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Factors associated with attendance, engagement and wellbeing change in an arts on prescription intervention
Get PDFBackground
Arts on prescription interventions have grown in number in recent years with a corresponding evidence base in support. Despite the growth and presence of these interventions, there have been no evaluations to date as to what factors predict patient success within these referral schemes.
Methods
Using the largest cohort of patient data to date in the field (N = 1297), we set out to understand those factors that are associated with attendance, programme engagement and wellbeing change of patients. Factors associated with these outcomes were assessed using three binary logistic regression models.
Results
Baseline wellbeing was associated with each outcome, with higher baseline wellbeing being associated with attendance and engagement, and lower baseline wellbeing associated with positive wellbeing change. Additionally, deprivation was associated with attendance, with those from the median deprivation quintile being more likely to attend.
Conclusions
The role of baseline wellbeing in each outcome of these analyses is the most critical associative factor. Whilst those that are lower in wellbeing have more to gain from these interventions, they are also less likely to attend or engage, meaning they may need additional support in commencing these types of social prescribing interventions
Doing advisory work: the role of expert advisers in national reviews of teacher education
Get PDFThe role and activities of national advise
rs engaged in the translation of globally mobile
ideas on effective teacher education has received little attention. Drawing on in
-depth
semi
-structured interviews, this article explores how government appointed advisers
acted as intermediaries in the translation of policy ideas in national reviews of teacher
education in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (2010-
2015). T
hree themes
are
addressed
: (1) the
localisation of international
good
practice; (2) the significance of time
and temporality in local policy deliberation; and (3) the autonomy
-engagement dynamic
in government commissioned reviews of public policy fields. The article reports how
advisers ex
hibit
ed transgressive competence in the re-
assembly of policy ideas in local
spaces. With attention to time, space and positionality, the article concludes
by
emphasising the significance of localised political strategies in shaping policy choices
and pros
pects for enactment
Effects of playing position, pitch location, opposition ability and team ability on the technical performance of elite soccer players in different score line states
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of playing position, pitch location, team ability and opposition ability on technical performance variables (pass, cross, corner, free kick accuracy) of English Premier League Soccer players in difference score line states. A validated automatic tracking system (Venatrack) was used to code player actions in real time for passing accuracy, cross accuracy, corner accuracy and free kick accuracy. In total 376 of the 380 games played during the 2011–12 English premier League season were recorded, resulting in activity profiles of 570 players and over 35’000 rows of data. These data were analysed using multi-level modelling. Multi-level regression revealed a “u” shaped association between passing accuracy and goal difference (GD) with greater accuracy occurring at extremes of GD e.g., when the score was either positive or negative. The same pattern was seen for corner accuracy away from home e.g., corner accuracy was lowest when the score was close with the lowest accuracy at extremes of GD. Although free kicks were not associated with GD, team ability, playing position and pitch location were found to predict accuracy. No temporal variables were found to predict cross accuracy. A number of score line effects were present across the temporal factors which should be considered by coaches and managers when preparing and selecting teams in order to maximise performance. The current study highlighted the need for more sensitive score line definitions in which to consider score line effects
Older adult consumers’ attitudes and perceptions of risk, control and responsibility for food safety in the domestic kitchen
No full textAlthough vast consumer food safety
knowledge and self
-
reported data exist
,
there is a lack of
attitudinal data
detailing
perceptions of risk
, control and responsibility. Such data relating to vulnerable
groups, including older adults, are particularly lacking.
P
erception
determination is
essential
i
n
consumer food safety research to
facilitate
a comprehensive
in
sight to cognitive factors that
may
impact
behavior
; previous research indicate a
relationship between food safety perceptions and behavior
.
Perceptual data can inform the development of targeted food safety educational interventions.
This study
aims to ascertain older adult consumers’
cognitive perceptions regarding food safety. Older adults (≥60
years) (
n
=100) participated in a computer assisted personal
interview to determine
perceived
risk
,
control and responsibili
ty of
food safety
.
A
lthough aware of the potential severity of foodbor
ne illness,
the association of foodborne illness with domestic food preparation may be underestimated. Significant
differences were determined between
perceived
‘
personal
’
risk, control and responsibility, compared
with ‘others’
(
p
<0.001)
. Older adults per
ceived
‘
themselves
’
to have lower levels of risk than
‘
others
’
suggesting
perceptions of
optimistic bias
and
personal invulnerability.
Perceived
greater
levels of
‘personal’
control and responsibility, compared to
‘
others
’
, suggest
perceptions associated w
ith
illusion
of control. Correlations were determined between personal perceptions of risk, control and responsibility
(
p
<
0.05)
, w
hereby low levels of risk correlated with high levels of control. Those aged
≥
80 years,
perceived higher level
s
of risk,
and
lowe
r
level
s
of control and responsibility.
