In the last few decades as American society and urban life have changed dramatically, public health and urban sociological research have increasingly focused on the effect of residential location on individual well-being. In recent years, social capital has been viewed as an important pathway in understanding the associations between where one lives and health and social outcomes. Although there is not one, single definition of social capital, researchers within public health have often relied on three schools of thought labeled after Pierre Bourdieu, James Coleman, and Robert Putnam to define social capital and hypothesize its relationship with health and behaviors. However, for many years, public health researchers have often relied on Putnam's theory (1993, 1995, 2000) and a communitarian approach to defining social capital and its possible relationship to health and well-being. Many researchers and sociologists have criticized this over-reliance and overuse of Putnam's social capital constructs as they have been criticized for lacking depth and their inability to explain the causal pathways in which social capital and health operate. Additionally, the measures used to operationalize the most widely used Putnam social capital constructs often focus only on a few dimensions of his theory; generalized trust, shared norms and values, reciprocity, and civic engagement. These measures have been criticized for simultaneously being overly theoretically broad and limited in its measurement. In this research, I use a more recent paradigm of social capital theory that conceptualizes social capital as having several dimensions thereby enabling one to examine the possibility that different forms of social capital and cohesion have different impacts (both negative and positive) on health behaviors and well-being. This paper compares a Putnam-based social capital model as measured by the most commonly used variables based on his work against a broader, multi-dimensional model that measures social capital across several constructs and variables. I have evaluated the "expanded" multi-dimensional model and the smaller, Putnam-only model with a different dataset to examine the relationships between these dimensions of social capital and health behaviors and outcomes. Additionally, recent sociological research using this expanded approach has highlighted the important role of individual attachment to the neighborhood as an important mediator in the association between social capital and health outcomes. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), a longitudinal birth cohort study of families in 20 cities with populations of 200,000 or more people, I investigated the role of social capital as measured across four dimensions, social cohesion (the Putnam-based Traditional Model), individual neighborhood attachment, and neighborhood socio-economic conditions on the likelihood of maternal smoking and alcohol use. Moreover, this multi-dimensional model was enhanced by the addition of another feature of social capital that was not extensively addressed in prior research, bridging social capital. Bridging social capital has been defined as relationships among individuals who are not alike in social identity or characteristics. In recent years, bridging social capital at times has been further refined to highlight the relationships within heterogeneous networks who do not share the same power structures and institutions, and economic spheres. This has been referred to as "linking" social capital. Additionally, sociologist Mario Small has extensively documented that importance of both weak ties (an aspect of "bridging" social capital) and organizational embeddedness in the relationship between social capital and health and well- being for residents in poor communities. This underrepresented dimension in the public health literature is addressed in this paper. In this research, I incorporated a measure of bridging social capital and organizational ties to highlight the possible role this form of social capital may play in understanding the association of social capital and health outcomes. This research extends the current literature by applying a recently developed model of social capital to the analysis of health outcomes using a different data set. The goal of this study was not only to explore smoking and alcohol use, neighborhood socioeconomic conditions, indicators of social capital (including social support, social leverage, informal social control, neighborhood organization participation, and bridging social capital), and the role of individual neighborhood attachment but also highlight the importance for public health researchers to use a multidimensional approach rather than rely on utilizing a few social capital constructs retrieved from Putnam's extensive published work. The multi-dimensional approach which broadens the lens in which researchers use to aid them in the understanding the association between social capital and health and well-being is more beneficial than a narrow focus that relies on a few social capital domains to examine this relationship. The association of these different dimensions was statistically tested through multiple logistic regression analyses which examined a hypothesized interaction effect between organizational embeddedness and social capital and its association with health outcomes and behaviors. It is hoped that this research will further advance the public health discourse regarding the association between health outcomes and social capital, measured across several dimensions and conceptualized through an access to resources and networks based lens.

