Abstract Nature-based tourism and wildlife tourism are becoming increasingly popular worldwide and are often promoted as a means of protecting and preserving environmental resources. These forms of tourism are usually accompanied by interpretation such as signs, presentations and activities specifically designed to raise visitors‟ awareness of, and concern for, environmental issues. The rationale behind this approach is that enhancing visitors‟ environmental knowledge, understanding and attitudes prompts the adoption of environmentally responsible behaviours. This is supported by a growing body of research that suggests that environmental interpretation has considerable potential to impact upon visitors‟ conservation knowledge and attitudes, and that well-designed interpretive experiences and messages are an effective means of reducing a range of negative „on-site‟ behaviours such as littering, straying from walkways and feeding wildlife. However, there has been little exploration of whether environmental interpretation influences the uptake of conservation practices „off-site‟ or how the positive impacts of nature-based tourism can be maintained over time. Until recently, tourism research exploring post-visit behaviour has used visitors‟ immediate post-visit intentions as a measure of behaviour change. There is increasing evidence, however, that stated intentions to engage in conservation behaviours rarely manifest as actual behaviour, and that visitors‟ on-site enthusiasm and commitment tends to wane following their visit. The current research aimed to investigate whether providing visitors with post-visit support in the form of learning materials and reminders would prevent this decline and enhance long-term conservation learning (hereby defined as knowledge, attitudes and behaviour). This research explores short and long-term changes in families‟ conservation knowledge, attitudes and behaviour following their visit to Mon Repos Conservation Park, a world renowned turtle rookery in Queensland, Australia. Stage one of the study involved surveying 100 Australian families to identify barriers and benefits associated with six conservation practices (re-using containers, buying minimal packaging, reducing use of plastic bags, picking up litter, recycling and composting). Using Community-based Social Marketing theory, responses informed the development of printed and online post-visit action resources specifically designed to reinforce the wildlife tourism experience and support families‟ conservation learning. Resources focused on the six conservation behaviours outlined above but also included other environmental activities and conservation information of relevance. v In stage two, two hundred Australian families visiting Mon Repos in December 2007 and January 2008 were sampled and assigned to either a treatment group (provided with post-visit action resources and regular contact) or the control group (no post-visit support). All families were asked to complete pre-visit, post-visit and follow-up questionnaires to enable the researcher to ascertain short-term and long-term changes in their conservation knowledge, attitudes and behaviour and to identify factors contributing to the uptake of off-site conservation practices. The final sample comprised the one hundred families who completed all three questionnaires. Comparisons between responses of the control and treatment groups revealed that post-visit action resources reinforced respondents‟ knowledge of threats to turtles and enhanced their attitudes towards protecting wildlife and the natural environment. Families who received post-visit support were also significantly more likely to pick up litter and introduced more conservation actions than those who did not receive this support. Aspects of the post-visit action resources that were particular effective were updates of turtle activity at Mon Repos, emails, fact sheets and the newsletter. Other factors that prompted the adoption of conservation practices included Mon Repos‟ interpretation and the opportunity to view wildlife in its natural surroundings. The influence of other family members and pre-visit knowledge and interest were also found to be associated with subsequent uptake of conservation behaviours. Implications for wildlife interpretive practice and the design and delivery of post-visit support are discussed and recommendations for future research presented.

