Educational Groups (educational + groups)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Schumpeterian Growth Theory and the Dynamics of Income Inequality

ECONOMETRICA, Issue 3 2002
Philippe Aghion
In this lecture, it is argued that Schumpeterian Growth Theory, in which growth is driven by a sequence of quality-improving innovations, can shed light on two important puzzles raised by the recent evolution of wage inequality in developed economies. The first puzzle concerns wage inequality between educational groups, which has substantially risen in the US and the UK during the past two decades following a sharp increase in the supply of educated labor. The second puzzle concerns wage inequality within educational groups, which accounts for a large fraction of the observed increase in wage inequality, although in contrast to between-group wage inequality it has mainly affected the temporary component of income. [source]


Education-based group identity and consciousness in the authoritarian-libertarian value conflict

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2009
RUNE STUBAGER
The increasing importance of New Politics or authoritarian-libertarian values to electoral behaviour in advanced Western industrial democracies and the previously documented strong link between such values and educational attainment indicates that, contrary to the claims of some New Politics theorists, the ideological conflict is anchored in the social structure , in particular in educational groups. For this interpretation to be warranted, however, it should be possible to document the existence of education-based group identity and group consciousness related to the value conflict. The article develops indicators of the core variables out of Social Identity Theory. Based on a unique survey from Denmark, which includes the new set of indicators, the analyses show that members of the high and low education groups have developed both group identity and consciousness reflecting a conflict between the groups and that these factors are related to authoritarian-libertarian values. The results are interpreted as reflecting a relationship of dominance, which supports the view that the ideological conflict is structurally anchored. [source]


The influence of education on the interpretation of pharmaceutical pictograms for communicating medicine instructions

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACY PRACTICE, Issue 1 2003
Ros Dowse senior lecturer
Objective To assess the influence of formal education on the interpretation of pharmaceutical pictograms. Method A total of 46 pictograms were used: 23 were extracted directly from the USP-DI, and 23 with corresponding meanings were designed in accordance with the local culture (local pictograms). One hundred and thirty Xhosa respondents, who ranged from having no formal education to tertiary level education, were interviewed with the aid of an interpreter. Demographic data were collected, a literacy test was conducted and respondents were tested for their interpretation of all 46 pictograms. Preference for either the USP-DI or the local pictogram was determined. Setting Respondents were interviewed in primary health care clinics, a variety of work settings or in their homes in Grahamstown, South Africa. Key findings Standard of education had a significant influence on the interpretation of 24 of the 46 pictograms. Generally, significant differences in interpretation were apparent between those with only primary school education and those who had completed at least some senior school education (P < 0.05). The group with tertiary education was significantly better than the other groups (P < 0.05). Only 15 of the 46 pictograms met the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 85% correct criterion. Conclusion Interpretation was dependent on education and the development of visual literacy skills, but potential for misinterpretation in all educational groups was noted. These results suggest that pictograms should only be used as a communication aid in combination with text or verbal information from the health care provider. [source]


Effect of administration mode (patient vs physician) and patient's educational level on the Turkish version of the International Prostate Symptom Score

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF UROLOGY, Issue 8 2002
Murat Bozlu
Abstract Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) when administered by the physician to when self-administered by the patient. The effect of the patient's educational level on the IPSS was also evaluated. Methods: One hundred and seven previously untreated patients with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) completed the Turkish version of the International Prostate Symptom Score (Turkish I-PSS) and quality of life (QOL) questionnaires during a single office visit, first on their own and then with an interviewing physician. The patients were categorized into three groups according to their educational levels. Paired t -tests were performed to compare the total IPSS (tIPSS) and QOL results between the two testing modes. IPSS and QOL scores resulting from both modes were compared using a kappa test. Differences between the physician-assisted and self-administered scores among the different educational groups were further compared using a one-way anova test and Post Hoc Multiple Comparisons. To compare the objective effectiveness of tIPSS and QOL between the two testing modes, we selected the positive actual state, which was maximum urine flow (Qmax) of 15 mL/s or less and constructed receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves for all patients. This estimation was constructed for each educational level. Results: There were no statistical differences in IPSS and QOL values obtained by the patients or physicians (P > 0.05). The ROC areas for tIPSS were 0.94 and 0.93, and the ROC areas for QOL scores were 0.97 and 0.91 for information obtained by physicians and patients, respectively. When IPSS answers and QOL scores were evaluated separately, consistency was found across both modes of administration. However, there were lower levels of consistency in answers to IPSS questions 2, 5 and 6 (P = 0.59;0.42; 0.52, respectively). There was no significant difference among the aforementioned data in the educational groups. Conclusion: Although the total IPSS and QOL scores were not affected by the different modes of administration, we recommend that the physicians should evaluate answers to questions 2, 5 and 6 carefully. The present study demonstrates that the educational level did not affect the IPSS and QOL when administered either by the physician or the patient. [source]


Sensitivity and Specificity of the Mini-Mental State Examination for Identifying Dementia in the Oldest-Old: The 90+ Study

