreign-born individuals accounted for 45.7% of cases, mainly originated from Angola, Guinea-Bissau, and Cabo Verde. TB in recent migrants increased over the years for Angola and Guinea-Bissau, while for Cabo Verde TB cases were due to migrants residing in Portugal for more than 2 years. Recent migrants’ reasons to travel to Portugal were to study, to live and work, tourism, and seeking better healthcare. Visiting family and friends, historical links and common language were key drivers for the choice of country. Recent migrants and long-term migrants may present distinct background profiles associated with diagnosed TB. Full article

Housing is a social determinant of health, comprising multiple interrelated attributes; the current study was developed to examine whether differences in mental wellbeing across housing tenure types might relate to individual, living, or neighbourhood circumstances. To achieve this aim, an exploratory cross-sectional analysis was conducted using secondary data from a county-wide resident survey undertaken by Cornwall Council in 2017. The survey included questions about individual, living, or neighbourhood circumstances, as well as mental wellbeing (Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale). A random sample of 30,152 households in Cornwall were sent the survey, from whom 11,247 valid responses were received (38% response), but only 4085 (13.5%) provided complete data for this study. Stratified stepwise models were estimated to generate hypotheses about inequalities in mental wellbeing related to housing tenure. Health, life satisfaction, and social connectedness were found to be universal determinants of mental wellbeing, whereas issues related to living circumstances (quality of housing, fuel poverty) were only found to be related to wellbeing among residents of privately owned and rented properties. Sense of safety and belonging (neighbourhood circumstances) were also found to be related to wellbeing, which together suggests that whole system place-based home and people/community-centred approaches are needed to reduce inequalities. Full article

The rural wealth-leader is one of the 10 projects of targeted poverty alleviation in the period of poverty alleviation. As the “leading wild goose” in rural areas, the personal characteristics of the rural wealth-leader directly affect the effect of stabilizing poverty and increasing income of poor farmers. Based on the survey of the rural wealth-leader in 10 cities and 21 counties, this paper systematically analyzes the path of poverty reduction by the rural wealth-leader, combs out the key individual characteristics that affect farmers’ poverty reduction, and puts forward a research hypothesis. Through empirical analysis, the research hypothesis is tested and the influencing mechanism is analyzed. The model results show that: The rural wealth-leader has a significant effect on increasing farmers’ income and eliminating poverty. The rural wealth-leader with high education level and engaged in e-commerce has a significant effect on increasing farmers’ income. Party members and the skilled rural wealth-leaders have a significant impact on rural households’ poverty alleviation. The income increasing effect of culture and education is negatively affected by corporate loans, and the income increasing effect of e-commerce is negatively affected by corporate profits. Therefore, we should improve the profit distribution mode of e-commerce related enterprises to avoid farmers being marginalized in the process of e-commerce development. The skills, management and financial knowledge training of the rural wealth-leaders should be strengthened to improve their knowledge and skills. Meanwhile, supporting fiscal, financial and tax policies should be improved. Full article

Human wellbeing and their quality of life is linked to daylight. However, this is being hindered by the rapid growth of cities, promoted by regulatory frameworks and the interests of property developers that seek high-rise densification and re-densification of certain urban areas, jeopardizing access to daylight. This article proposes a methodology to evaluate the impact of urban re-densification on indoor lighting demand in high-rise buildings in Ecuador and its relationship with energy poverty. It analyzes the urban and building features of Quito, considering the location conditions of buildings and using simulation tools to explore solar irradiance reductions on the façade. It also analyzes increases in lighting demand, while determining the extreme conditions, considering an increase in energy consumption, the average salary, and the Ten Percent Rule. The results show that daylight obstructions and umbral cones generated when facing a high-rise re-densification scenario in the city reduce daylight by between 40% and 80%, generating increases of between 2% and 498% in lighting demand when compared to an unobstructed scenario. These re-densification scenarios may cause significant social problems associated with energy poverty. In conclusion, according to the Ten Percent Rule, buildings should be limited to four stories for streets under 10 m wide, between four and six stories for those between 10 and 14 m, and between six and nine stories for streets that are between 14 and 18 m wide. This research seeks to help public policy developers in making future decisions about risks that are currently not considered in urban planning and that may contradict sustainable development goals. Full article

