Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1991.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1991.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Florida, 2004. / Typescript. Title from title page of source document. Document formatted into pages; contains 148 pages. Includes Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

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The presented diploma thesis in its theoretical part introduces the reader to the issue of the quality of life. This polysemantical term, which can be hardly defined, is based on a wide range of views and applicable approaches. The first chapter deals with the definition and description of basic and related concepts. The second part describes the instruments of social policy, employment policy and its division. The conclusion of the thesis offers an objective and subjective measures of the quality of life, which were applied to the author's examined districts, whose respondents were young unemployed within thirty years of age.

The well-being of employees is an important issue. Researchers, policy makers and organisations are directing more resource into this field as the link between the health of people and their performance in the workplace becomes increasingly understood. This research programme examines how employee well-being can be measured. Having the right tools to successfully appraise well-being at the outset is judged to be imperative where any research or organisational programme to bring about change is under consideration. A review of existing methods indicates that the current provision of scales to assess the well-being of workers is limited and the construction techniques used in their development may be improved upon. At the core of this study is the testing of a new measurement framework which seeks to address these deficiencies. This innovative approach is taken from one established practice used to assess the well-being of patients using health related quality of life instruments. Three organisations participated in the study; a call centre operation, a police force and a county-based library service. Using qualitative and quantitative methodologies, three pilot questionnaires were constructed using Impact Analysis; an established procedure deployed in health related quality of life settings. Basic findings from each case study were analysed against conventional construction methods and against existing employee well-being scales. Results were also examined in respect of how they compared with the wider literature on employee well-being. ii The Impact Analysis method was critically appraised. Although weaknesses in respect of some of the qualitative phases of analyes were noted, the overall notion of transferring the practice of Impact Analysis to an occupational setting was assessed as cautiously encouraging. While this scale construction method lacks the statistical elegance of factor analytical methods, provisional indications suggest potential benefits in content validity over extant occupational scales where the assessment of a study population’s own experiences are critical to any well-being evaluation strategy. Based on the findings, a new operational definition for employee well-being is posited. A new, working model is also proposed. This emphasises for the first time, the need for specificity when researchers and organisations are seeking to evaluate a multi-dimensional, subjective construct that is employee well-being. Limitations regarding the study are noted. This means that the findings should be treated as tentative rather than conclusive. Nevertheless, it is hoped that this study will inject new thinking on how employee well-being may be evaluated using an alternative approach. By doing so, it is ventured that research communities and employers alike may take up the methods described in this study to conduct assessment programmes that could benefit not just the study teams or the employers, but importantly, the workers themselves.

