What do older people do when sitting and why? Implications for decreasing sedentary behaviour

Background and Objectives: Sitting less can reduce older adults’ risk of ill health and disability. Effective sedentary behavior interventions require greater understanding of what older adults do when sitting (and not sitting), and why. This study compares the types, context, and role of sitting activities in the daily lives of older men and women who sit more or less than average. Research Design and Methods: Semistructured interviews with 44 older men and women of different ages, socioeconomic status, and objectively measured sedentary behavior were analyzed using social practice theory to explore the multifactorial, inter-relational influences on their sedentary behavior. Thematic frameworks facilitated between-group comparisons. Results: Older adults described many different leisure time, household, transport, and occupational sitting and non-sitting activities. Leisure-time sitting in the home (e.g., watching TV) was most common, but many non-sitting activities, including “pottering” doing household chores, also took place at home. Other people and access to leisure facilities were associated with lower sedentary behavior. The distinction between being busy/not busy was more important to most participants than sitting/not sitting, and informed their judgments about high-value “purposeful” (social, cognitively active, restorative) sitting and low-value “passive” sitting. Declining physical function contributed to temporal sitting patterns that did not vary much from day-to-day. Discussion and Implications: Sitting is associated with cognitive, social, and/or restorative benefits, embedded within older adults’ daily routines, and therefore difficult to change. Useful strategies include supporting older adults to engage with other people and local facilities outside the home, and break up periods of passive sitting at home

Opening Spaces for the Development of Human Agency with Problem Based Learning in Palestinian Higher Education

This paper appraises the impact of Problem Based Learning (PBL) implementations within the (2016-19) Erasmus Plus "Methods" Project (Modernization of Teaching Methodologies in Higher Education: EU experience for Jordan and Palestinian territory) which introduced a range of learning modalities into formal learning contexts in higher education settings in Jordan (4 Universities) and Palestine (4 Universities). The project was jointly led by the Universities of Jordan and Birzeit, Palestine and there were six European partner universities. The paper focuses on the impact of PBL approaches on learners and university teachers through an analysis of semi-structured group interviews with students and individual staff interviews across a range of courses in the arts and sciences within the Palestinian context. The results of this small-scale research study are presented within a thematic framework focusing on participation, collaboration, agency, knowledge creation, problem solving and identity modification. It explores how far the adoption of student-centred PBL designs can open spaces for the development of human agency and capabilities within an existing orthodoxy of practice in Higher Education Settings in Palestine. It locates these student-centred practices within the context of higher education under occupation and examines what contribution they make to developing individuals’ capacity to act effectively for change within the power dynamics and limits of their context

BHPR research: qualitative1. Complex reasoning determines patients' perception of outcome following foot surgery in rheumatoid arhtritis

Background: Foot surgery is common in patients with RA but research into surgical outcomes is limited and conceptually flawed as current outcome measures lack face validity: to date no one has asked patients what is important to them. This study aimed to determine which factors are important to patients when evaluating the success of foot surgery in RA Methods: Semi structured interviews of RA patients who had undergone foot surgery were conducted and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis of interviews was conducted to explore issues that were important to patients. Results: 11 RA patients (9 ♂, mean age 59, dis dur = 22yrs, mean of 3 yrs post op) with mixed experiences of foot surgery were interviewed. Patients interpreted outcome in respect to a multitude of factors, frequently positive change in one aspect contrasted with negative opinions about another. Overall, four major themes emerged. Function: Functional ability & participation in valued activities were very important to patients. Walking ability was a key concern but patients interpreted levels of activity in light of other aspects of their disease, reflecting on change in functional ability more than overall level. Positive feelings of improved mobility were often moderated by negative self perception ("I mean, I still walk like a waddling duck”). Appearance: Appearance was important to almost all patients but perhaps the most complex theme of all. Physical appearance, foot shape, and footwear were closely interlinked, yet patients saw these as distinct separate concepts. Patients need to legitimize these feelings was clear and they frequently entered into a defensive repertoire ("it's not cosmetic surgery; it's something that's more important than that, you know?”). Clinician opinion: Surgeons' post operative evaluation of the procedure was very influential. The impact of this appraisal continued to affect patients' lasting impression irrespective of how the outcome compared to their initial goals ("when he'd done it ... he said that hasn't worked as good as he'd wanted to ... but the pain has gone”). Pain: Whilst pain was important to almost all patients, it appeared to be less important than the other themes. Pain was predominately raised when it influenced other themes, such as function; many still felt the need to legitimize their foot pain in order for health professionals to take it seriously ("in the end I went to my GP because it had happened a few times and I went to an orthopaedic surgeon who was quite dismissive of it, it was like what are you complaining about”). Conclusions: Patients interpret the outcome of foot surgery using a multitude of interrelated factors, particularly functional ability, appearance and surgeons' appraisal of the procedure. While pain was often noted, this appeared less important than other factors in the overall outcome of the surgery. Future research into foot surgery should incorporate the complexity of how patients determine their outcome Disclosure statement: All authors have declared no conflicts of interes

First Impressions Reconsidered: Some Notes on the Lévinasian Critique of Husserl

This article investigates an intriguing ambivalence in Lévinasâs reading(s) of Husserlâs phenomenology of internaltime consciousness. The article focuses on the specific treatment of the Husserlian âprotoimpressionâ, suggesting that one (underappreciated) aspect of Lévinasâs approach may serve to undermine, or even âunsayâ, its better known counterpart

The development of core concepts of yield management

Abstract Yield management offers an Operations Manager a decision support framework for examining the revenue and conservation decision variables that integrate the characteristics of the Heritage Visitor Attraction (HVA) experience. The principles of yield management are drawn from the hotel and airline industries to demonstrate how the problem of fixed capacity is managed in other service sectors. This paper compares these principles against Heritage Visitor Attractions (HVAs), suggesting how they could adopt such concepts. As HVAs serve broader objectives, other than profit maximisation, financial pressures are encouraging the operations manager to devise imaginative and new ways of managing sites. Ten core principles of yield management are suggested that are appropriate to Heritage Visitor Attractions. These core principles are used to evaluate Historic Scotland's and the National Trust for Scotland's approach to revenue management

The future of international education using Web 3.0 technologies and self-organizing networks

Panel members from around the globe will discuss the challenges and possibilities of internationalizing education with digital technologies, by addressing the social, commercial, and governmental influences, as well as the enrichment of all stakeholders. Of special interest is the potential for learning and academic engagement provided by Web 3.0 tools that supports cross border discourse and forthcoming international accreditation of teacher preparation programs