The analysis of the food environment is used to identify areas with gaps in the availability of healthy foods and can be used as a public policy assessment tool. In recent decades, Chile has implemented several strategies and regulations to improve food environments, with encouraging results. Little is known about the scope of these measures in socially vulnerable environments. This study is part of a project that seeks to build an integrated intervention model for healthy school environments in a vulnerable area of Santiago, Chile. The objective of this study was to evaluate the availability of healthy and unhealthy foods around schools and the relationship between it and socioeconomic determinants of the school community in the Chilean context. A cross-sectional study to measure the food environment of informal markets (street food), formal markets (stores), and institutions (schools) was conducted in and around 12 schools (100 m surrounding schools) in a vulnerable urban area of Santiago, Chile. A lack of healthy foods was observed, which was related to some socio-economic determinants and the multidimensional poverty was the most relevant. The diagnosis of food environments around schools can represent an important target for governments to implement policies focused at improving the availability of healthy foods. Full article

Climate change poses a significant threat to food security, poverty alleviation, and the economic growth generated by agriculture. In 2020, it is anticipated that the massive impacts of climate change, warfare, pests, and spreading infectious diseases will jeopardize food production, damage the supply chains, and over-stretch people’s ability to obtain nutritious foods at affordable/reasonable prices, threatening agricultural markets’ competitiveness. The study compiles information on climate change, competitiveness, and literature that links these phenomena to agricultural market competitiveness. The objective is to investigate the peer-reviewed and gray literature on the subject and explore the link between climate change and agricultural market competitiveness. Moreover, this study aims to find an appropriate technique to validate this assumed relationship. The findings indicate that there is currently no comprehensive measure/composite index for assessing the agricultural sector’s global competitiveness. The majority of used indicators of agricultural competitiveness do not account for the effects of climate change on agricultural market competitiveness. The study concludes by outlining implications/justifications for developing a global agricultural competitiveness index incorporating climate change impacts. The index is essential to maximize the potential of agricultural markets for optimizing the agricultural sectors’ competitiveness, and also to ensure global food security. Full article

Food security is one of the most challenging topics globally; however, the concept of food security has taken on additional dimensions that are general and are less detailed. This study aims to identify the intellectual structure of food security research and the changes in this structure. This paper analyzed 3169 documents from the Web of Science database through a bibliometric review. A review of the published documents shows an increasing trend over the past 46 years. In accordance with co-occurrence analysis, 125 keywords were grouped into five clusters: food security and sustainable development; food security and socioeconomic factors; food security policy and governance; coping strategies for poverty, inequality, and hunger; and modern food security management. This study identifies four streams within food security research: sustainability and environmental, socioeconomic, cultural, and political factors. The paper concludes that even though food security might investigate many significant areas, other new dimensions should still be considered. Further gaps in the literature emerge that present avenues for future research directions. Reviewing indicators and techniques of food security assessment and identifying high-risk groups should be a priority. Full article

The effects associated with the pandemic of COVID-19 have left several consequences. The large confinements have caused formal and independent job losses. Therefore, families have been forced to prioritize their monthly utility bills. Most countries have decided on suspending cuts in utility services and give them payment arrangements for the future instead. In this article, the actions taken in Latin America and Europe are presented. Additionally, for the Chilean case, a mechanism for financing the accumulated debt is proposed. The main objective of this is to establish a procedure that allows users to regain the habit of paying for public utilities (water, electricity and piped gas). Full article

This paper presents the challenges of increasing the energy efficiency investments in European Union (EU) residential buildings in the context of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The paper presents the results of the PRIMES buildings model in key energy policy applications to support cost-effective and fair policy making in buildings across Europe. The model covers, in detail, the building sector for all the EU Member States (MS), segmenting the buildings into many categories. The approach proposed includes non-market barriers in conventional microeconomic modelling, which combined with idiosyncratic preferences can capture poor energy efficiency choices and still represent rational behaviours. The model includes a detailed portrayal of policies specific to the sector, comprising economic and regulatory policies as well as institutional measures. The results of the model show that the removal of non-market barriers is of great importance in reducing energy consumption and increasing both the pace and the depth of renovation investment. However, the institutional measures alone are not enough to induce energy efficiency improvement to the scale required to achieve the climate neutrality objectives. Economic (i.e., subsidies) or regulatory measures (i.e., energy performance standards) are also required to decrease emissions and energy consumption in buildings and the paper compares different configurations thereof. The optimum policy mix obviously derives from a compromise among various aims including the cost-effectiveness of the policy budget and the distributional impacts across building and consumer types. Full article

