Gaps | Jotup

COVID-19 hurt kids' math learning more than reading and writing – with the biggest setbacks in fall 2020

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Achievement, Gaps, Writing, COVID-19, Delays, Growth, School, Student, Research, Language, Reading, New York City Council Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, Tutoring

The big idea

Key Points:

The big idea
The COVID-19 pandemic had a stark negative impact on students’ math scores, new data from Michigan shows.
Effects on scores for English language arts, which include reading and writing, were small and generally not statistically significant.
This provides us with a broad view of the impact of the pandemic on school learning as measured through test scores.
We also don’t know for sure why there were disproportionate learning delays in math relative to English language arts.

Cholera: vaccines can stop the spread, but the biggest deterrent is clean water

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

The worst was in May in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, where nearly 30 people died.

Key Points:

The worst was in May in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, where nearly 30 people died.
Cholera is a bacterial disease which spreads via the faecal-oral route mostly through ingestion of contaminated food and water.
Oral cholera vaccines may be considered to contain ongoing outbreaks and to limit the spread.

Where do vaccines fit into the picture? How do they work?

Ensuring access to clean potable water, adequate sanitation and promoting hygiene practices are critical to preventing the disease.
In the 1980s these vaccines were replaced by safer and more effective oral cholera vaccines.
Studies have shown that oral cholera vaccines are effective at preventing disease in the person who is vaccinated.
New generation oral and injectable cholera vaccines are currently in development.

Who should be vaccinated and when?

The best time to administer oral cholera vaccines is before a person is exposed to the bacteria.
The WHO recommends vaccination with oral cholera vaccines in areas where cholera occurs regularly and in areas where there could be large outbreaks or epidemics of cholera.
Existing evidence suggests that immune protection from oral cholera vaccines could last for up to three years.

What else can be done to avoid cholera?

Water, sanitation and hygiene interventions must be implemented immediately in affected communities to interrupt further spread.
The most recent major outbreak affected all nine provinces with 1144 laboratory-confirmed cases and 64 deaths recorded between November 2008 and April 2009.
This is a significant step in meeting the growing demand for the vaccine across the region.

'Madness stripped away the niceties': Tara Calaby imagines herself into a 19th-century asylum

Retrieved on:

Monday, June 26, 2023

Tara Calaby, whose novel is based on research, draws on these voices and writes in between the gaps, or at the interstices, of historical evidence.

Key Points:

Tara Calaby, whose novel is based on research, draws on these voices and writes in between the gaps, or at the interstices, of historical evidence.
Madness stripped away the niceties, that was all: the base drives of fear and hunger and wrath and lust were simply more visible here.
Madness stripped away the niceties, that was all: the base drives of fear and hunger and wrath and lust were simply more visible here.
Read more:
Girl, Interrupted interrogates how women are 'mad' when they refuse to conform – 30 years on, this memoir is still important

Women’s secrets

Together they supply Melbourne’s professional middle class and elites with stationery: inks, paper, pens and ledgers.
The book opens with reference to the “noise and bustle of Elizabeth Street”.
While she possibly considers herself “plain” when judged alongside Melbourne’s society women and their fashionable dresses, Charlotte is a strong character with considerable presence.
Charlotte and Flora experience freedom by spending time together dressed as young men, camping in the bush east of Melbourne.
Read more:
Trans people aren’t new, and neither is their oppression: a history of gender crossing in 19th-century Australia

Darkest moments and recovery

Charlotte is arrested by police, then hospitalised, where she is observed by doctors.
Charlotte becomes increasingly aware of the dynamics of the wards and the personalities of doctors and attendant nursing staff.
Calaby describes the asylum’s daily routine, such as menus, the gendered work regime for patients, and the hopeful intercession of visitors and advocates.
Some doctors were sympathetic figures who worked for the recovery of patients.
Read more:
Hidden women of history: Catherine Hay Thomson, the Australian undercover journalist who went inside asylums and hospitals

Constraint and resistance

Her sinuses stung, her eyes watered; it felt like the tube must surely pass into her brain.
She tried to struggle, but the women held her tightly: she could move only her head.
Her sinuses stung, her eyes watered; it felt like the tube must surely pass into her brain.
And it’s a hopeful story about love and courage – which suggests alternative futures for women seeking independence from marriage and social norms.

