The obesity epidemic is a global health concern. In the United States alone, 68.5% of adults are categorized as overweight or obese; of these, 35.1% are considered obese. Obesity is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality from diabetes and cardiovascular disease, two diseases adversely affecting minority groups such as Mexican Americans. Yet, a modest 5% decrease in weight, through changes in diet and physical activity, can help control type 2 diabetes. The current study extracted the dietary data and selected outcome variables from Beyond Sabor, a 12 week intervention conducted in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, a predominantly Mexican American disadvantaged community. Social Cognitive Theory, guided the design of this culturally tailored intervention. Community resources and natural helpers emerged through the utilization of community based participatory research methods. Study participants (n= 1,273) were recruited from local food bank sites and randomized into treatment and control groups. The treatment group received 12 weekly sessions focusing on healthier eating habits, cooking methods, and physical activity. The control group received 6 nutrition education sessions on similar topics. The study measured changes in several food groups including consumption of soda, fruit juice, and fruit and vegetables. A repeated measures Analysis of Variance was employed to determine changes in treatment and control groups from baseline, post intervention and 40 week follow up. The results showed a significant decrease in soda (F= 8.48, p< .001) and fruit juice (F= 3.12, p= .045) consumption for both groups, with a particular decrease in soda for the treatment group. In addition, there was a significant increase in fruit (F=15.32, p< .001) and vegetable (F=3.16, p= .04) consumption in both groups. The outcome variables selected were weight, body mass index (BMI), and fasting plasma glucose (FPG). There were significant changes for all three variables over time. The intervention resulted in changes in dietary behaviors that ultimately led to changes in weight, BMI, and FPG. It is evident from the current study, that the use of community based helpers facilitated changes in food habits. This study serves as a prognosticator for future interventions.

South Africa has been witnessing an escalation in drug use amongst adolescents in high school. Thus, the main question that motivated this research was: How can a psycho-educational programme, using a selected audio-visual media resource, assist teachers and parents in an effort to prevent adolescent students’ substance abuse problem behaviour? Social cognitive theory (SCT) and self-efficacy theory (SET) were used as a conceptual framework. The study explained these theories in-depth. Adolescent substance abuse was also studied as well as programmes to address this problem. This was followed by a perusal of numerous audio-visual resources for their possible incorporation into prevention programmes. The ‘Above The Influence’ (ATI) resource was selected for the psycho-educational programme which was designed for the study. The programme was put into action during seven sessions over a period of about two months, and implemented with a group of 26 Grade 10 and Grade 11 students in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, to evaluate its relevance for adolescent substance abuse prevention. To evaluate the programme, a qualitative approach was used. The data were gathered during the programme implementation by means of in-person and online focus groups, individual interviews, written open-ended questions, observation notes and follow-up interviews some time after the programme had ended. Eleven principles were identified from the literature to evaluate the potential of the programme to be effective in preventing adolescent substance abuse. In particular the programme needed to increase adolescents’ skills related to studying, communication, peer relationships, self-efficacy, assertiveness, and drug resistance. The programme also had to employ interactive techniques and needed to address the type of drug abuse problem in the local community, for example, the ‘gateway’ substances of marijuana, alcohol and tobacco. In addition, the programme potential was evaluated in the light of SCT and SET. The findings indicated that the psycho-educational programme, using ATI as audiovisual medium, can be used very effectively by teachers to raise students’ awareness and develop particular skills that could contribute towards the prevention of adolescent substance abuse. It is recommended that the programme should be used in the long-term with repeated reinforcing sessions over time. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Botaniska bilder har varit en viktig del inom medicin och vetenskap sedan antiken och de har fortfarande en etablerad plats i vårt samhälle i form av floror, faunor och annat utbildningsmaterial. Den stora förändringen som skett är övergången från teckningar till fotografier och i denna uppsats tittar jag närmare på hur samtida botaniska bilder är uppbyggda och jämför teckningar och illustrationer ur perspektivet visuell kommunikation. Jag använder en kvalitativ innehållsanalys kodad med nyckelord hämtade från bland annat kognitionsteori och representationsteori. Resultatet tyder på att valet av medieform är mindre avgörande ur ett visuellt kommunikativt perspektiv och att medieformerna delar samma styrkor och svagheter. / Botanical images have been an important part of medicine and science since ancient times and they still have an established place in our society in the form of flora, fauna and other educational materials. The big change that has taken place is the transition from drawings to photographs and in this essay I take a closer look at how contemporary botanical images are structured and compare drawings and illustrations from the perspective of visual communication. I use a qualitative content analysis coded with keywords taken from, among other things, cognitive theory and representation theory. The results indicate that the choice of media form is less decisive from a visual communicative perspective and that the media forms share the same strengths and weaknesses.

