Face masks for the public during Covid-19: an appeal for caution in policy

As the Covid-19 crisis deepens, some researchers have argued for the widespread routine use of face masks in community settings, despite acknowledged gaps in the evidence base for the effectiveness of such a measure. We argue that such calls are premature, and risk neglecting important potential harms and negative consequences, known and unknown. We identify potential unintended consequences at multiple levels, from individual-behavioural to macrosocial, and suggest that it is far from clear that the benefits of widespread uptake of face masks, whether encouraged or enforced by public authorities, outweigh the downsides. Finally, we make the case for caution in communicating unequivocal messages about the scientific evidence for face mask use to policy, practitioner and public audiences, given continued scientific disagreement on the questio

Science and society during Covid-19: an increasingly fractious relationship?

COVID-19 has exposed the uncertainty of scientific debate to a wider audience, but Graham Martin (University of Cambridge) and Esmée Hanna (De Montfort) argue this is no bad thing—because science is too important to leave to scientists

Beyond ‘following the science’: increased interest in scientific debate is a chance to create better dialogue between scientists and society

COVID-19 has exposed the uncertainty of scientific debate to a wider audience, but Graham Martin and Esmée Hanna argue this is no bad thing—because science is too important to leave to scientists alone

Searching for help online: An analysis of peer-to-peer posts on a male-only infertility forum.

Men’s experiences of infertility help seeking are under-researched and thus less widely understood than women’s experiences, with men’s needs for support often missing from reproductive research knowledge. This article presents a thematic analysis of peer-to-peer posts within the context of a UK men-only online infertility forum. The key themes demonstrate that men value male support from those with experience, and that masculinity influences help-seeking requests and men’s accounts more broadly. We highlight the value of such online communities in offering support to men in need while recognising the importance of further research across other online settings in order to inform practice around supporting men in the reproductive realm

Emoting infertility online: A qualitative analysis of men's forum posts

Relatively little research on infertility focuses exclusively or significantly on men’s experiences, particularly in relation to emotional aspects. Evidence that does exist around male infertility suggests that it is a distressing experience for men, due to stigma, threats to masculinity and the perceived need to suppress emotions, and that men and women experience infertility differently. Using thematic analysis, this article examines the online emoting of men in relation to infertility via forum posts from a men-only infertility discussion board. It was noted that men ‘talked’ to each other about the emotional burdens of infertility, personal coping strategies and relationships with others. Three major themes were identified following in-depth analysis: ‘the emotional rollercoaster’, ‘the tyranny of infertility’ and ‘infertility paranoia’. This article then offers insights into how men experience infertility emotionally, negotiate the emotional challenges involved (especially pertaining to diagnosis, treatment outcomes and their intimate relationships) and how they share (and find value in doing so) with other men the lived experience of infertility

Evaluating a community-led project for improving fathers’ and children’s wellbeing in England

Although under-researched and under-theorised compared to other settings, there is potential for the family setting to be harnessed to support the development of healthy children and societies and to reduce health inequalities. Within this setting, the role of fathers as health facilitators has yet to be fully understood and considered within health promotion. This paper draws on a two year evaluation of a community embedded intervention for fathers and children in an area of multiple deprivation in North West England. The evaluation integrated a variety of qualitative methods within a participatory evaluation framework to help understand the development and impact of a programme of work co-created by a social enterprise and fathers from within the community. Findings suggest that allowing fathers to define their own concerns, discover solutions to these and design locally appropriate ways to share these solutions can result in significant change for them, their children and the wider community. Key to this process is the provision of alternative spaces where fathers feel safe to share the substantial difficulties they are experiencing. This improved their confidence and had a positive impact on their relationships with their children and with significant others around them. However, this process required patience, and a commitment to trusting that communities of men can co-create their own solutions and generate sustainable success. We suggest that commissioning of services delivered ‘to’ people could be replaced, or supplemented, by commissioning appropriate organisations to work with communities to co-create solutions to needs they themselves have recognised

Student power : a social movements analysis of the English student movement from 1965-1973

This thesis investigates the English student movement between the years of 1965 and 1973, offering the first sustained exploration of this 'case study' of a particular type of social movement, i.e. movements of students. The research looks at this movement in relation to social movement theories, as a sociological explanation for this historical movement is sought. New , social movement theory has long been viewed and accepted by some scholars as the explanatory theory for movements such as student movements that were emerging since the 1960s. However, in this thesis I challenge this assumed dominance of New Social Movement theory in relation to the English student movement, arguing that complex social movements may require more holistic explanations in order to fully understand the features and attributes that comprise these movements. The English student movement was a complex and varied movement, with its specificities often relating to location, thus any explanation of the movement needs to be able to grant flexibility to the variances as well as the commonalities present. Sociological attention has been limited in relation to the English student movement, even though the English student movement was significant within the history of our universities as well as broader English radical traditions and left wing actions. This thesis thus attempts to right that lack of attention in some small way, making use of previously unused documentary sources and documenting the voices of those involved within the English student movement before the details of the events are consigned even further to the realms of history. The thesis looks at two stories of the movement, stressing "the importance of full understanding and theorising accordingly. The use of a theoretical synthesis, fundamentally drawing upon the work of Canel (1992), is employed in order to understand the empricial exploration of this movement. This thesis offers an orginal contribution to the understanding of the English student movement, via grounding in empirical data and sustained sociological explanation.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo