Quinta da Abicada Roman Maritime Villa in the Alvor River Natura 2000 Site Study and Proposal for a Cultural Landscape

Mestrado em Arquitetura Paisagista. Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto Superior de AgronomiaA Quinta da Abicada localiza-se numa pequena península em forma de esporão com cerca de 250 hectares, e inclui a península, no seu perímetro as zonas de sapal adjacentes e as áreas de tamponamento. Esta península pertence à freguesia da Mexilhoeira Grande, concelho de Portimão, entre as cidades de Portimão e Lagos. A Quinta da Abicada (ou simplesmente Abicada, como é vulgarmente referida) situa-se entre duas ribeiras, a do Farelo a oeste e a da Torre a este, as quais desaguam na ria de Alvor. Esta última foi classificada como zona húmida Ramsar e faz parte dos locais protegidos da Rede Natura 2000, que reconhece o importante papel desempenhado pelas zonas húmidas e habitats associadas. A localização privilegiada da Quinta da Abicada dentro de um estuário abrigado contém um Monumento Nacional, uma vila marítima romana atualmente sem acesso adequado ao público. Nesta dissertação a Ria de Alvor foi considerada como uma paisagem cultural dada a existência da villa romana, com vestígios dum historial agrícola, e o processo de transformação da paisagem ao longo dos tempos através da construção de diques, a drenagem das águas e o uso de sistemas de irrigação. Este trabalho examina a paisagem cultural da Quinta da Abicada, culminando num plano de intervenção com uma proposta de abertura ao público. Esta dissertação tem por objetivo analisar alternativas futuras para o local, tendo em conta os desafios apresentados pelas necessidades combinadas de proteção e de dar visibilidade pública a uma paisagem ecologicamente sensível e culturalmente muito relevante.This work examines the cultural landscape of Quinta da Abicada culminating in an intervention plan and proposal for opening it to the public. It discusses future alternatives for the site and the challenges of both protecting and facilitating the visitation of a culturally relevant and ecologically sensitive landscape. The project site contains Quinta da Abicada, a small land spur and its associated salt marsh, mudflats and buffer zones of approximately 250 hectares. The site is located within the Alvor River Natura 2000 reserve, a protected meso-tidal estuary system in the Algarve, Portugal. Quinta da Abicada’s privileged position inside a sheltered estuary contains a National Monument, a Roman maritime villa currently without proper access to the public. The area is mostly privately owned and contains saltmarsh, dyked reclaimed land and land that is transitioning back from agriculture. Although protected by Natura 2000, Ramsar, local planning protections (REN) and the National Monument Act, there are pressures on the site for development and ongoing degrading of habitat. Humans have adapted and shaped the fluvial systems over time reclaiming land to benefit agriculture, with the largest transformations during the Government Agricultural Works of the 1950s and 1960s. An intervention and management plan is required to preserve the remaining valuable saltmarsh habitat, restore the important archaeological site to the public and explore options to open the larger site to the public for recreation and education. Research methods include extensive field studies to understand the current state of the habitat as well as exploring land change through a historical lens in the hope that a deeper knowledge of past land use can assist with restoration and design.N/

The Relationship Between Diet and Lifestyle Behaviours in a Sample of Higher Education Students; A Cross-Sectional Study

Transitioning into higher education (HE) impacts health behaviours. Poor dietary and lifestyle behaviours may correlate and increase risk of co-morbidities. The introduction of the Okanagan Charter detailed the important role of health promotion within a HE setting. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between dietary quality and lifestyle behaviours of students attending HE

Adult Beginner Instrumentalists’ Practice, Self-Regulation, and Self-Efficacy: A Pilot Study

The self-regulation of practice behaviour has repeatedly been shown to distinguish between novice and expert performers, however interventions designed to encourage self-regulation by novice musicians have shown limited effectiveness. Guided by successful research in sporting contexts, the present study investigated the behaviours of beginner (novice) adult musicians’ self-regulated learning, self-efficacy for learning, and practice. Participants undertook a semester of music lessons learning string instruments. Half of the group completed a self-regulation worksheet alongside practicing whereas the others listened to various pieces of music and were not instructed to implement any specific structure to their practice outside the lesson. The results showed that although the intervention was successful in promoting self-regulatory behaviours, the worksheet element had no impact on self-efficacy for learning and was not recognised by participants as directly influencing their learning. Future research should consider the directed use of the worksheet, and other practice aids in interventions and the research designs used to evaluate the effectiveness of such behaviours

Providing Services to Family Caregivers at Home: Challenges and Recommendations for Health and Human Service Professions

The home represents a relatively new arena for practice for most service providers, especially those working with families of persons with dementia. This article describes four key factors to consider when working with caregivers of persons with dementia in their homes. The authors also discuss seven common challenges of service provision in the home and recommend strategies for addressing these challenges

Adolescent Overweight and Obesity in Ireland—Trends and Sociodemographic Associations Between 1990 and 2020

