GERMS JOURNEY: co-creation of resources for addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals in education & health in developing countries

Following a Participatory Action Research (PAR) model, this study evaluates whether specifically developed resources (‘A Germ’s Journey’) aid children in India’s understanding of hand-hygiene principles. Furthermore, it discusses how the findings can inform the future development of culturally relevant resources for developing countries. Educational health-hygiene workshops were conducted with schools and community centres in collaboration with organisations in Ahmedabad, India in areas of considerable socio-economic disadvantage. Children’s and teacher-trainer workshops were delivered to ten Case Studies. Mixed-method data was collected from children using quasi-experimental methods, using pre-workshop questions, follow-up questions, observations and baseline and post-workshop assessments. Data was collected from teachers using questionnaires. Following teacher-trainer workshops during Phase 1 of the study, 100% of teachers stated that they would use the resources with their pupils in the future. Two months after participating in the workshops, 60-73% of children knew how germs can cause illness, and 76-80% knew how to remove germs from hands. When assessed during Phase 2 of the study, 55% of children scored higher after the intervention, showing an increased understanding of microbiology after using the resources. The results indicate that children have an improved understanding of the cause of bacterial disease and the health implications of not using adequate health-hygiene practices. Recommendations for the future development of resources include adopting a PAR model of research, co-creation with end users and working alongside local organisations and participants in order to access the ‘hard-to-reach’ areas

A mature student experience photo elicitation study: multiple responsibilities, study and wellbeing

This study investigates the experiences of mature students in university. Mature students are high achievers, despite their experience of competing responsibilities alongside their university degree study. Using photo elicitation and thematic analysis participants captured their experiences in photographs and provided context and narrative for each photo in the interview. The research found three master themes; stress and conflict of multiple responsibilities, productive attitudes to study, and valuing and prioritising wellbeing. The study found that participants were highly motived despite the stress experienced from their multiple responsibilities. Their motivation was reflected in participants productive attitudes to their studies. Participants were also found to use their own well-being practices and resources to alleviate stress. The study concluded that mature students experience a positive association with their abilities and wellbeing

What does ‘freedom and justice’ mean for Ghana’s LGBTQ+ community?

The closure of Ghana’s only LGBTQ+ community centre is the latest example of identity-based oppression enduring in the country since British colonialism. As homophobic and queerphobic rhetoric continues to dominate the national conversation on queer rights, Chelsea Oware writes that safe space community centres are essential for a community under attack

Community-Based Archives, Museums and Language Revitalization: A Case Study From The Wichita And Affiliated Tribes In Anadarko, Oklahoma

The last fluent speaker of the Wichita language passed away in 2016. According to many common language vitality scales in linguistics, the Wichita language would be considered extinct. However, the discourse about this has been changing in the past decade or two. Languages like Wampanoag and Myaamia have been revitalized even though they no longer had living fluent speakers. It is even argued that these languages were not really extinct because there was significant documentation of the languages and a community of people whose ancestors spoke it. The Wichita language is in a similar situation. It may not be extinct because they have semi-speakers and language documentation in a new community archive. They also have several positive language ideologies that are conducive to revitalization. These were discovered when about 50 participants took surveys and the results are expounded on hereafter. The Wichita have already created community-based cultural programs such as their archive and a new museum, which could also be used as tools in language revitalization. With documentation, productive language ideologies, and community-based efforts, the tribe may still be able to revitalize their language

Economic Analysis of Population-Based Next Generation Sequencing for Breast Cancer

Breast cancer develops due to accumulated DNA replication insults which causes cancer to uncontrollably proliferate. An individual\u27s predisposition to developing cancer, as well as the composition of a tumor, can be sequenced using genetic tests. Myriad\u27s BRACAnalysis CDx® seems to be the most utilized genetic test. However, Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) seems to be a better genetic test for breast cancer when compared to Myriad\u27s BRACAnalysisCDx® in terms of return-time, accuracy, efficiency, and healthcare cost. By using Next Generation Sequencing tests, stakeholders can save money on genetic testing which can be invested in more genetic tests. Payers can also save money by establishing a population-based testing strategy for breast cancer as compared to the family-history/clinical history-based distribution currently in place in America to reduce preventable deaths. There was found to be a large disparity between breast cancer emergence and survival rates between Black individuals and White individuals. To best address this disparity in the interest of equality, programs should use a population-based method of dispersal of NGS tests for breast cancer

Health Wearable Tools and Health Promotion

The application of wearable technology for health purposes is a multidisciplinary research topic. To summarize key contributions and simultaneously identify outstanding gaps in research, the input-mechanism-output (I-M-O) framework was applied to synthesize findings from 275 relevant papers in the period 2010–2021. Eighteen distinct cross-disciplinary themes were identified and organized under the I-M-O framework. Studies that covered input factors have largely been technocentric, exploring the design of various health wearables, with less emphasis on usability. While studies on user acceptance and engagement are increasing, there remains room for growth in user- centric aspects such as engagement. While measurement of physiological health indictors has grown more sophisticated due to sensitivity of sensors and the advancements in predictive algorithms, a rapidly growing area of research is that of measuring and tracking mental states and emotional health.Relatively few studies explore theoretically backed explanations of the role of health wearables, with technocentric theories predicting adoption favored. These mainly focused on mechanisms of adoption, while postadoption use and health behavior change were less explored. As a consequence, compared to adoption mechanisms, there is an opportunity to increase our understanding of the continued use of wearables and their effects on sustained health behavior change. While a range of incentives such as social, feedback, financial, and gamification are being tested, it is worth noting that negative attitudes, such as privacy concerns, are being paid much more attention as well. Output factors were studied in both individual and organizational settings, with the former receiving considerably more attention than the latter. The progress of research on health wearables was discussed from an interdisciplinary angle, and the role of social scientists was highlighted for the advancement of research on wearable health