This thesis presents an ethnography of white researchers who work at the Darwin Institute of Indigenous Health Research. This group of ‘proximate advocates’ is made up of predominantly middle-class, educated and antiracist white health professionals. Their decision to move from more populated areas to the north of Australia, where Indigenous disadvantage is most pronounced, is motivated by the hope of enacting postcolonial justice so long denied to the nation’s first peoples. / This ethnography thus contributes to the anthropology of postcolonial forms, and specifically benevolent forms. The Darwin Institute of Indigenous Health Research is an example of a postcolonial space where there is an attempt to invert colonial power relations: that is, to acknowledge the effects of colonisation on Indigenous people and remedy them. / The thesis begins with an account of suburban life in contemporary Darwin focused on the figure of the ‘longgrasser’ who threatens to create disorder at my local shops. This is an example of the postcolonial frontier, the place where antiracist white people encounter radically-different Indigenous people. Part 1 develops a conceptual model for understanding the process of mutual recognition that creates the subjectivities of Indigenous people and of white antiracists. / Drawing on critiques of liberalism and postcolonial theory, in Part 2 I describe the knowledge system dominant in Indigenous health discourse, postcolonial logic. It is postcolonial logic that prescribes how white antiracists should assist Indigenous people by furthering Indigenous self-determination. I argue that postcolonial logic can be understood as the junction of remedialism (a form of liberalism) and orientalism. The melding of these two concepts produces remediable difference: a difference that can be brought into the norm. / In Part 3 I describe how white researchers at the Institute experience radical difference, or at least its possibility. These experiences challenge the concept of remediable difference. If Indigenous people are not remediably different, but radically different, the process of mutual recognition breaks down, and the viability of a white antiracist subjectivity is called into question. The ensuing breakdown of postcolonial logic threatens to expose white antiracists as no different from their assimilationist predecessors. / Part 4 explores the underlying dilemmas of the postcolony that are revealed when postcolonial logic unravels. The dilemma of historical continuity emerges when the discursive techniques that enact historical discontinuity between postcolonisers and their predecessors break down. The dilemma of social improvement is the possibility that the practices of the self-determination era not only resemble assimilation, but are assimilation. It is the possibility that any attempts to extend the benefits of modernity enjoyed by non-Indigenous Australia to Indigenous people will erode their cultural distinctiveness. The postcolonial condition is the experience of living with these aporias. / In the conclusion, I consider the implications of my argument for the current Australian political context, for the project of liberal multiculturalism, and for the broader problem of power and difference. I look to friendship as a deceptively simple, perhaps implausible, and yet powerful trope that can relieve the postcolonial condition and offer hope for peaceful coexistence in the postcolony.

People with disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum, comprise the world's largest minority and experience significant inequities in Internet use. Existing standards for accessible web sites are necessary but not sufficient without the direct engagement of end users in identifying access needs. Yet little is known about methods for effective engagement, and there are no systematically derived Web accessibility guidelines for autistic end users. Here I explore a hybrid approach to direct engagement using critical systems thinking (CST) and community based participatory research (CBPR) during the co-development of a healthcare-focused web site by the Academic Autism Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE). I explore these ideas on three levels: theory, practice, and critical self-reflection. On the theory level, I examine the common philosophical and historical roots of CST and CBPR, ways in which they intersect and complement, and propose the hybrid approach exemplified by AASPIRE. On the practice level, I explore our web site development process and evaluate the accessibility, usability, and acceptability of the web site for autistic end users; from that work, comes a set of recommendations for working with people with disabilities in technology development and a set of accessibility guidelines for autistic end users. On the critical self-reflection level, I inquire into my own experiences as an insider-researcher during the web site development. I then synthesize the levels to evaluate whether or not taking a hybrid CST/CBPR approach to web development was effective, as indicated by the team's ability to function as an emancipatory learning organization (an indicator of effective systems thinking on an organizational level), and the overall usability and accessibility of the web site. The result of the synthesis suggests a hybrid CST/CBPR approach was effective. Implications of this work include innovations in CST methods for operationalizing its commitment to human emancipation, potential for drawing a more ideologically-aligned systems thinking literature into the domain of CBPR, a means for individuals wishing to create a more power-balanced learning organization, innovations around including people with disabilities in research and technology development, more accessible web sites for people on the autism spectrum, and a potential small shift of dominant discourse around autism, disability, and the value of insider-researchers over time.

Master of Philosophy / As Australia’s leading agency for funding health research (expending over $400 million in 2006), the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has a major responsibility to improve the evidence base for health policy and practice. There is an urgent need for better evidence to guide policy and programs that improve the health of Indigenous peoples. In 2002, NHMRC endorsed a series of landmark policy changes to acknowledge its ongoing role and responsibilities in Indigenous health research—adopting a strategic Road Map for research, improving Indigenous representation across NHMRC Council and Principal Committees, and committing 5% of its annual budget to Indigenous health research. This thesis examines how these policies evolved, the extent to which they have been implemented, and their impact on agency expenditure in relation to People Support. Additionally, this thesis describes the impact of NHMRC policies in reshaping research practices among Indigenous populations.