A insuficiência renal crônica (IRC) é considerada um grande problema de saúde pública, devido às altas taxas de morbidade e mortalidade. Os insuficientes renais crônicos (IRCs) apresentam várias dificuldades em seu cotidiano, como: constantes visitas ao médico, sessões de hemodiálise e restrições alimentares; fatores que desestruturam seu cotidiano e comprometem sua qualidade de vida. Essa pesquisa tem como objetivo avaliar a percepção das pessoas com IRC com relação a atividades cotidianas e ocupacionais, junto a dois serviços públicos de saúde em Ribeirão Preto; assim como avaliar a percepção da qualidade de vida dentro dos seguintes domínios: Físico, Psicológico, Social e Meio Ambiente. A amostragem analisada foi composta por 70 indivíduos adultos que recebiam hemodiálise, de ambos os sexos (35 homens e 35 mulheres), com idades variando entre 17 e 60 anos. Os dados foram coletados através da aplicação de três questionários: o primeiro estruturado para a caracterização de dados sócio-demográficos, o segundo para a auto-avaliação do Funcionamento Ocupacional (SAOF) e o terceiro para a Avaliação de Qualidade de Vida da Organização Mundial da Saúde (WHOQOL-bref). Os instrumentos foram úteis e de importância para avaliar a qualidade de vida e o desempenho ocupacional dessas pessoas: observou-se na aplicação do SAOF que, embora a predominância dos resultados possa ser considerada satisfatória, a área com maior escolha da alternativa “necessidade de melhora" foi a de hábitos e valores (20% e 20,5%, respectivamente). Apesar da porcentagem não ser muito alta, é aqui que as dificuldades com relação à organização do cotidiano são mais evidentes, principalmente frente às mudanças de rotinas e expectativas quanto ao futuro. Na aplicação do WHOQOL-bref, constatou-se que os pacientes que se auto-avaliaram com menor média de qualidade de vida são os que têm cônjuge (54.6%), os que estão há mais de um ano em hemodiálise (52.6%), e os pacientes do sexo masculino (58.6%). A variável “anos de escolaridade" mostrou que as pessoas com menos instrução apresentam menor avaliação de sua qualidade de vida nos domínios Físicos (51.1%), Social (61.0%) e Meio Ambiente (61.1%). Entende-se, portanto, que a Terapia Ocupacional apresenta recursos instrumentais para a reestruturação do cotidiano desses pacientes, podendo constituir-se em valiosa contribuição para a assistência. / The chronic renal failure (CRF) is considered a great problem of public health due to the high rates of morbidity and mortality. Persons with chronic renal insufficients (CRIs) present various difficulties in their daily life such as constant visits to the doctor, hemodialysis sessions and food restrictions disorganizing therefore their daily life and quality of life. This research has the aim to evaluate the perception of persons with CRF about the daily life in relation to their occupational functioning in two public health services in Ribeirão Preto and evaluate the perception of quality of life within the following domains: Physical, Psychological, Social and Environmental. The sample studied was composed of 70 adult individuals undergoing hemodialysis, of both genders (35 men and 35 women) in ages varying between 17 and 60. The data was gathered through the application of three questionnaires: one was structured for the characterization of social-demographic data, the second for Self Assessment of Occupational Functioning (SAOF) and the third for evaluation of the Quality of Life according to the World Health Organization’s Quality of Life Evaluation Instrument (WHOQOL-bref). The instruments were useful and of importance to evaluate the quality of life and the occupational performance of those persons. It was noticed from the SAOF that although the most of the results might be considered satisfactory, the area with the greatest choice of the alternative “necessity of improvement" was the one of habits and values (20% and 20.5% respectively). Despite the percentage not being high, there were the difficulties regarding the daily life mainly in face of changes in routine as well as expectations regarding the future. From the application of the WHOQOL-bref, it could be noticed that the patients who self-evaluated themselves with the lowest average of quality of life are the ones who have spouses (54.6%), the ones who have been undergoing hemodialysis for over a year (52.6%) and the male patients (58.6%). The variable years of schooling demonstrated that the persons with less education present lower evaluation of their quality of life in following domains: Physical (51,1%), Social (61,0%) and Environment (61.1%). It is understood, therefore, that the Occupational Therapy presents instrumental resources for the reorganization of those patients’ daily life, constituting a valuable contribution for assistance.

