Otago University Research Archive
Not a member yet
10699 research outputs found
Sort by
‘A Lightbulb in the Darkness’ - How NGO Social Workers Conceptualise the Strengths Perspective in Child Welfare.
No full textThe Strengths perspective has a long history within social work policy and practice (Saleebey, 1996). Evolving overtime, this capacity focused approach to supporting families make change has continued to be at the forefront of interventions, particularly in the challenging area of child welfare social work (Turnell & Edwards, 1997; Cousins, 2015; O’Neil, 2005; Kemp et al, 2013). The principles of the Strengths perspective; particularly around the sharing of power, collaboration and inclusion, respect and clients as experts in their own lives can seem at odds with statutory responses to child welfare concerns (Ward, 2015; Saleebey, 1996; O’Neil, 2005).
Additional to this, child welfare social work in Aotearoa New Zealand is facing challenging times (University of Otago, 2017). There have been numerous reviews and restructuring to the statutory organisation, currently Oranga Tamariki, responsible for managing child welfare concerns, attempting to improve outcomes for at risk children and families (Atwool, 2019). The most recent changes in 2017 indicated more of a shift from state responsibility to community responsibility in managing child welfare concerns, directly impacting NGO social workers.
This research aimed to explore this tension and identify how NGO social workers conceptualise the Strengths perspective and its application to child welfare cases. 12 registered NGO social workers participated in semi structured interviews, giving insight into how they navigate a Strengths based NGO role, with preliminary themes presented to a focus group for feedback. The interview and focus group data, considered alongside an extensive literature review, resulted in seven dominant themes emerging in a thematic analysis: the construction of knowledge of the Strengths perspective, relationships are key, the interface between NGO and statutory, success with Strengths, limitations and barriers, the entanglement with Oranga Tamariki and cultural frameworks. These themes indicate current perceptions of the Strengths based, NGO social work position within the statutory child welfare system and offers pathways forward to support NGO social workers, Oranga Tamariki and families, to successfully engage the Strengths perspective in child welfare cases, ultimately improving child safety and family wellbeing.
Recommendations have been developed from the findings of this research. These include NGOs reviewing their policies regarding Strengths based practice, ensuring policy expectations are supportive of this approach being utilised, supporting stronger relationships growing between NGOs and Oranga Tamariki and social workers having a collective understanding within their organisation of the Strengths perspective and application expectations. Developing cultural competency across both statutory and NGO social work organisations was also highlighted, to enhance successful Strengths based practice with Maori and Pasefika families
Screening and treating pre-sarcopenia in middle-aged adults
No full textDespite the presence of pre-sarcopenia (stage of sarcopenia in which muscle mass deteriorates, but muscle strength is still intact) in middle-aged adults, previous research has focussed on older individuals. A better understanding of early markers of sarcopenia, age-appropriate screening models, and exercise focused prevention-based interventions, will assist to counteract the surging prevalence of sarcopenia in the ageing population.
The first part of this thesis used the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study data (n = 899) to classify pre-sarcopenic participants based on appendicular lean soft tissue mass index (ALMI) and grip strength. The relationship between pre-sarcopenia at age 45, and pro-dromal markers at ages 26, 32 and 38, was assessed by multivariate logistic regression. Regression models were internally validated, and overall performance, calibration and discrimination of the models were estimated. These models were confirmed using logistic least absolute selection and shrinkage operator regression. Furthermore, female age 38 models were externally validated in a separate sample of adults (n = 99). The second part of this thesis consisted of a 40-week, single-blinded, randomised controlled trial (RCT), conducted in eighty-two middle-aged adults with low ALMI. Participants were randomly allocated to group-based, 20-week high intensity aerobic and resistance training (HIART) (n = 41), or a single education session (n = 41). The initial 20-weeks were followed by a 20-week HIART home program for both groups. Outcome measures included body composition, physical function, and physical fitness. The primary outcome measure, lean soft tissue mass, was assessed at baseline, 20-weeks, and 40-weeks. Analyses were performed using intention to treat principles and linear mixed models.
