11237 research outputs found
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The breast appreciation scale: an examination of its psychometric properties in French-Canadian women
No full textScholars are increasingly focused on women’s positive, embodied “breasted experienced”, which includes breast appreciation. This positive body image facet is assessed using the 9-item Breast Appreciation Scale (BrAS; Swami et al., 2022), but assessments of its psychometric properties in diverse cultural communities are limited. Here, we report on the translation and validation of a French translation of the BrAS in French-Canadian women. A sample of 365 women from Quebec, Canada, completed the French BrAS alongside additional measures. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis in two split-half subsamples identified a stable unidimensional model of the BrAS, with six of the nine original items retained. This BrAS model was fully invariant across both split-half subsamples and showed no evidence of differential item functioning in relation to participant age. Latent breast appreciation also evidenced strong composite reliability, as well as adequate convergent and concurrent validity. Specifically, greater breast appreciation was associated with higher overall body appreciation, lower breast size dissatisfaction, better psychological well-being and lower distress, and lower disordered eating patterns. While the present results provide initial psychometric support for the BrAS in French-Canadian women, more work can be done to confirm and extend our findings.</p
Indigenous peoples and local communities as agents of transformative change for sustainability
No full textAchieving just, equitable, and effective sustainability transformations requires diverse social engagement. This paper identifies five key roles played by Indigenous Peoples and local communities as agents of transformative change: embodying sustainable lifeways, resisting harm and defending rights, extending their practices to influence broader systems, and offering foundational models for care-oriented economies and governance. Through illustrative examples, we show how Indigenous Peoples and local communities actively contribute to global transformation. We emphasize the importance of engaging with a wide range of actors in supporting, expanding, and deepening these contributions to realize meaningful, systemic change toward a sustainable and just future.</p
The body acceptance by others scale-2: an examination of its psychometric properties in a French-Canadian adult sample
No full textThe 13-item Body Acceptance by Others Scale-2 (BAOS-2) is an instrument designed to measure generalised perceptions of body acceptance by others. Here, we examined the psychometric properties of a novel French translation of the BAOS-2. A total of 763 French-speaking adults from Canada were asked to complete the BAOS-2, alongside additional validated measures of positive body image, psychological well-being, and eating patterns. Exploratory factor analysis in a first split-half subsample (n = 382) indicated that a unidimensional model with all 13 items had good fit to the data. This model was cross-validated in a second split-half subsample (n = 381) using confirmatory factor analysis. A partial factors-only model indicated, as a function of subsamples, that the French BAOS-2 has differential item functioning based on respondent age, body mass index (BMI), and gender identity (men, women). In addition, higher respondent BMI was associated with lower body acceptance in both subsamples. Our results also supported convergent and concurrent validity of the French BAOS-2, with body acceptance by others associated with greater body appreciation and psychological well-being, as well as lower symptoms of maladaptive eating patterns. The present results indicate that the French BAOS-2 has strong psychometric properties in French-speaking Canadian adults.</p
Investigating the effects of interactive social media communication on community engagement: evidence from Abu Dhabi health sector
No full textThis research examines how social media is used within the Abu Dhabi healthcare system, and how it contributes to public health communication and community engagement. The study addresses four key aims: to measure the extent to which interactive communication via social media increases individual community engagement; to assess the effectiveness of social media in content-driven public health communication; to determine the impact of engagement on health outcomes; and to identify the most common issues raised by communities on social media and to explain how the public health system responds in practice. The study is theoretically framed using the Health Belief Model (HBM) and Social Influence Theory (SIT), providing a means to examine both cognitive and sociocultural aspects of health behaviour and communication in the digital context.A qualitative approach was employed, comprising 28 semi-structured interviews (9 with public health professionals and 21 with community respondents), alongside archival data from over 200 social media interactions on platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. Data were analysed using systematic thematic analysis. Five key thematic domains emerged: Dialogic Resonance, Perceptual Cartography, Communal Ethos (defined as shared cultural values, norms, and trust influencing how communities respond to health communication), Mobilized Cognition, and Digital Reverberations. These domains, comprising 20 codes, reflect the iterative, participatory, and adaptive forms through which digital media engagement for health communication is enacted.The findings suggest that interactive social media communication enhances community engagement by fostering feedback loops, dialogic