An Investigation of Teenagers’ Advertising Literacy in the Context of the Brand-Rich Environment of Social Media

Teenagers are avid consumers of social media and consequently, constitute attractive target audiences for marketers. On social media, advertising can be integrated into content such as YouTube videos and Instagram posts which means the boundary between commercial content (the advertisement) and non-commercial content (e.g., the video in which the ad appears) becomes increasingly blurred. Therefore, in this context, the consumer must be able to navigate a minefield of overt and covert advertising that is disseminated by a range of sources, including brands and social media influencers. A resulting concern for academics, parents and policy makers alike relates to young people’s understanding, evaluation and critical responses to such advertising practices, i.e., their advertising literacy. In order to command a basic level of advertising literacy, consumers need to be able to recognise the source of an advertisement, identify the commercial and persuasive intent, and subsequently enact a critical response. However, this can become challenging in the context of newer advertising practices on social media platforms where advertising content can be seamlessly woven into editorial content that is interactive, entertaining, and engaging. It follows that if a young consumer cannot properly identify and respond to an advertising episode, then the act of targeting them is unethical. This thesis reports on a qualitative study of 29 teenagers aged 15–17 years. The aim was to investigate teenagers’ dispositional and situational advertising literacy in the context of the overt and covert advertising formats which prevail on social media platforms. The study sought to investigate their general knowledge, attitudes and judgements regarding advertising which develops over time (dispositional AL), but also their ability to retrieve and apply this knowledge during exposure to specific advertising episodes (situational AL). The findings indicate that whilst the participants had a highly developed associative network about SM advertising (i.e., their dispositional AL), their ability to retrieve and apply it (i.e., their situational AL) was dependent on the nature and origin of advertising. Specifically, the marketer’s ability to craft messaging which delights the consumer; emerges from a meaningful source; or provides opportunities for social learning can impede critical response

An investigation into skeletal muscle insulin signalling and systemic inflammation as potential mechanisms responsible for the impairment in glucose regulation following acute sleep restriction in healthy males

Sleep restriction is associated with impaired glucose regulation, which is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes. However, the underlying mechanisms leading to this impairment are unknown. This thesis aims to examine the effects of partial sleep restriction on whole body metabolism, and investigate whether the impairment in insulin sensitivity observed after sleep restriction is coupled with changes in systemic inflammation and skeletal muscle insulin signalling. A pilot study was carried out to assess whether or not two nights of partial sleep restriction would alter glucose regulation and substrate utilisation. 10 healthy males then participated in a separate randomised crossover study involving two nights of habitual sleep (control) and two nights of 50% of habitual sleep (sleep restriction). An oral glucose tolerance test was carried out after the second night of each condition to assess whole body glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity and inflammation, and to examine skeletal muscle insulin signalling. The pilot study findings confirmed that two nights of partial sleep restriction impaired glucose tolerance. Findings from the main study revealed no effect of trial on glucose tolerance (P = .222). Insulin sensitivity estimated by the Matsuda Index was 18.6% lower in the sleep restriction condition (P = .010). CRP and TNFα were similar between trials (P > 0.05). Fold change in PKB activity from baseline tended to be lower following sleep restriction at 30 min (P = .098) and 120 min (P = .087). AUC for insulin to PKB index was significantly higher in the sleep restriction condition (P = .012). Phosphorylated to total PKB was similar between conditions (P = .217). Two nights of sleep restriction decreased insulin sensitivity in healthy males. This impairment was not coupled by increased systemic inflammation. Skeletal muscle insulin signalling showed conflicting findings, suggesting a possible disruption of skeletal muscle insulin signalling

The effect of short sleep duration and exercise on glycaemic control in healthy adults