The first part of this thesis indicated that, in females, protective factors included high BMI from age 26 onward, and high grip strength at age 38. In males, low self-perceived fitness level at age 38 was a risk factor of pre-sarcopenia, whereas significant protective factors included a high BMI from age 26 onward and high grip strength at age 38. The sex-specific regression models revealed an explained variance that increased from age 26 to age 38 and showed good accuracy of the models. External validation in females demonstrated good discrimination and calibration, as well as a high level of sensitivity (0.92) and specificity (0.76). For the second part of this thesis, the sample for the RCT included 82 participants (mean age 45.1 years; BMI 25.8 kg/m2) of which 85% were female. Significant group differences were observed in favour of the intervention group, after 20-weeks for measures of body composition, physical function, and physical fitness. Furthermore, lean soft tissue mass and the 30-seconds sit-to-stand remained significant at 40-weeks.
This thesis highlighted the association of pre-sarcopenia with modifiable markers in middle-aged adults. Screening for these markers predicted sex-specific risks of pre-sarcopenia in the targeted population, which was internally and externally validated. Furthermore, HIART was shown to be a safe, tolerable, and effective exercise intervention to mitigate the loss of lean soft tissue mass, in middle-aged adults with low ALMI
The behaviour of the banded dotterel, Charadrius bicinctus.
No full textA comprehensive study has not previously been made of any aspects of the Banded Dotterel's ecology or behaviour. […]
Two study areas were used for this research. One was the environs of Lake Wainono (Fig. 1), a small lagoon on the east coast of the South Island - a typical coastal wintering site for Banded Dotterels, which were present there throughout the year. The behaviour of nonbreeding flocks was observed from January to June 1977 there. Observations in this area were made on feeding preferences, techniques and habitats, daily routines, flock sizes and reactions to predators.
The other study area was the Cass River delta (Fig. 2), near Lake Tekapo. This was a typical inland breeding ground and breeding behaviour was studied from June 1977 to January 1978. [Extract from Introduction
Impact of Active Commuting, Organised Sport and Physical Education on Overall Physical Activity in a Sample of New Zealand Female Adolescents
No full textBackground: Physical activity (PA), specifically moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), is associated with better health outcomes in adolescents. Active commuting to school, participating in organised sport and physical education (PE) have been shown to increase adolescents’ daily levels of PA, but have never been investigated in a nationwide cohort in New Zealand. Having a better understanding of how these domains of PA influence overall PA can better inform future interventions in adolescents.
Objective: To investigate the patterns of PA in a sample of adolescent females in New Zealand. In particular this thesis will describe how active commuting, participation in organised sport and participation in school PE contribute to the total amount of light PA (LPA) and MVPA accumulated over a 24 h day.
Methods: This sample included 114 female adolescents, aged 15-18 years, from the 2019 SuNDiAL study. Participants completed a Dietary Habits, Motivations, Attitudes and Beliefs questionnaire online, which included questions about each PA domain of interest: mode of active transport, participation in sport and participation in PE. PA was measured using ActiGraph accelerometers worn continuously for seven days.
Results: On average, participants spent 437 min/d (7 h 17 min) sleeping, 711 min/d (11 h 51 min) in sedentary time, 220 min/d (3 h 40 min) in LPA and 42 min/d in MVPA. Twenty four percent of participants met PA guidelines. Sixty eight percent participated in organised sport and accumulated, on average, an additional 46 min/d (95% CI 17.8 to 74.5) of LPA and 17 min/d (95% CI 8.5 to 24.5) of MVPA compared to those who did not. Thirty six percent participated in PE and accumulated, on average, an additional 37 min/d (95% CI 7.7 to 65.9) of LPA and 7 min/d (95% CI -1.7 to 16.4) of MVPA compared to those who did not. Twenty one percent used active transport, and accumulated, on average 11 min/d (95% CI -51.3 to 30.1) less LPA and an additional 12 min/d (95% CI -0.3 to 24.1) of MVPA compared to those who did not. In the hour directly before and after school, compared to those that used motorised transport, those that actively commuted accumulated an additional, 5 min/d (95% CI 1.4 to 8.6) of MVPA before school, and 4 min/d (0.6 to 6.9) respectively. Participants who participated in one, two or three PA domains of interest accumulated an additional 11 min/d, 15 min/d and 35 min/d of MVPA respectively.
