350 research outputs found

    Managing risks and harms associated with the use of anabolic steroids

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    Background: People using AAS may adopt a range of strategies to prevent and treat adverse health conditions potentially associated with the use of these substances (AAS-HC). These strategies include seeking support from physicians, using the needle and syringe exchange programme (NSP) and seeking support from informal sources such as coaches and online forums. The process of identifying risks and harms, adopting and modifying health-related strategies is similar to the methods of risk-management employed in other fields of human activity. This approach recognises the importance of the informal body of knowledge produced by decades of AAS-related folk-pharmacology and seeks to understand harm-reduction from the users’ perspective.Objectives: The primary objective of this thesis is to investigate the strategies adopted by people using AAS to prevent and treat AAS-HC. Secondary objectives include to explore the factors associated with the adoption of health strategies and the occurrence of AAS-HC, as well as the barriers and facilitators experienced by AAS users when accessing health services and other sources of support.Methods: To achieve the objectives above, three work packages (WP) were produced as part of a mixed-methods research design. WP1 is a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of AAS users seeking support from physicians. WP2 is a cross-sectional online survey that identified AAS-HC, risk factors and health-related strategies adopted by AAS users in the UK. WP3 is a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews to discuss the experiences of AAS users and their risk-management strategies (RMS).Results: The estimated overall prevalence of AAS users seeking support from physicians is 37.1%. Higher prevalence rates were observed in studies from Australia (67.3%) and amongst clients of the NSP (54.1%), whilst the lowest was observed among adolescents (17.3%). The health conditions most commonly reported by the 883 participants of the online survey were insomnia (33.3%) and anxiety (32.2%). Most participants adopted preventive strategies such as having blood tests in the last 12 months (86.2%) and seeking a GP to treat AAS-HC (55.0%). Those who sought a GP for AAS-related information were 76% less likely to report an AAS-HC in the last 12 months. The interviews described AAS users’ RMS as a continuous process of awareness and behavioural changes. Participants described an extensive use of private health services and other sources of support to bypass the barriers experienced by AAS users engaging with the public health system.Conclusion: A large number of AAS users refrain from seeking support from physicians. Health professionals should be trained to recognise and manage the most common AAS-HC and help users improve their RMS. Further studies should investigate the efficacy of AAS-related RMS and the subpopulations of AAS users more likely to experience AAS-HC and less likely to engage with health services.<br/

    30th European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2023)

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    This is the abstract book of 30th European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2023

    Reshaping Higher Education for a Post-COVID-19 World: Lessons Learned and Moving Forward

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    No abstract available

    An empirical evaluation of m-health service users’ behaviours: A case of Bangladesh

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    A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.Mobile health (m-health) services are revolutionising healthcare in the developing world by improving accessibility, affordability, and availability. Although these services are revolutionising healthcare in various ways, there are growing concerns regarding users' service quality perceptions and overall influence on satisfaction and usage behaviours. In developing countries, access to healthcare and low healthcare costs are insufficient if users lack confidence in healthcare service quality. Bangladesh's Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) provides the only government-sponsored m-health service available to the entire population. DGHS's m-health service, available since 2009, is yet to be evaluated in terms of users' perceptions of the quality of service and its impact on satisfaction and usage. Hence, this study developed a conceptual model for evaluating the associations between overall DGHS m-health service quality, satisfaction, and usage behaviours. This study operationalised overall m-health service quality as a higher-order construct with three dimensions- platform quality, information quality, and outcome quality, and nine corresponding subdimensions-privacy, systems availability, systems reliability, systems efficiency, responsiveness, empathy, assurance, emotional benefit, and functional benefit. Moreover, researchers in various service domains, including- healthcare, marketing, environmental protection, and information systems, evaluated and confirmed the influence of social and personal norms on satisfaction and behavioural outcomes like- intention to use. Despite this, no research has been conducted to determine whether these normative components affect m-health users' service satisfaction and usage behaviours. As a result, this study included social and personal norms along with overall service quality into the conceptual model to assess the influence of these variables on users' satisfaction and m-health service usage behaviours. Data was collected from two districts in Bangladesh- Dhaka and Rajshahi, utilising the online survey approach. A total of 417 usable questionnaires were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling to investigate the relationships between the constructs in Warp PLS. The study confirms that all three dimensions of service quality and their corresponding subdimensions influence users' overall perceptions of DGHS m-health service quality. Moreover, overall DGHS m-health service quality has a significant direct association with satisfaction and an indirect association with usage behaviours through satisfaction. While social norms do not influence satisfaction and usage behaviours within the DGHS m-health context, personal norms directly influence users' satisfaction and indirectly influence usage behaviours through satisfaction. Theoretically, the study contributes by framing the influence of users' overall m-health service quality perceptions, social and personal norms on their actual usage behaviours rather than the intention to use. It also extends the existing knowledge by assessing and comparing m-health users' continuous and discontinuous behaviours. Methodologically this study confirms the usefulness of partial least squares structural equational modelling to analyse a complex model including a higher order construct (i.e., overall perceived service quality). Practically, the study demonstrates the importance of users' satisfaction in addition to service quality, as service quality only affects usage behaviours through satisfaction in the current study context. Additionally, knowing that personal norms significantly influence service satisfaction motivates providers of m-health services to strive to enhance users' personal norms toward m-health service to enhance service satisfaction and usage. Overall, the study will help enhance patient outcomes and m-health service usage

