No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Pennsylvania State University, 1971. / Includes bibliographical references.

Over the last two decades the incidence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents has reached epidemic proportions in both developed and developing nations. Reducing the incidence of childhood overweight and obesity is of particular importance in countries undergoing social and cultural transitions, such as Trinidad and Tobago, where chronic diseases, such as childhood obesity may have severe social and economic impacts on public health. Although there are a number of studies that have investigated the health and lifestyle behaviours of school aged children, very little information exists about health and lifestyle behaviours of school age children in Trinidad and Tobago. Also, little information exists on the development of questionnaires to address health related issues within this culture and age group. The purpose of this study was to describe the development and pre-test of a knowledge, attitude, belief and practice (KABP) questionnaire to assess healthy lifestyle outcomes of school aged children in Trinidad and Tobago. Three data sources were used for the design and pre-testing of the questionnaire: content analysis of the literature, interview of key stakeholders, and onsite observations. An in-depth review of the literature was conducted for insights about questionnaire development. Interviews (individual and focus groups) were conducted of key stakeholder groups (school staff, the national school feeding program and curriculum officers) and children to determine current policies and practices, beliefs, barriers, and attitudes towards promoting health lifestyles (nutrition and fitness) in Trinidad and Tobagos elementary schools. Site observations provided insight into the school food environment, class room practices, and food services offered at school. Observations were recorded using field notes and interviews were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim. Interview data from each participant was analyzed separately for dominant themes and recurring topics. The interviews were then compiled to establish the main issues which the questionnaire needed to address. The KABP questionnaire addressed general knowledge about healthy eating and activity, screen time, physical activity, snack and food choices, and self efficacy. The KABP questionnaire consisted of question items that were developed to fit the issues unique to Trinidad and Tobago, and items from previously validated questionnaires which were modified to fit the context of Trinidad and Tobago. The questionnaire was then pre-tested with a sample group of the target population. Pre-testing was done one-on one, in small groups and in the classroom setting. Based on pre-test results the questionnaire was then modified to form version 1.0 of the KABP questionnaire. Version 1.0 of the KABP questionnaire consisted of 30 questions divided into four categories. This culturally sensitive age appropriate questionnaire was the foundation of the KABP questionnaire which was used to collect baseline, midpoint and endpoint of the larger project.

Over the last two decades the incidence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents has reached epidemic proportions in both developed and developing nations. Reducing the incidence of childhood overweight and obesity is of particular importance in countries undergoing social and cultural transitions, such as Trinidad and Tobago, where chronic diseases, such as childhood obesity may have severe social and economic impacts on public health. Although there are a number of studies that have investigated the health and lifestyle behaviours of school aged children, very little information exists about health and lifestyle behaviours of school age children in Trinidad and Tobago. Also, little information exists on the development of questionnaires to address health related issues within this culture and age group. The purpose of this study was to describe the development and pre-test of a knowledge, attitude, belief and practice (KABP) questionnaire to assess healthy lifestyle outcomes of school aged children in Trinidad and Tobago. Three data sources were used for the design and pre-testing of the questionnaire: content analysis of the literature, interview of key stakeholders, and onsite observations. An in-depth review of the literature was conducted for insights about questionnaire development. Interviews (individual and focus groups) were conducted of key stakeholder groups (school staff, the national school feeding program and curriculum officers) and children to determine current policies and practices, beliefs, barriers, and attitudes towards promoting health lifestyles (nutrition and fitness) in Trinidad and Tobagos elementary schools. Site observations provided insight into the school food environment, class room practices, and food services offered at school. Observations were recorded using field notes and interviews were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim. Interview data from each participant was analyzed separately for dominant themes and recurring topics. The interviews were then compiled to establish the main issues which the questionnaire needed to address. The KABP questionnaire addressed general knowledge about healthy eating and activity, screen time, physical activity, snack and food choices, and self efficacy. The KABP questionnaire consisted of question items that were developed to fit the issues unique to Trinidad and Tobago, and items from previously validated questionnaires which were modified to fit the context of Trinidad and Tobago. The questionnaire was then pre-tested with a sample group of the target population. Pre-testing was done one-on one, in small groups and in the classroom setting. Based on pre-test results the questionnaire was then modified to form version 1.0 of the KABP questionnaire. Version 1.0 of the KABP questionnaire consisted of 30 questions divided into four categories. This culturally sensitive age appropriate questionnaire was the foundation of the KABP questionnaire which was used to collect baseline, midpoint and endpoint of the larger project.