Striga hermonthica, a member of the Orobanchaceae family, is an obligate root parasite of staple cereal crops, which poses a tremendous threat to food security, contributing to malnutrition and poverty in many African countries. Depleting Striga seed reservoirs from infested soils is one of the crucial approaches to minimize subterranean damage to crops. The dependency of Striga germination on the host-released strigolactones (SLs) has prompted the development of the “Suicidal Germination” strategy to reduce the accumulated seed bank of Striga. The success of aforementioned strategy depends not only on the activity of the applied SL analogs, but also requires suitable application protocol with simple, efficient, and handy formulation for rain-fed African agriculture. Here, we developed a new formulation “Emulsifiable Concentration (EC)” for the two previously field-assessed SL analogs Methyl phenlactonoate 3 (MP3) and Nijmegen-1. The new EC formulation was evaluated for biological activities under lab, greenhouse, mini-field, and field conditions in comparison to the previously used Atlas G-1086 formulation. The EC formulation of SL analogs showed better activities on Striga germination with lower EC₅₀ and high stability under Lab conditions. Moreover, EC formulated SL analogs at 1.0 µM concentrations reduced 89–99% Striga emergence in greenhouse. The two EC formulated SL analogs showed also a considerable reduction in Striga emergence in mini-field and field experiments. In conclusion, we have successfully developed a desired formulation for applying SL analogs as suicidal agents for large-scale field application. The encouraging results presented in this study pave the way for integrating the suicidal germination approach in sustainable Striga management strategies for African agriculture. Full article

The present study addresses the potential of marigold cultivation in terms of income and employment effects in the subtropical region of Jammu. Within the field research, we have surveyed 100 marigold farmers from Jammu and Kathua districts of Jammu Region. The region is of special interest in terms of economic development due to disproportional unemployment rate and high level of poverty. The study finds that marigold cultivation exhibits strong employment and income linkages. Marigold cultivation generates employment opportunities of 124.84 man-days (MD) in a season in comparison to 85.37 MD of rice and 49.58 MDs of wheat. Hence, marigold farming could create more and better-paid rural employment possibilities for peasants and lead to a substantial reduction of the poverty headcount ratios. Furthermore, the Cobb–Douglas production function-based econometric specification shows that farmyard manure (FYM), fertilizers, plant protection, and machine hours have a statistically significant positive effect on marigold yield. The second source of the growth of marigold cultivation is the replacement of subsistence farming with a focus on wheat and rice by marigold farming. We find that this kind of growth does not endanger food security in Jammu and Kathua districts. On the contrary, the growing level of income of the rural population could enhance market demand and a greater willingness to pay for the local agri-food sector and assure a greater level of food security. Full article

The divorce literature has consistently found that—especially women—are negatively affected by relationship dissolution in terms of material wellbeing. There is, however, considerable debate on whether these effects are persistent or temporary. We use fixed effects models and control for the socioeconomic status of individuals who separated between 2011 and 2018 in seven countries for which large scale longitudinal data has recently been harmonized in the Comparative Panel File. We find that the transitory nature of the effect of relationship dissolution on poverty risks for women is similar across countries, but also for some men. We further focus on the role of children in the immediate changes in poverty risks after separation, and again find significant differences between countries. We discuss these findings in light of social policies adopted by these countries, more specifically child and spousal support schemes. We find no distinguishable differences in these support schemes that adequately explain the observed dissimilarities. The implications of this study for the future study of the association between relationship dissolution and poverty are discussed and future pathways are suggested. Full article

The 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The success or failure in their implementation largely depends on the national implementation effort, measured within wide and compound indicator frameworks. Due to such complexity, providing a simple but comprehensive view on the progress to achieve the SDGs is a priority. Moreover, the measure of the progress allows the consistency among the different dimensions of sustainable development to be assessed. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the results accomplished by European Union Countries in achieving SDGs. In particular, the paper proposed the SDGs achievement index (SDG-AI), a multicriteria-based index, including six different dimensions and applied to EU countries. The SDG-AI allows the differences across the EU countries to be highlighted, and also assesses the contribution of the different dimensions to the final result. The use of such an index will also be useful to understand the effect of the pandemic on the development. Full article

