Objetivo: As relações sociais são importantes em diversas condições crônicas, com impacto nos resultados terapêuticos. Neste estudo nós relatamos as percepções de mulheres com endometriose e dor pélvica crônica sobre as suas interações sociais. Métodos: Foi realizado um estudo qualitativo sobre 29 mulheres com endometriose e dor pélvica crônica. O estudo foi realizado em um hospital universitário, localizado no sudeste do Brasil, entre fevereiro de 2013 e janeiro de 2014. As mulheres foram divididas em seis grupos focais. As transcrições das entrevistas foram analisadas, segundo a abordagem da teoria fundamentada, e enviadas as categorias emergentes, que foram codificadas utilizando a plataforma WebQDA. Resultados: O isolamento social foi o principal tema emergente. O isolamento social foi percebido como associado à falta de compreensão sobre sintomas de endometriose, à resignação diante dos episódios recorrentes de dor. Evitar a intimidade parceiro, isolamento da família e isolamento dos amigos foram às subcategorias identificadas. Conclusão: Nosso estudo fornece evidências que mulheres com endometriose desenvolvem isolamento social progressivo após o início da dor pélvica crônica. Este achado é importante para a abordagem multidisciplinar da doença / Objective: Social ties have been associated with outcomes of several chronic conditions. In this study we report perceptions of women with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain about their social interactions. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study on 29 women with chronic pelvic pain and endometriosis. The study was conducted in a university hospital, localized in the southwest of Brazil, between February 2013 and January 2014. Women were enrolled in six focus groups interviews. Transcripts were analysed according to the grounded theory approach and the emerging categories were coded using the WebQDA platform. Results: Social isolation was the main emerging theme. Social isolation was perceived as associated with lack of understanding about endometriosis symptoms, and with resignation in face of recurrent pain episodes. Avoiding partner intimacy, isolation from family and isolation from friends were components of social isolation. Conclusion: Our study provides evidence that women with endometriosis develop progressive social isolation after the onset of chronic pelvic pain. This finding is important for the multidisciplinary management of the disease

PURPOSE: To describe the need for and perceived outcomes of group meetings for adult cochlear implant recipients (ACIR). METHOD: The research study was conducted in two phases, namely a quantitative descriptive phase where data was collected by means of a questionnaire, and a qualitative deepening phase where data was collected by means of focus group discussions. Thirty-six ACIR completed questionnaires in order to determine the need for and specific requirements for group meetings. The outcomes of phase one contributed to the establishment of group meetings for ACIR. After four consecutive group meetings, focus group discussions were conducted (nine participants) in order to describe the perceived outcomes of group meetings. RESULTS: Participants expressed an evident need to attend group meetings and logistical requirements and preferences were established. After participation in group meetings, benefits in terms of psychological and emotional support, acceptance, understanding and improvement in social skills and confidence were reported. The opportunity to offer and receive support created a sense of empowerment for participants. CONCLUSION: The establishment of much needed group meetings benefited ACIR to a great extent. ACIR reported positive outcomes with regards to improved assertiveness and selfperceived quality of life as a result of their group meeting attendance. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lk2014 / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / MA / Unrestricted

The aim of this study is to re-contextualize prior negotiation theory emanating from the field of communications in a unique contemporary setting. The research focuses on the Canadian residential telecommunications sector, where the dominant business model involves the use of a rather peculiar variable pricing strategy, which has compelled a proportion of consumers to adopt competitive negotiation strategies. Through a series of three focus groups, the project gleans insight into the participants’ experiences and perceptions of the telecommunications procurement process. Based on prior theoretical assumptions and on this original research, the study tests the appropriateness of descriptive phase models of negotiation in the Canadian telecommunications industry, providing a new dimension to the nascent body of academic research in this area.