Bakgrund: Personer med Reumatoid Artrit (RA) lider av en kronisk inflammatorisk sjukdom och behöver vara fysiskt aktiva genom hela livet för att minimera symptomen. COVID-19 pandemin kan ha förändrat hur träningen planeras och genomförs, samt hur fysioterapeuter planerar träningen. Syfte: Syftet är att undersöka hur patienter med RA och fysioterapeuter vid reumatologisk klinik upplever att COVID-19 pandemin har påverkat patienters träning i rehabiliterande syfte. Metod: I en kvalitativ intervjustudie intervjuades två fysioterapeuter och fyra personer med RA vid en reumatologisk klinik. Intervjuerna genomfördes via telefon eller videolänk, utifrån en semistrukturerad intervjuguide. Analys av data genomfördes genom manifest kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Sju kategorier framkom som beskriver faktorer som påverkar rehabiliterande träning för patienter med RA: betydelsen av träningsutrustning, följsamhet till träning, reaktioner på förändrade förutsättningar för träning, alternativa lösningar för att möjliggöra träning, träningslokalens tillgänglighet och betydelse, vädrets inverkan på upplevd möjlighet till träning och upplevda effekter av restriktioner för riskgrupper. Slutsats: Deltagarna var överlag positiva till träning under COVID-19 pandemin. Genomgående påtalades vikten av omgivningsfaktorer, som platsen där träning utförs och tillgänglig utrustning. Resultatet indikerar att oron för konsekvenserna av bristande träning var större än oron för att smittas av COVID-19 / Background: Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis suffers from a chronic inflammatory disease. It is important that they incorporate physical activity throughout their life to minimize symptoms. The COVID-19 pandemic may have changed how they maintain physical activity, as well as how physiotherapist plan exercise. Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate how individuals with RA and physiotherapists at a rheumatologic clinic experience that COVID-19 has impacted patients’ rehabilitation exercise. Method: In a qualitative interview study two physiotherapists and four individuals with RA at a rheumatologic clinic was interviewed. Interviews were carried out by phone or videolink using a semistructured interviewguide. Data analysis was a manifest qualitative analysis. Result: Seven categories describe factors that impacted individuals with RA’s rehabilitation exercise: the importance of training equipment, compliance with training, reaction to changing conditions for training, alternative solutions enabling training, the importance of locations for exercise and its availability, the impact of weather in relations to exercise, experiences of restrictions for individuals at risk. Conclusion: Participants were positively inclined towards exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic. The importance of environmental factors and the equipment availability was recurring. The results indicate that concern regarding the consequences of reduced exercise was greater than contracting COVID-19.

Noma is a neglected non-contagious disease of the face and mouth affecting children living in extreme poverty. Due to the quick spread of the disease, the mortality rate is estimated at 90% when treatment is not started within two weeks of onset. Even though Hilfsaktion Noma e.V. (HAN) has been actively spreading awareness about the disease and offering treatment and reconstructive surgery, the mortality rate has not decreased. Moreover, patients reaching the noma centre often present severe sequela, affecting their speech, eating and drinking ability. Therefore, this study investigates the challenges faced by noma patients to seek medical care in Niger and how to overcome them. A mixed-method approach was performed; a survey among healthcare workers of HAN was supplemented with an interview with a key informant of the organisation in order to get a wider understanding of the possible challenges noma patients encounter. Accessibility to healthcare, as well as distance to the hospital and lack of transportation means were identified as the challenges with the highest impact on the health-seeking behaviour of noma patients. The lack of knowledge about noma and treatment costs were the second main challenge. This information gap is reflected in stigmatization, inadequate health care staff and seeking aid from traditional healers, which seriously endangers the life of patients. To overcome these challenges, a community-based surveillance system in combination with a multisectoral approach was proposed. This low-cost system can not only eliminate noma by facilitating the early detection of noma patients, but it can also contribute to sustainable health in Niger and other countries in the Noma belt.

