Choice Based Letting (CBL)

Whilst Choice Based Lettings has been recognised as an improvement in the allocation of social housing, existing evidence has acknowledged that there are problems with the system and its treatment of vulnerable groups. This briefing is designed to provide a critical perspective of the Choice Based Lettings system from the vantage point of vulnerable groups, and suggest possible improvements that could be made to make their experiences better and help CBL systems produce better outcomes for tenants. Key points Choice-based lettings (CBL) are common across the UK and provide prospective tenants of social landlords with greater choice in where they chose to live. Choices can be constrained for vulnerable applicants (e.g. homeless people) especially if they have priority status. Lack of knowledge and misinformed guidance from practitioners can negatively impact applicants' experiences of the CBL system. Recommendations for the short term are the development of clearer guidelines to maximise the efficiency and satisfaction of CBL. In the long term recommendations include the development of rigorous training for CBL advisors, and a review of what ‘realistic bidding' means to practitioners and applicants

Homelessness Workers Negotiating the Relationship between Identity and Practice: How Gender, Age and Background Influence Worker-Service User Relationship

The relationships people who are homeless form with homelessness workers influence how successfully they navigate the homelessness system. Despite relationships being composed of two or more people, research often focuses on the experiences of people who are homeless, neglecting the experiences of workers. Using interviews with 15 workers from homeless hostels across the Scottish Central Belt, this study explored how their identities, experiences, and beliefs influenced their practice and relationships with residents. Theories of impression management, gender performativity, intersectionality, and “use of self” formed a framework to inform the analysis. The analysis revealed that gender, age, and background impacted practice and relationships, both positively and negatively, with residents and fellow workers. Interviewees also discussed ways in which they explicitly addressed these factors in their practice. The findings suggest that training programmes, such as roleplay, should be devised which acknowledge the implications of gender, age, and background on worker–service user relationships

Homelessness Workers Negotiating the Relationship between Identity and Practice: How Gender, Age and Background Influence Worker-Service User Relationship

The relationships people who are homeless form with homelessness workers influence how successfully they navigate the homelessness system. Despite relationships being composed of two or more people, research often focuses on the experiences of people who are homeless, neglecting the experiences of workers. Using interviews with 15 workers from homeless hostels across the Scottish Central Belt, this study explored how their identities, experiences, and beliefs influenced their practice and relationships with residents. Theories of impression management, gender performativity, intersectionality, and “use of self” formed a framework to inform the analysis. The analysis revealed that gender, age, and background impacted practice and relationships, both positively and negatively, with residents and fellow workers. Interviewees also discussed ways in which they explicitly addressed these factors in their practice. The findings suggest that training programmes, such as roleplay, should be devised which acknowledge the implications of gender, age, and background on worker–service user relationships

An exploration of Central and Eastern European migrants’ experiences of homelessness in Scotland

Research into the experiences of Central and Eastern European (CEE) migrants who are homeless in Scotland has been neglected. This thesis argues that CEE migrants face specific challenges as a result of their migration status that impact risk and experiences of homelessness. However, the existing evidence base has a dearth of research around CEE nationals’ migration and homelessness experiences in the Scottish context. Furthermore, the existing evidence based is largely outdated, as much of the research was conducted before the UK Government altered European Union (EU) nationals’ entitlements to welfare and the UK voted to leave the EU. It is in this new context that the current research that seeks to explore CEE migrants’ experiences of homelessness in Scotland is situated. 20 biographical interviews were conducted with CEE nationals who were homeless in two Scottish cities, documenting their lives from pre-migration to present day. Observations were also conducted in homelessness services and 12 semi-structured interviews conducted with homelessness workers who engaged with CEE nationals. Using the theoretical lens of Bourdieu's (1986a) habitus, capitals and field, along with Putnam's (2000) bonding and bridging social capital and Lipsky's (2010) street level bureaucracy, the findings suggest that CEE nationals experience inequality and disadvantage from when they arrive in the UK that significantly impact their risk of homelessness. Additionally, once homeless, it can be difficult to alleviate their homelessness due to barriers resulting from their migration status. While there are barriers at local level, it is acknowledged that these are exacerbated by challenges at the government and legislative level. Therefore, the main implications are that the UK and Scottish Governments need to develop ways to facilitate successful migration. Furthermore, the Scottish homelessness system, and UK Government policy on welfare, need to be reviewed to account for the unique circumstances of CEE, and EU, nationals

AN EXAMINATION OF THE RE-INVENTION PROCESS OF A HEALTH PROMOTION PROGRAM: THE CHANGES AND EVOLUTION OF "FOCUS ON KIDS" HIV PREVENTION PROGRAM.

Behavioral prevention programs remain one of our most powerful tools in slowing the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic. However, questions persist on balancing fidelity of these programs and adapting them to a different target population or setting. The current study explored the extent to which "Focus on Kids," an HIV prevention program with efficacious results from a carefully conducted study, was re-invented when adopted by other agencies and implemented in new settings. This study investigated the quality of re-invention by using a proxy variable of adherence to the core components of the curriculum thought to be responsible for the positive behavior change. The use of a snowball sampling technique identified 34 service providers who had utilized the curriculum. After conducting a telephone survey with the participants, an ex post facto design was used to determine the relationship between reasons for re-invention and other variables thought to be associated with re-invention quality. Results indicated that considerable re-invention occurred. Organizations frequently changed and deleted activities and over half of respondents added new activities. The research allowed the construction of a model of re-invention with factors that were both positively and negatively associated with quality re-invention. Decreasing re-invention quality was associated with citing certain reasons for re-invention: time constraints or the host agency required change. Factors associated with quality implementation included an adopter organization being a national non-governmental organization, having a researcher on the team, or citing expanding to new topics as a reason for re-invention. The results of this study demonstrate the need for curriculum developers to understand the real world environment in which HIV prevention curricula are used. Developers must facilitate practitioners' understanding of the theory and core components of the curriculum thought to be responsible for behavior change

