Understanding the pathways between the use of urban green spaces and self-rated health: A case study in Mexico City.

In recent decades, extensive research has demonstrated the positive impact of urban green spaces (UGS) on public health through several pathways. However, in the context of Latin America, particularly Mexico City, there remains a notable scarcity of evidence linking UGS use to health outcomes and an insufficient understanding of the pathways or factors underlying these associations. Therefore, this study employs Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to investigate the intricate pathways between UGS use and residents' perceived health in Mexico City, a densely populated urban center. The SEM integrates three key mediators: sentiments towards UGS, UGS quality, and time spent within these spaces. Survey data was collected through an online survey distributed via social media in May 2020 (n = 1,707). The findings indicate a minor yet significant direct link between UGS use and self-reported health (0.0427, p < 0.1). Conversely, the indirect pathways through sentiments towards UGS, UGS quality, and time spent in UGS were highly significant (0.1950, p < 0.01), underscoring their substantial role as mediators in the UGS use-health association. While a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms linking perceived health to UGS use in Mexico City requires further research, this study proposes that fostering positive sentiments towards UGS, enhancing UGS quality, and encouraging extended visits to green areas could potentially amplify the perceived health benefits associated with UGS use among residents. These insights offer valuable inputs for policymaking, emphasizing the importance of integrating public perspectives to optimize nature-based solutions and broaden their positive impact within Mexico City.

Rethinking the distribution of urban green spaces in Mexico City: Lessons from the COVID-19 outbreak.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed inequalities that are expected to widen if no action is taken to support the most marginalized populations. One such inequality is the distribution of urban green spaces (UGS), which are essential to pandemic recovery. Cities that aim to be inclusive and resilient should assess whether access to their UGS is equitably distributed among the population and identify the areas where these spaces are most needed. This study therefore examines the equity of access to UGS in Mexico City at the neighborhood level using network analysis. First, access to UGS was identified at a threshold of 300 m, regardless of UGS size. Second, access was differentiated by the functional level of the UGS, which primarily depends on their size, with larger UGS having more extensive catchment areas. The results of this study suggest a deficit of access to small green spaces in most of the neighborhoods of Mexico City, with the neighborhoods with higher rates of poverty showing an even lower average of UGS access. The results further highlight which neighborhoods in Mexico City should receive priority attention and funding for UGS to mitigate the disproportionate effects of public health crises. This is critical for future city planning and may be used as a roadmap for identifying priority neighborhoods in other cities with similar segregation patterns.

Nurse Practitioner Students' Perceptions on Delivering Culturally Congruent Care to Vulnerable Mexican Immigrants: A Qualitative Study.

Increasingly, nurse practitioners serve as vanguards in providing primary health care to vulnerable Mexican immigrants. The aims of this study were to explore the lived experiences of nurse practitioner students in caring for Mexican immigrant patients and to capture their meaning of cultural influences deemed essential to the delivery of culturally congruent care. An exploratory descriptive design was employed. Purposive sampling was used to select 17 nurse practitioner students who volunteered to complete a semistructured face-to-face audio-taped interview and follow-up focus group discussion. Constant comparison was utilized to analyze data. From this process, four distinct themes emerged: Culturally congruent care extends beyond race and ethnicity, understands the importance of therapeutic communication, accepts complementary and alternative medical modalities, and recognizes the importance of eating patterns, food choices, and perceptions of ideal weight and health. These findings build on our understanding of key evidence-based cultural beliefs and practices that are important in delivering culturally congruent care to this subgroup.

Evaluating the association between urban green spaces and subjective well-being in Mexico city during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This paper examines the association between the frequency of use of urban green spaces (UGS) and the subjective well-being (SWB) of Mexico City's residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted an online survey (N = 1954) regarding individuals' perceptions and use of UGS and their SWB, evaluated through the short version of the Warwick-Edinburgh mental well-being scale. Multilevel mixed-effects regression analyses were performed to investigate the association between the frequency of UGS use and SWB, including individual and municipal level characteristics as covariates. Our results suggest that respondents who used UGS once or more per week during the pandemic reported higher SWB scores (8.7%) than those with zero visits. These findings have public policy implications that could enhance the role of UGS in urban environments during times of crisis.

Snapshot of the Use of Urban Green Spaces in Mexico City during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.

The present qualitative research explores the factors that have influenced the use of urban green spaces (UGS) in Mexico City during the COVID-19 pandemic and the implications of their usage on residents' well-being. This study was conducted using a combination of solicited audio and written diaries, photography, and in-depth interviews with 16 participants, aged 22 to 58. The article provides a critical reflection on the incentives and deterrents to the UGS use of participants while social distancing measures were in place. The results show that in Mexico City: (1) participants' lack of access to UGS has hampered their use, mainly among those of low-income neighborhoods; (2) UGS size did not directly impact participants' UGS use during the pandemic; and (3) women were deterred from accessing UGS due to safety concerns related to the fear of violence. Overall, the results suggest that UGS use has served as a coping mechanism to decrease the effects of stress and isolation caused by the pandemic, increasing users' physical and mental well-being. This study's conclusions can help develop future citizen participation tools that are useful for resilience in urban design, as they provide interesting insights into the perceptions of residents, such as the most valued characteristics of UGS.

New Careers in Nursing: Optimizing Diversity and Student Success for the Future of Nursing.

