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Using data science for sustainable development in higher education
Full text linkDespite the abundance of studies focused on how higher education institutions (HEIs) are implementing sustainable development (SD) in their educational programmes, there is a paucity of interdisciplinary studies exploring the role of technology, such as data science, in an SD context. Further research is thus needed to identify how SD is being deployed in higher education (HE), generating positive externalities for society and the environment. This study aims to address this research gap by exploring various ways in which data science may support university efforts towards SD. The methodology relied on a bibliometric analysis to understand and visualise the connections between data science and SD in HE, as well as reporting on selected case studies showing how data science may be deployed for creating SD impact in HE and in the community. The results from the bibliometric analysis unveil five research strands driving this field, and the case studies exemplify them. This study can be considered innovative since it follows previous research on artificial intelligence and SD. Moreover, the combination of bibliometric analysis and case studies provides an overview of trends, which may be useful to researchers and decision-makers who wish to explore the use of data science for SD in HEIs. Finally, the findings highlight how data science can be used in HEIs, combined with a framework developed to support further research into SD in HE
Recommendations from Diabetes UK's 2022 diabetes and physical activity workshop
No full textAims
To describe the process and outputs of a workshop convened to identify key priorities for future research in the area of diabetes and physical activity and provide recommendations to researchers and research funders on how best to address them.
Methods
A one-day research workshop was conducted, bringing together researchers, people living with diabetes, healthcare professionals, and members of staff from Diabetes UK to identify and prioritise recommendations for future research into physical activity and diabetes.
Results
Workshop attendees prioritised four key themes for further research: (i) Better understanding of the physiology of exercise in all groups of people: in particular, what patient metabolic characteristics influence or predict the physiological response to physical activity, and the potential role of physical activity in beta cell preservation; (ii) Designing physical activity interventions for maximum impact; (iii) Promoting sustained physical activity across the life course ; (iv) Designing physical activity studies for groups with multiple long-term conditions.
Conclusions
This paper outlines recommendations to address the current gaps in knowledge related to diabetes and physical activity and calls on the research community to develop applications in these areas and funders to consider how to stimulate research in these areas
Better Tomorrows Programme: More young people in Cumbria getting access to quality youth work - Evaluation Report
Full text linkBetter Tomorrows was planned as a three-year programme to encourage people in Cumbria to become accredited in youth work and substantially increase the number of young people having access to support from youth workers to help them reach their potential. The Better Tomorrows Programme is a unique initiative that aims to provide accredited training for more than 100 people and offer grants of up to £75,000 over three years to community organisations setting up or providing new youth work opportunities for local people. The programme is spearheaded by David Beeby and is supported by Cumbria Youth Alliance, local funders Cumbria Community Foundation and Francis C Scott Charitable Trust and over 40 funders who have invested in the programme.
The full Better Tomorrows Programme proposal provides a detailed introduction to the programme, outlining the needs of young people, the importance of quality youth work training and the background for the programme.
It is underpinned by the belief that:
High-quality youth work has a crucial role to play supporting many young people to achieve their full potential. Through informal and non-formal educational approaches, effective youth work practice builds the capacity and resilience of young people and can change young people’s lives for the better. Through participation in youth work, young people gain confidence and competence, develop self-assurance, and have the opportunity to establish high expectations and aspirations for themselves.
Highly qualified youth workers are a valuable asset, not only to the communities they work in but to the county as a whole. They support positive outcomes for young people but are an essential feature of the wider educational offer they need in order to succeed. (Cumbria Youth Alliance, 2023)
The Better Tomorrows Programme launched in the summer of 2021. Following delays due to the impact of COVID-19 and challenges encountered in commissioning a local training provider, the first cohort of youth workers completed their training programme in the summer of 2022, with assessment and moderation processes completed over the following months.
In September 2022, Dr Tracy Hayes was appointed to undertake an independent evaluation of the programme, using a mix of secondary and primary data to consider the impact of training and the provision of new youth work opportunities. This continued an approach previously agreed upon with the University of Cumbria
Why are swimming pools blue? : A Waterbiography on flow in outdoor swimming
Full text linkThis research is an autoethnographical account reflecting the lived experience of the researcher, as an outdoor swimmer. A nexus has been identified between outdoor swimming and well-being; however, such research ignores freshwater. Data was gathered via material memoirs, and reflected on using a new-materialist framework, foregrounding the more-than-human. Outcomes suggest the need for a cultural shift, away from Western post-colonial capitalist thought, that constructs water as a commodity; to one acknowledging water as a living entity. UK government policy and practice needs to change; allowing water and humans to correspond in familiar ways.
