Writing Mentors and the Writing Centre: producing integrated disciplinary writers

This article reports on an evaluation of the first year of the Student Writing Mentor Scheme, a peer tutoring initiative developed by the Write Now Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) (see http://www.writenow.ac.uk for details). The Write Now CETL aims to enrich students' learning experiences through the development of innovative, evidence-based provision focused on writing for assessment. It celebrates and promotes student writing in the disciplines, enabling students to develop academic and disciplinary identities as empowered, confident writers

Using wikis to support student writing mentors' reflective practice : a brief overview

Over the past four years, student writing mentors at the London Metropolitan University Writing Centre have provided over 3,000 hours of one-to-one academic writing support to their fellow undergraduate and postgraduate students (Harrington et al., 2007). For the past three years (2007-2010), wikis have been used to support the training and development of student writing mentors. In particular, they have been used to facilitate mentors’ reflective practice, including the benefits and challenges of working with fellow students for improving writing. When we first began using wikis, it was hoped that this virtual space would enable mentors with different working hours in the Centre to continue to reflect on their professional practice as mentors following the initial three-day intensive training programme. We have discovered that the mentors have gone beyond this to build a virtual community based on encouragement and respect for their fellow mentors and which has aided their own writing and learning development. This short article reports on the key aspects of our experience of using wikis to support mentors’ ongoing development

Demographic group differences in the predictors and consequences of Negative Body Image in White and South Asian groups

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Women´s body image and the role of culture: A review of the literature

Body image can be described as a combination of a person’s perceptions, feelings and thoughts about his/her body and their general physical appearance. Self-perceptions are important to examine because they can have implications for a person’s psychological and physical health. Past research has shown that culture plays a significant role in forming appearance ideals and that these vary for women of different cultures. The purpose of this article was to review the present literature on the prevalence of negative body image in women of different ethnic groups living in Western cultures. The similarities and differences between cultures in terms of negative body image in women were discussed followed by an examination of the role of acculturation in the development of negative body image. The findings showed that a significant proportion of women of different ethnicities are dissatisfied with their bodies and many are dieting to lose weight. The similarities between the groups indicated that the effect of non-Western cultures that previously promoted larger, more realistic body ideals is now diminishing. Thinner body ideals are now being reinforced for all women regardless of culture and ethnicity, thereby increasing the vulnerability towards developing a negative body image. The role of individual differences and the implications of this change are also discussed in this article

'I think a fair girl would have better marriage prospects than a dark one': British Indian adults´ perceptions of physical appearance ideals

The aim of the present study was to investigate British Indian men and women’s perceptions of Indian physical appearance ideals and related attributes. Eight semi-structured interviews with men and women were conducted, and the data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Four themes emerged from the data: 1) Cultural similarities and differences in physical appearance, 2) Gender differences in pressure experienced, 3) Improving physical appearance for marriage, and 4) Factors influencing appearance pressures. The findings indicated that participants perceived few cultural similarities in the Indian and Western standards for physical appearance. Internalisation of Indian body ideals (including fair skin and slimness) were linked to finding a suitable partner for marriage for women, and this pressure was largely perceived to be influenced by maternal encouragement and the media. The results indicate that gender is influential in determining the physical, psychological and social implications of attempting to conform to the cultural physical appearance ideals and related attributes

Maximising influenza vaccination uptake among older people

Older adults aged 65 years and over are particularly vulnerable to seasonal influenza as their immune system is weaker than that of younger adults. The influenza vaccination helps to reduce influenza severity and the incidence of complications, but a range of factors can affect uptake among older people. These factors can be categorised as follows: the system of vaccination; influenza vaccination mistrust and fear of side-effects; health beliefs and behaviours; and other factors. Various interventions to maximise influenza vaccination uptake among older people in the community have been identified, including: interventions to increase community demand, enhance access and improve influenza vaccination among community nurses, as well as provider or system-based interventions and societal interventions. Community nurses have been found to have a positive influence on influenza vaccination uptake and should continue to promote the benefits of influenza vaccination to their patients who are ‘persistent decliners'. </jats:p

Health Professionals' Alcohol-Related Professional Practices and the Relationship between Their Personal Alcohol Attitudes and Behavior and Professional Practices:A Systematic Review

Health professionals’ personal health behaviors have been found to be associated with their practices with patients in areas such as smoking, physical activity and weight management, but little is known in relation to alcohol use. This review has two related strands and aims to: (1) examine health professionals’ alcohol-related health promotion practices; and (2) explore the relationship between health professionals’ personal alcohol attitudes and behaviors, and their professional alcohol-related health promotion practices. A comprehensive literature search of the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, British Nursing Index, Web of Science, Scopus and Science Direct (2007–2013) identified 26 studies that met the inclusion criteria for Strand 1, out of which six were analyzed for Strand 2. The findings indicate that health professionals use a range of methods to aid patients who are high-risk alcohol users. Positive associations were reported between health professionals’ alcohol-related health promotion activities and their personal attitudes towards alcohol (n = 2), and their personal alcohol use (n = 2). The findings have some important implications for professional education. Future research should focus on conducting well-designed studies with larger samples to enable us to draw firm conclusions and develop the evidence base