Keywords
lifestyle, public and individual health, quality of life, social deprivation
Description
Resilience, Life Quality and Demographic Change
Epigenetics and lifestyle had been shown to affect a health-related quality of life (HRQOL) that plays an important role in occurrence, development and course of chronic and acute diseases. Investigation of factors associated with HRQOL with the attempt to change the modified ones became one of the most important directions of contemporary research.
Despite the large technological progress in European countries, social deprivation of different populational sub-groups based on their age, gender, occupation, and social stigma still have place, and reasons for such deprivation differ between countries. This difference is grounded on country-specific conditions, habits and stereotypes. Demographic changes that occur during the last decade pose additional challenge concerning reduction of social deprivation. Deprived groups are in disadvantage in their basic needs, working conditions, and lifestyle factors, and that can result in their reduced resilience in everyday and in extreme life conditions. Reduced resilience of some populational subgroups affects in its turn the global health of the entire population.
The aim of this Lab is to investigate the influence of epigenetic, demographic, psychological, lifestyle, social, collective and individual factors on HRQOL and resilience of different populations and populational sub-groups.
Lab universities will share its experience in multicentre investigations related to all mentioned subjects. In cooperation with scientific organizations and societies, Lab will provide students and staff with possibilities to participate in scientific and educational events, conferences and symposia. Cooperation between universities will have a grate perspective using a multicentre approach and possibilities of the FORTHEM Alliance.
Outputs of the Lab and current work in progress
Output Managers: all FORTHEM universities, contact - Mecopes@lu.lv
MeCOPES: Mechanisms of coping with pandemic-induced individual economic shocks is a longitudinal study on resilience during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Addressed to anyone working in or closely related to creative industries (e.g. artists, actors, musicians, DJs, professional athletes, guides, backstage workers, event planners, caterers, florists …). The aims of this research is to:
- → gain a better understanding of the ways pandemics affect societies to prepare for potential future crises.
- → look at how flexible people being employed in the creative industries are to face such a crisis
- → learn how the state-imposed disease control strategies have affected people's overall wellbeing and economic situation.
The results will serve as an exit point to help policy makers draft better strategies in the future.
Outputs:
- → An online questionnaire
- → Accompanying seminars on the topic of resilience and coding workshops for the contributing students
- → Transnational data analysis
Output Manager: University of Palermo, Associate Professor Domenica Matranga, domenica.matranga@unipa.it
Educational project addressed to Master’s or PhD Students of the School of Medicine (including Dentistry) or Biology, which consists of a 5-days summer school entitled: ”Building a pathway to health: Coping strategies and correct lifestyles”.
The following topics will be included:
- → Epidemiology of non–communicable chronic diseases and their determinants: data and methods;
- → Balanced nutrition and healthy diets, with special focus to Whole-food and Plant-based Diet;
- → Physical activity: physiological mechanisms and health impact;
- → The neurobiology of addiction. A vulnerability/resilience perspective;
- → Resilience to meet the challenge of addiction: alcohol and tobacco, drugs of abuse;
- → Behavioural addictions: game, web, sexual addictions;
- → Sexually Transmitted Diseases and sexual behaviour;
- → Coping strategies, communicative skills, decision making;
- → Psychologic well-being.
Outputs:
1. Lectures - recorded and avaliable in internet.
2. An online questionnaire to be administered to the attending students in order to gather information about their lifestyle behaviours, and their knowledge of communicative skills.
Output Manager: University of Latvia, Lilian Tzivian, liliana.civjane@lu.lv
Educational activity on “Methodology for epidemiological/ psychological investigations for quality-of-life and resilience thematic”. Target groups: Master’s or PhD Students and scientists.
- → proper planning of a scientific research – methodological problems;
- → survey studies in representative or convenience samples;
- → problems related to translation of questionnaires in international studies;
- → cross-sectional versus longitudinal studies;
- → questionnaire development and validation;
- → qualitative studies, their interpretation;
- → bias and misclassification in epidemiological studies;
- → a problem of confounding, Direct Acyclic Graph as a method to reduce confounding;
- → systematic reviews and meta-analyses
Outputs:
Recorded lectures available in internet.