Is it possible that the origin of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection was around 70,000 years before the common era? At that time Homo sapiens was just another primate species with discrete growth and a very low-density geographic occupation. Therefore, it is difficult to understand the origin of a highly virulent obligate human pathogen. We have designed a new SEIR model (TBSpectr) that allows the differentiation of smear-positive and -negative tuberculosis. The model reconciles currently accepted growth rates for the Middle Paleolithic (0.003%/year) and Neolithic (0.1%/year). The obtained data link the origin of Mtb infection in the Middle Paleolithic to the induction of smear-negative TB, and reveal that its persistence required interrelations among hunter–gatherer groups, while the risk of human extinction was negligible. It also highlights the number of people infected per case and the fast progression to disease for Mtb infection maintenance, as well as the link between poor health in the Neolithic with the increased incidence of more severe forms of TB (smear-positive). In conclusion, our data support the origin of TB as a well-tolerated, highly persistent disease, even in low-density populations, showing the difficulty of its eradication and highlighting the necessity for providing better health conditions to humans to reduce its severity. Full article

Background/Aim: Mayotte is a French island in the Indian Ocean. There is no palliative care structure in this territory. The island and its population have specific characteristics: insularity, poverty, coexistence of modern and traditional medicine, importance of religion (Islam) and the presence of many foreigners without health insurance. The aim of this study is to determine the palliative care needs of the Mayotte population and propose the establishment of an appropriate service. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted in Mayotte using interviews with patients and their caregivers, and focus groups were conducted with healthcare professionals involved in their care. Patients requiring palliative care were identified and recruited from the hospital or the patient’s home by healthcare professionals. Results: A total of 62 people participated in the study between May and June 2019. The needs expressed were analysed and then grouped into categories: access to medical care (especially at home), management of physical symptoms (analgesia) and psychological symptoms, organisation of care (coordination between healthcare professionals) and training of healthcare professionals (pain management, palliative care, interculturality and translation), taking into account cultural and religious aspects. Regarding the foreign population, the categories were: improving access to healthcare, access to the social protection system and daily living conditions (transport, food and accommodation). Conclusions: The specific needs of the population, assessed through the study, have led to an original proposal, which differs from the usual structures of palliative care in France. Full article

The advancement of Internet technology has provided a great impetus to alleviate poverty and promote economic progress. However, studies on the negative impact that the development of the Internet may have on individual perceptions are still rare. This paper uses data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) in 2018 to construct multiple econometric models to empirically study the impact of Internet use (ITU) on the perception of the poor–rich gap (PPRG) and its mechanism in China. The instrumental variable (IV) model and Heckman model are used to solve potential endogenous problems. The research found that ITU has aggravated the PPRG of residents, and the test results are still robust after considering various endogenous sources. Additional analysis shows that the degree of dependence on the Internet is one of the transmission mechanisms of ITU on the impact of the PPRG, and its mediating effect accounts for 32.12% of the total effect. Another test result of the impact mechanism shows that the Internet media expands the reference group of residents through virtual areas and aggravates the PPRG of residents. Some test results from the perspective of heterogeneity show that: the effect of urban residents’ ITU on PPRG is higher than that of rural residents. ITU of residents in economically developed areas has a significantly higher effect on the PPRG than residents in economically underdeveloped areas. The impact on ITU by residents of different age groups on aggravating the PPRG show an obvious increasing linear law. Our research provides an ITU interpretation path for the impact of PPRG from sociological theory and provides a new entry point for the impact of the Internet and subjective well-being. Full article

Research has examined how the entry of grocery stores into neighborhoods influences dietary outcomes, yet limited evidence suggests a direct correlation between opening a store and changes in dietary intake. A factor that might influence individuals’ behavior more directly is the closing of a grocery store where residents shop. This study aims to examine how a grocery closure in a rural Appalachian high poverty county is associated with dietary intake. A cohort of n = 152 individuals were recruited to participate in a longitudinal study examining purchasing habits and dietary intake. At time point two, one year later, n = 74 individuals completed the survey via phone. Results indicate those that switched from shopping at a local grocery store to a supercenter significantly increased their dietary intake of fruit (0.2 ± 0.8), fruits and vegetables (1.4 ± 2.7), alcohol (grams) (17.3 ± 54.1), and tomato sauce (0.1 ± 0.3). A local grocery store closure was associated with a change in shopping behavior and dietary intake. Community-level interventions targeting dietary behaviors must account for neighborhood food environment influences, including grocery store availability. Policy aimed at improving food access in rural communities need to consider approaches to improving a variety of food venues with affordable healthy food, while addressing the evolving grocery shopping behaviors of consumers. Full article

