Expanding the research area of behavior change support systems

The First International Workshop on Behavior Change Support Systems attracted a great research interest. The selected papers focused on abstraction, implementation and evaluation of Behavior Change Support Systems. The workshop is an evidence of how researchers from around the globe have their own perspective of behavior change interventions. In this abstract, we have attempted to outline core issues that can enhance persuasiveness of such support systems. Finally, we highlight important research questions relating to the development of effective Behavior Change Support System

Donald J. Jamison Sr. v. Utah Home Fire Insurance Company : Brief of Respondent

Appeal from the Judgment of the Third Judicial District Court, Salt Lake County- Honorable Stewart M. Hanson, Jr

Employing the Gini coefficient to measure participation inequality in treatment-focused Digital Health Social Networks

Digital Health Social Networks (DHSNs) are common; however, there are few metrics that can be used to identify participation inequality. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the Gini coefficient, an economic measure of statistical dispersion traditionally used to measure income inequality, could be employed to measure DHSN inequality. Quarterly Gini coefficients were derived from four long-standing DHSNs. The combined data set included 625,736 posts that were generated from 15,181 actors over 18,671 days. The range of actors (8–2323), posts (29–28,684), and Gini coefficients (0.15–0.37) varied. Pearson correlations indicated statistically significant associations between number of actors and number of posts (0.527–0.835, p < .001), and Gini coefficients and number of posts (0.342–0.725, p < .001). However, the association between Gini coefficient and number of actors was only statistically significant for the addiction networks (0.619 and 0.276, p < .036). Linear regression models had positive but mixed R2 results (0.333–0.527). In all four regression models, the association between Gini coefficient and posts was statistically significant (t = 3.346–7.381, p < .002). However, unlike the Pearson correlations, the association between Gini coefficient and number of actors was only statistically significant in the two mental health networks (t = −4.305 and −5.934, p < .000). The Gini coefficient is helpful in measuring shifts in DHSN inequality. However, as a standalone metric, the Gini coefficient does not indicate optimal numbers or ratios of actors to posts, or effective network engagement. Further, mixed-methods research investigating quantitative performance metrics is required

The development of a video retrieval system using a clinician-led approach

Patient video taken at home can provide valuable insights into the recovery progress during a programme of physical therapy, but is very time consuming for clinician review. Our work focussed on (i) enabling any patient to share information about progress at home, simply by sharing video and (ii) building intelligent systems to support Physical Therapists (PTs) in reviewing this video data and extracting the necessary detail. This paper reports the development of the system, appropriate for future clinical use without reliance on a technical team, and the clinician involvement in that development. We contribute an interactive content-based video retrieval system that significantly reduces the time taken for clinicians to review videos, using human head movement as an example. The system supports query-by-movement (clinicians move their own body to define search queries) and retrieves the essential fine-grained movements needed for clinical interpretation. This is done by comparing sequences of image-based pose estimates (here head rotations) through a distance metric (here Fréchet distance) and presenting a ranked list of similar movements to clinicians for review. In contrast to existing intelligent systems for retrospective review of human movement, the system supports a flexible analysis where clinicians can look for any movement that interests them. Evaluation by a group of PTs with expertise in training movement control showed that 96% of all relevant movements were identified with time savings of as much as 99.1% compared to reviewing target videos in full. The novelty of this contribution includes retrospective progress monitoring that preserves context through video, and content-based video retrieval that supports both fine-grained human actions and query-by-movement. Future research, including large clinician-led studies, will refine the technical aspects and explore the benefits in terms of patient outcomes, PT time, and financial savings over the course of a programme of therapy. It is anticipated that this clinician-led approach will mitigate the reported slow clinical uptake of technology with resulting patient benefit

Solutions to the chronic wounds problem in Australia: A call to action

Background: Chronic wounds are a silent epidemic in Australia. They are an under-recognised public health issue, and their significant health and economic impact is underestimated. Evidence-based practice in wound care has significant health and economic benefits, yet there are still considerable evidence–practice gaps. Methods: Stakeholders attended a national forum to refine and prioritise solutions to the chronic wounds problem in Australia. A survey was administered to identify key priorities and recommendations. Results: Stakeholders agreed on 17 recommendations and strategies to improve the outcomes of Australians with chronic wounds. The identified priorities for immediate action were to raise awareness of the significance of chronic wounds, and to make chronic wounds a strategic priority for governments. The Chronic Wounds Solutions Collaborating Group was established to encourage, support and monitor action on the implementation of these recommendations. Conclusions: Large health and economic gains can be achieved with modest investments in evidence-based strategies for the prevention and control of chronic wounds in Australia. We call for a critical and sustained national effort to prevent and treat chronic wounds in Australia. Urgent action is needed at all levels if Australia is to reduce the significant preventable burden of chronic wounds and improve patient outcomes