Output Manager: University of Latvia, Lilian Tzivian, liliana.civjane@lu.lv
Longitudinal study on association between somatization, depressive symptoms and HRQOL of adolescents from regular and high-rated schools.
Outputs:
Publication (published): Zile I, Bite I, Krumina I, Folkmanis V, Tzivian L. 2021. Association between anxiety, quality of life and academic performance of the last year schoolers in Latvia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18: 5784.
Output Managers: UL, Lilian Tzivian liliana.civjane@lu.lv (in collaboration with JYU and FIT FORTHEM)
- Lecture: Challenges in public health and patient journey by a representative from Children’s University Hospital (TBA)
- Lecture: Trends in digital technologies: A 21st-century screwdriver transforming healthcare
- Workshop: Digital tech solutions for challenges in patient journey
Outputs:
Online lectures and matchmaking workshop, November 8, 2021.
Output Manager: UL, Lilian Tzivian liliana.civjane@lu.lv
In process: Resilience symposium in Mainz; QOL conference
Outputs:
students' presentations
Lab contact information
| University of Latvia, Riga | Associate Professor Lilian Tzivian | liliana.civjane@lu.lv |
| Johannes Gutenberg University, Germany | Professor Raffael Kalisch | rkalisch@uni-mainz.de |
| Johannes Gutenberg University, Germany | Privatdozent, Doctor Pascal Nicklas | pascal.nicklas@unimedizin-mainz.de |
| University of Jyväskylä, Finland | Associate Professor Mikaela von Bonsdorff | mikaela.vonbonsdorff@jyu.fi |
| University of Jyväskylä, Finland | Associate Professor Monika von Bonsdorff | monika.e.vonbonsdorff@jyu.fi |
| University of Burgundy, France | Professor Alexandra Laurent | alexandra.laurent@u-bourgogne.fr |
| University of Opole, Poland | Associate Professor Dominika Malchar-Michalska | dmalchar@uni.opole.pl |
| University of Palermo, Italy | Associate Professor Domenica Matranga | domenica.matranga@unipa.it |
| University of Palermo, Italy | Administrative Manager: Valentina D’Anna | valentina.danna02@unipa.it |
| University of Latvia, Riga | Head of International Relations Aline Grzibovska | aline.grzibovska@lu.lv |
| University of València, Spain | Professor Silvia Corchón Arreche | silvia.corchon@uv.es |
| University of València, Spain | Lecturer Vanessa Sánchez Martínez, | vanessa.sanches@uv.es |
Associated partners contributing to the Lab
- a platform for cognitive neuroscience studies using magnetic resonance imaging, non-invasive neurostimulation and other methods serving to study the structure and function of the brain and mental processes: www.ftn.nic.uni-mainz.de
- this Alliance has a young researchers network that includes mentorship by more advance scientists and free access to the symposium and other important activities: https://intresa.org/
- informational support of Lab events (agreed with founders of the society): https://www.epidemiologija.lv/
- informational support, possibility for up-to-date knowledge becoming ISQOLS members. For students and staff with ISQOLS membership: receiving ISQOLS newsletters on newest progress in QOL studies; reduced yearly conference fees and possibility for free participation in relevant pre-conference workshops. In the case of international studies on QOL, Lab students will have a possibility to apply for cooperation (agreed with the President of ISQOLS, Mr. Ming-Chang Tsai and Executive Director, Mr. Jill Johnson): https://www.isoqol.org
Highlighted events of the Lab
→ Alliance level kick-off meeting occurred on the 9th of November 2020 (Teams platform, all the universities);
→ Special section on stress, resilience and QOL at the yearly organized International Scientific Conference of the University of Latvia (April 23, 2021; UL-online);
→ Summer School “Methodology for epidemiological/ psychological investigations for quality-of-life and resilience thematic” (May 17-20, 2021; UL-online)
→ Technologies meet Healthcare: Digital Leap for Improved Patient Care and Public Health (November 8, 2021): online lectures and matchmaking workshop,
→ International Symposium on Resilience Research (September 23-25, 2020; JGU): young investigator talks, poster presentations, young researchers’ network;
→ Educational project addressed to Master’s or PhD Students of the School of Medicine (including Dentistry) or Biology, which consists of a 5-days summer school entitled “Building a pathway to health: Coping strategies and correct lifestyles” (UNIPA).