The oil and gas industry is a vital contributor to the global economy and a key source of employment within oil-producing countries. Oil production is largely dependent on a skilled population who are adept in coping with the demands of an offshore environment. Due to the high risk nature of work offshore, it is a requisite that personnel engage in health promoting behaviours. The research aimed to identify aspects of offshore workers self care which required behaviour change and the behavioural determinants which were associated with engagement in self care. A mixed methods design was utilised to generate novel data and original findings. Phase 1 used a quantitative cross-sectional online survey to assess offshore workers’ (n=352, 53.6% response rate) health, quality of life, mental wellbeing and self care status. The findings highlighted key areas of concern, as indicated by negative scoring across measures, relating to: overweight/obesity; medication adherence; absenteeism (with regard to travelling offshore); medical evacuation; lack of adherence to 5-a-day fruit and vegetable guidelines; physical activity; smoking; hazardous alcohol use, and insomnia. Phase 2 used qualitative theory-based telephone interviews to explore self care behaviours from the perspective of offshore workers (n=16). Offshore workers who had completed a survey and indicated they would like to receive further information on the interviews were invited to participate. Both the interview schedule and data analysis were informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Healthy eating and physical activity were the behaviours most frequently discussed by offshore workers and identified as areas requiring behaviour change. TDF domains representing both behaviours included: beliefs about capabilities; beliefs about consequences; intentions; goals; memory, attention and decision processes; environmental context and resources; social influences; emotion, and behavioural regulation. Phase 3 used qualitative theory-based telephone interviews to explore offshore workers’ (n=13) self care behaviours from the perspective of remote healthcare practitioners. Both the interview schedule and data analysis were informed by TDF. Healthy eating and harmful/hazardous alcohol use were the behaviours most frequently discussed by remote healthcare practitioners and identified as areas requiring behaviour change. TDF domains representing both behaviours included: knowledge; environmental context and resources; social influences; emotion, and behavioural regulation. The findings, when triangulated suggest that offshore workers may benefit from the implementation of a self care intervention which targets healthy eating, physical activity and alcohol consumption. It is advised that the intervention target multiple self care behaviours and that development is underpinned by behaviour change theory to ensure effectiveness. The intervention may be tailored in accordance with the TDF domains identified in this research as determinants of healthy eating, physical activity and alcohol use behaviours.

BACKGROUND. Unhealthy lifestyle behaviours such as physical inactivity are global risk factors for chronic disease. Despite this, a substantial proportion of the UK population fail to achieve the recommended levels of physical activity. This may partly be because the health messages presently disseminated are not sufficiently potent to evoke behaviour change. There has been an exponential growth in the availability of digital health technologies within the consumer marketplace. This influx of technology has allowed people to self-monitor a plethora of health indices, such as their physical activity, in real-time. However, changing movement behaviours is difficult and often predicated on the assumption that individuals are willing to change their lifestyles today to reduce the risk of developing disease years or even decades later. One approach that may help overcome this challenge is to present physiological feedback in parallel with physical activity feedback. In combination, this approach may help people to observe the acute health benefits of being more physically active and subsequently translate that insight into a more physically active lifestyle. AIMS. Study One aimed to review existing studies employing fMRI to examine neurological responses to health messages pertaining to physical activity, sedentary behaviour, smoking, diet and alcohol consumption to assess the capacity for fMRI to assist in evaluating health behaviours. Study Two aimed to use fMRI to evaluate physical activity, sedentary behaviour and glucose feedback obtained through wearable digital health technologies and to explore associations between activated brain regions and subsequent changes in behaviour. Study Three aimed to explore engagement of people at risk of type 2 diabetes using digital health technologies to monitor physical activity and glucose levels. METHODS. Study One was a systematic review of published studies investigating health messages relating to physical activity, sedentary behaviour, diet, smoking or alcohol consumption using fMRI. Study Two asked adults aged 30-60 years to undergo fMRI whilst presented personalised feedback on their physical activity, sedentary behaviour and glucose levels, following a 14-day wear protocol of an accelerometer, inclinometer and flash glucose monitor. Study Three was a six-week, three-armed randomised feasibility trial for individuals at moderate-to-high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The study used commercially available wearable physical activity (Fitbit Charge 2) and flash glucose (Freestyle Libre) technologies. Group 1 were offered glucose feedback for 4 weeks followed by glucose plus physical activity feedback for 2 weeks (G4GPA2). Group 2 were offered physical activity feedback for 4 weeks followed by glucose plus physical activity feedback for 2 weeks (PA4GPA2). Group 3 were offered glucose plus physical activity feedback for six weeks (GPA6). The primary outcome for the study was engagement, measured objectively by time spent on the Fitbit app, LibreLink app (companion app for the Freestyle Libre) as well as the frequency of scanning the Freestyle Libre and syncing the Fitbit. RESULTS. For Study One, 18 studies were included in the systematic review and of those, 15 examined neurological responses to smoking related health messages. The remaining three studies examined health messages about diet (k=2) and physical activity (k=1). Areas of the prefrontal cortex and amygdala were most commonly activated with increased activation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex predicting subsequent behaviour (e.g. smoking cessation). Study Two identified that presenting people with personalised feedback relating to interstitial glucose levels resulted in significantly more brain activation when compared with feedback on personalised movement behaviours (P < .001). Activations within regions of the prefrontal cortex were significantly greater for glucose feedback compared with feedback on personalised movement behaviours. Activation in the subgyral area was correlated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity at follow-up (r=.392, P=.043). In Study Three, time spent on the LibreLink app significantly reduced for G4GPA2 and GPA6 (week 1: 20.2±20 versus week 6: 9.4±14.6min/day, p=.007) and significantly fewer glucose scans were recorded (week 1: 9.2±5.1 versus week 6: 5.9±3.4 scans/day, p=.016). Similarly, Fitbit app usage significantly reduced (week 1: 7.1±3.8 versus week 6: 3.8±2.9min/day p=.003). The number of Fitbit syncs did not change significantly (week 1: 6.9±7.8 versus week 6: 6.5±10.2 syncs/day, p=.752). CONCLUSIONS. Study One highlighted the fact that thus far the field has focused on examining neurological responses to health messages using fMRI for smoking with important knowledge gaps in the neurological evaluation of health messages for other lifestyle behaviours. The prefrontal cortex and amygdala were most commonly activated in response to health messages. Using fMRI, Study Two was able to contribute to the knowledge gaps identified in Study One, with personalised glucose feedback resulting in a greater neurological response than personalised feedback on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. From this, Study Three found that individuals at risk of developing type 2 diabetes were able to engage with digital health technologies offering real-time feedback on behaviour and physiology, with engagement diminishing over time. Overall, this thesis demonstrates the potential for digital health technologies to play a key role in feedback paradigms relating to chronic disease prevention.