A insuficiência renal crônica (IRC) é considerada um grande problema de saúde pública, devido às altas taxas de morbidade e mortalidade. Os insuficientes renais crônicos (IRCs) apresentam várias dificuldades em seu cotidiano, como: constantes visitas ao médico, sessões de hemodiálise e restrições alimentares; fatores que desestruturam seu cotidiano e comprometem sua qualidade de vida. Essa pesquisa tem como objetivo avaliar a percepção das pessoas com IRC com relação a atividades cotidianas e ocupacionais, junto a dois serviços públicos de saúde em Ribeirão Preto; assim como avaliar a percepção da qualidade de vida dentro dos seguintes domínios: Físico, Psicológico, Social e Meio Ambiente. A amostragem analisada foi composta por 70 indivíduos adultos que recebiam hemodiálise, de ambos os sexos (35 homens e 35 mulheres), com idades variando entre 17 e 60 anos. Os dados foram coletados através da aplicação de três questionários: o primeiro estruturado para a caracterização de dados sócio-demográficos, o segundo para a auto-avaliação do Funcionamento Ocupacional (SAOF) e o terceiro para a Avaliação de Qualidade de Vida da Organização Mundial da Saúde (WHOQOL-bref). Os instrumentos foram úteis e de importância para avaliar a qualidade de vida e o desempenho ocupacional dessas pessoas: observou-se na aplicação do SAOF que, embora a predominância dos resultados possa ser considerada satisfatória, a área com maior escolha da alternativa “necessidade de melhora” foi a de hábitos e valores (20% e 20,5%, respectivamente). Apesar da porcentagem não ser muito alta, é aqui que as dificuldades com relação à organização do cotidiano são mais evidentes, principalmente frente às mudanças de rotinas e expectativas quanto ao futuro. Na aplicação do WHOQOL-bref, constatou-se que os pacientes que se auto-avaliaram com menor média de qualidade de vida são os que têm cônjuge (54.6%), os que estão há mais de um ano em hemodiálise (52.6%), e os pacientes do sexo masculino (58.6%). A variável “anos de escolaridade” mostrou que as pessoas com menos instrução apresentam menor avaliação de sua qualidade de vida nos domínios Físicos (51.1%), Social (61.0%) e Meio Ambiente (61.1%). Entende-se, portanto, que a Terapia Ocupacional apresenta recursos instrumentais para a reestruturação do cotidiano desses pacientes, podendo constituir-se em valiosa contribuição para a assistência. / The chronic renal failure (CRF) is considered a great problem of public health due to the high rates of morbidity and mortality. Persons with chronic renal insufficients (CRIs) present various difficulties in their daily life such as constant visits to the doctor, hemodialysis sessions and food restrictions disorganizing therefore their daily life and quality of life. This research has the aim to evaluate the perception of persons with CRF about the daily life in relation to their occupational functioning in two public health services in Ribeirão Preto and evaluate the perception of quality of life within the following domains: Physical, Psychological, Social and Environmental. The sample studied was composed of 70 adult individuals undergoing hemodialysis, of both genders (35 men and 35 women) in ages varying between 17 and 60. The data was gathered through the application of three questionnaires: one was structured for the characterization of social-demographic data, the second for Self Assessment of Occupational Functioning (SAOF) and the third for evaluation of the Quality of Life according to the World Health Organization’s Quality of Life Evaluation Instrument (WHOQOL-bref). The instruments were useful and of importance to evaluate the quality of life and the occupational performance of those persons. It was noticed from the SAOF that although the most of the results might be considered satisfactory, the area with the greatest choice of the alternative “necessity of improvement” was the one of habits and values (20% and 20.5% respectively). Despite the percentage not being high, there were the difficulties regarding the daily life mainly in face of changes in routine as well as expectations regarding the future. From the application of the WHOQOL-bref, it could be noticed that the patients who self-evaluated themselves with the lowest average of quality of life are the ones who have spouses (54.6%), the ones who have been undergoing hemodialysis for over a year (52.6%) and the male patients (58.6%). The variable years of schooling demonstrated that the persons with less education present lower evaluation of their quality of life in following domains: Physical (51,1%), Social (61,0%) and Environment (61.1%). It is understood, therefore, that the Occupational Therapy presents instrumental resources for the reorganization of those patients’ daily life, constituting a valuable contribution for assistance.

Thesis (MA--Art and Design) -- AUT University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references. Also held in print (65 leaves : col. ill. ; 22 x 30 cm.) in City Campus Collection (T 658.5752 BOU)

This study aimed to describe the life standard in the post-Soviet context taking the Republic of Adygeya, one of the poorest districts of Post-Soviet Russia, as an example. The applicability of the European approach to the life standard (quality of life) was also in question. The survey in Adygeya showed that life standard research is applicable in the post-Soviet context. However, modifications are necessary and not all concepts are comparable to the world outside the ex-Soviet region. The descriptive chapters on the case of Adygeya include income, economic life, settlement, necessities and ownership, the failure of the systems of education and heath, democracy and citizens as well as the general evaluation of the quality of life and satisfaction.