New immigrants to Canada are identified as a vulnerable population in mental health and, as a result, organizations are signaling the need to enhance their mental health supports. The research uses focus groups and questions based on the messaging of a Canadian school mental health program to understand how new immigrant mothers interpret and develop key aspects of their mental health literacy and how they attain parent empowerment. A thematic assessment of the knowledge, interpretation, action and decision-making of the study participants (n=7), all recent immigrants to Canada and mothers of high school students, shows that new immigrant mothers are prepared to follow a path towards mental health literacy. At the same time, however, there are barriers that can block progression towards mental health literacy for this audience. These findings are supported by three umbrella themes: the first main theme “home as haven” espouses maternal roles in mental health maintenance such as protector and communicator, the second main theme “knowledge versus suspicions of mental health and mental illness” represents informed views and support of mental illness and myths and illusions of mental illness, and the third main theme, “additional barriers to mental health literacy” includes the hardships of immigration and fear of knowledge. The study concludes that new immigrant mothers appreciate the importance of fostering mental health understanding and discussion with their children at the same time that they encounter obstacles to the advancement of their mental health literacy. This study is relevant to the field of communication in that it demonstrates the experience of new immigrant mothers as a secondary audience in mental health programming. As the caregivers of their children, they are in position to enforce the messages and health maintenance behaviours of a school-based mental health program aimed at adolescents.

This master thesis deals with the analysis of fresh juice and smoothie market in the Czech Republic. The goal of this thesis is to investigate the market of both fresh bars and fresh juices and smoothies that can be bought in the store. Another goal is to determine consomer's needs on this market. For the purpose of finding out those information, a quiestionnare was compiled. The questionnaire was targeting young people age between 20 and 30 years who either live or at least spend most of their time in big cities. The results of the questionnaire then served as a starting point for further analysis. During working on this paper I was doing a regular storecheck in the 4 most visited grocery chains. For a deeper understanding of the target group, two focus groups were held. First one was targeting people that are regularly buying fresh juices and smoothies in grocery chains. Second one targeted the contrary -- people that have never bought such drinks. Reults of all research that were carried out served as a starting point for further recommendation.

This research explored the understanding of coronary heart disease among the South Asian Migrant men in the UK. The objectives of this study are: • To explore migrant South Asian men's understanding of the risks involved with coronary heart disease in the UK • To relate their understanding in the context of current health care policy • To suggest ways to provide culturally sensitive health promotion programs to these groups. A phenomenological perspective using qualitative research methodology and focus group interviews were used to obtain a more precise and in-depth understanding of the risks involved with coronary heart disease. In total 83 men were recruited. 13 focus groups were conducted in three different areas across the country which had a significant South Asian population. Three themes emerged from the analysis of the interviews: Psychosocial factor, conventional risk factors & health care experiences. These themes reflected the men's understanding of the risks Involved with coronary heart disease In the UK. According to Williams et al, (2007 & 2009), information about psychosocial risk profiles in UK South Asians is limited and that there is an increased possibility that psychosocial related factors contribute to increased vulnerability to coronary heart disease in South Asian in the UK. This study concludes with the importance of recognizing that not all South Asians are the same and that health professionals should look beyond the context of religious, and ethnic background and focus on individual men.

With the increased exposure to Western cultures and the transition towards modernization, Chinese society has experienced substantial social change, which has influenced marital relationships. Although recent research has documented contemporary patterns of marital interaction, less is known about what Chinese adults consider to be an ideal marital partner and what their parent' roles play in the mate selection process. What do contemporary Chinese adults value in a partner? How much parental influence is involved in choosing an ideal marital partner? These questions were addressed by conducting six focus groups in Taipei, Taiwan. The focus groups included a total of 51 participants (male = 25; female = 26) and included separate groups for middle-aged married men, middle-aged married women, younger married men, younger married women, never-married young adult men, and never-married young adult women. The results from qualitative analysis indicated three major themes in an ideal partner: family-of-origin (e.g., similar family background, good relationship with in-laws), personal qualities (e.g., financially stable, responsible), and relationship qualities (e.g., getting along, communicating well, mutual respect, gender equality). These results indicate that contemporary Chinese adults value a combination of traditional Chinese (e.g., similar family background) and Western (e.g. good communication) values. When it comes to parental approval on their marriage, most younger participants reported that they would marry a person despite their parents' disapproval, although many indicated that they would want their parents' approval because it would increase family harmony. The older participants, on the other hand, were more likely to still favor parents having significant influence on who their children marry. Overall, the young Chinese participants showed greater incorporation of Western values than the older participants. These findings suggest that modern Chinese society is being increasingly influenced by individualistic Western values.

