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For new parties, it is arguably crucial to receive news media attention. News media help shape a new party's image. What aspects such an image is made of is not clear from the literature. Some scholars have argued that a new party's perceived effectiveness is key. But is it really? Ideally, we would test this in the "clean" context of a new party that clearly falls to an abysmal state, of which increasing numbers of voters become aware. In 2014, the Dutch party 50Plus experienced exactly that. The present study examines this case, using a mixed-methods approach, involving a voter panel survey, an automated media content analysis, and a quasi-experiment. The findings show the dominant role of perceived effectiveness mediating the effect of visibility and tone of 50Plus coverage on propensity to vote for that party. Implications are discussed in light of the role of news media in democratic societies.

We assess the effect of constituents' preferences on legislators' decisions within a quasiexperimental setting: In the Swiss referendum process, citizens and legislators reveal their preferences for legislative proposals. We match roll call votes of all Swiss legislators on 102 legislative proposals with revealed constituents' preferences on exactly the same issues from 1996 to 2008. The setting allows us to quantify the quality of parliamentary representation and we identify conditions which affect convergence between constituents' preferences and legislators' decisions. Results show that a legislator's probability to accept a law proposal increases by 16.8 percentage points when district voters accept the proposal.

This study deals with the impact of the 2015 European Refugee Crisis on the ethnic identity of resident migrants in Germany. To derive plausibly causal estimates, I exploit the quasiexperimental setting in Germany, by which refugees are allocated to different counties by state authorities without being able to choose their locations themselves. This study finds that higher shares of refugees in a county increased migrants' attachment to their home countries, while not affecting their perceived belonging to Germany. Further analyses uncover strong heterogeneities with respect to country of origin and immigrant characteristics and suggest that the observed effects may be primarily driven by experiences of discrimination and the consumption of foreign media. Lastly, I find that changes in ethnic identity coincide with the political polarization of migrants. These results have various policy implications in terms of the dispersal of asylum seekers, the modes of communication with different migrant groups and the importance of antidiscrimination measures.

This study deals with the impact of the 2015 European Refugee Crisis on the ethnic identity of resident migrants in Germany. To derive plausibly causal estimates, I exploit the quasiexperimental setting in Germany, by which refugees are allocated to different counties by state authorities without being able to choose their locations themselves. This study finds that higher shares of refugees in a county increased migrants' attachment to their home countries, while not affecting their perceived belonging to Germany. Further analyses uncover strong heterogeneities with respect to country of origin and immigrant characteristics and suggest that the observed effects may be primarily driven by experiences of discrimination and the consumption of foreign media. Lastly, I find that changes in ethnic identity coincide with the political polarization of migrants. These results have various policy implications in terms of the dispersal of asylum seekers, the modes of communication with different migrant groups and the importance of antidiscrimination measures.

This study deals with the impact of the 2015 European Refugee Crisis on the ethnic identity of resident migrants in Germany. To derive plausibly causal estimates, I exploit the quasiexperimental setting in Germany, by which refugees are allocated to different counties by state authorities without being able to choose their locations themselves. This study finds that higher shares of refugees in a county increased migrants' attachment to their home countries, while not affecting their perceived belonging to Germany. Further analyses uncover strong heterogeneities with respect to country of origin and immigrant characteristics and suggest that the observed effects may be primarily driven by experiences of discrimination and the consumption of foreign media. Lastly, I find that changes in ethnic identity coincide with the political polarization of migrants. These results have various policy implications in terms of the dispersal of asylum seekers, the modes of communication with different migrant groups and the importance of antidiscrimination measures.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a management training seminar, developed through a partnership among a college, a managed care company, and a state public health department, to increase the level of organizational support for employee heart health in selected companies. Design. Quasiexperimental. Setting. Worksites, including heavy and light industries, school districts, insurance companies, county health agencies, and health care centers. Subjects. Twenty western New York companies matched on size, industry type, and interest in worksite health promotion. Intervention. Seven training seminars held at a college for 1 year and directed primarily at human resource managers. Training was supplemented by the availability of student interns, faculty consulting, a vendors' fair, and various program planning aids. Measures. Groups were assessed using HeartCheck, a measure of organizational support for employee heart health. Results. A fourfold difference in change for HeartCheck was observed by the experimental vs. comparison groups (p < .01), along with significantly greater increases on five of the instrument's six subscales (p < .05). The level of HeartCheck reached in the experimental group matched those seen in highly acclaimed commercially sponsored programs. Conclusion. This study represents one of the first attempts to intervene at the organizational level within a worksite health promotion initiative. Positive results were observed that appear to be both meaningful and cost-effective.