resonance, and relational trust. Social media serves both as a distribution and participatory channel, shaping perceptions and influencing behaviour through emotional content and peer dialogue. Evidence indicates that such engagement improves health outcomes, particularly in vaccination uptake and preventive behaviour. The study also identifies key community concerns, including trust, clarity, cultural relevance, emotional tone, misinformation, and accessibility, which can be addressed through live question-and-answer sessions, multilingual messaging, partnerships with trusted influencers, and empathetic, culturally attuned content.The study contributes conceptually by reconceptualising health communication as a dynamic, co-created process rather than a top-down broadcast. It integrates social and psychological theories to explain digital behaviour and introduces constructs such as Echo Governance and Discursive Pulse . It contextualises HBM and SIT within a multicultural, digitally sophisticated environment and develops a recursive communication model in which trust functions simultaneously as an input, a mediating force, and an outcome of effective engagement. Managerially, the study provides practical implications for creating culturally sensitive, emotionally intelligent, and inclusive communication strategies and emphasises the value of using real-time analytics to support adaptive and transparent public health messaging.Although the study offers valuable insights, it is limited by its regional focus, lack of longitudinal data, and absence of quantitative validation. Future research may apply the model across diverse geopolitical contexts, track long-term behavioural patterns, and employ qualitative methods designs to enhance generalisability and predictive power. Nonetheless, the research provides a holistic and theoretically grounded account of the evolving role of social media in transforming public health communication in Abu Dhabi and proposes a new framework for trust-based, community-driven digital health interventions.</p
The virtualisation of the influencer economy: development of a conceptual model
No full textThe continued rise and integration of virtual influencers into social media has impacted the structure and financial flows within the influencer economy. This study identifies the diverse range of actors present within the influencer economy along with an examination of the financial flows between these actors, the labour required from them and the control held by them. This research paper subsequently derives a conceptual framework of the current influencer economy from existing concepts and real-world examples, bridging the two literature bodies of human and virtual influencer research and linking work across marketing, media studies and economics. This paper highlights the important role that intermediaries play within the influencer economy along with the significant control that brands can reclaim with the use of virtual influencers, as well as the pressure exerted by many actors within the economic structure onto human social media influencers.</p
Do Corporate Strategies in Fintech and Green Finance Enhance ESG Performance? The Moderating Role of Government Policies
No full textABSTRACT
Despite the growing interest in ESG performance, limited research explores the mediating role of government policy in the relationship between Fintech, green finance and ESG outcomes. We address this gap by examining how Fintech and green finance influence ESG performance through government policies. We analysed panel data of banks in China and the United Kingdom from 2014 to 2024 using robust advanced regression estimates, such as Dynamic Common Correlated Effects, Common Correlated Effects Generalized Test and Bootstrap Quantile Regressions. Results show that both Fintech and green finance play a significant role in enhancing banks' ESG performance in the long run. Findings further reveal that Fintech significantly supports banks' green finance developments, with the effect being more significant at higher quantiles. Additionally, government policies positively moderate the Fintech and green finance impact on banks' ESG performance across all quantiles. Interestingly, our results also highlight country differences: The United Kingdom experiences a greater impact of Fintech on ESG performance, while green finance has a stronger impact on ESG performance in China. Additionally, the role of Fintech in supporting green finance has a higher influence on Chinese banks than in the United Kingdom. The study emphasizes the critical role of policy interventions and innovation‐driven frameworks in coordinating Fintech and green finance initiatives with long‐term ESG targets.</p
Issues of Integration and Adaptation
No full textTo achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, which seeks to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, a sustainable healthcare workforce is essential. Migration of health workers—both within and between countries and internationally—is a well-documented and growing phenomenon. According to a 2023 report on NHS England employees’ nationalities, 81.3% of NHS staff identify as British, 5.2% as EU nationals, and 8.6% as Asian. This study undertakes a systematic review to identify the key issues and challenges related to the integration and adaptation of migrant healthcare workers in England, UK. The review began with a comprehensive search using electronic databases such as PubMed, Medline, OVID, and CINAHL, supplemented by Google Scholar. Keywords included: migrant, immigrant, healthcare, workers, issues, England, UK. Additional searches were conducted on policy think tank websites (e.g., Department of Health England, King’s Fund, SCIE, BMA) and independent research organizations such as the Royal Society of Medicine. The literature selection process applied specific inclusion and exclusion criteria and utilized the PEO framework. Screening followed the PRISMA guidelines, and Boolean operators (“AND”, “OR”) were employed to refine searches. Relevant articles were then incorporated into the review. Data will be analyzed thematically to generate findings and ethical insights. The study aims to propose recommendations for creating a safe, secure, and ethically sound workplace for a diverse healthcare workforce. It emphasizes the moral imperative to safeguard every worker’s right to a safe working environment.</p
