187 research outputs found
Social research for a multiethnic population: do the research ethics and standards guidelines of UK Learned Societies address this challenge?
There is increasing recognition in the UK that social science research should generate an evidence base that reflects the ethnic diversity of the population and informs positive developments in public policy and programmes for all. However, describing and understanding ethnic diversity, and associated disadvantage, is far from straightforward. In practice, the ethical and scientific arguments around whether and how to incorporate ethnicity into policy-relevant social research are complex and contentious. In particular, untheorised or insensitive inclusion of data on ethnic 'groups' can have negative consequences. The present investigation begins to explore the extent to which social scientists have access to advice and guidance in this area of research. Specifically, the paper examines how ethnic diversity is explicitly or implicitly considered within the research ethics and scientific standard guidance provided by UK social science Learned Societies to their members. The review found little in the way of explicit attention to ethnic diversity in the guidance documents, but nevertheless identified a number of pertinent themes. The paper compiles and extrapolates these themes to present a tentative set of principles for social scientists to debate and further develop
Associations between socio-economic position and changes in childrenâs screen-viewing between ages 6 and 9:a longitudinal study
Now the wars are over: The past, present and future of Scottish battlefields
Battlefield archaeology has provided a new way of appreciating historic battlefields. This paper provides a summary of the long history of warfare and conflict in Scotland which has given rise to a large number of battlefield sites. Recent moves to highlight the archaeological importance of these sites, in the form
of Historic Scotlandâs Battlefields Inventory are discussed, along with some of the problems associated with the preservation and management of these important
cultural sites
Principles for research on ethnicity and health: the Leeds consensus statement
Background: There is substantial evidence that health and health-care experiences vary along ethnic lines and the need to understand and tackle ethnic health inequalities has repeatedly been highlighted. Research into ethnicity and health raises ethical, theoretical and methodological issues and, as the volume of research in this area grows, so too do concerns regarding its scientific rigour and reporting, and its contribution to reducing inequalities. Guidance may be helpful in encouraging researchers to adopt standard practices in the design, conduct and reporting of research. However, past efforts at introducing such guidance have had limited impact on research practice, and the diversity of disciplinary perspectives on the key challenges and solutions may undermine attempts to derive and promote guiding principles. Methods: A consensus building Delphi exerciseâthe first of its kind in this area of research practiceâwas undertaken with leading academics, practitioners and policymakers from a broad range of disciplinary backgrounds to assess whether consensus on key principles could be achieved. Results: Ten key principles for conducting research on ethnicity and health emerged, covering: the aims of research in this field; how such research should be framed and focused; key design-related considerations; and the direction of future research. Despite some areas of dispute, participants were united by a common concern that the generation and application of research evidence should contribute to better health-care experiences and health outcomes for minority ethnic people. Conclusion: The principles provide a strong foundation to guide future ethnicity-related research and build a broader international consensus
Labour market experiences of young UK Bangladeshi men: Identity, inclusion and exclusion in inner-city London
Detailed qualitative data are used to explore the processes perpetuatinglabour market disadvantage among young UK-Bangladeshi men living in central London. Strong forces of inclusion within the Bangladeshi community are found to interact with forces of exclusion from âmainstreamâ
society to constrain aspirations and limit opportunities. Though diverse forms of young Bangladeshi masculinity are found, a common pattern is heavy dependency on intra-ethnic networks. Negative experiences of and isolation from âmainstreamâ society further reinforce reliance
on âour own peopleâ. However, acute ambivalence towards belonging to a dense Bangladeshi community exists, exemplified in the widespread denigration of the restaurant trade. Many respondents express the desire to âbreak outâ and access new experiences. The findings support current
policy emphasis on âconnecting people to workâ but highlight the more fundamental need to connect people across ethnic boundaries. The paper urges researchers to âunpackâ ethnicity to consider carefully what ethnic
identity implies in terms of access to resources and opportunities for different individuals in different contexts in order better to understand the diversity of labour market outcomes and the persistence of disadvantage
Doing fence sitting: a discursive analysis of clinical psychologists' constructions of mental health
A growing body of research indicates that the way health care professionals conceptualize mental health might have important clinical implications. We adopted a discursive psychology approach to explore clinical psychologistsâ accounts of mental health and its effects. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 11 clinical psychologists in the East Midlands region of the United Kingdom. The participants constructed mental health through building up biological factors and psychosocial aspects as opposite ends of the same spectrum, and then positioned themselves as distant from these extremes to manage issues of stake and accountability. A discourse of moral concern for service users was used to negotiate the implications of having different views of mental health from service users, enabling clinicians to manage issues of accountability and demonstrate their ability to be helpful. This suggests that clinicians should be mindful of the effects of their use of language and make the contingent nature of their knowledge explicit
A Longitudinal Study of the Associations of Family Structure with Physical Activity across the Week in Boys and Girls
Striking a balance:physical activity, screen-viewing and homework during the transition to secondary school
Physical activity levels decline, and screen-viewing behaviours increase during childhood and adolescence. The transition to secondary school appears to coincide with a sharp decline in physical activity. Parents have the potential to influence their child’s behaviours, yet little is known about their expectations for their child’s physical activity and screen-viewing during this transition. This paper explores parents’ expectations for their children’s physical activity and screen-viewing as they transition from primary to secondary school, and their proposed strategies for managing these behaviours during this time. Forty-two parents of children aged 10–11 years participated in a semi-structured telephone interviews in July 2017 or March 2018. The interview data were analysed via inductive and deductive content analysis to explore parents’ perceptions of physical activity and screen-viewing during the transition, the reasons for their perceptions, and the strategies they intended to implement to help their child balance their behaviours. Most parents expected both physical activity and screen-viewing to increase during this transition. There were several individuals, social and school-level factors influencing these expectations. Overall, parents felt that helping their child balance their activity levels, screen-viewing and homework would be challenging
Maternal deaths in Pakistan : intersection of gender, class and social exclusion.
Background: A key aim of countries with high maternal mortality rates is to increase availability of competent
maternal health care during pregnancy and childbirth. Yet, despite significant investment, countries with the
highest burdens have not reduced their rates to the expected levels. We argue, taking Pakistan as a case study,
that improving physical availability of services is necessary but not sufficient for reducing maternal mortality
because gender inequities interact with caste and poverty to socially exclude certain groups of women from
health services that are otherwise physically available.
Methods: Using a critical ethnographic approach, two case studies of women who died during childbirth were
pieced together from information gathered during the first six months of fieldwork in a village in Northern Punjab,
Pakistan.
Findings: Shida did not receive the necessary medical care because her heavily indebted family could not afford it.
Zainab, a victim of domestic violence, did not receive any medical care because her martial family could not afford
it, nor did they think she deserved it. Both women belonged to lower caste households, which are materially poor
households and socially constructed as inferior.
Conclusions: The stories of Shida and Zainab illustrate how a rigidly structured caste hierarchy, the gendered
devaluing of females, and the reinforced lack of control that many impoverished women experience conspire to
keep women from lifesaving health services that are physically available and should be at their disposal
- âŚ