Short sleep durations are common amongst adults across the world. They have been linked to metabolic disorders, and, more specifically, impaired glycaemic control. Acute and chronic physical activity are known to have beneficial effects on metabolic health, and therefore may be able to attenuate the link between short sleep and impaired glycaemic control. The purpose of this thesis was to explore the potential for exercise to alter glycaemic control in short sleep durations. Specifically, the aims were threefold: (a) to understand the impaired glycaemic response to glucose intake over consecutive nights of sleep restriction (Chapter 4); (b) to investigate if exercise could alleviate the sleep restriction induced impairment in insulin sensitivity (Chapter 5); and (c) to determine if these factors act in a similar manner when transferred to the free-living environment (Chapter 6). The findings in Chapter 4 demonstrated that the number of nights of sleep restriction did not appear to affect the impairment in glycaemic control. These findings informed the study in Chapter 5, which used a randomised cross-over design to explore the potential for acute exercise to attenuate the impairment in glucose regulation after a single night of sleep restriction. The findings suggest that sprint interval exercise may be beneficial for the late postprandial period after sleep restriction, as demonstrated by a reduced insulin area under the curve. However, when examined in the free-living environment (Chapter 6), habitual short sleep duration did not show any evidence of impairing markers of glycaemic control when confounding factors such as sex, diet, and body composition were taken into consideration. Collectively, the studies in this thesis confirm that short-term short sleep impairs glucose regulation and suggest that exercise may be beneficial for glucose regulation after short sleep in the acute setting, but findings may be contradictory in chronic settings. Further study is warranted to establish the effects of different exercise modalities on glucose regulation after sleep restriction and to fully understand the link between habitual sleep duration, physical activity, and glycaemic control. However, a session of sprint interval exercise could be recommended to individuals after acute sleep restriction to alleviate the impairment in insulin sensitivity

Impaired Insulin Profiles Following a Single Night of Sleep Restriction: The Impact of Acute Sprint Interval Exercise

Experimental sleep restriction (SR) has demonstrated reduced insulin sensitivity in healthy individuals. Exercise is well-known to be beneficial for metabolic health. A single bout of exercise has the capacity to increase insulin sensitivity for up to 2 days. Therefore, the current study aimed to determine if sprint interval exercise could attenuate the impairment in insulin sensitivity after one night of SR in healthy males. Nineteen males were recruited for this randomized crossover study which consisted of four conditions—control, SR, control plus exercise, and sleep restriction plus exercise. Time in bed was 8 hr (2300–0700) in the control conditions and 4 hr (0300–0700) in the SR conditions. Conditions were separated by a 1-week entraining period. Participants slept at home, and compliance was assessed using wrist actigraphy. Following the night of experimental sleep, participants either conducted sprint interval exercise or rested for the equivalent duration. An oral glucose tolerance test was then conducted. Blood samples were obtained at regular intervals for measurement of glucose and insulin. Insulin concentrations were higher in SR than control (p = .022). Late-phase insulin area under the curve was significantly lower in sleep restriction plus exercise than SR (862 ± 589 and 1,267 ± 558; p = .004). Glucose area under the curve was not different between conditions (p = .207). These findings suggest that exercise improves the late postprandial response following a single night of SR

The use of everyday technologies to enhance wellbeing and enjoyment for people living with dementia: A systematic literature review and narrative synthesis grounded in qualitative data

BackgroundEveryday technologies, such as laptops and tablets, are often used for enjoyment, pleasure, leisure and social participation. Despite this, whilst considerable research has investigated exploring people’s experiences of using assistive technologies, it is not clear how everyday technologies are experienced by individuals living with dementia. The aims of this review were to explore the experiences and views of people living with dementia and carers about using everyday technology to enhance their well-being and enjoyment, social engagement, participation and leisure as well as understand their views about the usability of everyday technology in dementia.MethodsA systematic search of the literature was conducted using the electronic databases: PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, CINAHL Complete and EThOS. Five qualitative studies and five mixed-method studies were included and synthesised using a narrative approach. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Qualitative Quality Appraisal, which uncovered key variation in the quality of the included, synthesised studies.FindingsThe review suggests that everyday technologies can help support well-being, particularly when technology is used in a group setting and when individuals received the right amount of support to help engage in the technology. Four major themes relating to experiences and views were derived from the findings of the 10 included studies: ‘Technology use maintaining a sense of identity’, ‘Assumptions held by the self and others’, ‘The importance of others’ and ‘The usability of technology influencing effective engagement’.ConclusionsOverall, everyday technologies appear to have a positive impact on different aspects of the well-being of people living with dementia. Clinical implications of these findings include supporting opportunities for people living with dementia to use everyday technology for enjoyment and making these technologies more widely available and accessible

