Violence against Canadian Women

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Health Issue</p> <p>Exposure to violence as children or as adults places a woman at higher risk of poor health outcomes, both physical and psychological. Abused women use more health care services and have poorer social functioning than non-abused women. Knowledge of the prevalence of violence against women, and of which women are at risk, should assist in the planning of services for abuse prevention and treatment of the health consequences of abuse.</p> <p>Key Findings</p> <p>The highest rates of any partner violence were in Alberta (25.5%) and British Columbia (23%). The lowest rates were in Ontario (18.8%). Women aged 15–24 had the highest rates in all regions in Canada, compared with older women. Aboriginal women in Manitoba/Saskatchewan and Alberta had higher rates of violence (57.2% and 56.6% respectively) than non-Aboriginal women (20.6%). Lower rates of partner-related violence were reported among women not born in Canada (18.4%) than among Canadian-born women (21.7%). Visible minority women reported lower rates of lifetime sexual assault (5.7%) than non-visible minority women (12.3%). Perceptions of violence may vary by ethnicity.</p> <p>Data Gaps and Recommendations</p> <p>More information is required concerning the prevalence of violence among Aboriginal women, immigrant and refugee women, women with disabilities, lesbian women and pregnant women. Future national population-based surveys need better questions on the health consequences of violence and related resource utilization. Further research is needed to identify the health care system's role in prevention, management and rehabilitation as they relate to violence against women. Future programs and policies must be based on valid, reliable and comprehensive empirical data.</p

Multiple Roles and Women's Mental Health in Canada

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Health Issue</p> <p>Research on the relationship between women's social roles and mental health has been equivocal. Although a greater number of roles often protect mental health, certain combinations can lead to strain. Our study explored the moderating affects of different role combinations on women's mental health by examining associations with socioeconomic status and differences in women's distress (depressive symptoms, personal stress (role strain) and chronic stress (role strain plus environmental stressors).</p> <p>Key Findings</p> <p>Women with children, whether single or partnered, had a higher risk of personal stress. Distress, stress and chronic stress levels of mothers, regardless of employment, or marital status, are staggeringly high. Single, unemployed mothers were significantly more likely than all other groups to experience financial stress and food insecurity. For partnered mothers, rates of personal stress and chronic stress were significantly lower among unemployed partnered mothers. Married and partnered mothers reported better mental health than their single counterparts. Lone, unemployed mothers were twice as likely to report a high level of distress compared with other groups. Lone mothers, regardless of employment status, were more likely to report high personal and chronic stress.</p> <p>Data Gaps and Recommendations</p> <p>National health surveys need to collect more data on the characteristics of women's work environment and their care giving responsibilities. Questions on household composition should include inter-generational households, same sex couples and multifamily arrangements. Data disaggregation by ethno-racial background would be helpful. Data should be collected on perceived quality of domestic and partnership roles and division of labours.</p

Supporting Resilience in Medical School: Breakthroughs and Barriers

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“She deserves better” : a feminist exploration of gendered bullying

iv, 213 leaves ; 29 cmIncludes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 178-195).Bullying is repeated behaviour that occurs over time in a relationship characterized by an imbalance of strength and power. Gendered bullying refers to the gendered power structures that benefit heteronormative youth (Shute, Owens, and Slee 477). The research questions I am interested in exploring are: What is the relationship between bullying and hegemonic idea(l)s of masculinity and femininity? How does being bullied by boys affect girls’ sense of self and their relationships with others, in both the short and long term? I investigate these questions using feminist theories and in-depth interviewing of four women who self-identified as being bullied by boys in middle and senior high school. Results suggest that bullying took the form of gendered policing as a way to maintain the boundary between “abject” and “normal” gender identities, and the short and long-term effects on participants were low self-esteem and difficulties in social interactions. I argue that when boys bully girls, they are frequently engaging in gender policing, and are punishing girls for not conforming to a sexist, neoliberal idea of girlhood. Gendered bullying could be labelled as sexism, thus conceptualizing it as a societal, not an interpersonal, problem

Personal Health Practices

Health Issue: There are differences in health practices and self-rated health among different socio-demographic groups of women. The relationship between socio-demographic status and a) a range of health behaviours and b) a combination of multiple risk and multiple health promoting practices were examined. The relationship between self-rated health and health practices was also assessed. Key Findings: There were geographic differences in health practices with women in British Columbia having the highest odds of engaging in multiple health promoting practices, while women in Quebec had the lowest. Reports of engaging in multiple risk behaviours were most common in Ontario. Women from Ontario had the highest odds of reporting very good/excellent health and women from British Columbia had among the lowest odds

Biomass Supply for Biofuel Production: Estimates for the United States and Canada

Published in BioResources, Volume 4, Number 3, 2009, Pages 1070-1087.Biomass Supply, Resource Assessment, Lignocellulosic Biomass, Crop Production/Industries, Demand and Price Analysis, Production Economics, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Q42, Q11, Q2, Q20, Q29,

Greenhouse gas emissions from waste management—assessment of quantification methods

Of the many sources of urban greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, solid waste is the only one for which management decisions are undertaken primarily by municipal governments themselves and is hence often the largest component of cities’ corporate inventories. It is essential that decision-makers select an appropriate quantification methodology and have an appreciation of methodological strengths and shortcomings. This work compares four different waste emissions quantification methods, including Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 1996 guidelines, IPCC 2006 guidelines, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Waste Reduction Model (WARM), and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities- Partners for Climate Protection (FCM-PCP) quantification tool. Waste disposal data for the greater Toronto area (GTA) in 2005 are used for all methodologies; treatment options (including landfill, incineration, compost, and anaerobic digestion) are examined where available in methodologies. Landfill was shown to be the greatest source of GHG emissions, contributing more than three-quarters of total emissions associated with waste management. Results from the different landfill gas (LFG) quantification approaches ranged from an emissions source of 557 kt carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) (FCM-PCP) to a carbon sink of −53 kt CO2e (EPA WARM). Similar values were obtained between IPCC approaches. The IPCC 2006 method was found to be more appropriate for inventorying applications because it uses a waste-in-place (WIP) approach, rather than a methane commitment (MC) approach, despite perceived onerous data requirements for WIP. MC approaches were found to be useful from a planning standpoint; however, uncertainty associated with their projections of future parameter values limits their applicability for GHG inventorying. MC and WIP methods provided similar results in this case study; however, this is case specific because of similarity in assumptions of present and future landfill parameters and quantities of annual waste deposited in recent years being relatively consistent

Staffing patterns in two food service areas of a hospital/training center for mentally retarded

This study conducted at Fairview Hospital and Training Center, Salem, Oregon was part of a larger study by the Mental Health Division, Department of Human Resources, State of Oregon. The purpose was to determine a course of action to be followed by the Food Service Department to compensate for decreasing numbers of resident (patient) workers available to assist with work in the serving areas. The purpose of the thesis study was to compare and analyze worker utilization and productivity in two cottage serving areas, Martin and Patterson, using random sampling observations. The cottages were alike in all respects except the composition of the staff. Resident workers as well as regular employees were scheduled in Martin, but only regular employees in Patterson. A preliminary study, by continuous observation, was conducted in each area for one complete work day to determine how workers spent their time and the tasks involved. All tasks were grouped into three work classifications, direct work, indirect work and delays, based on those used by Donaldson, University of Wisconsin. Results of how time was spent, 61 percent direct work, 6 percent indirect work and 33 percent delays, provided estimates from which to calculate the minimum number of random observations required for the next part of the study. Data for the work sampling study were collected by trained observers over a two-week period. Total observational readings in each cottage varied because of the different number of persons working in each area. Findings showed: 1. Regular employees and resident workers working together spent 54. 18 percent of their time for direct work, 5.76 percent for indirect work, and 46.29 percent for delays. 2. Regular employees working alone spent 65.26 percent of their time for direct work, 1. 99 percent for indirect work and 32.75 percent for delays. 3. The productivity rate, determined as the total of direct work and indirect work time, was 67 percent for regular employees working alone, 54 percent for employees and resident workers working together (80 percent for employees and 44 percent for resident workers). 4. Time spent in direct work was spread fairly evenly throughout the day when resident workers were present. When employees worked alone, direct work time had pronounced peaks around meal periods. 5. The average labor time per meal served for employees and resident workers combined was 1 0.46 minutes, for employees working alone, 4.60 minutes. 6, Findings did not support the three hypotheses tested: that the total percent of direct and indirect work combined will be the same with either staffing pattern; that direct work time will be greater without resident workers present, but there will be a corresponding difference in indirect work activities relating to resident workers; and that delay time will be the same for both staffing patterns. 7. Statistical analyses showed the following: Chi square test indicated a significant difference (0.01 level) in percent of time spent for direct work, indirect work, and delays between the two cottages; multiple correlation analysis showed significant correlation (0. 05 level) between age and experience of employees and indirect work time; regression analysis showed age and experience accounted for 65 percent of the variables influencing indirect work time. Based on the findings, the conclusion was that employees appeared to be more productive when resident workers were present than when employees worked alone. Employees probably worked at a slower speed to keep pace with the resident workers; thus activities took longer to complete. Recommendations from findings included: (1) staff in each cottage serving area be comprised of employees only; (2) resident workers should not be used as a source of labor, but those in the Food Service Training Program be given opportunity for experience in the serving areas; (3) two part-time employees, one from 6:00 am to 10:00 am and the second from 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm, be considered as optimal replacement for resident workers in each serving area. Other recommendations, for long-range planning were: staggered meal hours in the cottages to allow one full-time employee to work between two cottages; integration of staff in cottages to form a "cottage staff" and reduce departmentalization; and alternative methods of food delivery to cottages