Interprofessional practice and teamwork are becoming more essential in health care. Increased collaboration gives the opportunity to enable patient centred health care with high quality of outcomes. If health professional students learn together they will be better prepared for interprofessional collaboration and teamwork, such initiative can be interprofessional education (IPE) at a clinical education ward (CEW). The aim of the study is to explore how students from medicine, nursing, physiotherapy and occupational therapy programs, perceive their own and each others` profession prior to a clinical placement at a CEW. This was a qualitative study using focus groups. 18 students participate in the study. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and a thematic network was developed. A plethora of professional perceptions emerged as the highest order category. This was derived from four organizing themes; professional expectations, relationship to the patient, leadership and relationship across professions and from the respective basic themes: different areas of professional doing and explanation of professional images, being close, being distanced, being a coordinator and being a leader, collaboration and unclear boundaries. This perceptions are needed to discuss and reflect during the CEW and allowing the student, together rather than silos, to develop professional identities as well as the knowledge, skills and attitudes.

With the rise of the Internet and the emergence of social media, conditions of communication for both companies and the public have changed. Today, the audience is a co-creator of content and is an active participant, and through platforms such as Instagram, there is now a space where the audience and companies meet. It has developed new features and changed the structure of a so called brand community , which is about how people gather around a shared interest of a brand. Based on this, we intend to investigate how the company NOCCO's communicative activities on Instagram involve consumers and what motivates them to participate. The study will answer the research questions through three focus group interviews with 3-4 informants in each group as well as a brief analysis of NOCCO's Instagram. We identified six themes of participating in our analysis: social aspect, personal gain, awareness and influence, information, identification and trust.

High fruit and vegetable (FV) intake is associated with healthy weights and decreased risk of chronic disease. Yet, adolescent FV intakes fall below national recommendations. Few studies involve racial/ethnic minority adolescents in formative research, despite their increased risk of poor FV intake. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to describe the type and frequency of FV intake of urban multicultural young adolescents, and to examine their attitudes and beliefs towards increased consumption of FV. A convenience sample (n=79) of racially diverse (e.g., 31% Hispanic/Latino, 27.4% Black/African American) grade seven students, participated in our study comprised of a self-administered survey with culturally adapted FV food frequency questionnaire (FVFFQ) and focus group discussions. The FVFFQ revealed that hand fruit was the most highly consumed fruit among our students, while consumption of vegetables was more evenly distributed. Preferred FV among racial/ethnic population groups ranged with Hispanic/Latino identifying citrus, leafy green vegetables preferred by Black/African American, tropical fruit by Asian and Whites reporting cooked vegetables. Availability of preferred vegetables as school significantly influenced vegetable intake (p=0.038). Family attitudes towards vegetables also influenced student FV behaviors (diet diversity (DD) score, p=0.008; FV self-efficacy scores, p=0.019). The median DD score (73%) indicated moderate compliance with national FV intake recommendations among students with red, orange, and ‘other’ vegetables requiring the most improvement in intake. Focus group discussions revealed important barriers to FV intake, including a preference for consuming ‘junk food’ for snacks over FV, a lack of availability of preferred vegetables at school, and parental financial constraints, which limited availability of preferred produce at homes. Students’ suggested strategies to motivate increased FV intake included greater incentives and modeling from parents, improved recipes and taste tests for vegetables served at school and greater availability of culturally diverse produce represented in school menu. Students emphasized social media for FV promotion targeted at adolescents. Overall, our findings suggest young adolescents are open to increased FV intake, but require a supportive home and school environment, with access to cultural and preferred produce; students indicated a keen interest in involvement with FV promotion initiatives undertaken in their school.