The body, religion and sports: through the lenses of postmodern religiosity

In is necessary to look more closely at the newly developed understanding of religion and secularization in in the new fluid role it has for many people today, and that religion is seen is part of a need to build up an individual, identity-based narrative. From this perspective it is interesting to note that both the characteristics of postmodern religiosity and the ideology of the modern sports movement point in the same direction: sport can function as a religious sentiment. Both have a seriousness that can be classified as religious, at least in a functional way, towards health, well-being, self-perfection, strength, vitality and beauty—goals which modern society offers as something attainable by all. In the midst of this secularized, this-worldly, immanent and attainable religion stands the notion of the perfect body, the symbol for both control and beauty, for well-being and power of will. The struggle for bodily perfection is, no doubt, an adventurism in itself. While striving at perfection the awareness of imperfection is constantly at hand

Taitoluistelun I- ja II-tason valmentajakoulutuksien videomateriaali Foppa -oppimisympäristöön

Opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli tuottaa videomateriaali yksinluistelun I-II tason valmentajakoulutuksiin. Videomateriaali sisältää kurssien demonstraatiojäiden lajiharjoit-teet ja niiden ydinkohdat, jotka ovat muun koulutusmateriaalin lisänä Foppa – oppi-misympäristössä. Videomateriaalin tarkoituksena on tehostaa oppimista, syventää ja kerrata harjoitusjäillä saatua tietoa. Materiaali auttaa perustaitojen ymmärtämisen sisäistämisessä sekä yhtenäistää koulutettavien valmennuksellista linjaa. Videomateriaali on tuotettu Suomen Taitoluisteluliiton pyynnöstä valmentajakoulutuksen materiaalin uudistamistarpeeseen. Materiaali vastaa yksinluisteluvalmentajakoulutusten olemassa olevia lajiharjoitteiden sisältöä. Yhteistyötä materiaalin toteuttamisessa on tehty lajikouluttaja Berit Kaijomaan kanssa. Materiaali on kuvattu autenttisesti vuoden 2011 valmentajakoulutuksissa ja sitä on täydennetty työn tilaajan konsultoinnin pohjalta lisäkuvauksilla. Materiaali kuvattiin Vierumäellä Mediapajalta lainatulla kameralla. Kuvattavat luistelijat olivat vapaaehtoisia luistelijoita Lahden Taitoluistelijoista sekä Vierumäen Urheiluopistolla opiskelevista luistelijoista. Editointi suoritettiin Windows Movie Maker -ohjelmalla. Videomateriaali on liitetty Foppa – oppimisympäristöön muun kurssimateriaalin yhteyteen. Videomateriaalia ei ole ollut aikaisemmin kurssimateriaalissa ja sen saaminen on ollut kurssilaisten toiveena jo usean vuoden ajan. Videoleikkeet ovat esimerkkejä laji-harjoitteista, jotka on jaoteltu taitoluistelun perustaitojen (kaari ja liuku, painonsiirto, rotaatio, kääntymiset ja käännökset) mukaan oppimisympäristöön. Alle minuutin mittaisiin videoleikkeiden yhteyteen on liitetty sanallinen selitys harjoitteiden ydinkohdista. Koko taitoluisteluvalmentajakoulutusten tasojen I ja II koulutusmateriaali on nyt saata-vissa samasta paikasta Foppa – oppimisympäristöstä. Videomateriaali havainnollistaa taitoluistelun perustaitoja ja tukee siten koulutettavien oppimista, sekä opitun soveltamista työssä omassa toimintaympäristössä koulutusten jälkeen. Videomateriaalia on helppo päivittää ja lisäksi verkkopohjainen oppimisympäristö antaa mahdollisuuden vuorovaikutteiseen oppimiseen sekä jatkuvaan koulutuksen kehittämiseen.The purpose of this thesis was to produce video material for figure skating level I and II coaching education. The video material includes training exercises that were shown in demonstration ice sessions. The exercises and their main points are available in the Foppa learning environment. The video material has been produced on the request of the Finnish Figure Skating Association to renew their course materials for coach education. The video material has been made in co-operation with a figure skating educator, Berit Kaijomaa. The video material has been filmed in coaching education sessions during year 2011 and it has been completed by consultations with the commissioner with extra shootings. The camera for filming was borrowed from Mediapaja at Vierumäki. Skaters filmed were volunteers from Lahden Taitoluistelijat and students currently studying in Vierumäki. Editing was carried out with the Windows Movie Maker programme. The video material has been linked to the Foppa learning environment next to the oth-er course material. The coach education course material did not include videos before. The video material has been requested by course members for several years. The video clips are examples of figure skating exercises, which are categorized by the basic skills of figure skating (edge and glide, transfer of weight, rotation, turns and turnings). The duration of each video clip is under one minute. Text explanations of the main points are given with every clip. All the video material is now available in the Foppa learning environment. The video material illustrates the basic skills of figure skating and it supports the students’ learn-ing process. The videos also help applying the learned into their own work. The video material is easy to update. The internet based learning environment give an opportunity to interactive learning and constant developing of the coaching education

Epätyypillisten asumusten anti asuntosuunnitteluun:pakettiauto-, koulubussi- ja purjevenekoti mikroasumisen tarkastelun lähtökohtina

Tiivistelmä. Diplomityössä etsitään keinoja ja ratkaisuja tavanomaisten pienten asuntojen koetun laadun ja tilankäytön parantamiseen. Tutkimuskysymykset ovat a) minkälaisia tilankäytöllisiä keinoja epätavanomaisissa pienen tilan asumuksissa on käytetty hyvään asumiskokemukseen pyrkiessä, b) miten ne ilmenevät eri esimerkkikohteissa ja c) onko näiden epätavanomaisten pienen tilan asumusten tilankäytön keinojen avulla mahdollista löytää tapoja parantaa tavanomaisten pienten asuntojen tilankäyttöä ja sen kokemusta? Aihetta lähestytään tarkastelemalla esimerkkikohteita epätavanomaisista, suomalaisen asunnon kriteerit alittavista, pienen tilan yksilöllisistä asumisratkaisuista, joita kutsun mikroasunnoiksi. Työn taustoitukseksi on tutustuttu Suomen asuntokantaan ja asuinoloihin yleensä, muunneltavuuden sekä monikäyttöisyyden käsitteisiin ja arkkitehtien suunnittelemiin mikroasuntokonsepteihin. Tyyppiesimerkeiksi nimettyjen esimerkkikohteiden avulla käydään läpi erilaisia keinoja ja tapoja, joiden avulla valituissa epätyypillisissä ja neliöiltään rajatuissa kodeissa asuvat asuntokunnat ovat parantaneet asumiskokemustaan. Löydettyjä tilankäytön keinoja ja sen maksimoinnin tapoja verrataan kontrollitapaukseksi nimettyyn tavanomaiseen asuntoon. Lähtökohtana tutkimuskysymyksiin vastaamiseen on tarkastella mitkä ovat merkittävimpiä tekijöitä asumiskokemuksen synnyssä, ja mikä on asumisen osuus elämän kokonaiskuvassa tarkastelluissa epätyypillisissä asumuksissa. Työ koostuu otteeltaan laadullisesta tutkielmaosasta, jonka loppupäätelmissä havainnollistetaan tutkielmaosassa tehtyjä löydöksiä visuaalisilla konseptoinneilla.Atypical dwellings in the development of housing design : vans, school buses and sailboats as a basis of studying micro-homes. Abstract. This master’s thesis aims to find methods and solutions to improve the perceived quality and use of space of conventional small homes. Research questions are a) what kind of spatial means have been used in unconventional small dwellings in the pursuit of a good housing experience, b) how do they manifest themselves in different example homes and c) are these ways of improving the use and experience of conventional small dwellings? The topic is approached by looking at examples of unique unconventional small-space housing solutions that don’t meet the finnish criteria of accommodation. These will be referred as “micro housing”. For background, the Finnish housing stock and living conditions in general, the concepts of multi-purpose and versatility, and the micro-housing concepts designed by architects have been examined. The various ways in which the inhabitants living in the selected atypical and small homes have improved their living experience will be reviewed with the help of the designated archetypes. The found means of using the space and maximizing its utility are compared to the selected conventional dwelling, designated as a control case. The starting point for answering the research questions is to look at what the most significant factors in the creation of the housing experience are and what is the proportion of housing in the overall experience of life in these atypical dwellings that were examined. The work consists of a qualitative written dissertation. In the final conclusions the findings made in the dissertation are illustrated with visual concepts