This is a thesis about water efficiency, a particular set of practices in the water industry of England and Wales designed to reduce end-use water demand in homes and businesses. Broadly, the thesis aims to understand how water efficiency activities organised and funded by water companies might more effectively support the development of sustainable patterns of domestic demand, in order to contribute to long-term sustainable water management. To achieve this aim, mixed qualitative methods are used to; a) evaluate the extent to which two non-conventional water efficiency activities engage with the collective elements of everyday consumption that existing research deems necessary to steer demand (Strengers, 2012, Macrorie et al., 2014, Shove, 2014, Geels et al., 2015); b) develop a conceptual understanding of demand management as a professional practice, to understand how Water Company activities are shaped, sustained and stifled; and c) develop an understanding of what future water efficiency activities might look like that take account of the findings from this research. Central to this research and analysis is the notion of 'collective', a term that denotes a conceptual perspective on demand that departs from a focus on individuals, towards the shared social, technological and natural relations that structure everyday activity (Browne et al., 2014). The analysis uses this notion of collectives to examine the impacts and limitations of Save Water Swindon, a large-scale 'whole-town' approach to water efficiency (Case Study 1); to explore how Care for the Kennet contributes to demand management by reconfiguring relations between water in the home and water in the river (Case Study 2); and to uncover the collective context of the professional practices of managing demand (Case Study 3). The findings illustrate that demand is shaped by routines that extend far beyond the spaces in which water is used, both intentionally and unintentionally, and therefore highlight a distributed web of people and practices that might be involved in demand management. The findings from these empirical enquiries are used to as the basis to work with the water industry to reimagine interventions that engage in the collective context of demand, and elicit conceptual understandings of the processes and actors involved in governing social change. Overall, the approach taken in this thesis demonstrates the vitality of practice-based enquiry that provides deep analytical detail to better understand the mundane yet complex processes that sustain everyday water use. Supplementing the analysis with ideas from a variety of social science disciplines and working alongside the water industry, facilitated by the CASE studentship, pushes the analysis beyond the confines of domestic practices typical of practice-based research. Subsequently this research offers contributions to policy, practice and theoretical developments as it explores the intersections between demand and professional practices and local environments, evaluates interventions, examines practices of demand management, and unravels the possibilities for future intervention. Consequently, though focused on water management in the UK, this research offers insights for other resource agendas and regional contexts, expanding discussions in these spaces to think creatively about avenues for future policy and management practice.