Consideration of the aesthetic, as a flow condition, tentatively shows how material actants influence nature connection, further exploration is required as to how such pathways are developed. Outdoor swimming foregrounds interdependence, this has potential to develop biocentric action, benefiting the health and well-being of all involved
“I Felt I Was Actually Inside the Movie” An Exploratory Study into Children’s Views of Staging a Physically Active Experience, with Implications for Future Interventions
Full text linkCurrent levels of inactivity suggest novel approaches are needed to engage children in physical activity (PA), and enjoyment is a strong motivator for children’s PA engagement. A physically active experience (PAE) was proposed as a way to use entertainment, education, (e)aesthetics and escapist methods to promote PA to children in a way that is immersive and enables them to actively partake whilst enjoying their experience. In this current mixed methods study, three physically active experiences based on popular children’s movies were designed and staged, in order to explore children’s views on staging a PAE and provide implications for future PA interventions. Seventeen children (boys n = nine, girls n = eight) between the ages of nine and ten years provided feedback on the experiences. The children watched a pre-recorded video presenting the physically active experiences and then completed a survey including affective forecasting responses, which was followed by participation in an online focus group where views on the experiences were explored further. For all three experiences, the mean anticipated affective response for valence was between ”fairly good” and “good”, and for arousal between “a bit awake” and “awake”. Further, when asked, the children reported wanting to take part in the experiences (experience 1: 82.4%, experience 2: 76.5%, experience 3: 64.7%). The qualitative data revealed that children felt that they would enjoy the sessions, feel immersed in their environment, transported away from reality, and that they would be able to learn something new regarding PA. These results support the implementation of a PAE to engage children in enjoyable PA; future interventions should use these findings to engage children in a PAE, examining their actual responses to the activities
Building for the Future: A Systematic Review of the Effects of Eccentric Resistance Training on Measures of Physical Performance in Youth Athletes
Full text linkBackground
Eccentric resistance training is recognised as an effective stimulus for enhancing measures of muscular strength and power in adult populations; however, its value in youth athletes is currently not well understood.
Objective
The aim of this systematic review was to critically appraise the effects of eccentric resistance training on measures of physical performance (i.e. muscular strength, jump, sprint and change of direction) in youth athletes 18 years of age and under.
Methods
Original journal articles published between 1950 and June 2022 were retrieved from electronic search engines of PubMed, SPORTDiscus and Google Scholar’s advanced search option. Full journal articles investigating the acute and chronic effects of eccentric resistance training on measures of physical performance in youth athletes (i.e. a person 18 years of age or under who competes in sport) were included. The methodological quality and bias of each study were assessed prior to data extraction using a modified Downs and Black checklist.
Results
The search yielded 749 studies, of which 436 were duplicates. Three-hundred studies were excluded based upon title and abstract review and a further 5 studies were removed following the modified Downs and Black checklist. An additional 14 studies were identified during backward screening. Accordingly, 22 studies were included in our systematic review. The Nordic hamstring exercise and flywheel inertial training were the most frequently used eccentric resistance training methods in youth athletes. Improvements in physical performance following the Nordic hamstring exercise are dependent upon an increase in the breakpoint angle, rather than training volume (sets and repetitions), and are further elevated with the addition of hip extension exercises or high-speed running. A minimum of 3 familiarisation trials is necessary to elicit meaningful adaptations following flywheel inertial training. Furthermore, an emphasis should be placed upon decelerating the rotating flywheel during the final one to two thirds of the eccentric phase, rather than gradually throughout the entire eccentric phase.
Conclusions
The findings of this systematic review support the inclusion of eccentric resistance training in youth athletes to improve measures of muscular strength, jump, sprint and change of direction performance. The current eccentric resistance training methods are predominantly limited to the Nordic hamstring exercise and flywheel inertial training; however, the efficacy of accentuated eccentric loading to improve jump performance warrants attention in future investigations.
Key Points
Nordic hamstring exercise and flywheel inertial training are currently the most used eccentric resistance training methods in youth athletes.
The Nordic hamstring exercise has been shown to provide positive adaptations in measures of physical performance (i.e., sprint speed and change of direction); however, these appear to be mediated by an increase in breakpoint angle (the angle at which the individual can no longer resist the increasing gravitational moment and falls to the floor).
A minimum of 3 familiarisation trials is an essential prerequisite to effectively utilise flywheel inertial training. To ensure the greatest carry over to measures of physical performance after flywheel inertial training, youth athletes should be instructed to gently resist during the first third of the eccentric phase before working maximally to decelerate the rotating flywheel
Challenges and improvements associated with transitions between hospitals and care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study with care home and healthcare staff in England
Full text linkBackground: Care home residents transitioning from hospital are at risk of receiving poor-quality care with their safety being challenged by the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) pandemic. Little is known about how care home staff worked with hospital staff and other healthcare professionals to address these challenges and make improvements to increase patient safety. Objective: To gain insight into how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the safety of transitions between hospital and care home.
Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with care home staff and healthcare professionals involved in hospital to care home transitions including doctors, nurses, paramedics, pharmacists, social workers, and occupational therapists. Commonalities and patterns in the data were identified using thematic analysis.
Results: Seventy participants were interviewed. Three themes were developed, first, ‘new challenges’, described care homes were pressurised to receive hospital patients amidst issues with COVID-19 testing, changes to working practices and contentious media attention, which all impacted staff negatively. Second, ‘dehumanisation’ described how care home residents were treated, being isolated from others amounted to feelings of being imprisoned, caused fear and engendered negative reactions from families. Third, ‘better ways of working’ described how health and social care workers developed relationships that improved integration and confidence and benefited care provision.
Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to and compounded high-risk hospital-to-care home discharges. Government policy failed to support care homes. Rapid discharge objectives exposed a myriad of infection control issues causing inhumane conditions for care home residents. However, staff involved in transitions continued to provide and improve upon care provision
The Art of Dying Well St Vincent de Paul England and Wales (SVP) End of Life Companionship An evaluation report
Full text linkDue to the increasing number of people facing long term illness and death, there is a growing demand for support during this phase of life. The pressure on the health and social care system means that the holistic needs of the dying and their families are often neglected in the death experience. Medical outcomes can inadvertently be prioritised meaning peoples’ wishes, emotional, psychological, social, and spiritual needs are sub-optimally supported.
The Catholic faith has a long tradition of providing love and accompaniment during dying. Many Vincentian values are a good fit with qualities associated with supporting people though death and bereavement. Previous research on end of life volunteer-led companionship, however, is underdeveloped and innovative methods are needed to capture what is valued in companionship, what people do, and how it influences beneficiaries.
The current project undertook research to accumulate an understanding of how companionship works, for whom, in what circumstances and why. Interviews, forums extracts and catch ups with companions, observations, and brief narratives from beneficiaries helped answer the research question. In brief, end of life companions can support people to prepare for death, live well until they die, and experience a good death. These outcomes are achieved in various ways captured under four labels namely: practical support and accompaniment as a loving friend; a holistic presence with the ability to respond to the individual; a non-judgmental intermediate with a listening ear; and wrap around care and being the voice of the person. These areas of support can achieve the purported positive outcomes contingent on certain conditions including the family dynamic, the level of consciousness of the beneficiary, and the characteristics of the companion.
The report also summaries the experiences of those who attended the end of life companionship training. The evaluation showed overwhelming support for the training and that volunteers can be inspired, equipped, and enlightened to provide end of life companionship. The evaluation demonstrated upskilling of volunteers, increased confidence, increased awareness, and a strengthening of their motivation and value to undertake this ministr
Expanding the scope of ethical research with and for children and young people – six viewpoints on crisis, cross-cultural working and reciprocity
Full text linkWe begin with Hayes and Dudman who reflect on research with young learning disabled and autistic participants during the COVID-19 pandemic and relational ethics-in-the moment responses to challenges around mask wearing
COVID-19 vaccination acceptance, safety and side-effects in European patients with severe asthma
Full text linkBackground Vaccination is vital for achieving population immunity to SARS-CoV-2, but vaccination hesitancy presents a threat to achieving widespread immunity. Vaccine acceptance in chronic potentially immunosuppressed patients is largely unclear, especially in patients with asthma. The aim was to investigate the vaccination experience in people with severe asthma.
Methods Questionnaires about vaccination beliefs (including the Vaccination Attitudes EXamination (VAX) Scale, a measure of vaccination hesitancy-related beliefs), vaccination side-effects, asthma control and overall safety perceptions following COVID-19 vaccination were sent to patients with severe asthma in 12 European countries between May 2021 and June 2021.
Results 660 participants returned completed questionnaires (87.4% response rate). Of these, 88% stated that they had been, or intended to be, vaccinated, 9. 5% were undecided/hesitant, and 3% had refused vaccination. Patients who hesitated or refused vaccination had more negative beliefs towards vaccination. Most patients reported mild (48.2%) or no side effects (43.8%). Patients reporting severe side effects (5.7%) had more negative beliefs. Most patients (88.8%) reported no change in asthma symptoms after vaccination, while 2.4% reported an improvement, 5.3% a slight and 1.2% a considerable deterioration. Almost all vaccinated (98%) patients would recommend vaccination to other severe asthma patients.
Conclusions Uptake of vaccination in patients with severe asthma in Europe was high, with a small minority refusing vaccination. Beliefs predicted vaccination behaviour and side effects. Vaccination had little impact on asthma control. Our findings in people with severe asthma support the broad message that COVID-19 vaccination is safe and well tolerated