Ecological poverty alleviation launched by the Chinese government is an innovative green development measure that combines targeted poverty alleviation with ecological protection to realize the ecological environmental protection and income growth of the impoverished population. Based on the Chinese government’s policy of poverty alleviation assessment for provincial government officials in 2016, this paper studies whether the assessment of government officials promote enterprises’ participation in ecological poverty alleviation. Using the sample of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2016 to 2020, the empirical test shows that the more important the assessment of poverty alleviation by officials, the more likely local enterprises are to participate in targeted poverty alleviation and the higher the investment level is likely to be. The results pass a series of robustness tests. In addition, this paper further finds that enterprise participation in ecological poverty alleviation can effectively reduce local water pollution, air pollution and solid pollution, thus improving the ecological environment. It suggests that the assessment mechanism of Chinese government officials can effectively promote multi-dimensional ecological poverty alleviation. The contributions of this paper are as follows. Firstly, it is helpful to expand the relevant literature on enterprise environmental protection from the perspective of ecological poverty alleviation. Secondly, it is helpful to expand the literature related to government–enterprise interaction from the perspective of the assessment of government officials. Finally, it is helpful to enrich and expand the relevant literatures on promotion incentives of government officials from the perspective of ecological poverty alleviation. Full article

Informal employment has been observed for decades and inevitably accompanies the formal economy globally, and it does not disappear to date along with economic growth. Particularly in developing countries, informal employment has increased beyond expectation. This scoping literature review, therefore, aims to identify and analyze the magnitude, causes, characteristics and socioeconomic effects of informal employment in the forest sector on a global scale. The literature analysis reveals that informal employment is predominant in the forest sector. Poverty, lack of education and migration are the causes of informal employment both in general and in the forest sector. Informal employment in the forest sector has various decent work deficits. At the same time, informal employment in the forest sector has induced and enlarged socioeconomic effects of working poverty and occupational accidents and illnesses. Full article

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with an increased risk of developing severe emotional and behavioral problems; however, little research is published on ACEs for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in special education (SE) schools. We therefore systematically explored the prevalence, type and timing of ACEs in these students from five urban SE schools in the Netherlands (M_age = 11.58 years; 85.1% boys) from a multi-informant perspective, using students’ self-reports (n = 169), parent reports (n = 95) and school files (n = 172). Almost all students experienced at least one ACE (96.4% self-reports, 89.5% parent reports, 95.4% school files), and more than half experienced four or more ACEs (74.5% self-reports, 62.7% parent reports, 59.9% school files). A large majority of students experienced maltreatment, which often co-occurred with household challenges and community stressors. Additionally, 45.9% of the students experienced their first ACE before the age of 4. Students with EBD in SE who live in poverty or in single-parent households were more likely to report multiple ACEs. Knowledge of the prevalence of ACEs may help understand the severe problems and poor long-term outcomes of students with EBD in SE. Full article

This article analyzes the evolution of inequality in mean male height in central Spain considering the generations born from 1837 to 1915, measured in the drafts from 1858 to 1936 (n = 53,503). Mean adult height reflects a crude indicator of net nutritional status, a proxy for currently known measures of stunting and wasting. The results reveal a cycle of stagnation and decline in average height at the age of 21 for those born from the 1850s to the 1870s and a subsequent positive secular trend to exceed baseline levels. The coefficient of variation shows how inequality in height followed an opposite pattern, with an increase in the mid-nineteenth century and a subsequent decline, with an overall decline. The great migratory wave towards Latin America (1880–1930) barely affected the area studied here. The available evidence on the occupations and educational level of the recruits reveals a ranking in average height related to family background and personal income, educational level and literacy, propinquity to food and ownership and/or management of land. Therefore, socioeconomic status largely predicted adult height in Spanish men during the period. Reducing absolute poverty and increasing access to education remain cornerstones to reducing malnutrition, even in the current world. Full article