Online User Experiences (UXs) act as persuasive technology that can nudge users toward making behaviour change. This makes online UX integral to marketing. The tourism industry relies on UX to attract potential customers. Made up of 80% SMEs, the competition is high, hence the SMEs must deliver robust UXs that capture, persuade and convert users into customers. Tourism, despite being an early adopter of technology lags behind in terms of delivering UXs that meet users’ expectations. Furthermore, scholarly works exploring online UX as a persuasive technology within the tourism SMEs, specifically the day-attraction SMEs segment, are lacking. Using the theoretical framework of the Persuasive Systems Design (PSD) model, this research evaluates day attraction SMEs’ online UXs as persuasive technology. The research uses three mixed-methods to present the service providers’ and the users’ perspectives. The first method is a website content analysis that reviews the persuasive architecture of 102-day attraction websites. The second method uses questionnaires to get insights on tourists’ online usage, motivations, opinions and perceptions of online UX delivered by a single day attraction SME (case study). The third method, an eye tracking experiment is an extension to the questionnaires. The outcomes show that the SMEs’ incorporate persuasive UX elements corresponding to usability, visual aesthetics and credibility, but fail at incorporating strategies to support dialogue. The tourists’ suggest that usability, visual aesthetics and credibility UX elements affect their decision to buy, however, certain strategies that enhance dialogue, such as ability to win rewards, are likely to nudge them toward behaviour change. Furthermore, there appears to be a link between visual aesthetics and perceived usability, and their combined effect on persuasiveness. A final outcome establishes tourist’s website reading patterns, emphasising the placement of call-to-actions within an F-shape region. This research contributes through a customised version of the PSD model applicable for tourism SMEs, delivers empirical evidence suggesting additions to the model and, adds to the overall body of knowledge on tourism online UXs and persuasive technology.

No description available.

Behaviour change initiatives have largely failed in communicating the urgency of the sustainability challenge to the public and thus generate achange of behaviour. Religious communities have achieved remarkable behaviour change in situations where non-faith-based communication failed (Palmer and Finlay 2003). This paper explores what Christian belief contributes to moving society towards sustainability through the lens of the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD). We focus on three themes: (1) the definition of sustainability, (2) the religious motivation for and (3) actions towards sustainability. A number of religious leaders are interviewed and the religious community surveyed. Findings show that religious concepts such as stewardship and the Golden Rule are key motivations for can give guidance on sustainability. However, these concepts are not consciously exploited. Further more, both religious leaders and people lack a full understanding of sustainability and are not strategic about moving towards sustainability. We conclude that religious communities could greatly benefit from adopting a strategic sustainable development (SSD) approach.

The world-wide problem of increasing greenhouse gas emissions has received considerable attention in recent decades. In South Africa, several factors necessitate residential energy efficiency research. These include the high levels of pollution caused by the generation of electricity with low quality coal, which is fairly readily available, the increasing consumer base since 1994, and electricity price increases of 20% per annum since 2008. This study investigates qualitative and quantitative aspects of energy efficiency strategies employed in 41 South African households from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, within the Pretoria region. Field work was conducted during 2010 and 2011. This research was conducted using a multi-phased combined experimental and ex post facto mixed methodology. Actual electricity consumption levels were recorded in all participating households, which were divided into two experimental groups, but only participants in the first experimental group participated in an interview and intervention to reduce electricity consumption. Measurements were followed by focus group sessions open to all participants. Thematic analysis was used to identify participants’ main strategies for energy efficiency, and the effectiveness of these strategies was quantified. The qualitative and quantitative findings are discussed both separately from and in conjunction with one another. Feedback was shown to be a key factor in enabling behaviour change. Needs not only for information but for guidance in its interpretation are highlighted, particularly where literacy levels are lower. Erroneous beliefs about the functioning of appliances were identified and quantified. Winter was identified as the best time to introduce an intervention and improve energy savings due to the ‘normal’ steep increase during that time. Popular and effective strategies employed in households to reduce electricity consumption were also identified. This study culminates in a theoretical model, placing the micro, meso and exo implications of residential energy efficiency in a cyclical empowerment model of environmental concern, the need for information, behaviour change and the resulting need for feedback. Suggestions for policy development and future research are made focussing specifically on the role of females in designing energy efficiency measures, measuring quality of life and not just kWhs and emphasising the importance of real-time feedback on consumption. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Psychology / Unrestricted

