Adolessente loop In hoe risiko om slagoffers van seksuele misbruik te word. Seksuele misbruik het In merkwaardige impak op adolessente. Tesame met die hoe eise wat die stormagtige adolessensieperiode aan In persoon stel is vroee intervensie veral noodsaaklik. Dit word geredelik aanvaar dat vroee intervensie ernstige versteurings in volwassensheid mag verhoed. Adolessente kom egter oor die algemeen nie vanself na vore vir die nodige hulpverlening nie. Die doel van die ondersoek was om ondersoek in te stel na die noodsaaklikheid van In bewusmakingsprogram vir adolessente rakende seksuele misbruik. Die doel was verder om aanbevelings aan die hand te doen vir die ontwerp van In effektiewe bewusmakingsprogram. Die navorsing het In gekombineerde kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe benadering gevolg. 214 adolessente en 10 onderwysers van twee hoerskole is by die ondersoek betrek. Albei groepe deelnemers het vraelyste voltooi. Adolessente het kwantitatiewe vraelyste voltooi terwyl onderwysers In kwalitatiewe skedule voltooi het. Uit laasgenoemde is verskeie temas ge'identifiseer en bespreek. Die studie was verkennend sowel as beskrywend van aard. Dit is vanuit die bevindings duidelik dat daar die noodsaaklikheid bestaan van In bewusmakingsprogram aan adolessente rakende seksuele misbruik. Aanbevelings rakende die inhoud en ontwerp van so In program is vanuit die studie gedoen. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Adolessente loop In hoe risiko om slagoffers van seksuele misbruik te word. Seksuele misbruik het In merkwaardige impak op adolessente. Tesame met die hoe eise wat die stormagtige adolessensieperiode aan In persoon stel is vroee intervensie veral noodsaaklik. Dit word geredelik aanvaar dat vroee intervensie ernstige versteurings in volwassensheid mag verhoed. Adolessente kom egter oor die algemeen nie vanself na vore vir die nodige hulpverlening nie. Die doel van die ondersoek was om ondersoek in te stel na die noodsaaklikheid van In bewusmakingsprogram vir adolessente rakende seksuele misbruik. Die doel was verder om aanbevelings aan die hand te doen vir die ontwerp van In effektiewe bewusmakingsprogram. Die navorsing het In gekombineerde kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe benadering gevolg. 214 adolessente en 10 onderwysers van twee hoerskole is by die ondersoek betrek. Albei groepe deelnemers het vraelyste voltooi. Adolessente het kwantitatiewe vraelyste voltooi terwyl onderwysers In kwalitatiewe skedule voltooi het. Uit laasgenoemde is verskeie temas ge'identifiseer en bespreek. Die studie was verkennend sowel as beskrywend van aard. Dit is vanuit die bevindings duidelik dat daar die noodsaaklikheid bestaan van In bewusmakingsprogram aan adolessente rakende seksuele misbruik. Aanbevelings rakende die inhoud en ontwerp van so In program is vanuit die studie gedoen. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Title: What explains variability in blood pressure readings? Multilevel analysis of data from 8,731 older adults in 20 Ontario Communities Objectives: Despite universal healthcare and drug coverage for adults aged 65 and over in Ontario, hypertension, a treatable condition, remains uncontrolled among many older adults. Moreover, there are geographic disparities in blood pressure and hypertension within and across Canadian provinces and territories. Using baseline data collected on 8,731 older adults participating in the Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program (CHAP) in 20 randomly selected Ontario communities, we investigated associations between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and individual- and community-level characteristics, controlling for self-reported use of blood pressure medications. Method: Older adults were recruited via invitation by local family physicians, public advertising and word of mouth to attend community pharmacy sessions. During the sessions, trained older adult volunteers assisted participants to complete a cardiovascular disease risk factor questionnaire and blood pressure assessments using an automated blood pressure measuring device. The Postal Code Conversion File Plus was used to confirm residence within one of the 20 study communities. A multilevel linear regression analysis with participants nested within communities was used to determine which individual- and/or community-level characteristics were associated with measured systolic blood pressure level controlling for self-reported use of blood pressure medication. Results: 4,706 participants (53.9%) reported the use of blood pressure medication. Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels varied among the 20 communities from 128.1 mmHg to 134.7 mmHg for participants not using blood pressure medication and from 131.9 mmHg to 139.0 mmHg for participants using blood pressure medication. The intraclass correlation coefficients were very small: less than 0.2% of the total variance was between communities. Among participants not using blood pressure medication, SBP was associated with the following individual- level characteristics: age, sex, body mass index , smoking, physical activity, stress, fruit/vegetable intake, and alcohol consumption and the following community-level characteristics: community size, community growth and the Rurality Index. Among participants using blood pressure medication, SBP was associated with the following individual-level characteristics: age, sex, body mass index, diabetes, fruit/vegetable intake, alcohol intake and one community-level characteristic: community size. The significance and magnitude of these associations were modified by the use of blood pressure medication. Conclusion: The majority of the variability in blood pressure occurs at the individual-level. There are specific individual- and community-level factors that explain variability in blood pressure readings among communities. These results can be used to inform health promotion strategies to decrease mean levels of blood pressure among older adults.