Conclusion: Findings from this study confirm that majority of female adolescents are not meeting PA guidelines. Furthermore, active transport and participation in organised sport and/or PE result in meaningful increases in LPA and MVPA, with the greatest difference seen for those that participate in organised sport. For every additional PA domain of interest, time spent in MVPA was increased, suggesting that a combination of PA domains is an important concept to consider when targeting engagement in PA for adolescent females
Envisioning relational reproductive justice in surrogacy: Recognising the invisible experiences of intended parents
No full textIndia has become notorious as a multibillion-dollar surrogacy industry. This industry flourished when India allowed commercial surrogacy and attracted many international intended parents to engage with widely available Indian private fertility clinics to achieve parenthood. This industry raised legal, ethical, social, moral and political issues due to cross-border travel for reproduction and the wider socio-economic gap between Indian surrogate mothers and international intended parents. Consequently, Indian surrogacy gained much attention in policy, media and research, which identified surrogacy as a cause of exploitation, commodification and injustice for surrogate mothers and children born via surrogacy. This led to the announcement of ban of commercial surrogacy in India in 2016, which stopped not only internationals but also Indian nationals who engage with commercial surrogacy. In policy discussions and academic research much focus is on surrogate mothers, while a specific focus on Indian intended parents is hardly visible.
Given the Indian context, where parenthood and childbearing play important socio-cultural and religious roles, there is a need to understand the surrogacy journeys of Indian intended parents. Further, understanding intended parents’ experiences in the wider socio-cultural context is essential if surrogacy is to be and ethical for the ‘surrogacy triad,’ namely surrogate mother, intended parents and child. This is because surrogacy is a relational and mutual process, where all members of the surrogacy triad are dependent on each other for care and trust. Hence, this thesis moves beyond the exploitation and commodification debates and envisions relational reproductive justice which may include ethics of care as a way forward. This thesis contributes empirically to these broader discussions of relational reproductive justice by exploring Indian intended parents’ representation, experiences, and their struggles in light of wider societal structures such as stigma.
The present study is conceptualised using reproductive justice framework, the concept of stigma and Foucauldian power theory. Using a qualitative research methodology, I employ two qualitative research methods, namely discourse analysis of newspaper articles and thematic analysis of in-depth interviews of the intended parents. The results from this analysis are triangulated to gain a holistic understanding of intended parents’ experiences. For the discourse analysis, 196 newspaper articles published on surrogacy from 2002-2017 were selected. A Foucauldian discourse analysis of these newspaper articles allowed my analysis to understand the broader societal framing, representation of intended parents and social context in which intended parents experience their surrogacy journeys. Further, I conducted a thematic analysis of eight in-depth semi-structured interviews of intended parents who I interviewed in India from January to May 2018. A thematic analysis informed by Foucauldian power concepts and stigma theory allowed me to understand the intended parents’ stigma experiences, subjectivities and power relations experienced in the wider society. Collectively these two analyses shed light on factors constraining ethics of care and vision of relational reproductive justice.
