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Brusilovskiy E, Salzer MS, Pomponio Davidson A, Feeley C, Pfeiffer B. Using GPS and Self-Report Data to Examine the Relationship Between Community Mobility and Community Participation Among Autistic Young Adults. Am J Occup Ther 2024; 78:7803205160. [PMID: 38630651 PMCID: PMC11117466 DOI: 10.5014/ajot.2024.050552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Community participation of autistic adults is important for health and well-being. Many clinical efforts and interventions aim to enhance community participation in this population. OBJECTIVE To empirically examine the relationship between community participation and community mobility. DESIGN A randomized controlled trial using data from baseline and 4- to 6-wk follow-up. SETTING Community organizations serving autistic adults in Philadelphia. PARTICIPANTS Sixty-three autistic young adults with data on community mobility and participation from a prior study on public transportation use. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Participants were tracked with GPS-enabled cell phones over a 2-wk period. A spatiotemporal data mining algorithm was used to compute the total number of destinations, nonhome destinations, unique destinations, percentage of time spent outside the home, and median daily activity space area from the GPS data. The Temple University Community Participation measure was used to collect self-report data in 21 different areas, and total amount, breadth, and sufficiency of participation were calculated. RESULTS Moderate and statistically significant associations were found between community mobility and participation variables at baseline and follow-up. However, changes in community mobility were not related to changes in community participation. CONCLUSION Health policymakers and providers should consider community mobility as a factor that can affect community participation in autistic individuals. Plain-Language Summary: Lower levels of community participation among autistic young adults affect health outcomes and overall quality of life. Community mobility is often a barrier to community participation. An understanding of the relationship between community mobility and community participation can lead to occupational therapists tailoring specific interventions and policies that support autistic young adults to engage in important life activities within the community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugene Brusilovskiy
- Eugene Brusilovskiy, MUSA, is Director of Data Analytics, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA;
| | - Mark S Salzer
- Mark S. Salzer, PhD, is Professor, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Amber Pomponio Davidson
- Amber Pomponio Davidson, MPH, is Research Coordinator, Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Cecilia Feeley
- Cecilia Feeley, PhD, is Transportation Planner, Feeley Consulting, Wayne, NJ
| | - Beth Pfeiffer
- Beth Pfeiffer, PhD, OTR/L, BCP, FAOTA, is Associate Professor, Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
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Figueiredo PRP, Silva LP, Nóbrega RADA, Coster WJ, Sampaio RF, Brandão MDB, Mancini MC. Geographic intelligence to investigate community participation: a scoping review. Disabil Rehabil 2023; 45:4503-4516. [PMID: 36503323 DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2022.2154859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To understand the applicability and unique contributions of global positioning system (GPS) and geographic information system (GIS) technologies to investigate individuals' participation in the community. METHODS A scoping review was conducted to summarize studies that employed GPS and/or GIS to assess community participation. Systematic literature searches were performed using nine electronic databases, up to April 2022. Two independent reviewers screened studies for eligibility and extracted data from the selected studies. RESULTS The searches retrieved 628 articles, of which 36 met the inclusion criteria. In 31 studies, a GPS unit or GPS-enabled device monitored the community mobility of individuals with different health conditions. Tracking periods varied from five hours to 30 consecutive days. The spatiotemporal parameters obtained from satellite-based data provided information about individuals' presence in the community. Most studies combined GPS with other measuring tools (self-report diaries/questionnaires, qualitative interviews) to capture a broader description of community participation. CONCLUSIONS GPS and GIS are viable approaches for advancing research as they provide unique information about community participation not easily captured by other methods. The combination of available methods comprehensively address the physical and social dimensions of this construct.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONGlobal positioning system (GPS) and geographic information system (GIS) technology allows direct and real-time quantification of patterns of individuals' community mobility.The geographic area where individuals participate in daily living activities complements information from self-report diaries/questionnaires.Combining GPS technology with self-report diaries/questionnaires allows a broader description of individuals' community participation, addressing respectively both its physical and social dimensions.Knowledge of individuals' access to and involvement in community locations/situations may help therapists design interventions to improve community participation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Wendy Jane Coster
- Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rosana Ferreira Sampaio
- Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Marina de Brito Brandão
- Department of Occupational Therapy, Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Marisa Cotta Mancini
- Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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Wojczewski S, Grohma P, Kutalek R. Risk communication and community engagement with vulnerable groups: Perceptions of social-services CSOs during Covid-19. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DISASTER RISK REDUCTION : IJDRR 2023; 94:103817. [PMID: 37360248 PMCID: PMC10284614 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Risk communication enables people to be prepared, respond and recover from public health risks which can only be realized with a considerable amount of community engagement. Enabling community involvement is necessary in order to reach and protect vulnerable people during epidemics. In situations of acute emergency, it is difficult to reach everyone, which makes it necessary to work with intermediaries such as social and care facilities and civil society organizations (CSOs) who work to support the most vulnerable in our societies. This paper analyses the perceptions of experts working in social facilities or CSOs of Covid-19 RCCE efforts in Austria. It starts from a broad understanding of vulnerability which combines medical, social and economic determinants. We conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with CSO and social facility managers. The UNICEF core community engagement standards (2020) were used as a framework for qualitative content analysis. The results show that CSO's and social facilities were essential for allowing community involvement of vulnerable people in Austria during the pandemic. For the CSO's and social facilities participation of their vulnerable clients was a real challenge especially because direct contact was difficult and public services were switched to digital only. Nonetheless, they all put a lot of effort into adapting and discussing Covid-19 regulations and measures with their clients and employees which in many cases led to acceptance of public health measures. The study gives recommendations on how community engagement could be enhanced especially from government actors and how CSO's could be addressed more as essential partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Wojczewski
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
- Department of Primary Care Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Paul Grohma
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Ruth Kutalek
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
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Capp SJ, Mason D, Colvert E, Agnew-Blais J, Happé F. COVID-19 and Perceived Changes to Quality of Life, Anxiety, Depression, and Loneliness in Autistic and Other Neurodivergent U.K. Adults. AUTISM IN ADULTHOOD 2022; 4:233-246. [PMID: 36606155 PMCID: PMC9645677 DOI: 10.1089/aut.2021.0078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Background In the United Kingdom, we have experienced many changes to our daily lives as a result of COVID-19. Autistic and other neurodivergent (ND, e.g., those with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) adults may be more vulnerable to negative effects of the pandemic due to pre-existing mental health disparities and unmet support needs. Furthermore, there is little research, either pandemic related or otherwise, which considers how the experiences of autistic adults with additional intersecting ND identities might differ from those without. Methods We collected data from an online survey during June 2020 to September 2020 to explore the psychological impact of the coronavirus pandemic on U.K. adults (N = 286, age 18-72 years). Participants included neurotypical (NT) adults (N = 98), autistic adults (N = 73), other ND adults (N = 53), as well as autistic adults with an additional intersecting ND identity (N = 63). We measured and compared levels of quality of life (QoL), depression, anxiety, and loneliness across groups as well as perceived change in these as a result of the pandemic. Results Autistic adults, with and without additional ND identities, had consistently low QoL and high anxiety, depression, and loneliness compared with NT adults. We found no differences in these areas between autistic adults with and without additional intersecting ND identities. In some areas, non-autistic ND participants were also doing poorly compared with their NT peers. Many participants felt that their QoL, mental health, and loneliness had worsened due to the pandemic, and this was largely similar across groups. Conclusions These results highlight that COVID-19 may have led to increased need and demand for mental health services across the U.K. adult population. Both autistic and ND adults may be in particular need of increased (and improved) mental health and well-being support. This is likely because of pre-existing differences in mental health and well-being as well as individuals facing further difficulties as a result of the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone J. Capp
- Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - David Mason
- Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Emma Colvert
- Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jessica Agnew-Blais
- Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Francesca Happé
- Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
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Turcheti N, Laurent AA, Delgado C, Sainati K, Johnson K, Wong EY. Social, Economic and Overall Health Impacts of COVID-19 on People Living with Disabilities in King County, WA. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:10520. [PMID: 36078235 PMCID: PMC9517928 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191710520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated mitigation measures to reduce the spread of disease affected the social, economic, and overall health of individuals. Quantitative administrative datasets typically did not contain demographic information that allowed for reporting or analysis of the impacts of COVID-19 on people living with disabilities. Understanding the experiences of this population during the pandemic can inform the design of public health responses that are more robust and better connected to community. This paper describes a qualitative participatory study with a diverse sample of people living with disabilities in King County, WA. Through 2 listening sessions and 35 semi-structured interviews, it examines what impacts COVID-19 brought for people living with disabilities; elucidates the supports that were helpful in addressing COVID-19 impacts; examines inequities faced by the disability community; and sheds light on how to engage with this community to inform the public health emergency response. The process, protocols, findings, and lessons learned are replicable by other local health departments and could be incorporated as part of routine data collection and considered for future public health emergencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Turcheti
- Public Health—Seattle & King County, 401 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
| | - Amy A. Laurent
- Public Health—Seattle & King County, 401 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
| | - Christina Delgado
- Public Health—Seattle & King County, 401 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
| | - Kayla Sainati
- Disability Empowerment Center, 1401 E Jefferson St, Seattle, WA 98122, USA
| | - Kris Johnson
- Public Health—Seattle & King County, 401 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
| | - Eva Y. Wong
- Public Health—Seattle & King County, 401 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
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Kreysa H, Schneider D, Kowallik AE, Dastgheib SS, Doğdu C, Kühn G, Ruttloff JM, Schweinberger SR. Psychosocial and Behavioral Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Adolescents with Autism and Their Families: Overview of the Literature and Initial Data from a Multinational Online Survey. Healthcare (Basel) 2022; 10:714. [PMID: 35455891 PMCID: PMC9028372 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare10040714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Since COVID-19 has become a pandemic, everyday life has seen dramatic changes affecting individuals, families, and children with and without autism. Among other things, these changes entail more time at home, digital forms of communication, school closures, and reduced support and intervention. Here, we assess the effects of the pandemic on quality of life for school-age autistic and neurotypical children and adolescents. First, we provide a comprehensive review of the current relevant literature. Next, we report original data from a survey conducted in several countries, assessing activities, well-being, and social life in families with autism, and their changes over time. We focus on differences between children with and without autism from within the same families, and on different outcomes for children with high- or low-functioning autism. While individuals with autism scored lower in emotional and social functioning than their neurotypical siblings, both groups of children showed comparable decreases in well-being and increases in anxiety, compared to before the pandemic. By contrast, decreases in adaptability were significantly more pronounced in autistic children and adolescents compared to neurotypical children and adolescents. Overall, although individual families reported some positive effects of pandemic restrictions, our data provide no evidence that these generalize across children and adolescents with autism, or even just to individuals with high-functioning autism. We discuss the increased challenges that need to be addressed to protect children and adolescents' well-being under pandemic conditions, but also point out potentials in the present situation that could be used towards social participation and success in older children and young adults with autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helene Kreysa
- Social Potential in Autism Research Unit & Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany; (A.E.K.); (S.S.D.); (J.M.R.)
| | - Dana Schneider
- Social Potential in Autism Research Unit & Department of Social Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany; (D.S.); (C.D.)
- DFG Scientific Network “Understanding Others”, SCHN 1481/2-1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Andrea Erika Kowallik
- Social Potential in Autism Research Unit & Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany; (A.E.K.); (S.S.D.); (J.M.R.)