Title: What explains variability in blood pressure readings? Multilevel analysis of data from 8,731 older adults in 20 Ontario Communities Objectives: Despite universal healthcare and drug coverage for adults aged 65 and over in Ontario, hypertension, a treatable condition, remains uncontrolled among many older adults. Moreover, there are geographic disparities in blood pressure and hypertension within and across Canadian provinces and territories. Using baseline data collected on 8,731 older adults participating in the Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program (CHAP) in 20 randomly selected Ontario communities, we investigated associations between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and individual- and community-level characteristics, controlling for self-reported use of blood pressure medications. Method: Older adults were recruited via invitation by local family physicians, public advertising and word of mouth to attend community pharmacy sessions. During the sessions, trained older adult volunteers assisted participants to complete a cardiovascular disease risk factor questionnaire and blood pressure assessments using an automated blood pressure measuring device. The Postal Code Conversion File Plus was used to confirm residence within one of the 20 study communities. A multilevel linear regression analysis with participants nested within communities was used to determine which individual- and/or community-level characteristics were associated with measured systolic blood pressure level controlling for self-reported use of blood pressure medication. Results: 4,706 participants (53.9%) reported the use of blood pressure medication. Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels varied among the 20 communities from 128.1 mmHg to 134.7 mmHg for participants not using blood pressure medication and from 131.9 mmHg to 139.0 mmHg for participants using blood pressure medication. The intraclass correlation coefficients were very small: less than 0.2% of the total variance was between communities. Among participants not using blood pressure medication, SBP was associated with the following individual- level characteristics: age, sex, body mass index , smoking, physical activity, stress, fruit/vegetable intake, and alcohol consumption and the following community-level characteristics: community size, community growth and the Rurality Index. Among participants using blood pressure medication, SBP was associated with the following individual-level characteristics: age, sex, body mass index, diabetes, fruit/vegetable intake, alcohol intake and one community-level characteristic: community size. The significance and magnitude of these associations were modified by the use of blood pressure medication. Conclusion: The majority of the variability in blood pressure occurs at the individual-level. There are specific individual- and community-level factors that explain variability in blood pressure readings among communities. These results can be used to inform health promotion strategies to decrease mean levels of blood pressure among older adults.

Title: What explains variability in blood pressure readings? Multilevel analysis of data from 8,731 older adults in 20 Ontario Communities Objectives: Despite universal healthcare and drug coverage for adults aged 65 and over in Ontario, hypertension, a treatable condition, remains uncontrolled among many older adults. Moreover, there are geographic disparities in blood pressure and hypertension within and across Canadian provinces and territories. Using baseline data collected on 8,731 older adults participating in the Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program (CHAP) in 20 randomly selected Ontario communities, we investigated associations between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and individual- and community-level characteristics, controlling for self-reported use of blood pressure medications. Method: Older adults were recruited via invitation by local family physicians, public advertising and word of mouth to attend community pharmacy sessions. During the sessions, trained older adult volunteers assisted participants to complete a cardiovascular disease risk factor questionnaire and blood pressure assessments using an automated blood pressure measuring device. The Postal Code Conversion File Plus was used to confirm residence within one of the 20 study communities. A multilevel linear regression analysis with participants nested within communities was used to determine which individual- and/or community-level characteristics were associated with measured systolic blood pressure level controlling for self-reported use of blood pressure medication. Results: 4,706 participants (53.9%) reported the use of blood pressure medication. Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels varied among the 20 communities from 128.1 mmHg to 134.7 mmHg for participants not using blood pressure medication and from 131.9 mmHg to 139.0 mmHg for participants using blood pressure medication. The intraclass correlation coefficients were very small: less than 0.2% of the total variance was between communities. Among participants not using blood pressure medication, SBP was associated with the following individual- level characteristics: age, sex, body mass index , smoking, physical activity, stress, fruit/vegetable intake, and alcohol consumption and the following community-level characteristics: community size, community growth and the Rurality Index. Among participants using blood pressure medication, SBP was associated with the following individual-level characteristics: age, sex, body mass index, diabetes, fruit/vegetable intake, alcohol intake and one community-level characteristic: community size. The significance and magnitude of these associations were modified by the use of blood pressure medication. Conclusion: The majority of the variability in blood pressure occurs at the individual-level. There are specific individual- and community-level factors that explain variability in blood pressure readings among communities. These results can be used to inform health promotion strategies to decrease mean levels of blood pressure among older adults.