As Africa faces the challenges of its renewal or renaissance, the HIV/AIDS epidemic poses the greatest potential barrier to the attainment of this vision (Makgoba, 2001 in Dorrington, Bourne, Bradshaw, Laubscher & Timaeus, 2001). The development of an HIV vaccine that is safe, effective and affordable, has been widely contemplated as a necessary supplement to already established interventions. In preparation for HIV vaccine trials in South Africa the current project aimed to assess students' understanding (knowledge and perceptions) and experiences of vaccination in general, and to explore if these were associated with demographics such as motherhood and gender. A parallel aim was to assess students' knowledge and expectations of HIV vaccination and trial participation. A sample of 33 students was recruited from university residences at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg. Participants were interviewed via a semi-structured interview schedule. The data collected was then coded and analysed using content analysis, while Chi - square analysis was used to evaluate if demographics such as gender and motherhood were systematically associated with various responses. The results revealed that the vast majority of participants (97%) knew the purpose of vaccination, stating that it was to promote health and prevent illness. Most participants (67%) knew that vaccination works by mobilising the immune system (vaccination mechanism). The vast majority of participants (91%) could name at least one vaccine preventable disease. Uptake of childhood immunisation was reportedly high (88%) while adult uptake of immunisation was low (33%). A significant minority (36%) reported that they had experienced side effects but understood these to be an integral part of vaccination. Thirty percent of participants stated they were willing to participate (WTP) in a hypothetical vaccine trial, 33 % of participants were not WTP and 15% were not sure. Motivations for trial participation were reportedly influenced most by personal incentives of altruism (39%) and barriers such as perceived significant physical risk (61%). In general, knowledge and experiences of vaccination were not associated with gender or with motherhood. The results suggest that more awareness of HIV vaccine trials is needed. In this regard education should emphasise that the prospective vaccine will be preventive, that only healthy people can volunteer and that the HIV vaccine will not guarantee immunity to HIV infection. Suggestions are made for future research into motivations, barriers and incentives to facilitate an ethical process of vaccine trial participation. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

Master of Philosophy / As Australia’s leading agency for funding health research (expending over $400 million in 2006), the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has a major responsibility to improve the evidence base for health policy and practice. There is an urgent need for better evidence to guide policy and programs that improve the health of Indigenous peoples. In 2002, NHMRC endorsed a series of landmark policy changes to acknowledge its ongoing role and responsibilities in Indigenous health research—adopting a strategic Road Map for research, improving Indigenous representation across NHMRC Council and Principal Committees, and committing 5% of its annual budget to Indigenous health research. This thesis examines how these policies evolved, the extent to which they have been implemented, and their impact on agency expenditure in relation to People Support. Additionally, this thesis describes the impact of NHMRC policies in reshaping research practices among Indigenous populations.

Orientador: Oscar Braz Mendonza Negrão / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Geociencias / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-05T20:25:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Vieira_MarceloPustilnikdeAlmeida_M.pdf: 1784047 bytes, checksum: 90bf2a347f2fdde54b64397d4cd3bf29 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005 / Resumo: Uma das áreas de risco ambiental de maior amplitude e morbidade no município de Campinas (SP) é o bairro Jardim Satélite Íris I, situado sobre e ao redor de antigo depósito de lixo, conhecido por Lixão da Pirelli, onde foram despejados detritos industriais, hospitalares, domésticos e de varrição urbana . No bairro, o atendimento e orientação no âmbito da saúde é oferecido por profissionais radicados em centros ou postos de saúde e por Agentes Comunitários de Saúde itinerantes, que percorrem as residências dos moradores. Em áreas de risco ambiental, a orientação adequada por parte desses profissionais depende de conhecimentos relacionados a processos em curso nos seres humanos, mas também no solo, na água, no ar, bem como nos animais e plantas, todos componentes do Ambiente local. O presente trabalho dedica-se à identificação das concepções de meio físico dos Agentes Comunitários de Saúde e das influências dessas concepções em seu trabalho junto aos moradores do bairro Jardim Satélite Íris I. O instrumento de pesquisa utilizado foi a entrevista, aplicada a quase todo o universo, formado por oito Agentes. A conclusão principal da pesquisa é a importância do conhecimento geológico na formação dos Agentes e dos demais profissionais da saúde, conhecimento esse que deveria ser estendido para a educação formal, quer básica ou superior, de forma a ajudar o homem a compreender o planeta sobre o qual vive / Abstract: One of the areas of environmental risk of larger width and morbidity in Campinas (SP) municipal district is the neighborhood Jardim Satélite Íris I, located on and near a old garbage deposit, known by Lixão da Pirelli (The Big Garbage of Pirelli), where industrial, hospital, domestic and sweep urban debris were spilled. In the neighborhood, the attendance and orientation in the ambit of the health is offered by professionals rooted at health centers or health station and for Community Agents of Health itinerant that traveI the residents' residences. In areas of environmental risk, the appropriate orientation for those professionals' part depends on knowledge related to processes in course in the human beings, but also in the soil, in the water, in the air, as well as in the animals and plants, all components in the local Atmosphere. The present work is devoted to the identification of the conceptions of physical middle of the Conununity Agents of Health and of the influences of those conceptions in your work dose to the residents of the neighborhood Jardim Satélite Íris I. The research instrument used it was the interview, applied almost the whole universe, formed by eight Agents. The main research condusion is the importance of the geological knowledge in the formation of the Agents and of the other health professionals, knowledge that that should be extended for the formal basic or superior education, in way to help the man to understand the planet where it lives / Mestrado / Mestre em Ensino e Historia de Ciencias da Terra

