Perceived Safety in Urban Parks: CPTED, Place Attachment and the COVID-19 Paradigm

The combined influence of the pandemic and fear of crime on CPTED effectiveness, park visitation, and urban park attachment introduces complexity and raises new research questions. Accordingly, this study examines the relationships between Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), time spent in the park, perceived safety concerning crime (PSC), perceived safety concerning COVID-19 (PS19), and PA. It also investigates how these variables and their interrelationships differ between married and single individuals, as well as between old and modern parks. Structural equation modelling, a multigroup analysis, and SPSS are used to analyse data from 411 office workers in Baise City, China. Results indicate that the effect of CPTED on PS19 is mediated by both the time spent in parks and PSC, highlighting both the applicability and challenges of CPTED theory in promoting perceived pandemic-related safety. Furthermore, the influence of PS19 on PA is greater than that of PSC, underscoring the crucial role of urban parks in promoting PA by ensuring PS19. In contrast to previous studies, this study finds that time spent in the park does not significantly mediate the relationship between CPTED and PSC. Additionally, differences in study variables and their interrelationships are observed between single and married participants and between old and modern parks, revealing inequities in urban park benefits. These findings contribute to the expanded application of CPTED and its integration with PA theory, thereby offering empirical support for leveraging urban parks to enhance residents' well-being in future pandemics, aligning with SDG #11

The Benefits of Assistive Technology for the Elderly and Disabled People: A Baseline Study

Purpose Housing adaptation enables the elderly and disabled people to live healthy, productive, independent, and dignified lives by making it easier to carry out everyday tasks in a safer environment. Assistive technology enables them to perform tasks that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to achieve independence. Therefore, the new guidance for local authorities in England on Disabled Facilities Grants (DFG) recommends assistive and smart technology as part of a DFG award package to maximise the benefits of home adaptations. Through a baseline study, this paper examines the disabled and elderly peoples’ level of digital engagement, the challenges and the impact of smart devices on their daily living and well-being. Design/methodology/approach A baseline study approach was used through the co-production of knowledge. The study relies on a questionnaire survey and the Most Significant Change (MSC) research technique through structured interviews. A percentage of the total approach is used in analysing the quantitative data by comparing the pre- and post-baseline results. Findings The major challenges the clients face are Wi-Fi connectivity, system compatibility issues, and skills in navigating different applications and operating systems. The pilot study demonstrates that assistive technology supports independent and healthy living and promotes a secure and safe environment. It also promotes social inclusion and improves the elderly and disabled people’s comfort and engagement. However, the results show that the overall impact is minimal; therefore, a longitudinal study is needed to understand the impacts over a long period. Practical implications The findings will help policymakers to understand the impacts of assistive technology on improving the elderly and disabled people’s quality of life. Originality/value A comparable baseline study was carried out to serve as a reference point for other similar future studies. The paper also highlights the challenges faced by the elderly and disabled people, their digital skill level and the impact of smart devices on their daily living and well-being

‘We need to give it more attention’. Educators’, students’, and social work apprentices’ experiences of teaching and learning child-centred recordkeeping

Maintaining records about children and families who are the subject of social work intervention is a routinized aspect of everyday practice and has been recognized as vital in protecting children from harm and promoting their wellbeing. There is evidence that the fast-paced nature of statutory social work, as well as bureau cratic demands and difficulties with writing, can inhibit workers’ capacity to keep child-centered records, with inadequate record keeping having serious implications for protecting children from harm in the present and meeting their potential memory and identity needs in the future. This paper presents evidence from social work educators, as well as undergraduate, postgraduate, and apprentice social work students about their experiences of teaching and learning skills for child-centered case recording while at university and on placement. We highlight the interaction of university and practice learning, identifying key barriers to the complex task of maintaining child-centered records and outlining evidence from learners that there is a case for the prioritization of teaching skills for writing for practice within the university environment. We conclude by making recommendations as to how skills for child-centered recordkeeping could be more effectively taught, assessed, and embedded in pre-qualifying social work education

Head Acceleration Event Exposure During Elite Men’s and Women’s Rugby Union Training

Objectives The aim of this study was to describe the incidence and magnitude of head acceleration events (HAEs) during elite men’s and women’s rugby union training for different contact training levels and drill types. Method Data were collected during the 2022–23 and 2023–24 seasons from 203 men and 125 women from 13 clubs using instrumented mouthguards (iMGs) during in-season training. One author reviewed the training videos to identify the contact level and drill type. HAE incidence was calculated per player minute. Results For men’s forwards and backs, only 4.7% and 5.8% of HAEs were ≥ 25 g and ≥ 1.5 Krad/s2, and 3.4% and 4.4% for women’s forwards and backs, respectively. The incidence of ≥ 5 g and ≥ 0.4 Krad/s2 was highest during full-contact training for men’s forwards (0.20/min) and backs (0.16/min) and women’s forwards (0.10/min). HAE incidence was 2–3 times higher during repetition-based compared with game-based training drills for men’s forwards (0.25/min vs 0.09/min) and backs (0.22/min vs 0.09/min) and women’s forwards (0.09/min vs 0.04/min) and backs (0.08/min vs 0.03/min). HAE incidences were halved when repetition-based training drills used pads compared with no pads for men’s forwards (0.21/min vs 0.44/min) and backs (0.17/min vs 0.30/min), and women’s forwards (0.06/min vs 0.14/min) and backs (0.06/min vs 0.10/min). Conclusion The average HAE incidence (~ 13–20% of weekly HAEs) and magnitude during an in-season training week is very low compared with matches. Opportunities to materially reduce HAE exposure in training are likely more limited than previously assumed. Future research on HAE load and injury, and understanding players’ specific weekly training exposure, may inform effective individual player management