    Northeastern Illinois University, Academic Catalog 2023-2024

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    https://neiudc.neiu.edu/catalogs/1064/thumbnail.jp

    Utilizing new technologies to measure therapy effectiveness for mental and physical health

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    Mental health is quickly becoming a major policy concern, with recent data reporting increasing and disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, increased substance abuse, and elevated suicidal ideation. One specific population that is especially high risk for these issues is the military community because military conflict, deployment stressors, and combat exposure contribute to the risk of mental health problems. Although several pharmacological approaches have been employed to combat this epidemic, their efficacy is mixed at best, which has led to novel nonpharmacological approaches. One such approach is Operation Surf, a nonprofit that provides nature-based programs advocating the restorative power of the ocean and surfing. Although the limited research in this area has shown a positive impact on the health of veterans, these results were based on self-reported survey instruments that suffer from a series of well-known biases. Fortunately, the recent introduction of wearable technology (e.g., Whoop bands) that unobtrusively gather physiological data such as heart rate variability (HRV), resting heart rate (RHR), and both rapid eye movement (REM) and deep sleep, offers an opportunity to validate or invalidate traditional survey assessment data. This study used survey data to measure changes in depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), together with data generated from Whoop bands, and qualitative data, producing a more robust set of programmatic efficacy inferences for military veterans who participated in Operation Surf between 2021–2022. Paired samples t tests were used to analyze the data gathered before the intervention, immediately after, and 1 month later. Survey scores before the therapy, as measured by the psychometrically sound PHQ-8 (depression), PCL-5 (PTSD), and GAD-7 (anxiety), were significantly higher than both time points after therapy, revealing statistically significant and clinically significant decreases in anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms. Physiological data indicated varying degrees of statistically significant change in HRV, RHR, REM sleep, and deep sleep, while the qualitative data provided supported the quantitative findings. Taken together, the introduction of physiological data gathered from wearable technology can hopefully further understanding toward a low-cost, scalable treatment modality while eliminating stigmas and barriers to care for military veterans and informing public policy care decisions

    Customer experience as an antecedent to market orientation: a mixed methods study of postgraduate students

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    Market Orientation and Customer Experience are both constructs that belong to the world of business. It has now become necessary for universities to also embrace these business concepts in order to remain relevant and competitive, given the vast changes in Higher Education landscapes globally. Previous studies have looked at the relationship between Market Orientation and Customer Satisfaction. However, Customer Experience has not been identified as an antecedent to Market Orientation. This exploratory study posits that it is Customer Experience that influences Market Orientation at Higher Education institutions. Customer Satisfaction alone does not provide opportunities for students to be co-creators of their educational experiences. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine whether focusing on Customer Experience rather than just evaluating Customer Satisfaction levels can be a greater source of information to guide Market Orientation objectives and its implementation. The theoretical frameworks that guided the conceptual model of this study were the ResourceBased View and the Service-Dominant Logic theory. A cyclical relationship between Market Orientation and Customer Experience was proposed, with the nexus of this relationship being the concept of co-creation. A mixed methods convergent design approach was applied to collect data at a University of Technology in South Africa. The focus was on the postgraduate master's programme, and both research supervisors and master's students were part of the study sample. During the quantitative phase, data was collected via online surveys from 151 research supervisors, using purposive convenience sampling. Twenty-four master's students were interviewed using the critical incident technique method during the qualitative phase. Descriptive statistics together with Exploratory Factor Analysis were used to analyse the quantitative data, whilst qualitative data was coded and categorised into positive and negative incidents inductively in order to analyse the content to derive themes. The quantitative results and qualitative findings were merged to establish whether the results converged, augmented, differed, or were contradictory. The major contribution of this study is a cyclical model rather than a sequential model, where a positive relationship between Customer Experience and Market Orientation is possible, contingent on the institution's ability to promote co-creation initiatives amongst its key stakeholders. This study's findings reflect, that the stronger the level of Market Orientation practiced by supervisors, the more likely it is that the student experience would be positive, and the greater the impact on students' customer satisfaction levels. Co-creation initiatives vii between the university and all its stakeholders, especially students, were viewed as enhancing this relationship. This study reaffirms the roles of the institution, academics/employees and students in building and designing the customer experience at Higher Education institutions. The knowledge contribution of this study was the focus on Customer Experience and Market Orientation in the context of a developing country like South Africa, among others, given its unique economic, social and cultural structures. Furthermore, this study advances the importance of institutional reputation and research service experience in promoting a conducive environment that supports timely output of postgraduate students who can transfer their knowledge and skills into sectors of the South African economy. The methodological contribution of this study was the validation of the UNIVERSITY-I-MARKOR in the context of the developing world, highlighting the specific dimensions of Market Orientation that needed to be stimulated to enhance the student experience and the quality of the services provided by Higher Education institutions. Notably, areas for possible future research considerations were highlighted by this study