This thesis primarily argues that stigma and commercialisation constrain the potential for relational reproductive justice. Stigma results in invisibility and secrecy of intended parents’ surrogacy journeys and minimal interaction and interpersonal relationship with the surrogate mothers. Surrogate mothers and their relationship with the child also remain invisible and unrecognised. The invisible and lonely journeys of intended parents worsen when intended parents struggle with a commercialised neoliberal fertility market, experiencing a lack of proper health care, economic constraints and implications of frequent surrogacy policy changes. I suggest stigma and commercialisation affect the caregiving and receiving, and the wellbeing of the surrogacy triad. This thesis concludes by proposing the need to achieve ethics of care for the surrogacy triad and addressing stigma by redefining broader societal discourses about surrogacy. This helps in building interpersonal relations, and practice of care and responsibility between the surrogate mother and intended parents, recognising surrogacy as a relational reproduction process, and furthering a just experience for those involved. Encouraging this potential relational and care perspective can allow children to meet their surrogate mothers or donors, recognising surrogate mother’s role in child’s life and in future extending the definition of families
The Sioux Tribes’ continuing opposition to the DAPL
No full textStanding Rock Sioux Tribe v US Army Corps of Engineers (Standing Rock V) is the most recent in a series of cases where Sioux Tribes have challenged the legal authorisation for the Dakota Access Pipeline (“DAPL”) to protect the water flowing through their unceded ancestral lands. This note provides some of the background to explain why the various Sioux Tribes oppose the DAPL and the significance of Standing Rock V. In doing so, it showcases the complexity of administrative and environmental United States law that tribes must engage with as well as why this case, although limited in scope and likely a step towards additional rounds of litigation, is an important win for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.Peer Reviewe
Total, added and free sugar intakes of New Zealand female and male adolescents
No full textBackground: Due to associations between added sugar intake and non-communicable diseases, health authorities recommend that people restrict their added sugar intake. The World Health Organization also regard dietary sugar from honey, syrups, fruit juice and juice concentrates to be detrimental in excess, referring to any added sugar, including from the food groups listed above, as free sugars. There is little work published on the ‘added’ and ‘free’ sugar intakes of adolescents.
Objective: To analyse and compare the total, assumed added and assumed free sugar intakes of New Zealand (NZ) female and male adolescents aged between 15-18 years, enrolled in NZ secondary schools.
Design: Survey of Nutrition Dietary Assessment and Lifestyle (SuNDiAL) is a nationwide cross-sectional, observational study using a convenience sample of female (n=266) and male (n=135) adolescents enrolled from consenting schools. Participants completed an online questionnaire, dietary assessment and anthropometric measurements.
Methods: University of Otago Master of Dietetics (MDiet) students recruited and collected data from English speaking, 15-18-year-old females and males across NZ. Consented participants completed an online dietary habits questionnaire and attended a session during which height and weight measurements and an MDiet interviewer-administered 24-hour recall were undertaken. A second recall was conducted at least one-week later on a non-consecutive day, in-person or via phone/video call. Recall data were entered into FoodWorks, producing total and sucrose sugar intake values. In the absence of ‘added’ and ‘free’ sugar variables, ‘assumed added’ sugar intakes were estimated as total sucrose intake minus two-thirds (67%) of the fructose intake to account for sucrose naturally present in fruit. Assumed added sugar plus sugars contained in fruit juice were summed to estimate ‘assumed free’ sugar intakes. Foods entered into FoodWorks were categorised into food groups and their contribution to total sugar calculated.
Results: Presented as mean (95% confidence interval) for female and males, respectively, daily total sugar intakes were 99.9g (94.8, 105.1) and 99.8g (92.0, 107.6), corresponding to 21.1% (20.3, 21.8) and 16.9% (16.0, 17.8) of dietary energy intake. Mean daily assumed added sugar intakes were 31.3g (28.9, 33.8) and 32.4g (28.7, 36.1), corresponding to 6.6% (6.1, 7.1) and 5.4% (4.9, 5.9) of dietary energy intake. Mean daily assumed free sugar intakes were 34.2g (31.7, 36.7) and 38.4g (33.2, 43.5), corresponding to 7.2% (6.7, 7.6) and 6.7% (5.9, 7.5) of dietary energy intake. Eighty-six percent and 95% of females and males, respectively, had intakes of <10% energy from added sugar; 82% and 91% from free sugar, 34% and 27% had intakes of <5% energy from free sugar. No between-sex differences in absolute sugar intakes were observed, while as a percentage of energy, females had significantly higher intakes of total and assumed added sugar, but not assumed free sugar. Fruit, non-alcoholic beverages, milk and sugar/sweets were the top contributors to sugar intake for both sexes.
