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'Living Tangier' examines African migration to Europe and European migration to Africa, focusing on the dynamics of migration in terms of race and legal standing in Tangier, a Moroccan city at the intersection of Africa and Europe. Based on extensive ethnographic work, it explores how migrants experience and affect the city.

Education and literacy are important cultural variables in neuropsychological assessments, yet education is often measured by years of education or level, which fails to reflect education quality. Literacy is often assessed with reading level or vocabulary, which is typically not possible in immigrant groups. Factors such as access to resources and teacher-student ratio influence education quality and literacy, making comparisons across cultures difficult and inconsistent. This study developed a mixed-methods Quality of Education (QoE) Interview and collected data from older, culturally and educationally diverse participants to identify key components to best systematically measure quality of education. Healthy controls (aged 50 years ) originally from Morocco and Suriname who moved to the Netherlands, were included in the study. The QoE Interview is composed of 12 closed answer questions, where participants are encouraged to reflect and elaborate if possible (e.g., Did you have access to textbooks?), and three open-ended questions. The open-ended questions ask participants what they believe are signs of a 'good' or 'bad' primary school, and about their experience answering the interview questions. The QoE Interview outlined important dissimilarities in school experience mediated by socio-economic status. Some participants stated that they were poor and therefore did not (or not often) have access to school books, materials or school library. Other participants did not attend school because only boys were permitted to go. For the open-ended question on signs of a \"good\" school, frequent responses were good teachers (e.g., supportive), and access to resources and spacious classrooms. For \"bad\" schools, participants cited poor furnishings, small classrooms, unsupportive teachers, unsanitary facilities, and student conflicts. All participants found the QoE Interview had good questions, though, remarkably, several participants noted some questions were emotionally challenging as they highlighted socio-economic disparities. The QoE Interview seems to capture quality of education and may serve as a guide to a shortened standardize measure of quality of education for future research, such as studies examining dementia risk or longitudinal studies of cognitive decline. Studies are in progress to cross-validate the tool with other quality of education indicators.

Dementia diagnosis in Moroccan migrants presents unique challenges due to the potential influence of cultural and linguistic factors on cognitive assessment. Conventional neuropsychological assessments, often developed and validated in Western contexts, may not accurately reflect the cognitive abilities of Moroccan migrants. Factors such as limited literacy, cultural differences, and unfamiliarity with Westernized testing procedures can impact test performance, potentially leading to misdiagnosis or overdiagnosis. A literature review is carried out regarding existing neuropsychological testing and care interventions for Moroccan individuals with AD. Psychometric, metrological and neuropsychological features will be detailed for neurocognitive screening and assessment tools, while a summary of care and non-drug interventions will be described using the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System (RTSS) framework (Taiebine et Keegan, 2024). Accurate dementia diagnosis in Moroccan migrants requires the use of culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate assessment tools. This may involve adapting existing assessments to incorporate culturally relevant stimuli and utilizing Arabic-language or adapted Berber/Amazigh versions of tests. Effective dementia care for Moroccan migrants requires a multifaceted approach that includes culturally sensitive assessment tools, consideration of pre/post-migration experiences and risk factors, the integration of socio-culturally appropriate interventions and tailored neuro-cognitive stimulation therapies. A comprehensive assessment should consider pre/post-migration experiences and potential risk factors specific to Moroccan migrants, such as lower baseline education levels, social isolation, and limited access to healthcare in the host country. Addressing these challenges is crucial for improving the accuracy of dementia diagnosis and ensuring appropriate care for Moroccan migrants.

Can perceptions of equal treatment buffer the negative effects of threat on the school success of minority students? Focusing on minority adolescents from Turkish and Moroccan heritage in Belgium (Mage = 14.5; N = 735 in 47 ethnically diverse schools), multilevel mediated moderation analyses showed: (a) perceived discrimination at school predicted lower test performance; (b) experimentally manipulated stereotype threat decreased performance (mediated by increased disengagement); (c) perceived equal treatment at school predicted higher performance (mediated by decreased disengagement); and (d) personal and peer perceptions of equal treatment buffered negative effects of discrimination and stereotype threat. Thus, (situational) stereotype threat and perceived discrimination at school both undermine minority student success, whereas perceived equal treatment can provide a buffer against such threats.

The Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) is a prospective cohort study of older adults in the Netherlands, initially based on a nationally representative sample of people aged 55–84 years. The study has been ongoing since 1992, and focuses on the determinants, trajectories and consequences of physical, cognitive, emotional and social functioning. Strengths of the LASA study include its multidisciplinary character, the availability of over 25 years of follow-up, and the cohort-sequential design that allows investigations of longitudinal changes, cohort differences and time trends in functioning. The findings from LASA have been reported in over 600 publications so far (see www.lasa-vu.nl ). This article provides an update of the design of the LASA study and its methods, on the basis of recent developments. We describe additional data collections, such as additional nine-monthly measurements in-between the regular three-yearly waves that have been conducted among the oldest old during 2016–2019, and the inclusion of a cohort of older Turkish and Moroccan migrants.

Low vitamin D levels during pregnancy may account for reduced fetal growth and for altered neonatal development. The present study explored the association between maternal vitamin D status measured early in pregnancy and birth weight, prevalence of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants and postnatal growth (weight and length), as well as the potential role of vitamin D status in explaining ethnic disparities in these outcomes. Data were derived from a large multi-ethnic cohort in The Netherlands (Amsterdam Born Children and their Development (ABCD) cohort), and included 3730 women with live-born singleton term deliveries. Maternal serum vitamin D was measured during early pregnancy (median 13 weeks, interquartile range: 12–14), and was labelled ‘deficient’ ( ≤ 29·9 nmol/l), ‘insufficient’ (30–49·9 nmol/l) or ‘adequate’ ( ≥ 50 nmol/l). Six ethnic groups were distinguished: Dutch, Surinamese, Turkish, Moroccan, other non-Western and other Western. Associations with neonatal outcomes were analysed using multivariate regression analyses. Results showed that compared with women with adequate vitamin D levels, women with deficient vitamin D levels had infants with lower birth weights ( − 114·4 g, 95 % CI − 151·2, − 77·6) and a higher risk of SGA (OR 2·4, 95 % CI 1·9, 3·2). Neonates born to mothers with a deficient vitamin D status showed accelerated growth in weight and length during the first year of life. Although a deficient vitamin D status influenced birth weight, SGA risk and neonatal growth, it played a limited role in explaining ethnic differences. Although vitamin D supplementation might be beneficial to those at risk of a deficient vitamin D status, more research is needed before a nationwide policy on the subject can be justified.

Background Disparities in cervical cancer (CC) screening participation persist, with lower rates among immigrant women from low-resource countries compared to native European women. Evidence-based strategies to reach under-screened women are thus needed, such as adopting self-sampling for human papillomavirus (HPV) testing. Studies have demonstrated that women are receptive to HPV self-sampling. However, results may not be generalizable to all ethnic groups and settings. This is the first study in Spain assessing HPV self-sampling acceptability among immigrant populations. A mixed-methods study was used to explore knowledge and perceptions of CC screening and attitudes towards HPV self-sampling among Moroccan and Pakistani women in Catalonia. Methods Eight focus group discussions and twenty-two semi-structured interviews were conducted. After a short demonstration of two self-sampling devices, women were invited to try them at home and complete an acceptability survey for each device, including questions assessing screening preferences, perceived self-efficacy, trust in the test results and willingness to use the self-collection method again. Results Important barriers, such as lack of information about CC screening, and misconceptions about HPV risk were identified. Overall, Moroccan and Pakistani women expressed a preference for clinician-based screening over self-sampling. Over half of the participants (56%) accepted to try at least one self-sampling device. However, concerns about collecting the sample correctly and distrust in the test result were raised. Conclusion Increasing awareness and empowering Moroccan and Pakistani women with culturally appropriate information about the benefits of CC screening is the first step to successfully implement HPV self-sampling. Concerns regarding self-efficacy need also to be addressed before implementing new organised screening programmes using HPV self-sampling in Catalonia, Spain. A peer-based approach using culturally appropriate materials is proposed to best inform, educate, foster confidence, and advocate for the uptake of HPV self-sampling among these two groups of women.

