Synthesizing diverse evidence: the use of primary qualitative data analysis methods and logic models in public health reviews

Objectives: The nature of public health evidence presents challenges for conventional systematic review processes, with increasing recognition of the need to include a broader range of work including observational studies and qualitative research, yet with methods to combine diverse sources remaining underdeveloped. The objective of this paper is to report the application of a new approach for review of evidence in the public health sphere. The method enables a diverse range of evidence types to be synthesized in order to examine potential relationships between a public health environment and outcomes. Study design: The study drew on previous work by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on conceptual frameworks. It applied and further extended this work to the synthesis of evidence relating to one particular public health area: the enhancement of employee mental well-being in the workplace. Methods: The approach utilized thematic analysis techniques from primary research, together with conceptual modelling, to explore potential relationships between factors and outcomes. Results: The method enabled a logic framework to be built from a diverse document set that illustrates how elements and associations between elements may impact on the well-being of employees. Conclusions: Whilst recognizing potential criticisms of the approach, it is suggested that logic models can be a useful way of examining the complexity of relationships between factors and outcomes in public health, and of highlighting potential areas for interventions and further research. The use of techniques from primary qualitative research may also be helpful in synthesizing diverse document types. (C) 2010 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

CONFLICT AND COASTAL AQUATIC SPORTS: A MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE

This comprehensive study of Coastal Aquatic Sports (CAS) has been undertaken because recorded evidence suggests that the growth of CAS is beginning to hinder the interconnectivity of dynamic coastal and estuarine systems. Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and Sustainable Development were selected as the framework for the development of this research. One of the main CAS related areas of concern was first exposed from a pilot study which indicated site saturation is occurring, causing conflict and confliction. Furthermore, evidence suggested that CAS is evolving in isolation from terrestrial sport and social recreational management procedures. Social change and government initiatives have caused an upsurge of participation in CAS. Contributing factors included the redistribution of wealth, new technologies, cultural change, accessibility and the 'sport for all' initiative instigated by the Sports Councils in the 1970s. Further to this CAS economic drivers have become intensely operational and these are stimulating further growth. For instance, the coupling of 'outdoor sport and CAS' to tourism and the outdoor leisure market, as well as the attachment of CAS to the manufacturing and service industries (particularly the fashion industry) have all created the climate for the commercialisation of CAS. The work reported here demonstrates that economic developments are aggravating the sustainable progression of CAS development. For instance, economic drivers encourage cultural division and this impacts upon the social cohesions of CAS. Because of the complexity that exists within CAS, this work examined both grass root and executive management structures that govern it. Evidence indicates that Government legislation and CAS related management initiatives, such as bylaw or self regulation, are inadequate for the current CAS. Compounding this is the emergence of newer technologies that are affecting CAS speeds and manoeuvrability. These developments are clearly out of step with the development of contemporary CAS management programmes and guides for good practice. This study demonstrates that one cause for this is a lack of marine and maritime expertise in CAS related government departments and the low priority given to CAS by local authority. Lack of marine expertise within the management hierarchy has been further aggravated by the blurring of executive management roles and also by numerous barriers to free communication. For instance, the role of National Governing Bodies (NGB) is endorsed by central government to produce Sport Codes of Practice. This NGB role is frustrated because NOB are commercially driven, leading to a high probability that the associated economic drivers and potential internal competition (two NOB claiming responsibility over one CAS) will negatively impact upon the sustainable development of CAS management practices. This study therefore suggests that there has been little progress by central Government towards a clearly defined framework to underpin the sustainable development of CAS and that an overarching CAS/Marine Transport management structure with a clear mechanism for a transparent communication process is lacking. Hence, the work reported here examines a number of solutions generated through systematic qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. In this study it is argued that the implementation of these solutions will contribute to the development of sustainable management practices for multi-use CAS and recreation. The solutions are represented by two distinctive models. The first is based on comparability matrices and recommendations for their implementation into grass-root CAS management structures. The second provides an executive management model that will act as a catalyst for the development of sustainable CAS management practices.Cornwall Colleg

UTRGV Graduate Catalog 2017-2018

https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/utrgvcatalogs/1007/thumbnail.jp