Understanding the shared experiences of creating a digital life story with individuals with dementia and their spouse

IntroductionLife story books in dementia are used as a part of person-centred care. Whilst the current literature demonstrates associations between completing life story books and increased well-being, little is known about the process and how it is experienced by individuals living with dementia. Life stories are often created with a loved one, such as a partner or spouse; however, further research is required to explore experiences of life story work as a shared endeavour. Furthermore, the use of technology to create life stories is growing, with little known about how digital elements are experienced. This study aimed to understand these gaps by exploring the shared experiences of individuals with dementia and their partner/spouse creating a digital life story book.Design and MethodsFour couples participated in the six-week creation of their digital life story book. Following this, qualitative data relating to couples’ experiences were collected via semi-structured interviews.FindingsThematic analysis was used to interpret data and identified four superordinate themes relating to the shared experiences of creating their digital life story book: ‘Creating a life story book is a huge undertaking’, ‘Looking back and looking forward: The emotional journey’, ‘Whose story is it and who does it belong to?’ and ‘Challenges of using technology to build the life story book’.ConclusionsOverall, this study demonstrated that creating a digital life story was a positive experience that can support couples’ well-being, but we should not underestimate the time it will take and range of emotions experienced. The experience of using technology varied, emphasising that we must be mindful of individual preferences before considering a digital approach

Myxozoan parasite diversity in relation to point source pollution using environmental DNA

Monitoring freshwater species diversity is essential to understanding the effects that anthropogenic activities have on aquatic environments. Currently, there is limited literature available in relation to the adverse effects of effluent waste on aquatic environments. Parasitic species can act as successful indicators for ecosystem health, as their biodiversity is beneficial to an ecosystem by creating links between trophic levels and increasing species diversity. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is an emerging molecular tool that facilitates non-invasive sampling and detection of communities of species. Myxozoa is an exceptionally large and diverse collective of microscopic obligate cnidarian endoparasites, with multiple waterborne transmission phases, making them ideal subjects for eDNA analysis. Combined sewage overflow sites that overflowed for >100 and <2,500 hours per annum (2020/2021) were selected and 60 (upstream and downstream from CSO) samples were collected from 15 locations during July 2021. A further 30 samples were collected from 15 sites on the river Erewash in July and September 2021. eDNA was extracted from each sample and ideal PCR program was optimised by qPCR for species-specific primers for myxosporeans, malcosporeans and macroinvertebrates and presence of each taxon was confirmed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Amplicons were sequenced on Illumina MiSeq 300bp paired end chemistry in-house at Nottingham DeepSeq facility. Data analysis was conducted using R version 2021.09.0+351 in RStudio version "Ghost Orchid". The results reported in the current study relate only to the two parasite groups, Myxosporea and Malacosporea, as it was found after sequencing that the invertebrate primers yielded insufficient metazoan reads for reliable analyses. The results suggest that the number of individual species of myxosporeans and malacosporeans per site were higher at upstream sites, or sites that received lower levels of pollution throughout the year. From this it can be inferred that there may be a reduction in levels of biodiversity of Myxozoans downstream from CSOs. The current study has demonstrated that it is possible to detect and map diversity of Myxozoan species through eDNA approaches, in relation to environmental stressors such as effluent waste

