The polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects women or people with female reproductive organs negatively, by irregular periods, difficulties in getting pregnant, and excessive hair growth. The symptoms can be eased by taking on habits of regular physical exercise and a balanced diet. Taking on new habits is however a challenging task. This thesis aims at harnessing the affordances (if any) that the design of gamification in a mobile application for women with PCOS could bring. The theoretical lens of self-determination theory has been used to underpin the design of gamification elements that can engage the users of an app. After creating designs and implementations in the app, evaluations were made with 29 participants through surveys and interviews. The results from the user evaluations show that participants’ thoughts on features and elements differed and that they were interested in them being designed in different ways. Designing an app that allows the user flexibility was desirable, and even viewed as motivational. Another take is that one should be careful in designing elements in a health app that uses comparing elements of gamification, since it can generate negative feelings such as anxiety. In the future, it would be interesting to include more features in the app and let users test it for a longer time to see if that would have a significant impact on the user engagement, and if habits could form for a better well-being. / Polycystiskt ovarialsyndrom (PCOS) påverkar kvinnor eller människor med kvinnliga reproduktiva organ negativt, genom oregelbunden mens, svårigheter i att bli gravid, och ökad hårväxt. Symptomen kan lindras genom regelbunden fysisk aktivitet och en balanserad kost. Att skaffa nya vanor är en utmaning. Det här examensarbetet har i syfte att se vilka möjligheter (om några) som en design av spelifiering i en mobilapp för kvinnor med PCOS kan ge. Linsen av självbestämmande teorin har använts för att stödja designen av spelifiering element som kan engagera app användare. Utvärderingar gjordes med 29 deltagare i form av enkäter samt intervjuer efter att ha skapat designer samt gjort implementationer i appen. Resultaten, baserade på deltagar utvärderingarna, visar på att användarnas tankar kring funktioner och element skilde sig åt samt att de var intresserade i olika designer för dessa. Att designa en app som erbjuder användaren flexibilitet var önskvärt, och sågs även som motiverande. En annan insikt är att designa delar av en hälsoapp som använder sig av spelifiering element där man jämför sig med andra bör ske med omsorg, då det kan medföra användaren med negativa känslor såsom ångest. Vidare vore det intressant att inkludera fler funktioner i appen och låta användare testa den en längre period för att se om det skulle ha en signifikant påverkan på användarnas engagemang, samt om vanor kunde skapas för ett bättre välbefinnande.

<p>Poor food safety in informal, open-air markets remains a pressing issue in Cambodia, contributing to both foodborne illness and malnutrition. In order to design food safety programs that successfully promote positive food safety practices among the various actors involved in these markets, is important to understand their perceptions of food safety and of their own capability, opportunity, and motivation for adopting positive food safety behaviors. To that end, this research sought to explore and describe the perceptions of vegetable vendors, vegetable distributors, and vegetable growers in the Cambodian provinces of Battambang, Siem Reap, and Phnom Penh regarding food safety and their own personal capability, opportunity, and motivation for implementing specific food safety practices.  To note, this research was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) though Cooperative Agreement No. 7200AA19LE00003 to Purdue University as management entity of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Safety. The contents are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. </p> <p>The first portion of the research, which examined levels of perceived capability, opportunity, and motivation for positive food safety practices among actors involved in informal vegetable markets in Cambodia, employed a quantitative questionnaire based on the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behavior model of behavior and the Theoretical Domains Framework. A pilot study using this questionnaire was performed with vegetable vendors in the Province of Phnom Penh (<em>N</em> = 55), after which the questionnaire was revised and implemented in person with vegetable distributors in Battambang Province (<em>n</em> = 37) and vegetable vendors and growers in Battambang (<em>n</em> = 26 and <em>n</em> = 27, respectively) and Siem Reap Provinces (<em>n</em> = 61 and <em>n</em> = 30, respectively). To validate the questionnaire, response data from participants in Battambang and Siem Reap were evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis. The resultant nine-factor model had a comparative fit index of .91, a Tucker-Lewis index of .89, and a root mean square error of approximation of .05. Data analysis proceeded using a fitted general linear mixed model. Results of this analysis suggested that levels of perceived motivation and capability for the target food safety practice were typically significantly higher (<em>p</em> < .05) than levels of perceived opportunity among vegetable vendors and distributors, regardless of location. Levels of perceived opportunity and perceived capability were significantly lower (<em>p</em> < .05) than levels of perceived motivation among vegetable growers in both Battambang and Siem Reap. Significantly higher (<em>p</em> < .05) levels of perceived opportunity and motivation for the target food safety practice were observed among vendors in Battambang in comparison to vendors in Siem Reap; perceptions of all three behavioral determinants were higher among vendors in Battambang than among farmers in either location. </p> <p>Subsequently, a quantitative questionnaire regarding participants’ perceptions of vegetable safety was implemented in person with vegetable growers in Battambang (<em>n </em>= 41) and Siem Reap (<em>n</em> = 28) and vegetable vendors in Phnom Penh (<em>n </em>= 31). Response data were analyzed using a fitted logistic regression model. Nearly all respondents indicated that they were concerned about vegetable safety (overall mean estimate 97.4%, 95% CI = [89.7, 99.4]%), with ≤ 62.7% of respondents in all groups reporting at least moderate concern (lower bounds of 95% confidence intervals 46.2% at the lowest). Across all groups, chemical contamination was perceived as more concerning than microbial contamination (84.9%, 95% CI = [76.0, 90.9]%). The majority of respondents reported that they were familiar with the potential health effects of consuming vegetables contaminated with either chemicals (71.4% [61.5, 79.6]%) or microbes (57.3% [47.2, 66.9]%). Nonetheless, when those who reported familiarity were asked to give examples of such health effects, fewer than 50% (ranging from 7.3% to 48.4%) provided an example of a commonly understood health effect of consuming contaminated vegetables. </p> <p>Both chemical and microbial contamination were most frequently perceived as occurring mainly “at the farm”, regardless of participants’ occupation and location (≥ 76.7%, lower bounds of 95% confidence intervals at least 61.5%, and ≥ 39.3%, lower bounds of 95% confidence intervals at least 21.2%, respectively). Correspondingly, “vegetable farmers’ were most often perceived as having the greatest responsibility for chemical contamination prevention (≥ 51.6% across all groups, lower bounds of 95% confidence intervals at least 34.0%). There were significant between-group differences in participants’ perceptions of microbial contamination prevention responsibility, however (<em>p</em> = .02). With regards to practices intended to prevent vegetable contamination, 22.6% of surveyed vendors in Phnom Penh, 39.0% of surveyed growers in Battambang, and 53.6% of surveyed growers in Siem Reap described at least one commonly accepted contamination prevention practice. </p> <p>Considered as a whole, these findings indicate that food safety practice adoption may be more effectively encouraged among vegetable growers, distributors, and vendors in Phnom Penh, Battambang, and Siem Reap by emphasizing the importance of microbial contamination and integrating educational components regarding the health effects of consuming vegetables contaminated with microbes or chemicals into food safety programs. Such programs should also address the relatively lower levels of perceived opportunity present among all groups; environmental restructuring-based interventions may be one means by which to do so. Programs for vegetable vendors specifically should communicate that microbial contamination of vegetables is common and highlight the significance of the role of vegetable vendors in maintaining a safe vegetable supply. Food safety programs tailored to vegetable growers could draw on growers’ perception of their own responsibility for both vegetable contamination and contamination prevention as well as their perception of contamination as a common occurrence. Programs for vegetable growers also need to incorporate efforts to address the relatively lower levels of perceived capability present within this group. These efforts could include educational programming or hands-on demonstrations that increase participants’ perceptions of their own ability to implement positive food safety practices. </p>

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Syftet med studien har varit att kartlägga Norrvattens kommunikation kring hållbar vattenanvändning med sina medlemskommuner och medlemskommunernas kommunikation med kommuninvånarna. Ytterligare ett syfte med studien har varit att kartlägga hur andra VA-organisationer har kommunicerat kring hållbar vattenanvändning. Kartläggningarna har gjorts utifrån perspektiven hur kommunikationen genomförts, vad som kommunicerats och med vilket syfte. För att synliggöra kommunikationen har en didaktisk analys gjorts utifrån de didaktiska frågorna vem, vad, varför, när och hur. Slutligen har studien syftat till att utveckla ett underlag för en kommunikationsstrategi för Norrvattens kommunikation med medlemskommuner och kommuninvånare. Grunden i resultatet av kartläggningen av kommunikationen och enligt tidigare forskning ska kommunikationen syfta till att stärka möjligheter att hantera dricksvattenefterfrågan för hållbar vattenanvändning. I studien framkom att kommunikationen kring hållbar användning av vatten syftar till att förändra individers beteenden, för att minska den onödiga användningen av vatten. Respondenterna lyfter också fram att kommunikationen bör syfta till att öka vattnets värde samt öka kunskapen kring produktionen och produktionskapaciteten. Innehållsmässigt visar resultaten att kommunikationen ska beröra konkreta och praktiska handlingar, teknisk fakta och vattnets kretslopp i det större perspektivet. Olika kommunikationskanaler passar för olika typer av kommunikation, där resultatet visar att navet för kommunikationen med kommuninvånare är webben och sociala medier. Tonalitet, timing och sociala aspekter av kommunikationen framställdes i resultatet också som viktiga delar. Dessa har på olika sätt inkluderats i kommunikationsstrategin. Kommunikationsstrategin har utvecklats baserat på en modell framställd utifrån den teoretiska grund som använts i studien. Modellen har framställts som ett fundament medan resultatet från kartläggningarna av Norrvatten, medlemskommunerna och VA-organisationernas kommunikation tillsammans med tidigare forskning har utgjort innehållet. / The aim of this study was to map Norrvatten’s communication regarding sustainable water usage with Norrvatten’s municipalities and the municipalities’ communication with the municipal residents. Furthermore, the aim has also been to map how other water and sewerage organizations have communicated about sustainable water use. Focus of the systematic mapping of the communication was on how the communication was carried out, what was communicated and for what purpose. To understand the communication, a didactic analysis was carried out based on the didactic questions of who, what, why, when, and how. The last purpose of the study aimed to develop basis for a communication strategy for Norrvatten's communication with member municipalities and municipal residents. This was done based on the results of the communication mapping and previous research. The communication intends to strengthen opportunities to handle potable water demand relative to sustainable use of water. The result showed that communication about sustainable use of water aim to change individuals' behaviors, to reduce the unnecessary use of water. The respondents also emphasize that communication should aim to increase the value of water and increase knowledge of the production and production capacity. In terms of content, the results show that the communication touches on concrete and practical actions, technical facts, and the water cycle in the larger perspective. Communication channels are suitable for different types of communication, where the results show that the hub of communication with municipal residents is the website and social media. Tonality, timing, and social aspects of the communication were also presented in the result as important parts. These have been included in the communication strategy. The communication strategy was developed on a model produced on the theoretical basis used in the study. The model has been presented as a foundation, while the results from the communication mapping of Norrvatten, the member municipalities and the VA organizations' communication together with previous research have constituted the content.