Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationThe aging of the American population brings increased concerns about the consequences of chronic diseases and the associated health challenges related to these illnesses. Regular exercise is linked to reducing or eliminating risks of disease and provides the ability to delay the onset of disabilities. Despite the known benefits of exercise, there is a low adherence to exercise regimens among older Americans. This study used a conceptual approach that was informed by Dweck and Leggett’s incremental theory, Cockerham’s health lifestyle theory, and Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior to look at lifestyle physical activityâ€"the daily accumulation of nonstructured physical activities (i.e., chores, gardening, incidental walking)â€"and its impact on health among adults. Analyzing data from the Active for Life: Translation of Physical Activity Programs for Mid-Life and Older Adults, the study explored the effects of lifestyle physical activity on self-rated health and self-reported health conditions among adults 50+. Results demonstrated that lifestyle physical activity is a protective factor for positive self-rated health scores and self-reported health conditions. This study offers a significant contribution to the understanding of the importance of lifestyle physical activities while providing policy implications and future research directions

Tourism development as Greek tragedy: implications for tourism development policy and education

Although tourism has been used as a development strategy in many parts of the world for several decades, there is little evidence that it is an effective tool for improving the wellbeing of destination communities. It is not uncommon to find cases where tourism development has resulted in extensive negative impacts on destination. Despite considerable academic concern over these issues there has been little change in tourism development policy or practice. This suggests a need to try innovative approaches to analysing and thinking about tourism development policy and planning processes. This paper reports on a study that explored the value of using classical Greek tragedy as a metaphor to guide analysis of the political context of tourism development. The study conducted a qualitative analysis of 10 case studies where a proposed tourism development had both significant negative impacts on the destination and failed as a commercial enterprise. This analysis highlighted a consistent pattern of events and characteristics that mirrored those central to Greek tragedies. The evidence suggests that the recognition of the tragic nature of tourism decisions could be an important step in changing tourism development policies. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of both the analysis and taking a tragic vision in tourism development policy, for education to support more sustainable tourism

Exploring the dimensions of social capital that are effective mediators of long distance commuting impacts on wellbeing

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Long distance commuting (LDC) impacts are difficult to generalize due to interactions between neighbouring communities. This paper explored resident perceptions and the nature of social capital in Kalgoorlie-Boulder to mediate LDC impacts. Group interview respondents reported a lack of linking social capital, they did not possess this type of social capital thus could not use it as a mediator between LDC impacts and wellbeing. There was a sense of helplessness based on a perceived inability to influence the scale of LDC (thus the size of the impact). Respondents were empathetic towards the local council (their linking social capital), however, participants perceived the council as powerless to influence the size of the LDC workforce in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Respondents also identified structural limitations in LDC employment such as 12-h shifts, which impeded any attempt to build (bridging) social capital between residents and the LDC workforce.Peer reviewe

Work and family: factors that influence perceptions of stress, health and wellbeing

The demands of balancing work and family life can be a major cause of stress in an individual's life, leading to a decrease in satisfaction for both domains and harmful effects on one's health and wellbeing (Frone, Russell, & Barnes, 2003). The aim of this study was to explore the factors associated with individuals work and family environments that influence both job and overall life satisfaction. It also accounted for the role of individual characteristics and attitudes. Data for the analysis was from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey (HILDA). The overall sample included 2719 respondents who indicated that they were in paid work and had children at home. In the end it was satisfaction with the work itself and with the flexibility provided to balance work and non-work commitments which were the most powerful predictors of job satisfaction. While, overall job satisfaction and satisfaction with one's partner were the most powerful predictors of life satisfaction

Tropical communities as resources for tourism or tourism as a resource for tropical communities: changing the perspective by applying a community well-being framework in the Mekong Delta

The purpose of this paper is to review the barriers to sustainable tourism development faced by rural and developing regions and to explore the notion of tourism and its potential contribution to community well-being, with a focus on Flora's community capitals framework. A description is provided of a case study focusing on the development of agri-tourism in the Can Tho region of the Mekong Delta. The results of the initial stages of a mixed method approach to the application of a community well- being framework to tourism development are presented. It will conclude by identifying the challenges of applying models of tourism conceptualised in developed western economies in a developing economy with a socialist republic political regime. In particular, implications for tourism development policy, planning and education to support more sustainable approaches in tourism governance and development are highlighted

Op-Ed: Failing to Bend the Arc of the Moral Universe? Dr. King, Newton, Piaget, and Social Work

To achieve a more just universe, the momentum and historical forces of racism, sexism, heterosexism, privilege, etc. must be met with equal and opposite forces through policies, structures, and the courageous acts and voices of many. Dr. King’s claim that “the moral universe bends toward justice” is joined with Newton’s Laws of Motion where arcs only bend through external forces. Bending the arc necessitates a large membership, including social workers. Membership in a group confers advantages while simultaneously ushering in implicit biases against those outside of the group ultimately disadvantaging both groups. Educating tomorrow’s social workers necessarily involves ingroup and outgroup membership, instructors and students. We argue well-meaning social work educators often act against Social Work’s mission of producing a cadre of individuals who will pull the arc toward social and economic justice. Students in social work programs, eager to pull on the moral arc, are often criticized for being inexperienced and not further along in their “woke” development. Criticism may discourage students, thereby losing needed ingroup members. Students are canceled. Algebra, evolutionary theory, and cognitive development theories provide guidelines for unifying social work educators and students to promote Dr. King’s vision

Exploring youth perspectives on quality of life and tourism: policy and planning implications

[Extract] The concept of Quality of Life (QoL) is implicit in conceptualisations of tourism, especially those used to develop and guide tourism policy and planning. At the individual level it is assumed that travel offers a number of different ways to improve the QoL of the tourist, through contributions to physical health, stress release, learning and skills building. At the community level tourism development is typically presented as a tool to improve or enhance the QoL of destination residents. More recent analyses of the actual contributions that tourism makes to the QoL of destination communities have demonstrated both the complexity of the concept and suggested that tourism may not always make the assumed QoL contributions. Research to date on the links between travel and individual QoL has focussed mostly on describing the range of contributions, especially for younger travellers and specific forms of tourism such as volunteering, backpacking and educational tourism, often associated with youth tourists. This research does have, however, a number of issues including problems with survivor bias and a reliance on inferring the QoL contributions from descriptions of travel experiences. This paper seeks to contribute to improving our understanding of the linkages between QoL and tourism through an exploratory study of young people's social representations of QoL in general.\ud \ud By studying representations of Qol outside of the tourism context it is possible to more critically examine the role that tourism might play at both an individual and a community level. At the individual level it allows for an analysis of how important travel is, if at all, in QoL, while at the community level it provides insights into how tourism impacts could affect younger destination residents. Improving our understanding of the relationship between tourism and QoL has implications for several aspects of tourism policy and planning related to product development, choices about directions for destination development, and the provision of access to travel opportunities for citizens

FIFO workforce in Cairns

This report provides a detailed description of Fly-In-Fly-Out (FIFO) workers who reside in the Cairns region and work in the resources industry in North-West Queensland and the Northern Territory

Identifying and profiling potential FIFO workers

[Extract] This report presents the findings from an online survey which sought to determine the demographic characteristics, qualifications, experience and current employment status of workers in the Far North Queensland region who are interested in Fly-In, Fly-Out (FIFO) work. In addition, it aimed to ascertain the level of interest these potential workers had in FIFO work and possible barriers faced in becoming part of\ud the FIFO community