Health inequalities are very well documented in epidemiological research: rich people live longer... more Health inequalities are very well documented in epidemiological research: rich people live longer and have fewer diseases than poor people. Recently, a growing amount of evidence from environmental sciences confirms that poor people are also more exposed to pollution and other environmental threats. However, research in the social sciences has shown a broad lack of awareness about health inequalities. In this paper, based on data collected in Portugal, we will analyze the consciousness of both health and environmental injustices and test one hypothesis for this social blindness. The results show, even more clearly than before, that public opinion tends to see rich and poor people as being equally susceptible to health and environmental events. Furthermore, those who have this equal view of the world present lower levels of depression and anxiety. Following cognitive adaptation theory, this "belief in an equal world" can be interpreted as a protective positive illusion abou...
This paper tests the hypothesis that risk perception of those living near an incinerator has effe... more This paper tests the hypothesis that risk perception of those living near an incinerator has effects on their psychological well being. Data were collected in a 5-year longitudinal design during the monitoring study of the external environment of a waste incinerator (2797 interviews ...
PAULA CASTROis Professor of Social Psychology in the Department of Social and Organizational Psyc... more PAULA CASTROis Professor of Social Psychology in the Department of Social and Organizational Psychology of the Instituto Superior de Ciências do Trabalho e da Empresa, Lisbon, Portugal. Her main current research interests include environmen-tal social psychology, ...
Successfully engaging consumers in a dialogue may provide opportunities for better tailored and m... more Successfully engaging consumers in a dialogue may provide opportunities for better tailored and more effective communication about food-related risks and benefits. Using an online deliberation concept and software, VIZZATATM, we explored the validity of a behavioural measure of deliberation in an online environment in the context of consumers' perceptions and information seeking about the risks and benefits of red meat. Participants from Belgium, Portugal and the United Kingdom (n=150) participated in an asynchronous interaction with the research team about the information provided. Online deliberation was operationalized as an individual metric based on the number of questions asked in relation to the information, the number of comments left, the number of glossary terms accessed, and the time spent on deliberative activity. This operationalization provided a coherent measure of deliberation which was positively correlated with information recall about the risks and benefits of...
Successfully engaging consumers in a dialogue may provide opportunities for better tailored and m... more Successfully engaging consumers in a dialogue may provide opportunities for better tailored and more effective communication about food-related risks and benefits. Using an online deliberation concept and software, VIZZATATM, we explored the validity of a behavioural measure of deliberation in an online environment in the context of consumers’ perceptions and information seeking about the risks and benefits of red meat. Participants from Belgium, Portugal and the United Kingdom (n=150) participated in an asynchronous interaction with the research team about the information provided. Online deliberation was operationalized as an individual metric based on the number of questions asked in relation to the information, the number of comments left, the number of glossary terms accessed, and the time spent on deliberative activity. This operationalization provided a coherent measure of deliberation which was positively correlated with information recall about the risks and benefits of red...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Urbanization, costs of green space maintenance, and diminishing connection between people and nat... more Urbanization, costs of green space maintenance, and diminishing connection between people and nature all exert pressures on urban green space. This is regrettable as green space has the potential to create wins for environmental sustainability, health, and health equity. This paper explores this potential triple win and investigates how to increase the use of urban green space through behavior change. A narrative literature review was conducted and was supplemented with literature suggested by experts. Results show that creating well-designed green spaces and stimulating people to use them can indeed deliver this triple win. Providing accessible, attractive, well-maintained green space with room for socialization, and where people feel safe, may increase the opportunity and motivation of people to use it more often. Informing and educating people and organizing activities may increase capability (and motivation) to use green space. Since the use of green space depends on life stage,...
A pandemia de gripe de 1918-19 foi a doença mais mortífera de todos os tempos. Poderá ter afetado... more A pandemia de gripe de 1918-19 foi a doença mais mortífera de todos os tempos. Poderá ter afetado um em cada três habitantes do planeta e, no espaço de dois anos, terá sido responsável por um número de mortes comparável ao das duas guerras mundiais em conjunto. Este artigo incide sobre Portugal, onde se estima que terá provocado mais de 130 mil baixas, sendo a taxa de mortalidade (22 por mil habitantes) superior à da maioria dos países europeus. Procura enquadrar os diversos aspetos desta catástrofe no seu tempo histórico, salientando as assimetrias sociais da sua ocorrência, as dificuldades que o sistema de saúde teve para lidar com a doença, as atitudes das autoridades e o silenciamento a que foi votada a doença na esfera pública.
