A joint model of household time use and task assignment for elderly couples with multiple constraints

Household time-use patterns are expected to reflect each household member’s daily activity participation and duration with intra-household interactions constrained by multiple budgets. Among various activities, the allocated activity derived from undertaking a household task is studied relatively less in the literature. Who will take an allocated activity is a discrete choice problem of household task assignment, and once a household member is assigned with one household task, other members will have more time to do other activities. To better understand household time-use patterns affected by household task assignment, this paper proposed a joint household-level multiple discrete-continuous extreme value-multinomial logit (MDCEV-MNL) model with multiple constraints. The Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) method combined with the simulation-based maximum likelihood estimation method is proposed to estimate the proposed model. Based on the household activity-travel data from Beijing of China, the proposed model is customized to explore elderly couples’ time-use patterns with intra-household interactions affected by household task assignment. Following the findings, policy implications are suggested to build an age-friendly society.

MRSA as a health concern in athletic facilities

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a group of bacteria resistant to antibiotic treatment. Open abrasions, therapeutic whirlpools, treatment tables, locker rooms (LR), and athletic equipment are identified as potential areas of transmission in athletic training rooms (ATR) and LR facilities. To determine the prevalence of MRSA and to identify control measures in ATR and LR, the authors collected samples from nine surfaces at seven high schools over a four-month period. Initial analyses considered both suspected colonies and confirmed MRSA colonies with analyses of variance revealing significant differences of suspected colonies based on regular cleaning product and facility surface. Further results, however, focused on MRSA colonies as the primary variable, rather than suspected colonies. Results indicate a need for more effective cleaning products and schedules in LRs.

Nurse case management and housing interventions reduce allergen exposures: the Milwaukee randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

We examined the impact of a combination of home environmental interventions and nurse case management services on total settled dust loadings and on allergen concentrations in the homes of asthmatic children. METHODS Using a randomized longitudinal controlled trial study design, we randomly assigned homes of asthmatic children in Milwaukee to either a control (n = 64) or an intervention (n = 57) group. Control group homes received a visual assessment, education, bed/pillow dust mite encasings, and treatment of lead-based paint hazards. The intervention group received these same services plus nurse case management that included tailored, individual asthma action plans, provision of minor home repairs, home cleaning using special vacuuming and wet washing, and integrated pest management. Dust vacuum samples were collected from measured surface areas of floors in the TV room, kitchen, and child's bedroom at baseline and at three-, six-, and 12-month follow-up visits. Dust loading (mass per surface area) is a means of measuring total dust and the total amount of allergen present.

RESULTS

For the intervention group, geometric mean dust loadings declined significantly from baseline (39 milligrams per square foot [mg/ft2]) to postintervention (11 mg/ft2) (p < 0.001). Baseline dust loading, treatment group, visit, and season were significant predictors of follow-up dust loadings. Mean post-intervention dust loadings were 72% higher in the control group. The total amount of allergen in settled house dust declined significantly following the intervention because total dust loading declined; the concentration of allergens in settled dust did not change significantly.

CONCLUSION

The combination of nurse case management and home environmental interventions promotes collaboration between health and housing professionals and is effective in reducing exposures to allergens in settled dust.

[Efficacy of five disinfectants to reduce bacterial load in the household]

The proper use of products containing sodium hypochlorite,ammonium salts and triclosan has proved to be effective in the elimination of infectious agents in the household environment. Our objective was to evaluate the immediate, one-week and one-month efficacy of controlled use of five products containing these components, compared to other commonly used products. Within a six month period, thirty two middle-class homes from Buenos Aires City and suburbs were included in this open-label, randomized, parallel-group intervention study. Sixteen homes were randomized to use products containing sodium hypochlorite, ammonia and triclosan in the kitchen and bathroom during one month. The remaining maintained usual practices for domestic cleaning. Bacterial counts and identification were performed from samples taken from each study site. Baseline samples (no group discrimination) contained a mean bacterial count in kitchen of 66.0 CFU/cm2, and in bathroom 40.1 CFU/cm2. Samples taken immediately after-cleaning (no group discrimination) contained: kitchen 0.8 CFU/cm2; bathroom < 1 CFU/cm2. After one week (intervention group vs. control group) contained: kitchen 18.0 vs. 32.5 CFU/cm2; bathroom 12.7 vs. 7.7 CFU/cm2. After one month (intervention group vs. control group): kitchen 60.1 vs. 62.1 CFU/cm2; bathroom 37.0 vs. 42.0 CFU/cm2. A remarkable decrease of bacterial load was observed in both groups, which suggests that not only product quality but also education for suitable use plays a key role in successful house disinfection. This approach could be an important tool for improving prevention of foodborne infections since fecal coliforms widely predominated in all analyzed samples.