Our climate is undoubtedly changing, and the climate issue has generated a lot more attention in both media and politics. This is a complex question that affects all sides of society and requires that everybody takes well-informed decisions. SMHI, The Swedish national weather and climate service, has an important role to play, since they can contribute with their weather and climate expertise, to increase the citizens’ knowledge in this area. This work examines how different interaction design solutions with nudging can influence the user’s behavior in its desire to investigate weather and climate processes. Our tests show that when users want to know if today’s weather is usual or not, e.g. the amount of precipitation, he or she is motivated to read more about how climate and weather work. Then the user is guided to a page where they can explore more about the climate and weather. / Vårt klimat förändras onekligen och klimatfrågan har fått ett allt större fokus inom både media och politik. Det är en komplex samhällsfråga som kräver att alla tar väl informerade beslut. SMHI har en viktig roll att spela genom att bidra med sin expertis inomväder och klimat för att öka medborgarnas kunskap inom detta område. I detta arbete undersöks hur nudging kan användas i interaktionsdesign för att påverkadet vardagliga beteendet hos webbplatsbesökarna så att de inspireras till att vilja undersöka väder och klimatprocesserna ytterligare. Nudging definieras initialt som åtgärder som omärkligt påverkar individen till beteendeförändring. Två snarlika designlösningar utvecklas för hur webbplatsbesökarna som besöker SMHI:s 10-dygnsprognos ska uppmuntras till att vilja utforska väder och klimat. Designlösningarna utgår från intresset som funnits i intervjuer och enkät, till att vilja förstå hur realtidsvädret förhåller sig till vad som är ”normalt” eller extremt (historisk väderdata). Utifrån användartesterna som genomförs, framgår det att det finns en positiv attityd och beteendeintention till att vilja utforska väder när testpersonerna använder sig av designlösningarna.

Potable water is a relatively scarce natural resource. This scarcity is evident on a global scale. For humankind potable water is not only needed to sustain life, but also to engage in activities that maintain and enhance its own comfort and quality of life. These activities contribute to the degradation of water quality and exacerbating water scarcity. Electricity is a resource that needs to be generated, and is used significantly to also maintain and enhance human comfort, and quality of life. The generation of electricity produces a significant amount of greenhouse gases, gases that contribute to climate change. The use of both resources needs to be more ecologically sustainable to reduce the negative impact caused. Wherever possible, the use of these resources should be reduced. University residences utilise substantial amounts of water and electricity. This is because they are commonly designed to accommodate a large number of students. Implementing a behaviour change intervention in a residence therefore has the potential for greater ecological impact if the intervention is successful, due to the large number of people. There are different types of interventions aimed at changing behaviour, with some being active and others passive. Being active or passive is determined by whether or not direct interaction with the subject is required to achieve the desired change. Information provision can be a passive intervention by using posters and pamplets. It can also be active by using Q&A sessions and lectures. The study aimed to determine if the use of a passive behaviour change intervention could result in the reduction of water and electricity consumption in university residences. The passive intervention utilised was prompting in the form of posters. A quasi-experimental design with a mixed methods approach was employed. Quantitative data were meter readings for both electricity and water, while quantitative data were obtained from focus groups. 3 female residences at the University of Pretoria's Groenkloof campus were used in this study. Posters were placed at the points of decision in two of the residences. The third female residence was monitored as the control and no posters were put up in it. Monthly water and electricity meter readings were used to determine if this change had occurred. Focus groups were conducted to understand from the subjects how the intervention had affected them, if at all. Results from this study indicated that water and electricity consumption was reduced, with some reductions being statistically significant and others not. The study, however, cannot confidently predict that the intervention was successful due to various limitations. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Construction Economics / MSc / Unrestricted