Past research suggests that the connection between values and people's behaviour may not be as st... more Past research suggests that the connection between values and people's behaviour may not be as straightforward and robust as has been claimed. We propose that a more holistic and discriminative view that acknowledges the influence of a specific combination of values on specific kinds of behaviour is needed. In the current project, we test two hypotheses regarding the transcendental-change profile (TCP). First, that TCP is characterized by a combination of the readiness to engage in those challenges (instrumental) that can make the world a better place (terminal). Second, the centrality of the TCP facilitates performance of those prosocial actions that are perceived as stimulating and global. The results of five studies support the reliability and validity of this conceptualization of TCP (Studies 1 and 2), and show that when the prosocial initiative is perceived as either global (Study 3) or stimulating (Studies 4 and 5) the TCP is the strongest predictor of the willingness and commitment to engage in such prosocial action.
A epidemia de gripe pneumónica ocorreu em Portugal num momento em que o país que enfrentava enorm... more A epidemia de gripe pneumónica ocorreu em Portugal num momento em que o país que enfrentava enormes dificuldades de natureza económica, política e sanitária. Chega a um país rural e pobre, envolvido na Grande Guerra de 1914-18, e que se debate com a carência de géneros e a carestia de vida, e com uma fortíssima crise social e política. Apesar de o país estar habituado a sucessivas epidemias, o carácter imprevisto e violento da pneumónica (estima-se que tenha provocado quase 140 mil mortos num país com cerca de 6 milhões de habitantes) fez com que a resposta dos agentes políticos e sanitários fosse marcada por factores ligados à conjuntura (crise económica, social e política) e de tipo estrutural (condições higiénicas e sanitárias deficientes, falta de meios em capital económico, de médicos e de medicamentos, impotência do conhecimento médico para debelar a epidemia).
One of the main pursuits, yet most difficult, in monitoring studies is to identify the sources of... more One of the main pursuits, yet most difficult, in monitoring studies is to identify the sources of environmental pollution. In this study we have identified, for the first time, senior residences from south European countries as an important source of pharmaceuticals in the environment. We have estimated that compounds released from effluents of senior residences at a concentration of only 10 µg/L can reach river waters at a concentration higher than 0.01 µg/L, which is the European Medicines Agency threshold for risk evaluation of pharmaceuticals in surface waters. This study has been based on 5 establishments for the elder in Portugal, Spain and France, hosting from 52 to 139 patients. We have compiled the pharmaceuticals dispensed on a daily base and calculated the consumption rates. Up to 636 g of pharmaceuticals are consumed daily, being analgesics, antiepileptic, antibiotic, anticonvulsant, antidiabetic Powered by Editorial Manager® and ProduXion Manager® from Aries Systems Corporation and laxatives the main drugs families administered. According to excretion rates, dilution in the sewage grid and elimination in wastewater treatment plants and reported toxicity, amoxilin, glucosamide, ibuprofen, metformin, paracetamol and megestrol were the compounds bearing the higher environmental hazards. Finally, we discuss the risk management actions related to the discharge of pharmaceuticals from senior residences to surface waters.
Positive social relations are known to have a beneficial impact on health, however, little is kno... more Positive social relations are known to have a beneficial impact on health, however, little is known about the links of health with online relationships. In this study, we compare face-to-face and virtual friendships in their association with health. By building on previous results of studies conducted on the well-being of college students, we expect to find stronger associations of face-to-face friendships with health than of those established through Facebook. Furthermore, we expect to test the mediating role of social capital variables in this process. Two large-scale studies conducted in community samples (Study 1 = 350 urban residents; Study 2 = 803 urban and rural residents) showed that the number and quality of face-to-face friendships were directly associated with self-reported health status, however, the same did not occur with Facebook friendships. Moreover, the association of face-to-face friendships with health was totally mediated by bonding (mostly) but also bridging social capital. These results, replicated in both studies, were found controlling for confounding variables such as age, gender, education, living alone, self-esteem, and socioeconomic status. This pattern of results emphasizes the gains of face-to-face over online friendships for individuals' health status in community samples.
Psychological theories of aging highlight the importance of social context. However, very little ... more Psychological theories of aging highlight the importance of social context. However, very little research has distinguished empirically between older people's perception of how others in their social context perceive them (personal meta-perceptions) and the shared perceptions in society (societal meta-perceptions). Drawing on theories of intergroup relations and stereotyping and using a multilevel perspective, this article examines how well older people's perceptions of age discrimination (PAD) are predicted by (a) older people's personal meta-perceptions, (b) societal meta-perceptions, and (c) social norms of intolerance toward age prejudice. Aging meta-perceptions are differentiated into the cognitive and affective components of ageism. Multilevel analyses of data from the European Social Survey (Nover 70 years of age = 8,123, 29 countries; European Social Survey (ESS) Round 4 Data, 2008) confirmed that older people's personal meta-perceptions of negative age stere...
Esta pesquisa pretendeu estudar o optimismo comparativo face aos riscos urbanos e explorar o pape... more Esta pesquisa pretendeu estudar o optimismo comparativo face aos riscos urbanos e explorar o papel que a identificação com a cidade de residência tem neste processo. O estudo foi realizado através de um inquérito a 156 estudantes universitários, residentes em Lisboa, Huelva e Lyon. Os resultados revelaram a existência de optimismo comparativo face a todos os riscos urbanos considerados (carteirismo, assalto da casa, terrorismo e queda de avião): os riscos para o próprio foram sempre considerados inferiores em relação aos riscos para os outros. No entanto,, os residentes consideraram-se menos vulneráveis do que os residentes de outras cidades (comparação exo-grupal) em particular no caso dos riscos graves e incontroláveis (terrorismo e queda de avião), sendo menos optimistas relativamente aos riscos menos graves e controláveis (assalto e carteirismo). Verificou-se que, no caso dos riscos urbanos incontroláveis, os inquiridos mais identificados com a sua cidade de residência revelam m...
Health inequalities are very well documented in epidemiological research: rich people live longer... more Health inequalities are very well documented in epidemiological research: rich people live longer and have fewer diseases than poor people. Recently, a growing amount of evidence from environmental sciences confirms that poor people are also more exposed to pollution and other environmental threats. However, research in the social sciences has shown a broad lack of awareness about health inequalities. In this paper, based on data collected in Portugal, we will analyze the consciousness of both health and environmental injustices and test one hypothesis for this social blindness. The results show, even more clearly than before, that public opinion tends to see rich and poor people as being equally susceptible to health and environmental events. Furthermore, those who have this equal view of the world present lower levels of depression and anxiety. Following cognitive adaptation theory, this "belief in an equal world" can be interpreted as a protective positive illusion abou...
This paper tests the hypothesis that risk perception of those living near an incinerator has effe... more This paper tests the hypothesis that risk perception of those living near an incinerator has effects on their psychological well being. Data were collected in a 5-year longitudinal design during the monitoring study of the external environment of a waste incinerator (2797 interviews ...
PAULA CASTROis Professor of Social Psychology in the Department of Social and Organizational Psyc... more PAULA CASTROis Professor of Social Psychology in the Department of Social and Organizational Psychology of the Instituto Superior de Ciências do Trabalho e da Empresa, Lisbon, Portugal. Her main current research interests include environmen-tal social psychology, ...
Successfully engaging consumers in a dialogue may provide opportunities for better tailored and m... more Successfully engaging consumers in a dialogue may provide opportunities for better tailored and more effective communication about food-related risks and benefits. Using an online deliberation concept and software, VIZZATATM, we explored the validity of a behavioural measure of deliberation in an online environment in the context of consumers' perceptions and information seeking about the risks and benefits of red meat. Participants from Belgium, Portugal and the United Kingdom (n=150) participated in an asynchronous interaction with the research team about the information provided. Online deliberation was operationalized as an individual metric based on the number of questions asked in relation to the information, the number of comments left, the number of glossary terms accessed, and the time spent on deliberative activity. This operationalization provided a coherent measure of deliberation which was positively correlated with information recall about the risks and benefits of...