Risk remaining from fine particle contaminants after vacuum cleaning of hard floor surfaces

In the indoor environment, settled surface dust often functions as a reservoir of hazardous particulate contaminants. In many circumstances, a major contributing source to the dust pool is exterior soil. Young children are particularly susceptible to exposure to both outdoor derived soil and indoor derived dust present in the indoor dust pool. This is because early in life the exploratory activities of the infant are dominated by touching and mouthing behavior. Inadvertent exposure to dust through mouth contact and hand-to-mouth activity is an inevitable consequence of infant development. Clean-up of indoor dust is, in many circumstances, critically important in efforts to minimize pediatric exposure. In this study, we examine the efficiency of vacuum cleaner removal of footwear-deposited soil on vinyl floor tiles. The study utilized a 5 x 10 foot (c. 152.5 x 305 cm) test surface composed of 1-foot-square (c. 30.5 x 30.5 cm) vinyl floor tiles. A composite test soil with moderately elevated levels of certain elements (e.g., Pb) was repeatedly introduced onto the floor surface by footwear track-on. The deposited soil was subsequently periodically removed from randomly selected tiles using a domestic vacuum cleaner. The mass and loading of soil elements on the tiles following vacuuming were determined both by wet wipe collection and by subsequent chemical analysis. It was found that vacuum cleaner removal eliminated much of the soil mass from the floor tiles. However, a small percentage of the mass was not removed and a portion of this residual mass could be picked up by moistened hand-lifts. Furthermore, although the post-vacuuming tile soil mass was sizably reduced, for some elements (notably Pb) the concentration in the residual soil was increased. We interpret this increased metal concentration to be a particle size effect with smaller particles (with a proportionately higher metal content) remaining in situ after vacuuming.

Improving the cleaning procedure to make kitchen floors less slippery

This investigation shows that, in most cases, the floor cleaning procedure of typical restaurants could be improved, resulting in a better cleaning efficiency and a better floor friction. This simple approach could help reduce slips and falls in the workplace. Food safety officers visited ten European style restaurants in the London Borough of Bromley (UK) to identify their floor cleaning procedure in terms of the cleaning method, the concentration and type of floor cleaner and the temperature of the wash water. For all 10 restaurants visited, the cleaning method was damp mopping. Degreasers were used in three sites while neutral floor cleaners were used in seven sites. Typically, the degreasers were over diluted and the neutrals were overdosed. The wash water temperature ranged from 10 to 72 degrees C. The on-site cleaning procedures were repeated in the laboratory for the removal of olive oil from new and sealed quarry tiles, fouled and worn quarry tiles and new porcelain tiles. It is found that in 24 out of 30 cases, cleaning efficiency can be improved by simple changes in the floor cleaning procedure and that these changes result in a significant improvement of the floor friction. The nature of the improved floor cleaning procedure depends on the flooring type. New and properly sealed flooring tiles can be cleaned using damp mopping with a degreaser diluted as recommended by the manufacturer in warm or hot water (24 to 50 degrees C). But as the tiles become worn and fouled, a more aggressive floor cleaning is required such as two-step mopping with a degreaser diluted as recommended by the manufacturer in warm water (24 degrees C).

The basics of an exposure control plan

Prevention and control of employee injury and exposure begins with an organizational commitment to provide a safe work environment for the employees. An Exposure Control Plan (ECP) helps to ensure this safe environment, and is developed by an organization and administered to provide for the elimination and minimization of occupational exposure to blood-borne pathogens, which is one of the greatest areas of risk for the health care provider. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard 29 CFR 1010.1030, "Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens," outlines the requirements necessary to meet compliance as an institution. However, occupational exposure requirements have changed over the last few years and now incorporate practice advances regarding safety devices (ie, needleless and protected) and their use and implementation. Directives addressing the management of the employee who has been exposed to blood-borne pathogens have also been added. This article focuses on important elements in developing an institutional exposure control plan.

The effect of house design and environment on fungal movement in homes of bronchial asthma patients

The effect of house building design and environment on the fungal movement in the houses of 41 bronchial asthma (BA) patients has been investigated by examining house dust. The presence and composition of fungi were determined and compared in relation to building structure, house age, size of living room, main flooring material, presence of a living-room rug or air purifier, and frequency of vacuum cleaning. Among these elements, fungal CFU apparently varied only between building structure: wooden-board houses had significantly higher numbers of fungi than reinforced concrete houses (p < 0.01), and wooden mortar or iron-framed prefabricated houses had significantly higher numbers of fungi than reinforced concrete houses (p < 0.05). Classification of the types of fungi present in the house dust of BA patients showed that, regardless of the building designs, there were high levels of osmophilic fungi (group A) and fungi that survive at relatively dry conditions (group B), whereas fungi that survive in very wet conditions (group D) were present at low frequency.