A process of engagement: engaging with the process

Photography is now a highly automated activity where people enjoy phototaking by pointing and pressing a button. While this liberates people from having to interact with the processes of photography, e.g., controlling the parameters of the camera or printing images in the darkroom, we argue that an engagement with such processes can in fact enrich people's experience of phototaking. Drawing from fieldwork with members of a film-based photography club, we found that people who engage deeply with the various processes of phototaking experienced photography richly and meaningfully. Being able to participate fully in the entire process gave them a sense of achievement over the final result. Having the opportunity to engage with the process also allowed them to learn and hone their photographic skills. Through this understanding, we can imagine future technologies that enrich experiences of photography through providing the means to interact with photographic processes in new ways

Psychosoziales Belastungserleben von Volksschullehrer/innen im Rahmen der Zusammenarbeit mit Multiproblemfamilien

Die Lehrer/innentätigkeit kann aufgrund verschiedener Umstände sehr belastend sein. Einer dieser Gründe kann die Zusammenarbeit mit Multiproblemfamilien sein. Die Schwierigkeiten, die im Rahmen dieser entstehen, können sich auf die Psyche von Lehrpersonen auswirken und ihren Alltag wesentlich beeinflussen. Mit der vorliegenden Masterarbeit wird daher der Frage nachgegangen, mit welchen Herausforderungen Lehrer/innen bei der Kooperation konfrontiert werden und welche Belastungserscheinungen sie mit sich ziehen. Demgegenüber ist es ebenso relevant darzustellen, ob Lehrer/innen in ihrer Grundausbildung auf solche Fälle vorbereitet werden. Diese Fragen sollen anhand der Zusammenführung einer ausführlichen Literaturrecherche und einer empirischen Untersuchung mittels Expert/inneninterviews beantwortet werden. Ziel ist es, mögliche Herausforderungen und Belastungsfolgen herauszuarbeiten und aus diesen Schlussfolgerungen hinsichtlich der Professionalisierung zu diskutieren.Teaching can be very incriminating due to various reasons. One of these reasons can be the cooperation with multiproblem families. The troubles that arise in the context of this can affect the psyche of teachers and significantly influence their everyday lifes. This master's thesis treats the question, which challenges teachers are confronted with during a cooperation and thus overwhelm them. Nevertheless it is also relevant to describe if teachers are being prepared for such cases during their studies. These questions should be answered by the combination of a detailed literature research and an empirical study with expert interviews. The aim is, to demonstrate possible challenges and consequences of stress and to discuss these conclusions with regard to profession

Understanding participation in passion-centric social network sites

© 2011 Dr. Bernd PlodererPassion describes a strong inclination towards an activity that people like and find important. It provides people with meaningful goals, facilitates personal development, and enriches their social lives. On the other hand, passion can be a source of tension with other areas of everyday life, which demands sacrifices, risks, and sometimes even suffering. The aim of this thesis is to explore the relationship between technology and passion. In particular, this thesis addresses a gap in our understanding of participation in social network sites designed to support people’s passions. While related work indicates the potential of passion-centric social network sites to enhance passion, little is known about how participation in these sites may complicate or otherwise influence passion. I conducted three empirical studies to address this gap. Study 1 and 2 examined bodybuilding and the social network site BodySpace, whereas study 3 focussed on analogue photography and Flickr. In all three studies I used a field research approach to examine passion and participation in social network sites as well as related offline settings. Study 1 identified three different categories of online participation: tool, community, and theatre. These three categories showed how passion-centric social network sites both support and constrain the development of skills, social relations, and identities related to passion. Study 2 expanded on these findings, showing how online participation and passion vary between amateurs and related professionals. Study 3 evaluated the findings from study 1 and 2 in a different context. This study refined earlier findings on participation and its influence on passion, and it showed which of these findings are applicable to different domains. Through these studies, this thesis contributes to current research in three distinct, but interrelated ways. First, the findings extend existing models of online participation by showing variations between the different categories of participation of amateurs and professionals. Second, this thesis extends current understanding of social relations on passion-centric social network sites by showing how and why users connect with different kinds of strangers as well as with groups of friends and peers. Finally, this thesis extends current understanding of passion in the context of social network sites. While existing sites support people in achieving their goals, they appear limited in mitigating sacrifices and risks, and thus they may adversely complicate passion. This thesis discusses practical implications emerging from these findings that address this challenge. It concludes with a call for novel technologies to mitigate sacrifices and to facilitate harmonious passion

From collaboration to care : Using co-design principles and caring science to guide professional rehabilitation nursing practice

Guest editorial of "Journal of the Australasian Rehabilitation Nurses Association", 23(1).This editorial is a reflection on what we intended and what we achieved out of a collaboration in co-design in developing eStrokeNav1 This mobile application, development funded by Queensland Health, is intended to facilitate transitions between the acute care environment post-stroke and community for patients and families with stroke. These reflections highlighted challenges to collaboration in co-design for this project and new insights into dimensions of care