Laura Jacobs

The PROactive innovative conceptual framework on physical activity.

Although physical activity is considered an important therapeutic target in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), what “physical activity” means to COPD patients and how their perspective is best measured is poorly understood. We designed a conceptual framework, guiding the development and content validation of two patient reported outcome (PRO) instruments on physical activity (PROactive PRO instruments). 116 patients from four European countries with diverse demographics and COPD phenotypes participated in three consecutive qualitative studies (63% male, age mean±sd 66±9 years, 35% Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease stage III–IV). 23 interviews and eight focus groups (n = 54) identified the main themes and candidate items of the framework. 39 cognitive debriefings allowed the clarity of the items and instructions to be optimised. Three themes emerged, i.e. impact of COPD on amount of physical activity, symptoms experienced during physical activity, and adaptations made to facilitate physical activity. The themes were similar irrespective of country, demographic or disease characteristics. Iterative rounds of appraisal and refinement of candidate items resulted in 30 items with a daily recall period and 34 items with a 7-day recall period. For the first time, our approach provides comprehensive insight on physical activity from the COPD patients’ perspective. The PROactive PRO instruments’ content validity represents the pivotal basis for empirically based item reduction and validation. Conceptual framework as basis of PROactive PRO instruments to assess physical activity from COPD patient perspective http://ow.ly/ytJoS

News coverage and attitudes on immigration: Public and commercial television news compared

Public and commercial news follow distinct logics. We evaluate this duality in television news coverage on immigration. First, by means of a large-scale content analysis of Flemish television news (N = 1630), we investigate whether immigration coverage diverges between both broadcasters. Results show that, despite an overall negativity bias and relative homogeneity between the broadcasters, commercial news contains slightly more sensational and tabloid characteristics than public news. The latter promotes a more balanced view of immigration. These differences are stable over time. Second, using cross-sectional and panel data, we assess whether a preference for public versus commercial news is associated with an attitudinal gap in anti-immigrant attitudes. Findings demonstrate that individuals who prefer commercial news are more negative towards immigrants. We suggest that differences in news content may explain this attitudinal gap. In light of the debate around ‘public value’ offered by public service media across Europe, we tentatively conclude that public broadcasters have the potential to foster tolerance and provide balanced information by prioritizing a normative view over a market logic. The linkage between news coverage and the gap in attitudes between commercial and public news viewers warrants closer investigation in the future.

Enduring Gender Bias in Reporting on Political Elite Positions Media Coverage of Female MPs in Belgian News Broadcasts (2003–2011)

In Belgium, like in numerous other democracies, the representation of women in parliament has risen sharply in recent decades, partly because of gender quota legislation. This rapid evolution implies that traditional notions on the presence of gender bias in media reporting need to be re-assessed. Relying on data from more than six thousand full newscasts, we examine the allotted speaking time to members of parliament (MPs) from 2003 until 2011 in the two main television news broadcasts in the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium. Multilevel regression analyses were conducted to determine which factors influence the probability and volume of television news coverage of MPs. The results indicate that—even controlling for alternative explanations—news media persist in a biased treatment of female MPs: Female MPs are significantly less likely to be allotted speaking time, and they receive less speaking time than their male colleagues. Moreover, results show that this gap in media coverage is present especially for elite and thus newsworthy positions. Apparently, gender bias in the media persists, even when the political system evolves rapidly toward equal representation.

Patterns of criminal threat in television news coverage of ethnic minorities in Flanders (2003–2013)

ABSTRACT Despite a strong cognitive association in the minds of native citizens between ethnic minority presence and crime, compelling evidence demonstrating a real-world relationship between crime and ethnic diversity is limited. This study adopts a media-based approach to contribute to the debate on the origin of the perception of criminal threats. By means of a content analysis of 11 years of crime news (2003–2013) in Flanders (the northern, Dutch-speaking part of Belgium), portrayals of ethnic minority and majority perpetrators are systematically compared to assess whether ethnic minorities are portrayed in a significantly more threatening way. Moreover, building on ethnic hierarchy theories, comparisons are made between various outgroups. Findings demonstrate that ethnic minority perpetrators are depicted in a more threatening manner: they are more likely to be associated with violent, property, and gang-related crime. Additionally, they are more likely to be anonymised and to be associated with explicit manifestations of threat. Group differences exist, however, as the most distant outgroup (i.e. North Africans) is covered in a more threatening way than the other outgroups. Implications for intergroup relations are discussed.

The impact of cultural, economic, and safety issues in Flemish television news coverage (2003–13) of North African immigrants on perceptions of intergroup threat

ABSTRACT The current research examines television news as a contextual determinant of intergroup threat from North African immigrants in Flanders (i.e. the northern part of Belgium). We content analyse the prevalence of intergroup threats in television news over an eleven-year period (2003–13), and take an experimental approach to examine the impact of these threatening news stories on perceived threats from North African immigrants. The content analysis revealed that (combinations of) safety and cultural issues were widespread in television news content. Experimental evidence showed that exposure to safety and cultural issues in news content increased perceptions of safety and cultural threat accordingly, but exposure to economic issues revealed no effect for economic threat. We conclude by emphasizing the potential of television news content in affecting perceptions of intergroup threat, particularly for those threats which are commonly present in the news and readily accessible in natives’ minds.