Background: Overweight and obesity in adolescence is a growing issue and can have a range of both short- and long-term consequences on health. Objectives: To analyse trends in adolescent weight status in Ireland across a 30-year period and to examine the influence of sociodemographic factors on overweight/obesity in Irish adolescents over time. Methods: Body composition and body mass index weight status of Irish adolescents were compared using data from three nationally representative, cross-sectional Irish national food consumption surveys from 1990, 2006 and 2020. Adjusted analysis of associations between socio-demographic factors with the risk of adolescent overweight/obesity at each time point were examined. Results: The prevalence of Irish adolescents with overweight/obesity has increased significantly in recent years, with 24% of adolescents living with overweight/obesity in 2020 compared to 18% in 2006 and 13% in 1990 (p \u3c 0.001). Of note is a substantial increase in the prevalence of obesity, with 8% of adolescents living with obesity in 2020 compared to 3% in 2006 and 0.5% in 1990 (p \u3c 0.001). A lower affluence social class was associated with 3.95 increased odds of adolescent overweight/obesity (95%CI 2.06-7.61) (p \u3c 0.001) in 2020 only, with 41% of adolescents from the lowest affluence social class affected by overweight/obesity. Parental education level was inversely associated with the risk of adolescent overweight/obesity in 2006 and 2020, with a stronger effect in 2020. Conclusion: There is an increasing prevalence of adolescents living with overweight/obesity in Ireland, with evidence of a growing socioeconomic gradient of overweight/obesity where adolescents affected by socioeconomic disadvantage are most at risk

Determining the Food Choice Motivations of Irish Teens and Their Association with Dietary Intakes, Using the Food Choice Questionnaire

During adolescence, teens start making their own food choices. While health and nutrition are important, practical and social concerns are also influential. This study aims to determine factors that motivate the food choices of Irish teens (using Food Choice Questionnaire), using data from the National Teens\u27 Food Survey II (N = 428, 50% male, 13-18 years), and to identify how these motivations relate to dietary intakes (4-day semi-weighed food diaries). Data analysis used PCA to determine the food choice motivation subscales, and correlation and comparative statistical tests (t-test, ANOVA). Eight motivating factors were identified for Irish teens: Sensory Appeal, Price & Availability, Health & Natural Content, Familiarity, Ease of Preparation, Mood, Weight Control, and Ethical Concerns. Health and practical aspects to food choice (Price, Availability, Ease of Preparation) are important for teens, but taste (Sensory Appeal) remains a key influence. Food choice motivations vary by sex and by age, BMI status and weight perception, where girls were more motivated by health, weight control, mood and ethical concerns, and older teens were more influenced by mood and ease of preparation. Both those classified as overweight and those who perceived they were overweight were motivated more by weight control and mood for their food choices, whereas those who perceived their weight to be correct placed more importance on health and natural content. Those motivated by weight control had lower energy and higher protein intakes, and those motivated by health and natural content had more health promoting behaviours, with higher physical activity, lower screen time, and higher protein intakes. Understanding the motivations of teens\u27 food choice can help understand why they struggle to meet dietary recommendations, and help to develop more effective health promotion messages by capitalising on the key motivations in the population

Assessment of the Environmental Impact of Food Consumption in Ireland-Informing a Transition to Sustainable Diets

Dietary changes are required to mitigate the climatic impact of food consumption. Food consumption databases can support the development of sustainable food based dietary guidelines (SFBDG) when linked to environmental indicators. An improved knowledge base is crucial to the transition to sustainable diets, and multiple environmental indicators should be considered to ensure this transition is evidence based and accounts for trade-offs. The current study aimed to quantify the environmental impact of daily diets across population groups in Ireland. Nationally representative food consumption surveys for Irish children (NCFSII; 2017-2018), teenagers (NTFSII; 2019-2020), and adults (NANS; 2008-2010) were used in this analysis. Blue water use (L) and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe; kgCO2eq) were assigned at food level to all surveys. Cropland (m2), nitrogen (kgN/t), and phosphorous use (kgP/t) were assigned at the agricultural level for adults. Multiple linear regressions, Spearman correlations, and ANCOVAs with Bonferroni corrections were conducted. Higher environmental impact diets were significantly associated with demographic factors such as age, education status, residential location, and sex, but these associations were not consistent across population groups. The median greenhouse gas emissions were 2.77, 2.93, and 4.31 kgCO2eq, and freshwater use per day was 88, 144, and 307 L for children, teenagers, and adults, respectively. The environmental impact of the Irish population exceeded the planetary boundary for GHGe by at least 148% for all population groups, however the boundary for blue water use was not exceeded. Meat and meat alternatives (27-44%); eggs, dairy, and dairy alternatives (15-21%); and starchy staples (10-20%) were the main contributors to GHGe. For blue water use, the highest contributors were meat and meat alternatives in children; savouries, snacks, nuts, and seeds in teenagers; and eggs, dairy, and dairy alternatives in adults (29-52%). In adults, cropland use, nitrogen use, and phosphorous use exceeded planetary boundaries by 277-382%. Meat, dairy, and grains were the main contributors to cropland, nitrogen, and phosphorous use (79-88%). The quantified environmental impact of Irish diets provides a baseline analysis, against which it will be possible to track progress towards sustainable diets, and the basis for the development of Sustainable Food Based Dietary Guidelines in Ireland