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 2 2007
Kristin Kahle-Wrobleski PhD
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in identifying dementia in the oldest-old when stratified by age and education. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Research clinic and in-home visits. PARTICIPANTS: Population-based sample of adults aged 90 and older (n=435) who are enrolled in the 90+ Study, a longitudinal, population-based study. MEASUREMENTS: Neurological examination to determine dementia diagnosis, MMSE, and demographic data. RESULTS: Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses indicated that the MMSE had high diagnostic accuracy for identifying dementia in subjects aged 90 and older across different age and education groups (area under the ROC curve values ranged from 0.82 to 0.98). A range of possible cutoff values and corresponding sensitivity and specificity are provided for the following age groups: 90,93, 94,96, and ,97. Age groups were subdivided by educational attainment (,high school, vocational school or some college, college degree or higher). In subjects aged 90 to 93 with a college degree or higher, the suggested MMSE cutoff score is ,25 (sensitivity=0.82, specificity=0.80). In those aged 94 to 96 with a college degree or higher, the suggested cutoff is ,24 (sensitivity=0.85, specificity=0.80). Those aged 97 and older with an education of high school or less had the lowest suggested cutoff ,22 (sensitivity=0.80, specificity=0.76). CONCLUSION: Overall, the MMSE had good sensitivity and specificity across all age and educational groups. Optimal cutoff points were lower in the older age groups and those with less education, primarily to preserve specificity. This screening instrument is appropriate for use with the oldest-old. [source]


Childhood conditions and education as determinants of adult height and obesity among Greenland Inuit

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2010
P. Bjerregaard
Height and obesity are risk factors for cardiovascular disease and other physical and mental health conditions. Their association with childhood socioeconomic position has been demonstrated in studies among European and a few third world populations. In a random sample of adult Greenland Inuit (N = 2302) we studied the association between childhood socioeconomic conditions and height as well as prevalence of obesity (BMI , 30) in a cross sectional design. In block recursive graphical independence models, height was associated with mother's place of birth, birth cohort, childhood residence, alcohol problems in childhood home, and education among both men and women. Obesity was associated with mother's place of birth (for men) and with alcohol problems (for women). In General Linear Models, men with an all rural background and no education beyond primary school measured on average 165.1 cm compared with 172.1 cm for men with an all urban background (P < 0.001); women measured 153.9 and 161.1 cm (P < 0.001). Rural-urban differences in prevalence of obesity were not statistically significant. The height differences were considerably larger than between educational groups in European countries and of the same order of magnitude as those reported between men from the 17th century and men from 400 BC in the European and Mediterranean region. The rural-urban gradient in height follows the socioeconomic gradient and may negatively affect cardiovascular risk among the rural Greenlanders, while their physically active lifestyle and high consumption of n-3 fatty acids may counteract this. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Social inequality in premature mortality among polish urban adults during economic transition

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2007
Halina Ko, odziej
Rates of premature mortality among adults are important measures of the economic and psychosocial well-being of human populations. In many countries, such rates are, as a rule, inversely related to the level of attained education. We examined changes in educational group-specific mortality rates among urban adults in Poland during the country's rapid transition in the 1990s from a socialist command economy to a free market system. Two census-based analyses of individual death records of urban dwellers aged 35,64 years were compared. We utilized all records of death, which occurred during the 2-year periods 1988,89 and 2001,02. Population denominators were taken from the censuses of 1988 and 2002. The age-specific mortality rates were used to evaluate absolute differences in mortality. To assess relative differences between educational levels, mortality rate ratios (MRRs) with 95% CI (confidence interval) were calculated using Poisson regression. A regular educational gradient in mortality persisted in each 10-year age group throughout the period covered by our data. Moreover, age-specific mortality rates declined steadily in all educational groups, and this decline was most marked in the two oldest age groups (45,54 and 55,64 years). The trend was accompanied by widening of educational differences in mortality as expressed by MRRs. Systemic political transformation in Poland has brought a mixture of beneficial and detrimental effects on the well-being of society. With regard to the changes in rates of premature mortality among adults, the benefits have prevailed, although individuals with the lowest educational level benefited less than those with the highest education. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Differentials in Adult Mortality and Activity Limitation by Years of Education in the United States at the End of the 1990s

POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, Issue 4 2004
Michael T. Molla
This study examines mortality differentials and health disparities between educational groups within the 1998 adult population (ages 25 and older) in the United States. Mortality differentials are measured using average life expectancy and health disparities by expected years without activity limitation. The results indicate that for both sexes, higher education is associated with higher life expectancy. Those with higher levels of education also have higher life expectancy without activity limitation. Adults with higher education can also expect to enjoy a greater percentage of their expected lives free of any form of activity limitation. At each level of education, adult females have a higher level of activity limitation compared to adult males. At the same level of education, adult females expect to enjoy smaller percentages of their remaining lives free of activity limitation compared to adult males of the same age. [source]