Unwillingness to Engage in Behaviors that Protect Against COVID-19:the Role of Conspiracy Beliefs, Trust, and Endorsement of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Background: We investigated if people’s response to the official recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with conspiracy beliefs related to COVID-19, a distrust in the sources providing information on COVID-19, and an endorsement of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Methods: The sample consisted of 1325 Finnish adults who filled out an online survey marketed on Facebook. Structural regression analysis was used to investigate whether: 1) conspiracy beliefs, a distrust in information sources, and endorsement of CAM predict people’s response to the non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) implemented by the government during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2) conspiracy beliefs, a distrust in information sources, and endorsement of CAM are related to people’s willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine. Results: Individuals with more conspiracy beliefs and a lower trust in information sources were less likely to have a positive response to the NPIs. Individuals with less trust in information sources and more endorsement of CAM were more unwilling to take a COVID-19 vaccine. Distrust in information sources was the strongest and most consistent predictor in all models. Our analyses also revealed that some of the people who respond negatively to the NPIs also have a lower likelihood to take the vaccine. This association was partly related to a lower trust in information sources. Conclusions: Distrusting the establishment to provide accurate information, believing in conspiracy theories, and endorsing treatments and substances that are not part of conventional medicine, are all associated with a more negative response to the official guidelines during COVID-19. How people respond to the guidelines, however, is more strongly and consistently related to the degree of trust they feel in the information sources, than to their tendency to hold conspiracy beliefs or endorse CAM. These findings highlight the need for governments and health authorities to create communication strategies that build public trust

Fearing the Disease or the Vaccine:The Case of COVID-19

As studies indicate that people perceive COVID-19 as a threatening disease, the demand for a vaccine against the disease could be expected to be high. Vaccine safety concerns might nevertheless outweigh the perceived disease risks when an individual decides whether or not to accept the vaccine. We investigated the role of perceived risk of COVID-19 (i.e., perceived likelihood of infection, perceived disease severity, and disease-related worry) and perceived safety of a prospective vaccine against COVID-19 in predicting intentions to accept a COVID-19 vaccine. Three Finnish samples were surveyed: 825 parents of small children, 205 individuals living in an area with suboptimal vaccination coverage, and 1325 Facebook users nationwide. As points of reference, we compared the perceptions of COVID-19 to those of influenza and measles. COVID-19 was perceived as a threatening disease—more so than influenza and measles. The strongest predictor of COVID-19 vaccination intentions was trusting the safety of the potential vaccine. Those perceiving COVID-19 as a severe disease were also slightly more intent on taking a COVID-19 vaccine. Informing the public about the safety of a forthcoming COVID-19 vaccine should be the focus for health authorities aiming to achieve a high vaccine uptake

Unwillingness to engage in behaviors that protect against COVID-19: the role of conspiracy beliefs, trust, and endorsement of complementary and alternative medicine

Background We investigated if people's response to the official recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with conspiracy beliefs related to COVID-19, a distrust in the sources providing information on COVID-19, and an endorsement of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Methods The sample consisted of 1325 Finnish adults who filled out an online survey marketed on Facebook. Structural regression analysis was used to investigate whether: 1) conspiracy beliefs, a distrust in information sources, and endorsement of CAM predict people's response to the non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) implemented by the government during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2) conspiracy beliefs, a distrust in information sources, and endorsement of CAM are related to people's willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine. Results Individuals with more conspiracy beliefs and a lower trust in information sources were less likely to have a positive response to the NPIs. Individuals with less trust in information sources and more endorsement of CAM were more unwilling to take a COVID-19 vaccine. Distrust in information sources was the strongest and most consistent predictor in all models. Our analyses also revealed that some of the people who respond negatively to the NPIs also have a lower likelihood to take the vaccine. This association was partly related to a lower trust in information sources. Conclusions Distrusting the establishment to provide accurate information, believing in conspiracy theories, and endorsing treatments and substances that are not part of conventional medicine, are all associated with a more negative response to the official guidelines during COVID-19. How people respond to the guidelines, however, is more strongly and consistently related to the degree of trust they feel in the information sources, than to their tendency to hold conspiracy beliefs or endorse CAM. These findings highlight the need for governments and health authorities to create communication strategies that build public trust

