International journal of environmental research and public health
-
Int J Environ Res Public Health · Oct 2019
An Integrated Approach to Determining Rural Tourist Satisfaction Factors Using the IPA and Conjoint Analysis.
Rural tourists satisfaction has a pivotal role in the development of sustainable rural tourism. As a method of identifying critical satisfaction factors, an importance and performance analysis (IPA) technique has attracted growing interest from academics due to it being able to deliver the importance and performance of a product's attributes from the standpoint of customers. However, IPA is based on the presumption that a linear and symmetrical relationship exists between the performance and overall satisfaction, which has been criticized by many researchers due to its deviation from the facts. ⋯ It can be used to measure the nonlinear relationship between the performance of attributes and overall satisfaction. In this paper, an empirical study on rural tourists' satisfaction was undertaken using this integrated method. The results show that the integrated approach is more responsive to attribute performance, thus allowing for improvement of a certain target attribute in the customer satisfaction enhancement process.
-
Int J Environ Res Public Health · Oct 2019
Long-Term Drug Misuse Increases the Risk of Cognitive Dysfunctions in Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators: Key Intervention Targets for Reducing Dropout and Reoffending.
Intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) is a major public health problem, with an important mortality rate in women across the world. In this regard, it has been well-established that drug misuse explains (at least in part) an increased risk of IPVAW perpetration. Even though alcohol is the most widely studied drug underlying IPVAW, other drugs, such as cannabis and cocaine also seem to be significant indicators of this type of violence. ⋯ Whereas, cannabis, heroin, and MDMA were related to the existence of a previous criminal record (delinquency without violence). Hence, research in this field would help to develop coadjutant treatments and intervention packages to reduce drug misuse in the initial stages, which in turn would reduce cognitive impairments in IPVAW perpetrators. These expected improvements might produce an increase in treatment adherence and a decrease in the risk of future IPVAW reoffending.
-
Int J Environ Res Public Health · Oct 2019
Association between Sense of Coherence Associated with Mental Health in Caregivers of Older Adults.
The purpose of this study was to analyze association between sense of coherence and perceived burden, anxiety, depression, and quality of life in caregivers of older adults. A cross-sectional study was carried out with a probabilistic sample of 132 caregivers of older relatives from the regions of Jaén, Spain. The measures assessed were sense of coherence (Life Orientation Questionnaire), subjective burden (Caregiver Strain Index of Robinson), anxiety and depression (Goldberg Scale), and quality of life (Health Questionnaire SF-12). ⋯ Our findings show that the sense of coherence explained 50.8% of the variance shared between subjective burden, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. We highlighted manageability as the variable within the dimensions of the sense of coherence with the greatest participation in the model. The sense of coherence may be an important protective factor for the mental health of the caregiver of dependent elderly relatives.
-
Int J Environ Res Public Health · Oct 2019
Observational StudyPredictor Factors of Perceived Health in Family Caregivers of People Diagnosed with Mild or Moderate Alzheimer's Disease.
Caring for a person diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease has a negative impact on family caregivers' psychological health. This study examined the factors related to 'perceived health' and 'presence of new-onset mental health problems' in family caregivers of people diagnosed with mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease. A cross-sectional observational study carried out in Almeria's Healthcare District (Spain). ⋯ The presence of new-onset mental health problems was detected in 46.3% (n = 50) of caregivers of people with mild Alzheimer's and 61.9% (n = 91) of caregivers of people with moderate Alzheimer's. When people are diagnosed with mild Alzheimer's disease, intervention programs for caregivers should aim to regulate emotions and promote positive coping strategies. When people are diagnosed with moderate Alzheimer's disease, intervention programs for caregivers must allow them to adapt to caregiving demands that arise with the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
-
Int J Environ Res Public Health · Oct 2019
The Gut-Microbiome in Gulf War Veterans: A Preliminary Report.
Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic multi-symptom disorder affecting the central nervous system (CNS), immune and gastrointestinal (GI) systems of Gulf War veterans (GWV). We assessed the relationships between GWI, GI symptoms, gut microbiome and inflammatory markers in GWV from the Boston Gulf War Illness Consortium (GWIC). Three groups of GWIC veterans were recruited in this pilot study; GWV without GWI and no gastrointestinal symptoms (controls), GWV with GWI and no gastrointestinal symptoms (GWI-GI), GWV with GWI who reported gastrointestinal symptoms (GW+GI). ⋯ Specifically, GW controls had a greater abundance of firmicutes and the GWI+GI group had a greater abundance of the phyla bacteroidetes, actinobacteria, euryarchaeota, and proteobacteria as well as higher abundances of the families Bacteroidaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae, and Bifidobacteriaceae. The GWI+GI group also showed greater plasma levels of the inflammatory cytokine TNF-RI and they endorsed significantly more chemical weapons exposure during the war and reported significantly greater chronic pain, fatigue and sleep difficulties than the other groups. Studies with larger samples sizes are needed to confirm these initial findings.