- Early Support and Counseling Center Jena, Herbert Feuchte Stiftungsverbund, 07743 Jena, Germany;
- Department of Psychiatry, Jena University Hospital, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Samaneh Sadat Dastgheib
- Social Potential in Autism Research Unit & Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany; (A.E.K.); (S.S.D.); (J.M.R.)
| | - Cem Doğdu
- Social Potential in Autism Research Unit & Department of Social Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany; (D.S.); (C.D.)
| | - Gabriele Kühn
- Early Support and Counseling Center Jena, Herbert Feuchte Stiftungsverbund, 07743 Jena, Germany;
| | - Jenny Marianne Ruttloff
- Social Potential in Autism Research Unit & Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany; (A.E.K.); (S.S.D.); (J.M.R.)
| | - Stefan R. Schweinberger
- Social Potential in Autism Research Unit & Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany; (A.E.K.); (S.S.D.); (J.M.R.)
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Zhou X, Zhao J, Zheng D, Yu Y, Liu L. Agent-Based Simulation of Virus Testing in Certain-Exposure Time through Community Health Service Centers' Evaluation-A Case Study of Wuhan. Healthcare (Basel) 2021; 9:1519. [PMID: 34828565 PMCID: PMC8617634 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare9111519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Short-term and large-scale full-population virus testing is crucial in containing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. However, the uneven distribution of health service facilities in terms of space and size may lead to prolonged crowding during testing, thus increasing the chance of virus cross-infection. Therefore, appropriate control of crowd exposure time in large-scale virus testing should be an important goal in the layout of urban community health facilities. This paper uses the Quanta concept and Wells-Riley model to define the "certain-exposure time" under low cross-infection rate. Then, an agent-based simulation model was used to simulate the reasonable screening efficiency of community health service facilities during certain-exposure time at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and under different screening processes. Eventually, the screening efficiency was evaluated for all community health service centers in Wuhan. During the early period of the pandemic, 23.13% of communities failed to complete virus testing of community residents within 2 h of certain-exposure time, leaving approximately 56.07% of the population unscreened; during the later period of the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 53% of communities and 75% of residents could not be screened. The results can pinpoint the distribution of community health service centers with inadequate screening capacity, facilitate targeted policymaking and planning, and effectively curb COVID-19 cross-infection during screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingyu Zhou
- Department of Urban Planning, Wuhan Planning & Design Institute, Wuhan 430014, China;
| | - Jie Zhao
- Department of Urban Planning, School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China; (Y.Y.); (L.L.)
| | - Duanya Zheng
- Wuhan Institute of Landscape Architectural Design Co., LTD, Wuhan 430025, China;
| | - Yang Yu
- Department of Urban Planning, School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China; (Y.Y.); (L.L.)
| | - Lingbo Liu
- Department of Urban Planning, School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China; (Y.Y.); (L.L.)
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Alonso-Esteban Y, López-Ramón MF, Moreno-Campos V, Navarro-Pardo E, Alcantud-Marín F. A Systematic Review on the Impact of the Social Confinement on People with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Caregivers during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Brain Sci 2021; 11:1389. [PMID: 34827388 PMCID: PMC8615555 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11111389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic had imposed a variety of containment measures on the general population for prolonged periods. Confinement has had, and still has, social, economic, educational, health, and psychological consequences on the entire population. OBJECTIVE In this article, a systematic search has been performed based on studies carried out since the beginning of the pandemic, regarding the impact of these containment measures on the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) population and their caregivers. METHOD We consulted six databases (i.e., PubMed, Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct) and selected ten studies that met the inclusion criteria. The chosen studies have been classified according to their theoretical focus, methodology, and target population. RESULTS We found an increase in stress and a decrease in psychological well-being among individuals diagnosed with ASD (i.e., parents and caregivers). Additionally, in studies focused on children, youth, and adults with ASD diagnosis, the results are contradictory depending on variables such as age, ASD severity, or type of family structure. CONCLUSIONS The results show that the consequences of quarantine and social confinement are quite contradictory and depend on variables such as age, ASD severity, and family features.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Francisco Alcantud-Marín
- PSiDEHESO Research Team, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (Y.A.-E.); (M.F.L.-R.); (V.M.-C.); (E.N.-P.)
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