Successfully engaging consumers in a dialogue may provide opportunities for better tailored and m... more Successfully engaging consumers in a dialogue may provide opportunities for better tailored and more effective communication about food-related risks and benefits. Using an online deliberation concept and software, VIZZATATM, we explored the validity of a behavioural measure of deliberation in an online environment in the context of consumers’ perceptions and information seeking about the risks and benefits of red meat. Participants from Belgium, Portugal and the United Kingdom (n=150) participated in an asynchronous interaction with the research team about the information provided. Online deliberation was operationalized as an individual metric based on the number of questions asked in relation to the information, the number of comments left, the number of glossary terms accessed, and the time spent on deliberative activity. This operationalization provided a coherent measure of deliberation which was positively correlated with information recall about the risks and benefits of red...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Urbanization, costs of green space maintenance, and diminishing connection between people and nat... more Urbanization, costs of green space maintenance, and diminishing connection between people and nature all exert pressures on urban green space. This is regrettable as green space has the potential to create wins for environmental sustainability, health, and health equity. This paper explores this potential triple win and investigates how to increase the use of urban green space through behavior change. A narrative literature review was conducted and was supplemented with literature suggested by experts. Results show that creating well-designed green spaces and stimulating people to use them can indeed deliver this triple win. Providing accessible, attractive, well-maintained green space with room for socialization, and where people feel safe, may increase the opportunity and motivation of people to use it more often. Informing and educating people and organizing activities may increase capability (and motivation) to use green space. Since the use of green space depends on life stage,...
A pandemia de gripe de 1918-19 foi a doença mais mortífera de todos os tempos. Poderá ter afetado... more A pandemia de gripe de 1918-19 foi a doença mais mortífera de todos os tempos. Poderá ter afetado um em cada três habitantes do planeta e, no espaço de dois anos, terá sido responsável por um número de mortes comparável ao das duas guerras mundiais em conjunto. Este artigo incide sobre Portugal, onde se estima que terá provocado mais de 130 mil baixas, sendo a taxa de mortalidade (22 por mil habitantes) superior à da maioria dos países europeus. Procura enquadrar os diversos aspetos desta catástrofe no seu tempo histórico, salientando as assimetrias sociais da sua ocorrência, as dificuldades que o sistema de saúde teve para lidar com a doença, as atitudes das autoridades e o silenciamento a que foi votada a doença na esfera pública.
Past research suggests that the connection between values and people's behaviour may not be as st... more Past research suggests that the connection between values and people's behaviour may not be as straightforward and robust as has been claimed. We propose that a more holistic and discriminative view that acknowledges the influence of a specific combination of values on specific kinds of behaviour is needed. In the current project, we test two hypotheses regarding the transcendental-change profile (TCP). First, that TCP is characterized by a combination of the readiness to engage in those challenges (instrumental) that can make the world a better place (terminal). Second, the centrality of the TCP facilitates performance of those prosocial actions that are perceived as stimulating and global. The results of five studies support the reliability and validity of this conceptualization of TCP (Studies 1 and 2), and show that when the prosocial initiative is perceived as either global (Study 3) or stimulating (Studies 4 and 5) the TCP is the strongest predictor of the willingness and commitment to engage in such prosocial action.
A epidemia de gripe pneumónica ocorreu em Portugal num momento em que o país que enfrentava enorm... more A epidemia de gripe pneumónica ocorreu em Portugal num momento em que o país que enfrentava enormes dificuldades de natureza económica, política e sanitária. Chega a um país rural e pobre, envolvido na Grande Guerra de 1914-18, e que se debate com a carência de géneros e a carestia de vida, e com uma fortíssima crise social e política. Apesar de o país estar habituado a sucessivas epidemias, o carácter imprevisto e violento da pneumónica (estima-se que tenha provocado quase 140 mil mortos num país com cerca de 6 milhões de habitantes) fez com que a resposta dos agentes políticos e sanitários fosse marcada por factores ligados à conjuntura (crise económica, social e política) e de tipo estrutural (condições higiénicas e sanitárias deficientes, falta de meios em capital económico, de médicos e de medicamentos, impotência do conhecimento médico para debelar a epidemia).