Preventing and addressing violence in schools: 4 priorities as educators plan for next year

Retrieved on:

Friday, June 23, 2023

The public heard about a lack of support for LGBTQ2S+ identities, chaotic and divisive school trustee meetings and a rise in violence in schools.

Key Points:

The public heard about a lack of support for LGBTQ2S+ identities, chaotic and divisive school trustee meetings and a rise in violence in schools.
A major contributing factor to this rise in violence in schools is the chronic underfunding of public education and the social service sector.

Violence in schools

An alarming three-quarters (77 per cent) of members of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), said they have “personally experienced violence or witnessed violence against another staff member” in a recent survey conducted by Strategic Communications.
Black and other minoritized youth and educators are becoming collateral damage by being pushed out of schools due to wilful neglect of institutions in not supporting their needs.

The school-to-prison pipeline

The school-to-prison pipeline continues to cast a dark shadow over the education system in Ontario.
This “pipeline” refers to the systematic processes that push students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, out of the educational system and into the criminal justice system.
This trend disproportionately affects marginalized communities, particularly Black and Indigenous students, perpetuating a cycle of poverty, systemic discrimination and mass incarceration.

Tragic impact on marginalized communities

This is a result of many institutions and leaders at all three levels of government collectively failing to support the needs of racialized communities.
Suspensions and expulsions disproportionately affect marginalized students.

Calls to action

Redirect funds towards mental health services, counsellors, social workers and community programs that prioritize prevention and timely intervention.
There needs to be a more urgent implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 Calls to Action.
At the end of April, Ontario’s Ministry of Education announced funding to combat violence and improving safety in schools through community partnerships.
We all have to do our part to hold institutions accountable, including for failures and neglect.

Can a daily multivitamin improve your memory?

Retrieved on:

Thursday, June 22, 2023

The analysis is undertaken by one or more academics not involved with the study, and reviewed by another, to make sure it’s accurate.

Key Points:

The analysis is undertaken by one or more academics not involved with the study, and reviewed by another, to make sure it’s accurate.
Don’t we all want to do what we can to reduce the impact of age-related decline on our memory?
A new study suggests a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement is a simple and inexpensive way to help older adults slow the decline in some aspects of memory function.

How was the study conducted?

The overarching COSMOS study is a well-designed double-blind randomised control trial.
This type of study is considered the gold standard and allows researchers to compare various outcomes.

What did the researchers find?

Of all the tests the researchers performed, only immediate recall (ModRey) at one year showed a significant effect, meaning the result is unlikely to just be a result of chance.
At two and three years, the effect was no longer significant (meaning it could be down to chance).
However they added an “overall estimate” by averaging the results from all three years to arrive at another significant effect.

What are the limitations of the study?

However, it did not adjust for demographic characteristics such as age, gender, race, and level of education.
Another unmentioned limitation is the advanced age of their sample, meaning long-term results for younger people can’t be assessed.
Read more:
How to make your diet more sustainable, healthy or cheap – without giving up nutrients

How should we interpret the results?

So should I take a multivitamin?

However, supplementation may be appropriate to meet any specific nutrient gaps an individual has.
The case for most of the rest of the population, and the long-term benefit for younger people, can’t be made.

Blind peer review

It’s also worth noting the study authors received support and funding from commercial companies to undertake the study.
While the study authors state they don’t believe background diet quality impacted the results, they didn’t comprehensively assess this.
Participants may have changed their eating habits during the study, which could then impact the results.
She has consulted to SHINE Australia, Novo Nordisk, Quality Bakers, the Sax Institute, Dietitians Australia and the ABC.