Guaranteeing Canadian lamb meat quality using near-infrared spectroscopy on intact rack

Lamb racks from commercial carcasses were scanned using near-infrared spectroscopy. The prediction accuracies (R 2) for meat quality traits were assessed. Prediction accuracy ranged between 0.40 and 0.94. When predicted values were used to classify meat based on quality, 88.7%–95.2% of samples were correctly classified as quality guaranteed

Garden bird feeding: Insights and prospects from a north-south comparison of this global urban phenomenon

Intentional feeding of wild birds in gardens or backyards is one of the most popular forms of human–wildlife interactions in the developed world, especially in urban environments. The scale and intensity of bird feeding are enormous with mainly birdseed consumed daily by a range of species. This represents a subsidy to natural diets of birds attracted to the feeders and typically involves novel dietary components. Yet, relatively little is known about how it influences the behavior and ecology of the species visiting feeders. In part, research has been hampered by logistical difficulties of working in urban areas but studies have demonstrated powerful influences on behavior and phenology of avian breeding, the spread of disease, and the structure of avian communities. Here, we compare bird feeding between Northern and Southern Hemispheres as a means of exploring how similarities and differences in avian responses might inform knowledge of this global urban phenomenon. We start by tracing its origins to north-western Europe and how its expansion has occurred before considering how geographical differences in feeding practices and attitudes map onto bird feeding “on the ground.” We explore some of the major emerging themes of recent interest, including why citizens are motivated to feed birds, whether birds become fully dependent on food supplements, the role of feeding in avian disease transmission, and how feeding changes urban bird communities. By proposing that scientists work in collaboration with the public providing food to birds, we pose key research questions that need to be answered urgently and suggest accompanying experimental approaches to do so. These approaches are essential if we are to improve our understanding of how bird feeding shapes the behavior, ecology, movements, and community structure of urban birds. Our hope is that through such citizen science we will be able to provide advice as to location-relevant practices that should maximize benefits to both urban biodiversity and human well-being, and minimize potential adverse impacts. We demonstrate that bird feeding is important for urban biodiversity conservation, community engagement, and in establishing personal connections with nature and their associated benefits.Full Tex

Accuracy of city postal code coordinates as a proxy for location of residence

BACKGROUND: Health studies sometimes rely on postal code location as a proxy for the location of residence. This study compares the postal code location to that of the street address using a database from the Alberta Provincial Project for Outcome Assessment in Coronary Heart Disease (APPROACH(©)). Cardiac catheterization cases in an urban Canadian City were used for calendar year 1999. We determined location in meters for both the address (using the City of Calgary Street Network File in ArcView 3.2) and postal code location (using Statistic Canada's Postal Code Conversion File). RESULTS: The distance between the two estimates of location for each case were measured and it was found that 87.9% of the postal code locations were within 200 meters of the true address location (straight line distances) and 96.5% were within 500 meters of the address location (straight line distances). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that postal code locations are a reasonably accurate proxy for address location. However, there may be research questions for which a more accurate description of location is required

Exploring the attitude of the UK diverse ethnic communities towards Covid-19 public health announcements

© 2022 EJBPS. This is the published version of an article published by EJBPS on 01/11/2022, available online: https://www.ejbps.com/ejbps/abstract_id/9288Introduction: COVID-19 preventative guidance has been communicated to the public through multiple media channels and mostly in English. Aim: To gather students‟ opinions on how useful COVID-19 messages have been for them and their families and what can be done to make these better and more sensitive to people from different ethnicities, origins or sub-cultures. Method: This study is a mixed-method survey based, with university students being the target participants. The survey was online and anonymous, with two reminders sent out two weeks apart. Results: Of the 150 students only 112 completed or partially completed the survey, with 51 participants (46%) answering the demographics questions only. Of the 61 participants, 49% agreed that asking about race or ethnicity is acceptable and 44% agreed that it should continue to be collected, but 62% disagreed that the term BAME accurately described them or their families. Regarding the understandability of public health messages for their families and communities, 24.5% and 33% of participants selected „no.‟ Social distancing was not strictly observed by 46% of the participants and 38% said that it was not observed in their communities. Regarding their personal approach to wearing a face covering, 88.5% selected „yes‟, vs. 77% in the community they live in. Regarding public health messages about vaccination, being vaccinated and if the participants‟ families are vaccinated, the majority answered „yes‟ (59-61%). Regarding testing availability and uptake, the majority answered „yes‟ (59%). Finally, participants were asked to indicate if the pandemic had exerted a negative impact on them and their families; 61% selected „yes‟. Conclusion: In this study most participants indicated they consider the term BAME does not represent them. The most reported COVID-19 health impact was a decline of mental health, followed by physical health. Receiving false information, poor access and availability were factors shared by the participants for not being tested or vaccinated. Participants indicated that health sector needs to be more effective in discussing misinformation and disseminating health facts in accessible forms. Participants indicated early intervention as the major missed opportunity that might have protected their community from COVID-19 pandemic

Perceptions of Mailed HPV Self-testing Among Women at Higher Risk for Cervical Cancer

Whether human papillomavirus (HPV) self-testing can expand access to cervical cancer screening will depend on making the test accessible and acceptable to higher-risk women. To evaluate a novel delivery mode, we mailed HPV self-test kits to low-income, under-screened women and assessed their perceptions of self-testing and cervical cancer prevention