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Nguyen Q, Spilker G, Koubi V, Böhmelt T. How sudden- versus slow-onset environmental events affect self-identification as an environmental migrant: Evidence from Vietnamese and Kenyan survey data. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0297079. [PMID: 38271441 PMCID: PMC10810492 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
In response to changing climatic conditions, people are increasingly likely to migrate. However, individual-level survey data reveal that people mainly state economic, social, or political reasons as the main drivers for their relocation decision-not environmental motives or climate change specifically. To shed light on this discrepancy, we distinguish between sudden-onset (e.g., floods and storms) and slow-onset (e.g., droughts and salinity) climatic changes and argue that the salience of environmental conditions in individuals' migration decisions is shaped by the type of climate event experienced. Empirically, we combine individual-level surveys with geographic information on objective climatic changes in Vietnam and Kenya. The empirical evidence suggests that sudden-onset climate events make individuals more likely to link environmental conditions to their migration decision and, hence, to identify themselves as "environmental migrants." Regression analyses support these results and are consistent with the view that slow-onset events tend to be linked with migration decisions that are more economically motivated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quynh Nguyen
- Wyss Academy for Nature, Institute of Political Science, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Gabriele Spilker
- Cluster of Excellence “The Politics of Inequality”, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Vally Koubi
- Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, Center for Comparative and International Studies, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Tobias Böhmelt
- Department of Government, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
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Wu D, Low N, Hawkes SJ. Understanding the factors affecting global political priority for controlling sexually transmitted infections: a qualitative policy analysis. BMJ Glob Health 2024; 9:e014237. [PMID: 38262682 PMCID: PMC10823925 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-014237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a significant public health challenge, but there is a perceived lack of political priority in addressing STIs as a global health issue. Our study aimed to understand the determinants of global political priority for STIs since the 1980s and to discern implications for future prioritisation. METHODS Through semistructured interviews from July 2021 to February 2022, we engaged 20 key stakeholders (8 women, 12 men) from academia, United Nations agencies, international non-governmental organisations, philanthropic organisations and national public health agencies. A published policy framework was employed for thematic analysis, and findings triangulated with relevant literature and policy documents. We examined issue characteristics, prevailing ideas, actor power dynamics and political contexts. RESULTS A contrast in perspectives before and after the year 2000 emerged. STI control was high on the global health agenda during the late 1980s and 1990s, as a means to control HIV. A strong policy community agreed on evidence about the high burden of STIs and that STI management could reduce the incidence of HIV. The level of importance decreased when further research evidence did not find an impact of STI control interventions on HIV incidence. Since 2000, cohesion in the STI community has decreased. New framing for broad STI control has not emerged. Interventions that have been funded, such as human papillomavirus vaccination and congenital syphilis elimination have been framed as cancer control or improving newborn survival, rather than as STI control. CONCLUSION Globally, the perceived decline in STI control priority might stem from discrepancies between investment choices and experts' views on STI priorities. Addressing STIs requires understanding the intertwined nature of politics and empirical evidence in resource allocation. The ascent of universal health coverage presents an opportunity for integrated STI strategies but high-quality care, sustainable funding and strategic coordination are essential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dadong Wu
- Shenzhen Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital, Shenzhen, China
- Center for World Health Organization Studies, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Nicola Low
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sarah J Hawkes
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK
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Gerber M, Colledge F, de Quervain D, Filippou K, Havas E, Knappe F, Ludyga S, Meier M, Morres ID, Panagos A, Pühse U, Ramadan K, Seelig H, Theodorakis Y, von Känel R, Hatzigeorgiadis A. Effects of an exercise and sport intervention among refugees living in a Greek refugee camp on mental health, physical fitness and cardiovascular risk markers: study protocol for the SALEEM pragmatic randomized controlled trial. Trials 2021; 22:827. [PMID: 34802451 PMCID: PMC8607641 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-021-05808-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Due to ongoing political and social conflicts, the number of international refugees has been increasing. Refugees are exposed to severe mental and physical strain, as well as traumatic experiences during their flight. Therefore, the risk of psychiatric disorders is markedly increased among international refugees. International organizations have criticized the lack of early interventions as a key problem, because untreated mental disorders are often difficult to cure at a later stage. Today, exercise and sport have been successfully employed to treat a wide range of psychiatric disorders. With patients with post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), very limited empirical evidence exists, and studies carried out with