Bibliography: p. 205-233. / xii, 233 p., [36] leaves of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Mawson Graduate Centre for Environmental Studies, 1996

Thesis (M.P.H.)--University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, 2007. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 46-04, page: 2045. Adviser: Thomas Stock. Includes bibliographical references.

This research explores the subjective experiences of women with mental health challenges residing in a supportive housing building in Southern Ontario. Drawing on principles of Feminist Participatory Action Research (FPAR), five women were brought together to engage in an arts-based workshop meant to provide the opportunity to reflect on their experiences, express themselves through alternative means, and connect with peers over shared experiences. Over six meetings, participants have been invited to contribute to group discussions by taking and analyzing photos that represent their journey while living in supportive housing. Drawing on a critical feminist and Mad Study scholarship, this project used intersectionality as its theoretical lens. This choice intends to emphasize the interconnected and compounded system of oppression that women experience when their identity intersects across various dimensions such as gender, gender expression, race, mental health status, class, and more. This research is essential because of the pervasiveness of discrimination, disempowerment and oppression of people diagnosed with a ‘serious mental illness’ and how these infiltrate relationships and social systems. However, little empirical data exists to explore the in-depth perspective of these individuals, who lack power and voice in society. In particular, women with a psychiatric diagnosis live at the intersection of multiple oppressive factors. Thus, to counterbalance oppression, it is essential to recognize these women as the experts in their lives. Moreover, women’s active participation in research and their photographs and stories offered a nuanced understanding of issues affecting them. From the photographs (visual data) and the meaning given by participants through their stories (narrative data), issues emerged related to stigmatization, gender-based violence, economic limitations, inadequate support, and various forms of discrimination. Furthermore, participants expressed their insights into desired changes within and beyond the supportive housing program. The relevance of this research is threefold: 1) it gave agency to women living in supportive housing to outline their unique needs and wants; 2) it contributed to the paucity of qualitative research situated at the intersection of gender and ‘mental illness’; 3) through KTE activities, it has the potential to inform housing and helping professionals on ways to improve housing projects, design activities, and foster residents’ engagement for this population group. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

Background: Rooming house residents have high rates of morbidity and mortality, yet little is known about why this disparity in health exists. Research Question: How are rooming houses linked to health? Case: Social exclusion of rooming house residents in downtown Ottawa, bounded by the neighborhood, and Ottawa’s political policies at the time of data collection (September 2019-June 2020). Methodology: A single embedded descriptive case study was informed by multiple sources of evidence, and involved a community advisory group (CAG). Rooming house residents took photos, participated in a community walk-about with participant observations and attended a focus group. Two additional focus groups were conducted; one with fellow rooming house residents, another with the CAG. Interviews with rooming house front-line service providers and a secondary data set of homeless service measures also informed the case. Findings: 1. Rooming house residents (n=10) took 112 photos, and (n=8) took part in a focus group where two broad themes emerged: Housing is health care, and just managing today. 2. Interviews with front-line service providers (n=11) focused on two themes: There are many costs to living in a rooming house, and rooming house front-line service providers wear many hats. 3. Between a sample of sheltered homeless (n = 60) and rooming house residents (n=52), there was no difference found for several health indicators, including frequency of care received in the emergency room, hospitalization as an inpatient, and if substance use made it difficult to stay or afford housing. Focus groups with rooming house residents who did not take photos (n=10) and the GAG (n=6) contributed to persona co-creation revealing financial and contextual factors affecting the health of rooming house residents. Conclusion: The shared spaces of rooming houses create a tension between offering community and creating a risk environment. The negative health consequences to living in a rooming house are mitigated by the many roles that rooming house front-line service providers play in filling gaps. This study suggests the need to definitively position rooming house residents on the housing continuum in order to ensure equitable distribution of resources to optimize the health of this vulnerable population.

