scholarly journals Home Energy Efficiency and Subjective Health in Greater London

Author(s):  
P. Symonds ◽  
N. Verschoor ◽  
Z. Chalabi ◽  
J. Taylor ◽  
M. Davies

AbstractThe UK has introduced legislation that requires net-zero greenhouse gas emissions to be achieved by 2050. Improving the energy efficiency of homes is a key objective to help reach this target, and the UK government’s Clean Growth Strategy aims to get many homes up to an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band of C by 2035. The relationship between home energy-efficiency and occupant health and wellbeing remains an area of ongoing research. This paper explores the nexus between home energy efficiency, energy consumption and self-reported health—an indicator of the general health and wellbeing of the population. We focus on Greater London through secondary data analysis. Energy-efficiency ratings and air infiltration rates of dwellings, derived from EPCs, were aggregated and matched to local area self-reported health and energy consumption data obtained from the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) Lower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA) Atlas database. Our regression model indicates that improving the energy efficiency (SAP) rating by 10 points for a typical home may reduce household gas consumption by around 7% (95% CIs: 2%, 14%). Beta regression finds a positive, but not statistically significant association between median SAP rating and the proportion of the population reporting ‘good or very good’ health when considering all Greater London LSOAs (z score = 0.60, p value = 0.55). A statistically significant positive association is observed however when repeating the analysis for the lowest income quartile LSOAs (z score = 2.03, p value = 0.04). This indicates that the least well-off may benefit most from home energy efficiency programs. A statistically significant positive association is also observed for the relationship between self-reported health and air infiltration rates (z score = 2.62, p value = 0.01). The findings support existing evidence for the predominantly naturally ventilated UK housing stock, suggesting that home energy efficiency measures provide a co-benefit for occupant health provided that adequate air exchange is maintained.

Parasitology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 132 (4) ◽  
pp. 565-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. BULL ◽  
P. D. JEPSON ◽  
R. K. SSUNA ◽  
R. DEAVILLE ◽  
C. R. ALLCHIN ◽  
...  

Post-mortem examinations of harbour porpoises, Phocoena phocoena, regularly reveal heavy parasitic worm burdens. These same post-mortem records show varying levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) accumulating in the blubber of porpoises. Although a number of papers have documented geospatial and temporal changes of PCBs and their detrimental effects on marine mammal health, as yet none have examined their role in determining nematode burdens in wild marine mammal populations. Using a data set consisting of harbour porpoises stranded in the UK between 1989 and 2002, we found a significant, positive association between PCB levels and nematode burdens, although the nature of the relationship was confounded with porpoise sex, age and cause of death. It was also apparent that individuals with the heaviest infestations of nematodes did not have the highest PCB level: while PCBs are important, they are clearly not the sole determinants of nematode burdens in wild populations of the harbour porpoise around the UK.


2021 ◽  
pp. 135910452110058
Author(s):  
Sayyeda Taskeen Zahra ◽  
Sadia Saleem ◽  
Halima Khurshid

This research aims to determine the mediating role of social deficits in self-criticism and aggression using a sample of 695 adolescents (girls = 49%, boys = 51%), aged 12 to 19 years ( M = 14.97, SD = 1.30) from an urbanized city of Pakistan. Interpersonal Difficulties Scale, Self-Criticism Scale, and Aggressive Behavior Scale were used in the present study. Results indicated a significant positive association of social deficits with self-criticism and aggression ( p < .001). Furthermore, findings also suggested a significant positive association between self-criticism and aggression. Mediation analysis revealed that self-criticism partially mediated the relationship between social deficits and aggression. Findings are discussed in terms of the expression and manifestation of self-criticism, social deficits, and aggression in adolescents in collectivistic cultures.