Who's taking COVID antivirals like Paxlovid? Hint: it helps if you're rich

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

First, they’re more likely to get infected, and when sick, are more likely to have serious disease.

Key Points:

First, they’re more likely to get infected, and when sick, are more likely to have serious disease.
Second, they’re more likely to develop long COVID.

What we did and what we found

My health department colleagues linked data from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme with information from the Victorian health department’s COVID surveillance database.
They then matched levels of socioeconomic disadvantage by postcode, according to criteria from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Their analysis showed people living in the most disadvantaged postcodes were 15% less likely to receive oral antivirals compared with those in the most advantaged postcodes.

Why has this happened?

So why are people in disadvantaged areas less likely to have access to COVID antivirals?
For instance, to access antivirals, you first have to know they exist and whether you might be eligible, then know how to access them and when.
There may be out-of-pocket costs to see a GP to be assessed, then there’s the cost of filling the prescription, even with a concession card.

How can we address this?

We have an opportunity to address this inequity, whether that’s by addressing social determinants of health more broadly, or specifically related to antivirals access.
Equity depends on continuing to address the structural inequalities in our health system that create barriers to people accessing primary health services, and tailoring responses to communities.

What needs to happen next?

Why this matters now

Yet, we continue to see deaths and hospitalisations across the country.
We have a chance to ensure antivirals are used to reduce existing disparities in hospitalisation and death – not to make them worse.

It’s 4 years since the NZ government pledged $1.9 billion for better mental health services – why are we still waiting?

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

In 2019 the New Zealand government committed an unprecedented NZ$1.9 billion to improving mental health services.

Key Points:

In 2019 the New Zealand government committed an unprecedented NZ$1.9 billion to improving mental health services.
This announcement brought hope to a sector that had been treated like the second-class citizen of the health service for decades.

Where did the money go?

Almost a quarter of the funding has gone to health improvement practitioners (HIPs) and health coaches based within general medical practices.
The aim of these practitioners and coaches is to give fast and early access to people presenting to their general practitioner (GP) with mental health concerns.

Robbing Peter to pay Paul

This investment approach by the government has several problems, which mean the country’s collective mental health needs have not been successfully addressed.
Many nurses and psychologists have taken up practitioner roles, meaning we have robbed Peter to pay Paul as clinicians move from one area of the mental health sector to another.
For example, there is a growing body of local and international research highlighting the relationship of micronutrients and what we eat to our mental health.

Going global for ideas

Unsurprisingly, Aotearoa New Zealand is not the only country to be grappling with high demand for mental health services.
We can learn from what other countries are doing in response to gaps in their services.
The United Kingdom, for example, has attempted to address its own mental health services shortfall with a programme called Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT).

Real action is long overdue

The government’s singular focus on one or two new mental health initiatives has been at the expense of training programmes.
To give the government its due, there has been some recent investment in clinical psychology training but it feels like an afterthought.
Nonetheless, looking at our mental health system in 2023 it feels like very little progress has been made.

Is it possible to measure sustainable development?

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

Is it possible to measure sustainable development?

Key Points:

Is it possible to measure sustainable development?
Can we go beyond just embracing virtuous principles and actually apply the concept in a concrete manner?
We will try to shed some light on these issues in our work as researchers in the Chair in eco-advising (Chaire en éco-conseil).

SD: yesterday, today and tomorrow

Finding a balance between meeting human needs and respecting the limits of the environment has been a perennial challenge in the history of humanity.
Development that meets the needs of the present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
This led to the adoption in 2015 of the 2030 Agenda, a global reference framework for SD.
It is a universal call to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives of all people everywhere.

