The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program: Lessons learned from the pilot test program

This document presents an evaluation of the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP), which is comprised of three major components: 1) safe spaces groups in which girls meet once a week over the course of two years for training on sexual and reproductive health, life skills and financial education. Groups are facilitated by a mentor, a young female from the same community as the girls; 2) a health voucher that girls can use at contracted private and public facilities for general wellness and sexual and reproductive health services; and 3) a saving account that has been designed to be girl-friendly. A randomized control trial (RCT) using a cluster design is being used to evaluate the impact of AGEP. The research aims to identify the impact of the intervention on the following key indicators: HIV prevalence, HSV-2 prevalence, age at first sex, age at first birth, contraceptive use, experience of gender-based violence, and educational attainment

Walkability around primary schools and area deprivation across Scotland

Background: A number of studies based in the US, Canada, and Australia, have found evidence of associations between the built environment (BE) and mode of transport to school, and links between active travel and deprivation. Limited research in the UK compares potential BE supports for walking to school by area deprivation. Within this study, we gathered data on BE attributes previously linked to active travel, i.e., street/path connectivity, and dwelling density, created a composite ‘walkability score’ (WS) for areas around primary schools across urban Scotland, and explored whether poorer areas exhibit lower scores than more affluent areas, or vice versa. We consider this to be a novel approach as few studies have compared BE features by deprivation across a whole country. Methods: Address and road/path maps were obtained and primary schools (N = 937) across mainland Scotland were mapped. Schools were attributed income deprivation scores (scores divided into quintiles (Q1: least deprived, Q5: most deprived)). Catchment area (CA) boundaries, i.e., the geographic area representing eligibility for local school attendance, were drawn around schools, and WS calculated for each CA. We compared mean WS by income quintile (ANOVA), for all local authorities (LAs) combined (N = 29), and separately for the four LAs with the greatest number of schools included in the analysis. Results: For all LAs combined, the least deprived quintile (Q1) showed a significantly lower WS (−0.61), than quintiles 3, 4 and 5 (Q2: −0.04 (non-sig), Q3: 0.38, Q4: 0.09, Q5: 0.18); while for Glasgow the second least deprived quintile (Q2) showed significantly higher WS (Q1: 1.35, Q2: 1.73), than middling (Q3: 0.18) and most deprived quintiles (Q4: 0.06, Q5: −0.10). Conclusion: WS differ by deprivation with patterns varying depending on the spatial scale of the analysis. It is essential that less walkable areas are provided with the resources to improve opportunities to engage in active travel

Physical Activity in Secondary School Pupils: Headline Indicators 2014

In 2013, GoWell East commenced a cohort study of physical activity among secondary school pupils in Glasgow. The study will run from 2013 to 2017, following a group of pupils in six Glasgow secondary schools throughout their school careers from S1 to S5. The study tracks pupils’ participation in physical activity, including sports, as well as other types of activity (including travel to and from school), during their school time and leisure time, during the week and at the weekend. The research is done by asking pupils to complete the Youth Physical Activity Questionnaire (YPAQ)1 .   A group of S5 pupils were also asked to complete the survey in 2013 in order to provide a benchmark with which to compare the S1 study cohort when they reach S5 in 2017

Evaluation of the Wadden Sea Particularly sensitive Sea Area. On behalf of the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat.

The purpose of this document is to present the high level outcomes for the evaluation of the effectiveness of the Wadden Sea PSSA, seven years after its designation by the IMO. Key changes with regard to IMO and EU shipping policy are identified and described, followed by a review of ‘expert’ opinion focused on the issues relating to PSSAs. The development of an evaluative framework and the resulting findings are introduced and discussed in context. Using existing data against this evaluative framework we conclude that six key elements require action in order to fully describe the efficacy of the designation, and our recommendations to address these concerns are presented.<br/

Beyond the Fold: The Math, History, and Technology behind Origami

The ancient art of origami can be used to strengthen mathematical subjects in the classroom. By integrating origami into the curriculum, teachers of mathematics provide their students with new opportunities to solidify their understanding of diverse concepts, such as regular polygons, symmetry, and transformation. Using one of many available and free online origami applets, teachers can introduce this ancient craft to their students from a technology-oriented perspective

Towards a Global Dataset of Digitised Texts: Final Report of the Global Digitised Dataset Network

No abstract available