Clinimetrics: The vertical single leg hop test

Description: The vertical single leg hop test (VSLHT) is a functional performance outcome measuring maximum single leg jump height (cm).1 The VSLHT is intended to assess sport-related movements and musculoskeletal loading demands.1,2 To perform this test, an individual stands on one leg, executes a rapid countermovement to a self-selected depth, jumps as high as possible, and then lands on the same leg.2, 3, 4 Height can be measured using instrumentation (eg, contact timing mat)2, 3, 4 or the chalk on wall method. The VSLHT can be completed on both legs in 10 to 15 minutes, including a dynamic warm-up and practice trials (three to five). Typically, multiple maximum effort attempts (minimum of three) are performed with 20 to 30 seconds of rest between attempts

Application of the systemic lessons learned knowledge model to learning in complex projects: How project practitioners are shaping their learning

Learning in projects is frequently emphasized in practice and the literature for knowledge creation, yet there is limited research on how project practitioners articulate learning particularly in complex projects. This study applies the Systemic Lessons Learned Knowledge model to investigate how project practitioners conceptualize learning in complex projects. The research method consisted of narrative inquiry which is considered insightful and useful in acquiring data through storytelling. The research establishes how beyond the alignment of the people and system elements (learning, culture, social, technology, process, and infrastructure), an awareness of complex project attributes can positively influence project practitioners’ learning capability. This study also identifies and discusses the enablers and challenges of transferring lessons learned into knowledge

“I Like the Olympics, but I’m here not just for the Olympics”: Sex tourism, destination image and the dark side of mega-event tourism in Rio De Janeiro

The Olympic Games are a major tourism attraction and are used by host cities and destinations to try and positively affect destination image and drive tourism attractiveness. Olympic tourists travel to enjoy the sport and carnival of the event, but some also seek to engage in sex tourism. This study draws on interviews with 10 heterosexual male sex tourists during the 2016 Rio Olympics in order to investigate the relationships between the Olympic Games, destination image, and sex tourism. Findings reveal that the limonoid atmosphere of the event provides an appealing atmosphere for sex tourists to engage in sexual encounters with sex workers and local women. The image of Rio as a destination was important in this, as it was seen as a relaxed and fun destination and Brazilian women as beautiful and sexually available. Issues of power between the mainly white sex tourists from the Global North and more economically vulnerable local women in destinations in the Global South were identified and recommendations offered for how Olympic and host destination stakeholders can better protect those most vulnerable to sexual exploitation during mega-event hosting, such as working with other related organisations to educate tourists and protect local women

R.J. Morris: An Appreciation – Introduction to Special Section

The essays that follow aim to capture aspects of the unique style of R.J. Morris, aspects which taken together represent the formidable legacy that he leaves to the global world of urban history

Post-concussion symptom burden and dynamics: Insights from a digital health intervention and machine learning

Individuals who sustain a concussion can experience a range of symptoms which can significantly impact their quality of life and functional outcome. This study aims to understand the nature and recovery trajectories of post-concussion symptomatology by applying an unsupervised machine learning approach to data captured from a digital health intervention (HeadOn). As part of the 35-day program, patients complete a daily symptom diary which rates 8 post-concussion symptoms. Symptom data were analysed using K-means clustering to categorize patients based on their symptom profiles. During the study period, a total of 758 symptom diaries were completed by 84 patients, equating to 6064 individual symptom ratings. Fatigue, sleep disturbance and difficulty concentrating were the most prevalent symptoms reported. A decline in symptom burden was observed over the 35-day period, with physical and emotional symptoms showing early rates of recovery. In a correlation matrix, there were strong positive correlations between low mood and irritability (r = 0.84), and poor memory and difficulty concentrating (r = 0.83). K-means cluster analysis identified three distinct patient clusters based on symptom severity. Cluster 0 (n = 24) had a low symptom burden profile across all the post-concussion symptoms. Cluster 1 (n = 35) had moderate symptom burden but with pronounced fatigue. Cluster 2 (n = 25) had a high symptom burden profile across all the post-concussion symptoms. Reflecting the severity of the clusters, there was a significant relationship between the symptom clusters for both the Rivermead (p = 0.05) and PHQ-9 (p = 0.003) questionnaires at 6-weeks follow-up. By leveraging digital ecological momentary assessments, a rich dataset of daily symptom ratings was captured allowing for the identification of symptom severity clusters. These findings underscore the potential of digital technology and machine learning to enhance our understanding of post-concussion symptomatology and offer a scalable solution to support patients with their recovery

How Construction can deliver innovation faster

This was a Q&A event with the CIOB magazine Construction Managemen