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Can a small island be sustainable?
No full texthttps://linktr.ee/MetabolismOfIslands?utm_source=qr_cod
Culture, language and diabetes education session
No full textBackground
It is no surprise that the prevalence of diabetes type 2 has increased in the past years on the global scale. The Caribbean region is no exception. Unfortunately, a significant number of individuals living with diabetes struggle to manage their condition. Structured education programs and support (interventions) like ‘PRISMA Aruba’ and ‘Kijksluiter’ have supported individuals with diabetes type 2 with self-management and action planning.
Aim
Both programs aimed at researching the challenges these individuals experience and contributing to their confidence for self-management and medical adherence. The PRISMA Aruba effectivity study (quantitative) aimed at studying the effectivity of an education program while the ‘Kijksluiter’ intervention aimed at researching the impact of an animated medication information followed by proactive telephone counseling from their community pharmacist on adherence to diabetes medical treatment of individuals with diabetes type 2 (quantitative and qualitative). The focus of ‘Kijksluiter’ was geared towards individuals prescribed with oral medicine.
Results
Improvements were shown in both self-management and biomedical data after completing the ‘PRISMA’ program. Results also showed that self-confidence had an impact on the self-management of the participants. In the PRISMA study, factors such as the support of family, friends and the social environment were not directly tested yet; these were emerging factors in the experience of the participants that were informally shared. Results in the ‘Kijksluiter’ support program showed several outcomes. One of the success factors of the implementation of the study was the perceived need to provide the participants with information and counseling while one of the barriers included limited available resources such as staffing shortages. On the other hand, many participants acknowledged that they needed a lifestyle change in addition to the medical treatment. Some of the barriers to medication adherence included none accepting attitude towards their condition and absence of a structured daily routine.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the ‘PRISMA’ education group helped individuals with type 2 diabetes gain self-confidence in their self-management journey. In the case of the ‘Kijksluiter’ support program, one of the outcomes was medical adherence. The results of the ‘Kijksluiter’ indirectly indicated that an important factor is the connection and personal contact with the individual which was present as a combination between the animated video and the telephone calls. The emotional and cultural aspect remains a prominent factor in which barriers must be overcome in order to effectively help the individual. While these concerns remain prominent for individuals with diabetes type 2, this is also perceived among individuals with type 1 diabetes on the island of Aruba. This concern makes interventions that include the social environment and the impact of counseling a potential remediation for feelings of among others, self-shame and lack of confidence among individuals with type 1 diabetes.
References
Arias, N. (2022). Feasibility of PRISMA (Dutch Desmond) as a contextualized education program for the enhancement of self-management of diabetes in Aruba. [Unpublished manuscript].
Hooi, N., Tromp, A., Heijningen v. S.C., Valois-Smith, S., Grêaux, K. M. & Hugtenburg, J.G. (2024), Type 2 Diabetes Patients' Needs and Preferences regarding Medication Information in Aruba and Curacao. Type 2 Diabetes Patients' Medication Information Needs and Preferences in Aruba and Curacao. Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacy, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Botica di Servicio, University of Curaçao, University of Aruba, Sint Maartenskliniek, Radboudumc, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, Nivel, University of Groningen. [Unpublished manuscript]
Lerarenprofessionalisering bij Fries, Limburgs en Nedersaksisch
No full textIn 2024 stelde het ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap aan Levende Talen een subsidie beschikbaar voor (het verbeteren van) de basisvaardigheden van leraren. De secties Fries, Limburgs en Nedersaksisch hebben met een deel van deze subsidie gewerkt aan lerarenprofessionalisering in de betreffende taalgebieden. De drie secties hebben ieder op een eigen manier invulling gegeven aan de activiteiten. Hieronder volgt per taal de stand van zaken.