Conclusion: Sugar intakes of SuNDiAL participants were substantially lower than that of adolescents worldwide and the majority were meeting international recommendations. As a proportion of dietary energy, females were consuming more total and assumed added sugar than males. Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) have a role to play in the sugar intakes of NZ adolescents. Further research among nationally representative samples and using added and free sugar values from a food composition database, is required
The evolution of deformation mechanisms during the mechanical weakening of polycrystalline ice: a quantitative microstructural study
No full textFlowing glaciers and ice sheets play key roles in shaping planetary surfaces, and form important feedbacks with climate, both on Earth and elsewhere in the solar system. Ice becomes mechanically weaker during the deformation, and it is correlated with microstructural changes such as grain size reduction and a development of crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO). Weakening manifests as strain rate enhancement after minimum strain rate (under constant load) or a stress drop after peak stress (under constant displacement rate). To understand better the evolution of deformation mechanisms and its control on ice microstructural changes, we conducted a series of ice deformation experiments, mostly under uniaxial compression. Ice microstructural data were generated from cryogenic electron backscattered diffraction (cryo-EBSD) analyses.
Deformed ice samples are characterised by small grains interlocking with big grains. After deformation, the number of small grains increases, suggesting an activation of nucleation. Big grains have irregular grain boundaries, suggesting the operation of strain-induced grain boundary migration (GBM). We quantify grain boundary irregularity using a sphericity parameter, Ψ, defined as the ratio of grain area and grain perimeter, divided by grain radius. The Ψ decreases with grain size up to a threshold grain size, above which Ψ define a plateau (low temperatures) or a less steep slope (high temperatures). We used the threshold grain size to segregate recrystallized grains, which grow via strain-induced GBM with boundaries becoming more irregular, from remnant grains, which initially have similar boundary irregularities and become more irregular at similar rates due to GBM. The average grain size change rates associated with GBM quantified from the threshold grain size are similar at high and low temperatures, suggesting similar GBM rates. The balance between boundary mobility and driving force is likely the cause of similar GBM rates at high and low temperatures.
Intragranular boundaries are widely developed after deformation, suggesting the activity of dislocation creep, recovery and subgrain rotation. Low- (4°-10°) and high-angle (> 10°, up to ~30°) components of intragranular boundaries all have misorientation axes that lie dominantly within the basal plane. This observation suggests (1) intracrystalline dislocation glide on the basal plane is the dominant mechanism controlling grain rotation, and (2) subgrain rotation can proceed to very high misorientation angles and the resultant boundary remains strongly crystallographically controlled. Many intragranular boundaries with misorientation axes and primary Burgers vectors within the basal plane show a smearing of Burgers vectors to non-basal directions, suggesting a general importance of basal edge dislocations coupled with non-basal dislocations during the development of intragranular boundaries.
At high temperatures, c-axes align in a cone (small circle) around the compression axis, consistent with the operation of strain-induced GBM and grain rotation. The opening-angle of the c-axis cone decreases with an increasing strain and with a decreasing temperature, suggesting a more active grain rotation. As the temperature decreases, the overall CPO intensity decreases, primarily because the CPO of small grains is weaker. Grain boundaries between small grains have misorientation axes that have distributed crystallographic orientations. This observation can be explained by grain boundary sliding and/or nucleation with random orientation. Many grains have high aspect ratios (>3), and they have boundary misorientation axes and slip directions within the basal plane, suggesting an activation of kinking in the grain segmentation. These grains have basal planes generally sub-parallel to the compression axis. This is because at these orientations, ice basal planes are fundamentally unstable: any rotation will re-orient ice basal planes to orientations with an increased shear stress and thus promote kinking.