One of the main pursuits, yet most difficult, in monitoring studies is to identify the sources of... more One of the main pursuits, yet most difficult, in monitoring studies is to identify the sources of environmental pollution. In this study we have identified, for the first time, senior residences from south European countries as an important source of pharmaceuticals in the environment. We have estimated that compounds released from effluents of senior residences at a concentration of only 10 µg/L can reach river waters at a concentration higher than 0.01 µg/L, which is the European Medicines Agency threshold for risk evaluation of pharmaceuticals in surface waters. This study has been based on 5 establishments for the elder in Portugal, Spain and France, hosting from 52 to 139 patients. We have compiled the pharmaceuticals dispensed on a daily base and calculated the consumption rates. Up to 636 g of pharmaceuticals are consumed daily, being analgesics, antiepileptic, antibiotic, anticonvulsant, antidiabetic Powered by Editorial Manager® and ProduXion Manager® from Aries Systems Corporation and laxatives the main drugs families administered. According to excretion rates, dilution in the sewage grid and elimination in wastewater treatment plants and reported toxicity, amoxilin, glucosamide, ibuprofen, metformin, paracetamol and megestrol were the compounds bearing the higher environmental hazards. Finally, we discuss the risk management actions related to the discharge of pharmaceuticals from senior residences to surface waters.
Positive social relations are known to have a beneficial impact on health, however, little is kno... more Positive social relations are known to have a beneficial impact on health, however, little is known about the links of health with online relationships. In this study, we compare face-to-face and virtual friendships in their association with health. By building on previous results of studies conducted on the well-being of college students, we expect to find stronger associations of face-to-face friendships with health than of those established through Facebook. Furthermore, we expect to test the mediating role of social capital variables in this process. Two large-scale studies conducted in community samples (Study 1 = 350 urban residents; Study 2 = 803 urban and rural residents) showed that the number and quality of face-to-face friendships were directly associated with self-reported health status, however, the same did not occur with Facebook friendships. Moreover, the association of face-to-face friendships with health was totally mediated by bonding (mostly) but also bridging social capital. These results, replicated in both studies, were found controlling for confounding variables such as age, gender, education, living alone, self-esteem, and socioeconomic status. This pattern of results emphasizes the gains of face-to-face over online friendships for individuals' health status in community samples.
Psychological theories of aging highlight the importance of social context. However, very little ... more Psychological theories of aging highlight the importance of social context. However, very little research has distinguished empirically between older people's perception of how others in their social context perceive them (personal meta-perceptions) and the shared perceptions in society (societal meta-perceptions). Drawing on theories of intergroup relations and stereotyping and using a multilevel perspective, this article examines how well older people's perceptions of age discrimination (PAD) are predicted by (a) older people's personal meta-perceptions, (b) societal meta-perceptions, and (c) social norms of intolerance toward age prejudice. Aging meta-perceptions are differentiated into the cognitive and affective components of ageism. Multilevel analyses of data from the European Social Survey (Nover 70 years of age = 8,123, 29 countries; European Social Survey (ESS) Round 4 Data, 2008) confirmed that older people's personal meta-perceptions of negative age stere...
Esta pesquisa pretendeu estudar o optimismo comparativo face aos riscos urbanos e explorar o pape... more Esta pesquisa pretendeu estudar o optimismo comparativo face aos riscos urbanos e explorar o papel que a identificação com a cidade de residência tem neste processo. O estudo foi realizado através de um inquérito a 156 estudantes universitários, residentes em Lisboa, Huelva e Lyon. Os resultados revelaram a existência de optimismo comparativo face a todos os riscos urbanos considerados (carteirismo, assalto da casa, terrorismo e queda de avião): os riscos para o próprio foram sempre considerados inferiores em relação aos riscos para os outros. No entanto,, os residentes consideraram-se menos vulneráveis do que os residentes de outras cidades (comparação exo-grupal) em particular no caso dos riscos graves e incontroláveis (terrorismo e queda de avião), sendo menos optimistas relativamente aos riscos menos graves e controláveis (assalto e carteirismo). Verificou-se que, no caso dos riscos urbanos incontroláveis, os inquiridos mais identificados com a sua cidade de residência revelam m...
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