Research
New breastfeeding study
A team from the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) is
about to begin work on a new wide ranging study exploring the benefits of
breastfeeding.
The £240,000 project, supported by the Economic and Social Research
Council, is the most comprehensive and ambitious study of its kind in the
UK. It will examine the effects of breastfeeding not just on children, but
also on mothers and employers.
Researchers Emilia Del Bono, Maria Iacovou and Birgitta Rabe, with the
collaboration of Almudena Sevilla-Sanz at Oxford University, plan to
explore the relationship between breastfeeding and a child’s early
development including early literacy and numeracy skills at Key Stages 1
and 2. They will also examine whether there are links between
breastfeeding and a child’s social development by examining areas such as
hyperactivity and peer problems.
The study will look to see if there is any link between breastfeeding
and the health of mothers, for example in areas such as post natal
depression. It will also explore the impact of family-friendly working
practices on breastfeeding duration and the mothers’ decisions to return
to work.
Emilia Del Bono said: ‘We believe this study will make a significant
contribution to the research already undertaken in this area and that it
will be of considerable interest to a wide range of professionals and
policy makers as well as employers and the general public.’
The World Health Organisation currently recommends exclusive
breastfeeding for six months and the continuation of breastfeeding
alongside solid foods for two years. Despite this breastfeeding rates in
many developed countries remain low.
Picture (ISER team.jpg) caption: ISER’s breastfeeding project team:
Emilia Del Bono, Maria Iacovou and Birgitta Rabe
Commuters face bad health from pollution
Mention pollution and most people think about outdoor air quality. But,
according to new research, more thought needs to go into improving indoor
air quality.
A new study by Biological Sciences postgraduate student Zaheer Nasir,
under the supervision of Professor Ian Colbeck, investigated the link
between indoor and outdoor air.
As part of a major research project comparing indoor and outdoor air
quality in Pakistan and the UK, Zaheer looked into pollution inside trains
and cars.
Whilst the majority of rail commuters are more concerned about
overcrowded trains, they may want to spare a thought for the air they are
breathing.
The study revealed that some of the concentrations of particulate
pollution levels in non air-conditioned trains were above the recommended
levels, leading to possible adverse health effects with long-term
exposure.
Although there are strict quality standards for outdoor pollution, the
same cannot be said for indoor air quality. Considering the average person
spends 90 per cent of their time indoors, Zaheer suggests maybe it is time
for better guidelines on indoor air quality.
The results of the study, which have just been published in the Journal
of Environmental Monitoring, also revealed that particulate pollution
levels in non air-conditioned trains were twice as high as those in
air-conditioned trains. Concentrations were generally higher during peak
times in the air-conditioned trains but there was little difference in the
non air-conditioned ones.
As for car commuters, the research found concentrations inside a car
traveling on the A12 to and from the University were similar to those
found on off-peak air-conditioned trains. However, in urban areas and
traffic congestion the levels were higher.
New project explores political ethics
With allegations of political sleaze and parliamentary abuses regularly
in the headlines, a new project by an Essex political scientist is to
offer an insight into public opinion on ethical standards in public life.
Dr Sarah Birch has received funding from the British Academy and the
Economic and Social Research Council, to investigate people’s attitudes
towards political ethics and politicians’ conduct in Britain.
Dr Birch, a leading expert on electoral malpractice, will work in
collaboration with Dr Nicholas Allen of University College London who has
previously written about the regulation of parliamentary behaviour.
The project will go beyond previous studies which have explored how
people reason about and judge the integrity of politicians and political
processes. It will draw on a three-wave representative survey of the
British public to analyse how concerned people actually are by political
misconduct and how important direct experience and media coverage are in
shaping perceptions. The study will also examine, for the first time,
differences between the public and politician’s attitudes towards
corruption.
For further information see:
www.essex.ac.uk/government/ethicsandintegrity.
Also in the printed May edition of Wyvern:
- Exploring transnational art
- Essex professor at the BBC
- Sticky floors and glass ceiling research