Abstract
Chronic absenteeism is a public health concern. School refusal due to emotional distress is one reason students exhibit chronic absenteeism. The objective of this systematic review was to determine potential aspects of interventions, in school settings or involving a school-based component, that are successful in addressing school refusal among high school–age adolescents. After duplicated records were excluded, 1,864 studies were identified from searches. The abstracts and full text articles were independently reviewed and received two votes from each of the five reviewers using the eligibility criteria. Two reviewers independently evaluated the remaining articles and met to discuss findings with a third reviewer. The 10 articles included eight studies that noted techniques in cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT) as promising and two studies that considered CBT as effective as other approaches. The study design for three studies were randomized controlled trials. The remaining seven studies were quasiexperimental. Only three of the 10 studies received a high rating using the Quality Appraisal Tool. There was a limited number of quality studies that used rigorous scientific methods and variation in how each study engaged schools. Further exploration and development of interventions with an integral school-based component are needed.

Purpose. Assess the effectiveness of the integration of vegetable demonstration videos and tasting experiences into a college nutrition course to influence students' readiness to change vegetable intake, self-efficacy for vegetable preparation, and usual vegetable intake. Design. Quasiexperimental, preintervention-postintervention comparisons. Setting. College nutrition course. Subjects. Of the 376 students enrolled in the course, 186 completed the online assessments (145 female, 41 male; mean age, 20 years). Intervention. Participants viewed online vegetable preparation videos and participated in vegetable tasting experiences that featured four target vegetables, one vegetable each month for 4 months. Measures. Preintervention and postintervention online surveys determined usual vegetable intake, readiness to change vegetable consumption, and self-efficacy of vegetable preparation. Analysis. Chi-square distribution and paired sample t-tests were used to examine differences preintervention and postintervention. Results. Stage of readiness to change vegetable intake shifted from contemplation toward preparation (p < .001). Self-efficacy of vegetable preparation increased and postintervention self-efficacy was associated with total and target vegetable consumption (p = .001 and p = .005, respectively). The average intake of asparagus, one of four target vegetables, increased (p = .016); similar changes were not observed for target or total vegetable consumption. Conclusion. Online vegetable demonstration videos may be an effective and cost-efficient intervention for increasing self-efficacy of vegetable preparation and readiness to increase vegetable consumption among college students. More research is needed to determine long-term effects on vegetable consumption.

Purpose. In the energy and mining sectors, it is common for employees to work in geographically remote locations, often with a medic for emergency response. This study evaluated an intervention to increase the number of medics conducting health promotion in remote worksites. Design. Interviews were conducted to gather data for informing intervention and survey development. The intervention was evaluated in a quasiexperimental posttest-only comparison group design using survey data collected at baseline and again after 12 months. Setting. The intervention was implemented in remote worksites (N = 201). There were 96 worksites in the intervention condition and 105 sites in the control condition. Subjects. The target population was medics, including nurses, doctors, and paramedics, operating in remote worksites in 44 countries. Intervention. The intervention was a series of campaign tool kits. The tool kits were adapted to the remote environment and could be customized for culture, language, and education level. Measures. The survey assessed frequency of health promotion activities, satisfaction with the intervention, and barriers to implementation. Analysis. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and χ2 tests. Interview results were coded to identify themes. Results. Most medics (88%) in the intervention group reported running "tool box talks" (short education sessions) on at least a monthly basis, compared with 78% in the comparison group (p = .056). The trend was similar for displaying posters (71% vs. 55%; p = .021) and advocating for policy changes (84% vs. 71%; p = .027). Medic satisfaction was high. Difficulty distributing tool kits was the main barrier to implementation. Conclusions. When provided with appropriate tools, medics may be an ideal channel for health promotion in remote worksites.