Tools for implementing SD

Implementing SD cannot be done without applying a systemic approach.
The Systemic Sustainability Analysis (SSA) puts into perspective the multiple dimensions of SD, the synergies and antagonisms and the means used to achieve them.
The Sustainable Development Analysis Grid (SDAG) and the SDG Target Prioritization Grid (SDGT-PG) are the two main tools of the SSA.
Since 2017, SDAG is among the tools available at the United Nations for mainstreaming the 2030 Agenda’s SDGs.
It aims to guide SD policies, strategies, programs or projects (PSPPs) in order to improve their gaps and/or characterize their progress.

So…can SD be measured?

Kenya's population: 5 key findings in the past 20 years of research

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

The country’s population was 8.1 million in 1963; today it stands at about 55 million people.

Key Points:

The country’s population was 8.1 million in 1963; today it stands at about 55 million people.
In 1960 about 7% of the population lived in urban areas; by 2021 it stood at 28%.
Some key changes within Kenya’s society have taken place alongside, and because of, this fast growth.

These findings are key to driving effective strategies.

Urban residents without access to services

Kenya’s development partners have tended to assume that urban areas and residents were well-served by social services, and didn’t need special attention from government and civil society organisations.
However, in 2002 we produced evidence that showed huge differences in health, education and other social outcomes among residents of urban informal settlements when compared to other urban residents.
For some outcomes, residents of urban informal settlements were doing as badly as rural residents, if not worse.

Shortage of public schools

Research done at APHRC, however, showed that the enrolment of children in public schools went up for a couple of years and then rapidly declined.
This happened because there were not enough public schools to meet the demand.
Instead, they took their children back to the informal private schools they had been attending before the policy was rolled out.

Widespread diseases in informal settlements

A key health-related finding was that non-communicable diseases, and their risk factors, showed a high prevalence in the urban informal settlements of Nairobi.
For instance, about 80% of adults diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure were previously undiagnosed.
Among those who had been previously diagnosed, the majority had not received treatment in the past 12 months.

Huge number of unsafe abortions in Kenya

The study estimated that over 464,000 abortions had been conducted in Kenya, and an estimated 120,000 women sought care in health facilities for complications.
According to the World Health Organisation, 4.7% to 13.2% of maternal deaths annually can be attributed to unsafe abortion.

Uneven progress in supporting mothers and children

APHRC has been supporting the analysis of routine health information and survey data to track African countries’ progress towards meeting the SDG targets related to mothers, children and adolescents.
These include the reduction in maternal mortality and the end of preventable deaths of newborns and children.
The progress seen at national level can be explained by improvements in health outcomes in some regions, but not all.

Police forces across England plan to respond to fewer mental health calls -- here's why

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley has announced that the London police force is to attend fewer mental health emergencies.

Key Points:

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley has announced that the London police force is to attend fewer mental health emergencies.
As part of an approach called Right Care, Right Person, police officers will only respond to 999 mental health calls when there is an “immediate threat to life”.
For many years now there have been calls, from people both within the police and those experiencing mental health crises, for the police to have less of a role in mental health emergencies.
Under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act, police officers can detain someone if they believe that person’s mental health is causing an immediate risk to the person or others.

Emergency response

And in 2021/22, Mind noted that the equivalent of the population of a British town was picked up by the police in this way.
Yearly numbers of Section 136 detentions in England and Wales from 2017/18 to 2021/22: Scotland’s reform was prompted by similar rising numbers.
In 2019 four in every five 999 calls to Police Scotland were reportedly not about crime but vulnerability.

A traumatic experience

Police cells were never the right place for someone experiencing a mental health crisis.
This is as humiliating for the people being escorted as it is demoralising for the officers involved.
The idea behind Right Care, Right Person is that people in crisis be cared for by mental health professionals.
Since 2013, mental health nurses have joined police officers in street triage schemes, accompanying them on patrol to provide immediate mental health support to people.
Being frequently detained by the police – without proper, long-term mental health support – makes vulnerable people feel worse.
In the US – call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or IMAlive at 1-800-784-2433.