Since the role of the libraries as merely a place for loans has decreased, the importance of giving the visitors a total experience has increased. The aim of my thesis was to investigate whether a change in the sound environment at the library of Jokkmokk could generate more satisfied visitors, whether they are borrowers or use the library for other purposes. The change in the sound environment was to be effected by means of a background sound experiment in the magazine room at the library. Action research was used as a research strategy and observations and interviews as method to collect data. The experiment was conducted with two selected sounds of nature: birdsong and a rippling brook. The observations and interviews were executeted in three stages: 1. Without any background sound. 2. With birdsong. 3. With the rippling brook. The result showed that over seventy percent of the interviewees were in favour of the background sounds. It is important to consider the overall impression the library conveys to the visitors. As a result of the study we have found some measures that can be taken to improve the sound environment at the library of Jokkmokk. This is a two years master thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies.

Thesis (Doctoral)--Technische Universiteit Delft, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 221-244). Also issued online.

This indoor environment study formed part of the South Durban Health Study (SDHS) that investigated the health effects of exposure to ambient air pollution. Homes of children from seven communities corresponding schools were recruited to participate. This study was designed to determine characteristics in the homes that are associated with higher or lower levels of allergens and fungal aerosols. Homes were inspected using a field tested walkthrough checklist to collect data on home characteristics associated to adverse health effects. The characteristics include dampness, visible mould, type of flooring, type of bedding, type of heating systems, and building type and age. Dust samples for allergen analysis were collected from the bedding and the floor of the sleep area used by the children. Air samples from all rooms in the house were collected on malt extract agar, the media used for identifying and quantifying airborne fungal aerosols. More than 70% of the homes were single units standing on their own, 20% were attached houses (flats or apartments) and the rest (10%) were informal houses. Construction material of the homes comprised of bricks (93%), wood (5%) and other material (2%) such as corrugated iron of which 94% were formally constructed. Dampness signs were observed in 51% of the homes and visible mould growth 13% of them. In all them, at least one characteristic that is hypothetically associated to elevated house dust mite allergens was found. Levels of mould (Asp f 1) allergen and house dust mite (Der p 1 and Der f 1) allergen were comparable to levels found in other parts of the world. Asp f 1 allergen levels ranged between 0.32-1.379g/g and Der p 1 and Der f 1 allergen levels ranged from undetectable to 49.61 and from undetectable to 39.319g/g of dust respectively. Some home characteristics from walkthrough checklist were associated with Asp f 1, Der p1 and Der f 1 allergen levels when simple regression analysis was performed. Asp f 1 was significantly associated with single family home [OR= 0.004 (95%CI 0.004–0.35)] and polyester filled pillows [OR= 0.07 (95%CI 0.01– 0.61)] in logistic regression models. Der p 1 allergen was associated with observed extent of roof dampness [OR= 0.33 (95%CI 0.13–0.81)]. Fungal aerosol mixture consisted of Cladosporium spp. as the predominant genus together with other genera such as Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium were, to a lesser extent, identified in the samples from the homes. Mean concentration of total indoor fungal aerosol of indoor and outdoor were 1108 CFU/m3 and 1298 CFU/m3 respectively. Individual genera of fungi in the childrens sleep area had mean levels of 783 CFU/ m3, 30CFU/ m3, 64CFU/ m3, 48CFU/ m3 and 43 CFU m3 for Cladosporium spp., Aspergillus spp., Penicillium, spp., Fusarium spp. and Rhizopus spp. respectively. Simple regression showed some conditions in the homes to be predictors of higher levels of total fungal aerosols. In a linear regression models, total outdoor fungal levels were a protective effect on total indoor fungal levels [C= 0.542 (95%CI 0.437–0.647)] whilst homes with hard floors had about 25 CFU/m3 [C= 5.235 (95%CI 0.557–9.913)] in the homes were significantly associated. This study showed the need to adapt observational instrument/ checklist/ questionnaire to suit the environment or the study area of interest. As other studies and findings indicated, the best way to assess exposure to biological pollutants indoors needs a combination of two or more methods, i.e. direct and indirect methods. / Thesis (MMedSc-Occupational and Environmental Health)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

