Putting social marketing into practice

Social marketing is acquiring a familiar ring to people in the health sector. The UK government's recent public health white paper talks of the "power of social marketing" and "marketing tools applied to social good [being] used to build public awareness and change behaviour." This has led to the formation of the National Social Marketing Centre for Excellence, a collaboration between the Department of Health and the National Consumer Council. The centre will develop the first social marketing strategy for health in England. Similarly, the Scottish Executive recently commissioned an investigation into how social marketing can be used to guide health improvement. Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States all have social marketing facilities embedded high within their health services. Evans has outlined social marketing's basic precepts. We develop some of these ideas and suggest how social marketing can help doctors and other health professionals to do their jobs more effectively

Oregon Wasted Food Study: Measurement, Motivations and Opportunities to Waste Less Food

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality partnered with Portland State University’s Community Environmental Services to conduct a five-part study on wasted food generation in the State of Oregon. The main research objectives for this study are: Understand the informational, psychological, socio-economic, and structural drivers that contribute to the generation of preventable wasted food; Collect reliable data on wasted edible food, including loss reasons and reporting biases; and Provide the state, cities, counties, and consumer-facing businesses, such as grocery retailers and restaurants, with basic methods of establishing their own wasted food baselines and assessing shifts in waste prevention behaviors or levels of awareness. The first part of this larger effort is a qualitative study, consisting of open- ended interviews with 32 Oregon residents. This qualitative study was conducted at the start of the broader study in order to inform later tasks, specifically a statewide telephone survey, a residential tracking of wasted food using a kitchen diary method and waste audit, and case studies of the institutional, commercial, and industrial sector (ICI), especially the consumer-facing aspects of wasted food generation in this sector. The findings reported below will help shape survey content, illuminating new areas unexamined in previous surveys and highlighting important drivers that have been explored outside of the Oregon context that merit continued investigation here. Conclusions from each task will be used to improve the initial design of the subsequent tasks, resulting in a better-informed series of studies and analysis than had these tasks been conducted as stand-alone studies. Research objectives of this qualitative study include, identifying: Self-reported reasons for wasting food Barriers to reducing waste Engagement in alternative behaviors that may increase or reduce waste Underlying socio-economic, psychological, and structural factors that motivate wasting of food that emerge in an analysis of qualitative interviews

An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the lived experience of suicidal behaviour

Background: In Scotland, suicide prevention is a major public health challenge, with two people, on average, dying every day due to suicide. Any efforts to prevent suicide should be aided by research. Existing research on suicide is dominated by quantitative research that has largely focused on providing explanatory accounts of suicidal phenomena. Research providing rich and detailed accounts of suicidal behaviour among individuals who have directly experienced it is growing but remains relatively embryonic. This study sought to supplement existing understanding of attempted suicide specifically by exploring the processes, meaning and context of suicidal experiences among individuals with a history of attempted suicide. Methods: The study used a retrospective qualitative design with semi-structured in-depth interviews. Participants were patients (n=7) from a community mental health service in Glasgow, Scotland who had attempted suicide within the previous 12-month period. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and were analysed for recurrent themes using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Results: Three super-ordinate themes, each with inter-related sub-themes, emerged from the analysis. 1) “Intentions”: This theme explored different motives for suicide, including providing relief from upsetting feelings; a way of establishing control; and a means of communicating with others. 2) “The Suicidal Journey”: This theme explored how individuals’ thinking can change when they are suicidal, including feeling overwhelmed by a build-up of distress and a narrowing of their perspective. 3) “Suicidal Dissonance”: This theme explored how people can feel conflicted about suicide and can be fearful of the consequences of their suicidal behaviour. Conclusion: Participants’ accounts were dominated by experience of significant adversity and psychological suffering. These accounts provided valuable insights into the suicidal process, highlighting implications for clinical practice and future research

“Assessment of Student Readiness for Clinical Education in Mixed-mode Curriculum Delivery: A Case Study”

Purpose – The purpose of this case study is to describe a simulation-based assessment designed to assure student readiness for a first full-time clinical experience in an entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy program that transitioned to mixed-mode instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach – A cohort of 40 second-year physical therapy students whose content delivery mode, assessment methods and curricular sequence deviated from the curricular plan participated in a new assessment using standardized patients. The assessment was developed to preferentially address the knowledge, skills, abilities and professional behaviors (KSAs) that were typically assessed with other methods before the pandemic. Findings – The assessment was useful in identifying students who required additional learning experiences to meet expected levels of competence before transition to a first full-time clinical experience. It also identified KSAs that needed to be strengthened within the entire cohort of students. Research limitations/implications – This case study provides an example of feasible implementation of an assessment of student readiness for clinical education that may guide future development of standardized assessments in health profession education (HPE) programs that have or plan to transition to mixed-mode content delivery. Originality/value – This case study highlights the need and process for developing and implementing additional assessments in HPE programs when planned changes or unexpected variations in curriculum delivery occur. This evidence-based assessment preferentially addresses the affective domain of learning and includes competency standards that have recently been developed for physical therapy education in the USA

From idol to add-on to indispensable tool : Iowa\u27s one-computer classroom

Teachers who ponder over past experiences can examine the revisions made in order to offer the best possible education to the children entrusted to their care. With the advent of computers in the classrooms, undeniable problems arise and further revisions must be made. When both the teacher and students share one computer, issues that must be addressed include time management, curriculum integration, and effective use of the computer. With everyday demands of the classroom, it is difficult for teachers to spend time adding to a curriculum already filled to the brim. Time is needed for the teacher to understand how the computer will fit into their needs and not become just an add-on. This process should go from simple in the beginning to more complex as they become more familiar with the computer as a tool. Teachers and students can utilize the computer to serve four major functions: organizing, communicating, producing and presenting materials, and modeling effective uses for students, teachers, and parents

The Nexus of Climate Change, COVID-19, and Environmental Justice on Children\u27s Health

Climate change poses a threat to children, who are increasingly vulnerable, depending on adults to protect them from the impacts of these changes including extreme weather events, poor air and water quality and risk to mental health. Children living in poverty carry additional burdens and risks, living in environments that consistently experience poor air and water quality from polluting industries, compounded by the effects of climate change. COVID-19 has placed additional challenges to children’s health and increases the complexity of addressing climate change and environmental justice. The intersection between climate change and COVID-19 exacerbates these existing disparities by impacting children\u27s physical and mental health that are a direct product of poverty and structural racism. This article examines the nexus of climate change, COVID-19, and environmental justice that impacts the mental and physical health of children including anxiety, stress, adverse childhood experiences, and depression; increases in violence and aggression; and the effects of air pollution. Public health professionals and health care providers must be aware of national strategies that protect children from environmental health risks and emerging infectious diseases, such as climate change and COVID-19, respectively

Openly accessed and openly published: a celebration of international high-impact surgical research

Cited by: 0; All Open Access, Gold Open Access, Green Open AccessNon peer reviewe