    Measuring the Effects of Multi-Sensory Stimuli in the Mixed Reality Environment for Tourism Value Creation

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    This thesis explores the impact of technology-enhanced multisensory stimuli on visitors' value judgments and behavioural intentions at tourist attractions. The study is based on the Tourism Value Framework (Smith and Colgate, 2007), which examines the influence of tourism environment and experience cues on tourist behaviour. To achieve the objective, four key areas were critically reviewed: 1) value creation in attraction-based tourism, 2) multisensory experience literature including experiencescape research, 3) immersion, and 4) mixed-reality technology (Objective 1). Primary data collection involved two research phases. The first phase included ten semistructured focus group interviews with visitors at two multisensory mixed-reality tourism locations in Finland (Objective 2). These interviews provided insights into visitors' perspectives on value formation, immersive experiences, and mixed-reality technologies. Thematic analysis of the data revealed five themes and seventeen subthemes, including context-specific subthemes, which contributed to understanding the multisensory tourism experience and technology-enhanced experience. Based on ten hypotheses, a qualitative S-I-V-A value creation framework was developed for technology-enhanced multisensory mixed reality tourism environments. The second phase aimed to examine and validate the proposed model by collecting survey responses from 317 visitors to a multisensory mixed reality tourist environment. Covariance-based Structural Equation Modelling (CB-SEM) was used for data analysis (Objective 3). The research's significant achievement is the creation of the S-I-V-A value creation framework for technology-enhanced multisensory mixed reality tourist environments, derived from the study's discoveries (Objective 4). The thesis concludes by summarizing the theoretical contributions of this research and offering recommendations to developers and designers in the tourism and mixed-reality sectors. It acknowledges the study's limitations and suggests potential directions for future research

    Design, Design Thinking and Innovation: The Electrolux Professional Practices Assessment

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    The design thinking label assumed a plurality of minings since its first adoption in the design discipline and its subsequent developments in the management realm. Over its long journey, its different interpretations polarised the academic and practitioner audience eliciting appreciation and critiques. Today, the term coexists in different meanings. Still, both parties seem to agree on the positive impact of design thinking practices on organisations. Electrolux Professional is not an exception. Since the first adoption of the concept, the design department started to expand its influence, arriving to play a strategic role in the organisation’s innovation dynamics. The literature suggests a correlation between design thinking practices and innovation, but what are their real implications and impacts on the company’s innovation infrastructure? This research exploited the Electrolux Professional collaboration to investigate the design thinking practices in context. Firstly, it proposes a historical transdisciplinary interpretation of design thinking. Secondly, it focuses on the Electrolux Professional case, inquiring about its innovation ecosystem, the design department and the implication design thinking had. Thirdly, it describes the development of a multi-level framework and a correlated tool to explore the practices and perceived impacts. Finally, the framework was used to assess the design thinking practices in Electrolux Professional and develop three models summarising the primary characteristic of the design thinking practices. The last part aims to evaluate the design thinking impact on Electrolux Professional’s innovation system. Still, it is not concluded yet. The strategy is defined, and the monitoring system is being implemented, but data have not been collected yet. On the academic side, this study strived to reconnect design thinking with the design discipline, giving the designers and managers new evidence of its impact on innovation. On the practice side, the framework and the evaluation strategy aim to offer practitioners valuable tools to manage and leverage design and design thinking in the organisational innovation discussion.The design thinking label assumed a plurality of minings since its first adoption in the design discipline and its subsequent developments in the management realm. Over its long journey, its different interpretations polarised the academic and practitioner audience eliciting appreciation and critiques. Today, the term coexists in different meanings. Still, both parties seem to agree on the positive impact of design thinking practices on organisations. Electrolux Professional is not an exception. Since the first adoption of the concept, the design department started to expand its influence, arriving to play a strategic role in the organisation’s innovation dynamics. The literature suggests a correlation between design thinking practices and innovation, but what are their real implications and impacts on the company’s innovation infrastructure? This research exploited the Electrolux Professional collaboration to investigate the design thinking practices in context. Firstly, it proposes a historical transdisciplinary interpretation of design thinking. Secondly, it focuses on the Electrolux Professional case, inquiring about its innovation ecosystem, the design department and the implication design thinking had. Thirdly, it describes the development of a multi-level framework and a correlated tool to explore the practices and perceived impacts. Finally, the framework was used to assess the design thinking practices in Electrolux Professional and develop three models summarising the primary characteristic of the design thinking practices. The last part aims to evaluate the design thinking impact on Electrolux Professional’s innovation system. Still, it is not concluded yet. The strategy is defined, and the monitoring system is being implemented, but data have not been collected yet. On the academic side, this study strived to reconnect design thinking with the design discipline, giving the designers and managers new evidence of its impact on innovation. On the practice side, the framework and the evaluation strategy aim to offer practitioners valuable tools to manage and leverage design and design thinking in the organisational innovation discussion
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