Contextualizing Learning in a Resuscitation Simulation Experience: A Supportive Approach to Simulation for Novice Learners

Introduction: Simulation based experiences (SBEs) continue to be utilized in undergraduate nursing programs as a teaching strategy to contextualize learning. This is especially important for novice students in a resuscitation SBE, where it is important to learn not only psychomotor skills but also the skills required for teamwork, understanding roles, and communication in teams, inherent to nursing practice. Background: Undergraduate nursing students desire teaching strategies to support their learning during high impact SBEs, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation. These strategies need to support novice learners by providing timely feedback on performance, uncover immediate knowledge gaps, and offer opportunities for deliberate practice. An alternate facilitation approach including deliberate practice with multiple in-event short debriefing sessions was compared to the traditional post-event debriefing approach to facilitation in a resuscitation scenario. Method: Using a mixed methods descriptive study, a traditional facilitated guided post-event debrief approach to SBE was compared to a facilitated guided in-event approach using rapid cycle deliberate practice and debriefing using the promoting excellence and reflective learning in simulation (PEARLS). Data collection included Likert scale and open-ended survey questions completed post simulation (N=161). Results: Quantitative results indicated a higher level of support, improved areas of hand-over communication and early recognition of a deteriorating patient with the facilitator guided in-event group. Qualitative results identified three themes in the facilitator guided in-event group: Supportive and Deeper Level Learning, Operationalized Reflection, and Debriefing-In-The-Moment. Conclusion: The facilitator guided in-event group using rapid cycle deliberate practice with PEARLS framework lends to a more supportive approach and a deeper level of learning in simulation with undergraduate student nurses while contextualizing their learning. Résumé Introduction : Les programmes de formation en sciences infirmières de premier cycle continuent d’utiliser les expériences basées sur la simulation (EBS) comme méthode d’enseignement visant à contextualiser l’apprentissage. Cette approche est particulièrement importante pour les étudiantes et étudiants novices lors d’EBS en réanimation, où il est essentiel de maîtriser non seulement les habiletés psychomotrices, mais également toutes les compétences essentielles à la pratique infirmière, notamment le travail d’équipe, la compréhension des rôles et la communication en équipes. Contexte : Les étudiantes et étudiants en sciences infirmières de premier cycle s’attendent à ce que les méthodes d’enseignement lors d’EBS à forte intensité, telle que la réanimation cardiopulmonaire, favorisent leur apprentissage. Ces stratégies doivent être adaptées à leur niveau en leur fournissant des commentaires immédiats à propos de leur rendement, en cernant rapidement leurs lacunes sur le plan des connaissances et en leur offrant des occasions de pratique délibérée. Lors d’un scénario de réanimation, une méthode d’apprentissage alternative incluant une pratique délibérée et plusieurs sessions de débriefing durant le scénario a été comparée à la méthode traditionnelle où le débriefing se déroule à la fin du scénario. Méthode : Une étude descriptive a devis mixte a permis de comparer une méthode traditionnelle de simulation avec débriefing guidé après l’événement et une méthode de débriefing guidé pendant la simulation, qui mettait en œuvre des cycles rapides de pratique délibérée et de débriefing selon l’approche de promotion de l’excellence et de l’apprentissage réflexif en simulation PEARLS (Promotion Excellence And Reflexive Learning in Simulation). La collecte de données par sondage comprenant des questions avec une échelle de Likert et des questions ouvertes a été réalisée après la simulation (n =161). Résultats : Les résultats quantitatifs indiquent, pour le groupe bénéficiant de coaching pendant la simulation, un niveau de soutien plus élevé, une amélioration de la communication lors de la transmission de renseignements et une reconnaissance précoce des patients dont l’état de santé se détériore. Les résultats qualitatifs mettent en lumière trois thèmes pour ce même groupe : un niveau d’apprentissage soutenant et approfondi, une réflexion mise en pratique et des débriefings en temps réel. Conclusion : La facilitation du groupe durant la simulation selon l’approche PEARLS de cycles rapides de pratique délibérée et de débriefing résulte en une approche plus soutenante et des apprentissages approfondies chez des étudiantes et étudiants de premier cycle en sciences infirmières, tout en contextualisant leur apprentissage