The Occupational Roles of Women and Ethnic Minorities on Primetime Television in Belgium. An Analysis of Occupational Status Measurements

In this study, we investigate differences in occupational status between women and men, and between ethnic minority and majority members, by means of a content analysis of Belgian prime-time television in 2013. We evaluate the accuracy of these television portrayals using interreality comparison strategies. Results indicate that although in television content women obtain higher average scores for occupational status than men, this is mainly due to the underrepresentation of women in low-status occupations. Although previous studies focused on the absence of women in high-status jobs, this analysis shows for the first time that women are also absent in low-status manual and industrial jobs. Ethnic minorities have lower average scores for occupational status. Moreover, interaction terms made clear that this especially holds for female ethnic minorities, suggesting that mechanisms of intersectionality are at play. In general, the labor world as portrayed on television diverges strongly from the real labor world.

Back to Reality: The Complex Relationship between Patterns in Immigration News Coverage and Real-World Developments in Dutch and Flemish Newspapers (1999-2015)

Although prior studies investigating immigration news typically documented a dominant focus on negativity and threats, only limited empirical research is available, which scrutinizes the way real-world developments affect these patterns in immigration news. This study aims to fill this void. First, we report results of a large-scale and longitudinal content analysis (N = 4,340,757) of trends in immigration news coverage in two Western European cases, Flanders (the northern, Dutch-speaking, largest region of Belgium) and the Netherlands, from 1999 to 2015. Both the salience of immigration as a news topic on itself and its linkages with three prominent issues (i.e., crime, terrorism, and socioeconomic issues) are explored. Second, this study builds on previous insights by comparing dynamics in immigration news to real-world events and developments. Overall, the results show that the linkage of immigration to issues of crime, terrorism, and the economy in Flemish and Dutch newspapers was considerable throughout the 17-year period under study. Yet there is limited evidence for a close relationship between news and real-life developments; hence, trends in immigration news seem largely unaffected by trends in society.

Television News Content of Minority Groups as an Intergroup Context Indicator of Differences Between Target-Specific Prejudices

Although research has shown that different types of prejudice are highly correlated, the existence of prejudice hierarchies indicates that individuals differentiate between target groups. Here we examine the relationship between television news coverage and differences in attitudes toward minority groups. We rely on intergroup threat theory, tone, and framing theories to formulate our hypotheses and conduct a multimethod study: All prime-time television news items in Flanders (N = 1,487) reporting on five minority groups (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender; Jews; Eastern Europeans; North Africans; Roma) were coded in terms of tone and framing and subsequently combined with individual-level survey data. Patterns in news coverage reflect differences in prejudice: Groups that are most negatively/positively evaluated by the public receive the most negative/positive coverage. Prejudice is especially high for minority groups associated with problems and criminal threat frames in the news. We conclude that news content is an important characteristic of the intergroup context reflecting differences in minority group appraisals in society.

Television and anti-immigrant sentiments: the mediating role of fear of crime and perceived ethnic diversity

ABSTRACT Previous research has established a correlation between fear of crime and anti-immigrant sentiments. In this paper, we explore the role of television in explaining individual differences in fear of crime, perceived ethnic diversity and anti-immigrant sentiments. We use the ‘Social Cohesion Indicators in Flanders’ data, a representative survey in the Flemish region of Belgium, combined with real-life indicators of ethnic diversity and crime at the community level. Results of a multilevel structural equation model suggest that watching television is positively associated with fear of crime and perceived ethnic diversity, which in turn is associated with anti-immigrant sentiments. Preference for public television is, however, associated with lower anti-immigrant sentiments, perceived ethnic diversity and fear of crime levels. Real crime and ethnic diversity levels are only weakly related to anti-immigrant sentiments. We conclude that especially perceptions are important in influencing anti-immigrant sentiments and that television use is associated with these perceptions.

MORE THAN WORK INTEGRATION STRATEGY FOR THE DELIMITATION OF A POPULATION OF SOCIAL ECONOMY ACTORS FOR A MONITOR OF THE SOCIAL ECONOMY IN FLANDERS

In this paper, we aim to develop a conceptualization and delimitation of social enterprises in Flanders, which will be the starting point for a monitor of the social economy in Flanders. We aim for this monitor to represent reality, that is to be in line with the international academic research while also being informed by policy visions and validated by representatives in the field. To achieve this, we studied academic literature and definitions of social enterprises, as well as in policy documents. We then translated these definitions into ten criteria defining social enterprises in Flanders, via focus groups with the representatives of social enterprises in Flanders.