Nurses as professionals and front-liners in patient care should possess good knowledge about health research, as this is critical in improving patient outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of knowledge and attitudes that public health clinic nurses possess regarding health research in Botswana in order to make recommendations to enhance a research culture among nurses. A quantitative study with a cross-sectional study design was used. Twenty-six clinics in Gaborone were sampled and 168 nurses participated in the survey. Data was analysed using Stata version 15.1. Only 51% of the nurses demonstrated satisfactory knowledge of health research. Despite this limited knowledge, nurses had a good attitude towards health research (66%). Degree nurses were more likely to have satisfactory knowledge, as were those who reported research training and experience. Additionally, research training and experience were associated with a good attitude. Recommendations include provision of research training and practicums as part of the nursing education curriculum, as well as in-service training, in order to improve the levels of knowledge of health research among nurses. / Health Studies / M. P. H.

Despite the availability of numerous models for knowledge translation into practice and policy, research uptake remains low in resource-limited countries. This study was aimed at developing a model to facilitate research uptake in healthcare practice and policy development. The study used a two-phase exploratory sequential approach (QUAL→QUAN). Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with a total of 21 participants, categorised as researchers (6), frontline workers/practitioners (7), programme/policy managers (4), and directors/senior managers (4) from government, private sector and academic institutions of higher learning (universities and colleges). Quantitative data were collected through an online cross-sectional survey, administered to 212 respondents who conducted research studies in the Mpumalanga Province between 2014 to 2019. The most significant findings seem to be lack of awareness of research findings and champions to lead engagements among research stakeholders on research uptake. In addition, the research has established a failure by researchers to align public health research projects to existing local contexts and available resources. Conversely, there is a growing propensity of using informal research without consideration of data quality issues. It was further observed that establishing and sustaining beneficial collaboration between all research stakeholders is required to promote effective research uptake for practice and policy development. The survey results established a total of 13 components: four individual factors (support, experience, motivation & time factor); four organisational factors (research agenda, funding, resources & partnerships), and five research characteristics factors (gatekeeping, local research committees, accessibility of evidence, quality of evidence & critical appraisal skills). However, the Spearman’s correlation coefficient revealed that of the 13 factors, only six factors had a significant positive correlation with research uptake, namely: support, experience, motivation, time factor, resources, and critical appraisal skills. Consequently, a model for institutionalising research uptake is proposed. The roles of local research committees have been clarified, and a logical framework has been incorporated with pathways and channels of engagements to enable successful implementation of the research uptake model. / Health Studies / Ph. D. (Public Health)

Over the past two decades there has been an upsurge in interest in structural equation modelling (SEM). Applications abound in the social sciences and econometrics, but the use of this multivariate technique is not so common in public health research. This dissertation discusses the methodology, the criticisms and practical problems of SEM. We examine actual applications of SEM in public health research. Comparisons are made between multiple regression and SEM and between factor analysis and SEM. A complex model investigating the utilization of antenatal care services (ANC) by migrant women in Belgium is analysed using SEM. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the results found and on the use of SEM in public health research. Structural equation modelling is recommended as a tool for public health researchers with a warning against using the technique too casually. / Mathematical Sciences / M. Sc. (Statistics)