Teenagers’ moral advertising literacy in an influencer marketing context

Teenagers are avid consumers of social media and also constitute attractive target audiences for influencer marketing (IM). Teenagers can perceive strong, parasocial relationships with influencers, frequently regarding them as being akin to a peer or a friend. Furthermore, influencer endorsements are observed to carry greater credibility and authenticity than traditional forms of advertising. This therefore raises questions about young consumers’ discernment of, and critical evaluation of the overall appropriateness when influencers act as conduits of commercial messages on behalf of brands. This paper reports on a qualitative study of 29 teenagers aged 15–17 years. The aim was to explore the participants’ moral advertising literacy, namely their evaluations of the fairness and appropriateness of IM. The findings indicate whilst the participants were critical and sceptical towards the practice of IM in general (i.e. their dispositional advertising literacy), they were positively disposed towards specific commercial content emanating from specific influencers, (i.e. their situational literacy), often on the basis of the parasocial relationship that was seen to prevail between influencer and follower. This study therefore illustrates a gap between the teenagers’ moral AL in the context of IM in general, and a corresponding willingness to apply this critical reflection, to known influencers

Myxozoan parasite diversity in relation to point source pollution using environmental DNA

Monitoring freshwater species diversity is essential to understanding the effects that anthropogenic activities have on aquatic environments. Currently, there is limited literature available in relation to the adverse effects of effluent waste on aquatic environments. Parasitic species can act as successful indicators for ecosystem health, as their biodiversity is beneficial to an ecosystem by creating links between trophic levels and increasing species diversity. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is an emerging molecular tool that facilitates non-invasive sampling and detection of communities of species. Myxozoa is an exceptionally large and diverse collective of microscopic obligate cnidarian endoparasites, with multiple waterborne transmission phases, making them ideal subjects for eDNA analysis. Combined sewage overflow sites that overflowed for >100 and <2,500 hours per annum (2020/2021) were selected and 60 (upstream and downstream from CSO) samples were collected from 15 locations during July 2021. A further 30 samples were collected from 15 sites on the river Erewash in July and September 2021. eDNA was extracted from each sample and ideal PCR program was optimised by qPCR for species-specific primers for myxosporeans, malcosporeans and macroinvertebrates and presence of each taxon was confirmed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Amplicons were sequenced on Illumina MiSeq 300bp paired end chemistry in-house at Nottingham DeepSeq facility. Data analysis was conducted using R version 2021.09.0+351 in RStudio version "Ghost Orchid". The results reported in the current study relate only to the two parasite groups, Myxosporea and Malacosporea, as it was found after sequencing that the invertebrate primers yielded insufficient metazoan reads for reliable analyses. The results suggest that the number of individual species of myxosporeans and malacosporeans per site were higher at upstream sites, or sites that received lower levels of pollution throughout the year. From this it can be inferred that there may be a reduction in levels of biodiversity of Myxozoans downstream from CSOs. The current study has demonstrated that it is possible to detect and map diversity of Myxozoan species through eDNA approaches, in relation to environmental stressors such as effluent waste

The impact of the Daily Mile on Primary School Children

The Daily Mile is a physical activity programme through which primary-aged children run or walk for 15 minutes every day, at a self-selected pace. First developed at St Ninians Primary, Stirling, in 2012, the initiative has grown in popularity nationally and internationally, initially driven by anecdotally reported benefits of participation. The Scottish Government’s Programme for Scotland 2017-18, A Nation with Ambition, sets out plans for Scotland to become the world’s first ‘Daily Mile nation’. In August 2017, Ministers wrote to schools, nurseries, colleges and universities urging them to take up the challenge. The concept is easily adaptable in a nation facing significant public health challenges. As outlined in the Scottish Government’s policy paper Public Health Priorities for Scotland (2018), two thirds of adults in Scotland are overweight, with the total economic cost of obesity to Scotland estimated to be as much as £4.6 billion. The paper states that action on Scotland’s public health priorities will be evidence-led, applying public health expertise, data and intelligence, developing new solutions to drive a healthier nation. This briefing - drawing on three studies led by University of Stirling researchers - has the potential to inform the rollout of the Daily Mile in Scotland, including a widening of the initiative beyond the education sector