1997 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-225
Author(s):  
A.J. Griffiths ◽  
P.J. Bowen ◽  
B.J. Brinkworth ◽  
I.R. Morgan ◽  
A Howarth

The Sports and Recreation sector within the UK uses the equivalent of 3 millions tonnes of coal per year to supply the activities demanded by an ever increasing sports conscience society. The government has attempted to stimulate energy efficiency in this sector through the use of good practice guides and case studies. A comparative study was undertaken to analyse the performance of two leisure complexes in the Seven Valley degree day region. One site had double the occupancy rate of the other. It was found that the energy consumption per user was approximately 10 kWh for both sites. However the energy cost per user showed a large difference: for Site A this index was 31p/user compared to 15p/user at Site B. The primary causes of this difference are attributed to variation in energy mix between the two sites, as well as a difference in the price paid for primary fuel. Indices based on floor area of the facilities exhibit similar trends, and furthermore show that both sites were in the high band of energy consumption. This indicated that both sites had the potential to make significant energy-related savings, and a further breakdown of electrical, natural gas and water consumption per site is used to identify these potential savings in a rapidly expanding sector.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Stock ◽  
Feifei Bu ◽  
Daisy Fancourt ◽  
Hei Wan Mak

The COVID-19 pandemic led to national lockdowns in countries around the world. Whilst lockdowns were shown to be effective in reducing the spread of disease, they were also associated with adverse effects on people’s mental health and wellbeing. Previous studies have suggested that time spent outside may have played a role in mitigating these negative effects, but research on this topic remains limited. Therefore, this study was designed to explore the longitudinal associations between going outdoors and people’s mental health and wellbeing during the first national lockdown (March-May 2020) in the UK. Data from 35,301 participants from the COVID-19 Social Study were analysed. Fixed effects regression was used to explore the longitudinal association between changes in going outdoors (the number of days spent outside) and changes in depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, life satisfaction and loneliness. A range of household and neighbourhood moderators were examined. Results show that an increase in the number of days spent outside was associated with decreases in depressive and anxiety symptoms and an increase in life satisfaction. No longitudinal association was found with loneliness. Further analysis revealed some moderating effects of household and neighbourhood factors, including living arrangement, perceived walkability satisfaction, and satisfaction with green space/park within neighbourhood. Overall, our analyses showed a positive association between going outdoors and improved mental health and wellbeing during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK. Associations were more salient amongst people living with others, and those with greater satisfaction with their neighbourhood walkability and green spaces. These findings are important for formulating guidance for people to stay well at home during pandemics and for the on-going nature-based social prescribing scheme.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pooja Sahni ◽  
Jyoti Kumar

History is replete with examples where humans have sought refuge in nature for psychological restoration. In this cross-sectional study we explore the relationship of nature experience and mindfulness. Nature experience is assessed through “nature in the neighbourhood”, “frequency of visit” to nature-rich spaces, as well as one's inherent connection with nature described as “nature relatedness”. The study sample consisted of 334 Indian adults. The findings from this study show that frequency of visit to nature-rich spaces has a significant positive association with mindfulness. The hierarchical regression analysis suggests an interaction effect of “nature relatedness” in the association of the presence of nature rich spaces in the neighbourhood, frequency of visit as well as mindfulness. Interestingly, when childhood experiences were explored they had a significant association with “nature relatedness” and mindfulness. The evidence from this research suggests that nature experience may find its application as one of the mindfulness techniques prescribed for self-management of mental health problems.


2011 ◽  
Vol 361-363 ◽  
pp. 974-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Nan Dong ◽  
Yu Duo Lu ◽  
Jiao Jiao Yu

This paper examined the relationship between the energy efficiency and the environmental pollution. By using the data of energy intensity and economic loss caused by environmental pollution (ELP) in China from 1989-2009, a simultaneous equations was developed. The result of two-stage OLS estimation suggested that the energy had exerted positive influences on the decreasing of the environmental pollutions. By enhancing the energy efficiency and adjusting the industrial structure and energy consumption structure, China is exploring a road for sustainable development in the energy conservation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (8) ◽  
pp. 1024-1036 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Matošková ◽  
Lucie Macurová ◽  
Lucie Tomancová