We estimated the contribution of CPO development and grain size reduction to the weakening, which starts from strains of 1-3%. The magnitude of weakening is insensitive to temperature. However, grain size reduction is a more effective weakening mechanism at low temperature, whilst the CPO development is more effective at high temperature. We suggest the balance between CPO development and grain size reduction as well as with other mechanisms (e.g. strain energy reduction led by dynamic recrystallization) is likely to give a weakening effect that is independent of temperature
Dietary intake, adequacy and food sources of zinc in New Zealand adolescent males and females
No full textBackground: Zinc is an essential trace mineral and plays a role in immune function, wound healing, and normal growth and development. Evidence suggests that the risk of inadequate zinc intakes during adolescence – a period of rapid growth – is moderate to high. The recent global shift towards vegetarian diets and lower bioavailability of zinc from plant foods than that from animal foods may further increase the risk of suboptimal intakes. With the latest New Zealand nutrition survey conducted over 10 years ago, zinc intakes among New Zealand adolescence are unknown.
Objective: To describe and assess the usual intakes of, and main food groups contributing to zinc intake among New Zealand adolescent males and females.
Design: The Survey of Nutrition Dietary Assessment and Lifestyle (SuNDiAL) project was a two-year cross-sectional survey of 401 adolescent males and females aged 15-18 years old. In Year 1, 266 females were recruited from thirteen schools in eight locations around the country with a targeted approach to recruit vegetarians. In Year 2, 135 males were recruited from six schools in five locations around the country. A total of 28 female and five male vegetarians were included in the study. Socio-demographics and health, dietary habits, and attitudes and motivations to food choice were collected via an online questionnaire. Anthropometrics were collected using standardized study protocols. Two non-consecutive 24-hour diet recalls were used to assess dietary intakes. Usual zinc intakes were estimated using the MSM method. The prevalence of zinc inadequacy was determined using the estimated average requirement (EAR) cut-point method (11 mg/day for males and 6 mg/day for females). The major food groups contributing to zinc intake were calculated from 33 food groups.
Results: The usual median (IQR) zinc intake for males was 13 (10.3, 15.2) mg/day and 9 (7.3, 10.6) mg/day for females. Overall, the prevalence of inadequate zinc intakes was relatively low for females (6.4%) but substantially higher for males (23%). For males, the highest prevalence of inadequacy existed among Māori and Pacific sub-groups and those that resided in moderate-high deprivation areas. For females, Māori and Asian participants appeared at greatest risk of suboptimal zinc intakes. Apparent differences in the prevalence of zinc inadequacy existed among vegetarian males (20%) and females (7%), despite no differences existing among vegetarian and non-vegetarian within each sex group. ‘Grains and pasta’ were the greatest dietary contributor to zinc intakes for both males and females, followed by bread and bread-based dishes for females and poultry and beef and veal for males.
Conclusion: Males appear to be at a greater risk of inadequate zinc intakes compared to females with some sub-groups at greater risk than others. There were no apparent differences between vegetarians and non-vegetarians despite other studies reporting a high risk of inadequate zinc intakes among vegetarians. The number of participants identifying as vegetarian limited interpretation, and further research is warranted to confirm findings
Retail Potential for Upcycled Foods: Evidence from New Zealand
No full textFood waste is a problem that manifests throughout the food supply chain. A promising solution that can mitigate the food waste problem across various stages of the food supply chain is upcycling food ingredients that would otherwise be wasted by converting them into new upcycled food products. This research explores perception of upcycled foods from a panel of 1001 frequent shoppers at a large grocery retailer in New Zealand. Findings from this research uncover several hitherto unexamined aspects of consumers’ evaluations of upcycled foods. These include consumers’ indications about shelf placements of upcycled foods, willingness to buy upcycled foods for people or pets other than themselves, and consumers’ preferences about information pertaining to these foods. This research advances our understanding of how consumers perceive upcycled foods and provides actionable insights to practitioners in the food industr