https://lt-tijdschriften.nl/ojs/index.php/ltm/article/view/2472/202
What's Missing? Exploring Aruban Students' Perspectives on their High School History Education
No full textBuilding sustainability competences in a small island context: lessons from the SISSTEM program at the University of Aruba
No full textWhen we talk about building sustainability competences, integrating the GreenComp Framework in tertiary curricula, much of the focus often lies on large countries and continental universities. But what does it mean to integrate the 12 competences for sustainability as defined by the GreenComp Framework in the context of a small island state (SIS)? In Aruba, the Sustainable Island Solutions through STEM (SISSTEM) program offers an inspiring example of how higher education curricula can be designed to equip its students with a sound background in science as well as with the competences to apply this knowledge to address the complexity of sustainability challenges typical for a small island context.
https://education-for-climate.ec.europa.eu/community/Day2025group/topic/building-sustainability-competences-small-island-context-lessons-sisstem-program
https://web.archive.org/web/20250923124910/https://education-for-climate.ec.europa.eu/community/Day2025group/topic/building-sustainability-competences-small-island-context-lessons-sisstem-progra
Conclusies en aanbevelingen voor visie en definitie (NVT Carib)
No full textDit is een samenvatting van gesprekken tussen onderwijsprofessionals in Caribisch Nederland (Saba, Statia, Sint Maarten, Aruba, Curaçao en Bonaire) over Nederlands als Vreemde Taal (NVT). Uit die gesprekken zijn conclusies en aanbevelingen voor de toekomst van NVT gehaald. Deze gesprekken, en de presentatie van de conclusies en aanbevelingen, vonden plaats op de eerste dag van de NVT Carib conferentie.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1742586
Ocean Literacy Principles and low-cost hands-on science experiments for kids from kindergarten to highschool
Full text linkIn 2021, the United Nations launched their Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), The ‘Ocean Decade’, provides a convening framework for a wide range of stakeholders across the world to engage and collaborate outside their traditional communities to trigger nothing less than a revolution in ocean science. A key tool in achieving the goals set out by the Ocean Decade is Ocean Literacy, a concept that has been developed by UNESCO as 7 key principles for understanding the ocean. The National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) has worked to develop a teaching guideline for taking these 7 principles to students at 4 different grade levels: K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12.
However, educational material specifically connected to each Ocean Principle and grade level is still hard to find. As a small island state, Ocean Literacy is of key importance for Aruba. However, after sitting down with different teachers we found that it was not yet an element within the local curriculum.
To work towards this issue, Metabolic Foundation has turned NMEA's guidelines and a set of open access educational Canva templates from World Ocean Day to develop a series of 28 educational booklets, one for each grade level and ocean principle, adjusted to the Aruban context. We are currently in the process of testing the activities with kids, and the next step is to translate the booklets from English to Dutch and Papiamento
Promoting water consumption among children through a social network intervention: a cluster randomized controlled trial on a Caribbean island
Full text linkThis study examined the effect of the evidence-based adapted social network intervention named Kies Awa (translation: Choose Water) on children’s water and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) consumption. It also examined the moderating role of children’s descriptive and injunctive norms of water and SSB consumption on the intervention’s effect.
Subject and methods: We conducted a cluster randomized control trial (RCT) where schools were randomized to one of two clusters: the intervention group (IG; Kies Awa intervention; 156 participants; M = 11.08, SD = 1.00; 53.8% girls) or the control group (CG; no intervention; 144 participants; M = 11.32, SD = 0.96; 52.8% girls). The primary outcome measure was water consumption and the secondary outcome was SSB consumption.
Results: Linear mixed modeling analyses showed that water consumption increased significantly more among IG participants than in the CG (β = 0.141; p = 0.015). The effect on SSB consumption was moderated by perceived injunctive norms, which refer to social disapproval of consuming SSBs. Specifically, the intervention reduced SSB consumption for participants reporting high levels of injunctive norms (β = -0.052; p = 0.037).
Conclusion: These findings suggest that Kies Awa, an evidence-based adapted intervention, could be implemented in other Caribbean islands to improve children’s water consumption. This approach could be integrated into school health programs, contributing to public health. These findings may help achieve the United Nations’ goal of ensuring healthy lives for all children, even in under-researched world regions.
Clinical Trail Registration: Main ID number: NL-OMON26157, preregistration date 2018-12-20. https:// trial search. who. int/ Trial2. aspx? Trial ID= NL- OMON2 6157