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether and to what extent knowledge-oriented leadership (KOL) is associated with knowledge sharing (KS) in an organization as well as the dimensions of this leadership style. Design/methodology/approach Opinion-based questionnaires were applied in the study. A principal axis factor analysis was conducted to find the main factors in KOL (n=236). The relationship between KS and KOL was tested with Pearson’s correlation coefficient method. Findings The findings support the importance of high-quality leader–member exchange for KS because KOL had a strong significant positive association with the extent of KS in the organization (n=96, r=0.521). The principal axis factor suggested three factors, all of which were moderately significantly related to KS: the perceived support from the superior, enough time for KS and information flow from the superior. Research limitations/implications The research design in this study was cross-sectional. Thus, the interpretations of the cause–effect relationship among the variables could not be determined. Furthermore, the findings should be confirmed using a larger sample. Practical implications The study indicates that if innovativeness and the use of human capital are important for an organization’s competitive ability, it is vital to train managers to be able to apply KOL. Originality/value Few studies have addressed the relationship between leadership and KS. Hence, this study contributes to a better understanding of the relation between KS and KOL style. Additionally, KOL is probably a multidimensional construct, but little empirical work has been done to explore it.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 405-423
Author(s):  
Farzan Yahya ◽  
Muhammad Rafiq

This study investigates the influence of greenfield investment and brownfield investment on renewable energy consumption along with the moderating effect of government effectiveness in 68 countries over the period 2013 to 2014. In order to evaluate more holistic view of the empirical model, we further divide our data into two sub-panels based on country risk. By applying the system-GMM technique to mitigate statistical biases including endogeneity, the empirical results show that brownfield and greenfield investment positively influences renewable energy consumption in global and low-risk panel. However, there is no statistically significant effect of brownfield investment and adverse effect of greenfield investment on renewable energy consumption in low-risk countries. Results also show that effective governments promote the use of renewable energy but it does not moderate the relationship between brownfield investment and renewable energy consumption. On the other hand, government effectiveness strengthens the positive association between greenfield investment and renewable energy consumption in global and low-risk panel, while weakens the negative link between these variables in high-risk countries. Policy implications of our results are also discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-109
Author(s):  
Dalal Usamah Alkazemi ◽  
Roberts Jackson

ObjectivesBreastfeeding (BF) has many benefits for both infants and mothers. However, despite evidence in support of BF, its prevalence has remained low in Kuwait. The purpose of this study was to (1) assess and describe BF attitudes and knowledge among women at a college campus; (2) evaluate BF exposures and sociodemographic factors associated with attitudes toward BF; (3) determine the association between BF knowledge and attitudes.Materials and methodsThis survey was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted from February to April 2016. A convenience sample of 330 women (students, faculty and staff) from the College of Life Sciences (CLS) at Kuwait University participated in the survey.ResultsMost of the participants respected women who breast fed (81.8%). Some participants believed that BF a baby is painful (43.3%), makes the breasts sag (35.8%), and restricts the mothers’ freedom (51.5%). Additionally, 47.6% of the participants reported that they would feel embarrassed if they saw a woman BF her baby. Acceptability of BF in public was low and most participants preferred BF only around friends and family (52.4%). A statistically significant positive association was observed between BF knowledge and attitudes (R2=6.5%, p<0.001); however, the relationship was not independent and was also associated with nationality and having been breast fed as a baby (R2=10.3%, p=0.021).ConclusionBF knowledge is important to encourage positive BF attitudes, and both are enforced with family values and practice across generations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-85
Author(s):  
Robert Markham ◽  
Georgina M Luscombe ◽  
Frank Manconi ◽  
Ian S Fraser

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate the detailed nature of menstrual characteristics, bleeding and other symptoms in women with and without endometriosis. Pelvic pain symptoms in this cohort have been reported elsewhere. Method: This is a self-administered cross-sectional study and was conducted using a structural questionnaire. A total of 737 women completed the study: women with endometriosis (n = 529) and with no current gynaecological complaint, ‘control’ (n = 208). Results: Some of the key findings in this study included significant differences between the control and endometriosis subjects in terms of bleeding symptoms, increased length and heaviness of menses, rectal and bladder bleeding, infertility and obstetric complications which were all more common in the endometriosis group. Other symptoms found to have a highly significant positive association with endometriosis included abdominal bloating, low resistance to infection, fatigue, increased urinary frequency, diarrhoea and constipation (p < 0.000). Data were cross-tabulated to examine the association of a number of symptoms to each other. The relationship of symptoms to a range of psychosocial factors was investigated to determine how the effects of endometriosis impacted on the life of subjects. Most women reported that endometriosis sometimes or often interfered with daily aspects of their life. Conclusion: The range of non-pain symptoms in women with endometriosis was generally much more diverse and extensive than recognised by most clinicians.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document