Cumulatively,
older adult
consumers demonstrate perception
s
of invulnerability, optimistic bias and illusion of control regarding
food safety. Such perceptions may undermine educational attempts. Food safety mess
ages for this
audience need to be tailored to overcome
such
perceptions
Effects of combined resistance training and weightlifting on motor skill performance of adolescent male athletes
Get PDFResistance training and weightlifting are regarded as safe and effective training methods for youth. However, no studies have examined the effects of a year-long resistance training program using weightlifting movements on strength, speed or power. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the long-term effects of combined resistance training (traditional strength training + plyometrics) with or without weightlifting movements on motor skill performance of adolescent males. Fifty-nine males aged 12-14 were matched by maturity and allocated to a combined resistance training or a combined resistance training with weightlifting group. Each group completed 28 total weeks of training over an academic year. Pre-, mid- (14 weeks of training) and post-training (28 weeks of training) tests included the Resistance Training Skills Battery quotient (RTSQ), absolute isometric mid-thigh pull peak force (IMTPABS) and ratio scaled isometric mid-thigh pull peak force (IMTPREL), countermovement jump, horizontal jump and 10, 20 and 30 m sprint. Repeated measure analysis of variance revealed that there were no significant between-group responses, but all variables improved significantly within-group. Both groups made small-moderate improvements in RTSQ, IMTPABS and IMTPREL after the first 14 training weeks (d = 0.45 to 0.86), whereas small-moderate improvements in lower body power, upper body power and speed were made after the second 14 training weeks (d = 0.30 to 0.95). Both groups made small-moderate improvements in all performance variables after 28 weeks of training. These findings highlight the importance of establishing movement competency and strength as a foundation for the subsequent development of power. Furthermore, these findings may help practitioners understand the time course of certain adaptations following a long-term periodized plan for adolescent males
No heartbreak at high altitude; preserved cardiac function in chronic hypoxia
Get PDFHigh altitude hypoxia presents a series of challenges to the human heart due to concomitant changes in preload, afterload and contractility. This challenge is characterised by a decrease in blood volume due to plasma volume constriction, an increase in right ventricular afterload via hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, and an increase in sympathetic nerve activity . As such, understanding how the heart adapts to this multifaceted challenge has been a topic of interest to physiologists and clinicians for decades. In the current issue of Experimental Physiology, Maufrais et al. (2019) use modern speckle tracking technology to investigate region-specific cardiac performance in chronic hypoxia
Sport Psychology Consultants’ Perspectives on Facilitating Sport Injury-Related Growth
Get PDFDespite recent conceptual, methodological, and theoretical advancements on sport injury-related 26 growth (SIRG), there is no research on sport psychology consultants’ (SPCs) experiential 27 knowledge of working with injured athletes to promote SIRG. Toward this end, this study examined 28 SPCs’ perspectives on facilitating SIRG to provide an evidence-base for professional practice. 29 Participants were purposefully sampled (4 females, 6 males; Mean of 19 years’ applied experience) 30 and interviewed. Transcripts were thematically analyzed. Methodological rigor and generalizability 31 were maximized through self-reflexivity and eliciting external reflections. Five themes were 32 identified: Hear the Story, Contextualize the Story, Reconstruct the Story, Live the Story, and Share 33 the Story. Findings offer practitioners a novel approach to working with injured athletes. Rather than 34 focusing on returning to preinjury level of functioning, the findings illustrate how SPCs can work 35 with injured athletes to help transform injury into an opportunity to bring about positive change
Effects of ingredients on sensory attributes of gluten-free breads available in the UK
Get PDFPurpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects of alternative ingredients in three different gluten-free breads (GFBs) available in the UK market with regard to their quality attributes and consumer preference.
Design/methodology/approach
Three different GFB samples purchased from a UK retailer were visually assessed. Their quality attributes and consumer acceptability were analysed via an untrained taste panel (n=35) on Day 1. Texture was compared using a texture analyser on Days 1 and 8, to examine the differences between samples and the effects of ingredients towards staling.
Findings
Results from visual inspection showed that ingredients affected the appearance of samples, in terms of crumb structure, and both crumb and crust colour. Firmness and springiness were significantly different (p<0.05, p=0.007) between samples on Days 1 and 8 although no significant difference existed within each individual sample. Sensory analysis showed no significant differences between samples with respect to denseness, chewiness, crumbliness, dryness and overall preference.
Research limitations/implications
The ingredient combination in each bread differed, and thus it is not clear if the results are due to the incorporation of individual ingredient or a combination of them.
Practical implications
Results of this study will help food industry to make an easier decision on gluten-free ingredients.
Social implications
It will help people with coeliac disease and those who wish to remove gluten from their diets.
Originality/value
Overall, the study showed that the use of different ingredients affected the appearance, firmness and springiness of three GFBs available in the UK market. However, it did not affect denseness, chewiness, crumbliness, dryness or consumer preference. This indicates that a number of ingredient combinations are possible in the manufacturing of acceptable GFB
The Only Way is Ethics: Methodological Considerations for a Working-Class Academic
Get PDFEthnography as a methodological approach presents the fieldworker with many ethical crossroads throughout the research process. This is because of the unique position that ethnographers find themselves in, the environments that they research and the relationships which are formed. This paper presents four confessional vignettes from a broader ethnographic research project that illuminate the underside of fieldwork, and how the author dealt with a number of difficulties and dilemmas in the field as a working-class academic. Fieldwork was undertaken in a Welsh (UK) secondary school for one full academic year, and the paper argues that researcher identity must be remain fluid so that successful field relations are established and maintained. The paper concludes that researchers must think intersectionally about their endeavours and to also consider how one’s own social baggage might impact upon the research process
Backward running; the why and how to program for better athleticism
Get PDFBackward running (BR) is a common locomotive technique used by most over-ground athletes during both competition and training, yet there are limited empirically based recommendations for using BR training for athletes. This article highlights the role of BR in sports context, provides insights into why BR may benefit athletes and recommends how to integrate BR into strength and conditioning programs. Informed guidance is provided on the practical applications for athletes, which should help speed and strength coaches design and facilitate BR in a safe and progressively overloaded fashion for youth and adult athletes alike