Hostel dwellers form a larger part of the urban population in South Africa (Ramphele, 1999). These hostels were initially created as temporal arrangement for African men moving from rural to urban areas seeking for employment. Due to housing shortage in urban areas they eventually became permanent residential accommodation. However, observations into the environmental conditions in these hostels have raised concerns about the health and well being of residents and neighbouring communities. The area of study was selected on the basis of the current depleted living conditions due to mismanagement of facilities provided by both the occupants and the hostel administrators. The study was a cross sectional descriptive study involving all three Durban Metropolitan block hostels. Assessing (i) the quality of block hostel environment (indoor and outdoor) through visual inspection (walkthrough), (ii) the exposure measures and outcomes (biophysical environment assessment) by means of questionnaire survey, air testing and microbial identification. Sixty three (63) hostel inventory were completed, followed by the administration of 450 questionnaires, and 646 surface and air samples were collected in the indoors of the selected hostel blocks including the control outdoor samples. The demographic profile of the hostel dwellers in the selected hostel blocks revealed that in the five bed type dormitories the habitable space per individual was 3 m 2 to 3.8 m2. Whilst in the ten bed type dormitories the habitable space per individual was 3.3 m 2 to 3.6 m2 . This was not even close to the World Health Organization suggested habitable space of 12 m2 (WHO, 2000) and was therefore regarded as overcrowding. Lack of access control in the hostels exacerbated by the socio-economic demands of the living environments, e.g. unemployment, was to blame for overcrowding. This overcrowding of the hostels was overloading the services, causing enormous number of blockages and bursts of wastewater pipes resulting in the system not functioning. This situation resulted in the accumulation of dampness in the indoor environment, and hence creating conditions favouring the growth of indoor mouldiness in the buildings. This was further supported by evidence that 47% of the occupants in the selected hostel blocks were experiencing respiratory symptoms and 53% experiencing non-respiratory symptoms. The most recorded respiratory symptoms were pulmonary tuberculosis (14.3%), chest tightness (12.2%), sore and dry throat (7%), sinus congestion (7%) symptoms. Whilst the most recorded non-respiratory symptoms were headache (11.5%), dry and itchy skin (11.5%), stomach upset (6.3%) and fatigue (3.6%). Forty five percent (45%) of the respondents were current smokers and 80% of them had a tendency of smoking indoors. The results of the surface and air samples indicated that the level of indoor mould growth in the selected hostel blocks was at 37, 24%. Surface moulds were at 58% and airborne spores were at 42%. Statistical analysis of data revealed a significant relationship between exposure factors and outcomes in the 5, 10 and 15-bed type dormitories. Incidence Risk Rate (IRR) and the p-value (p . 0.01) were used to determine relationships between exposure factors and outcomes. Certain factors were very much supportive in the development of selfreported symptoms in the selected hostel blocks of the three hostels under certain circumstances and these were the hygiene state of the building, leaking pipes, smoking habits and total mea and dg surface moulds. At all levels of the analysis the hygiene state of the building was very much supportive in the development of self-reported symptoms. Other exposure factors were not supportive at all, for example, structural defects, bed-types, different floor levels and participants' perception of overcrowding. A review process of the role of legislation in controlling the adverse health effects revealed that certain aspects of the legislation relating to building standards requirements, sanitation requirements, ventilation requirements, space and density requirements, and air quality standards requirements were violated. Therefore, the findings of the study recommended that a proper management plan must be developed to enhance living standards. This plan shall include a routine maintenance of the building structures, the development of a culture of self-care, as well as access control in the hostels. In addition to that where there are signs of visible moulds on walls and ceilings adequate control measures are highly recommended using commercially available measures in order to provide a healthy living environment. In conclusion is the adoption of a compliance policy towards legal requirements pertaining to building standards as defined in the National Building Regulations Standards Act (Act 103 of 1977). This study has showed that necessary iii steps need to be taken in South Africa in order to combat this problem. Further research need to be taken in order the inhabitable buildings to be better living environment improving the existing building structures. / Thesis (MMed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

Thesis (M.S.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Doctoral)--Technische Universiteit Delft, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 221-244).