WOMAN TO WOMAN: COMMUNITY AND BELONGING AMONG LESBIAN AND QUEER FEMINIST ACTIVISTS IN HAIFA, ISRAEL

This dissertation focuses on experiences of belonging among lesbian and queer feminist activist women in the women-only organization Isha L’Isha. As the oldest feminist organization in Israel, Isha L’Isha was established in 1983 and has roots dating back to the 1970s. I spent one year (2017-2018) engaging in participant observation and conducting 40 interviews with current and former members of the group. Using Isha L’Isha as a lens through which to examine the multilayered ways in which gendered activism shapes experiences of belonging, this project centers the experiences and narratives of four women: Talma, Sophie, Amira, and Maya. This work centers belonging around the idea of safety at three levels: physical safety, emotional safety, and philosophical safety. I view safety through an experiential lens wherein physical and mental landscapes are dependent on each other. I argue that much of the belonging the women at Isha experience is rooted in physical safety from gendered violence. In each of the six chapters, I explore how women of differing class, race, ethnicity, and age build affective worlds through physical, emotional, and philosophical safety

Academics and activism : a comparative study of contemporary historical writings on same-sex sexuality and LGBT activists in the Middle East.

In the past several years, there has been an abundance of U.S. news stories outlining the widespread oppression of queer people in the Middle East. At the same time, some international human rights organizations have focused all attention on LGBT asylum seekers, implying that the only course of action for queer people in the Middle East is to flee. However, contemporary historical writers on same-sex sexuality demonstrate that the history of same-sex desire and behavior in the Middle East is incredibly nuanced and has changed greatly over time. Additionally, LGBT activists in the Middle East work from within their communities to create changes that will positively affect queer people. While historical scholars and activists outside the academy often have very different projects and understandings of same-sex sexuality, both projects are connected and influence one another. In this thesis, I compare the primary activist projects of historical scholars of same-sex sexuality and LGBT activists in that region. I show that both historians and activists deal with questions of whether there is a universal or transhistorical queer subject and how past people and past sexualities should be understood and used in the present

Understanding the therapeutic process: mechanisms of motivational interviewing in weight loss maintenance

Background Nearly a quarter of UK adults are obese representing a significant public health problem. Motivational interviewing (MI) may be effective in helping people to lose weight. Planning could be a mechanism of action which is related to outcome. The aim is to define the types of planning talk used by clients during an MI session and examine their relation to weight loss maintenance (WLM) outcomes. Also to examine the skills the therapist used prior to a client talking about planning. Methods To define planning talk a literature review was conducted and an expert group listened to recorded MI sessions. Thematic content analysis was used to identify the types of planning talk. Thematic analysis was used to identify the therapist skills prior to planning within 50 MI sessions. Associations between types of planning talk and WLM outcomes were analysed using logistic and linear regression. Results The development of the coding system found several types of plans/goals. The reliability was 86% and 75% agreement with the gold standard, for examples of plans/goals and the transcript respectively. Frequent planners lost on average 2.8 kgs (95% CI) and 1.2kg/m² (95% CI) more than those who were low planners (not statistically significant). Medium goal setters statistically significantly increased on average their weight (8.8kg) and BMI (3.5 kg/m²) compared to low goal setters. Therapist’s skills prior to planning were asking the client planning questions and exploring with the client their planning ideas in order to increase specificity. Conclusion The coding system can be used to code WLM data with acceptable reliability. A possible association between planning and a decrease in weight and BMI was demonstrated. Understanding how MI works could lead to improvements in the practice of MI by therapist, efficacy, focus research efforts and facilitate a better understanding of what helps people to change behaviours

Digital Media and Political Participation: The Moderating Role of Political Interest across Acts and Over Time

Political interest is a potentially important moderator of the relationship between digital media use and traditional forms of political participation. We theorize that the interaction between interest and digital media can be either positive or negative, depending on whether the action is voting, an elite-directed act, or a self-directed act. To test our expectation, we use British Election Studies data from 2001, 2005, and 2010. We find that digital media use is positively and consistently associated with political talk for those lower in political interest. For voting, we find a similar relationship that appears to be strengthening over time. For the elite-directed acts of donating money and working for a party, we find a highly variable moderating effect of political interest that can be positive, negative, or nonexistent.</jats:p

Extension Wellness Ambassadors: Individual Effects of Participation in a Health-Focused Master Volunteer Program

We present findings from a pilot implementation of the Extension Wellness Ambassador Program, a health-focused master volunteer program, and briefly describe the program approach and purpose. Program participants received 40 hr of training and completed assessments of self-efficacy, physical activity, and functional fitness at baseline and 3-month follow-up. Paired-samples t-tests showed significant positive changes in mean for general self-efficacy, self-efficacy for practicing health behaviors, physical activity, and nearly all functional fitness measures. Our findings demonstrate that participation in a health-focused master volunteer program can positively influence participants\u27 lifestyle behaviors as they work to improve health and quality of life in their communities

Morbidity prevalence estimate at six months following a stroke (MORe PREcISE): protocol for a cohort study

Background: Knowledge of the prevalence of morbidity secondary to stroke is important for health care professionals, health care commissioners, third sector organizations, and stroke survivors to understand the likely progress of poststroke sequelae and to aid in commissioning decisions, planning care, and adjusting to life after stroke. Objective: The primary aim of the Morbidity PRevalence Estimate In StrokE (MORe PREcISE) study is to determine the prevalence of morbidity secondary to a stroke, predictors of morbidity, and trends in quality of life and functional status using patient-reported outcomes, cognitive and functional assessments. Methods: A total of 500 participants will be recruited across Wales and England within 14 days following an admission to a stroke unit for either an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke as part of a multicenter cohort study. Participants are assessed at baseline ≤14 days poststroke and subsequently at 90 (± 14) days and 180 (± 14) days poststroke. At each time point, data will be collected relating to the following domains: participant demographics, routine clinical, patient reported, cognitive status, emotional well-being, and functional ability. Results: Recruitment commenced in October 2018 with 20 sites opened as of September 2019 and was closed on October 31, 2019. Conclusions: The primary outcome is the prevalence of morbidity at 6 months secondary to a stroke. Further analysis will consider temporal changes in the health-related domains to describe trends among baseline, 3-, and 6-month time points