Patient level analytics using self-organising maps: a case study on type-1 diabetes self-care survey responses

Survey questionnaires are often heterogeneous because they contain both quantitative (numeric) and qualitative (text) responses, as well as missing values. While traditional, model-based methods are commonly used by clinicians, we deploy Self Organizing Maps (SOM) as a means to visualise the data. In a survey study aiming at understanding the self-care behaviour of 611 patients with Type-1 Diabetes, we show that SOM can be used to (1) identify co-morbidities; (2) to link self-care factors that are dependent on each other; and (3) to visualise individual patient profiles; In evaluation with clinicians and experts in Type-1 Diabetes, the knowledge and insights extracted using SOM correspond well to clinical expectation. Furthermore, the output of SOM in the form of a U-matrix is found to offer an interesting alternative means of visualising patient profiles instead of a usual tabular form

Patient level analytics using self-organising maps: a case study on type-1 diabetes self-care survey responses

Survey questionnaires are often heterogeneous because they contain both quantitative (numeric) and qualitative (text) responses, as well as missing values. While traditional, model-based methods are commonly used by clinicians, we deploy Self Organizing Maps (SOM) as a means to visualise the data. In a survey study aiming at understanding the self-care behaviour of 611 patients with Type-1 Diabetes, we show that SOM can be used to (1) identify co-morbidities; (2) to link self-care factors that are dependent on each other; and (3) to visualise individual patient profiles; In evaluation with clinicians and experts in Type-1 Diabetes, the knowledge and insights extracted using SOM correspond well to clinical expectation. Furthermore, the output of SOM in the form of a U-matrix is found to offer an interesting alternative means of visualising patient profiles instead of a usual tabular form

Survey Assessment for Decision Support Using Self-Organizing Maps Profile Characterization with an Odds and Cluster Heat Map: Application to Children’s Perception of Urban School Environments

The interpretation of opinion and satisfaction surveys based exclusively on statistical analysis often faces difficulties due to the nature of the information and the requirements of the available statistical methods. These difficulties include the concurrence of categorical information with answers based on Likert scales with only a few levels, or the distancing of the necessary heuristic approach of the decision support system (DSS). The artificial neural network used for data analysis, called Kohonen or self-organizing maps (SOM), although rarely used for survey analysis, has been applied in many fields, facilitating the graphical representation and the simple interpretation of high-dimensionality data. This clustering method, based on unsupervised learning, also allows obtaining profiles of respondents without the need to provide additional information for the creation of these clusters. In this work, we propose the identification of profiles using SOM for evaluating opinion surveys. Subsequently, non-parametric chi-square tests were first conducted to contrast whether answer was independent of each profile found, and in the case of statistical significance (p ≤ 0.05), the odds ratio was evaluated as an indicator of the effect size of such dependence. Finally, all results were displayed in an odds and cluster heat map so that they could be easily interpreted and used to make decisions regarding the survey results. The methodology was applied to the analysis of a survey based on forms administered to children (N = 459) about their perception of the urban environment close to their school, obtaining relevant results, facilitating results interpretation, and providing support to the decision-process.This research was funded by Campus de Excelencia Internacional BIOTIC Granada, University of Granada, grant number V1.2015 and the APC was funded by University of Granada

Anxiety and depression in the undergraduate transition to university

The portfolio has three parts:Part one is a systematic literature review, in which the theoretical, conceptual and empirical literature relating to the problems, causes and interventions associated with the transition to university is reviewed.Part two is an empirical paper, which explores anxiety and depression in theundergraduate transition to university.Part three comprises the appendices

Developing a Person-Centred, Multi-level Physical Activity Intervention for Older Adults

Physical inactivity in older adults presents a significant problem within contemporary society. Governments around the world are recognising this importance and the large impact of physical inactivity on health and health-related expenditure, yet interventions promoting physical activity have typically produced only small or short‐lived behaviour change. Through three related studies, this thesis aims to develop a person-centred, multi-level physical activity intervention within a residential estate of older adults. The first study used qualitative methods to develop a person-centred understanding of the multi-level influencers of physical activity engagement within the targeted individuals. These findings were then applied within study 2, which implemented a 12-week physical activity intervention within the residential estate and used a mixed-methods approach to assess its implementation and explore personal experiences of the intervention strategies designed by the person-centred approach. The final study explored the transitions associated with older adults to develop an understanding of purpose, meaning and identity in later life, and how this can influence physical activity behaviour. The findings of the third study were presented within a composite vignette of the transition experiences of 4 older adults within the residential estate. The thesis presents an effective and appropriate strategy for developing person-centred, multi-level physical activity intervention for older adults. Contrary to the health-focused emphasis that is predominantly adopted by public health initiatives, the findings of this thesis highlight the importance of purpose, and related constructs such as meaning and identity for understanding and promoting physical activity behaviour in older adults. The findings suggest that future person-centred physical activity interventions for older adults should take into consideration the changes in sense of purpose as individuals become older and design intervention strategies to maximise a sense of purpose in life, and to provide more meaningful sources of physical activity

Older men learning in the community : European snapshots

The full book can be found here: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar//handle/123456789/1780The learning partnership on older men learning was primarily an opportunity for researchers from different countries to establish a path for a future common understanding of the interface between masculinities and older adult learning, taking as our point of departure our determination to focus on the role of community and informal learning settings in the lives of older men. Project leaders decided not to take a rigid approach to or engage in a unified coordination of the cases being studied. Basically, each partner decided freely which approaches were best suited to each context. Sometimes driven by curiosity and sometimes by our desire to learn more about the relatively unknown locations of leaning for older men learning in our own countries, we considered diversity to be of outmost importance in our exploratory attitude towards a field of inquiry as of yet almost completely unexplored.peer-reviewe

An Exploration of Relocation Decision-making and Experience: Wellbeing and Chronic Stress Outcomes for Older Under- Occupying Homeowners

This largely qualitative research used thematic analysis and some contextual quantitative data to supplement qualitative findings. It explored the decisions, experience and efficacy of 39 female homeowners, living alone in or near London, around downsizing to retirement housing. The focus was on wellbeing and chronic stress for participants who moved or did not. The timespan was: (1) ‘decision-making’ five months before the move, (2) just after moving, (3) ‘settling-in’ five months later. ‘Mover’ and ‘Non Mover’ cohorts were in two age groups 60-75; 76 and over. Structured interviews explored person-environment fit, quality of life, support networks and personal views and characteristics at Times (2) and (3) together with hair samples, for hair cortisol concentration (HCC) analysis of chronic stress. Depression, anxiety and stress measures were also taken retrospectively for Time (1). Two from each cohort had semi-structured interviews at Time (3). There were three ‘Overarching Themes’ and thirteen sub themes. Impediments and motivators to move were reported as either functional (practical) matters or ‘meaningful’ (emotional) matters, which had more influence for those disinclined to move. The inclination to move was dependent upon lifetime characteristics, beliefs, experience and self–efficacy, not age per se. Older Movers struggled with cognitive aspects and pressure to move from family, which was uncomfortably high in the research. Role diminishment within the community or family, and levels of autonomy, affected desire to move, the acceptance of help and time taken to settle-in. HCC results for chronic stress were interpreted using contextualised biographical material. This qualitative approach was essential in revealing individual delayed reactivity and different lengths/levels of response, depending on perception of ‘stressors’. Future research, policy and practice have been recommended, using richer than previous relocation research, for this growing social group