The role of the home environment in the transmission of infectious diseases

The purpose of this paper is to examine current health care literature (1980-2000) regarding the microbiology of the home environment, to summarize evidence of transmission within the home, and to assess effectiveness of cleaning practices and products. The home environment, particularly the kitchen and bathroom, serves as a reservoir of large numbers of microorganisms, particularly Enterobacteriacae, and infectious disease transmission has been demonstrated to occur in 6-60% of households in which one member is ill. Current food preparation and cleaning practices provide multiple opportunities for intra-household member spread. Routine cleaning is often sufficient, but in cases of household infection, may not adequately reduce environmental contamination. The effectiveness of disinfectants varies considerably and depends on how they are used as well as their intrinsic efficacy. The behavioral aspects of infection prevention in the home (e.g., foodhandling and cleaning practices) warrant increased public attention and education.

An evaluation of worker lead exposures and cleaning effectiveness during removal of deteriorated lead-based paint

We evaluated worker lead exposures and cleaning effectiveness during initial cleanup of 19th-century buildings with highly deteriorated lead-based paint. Eighteen rooms of similar size and condition in two university-owned buildings were selected for a pilot project to compare three methods for removing loose paint, paint chips, and dust. The methods used were: dry scraping followed by dry sweeping (no engineering or work practice controls); wet scraping and high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuuming; and the latter method with the addition of a portable HEPA-filtered exhaust fan in the room providing about 40 air changes per hour. The final step for all methods was wet-mopping once with tri-sodium phosphate solution. During a single day 18 rooms were cleaned; each of three two-person work crews cleaned six rooms, two with each method. Air and surface samples were collected before, during, and after cleaning. All of the methods were potentially hazardous to workers: 44 percent of the method-based exposures (range: 5.0-360 micrograms/m3) and one of five full-shift exposures exceeded the OSHA PEL (range 9.4-110 micrograms/m3). Lowest worker exposures were during the wet scraping and vacuuming method (mean: 24 micrograms/m3). Providing general ventilation in rooms did not reduce worker exposures and appeared to increase them (mean: 73 micrograms/m3). Overall, the mean floor surface lead levels were reduced 50 percent after cleaning (from 2,600 to 1,300 micrograms/ft2), but the effectiveness of the three methods in reducing floor lead levels did not differ significantly. Overall, the method, mean paint lead concentration, pre-cleaning surface lead concentration, and work crew were significantly associated with the mean worker exposures during cleaning (p = 0.023), but not with the post-cleaning surface lead concentrations (p = 0.13).

The influence of ethics on leadership

Value driven ethical leadership is needed today. The housekeeping field employs a diverse work force, and managers must develop and empower workers to attain organization goals. As managers, we must understand and develop our personal value structures that affect our decision making. This paper reviews Lawrence Kohlberg's study of moral behavior and how those stages are relevant to ethical management practices. It also addresses ways to overcome some obstacles in understanding and dealing with personal values that may threaten moral and ethical practices. Mature ethical principles and good communication are the foundation for and foster strong leadership for the future.

Women, work, and well-being: the importance of work conditions

This study investigates the role of work conditions in mediating the effect of employment status on married women's psychological well-being. Employed wives and full-time homemakers are compared on characteristics of their daily work activities and the consequences of these work conditions for psychological well-being. Using data from a national survey of employed wives and homemakers, I find that full-time housework involves more autonomy, more interruptions, greater physical effort, more routine, fewer time pressures, and less responsibility for matters outside one's control than paid work. Differences in work activities between employed wives and homemakers also have direct implications for well-being. Two of the dimensions examined--the extent to which the worker is responsible for things outside her control, and the amount of routine entailed--are associated with greater depressive symptoms among women, regardless of work status. It appears that, as compared to employed wives, full-time homemakers benefit from having less responsibility for things outside their control. Employed wives appear to benefit from having less routinized work than homemakers. As a result of the different configurations of their work characteristics, employed wives and homemakers experience on average similar levels of depressive symptoms.

OSHA's final bloodborne pathogens standard: Part II

The Bloodborne Pathogens Standard has specific requirements for employee hazard communication and training as well as management of regulated waste, contaminated laundry, and housekeeping procedures. OSHA recognizes the benefits of prophylactic use of hepatitis B vaccine and requires that it be made available, at no charge, to all employees who have occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials. The goal of the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard is to reduce the occupational risk of morbidity and mortality associated with diseases such as hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).