How Racially Diverse Schools and Classrooms Can Benefit All Students

A growing number of parents, university officials, and employers want our elementary and secondary schools to better prepare students for our increasingly racially and ethnically diverse society and the global economy. But for reasons we cannot explain, the demands of this large segment of Americans have yet to resonate with most of our federal, state, or local policymakers. Instead, over the past forty years, these policy makers have completely ignored issues of racial segregation while focusing almost exclusively on high-stakes accountability, even as our schools have become increasingly segregated and unequal.This report argues that, as our K -- 12 student population becomes more racially and ethnically diverse, the time is right for our political leaders to pay more attention to the evidence, intuition, and common sense that supports the importance of racially and ethnically diverse educational settings to prepare the next generation. It highlights in particular the large body of research that demonstrates the important educational benefits -- cognitive, social, and emotional -- for all students who interact with classmates from different backgrounds, cultures, and orientations to the world. This research legitimizes the intuition of millions of Americans who recognize that, as the nation becomes more racially and ethnically complex, our schools should reflect that diversity and tap into the benefits of these more diverse schools to better educate all our students for the twenty-first century.The advocates of racially integrated schools understand that much of the recent racial tension and unrest in this nation -- from Ferguson to Baltimore to Staten Island -- may well have been avoided if more children had attended schools that taught them to address implicit biases related to racial, ethnic, and cultural differences. This report supports this argument beyond any reasonable doubt

Promoting and implementing self care: a mixed methods study of offshore workers and remote healthcare practitioners.

The oil and gas industry is a vital contributor to the global economy and a key source of employment within oil-producing countries. Oil production is largely dependent on a skilled population who are adept in coping with the demands of an offshore environment. Due to the high risk nature of work offshore, it is a requisite that personnel engage in health promoting behaviours. The research aimed to identify aspects of offshore workers self care which required behaviour change and the behavioural determinants which were associated with engagement in self care. A mixed methods design was utilised to generate novel data and original findings. Phase 1 used a quantitative cross-sectional online survey to assess offshore workers (n=352, 53.6% response rate) health, quality of life, mental wellbeing and self care status. The findings highlighted key areas of concern, as indicated by negative scoring across measures, relating to: overweight/obesity; medication adherence; absenteeism (with regard to travelling offshore); medical evacuation; lack of adherence to 5-a-day fruit and vegetable guidelines; physical activity; smoking; hazardous alcohol use, and insomnia. Phase 2 used qualitative theory-based telephone interviews to explore self care behaviours from the perspective of offshore workers (n=16). Offshore workers who had completed a survey and indicated they would like to receive further information on the interviews were invited to participate. Both the interview schedule and data analysis were informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Healthy eating and physical activity were the behaviours most frequently discussed by offshore workers and identified as areas requiring behaviour change. TDF domains representing both behaviours included: beliefs about capabilities; beliefs about consequences; intentions; goals; memory, attention and decision processes; environmental context and resources; social influences; emotion, and behavioural regulation. Phase 3 used qualitative theory-based telephone interviews to explore offshore workers (n=13) self care behaviours from the perspective of remote healthcare practitioners. Both the interview schedule and data analysis were informed by TDF. Healthy eating and harmful/hazardous alcohol use were the behaviours most frequently discussed by remote healthcare practitioners and identified as areas requiring behaviour change. TDF domains representing both behaviours included: knowledge; environmental context and resources; social influences; emotion, and behavioural regulation. The findings, when triangulated suggest that offshore workers may benefit from the implementation of a self care intervention which targets healthy eating, physical activity and alcohol consumption. It is advised that the intervention target multiple self care behaviours and that development is underpinned by behaviour change theory to ensure effectiveness. The intervention may be tailored in accordance with the TDF domains identified in this research as determinants of healthy eating, physical activity and alcohol use behaviours

2011 - 2012 University Catalog

Volume 101, Number 1, July 2011 Published once a year, July 2011https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/univcatalog/1005/thumbnail.jp

Developing Future Public Service Leaders for Aotearoa New Zealand

The New Zealand public service performs comparatively very well internationally and this has been evident during the global Covid-19pandemic. The public service will need strong and adaptable leadership in future to respond effectively to significant global challenges and threats to public trust, and the need for better public policy responses to extant ‘wicked’ problems. The pandemic response in New Zealand and internationally provides strong pointers as to what New Zealand should do to develop public service leaders for the future