IMPORTANCE: Suicide by firearm is a major cause of mortality in young Missouri residents. Changes in statewide firearm policy may have contributed to changes in suicide rates. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if changes in Missouri permit-to-purchase (PTP) and concealed carry firearm laws were associated with changes in rates of suicide by firearms in young Missouri residents. DESIGN, SETTINGS, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional study examined rates of suicide by firearm in Missouri among adolescents (ages 14-18 years) and young adults (ages 19-24 years) from January 1999 to December 2018, following changes to state PTP and concealed carry law, in comparison with a donor state pool with existing firearm laws (13 states in PTP pool; 42 states in concealed carry pool) that did not make changes during this period. This study used a quasiexperimental, synthetic control design at the state level that defined Missouri as the treated state and treatment as changes in firearm laws. EXPOSURES: Legislative changes to Missouri's PTP and concealed carry firearm laws. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Age-adjusted annual rates of firearm-related suicide mortality per 100 000 people for adolescents (aged 14-18 years) and young adults (aged 19-24 years). RESULTS: Repeal of the PTP law was associated with a 21.8% increase in firearm suicide rates in young adults aged 19 to 24 years in Missouri. Lowering the minimum age of concealed carry to 19 years in Missouri was associated with a 32.0% increase in firearm suicide rates and a 29.7% increase in nonfirearm suicide rates in adolescents aged 14 to 18 years, and a 7.2% increase in firearm suicide rates in young adults aged 19 to 24 years. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Increases in rates of suicide by firearms in adolescents and young adults were seen following repeal of Missouri's PTP law and lowering of the minimum age for concealed carry in 2014. Changes in Missouri's firearm policies may be an important contributor to rates of suicide by firearm in young Missouri residents.

BACKGROUND: Failure to adhere to treatment recommendations has significant impact on the health outcomes of the individual and health care systems. Health coaching is a promising care model that has gained interest in the medical field. This study focused on the impact of health coaching on health behaviors that may have direct impact on successful patient outcomes. PRIMARY STUDY OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the impact of health coaching administered through the Polytrauma Integrative Medicine Initiative (PIMI). METHODS/DESIGN: This study was a quasiexperimental cohort study. SETTING: This study occurred at a specialized polytrauma rehabilitation center. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were divided into 3 cohorts: (1) 33 patients who served through PIMI enrollment, (2) 22 patients who declined PIMI, and (3) a control cohort of 30 random patients who were not referred to PIMI. Patients were primarily male active duty or veteran military personnel. INTERVENTION: The intervention consisted of personalized health coaching by trained, certified personnel. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome measures included the following (1) Self-assessment: utilizing the Personal Health Inventory (PHI) at enrollment and at 3 mo; (2) treatment adherence: the percentage of scheduled appointments fulfilled by patients; and (3) post hoc analysis: for no-show and cancellation rates; 2-tailed paired t tests for PHI data and post hoc within groups; 2-tailed independent samples t tests for treatment adherence percentages and post hoc between groups. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in treatment adherence rates between the 3 cohorts (all P > .45). PIMI patients had significantly higher cancellation rates than no-show rates for both clinical, 20.8%/5%, and coaching appointments, 17.3%/7.5%, (P < .05). PIMI patients had significantly lower no-show rates, 5%, than control patients, 15.8% (P = .007). PHI data suggest PIMI patients believe they are making improvements in many areas of health coaching focus. ...