Harsh natural climatic environments, such as extreme weather and natural disasters, cause devastating blows to production activities and increase the probability of geographic poverty, climate poverty, and return to poverty. Thus, this study uses climate data and micro survey data (CHIPS2013) to examine the impact of climate on vulnerability to individual poverty in rural China. The results demonstrated that extreme temperatures (hotter summers, colder winters, and greater day-to-day temperature gaps) reduce vulnerability to poverty. This was also supported by the median and average temperatures. Second, there is an association between poverty vulnerability and poverty; that is, poorer people will become poorer with an increase in poverty vulnerability. In fact, in the case of higher income, the higher the probability of returning to poverty, the higher the vulnerability. Policy formulation processes should take into consideration different types of impacts from harsh climate on different vulnerable groups. No single action might be adequate and an integrative approach integrating various strategies and actions are required to overcome challenges posed by climate change and poverty vulnerabilities. Full article

Trade-offs and conflicts among different sectors of production, living, and ecology have become important issues in regional sustainable development planning due to both the versatility and limitation of land resources, especially in poverty-stricken mountainous areas. This study builds an optimization model to assist policymakers in simulating land demand and allocation in the future. The model takes socioeconomic and demographic development into consideration and couples local planning policy with land use data from the perspective of system integration. The model was employed for a case study of Zhaotong city to optimize production–living–ecological (PLE) space. The results show that the model provides a feasible method to explore the sustainable development pattern of territorial space, especially in distressed regions. Full article

This cross-sectional study identified the association between COVID-19-related perceived household financial decline and smartphone dependency among adolescents in South Korea. Data from the 2020 Youth Risk Behavior Survey of Korea was used and 54,809 middle and high school students were included. COVID-19-related perceived household financial decline was categorized as no financial decline, mild, moderate, and severe. Smartphone dependency was calculated by 10 questions and was largely categorized as yes and no, and as normal, low, and high (prevalence rate: 25.0%). Binary and multinomial regression analyses were performed to analyze the association. The more severe the financial decline, the more pronounced the risk of high-risk smartphone dependency (mild financial decline: odds ratio (OR) 1.11, 95% CI 0.96–1.28; moderate: OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.04–1.43; severe: OR 2.56, 95% CI 2.06–3.17). Poor family relationships (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.03–1.10) and severe social conflict (OR 2.99, 95% CI 2.50–3.58) were also related to smartphone dependency. The ORs were 2.63 with more than three bathrooms and 1.63 with their own bedroom. Smartphone dependency among adolescents is closely related to COVID-19-related perceived household financial decline. As smartphone dependency relates to complicated psychological issues, further evaluation is necessary, especially for vulnerable adolescents. Full article

The present contribution discusses recent findings in environmental issues dealing with desertification risk and regional disparities in the Mediterranean basin. By focusing on key socioeconomic factors underlying land and soil degradation (population growth, urban sprawl, coastalization, agricultural intensification, and land abandonment), this commentary highlights the intimate linkage between socioeconomic processes, rural poverty, and territorial disparities based on complex dynamics of demographic and economic factors. The increasing complexity in the spatial distribution of land vulnerable to degradation has also been pointed out with special reference to post-war Italy, a Mediterranean country considered as particularly affected in the UNCCD Annex IV, as the results of non-linear biophysical and socioeconomic dynamics. The lack in multi-target and multi-scale policies approaching land degradation and territorial disparities together is finally discussed as an original contribution to the study of Mediterranean desertification. Full article

This study addresses gaps in knowledge of protective factors that support adaptive functioning among maltreated adolescents. The sample included 1003 high-risk youths participating in the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (53% female, 56% Black, and 82% living in poverty). Adolescent neglect (Exposure to Risky Situations, Lack of Monitoring, Inattention to Basic Needs, Permitting Misbehavior, Lack of Support) and physical, sexual, and emotional abuse were self-reported at age 16. Age 18 adaptive functioning measures included healthcare receipt (medical, dental, and mental health), self-rated global health, high school graduation or enrollment, prosocial activities, peer relationships (Companionship, Conflict, Satisfaction, and Intimacy), and independent living skills. Previous childhood maltreatment, demographics, and earlier prosocial activities and peer relationships were controls. Structural equation modeling showed that adolescent neglect and abuse were associated with lower adaptive functioning. Multigroup models showed protective effects for food security on the relationships between sexual abuse and self-rated health and between Inadequate Monitoring and Companionship. Housing stability buffered relationships between Inadequate Support and high school graduation or enrollment and between Permitting Misbehavior and independent living skills. Findings imply the need for adolescent-focused prevention, including the promotion of food security and housing stability to support adaptive functioning in maltreated adolescents. However, notable mixed findings show the need for additional research. Full article