Comparative effects of dairy, hybrid and plant-based protein blends (including fibre fortification) on amino acid profiles and gut microbiota adaptations: The Promephy study
No full textThis study investigated the acute and sustained effects of different protein interventions on postprandial amino acid profiles, uremic toxins, faecal fermentation metabolites and microbiota composition in healthy volunteers. Sixteen participants (7 males, 9 females; mean [SD]: 37 [9] years; 69.4 [10.2] kg; 1.74 [0.08] m) completed four 2-week intervention periods, separated by a 6-week wash-out. For each intervention, participants were allocated 50 g d−1 protein from either a milk protein isolate (MPI), a hybrid blend (HYB), a plant-based blend (PB) or a PB blend with added mixed fibres (PBF) in addition to habitual dietary intake. Pre and post intervention, participants underwent laboratory assessment of amino acid profiling (4 h post consumption of 20 g protein from the allocated product), along with stool sample collection for microbiota sequencing.Plasma essential amino acid (EAA) profiles and incremental area under the curve (iAUC) were lower for both PB products at baseline compared with MPI and HYB (MPI: 89,397 [18,025]; HYB: 87,301 [16,920]; PB: 65,350 [17,111]; PBF: 66,595[20,827] μmol·240 min L−1, p < 0.001). Following intervention, EAA profiles decreased further with both PB products, remaining lower than both MPI and HYB (MPI: 83,038 [20,983]; HYB: 76,341 [16,741]; PB: 56,075 [17,045]; PBF: 56,170 [15,213] μmol·240 min L−1, p < 0.001). After the 2-week intervention, L-leucine iAUC was lower for all products compared with MPI (MPI: 19,219 [4444]; HYB: 16,776 [3291]; PB: 12,003 [3008]; PBF: 11,948 [2991] μmol·240 min L−1, p ≤ 0.016), highlighting the importance of fortification or increased protein intake with PB containing products. PB inclusion into products resulted in minor increases in indoxyl sulfate within-intervention (p ≤ 0.039) which may be potentially beneficial in lower concentrations. Both HYB and PBF interventions resulted in increased saccharolytic metabolite production in relation to proteolytic metabolites (p ≤ 0.008). PBF resulted in a significant reduction in Peptostreptoccaceae compared to all products (p ≤ 0.007), as well as an increase in Marinifilacaeae (p = 0.014), which may support gastrointestinal health. The inclusion of fibre into protein interventions may therefore be beneficial for modulating metabolic ‘fates’ of protein, as well as supporting relative taxonomic changes which may regulate gastrointestinal integrity and function.</p
Protocol - Documentary Analysis NIHR 207877 WP1a
No full textProtocol for a Documentary Analysis study of information given to people on discharge from hospital in England following a stroke. This is the first work package within an NIHR RfPB funded study - Developing strategies for improVing OutComes And Living well with people living at home with Stroke (VOCALS study). - NIHR Funding and Awards</p
Decision-making strategies for project management and financial planning: UAE's public sector construction projects
No full textPurpose: The focus of the research was to develop a decision-making framework guiding project management and financial planning of construction projects in the context of the UAE’s public sector.Design/Methodology/Approach: Qualtative research design based on underpinning critical realism research philosophy and inductive research approach was adopted. The research employed semi-structured interviews with 39 decision-makers in the construction industry, including top-management authorities, finance managers, and project managers. The data was analysed using Gioia method of analysis to identify the aggregate dimensions and themes.Findings: The findings indicated that various themes related to data were identified, such as stakeholders involved, challenegs related to construction projects and financial planning, strategic considerations for decision-making, factors involved in decision-making, and implementation of effective technologies, financial plans, and decision-making straregies. Various frameworks were also developed and presented in line with the obtained findings.Implications: This study advances contingency and stakeholder theories by highlighting the dynamic interplay between external forces, stakeholder interests, and integrated decision-making in public sector construction. It emphasizes the need for adaptive, technology-driven strategies to manage financial planning and project execution amid uncertainty. The findings underscore the importance of proactive stakeholder engagement, cultural sensitivity, and real-time data use in fostering resilient project outcomes within the UAE’s public sector.Originality/Value: This research offers original insights by integrating financial planning with project management through the lens of contingency and stakeholder theories in a public sector context. Its value lies in presenting a dynamic, context-responsive framework tailored to the complexities of UAE construction projects, enriched by the role of emerging technologies and stakeholder dynamics.</p
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