In Arabic, as in many languages, the future is \"ahead\" and the past is \"behind.\" Yet in the research reported here, we showed that Arabic speakers tend to conceptualize the future as behind and the past as ahead of them, despite using spoken metaphors that suggest the opposite. We propose a new account of how space-time mappings become activated in individuals' minds and entrenched in their cultures, the temporal-focus hypothesis: People should conceptualize either the future or the past as in front of them to the extent that their culture (or subculture) is future oriented or past oriented. Results support the temporal-focus hypothesis, demonstrating that the space-time mappings in people's minds are conditioned by their cultural attitudes toward time, that they depend on attentional focus, and that they can vary independently of the space-time mappings enshrined in language.

Pregnancy-specific anxiety is an important risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes. It is therefore needed to gain insight in which women are at risk for elevated levels (> 85th percentile) of pregnancy-specific anxiety. Additionally, given that unhealthy behaviour has been suggested as a possible pathway linking pregnancy-specific anxiety to adverse pregnancy outcomes, it is important to examine whether higher levels of pregnancy-specific anxiety are associated with negative health-related behaviours (smoking, alcohol use and too much weight gain). Using a study sample of 4541 low-risk pregnant women who filled in the Pregnancy Related Anxiety Questionnaire-Revised (PRAQ-R), we first examined which socio-demographic, pregnancy-related and psychological background characteristics were significantly associated with a PRAQ-R score above the 85th percentile. Secondly, we examined the association between pregnancy-specific anxiety and self-reported health-related behaviours (smoking, alcohol use and too much weight gain) while controlling for significant background characteristics. For both research questions, backward regression analysis was applied. Results showed that nulliparity (OR=2.33, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.97–2.77), anxious or depressed mood (OR=3.29, 95% CI=2.74–3.94) and non-Dutch ethnicity, especially Turkish (OR=3.47, 95% CI=2.16–5.59) or Moroccan (OR=2.97, 95% CI=1.84–4.81), were most strongly associated with elevated pregnancy-specific anxiety levels. Women with higher pregnancy-specific anxiety levels were more likely to gain too much weight during pregnancy (odds ratio (OR) linear term=1.49, 95% CI=1.21–1.83), while both very low and high levels of pregnancy-specific anxiety were associated with smoking (OR linear term=0.13, 95% CI=0.04–0.45, OR quadratic term=1.81, 95% CI=1.32–2.47). No association with alcohol use was found. In conclusion, our results show nulliparity, anxious or depressed mood and non-Dutch ethnicity as three major vulnerability factors for elevated levels of pregnancy-specific anxiety. Furthermore, our results show an association between pregnancy-specific anxiety and negative health-related behaviours, which is worth examining in future studies.

Older women perform consistently poorer on physical performance tests compared to men. Risk groups for this \"female disadvantage\" in physical performance and it's development over successive birth cohorts are unknown. This is important information for preventive strategies aimed to enhance healthy aging in all older women. This study aims to longitudinal investigate whether there are risk groups for a more apparent female disadvantage and study its trend over successive birth cohorts. Data of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) were used. All participants were aged 55-65 years at baseline. Longitudinal data of two birth cohorts with baseline measurements in 1992/1993 (n = 966, 24 year follow-up) and 2002/2003 (n = 1002, 12 year follow-up) were included. Follow-up measurements were repeated every three/four years. Cross-sectional data of two additional cohorts were included to compare ethnic groups: a Dutch cohort (2012/2013, n = 1023) and a Migration cohort (2013/2014, n = 478) consisting of migrants with a Turkish/Moroccan ethnicity. Mixed model analysis showed that women aged 55 years and older had a lower age- and height-adjusted gait speed (-0.03 m/s; -0.063-0.001), chair stand speed (-0.05 stand/s; -0.071--0.033), handgrip strength (-14,8 kg; -15.69--13.84) and balance (OR = 0.71; 0.547-0.916) compared to men. The sex difference in handgrip strength diminished with increasing age, but remained stable for gait speed, chair stand speed and balance. In general, results were consistent across different, educational levels and Turkish/Moroccan ethnic groups and birth cohorts. There is a consistent \"female disadvantage\" in physical performance among older adults, which remains stable with increasing age (except for handgrip strength) and is consistent across different educational levels, ethnic groups and successive birth cohorts. So, no specific risk groups for the female disadvantage in physical performance were identified. Preventive strategies aimed to enhance healthy aging in older women are needed and should target all older women.