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Theorizing physical activity health promotion: towards an Eliasian framework for the analysis of health and medicine
Get PDFThis article seeks to advance our understanding of the convergence of physical activity and public health through a novel theorization drawing upon, applying and developing figurational sociological principles of Norbert Elias. More specifically, we focus on four core aspects of Elias’ theoretical corpus: interdependencies; forethought (as an aspect of civilizing processes); the interaction of “fact” and emotion in socially determining knowledge; and finally, the hinge. As such, we argue that contemporary interest in physical activity health promotion can be attributed to the amalgamation of distinctive figurations of interdependency ties; an associated development in the internalization of human self-control; conceptions of ‘truth’, which derive from a combination of scientific evidence, ideological desires and the gratification brought from the ‘holding’ of such beliefs; and the intersection of social and biological processes on the human body. This paper advances existing figurationally informed theoretical analyses of health and medicine, in highlighting the essential interconnectivity of Elias’s key ideas. This approach is, in turn, more faithful to Elias’ advocacy of a radically relational sociological perspective. The result is both an original conceptualization of this increasingly significant social phenomenon, and a more explicit elucidation of the distinctive Eliasian framework through which future theoretically informed empirical research into contemporary health and medicine can be developed
Development of peak oxygen uptake from 11–16 years determined using both treadmill and cycle ergometry
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To investigate the development of peak oxygen uptake ( V˙O2 ) assessed on both a treadmill and a cycle ergometer in relation with sex and concurrent changes in age, body mass, fat-free mass (FFM), and maturity status and to evaluate currently proposed ‘clinical red flags’ or health-related cut-points for peak V˙O2 .
Methods
Multiplicative multilevel modelling, which enables the effects of variables to be partitioned concurrently within an allometric framework, was used to analyze the peak V˙O2 s of 138 (72 boys) students initially aged 11–14 years and tested on three annual occasions. Models were founded on 640 (340 from boys) determinations of peak V˙O2 , supported by anthropometric measures and maturity status.
Results
Mean peak V˙O2 s were 11–14% higher on a treadmill. The data did not meet the statistical assumptions underpinning ratio scaling of peak V˙O2 with body mass. With body mass appropriately controlled for boys’ peak V˙O2 s were higher than girls’ values and the difference increased with age. The development of peak V˙O2 was sex-specific, but within sex models were similar on both ergometers with FFM the dominant anthropometric factor.
Conclusions
Data should not be pooled for analysis but data from either ergometer can be used independently to interpret the development of peak V˙O2 in youth. On both ergometers and in both sexes, FFM is the most powerful morphological influence on the development of peak V˙O2 . ‘Clinical red flags’ or health-related cut-points proposed without consideration of exercise mode and founded on peak V˙O2 in ratio with body mass are fallacious
Using dialogic feedback and feedback action plans to develop professional literacies in undergraduate speech and language therapy students.
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Do Physiotherapists use behaviour change strategies to influence patients' behaviour and ability to successfully self-manage within the context of Pulmonary Rehabilitation for patients with Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease?
No full textDamage Limitation: Learning Lessons from Complaints and Appeals Staff on the Handling of Student Grievance
Get PDFAgainst a backdrop of rising student complaints in higher education (HE) and debate about students as consumers, increasing attention is turning to institutional processes for dealing with complaints and appeals. This paper draws on a nationwide survey across UK HE to explore the unique experiences of Complaints and Appeals staff. The research provides important new insights into the perceived benefits of student complaints as well as the challenges. The findings indicate a need to change the culture around complaints to help address issues such as time taken to resolve formal complaints, expectations of students and impact on student/staff relationships. Drawing on theoretical models of service failure from the business sector, combined with a co-production model of HE, we conclude with recommendations about how complaints and appeals might be regarded as a learning opportunity leading to improved channels of communication and dissemination, as well as offering continuing professional development opportunitie
Assessing the psychosocial factors associated with adherence to exercise referral schemes: A systematic review
Get PDFThis paper aimed to systematically review the evidence base to uncover the key psychosocial factors that underpin adherence to an exercise referral scheme (ERS). Databases PsycINFO, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, PubMed, PsycARTICLES, Open Grey, and PsycEXTRA were systematically searched. A parallel results‐based convergent synthesis was performed by identifying key themes from quantitative and qualitative studies separately. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, the review included 24 eligible studies. Key findings showed intrinsic motivation, psychological need satisfaction, social support, and self‐efficacy to be the prominent psychosocial factors associated with ERS adherence. In addition, lower expectations for change when entering the scheme was associated with ERS adherence. This review should serve as a catalyst to provide evidence‐based ERS and as such ERS providers should seek to place an emphasis on participants’ expectations and beliefs when entering the scheme. Moreover, targeting the key factors of intrinsic motivation, psychological need satisfaction, social support, and self‐efficacy throughout the duration of an ERS should serve to facilitate adherence
Evidence for similarity in symptoms and mechanism: The extra‐pulmonary symptoms of severe asthma and the polysymptomatic presentation of fibromyalgia
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Asthma is a disease of the lung and a systemic disease. Functional disorders are associated with multiple systemic abnormalities that have been explained by complexity models. The aim was to test the similarity in type and aetiology between the extra‐pulmonary symptoms of severe asthma and the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
Methods
One Hundred patients recruited from a specialist severe asthma clinic and 1751 people reporting different functional disorder diagnoses recruited via the internet completed the same 60‐item questionnaire. Symptom patterns were compared between groups using a new measure, the symptom pattern similarity index where 0 = no relationship, 1 = identical patterns between groups.
Results
Severe asthma patients report numerous extra‐pulmonary symptoms. The similarity index between the symptom pattern of the asthma patients with other groups was irritable bowel syndrome = 0.54, chronic fatigue syndrome = 0.69, and fibromyalgia = 0.75. The index between fibromyalgia and asthma patients with the most and least frequent extra‐pulmonary symptoms was 0.81 and 0.55 respectively.
Conclusions
Patients with severe asthma have numerous extra‐pulmonary symptoms similar in type and pattern to the symptoms of fibromyalgia. The similarity of the symptom pattern between asthma and fibromyalgia increases as the number of extra‐pulmonary symptoms increases as predicted by network theory and previously shown to be the case with other functional disorders. These findings support the hypothesis that functional disorders and extra‐pulmonary asthma symptoms have a common complexity or network aetiology. Evidence based behavioural interventions for fibromyalgia may be helpful for patients with severe asthma reporting extra‐pulmonary symptoms