This study was designed to compare perceptions of an alternative model for the vocational education program at secondary comprehensive schools in Trinidad and Tobago. The groups compared were vocational education teachers, academic teachers of related subjects, secondary comprehensive principals and vice principals, and vocational education curriculum supervisors. A survey instrument was developed and was tested to ensure its validity and reliability. The instrument utilized a seven-point Likert-type scale to measure the intensity of agreement or disagreement. The items related to the proposed model were subdivided into administration and planning, curriculum and instruction, and evaluation components.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the attitudes, expectations, and evolution of early experiences of Trinidadian adolescent girls as they navigate physical and emotional intimacy, their capacity to conceptualize and/or enact sexual desire to develop their own sense of agency. Using Trinidad and Tobago (TandT) as a case study, it examines whether attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors pertaining to sexual agency are influenced by socioeconomic factors or key life events, adverse experiences, and the influences of family, community, and broader societal structures. Emerging scholarship on sexuality in the Caribbean explores how women navigate sexual relationships and exercise their agency within the social and economic contexts of the Caribbean. The lived experiences of Caribbean people, particularly women and girls, are important, worthy of exploration, and necessitate permanent documentation. An examination of Caribbean society – a confluence of diverse and complex natural and social environments will enrich scholarship on the worlds shaped by people in this region, particularly by youth who will form the society of the future. Using transnational, Caribbean, and Black feminist frameworks, this study seeks to understand sexual awareness, desire, actions, and motivations in their early stages by conducting interviews with a diverse sample of adolescent girls in TandT. / Doctor of Philosophy / The purpose of this study is to investigate the attitudes, expectations, and evolution of early experiences of Trinidadian adolescent girls as they navigate physical and emotional intimacy, their capacity to conceptualize and/or enact sexual desire to develop their own sense of agency. Using Trinidad and Tobago (TandT) as a case study, it examines the factors that influence adolescent girls' behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs, about sexual, and how their behaviors demonstrate their agency and independence of thought. Emerging scholarship on sexuality in the Caribbean explores how women navigate sexual relationships and exercise their agency within the social and economic contexts of the Caribbean. The lived experiences of Caribbean people, particularly women and girls, are important, worthy of exploration, and necessitate permanent documentation. An examination of Caribbean society – a confluence of diverse and complex natural and social environments will enrich scholarship on the worlds shaped by people in this region, particularly by youth who will form the society of the future. This study seeks to understand sexual awareness, desire, actions, and motivations in their early stages by conducting interviews with a diverse sample of adolescent girls in TandT.

No description available.

This study examines the systematics and biogeography of frogs in the Eastern Caribbean, a biogeographical province consisting of the Lesser Antilles, Trinidad, and Tobago. A comprehensive collection of specimens was subjected to an analysis incorporating morphometric, osteological, and biochemical approaches. An investigation of $ alpha$-level taxonomy revealed the presence of four additional taxa: Colostethus chalcopis sp. nov. on Martinique, Eleutherodactylus amplinympha sp. nov. on Dominica, E. euphronides comb. nov. on Grenada, and E. shrevei comb. nov. on St. Vincent. Based on species distributions and detailed analyses of the largely congruent data sets, Eastern Caribbean frogs can be grouped into two major categories, those originating with South American stock and those of Greater Antillean ancestry. A South American origin is obvious for species which have no congeneric relatives in the Greater Antilles, e.g. C. chalcopis, Leptodactylus fallax, L. wagneri. Among the Eleutherodactylus species, northern Eastern Caribbean taxa form a monophyletic group within the E. auriculatus species group; the topology of relationships is ((E. barlagnei, E. pinchoni) ((E. amplinympha, E. martinicensis) E. johnstonei)). The southern Eastern Caribbean species may or may not form a monophyletic group, but E. euphronides and E. shrevei are sister taxa. The topology for these species is (E. urichi (E. terraebolivaris (E. euphronides, E. shrevei))). Thus, the Eastern Caribbean forms a biogeographic link between the large South American and Greater Antillean radiations of Eleutherodactylus; Eleutherodactylus is the only truly circum-Caribbean frog genus. Furthermore, historical evidence shows that the patchy, Caribbean-wide distribution of E. johnstonei is the direct result of accidental introduction mitigated by humans during the past three centuries.

Cette thèse part de l’hypothèse que des traces du passé, portées par chacun, habitent le quotidien, comme une sorte de mémoire collective insoupçonnée. Elle se propose en analysant les caractéristiques ou encore la transmission de quelques pratiques sociales (celles liées à la mort, à la religion, à la médecine populaire, au gwoka, au calypso et au conte) de comprendre ce qui se joue au-delà des apparences. A partir de ces expériences d’aujourd'hui, on découvre les apports divers, les dynamiques, les interactions, les ambivalences, ainsi que tout ce qui avait été mis en œuvre pour « braconner » des expressions, se créer des espaces de liberté et commencer à transcender un quotidien douloureux. Il s’avère, cependant que ces traces ne sont pas seulement des vestiges. Elles constituent plutôt un tissu complexe et mouvant construit par des perceptions, des émotions ainsi que des faits véridiques. Ces traces entremêlées d’hier et d’aujourd'hui, sont sans cesse réactivées par ceux qui les reçoivent, les portent et les transmettent à leur tour. / This thesis assumes that traces of the past, worn by everyone, inhabit the everyday, as a sort of unsuspected collective memory. In order to understand what is happening beyond appearances, it analyzes the characteristics of the transmission of a few social practices such as those related to death, religion, folk medicine, gwoka, calypso and storytelling. From today experiences, one discovers the various contributions, the dynamics, the interactions, the ambivalences, as well as all that had been implemented to "poach" expressions, to create spaces of freedom and start to transcend a painful reality. It turns out, however, that these traces are not just remnants. They are rather a complex and moving fabric woven by perceptions, emotions as well as truthful facts. These traces, which are those of yesterday and today intermingled, are constantly reactivated by those who receive them, carry them and transmit them in their turn.

No description available.