In 2008, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation collaborated with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to create the New Careers in Nursing (NCIN) scholarship program. Two goals of the program were to alleviate the nursing shortage and to increase diversity of the workforce. During this 7-year program (i.e., seven funding cycles), 130 schools of nursing in 41 states and the District of Columbia were selected as grantees, and they awarded 3,517 scholarships to second-degree accelerated nursing students who were members of groups underrepresented in nursing or who were economically disadvantaged. This article describes the demographic characteristics of the NCIN students, degree of satisfaction with their learning environment, perceptions of their mentoring experiences, and self-identified facilitators and barriers to program completion. Data sources for this article resulted from three surveys completed by scholars during their academic programs: the beginning, the midpoint, and within 6 months postgraduate. Results of analysis indicated that NCIN scholars are significantly more diverse compared with the national nurse population, and they reported high levels of satisfaction with their learning environments. Student relationships with peers and faculty improved during the period of program enrollment. Faculty support was the greatest facilitator for program completion, and competing priorities of finances and family responsibilities were the greatest challenges.

Diversifying the Pipeline Into Doctoral Nursing Programs: Developing the Doctoral Advancement Readiness Self-Assessment.

This article presents the development and psychometric analysis of the Doctoral Readiness Self-Assessment for Doctoral Study. This survey was developed as the first step of a Web-based, on-line mentoring platform for nurses who are considering a doctoral degree program. By identifying and anticipating the predictors and barriers of success in doctoral nursing education, including practical (finances, time, geographical restriction) and personal factors (motivation, attitudes, perceived ability to navigate the application process), students are guided through a self-reflective process to determine readiness. Factor analysis revealed that interest, readiness, and support represent 3 distinct factors that may be used for additional analysis to predict future enrollment in doctoral nursing degree programs. The internal reliability analysis revealed that removing 3 items from the 15-item scale increased Cronbach's alpha from 0.75 to 0.80, and these factors explained 51.25% of variance. The self-assessment results can inform faculty's work as they mentor and guide students through the application, admission, and financial support processes for doctoral study.

Using step cadence goals to increase moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity.

BACKGROUND: Increasing moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) is an important public health goal. Pedometers are evidence-based devices for increasing daily activity, but studies have not evaluated the comparative efficacy of step cadence goals for increasing MVPA. PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of three pedometer-based step goals for increasing MVPA. METHODS: Latina women (n = 180; 18-55 yr, mean body mass index = 31.1, SD = 6.5) were recruited to 12 community centers, which were randomly assigned to one of three conditions. Each group received an identical 12-wk theory-based physical activity (PA) intervention that differed only on the type of daily step goal: 1) a self-selected goal (SELF); 2) a goal of 10,000 steps per day (FREQUENCY); or 3) a goal of 3000 steps in 30 min (CADENCE). Accelerometer-based PA was measured at baseline and after 12 wk. RESULTS: Adjusted multilevel pattern-mixture models using generalized estimating equations revealed that participants in the CADENCE condition engaged in similar levels of postintervention MVPA to those in the SELF and FREQUENCY goal conditions. However, MVPA of participants in the CADENCE condition was more likely to occur in bouts lasting greater than 10 consecutive minutes compared with the MVPA of participants in the SELF (P = 0.01) or FREQUENCY (P = 0001) conditions. CONCLUSIONS: PA interventions should consider including a step cadence goal to help individuals accumulate bout-based MVPA and meet national PA guidelines.

Evacuación aeromédica de pacientes críticos: experiencia institucional, revisión de principios técnicos y recomendaciones / Aeromedical evacuation of critical patients: institutional experience, review of technical principles and recommendations

La Evacuación Aeromédica de Pacientes Críticos (EVACRIT) ha tenido un importante desarrollo en los últimos 15 años. Su propósito es trasladar pacientes de Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI), que requieren manejo en un centro de mayor complejidad tecnológica y experiencia, luego de una estabilización inicial. Hoy se dispone de medios de monitoreo y soporte vital portátiles de alta confiabilidad. Sin embargo, resulta necesario complementar esta capacidad con una adecuada selección del paciente a trasladar, identificar la mejor oportunidad para realizar el traslado en forma razonablemente segura, prever necesidades, anticipar eventos, y reunir los medios técnicos e insumos, así como los profesionales idóneos para su transporte; incluso puede sugerirse el medio aéreo más adecuado para cada situación. El objetivo de este estudio es presentar y evaluar la experiencia reunida en la Fuerza Aérea de Chile en EVACRIT a partir de 1995, se comentan los fundamentos de esta acción aeromédica y se destacan los principios considerados ejes de esta tarea.

The air medical transport of Critical Care patients has grown considerably in the late 15 years. lt's goal is to transfer patients in critical condition from their original ICU to another one with more complex technology and/or experien¬ce Now days there are quite consistent portable means for monitoring and vital support, so the challenge extends to choosing the most proper moment so as to perform the medical flight with reasonably low risk, gathering the necessary medical equipment and medication, foreseeing the patient's needs and risks. In the same direction a personalized choice of the medical crew must be considered. Even the most adequate aircrafi means may be proposed for each specific situation. This paper shows the experience gathered by the Chilean Air Force's Critical Care Transport teams since 1985, the fundamentals for this are analyzed, the same as the most outstanding principles that rule this kind of medical procedures.