Stakeholder Theory and Marketing: Moving from a Firm-Centric to a Societal Perspective

This essay is inspired by the ideas and research examined in the special section on “Stakeholder Marketing” of the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing in 2010. The authors argue that stakeholder marketing is slowly coalescing with the broader thinking that has occurred in the stakeholder management and ethics literature streams during the past quarter century. However, the predominant view of stakeholders that many marketers advocate is still primarily pragmatic and company centric. The position advanced herein is that stronger forms of stakeholder marketing that reflect more normative, macro/societal, and network-focused orientations are necessary. The authors briefly explain and justify these characteristics in the context of the growing “prosociety” and “proenvironment” perspectives—orientations that are also in keeping with the public policy focus of this journal. Under the “hard form” of stakeholder theory, which the authors endorse, marketing managers must realize that serving stakeholders sometimes requires sacrificing maximum profits to mitigate outcomes that would inflict major damage on other stakeholders, especially society

The association between vaccination confidence, vaccination behavior, and willingness to recommend vaccines among Finnish healthcare workers

Information and assurance from healthcare workers (HCWs) is reported by laypeople as a key factor in their decision to get vaccinated. However, previous research has shown that, as in the general population, hesitancy towards vaccines exists among HCWs as well. Previous studies further suggest that HCWs with a higher confidence in vaccinations and vaccine providers are more willing to take the vaccines themselves and to recommend vaccines to patients. In the present study with 2962 Finnish HCWs (doctors, head nurses, nurses, and practical nurses), we explored the associations between HCWs’ vaccination confidence (perceived benefit and safety of vaccines and trust in health professionals), their decisions to accept vaccines for themselves and their children, and their willingness to recommend vaccines to patients. The results showed that although the majority of HCWs had high confidence in vaccinations, a notable share reported low vaccination confidence. Moreover, in line with previous research, HCWs with higher confidence in the benefits and safety of vaccines were more likely to accept vaccines for their children and themselves, and to recommend vaccines to their patients. Trust in other health professionals was not directly related to vaccination or recommendation behavior. Confidence in the benefits and safety of vaccines was highest among doctors, and increased along with the educational level of the HCWs, suggesting a link between confidence and the degree of medical training. Ensuring high confidence in vaccines among HCWs may be important in maintaining high vaccine uptake in the general population.Peer reviewe

The association between vaccination confidence, vaccination behavior, and willingness to recommend vaccines among Finnish healthcare workers

Information and assurance from healthcare workers (HCWs) is reported by laypeople as a key factor in their decision to get vaccinated. However, previous research has shown that, as in the general population, hesitancy towards vaccines exists among HCWs as well. Previous studies further suggest that HCWs with a higher confidence in vaccinations and vaccine providers are more willing to take the vaccines themselves and to recommend vaccines to patients. In the present study with 2962 Finnish HCWs (doctors, head nurses, nurses, and practical nurses), we explored the associations between HCWs’ vaccination confidence (perceived benefit and safety of vaccines and trust in health professionals), their decisions to accept vaccines for themselves and their children, and their willingness to recommend vaccines to patients. The results showed that although the majority of HCWs had high confidence in vaccinations, a notable share reported low vaccination confidence. Moreover, in line with previous research, HCWs with higher confidence in the benefits and safety of vaccines were more likely to accept vaccines for their children and themselves, and to recommend vaccines to their patients. Trust in other health professionals was not directly related to vaccination or recommendation behavior. Confidence in the benefits and safety of vaccines was highest among doctors, and increased along with the educational level of the HCWs, suggesting a link between confidence and the degree of medical training. Ensuring high confidence in vaccines among HCWs may be important in maintaining high vaccine uptake in the general population.</p