Les approches psychologiques connaissent un essor dans l’étude des relations internationales. Elles sont essentielles dans l’étude du processus cognitif des leaders, qui est central à la prise de décisions en politique étrangère. Notre recherche porte sur l’axe d’engagement choisi par les États-Unis envers les alliés, de l’unilatéralisme au multilatéralisme, dans l’adoption des politiques étrangères et s’il est déterminé par la vision du monde des présidents. Parmi les politiques étrangères américaines adoptées entre 2001 et 2013, nous retenons les plus significatives en termes de multilatéralisme, afin de construire la variable dépendante. Le cadre théorique utilisé, le code opérationnel, propose l’analyse du schéma cognitif de leaders à l’aide d’une étude de contenu de leurs écrits et de leurs discours. Cette théorie énonce que la vision du monde inhérente à un leader influence le comportement et les décisions du gouvernement dans les relations internationales. Cette étude examinera les discours relatifs à la politique étrangère américaine prononcés lors des mandats de George W. Bush et lors du premier mandat de Barack Obama en tentant de comparer empiriquement les résultats de leur code opérationnel à leur degré de multilatéralisme avéré dans leurs décisions. Nos résultats ne montrent pas de liens directs entre la vision du monde des présidents et l’axe d’engagement adopté en politique extérieure. Nous en concluons que la méthode d’analyse quantitative ne nous permet pas de déceler de changements concrets entre les mandats des présidents. Nous proposons alors d'autres explications concurrentes comme la théorie des élites ou l’ordre international libéral qui pourraient mieux répondre à notre problématique. / Cognitive theories are increasingly recognized in international relations studies. They are necessary in the study of a leader's cognitive process which is central to foreign policy decision-making. This study focuses on the axis of commitment the United States has adopted towards allies, from unilateralist to multilateralist, and analyzes if it is influenced by the president’s worldview. American foreign policies adopted between 2001-2013 are selected according to their relevance to multilateralism to construct the dependent variable. Our theoretical framework is the operational code, which allows an evaluation of the cognitive scheme according to public and private content discourse analysis. This theory suggests that the president’s worldview has an impact on government's behaviour and decisions making within international relations. This research is based on George W. Bush’s foreign policy speeches during his two mandates and on Barack Obama’s first mandate speeches, seeking to empirically compare their operational codes to the levels of multilateralism resulting from their decisions. Our findings cannot establish a direct link between the president's worldview and their position on the foreign policy commitment axis. We conclude that our quantitative analysis method is not adapted to illustrate a tangible change between the president's mandates. Therefore, we suggest alternative explanations such as the elite theory and the liberal international order which could better answer our research question.

The underage marriage of girls (UMG) practice by some parents continues to occur in Bo Town, Sierra Leone, and it is a problem. Regardless of the negative consequences, parents continue to marry off their young girls who become wives of rebels and participate in the civil war. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of adult women between 18 and 24 who experienced child marriage, parents who married off their young girls, and community leaders to understand why the UMG persisted in Bo Town. The theoretical frameworks used in this study were the social cognitive theory and self-efficacy behavioral theory. Data were collected through semi structured interviews. Participants in this study consisted of 5 community leaders, 5 adult women between 18 and 24 who experienced UMG before 18 years old, and 5 parents who married off their underage girls in the Bo Town district. Interview transcripts were analyzed, coded, and 16 themes emerged. Some of the themes included poverty, lack of awareness, education, enforcement, monitoring, leadership, child marriage, domestic violence, accountability, responsibility, dowry payment, and female genital mutilation. The findings may influence social change by using practices such as educating, monitoring, enforcing the banning of the UMG policy relentlessly. Furthermore, implementation of mentorship programs, counseling, leadership, and awareness training to young girls and parents could reduce the UMG practice in Bo Town. Consequently, if young girls are educated and allowed access to resources, they could become empowered and productive members of society as a whole, and the UMG problem may diminish in the Bo community.

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As artificial intelligence becomes more widespread, the need forexplanations on how the technology actually works increases.Previous research in the area has mainly focused on studyingexplanations for technologists and domain experts. Moreover, theuser's need for information is rarely accounted for. The purpose ofthis study is to examine which information needs lay users have indealing with the systems that employ artificial intelligence thatsurround them in their daily lives. In order to achieve the purpose ofthe study, as well as building on results from previous research,Netflix was chosen as the object of study. A qualitative study usingsemi-structured interviews was conducted. The research materialwas later analyzed, using thematic analysis. The results show thatthe users’ mental model, and the lack of information from Netflix,affected the users’ information needs. All participants expressedthat the information provided by Netflix was insufficient and thatthey wanted more information. / I takt med at kunstig intelligens blir tatt i bruk av stadig fleresystemer, øker behovet for forklaringer om hvordan teknologienfungerer. Tidligere forskning innen området har hovedsakeligfokusert på å studere forklaringer for teknologer ogdomeneeksperter. Brukernes faktiske informasjonsbehov gjøressjelden rede for. Hensikten med denne studien er å undersøkeinformasjonsbehovet lekbrukere har i møte med de systemer somomgir dem i dagliglivet, som benytter seg av kunstig intelligens. Forå oppnå hensikten med studien, samt å ta hensyn til forslag fratidligere forskning, ble Netflix valgt som studieobjekt. Det blegjennomført en kvalitativ studie med semistrukturerte intervjuer.Materialet som ble samlet inn ble analysert ved hjelp av tematiskanalyse. Resultatet viser at brukerens mentale modell ogmanglende informasjon fra Netflix påvirket deresinformasjonsbehov. Alle deltakerne uttrykte at informasjonen fraNetflix var mangelfull, samt at de ønsket mer informasjon.