Building Act Reform for Building Users

The Building Act 1991 established the New Zealand government’s role in ensuring the safety, health, independence and well-being of building users. To this end, the 1991 Act and subsequent iterations recognise that people with disabilities need buildings that meet disability design standards. However, these standards are not required for the design of private dwellings. This article uncovers the historical practices that made such exclusion acceptable, and challenges policymakers to rethink the relationship between government, private dwellings and the health and wealth of the nation. The purpose is to highlight flaws in the framing of the review of the current Building Act, identify critical questions that need to be addressed by policy analysts, and call for a full review of the Act’s failure to achieve its stated purposes

Elder Women Making Family through Celebratory Foods: Kentucky, New Zealand, Thailand

This study, which describes how older women of three counties experience the preparation of annual celebratory foods, is uniquely responsive to the theme of EKU’s 2011-2012 Chautauqua Lecture Series, “Living with Others: Challenges and Promises.” How women of different countries lead their families in preparing traditional foods together each year demonstrates how, although each culture is unique, the challenges and promises of living with others are fulfilled and managed in many similar and little-examined women’s ways in countries around the globe

Protocol for stage 1 of the GaP study (Genetic testing acceptability for Paget's disease of bone): an interview study about genetic testing and preventive treatment: would relatives of people with Paget's disease want testing and treatment if they were available?

BACKGROUND: Paget's disease of bone (PDB) is characterised by focal increases in bone turnover, affecting one or more bones throughout the skeleton. This disrupts normal bone architecture and causes pain, deformity, deafness, osteoarthritis, and fractures. Genetic factors are recognised to play a role in PDB and it is now possible to carry out genetic tests for research. In view of this, it is timely to investigate the clinical potential for a programme of genetic testing and preventative treatment for people who have a family history of PDB, to prevent or delay the development of PDB. Evidence from non-genetic conditions, that have effective treatments, demonstrates that patients' beliefs may affect the acceptability and uptake of treatment. Two groups of beliefs (illness and treatment representations) are likely to be influential. Illness representations describe how people see their illness, as outlined in Leventhal's Self-Regulation Model. Treatment representations describe how people perceive potential treatment for their disease. People offered a programme of genetic testing and treatment will develop their own treatment representations based on what is offered, but the beliefs rather than the objective programme of treatment are likely to determine their willingness to participate. The Theory of Planned Behaviour is a theoretical model that predicts behaviours from people's beliefs about the consequences, social pressures and perceived control over the behaviour, including uptake of treatment. METHODS/DESIGN: This study aims to examine the acceptability of genetic testing, followed by preventative treatment, to relatives of people with PDB. We aim to interview people with Paget's disease, and their families, from the UK. Our research questions are: 1. What do individuals with Paget's disease think would influence the involvement of their relatives in a programme of genetic testing and preventative treatment? 2. What do relatives of Paget's disease sufferers think would influence them in accepting an offer of a programme of genetic testing and preventative treatment? DISCUSSION: Our research will be informed by relevant psychological theory: primarily the Self-Regulation Model and the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The results of these interviews will inform the development of a separate questionnaire-based study to explore these research questions in greater detail

Development and content of a school-based occupational therapy intervention for promoting emotional wellbeing in children

The development and content of an occupational therapy intervention promoting emotional well-being, for children with subclinical anxiety, is described. Development and trialing followed a four-step process: (1) reviewing theory, (2) reviewing evidence, (3) incorporating expert opinion, and (4) trialing. The intervention consists of eight group sessions, led by an occupational therapist, over 8 weeks of an academic term. Its proposed outcomes will be achieved by providing children with knowledge about health promoting occupations and how to participate in, balance, and sustain these. This article offers a guideline for the development and description of similar interventions to facilitate more robust evaluation of clinical practice

Occupational science : society, inclusion, participation

Introduction to critical perspectives in occupational science / Clare Hocking and Gail Whiteford -- What would Paulo Freire think of occupational science? / Lilian Magalhães -- Transactionalism : occupational science and the pragmatic attitude / Malcolm P. Cutchin and Virginia A. Dickie -- Understanding the discursive development of occupation : historico-political perspectives / Sarah Kantartzis & Matthew Molineux -- Occupations through the looking glass : reflecting on occupational scientists ontological assumptions / Clare Hocking -- Knowledge paradigms in occupational science : pluralistic perspectives / Elizabeth Anne Kinsella -- Occupation and ideology / Ben Sellar -- Governing through occupation : shaping expectations and possibilities / Debbie Laliberte Rudman -- When occupation goes wrong : critically reflecting on risk discourses and their relevance in shaping occupation / Silke Dennhardt and Debbie Laliberte Rudman -- The case for multiple research methodologies / Valerie Wright-St. Clair -- Occupational choice : the significance of socio-economic and political factors / Roshan Galvaan -- The international society for occupational science : a critique of its role in facilitating the development of occupational science through international networks and intercultural dialogue / Alison Wicks -- Occupation, inclusion, and participation / Gail Whiteford and Robert Pereira.225 page(s

Introduction to critical perspectives in occupational science

5 page(s

Quality and reporting of cluster randomised controlled trials evaluating occupational therapy interventions: A systematic review

Growing use of cluster randomized control trials (RCTs) in health care research requires careful attention to study designs, with implications for the development of an evidence base for practice. The objective of this study is to investigate the characteristics, quality, and reporting of cluster RCTs evaluating occupational therapy interventions to inform future research design. An extensive search of cluster RCTs evaluating occupational therapy was conducted in several databases. Fourteen studies met our inclusion criteria; four were protocols. Eleven (79%) justified the use of a cluster RCT and accounted for clustering in the sample size and analysis. All full studies reported the number of clusters randomized, and five reported intercluster correlation coefficients (50%): Protocols had higher compliance. Risk of bias was most evident in unblinding of participants. Statistician involvement was associated with improved trial quality and reporting. Quality of cluster RCTs of occupational therapy interventions is comparable with those from other areas of health research and needs improvement