international refugees are nearly non-existent. METHODS We intend to implement a pragmatic randomized controlled trial (RCT) with an exercise and sport intervention group (n = 68, 50% women) and a wait-list control group (n = 68, 50% women) in the Koutsochero refugee camp, located close to the city of Larissa (Greece). During the RCT, exercise and sport will be offered five times per week (60 min/session) for 10 weeks. Participants will be asked to participate in at least two sessions per week. The programme is developed according to the participants' needs and preferences and they will be able to choose between a range of activities. PTSD symptoms will serve as primary outcome, and several secondary outcomes will be assessed. Qualitative data collection methods will be used to gain a more in-depth appraisal of the participants' perception of the intervention programme. In the second year of study, the programme will be opened to all camp residents. A strategy will be developed how the programme can be continued after the end of the funding period, and how the programme can be scaled up beyond the borders of the Koutsochero camp. DISCUSSION By moving towards the primary prevention of chronic physical conditions and psychiatric disorders, a relevant contribution can be done to enhance the quality and quantity of life of refugee camp residents in Greece. Our findings may also strengthen the evidence for exercise as medicine as a holistic care option in refugee camps, by helping camp residents to adopt and maintain a physically active lifestyle. TRIAL REGISTRATION The study was registered prospectively on the 8 February 2021 with ISRCTN https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN16291983.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Gerber
- Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Grosse Allee 6, CH-4052 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Flora Colledge
- Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Grosse Allee 6, CH-4052 Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Konstantinia Filippou
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
| | - Elsa Havas
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
| | - Florian Knappe
- Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Grosse Allee 6, CH-4052 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sebastian Ludyga
- Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Grosse Allee 6, CH-4052 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marianne Meier
- Interdisciplinary Center for Gender Studies, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ioannis D. Morres
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
| | - Alexandros Panagos
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
| | - Uwe Pühse
- Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Grosse Allee 6, CH-4052 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Karim Ramadan
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
| | - Harald Seelig
- Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Grosse Allee 6, CH-4052 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Yannis Theodorakis
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
| | - Roland von Känel
- Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Wang N, Christen M, Hunt M. Ethical Considerations Associated with "Humanitarian Drones": A Scoping Literature Review. Sci Eng Ethics 2021; 27:51. [PMID: 34342721 PMCID: PMC8330183 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-021-00327-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The use of drones (or unmanned aerial vehicles, UVAs) in humanitarian action has emerged rapidly in the last decade and continues to expand. These so-called 'humanitarian drones' represent the first wave of robotics applied in the humanitarian and development contexts, providing critical information through mapping of crisis-affected areas and timely delivery of aid supplies to populations in need. Alongside these emergent uses of drones in the aid sector, debates have arisen about potential risks and challenges, presenting diverse perspectives on the ethical, legal, and social implications of humanitarian drones. Guided by the methodology introduced by Arksey and O'Malley, this scoping review offers an assessment of the ethical considerations discussed in the academic and gray literature based on a screening of 1,188 articles, from which we selected and analyzed 47 articles. In particular, we used a hybrid approach of qualitative content analysis, along with quantitative landscape mapping, to inductively develop a typology of ethical considerations associated with humanitarian drones. The results yielded 11 key areas of concern: (1) minimizing harm, (2) maximizing welfare, (3) substantive justice, (4) procedural justice, (5) respect for individuals, (6) respect for communities, (7) regulatory gaps, (8) regulatory dysfunction, (9) perceptions of humanitarian aid and organizations, (10) relations between humanitarian organizations and industry, and (11) the identity of humanitarian aid providers and organizations. Our findings illuminate topics that have been the focus of extensive attention (such as minimizing risks of harm and protecting privacy), traces the evolution of this discussion over time (i.e., an initial focus on mapping drones and the distinction of humanitarian from military use, toward the ethics of cargo drones carrying healthcare supplies and samples), and points to areas that have received less consideration (e.g., whether sustainability and shared benefits will be compromised if private companies' interest in humanitarian drones wanes once new markets open up). The review can thus help to situate and guide further analysis of drone use in humanitarian settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Wang
- Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Digital Society Initiative, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Markus Christen
- Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Digital Society Initiative, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Matthew Hunt
- School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation, Montréal, Canada
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