Title: What explains variability in blood pressure readings? Multilevel analysis of data from 8,731 older adults in 20 Ontario Communities Objectives: Despite universal healthcare and drug coverage for adults aged 65 and over in Ontario, hypertension, a treatable condition, remains uncontrolled among many older adults. Moreover, there are geographic disparities in blood pressure and hypertension within and across Canadian provinces and territories. Using baseline data collected on 8,731 older adults participating in the Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program (CHAP) in 20 randomly selected Ontario communities, we investigated associations between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and individual- and community-level characteristics, controlling for self-reported use of blood pressure medications. Method: Older adults were recruited via invitation by local family physicians, public advertising and word of mouth to attend community pharmacy sessions. During the sessions, trained older adult volunteers assisted participants to complete a cardiovascular disease risk factor questionnaire and blood pressure assessments using an automated blood pressure measuring device. The Postal Code Conversion File Plus was used to confirm residence within one of the 20 study communities. A multilevel linear regression analysis with participants nested within communities was used to determine which individual- and/or community-level characteristics were associated with measured systolic blood pressure level controlling for self-reported use of blood pressure medication. Results: 4,706 participants (53.9%) reported the use of blood pressure medication. Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels varied among the 20 communities from 128.1 mmHg to 134.7 mmHg for participants not using blood pressure medication and from 131.9 mmHg to 139.0 mmHg for participants using blood pressure medication. The intraclass correlation coefficients were very small: less than 0.2% of the total variance was between communities. Among participants not using blood pressure medication, SBP was associated with the following individual- level characteristics: age, sex, body mass index , smoking, physical activity, stress, fruit/vegetable intake, and alcohol consumption and the following community-level characteristics: community size, community growth and the Rurality Index. Among participants using blood pressure medication, SBP was associated with the following individual-level characteristics: age, sex, body mass index, diabetes, fruit/vegetable intake, alcohol intake and one community-level characteristic: community size. The significance and magnitude of these associations were modified by the use of blood pressure medication. Conclusion: The majority of the variability in blood pressure occurs at the individual-level. There are specific individual- and community-level factors that explain variability in blood pressure readings among communities. These results can be used to inform health promotion strategies to decrease mean levels of blood pressure among older adults.

This study’s contribution to knowledge is the contextualizing of emotional awareness as a prerequisite for becoming emotionally intelligent, and developing a program to educate emotional awareness, as a developmental ability, within the educational system. Emotional intelligence is a familiar and widely recognized term, but is in fundamental nature more of a broad and overreaching outcome, rather than an ability. This research focused on children in the middle childhood developmental phase and how emotional awareness can be taught to them. An Emotional Awareness Program (EA Program) was developed and implemented within the classroom context and its effectiveness was evaluated to determine whether the EA Program did have an influence on emotional vocabulary, emotional expression and the general level of emotional awareness displayed by the learners. Being emotionally aware, benefits children on different levels of their functioning. Various authors, as cited in this study, conclude that relationships, self-esteem, academic performance, independent functioning and self expression all benefit from the development of emotional awareness. Entering the school setting is often the child’s first move into relationships with peers and adults other than family members. Learners spend most of their waking lives, during their middle childhood, in school. Many aspects necessary for emotional education may be found within the school environment. These consist of peer relationships, empathy for others, problem-solving, developing a regard for the feelings of others and coping with difficult situations or emotions. A child suffering physical and emotional abuse, neglect, trauma or insufficient stimulation presents neurological deterioration in neurons (the “building blocks” of the brain). Diminished brain functioning may result in anger, emotional episodes and disruptive behaviour as methods of emotional expression in some learners. Neurological damage, suffered in this manner, can be reversed via the intervention of a caring adult. This interaction stimulates healthy neurons, and causes them to migrate to the area that suffered damage, thus illustrating the immense role educators are required to play in the future development and restoration of neurological health of some learners. The educational system is ideally positioned to deal with children from a holistic perspective by addressing not only their cognitive and physical needs, but also their emotional and subsequent social needs. Furthermore, the development of the emotional awareness of educators will equip them with the necessary insight into the emotional needs of learners. It is anticipated that emotional awareness will benefit learners in general and have a positive ripple effect on schools and communities as a whole. The study found that the Gestalt approach is best suited for the research study, as it presupposes that the child is “a whole and complex being”; and considers, as a backdrop, the child’s development regarding awareness and the influence that this has on their progress. It was noted from the study that this viewpoint is not always the point of departure of the current school set-up. This investigation was executed using a quantitative research approach, with a structured method of inquiry. This consisted of the formulation of a specific and constant hypothesis, a predetermined research process and a standardized questionnaire. The researcher wanted to measure the effectiveness of an EA program on specific variables such as the learners’ ability to: <ul> <li> be in contact with their emotions; </li><li> discriminate between different emotions; </li><li> verbalize and take ownership of their emotions; </li></ul> This study resorted within the description of applied research, as it was undertaken to acquire new knowledge and was primarily directed towards practical objectives. It focused on a practical problem; the need for an EA Program for children in middle childhood that was scientifically tested within the South African Education System. Within the context of applied research, intervention research was applicable to this study as it aimed to develop technology, useful to the educational profession. The design and development sub-type of intervention research best encompassed the researcher’s intent to design and develop technology, namely the EA Program, to implement the program (intervention) and to evaluate the effectiveness thereof for further implementation within the education system. A quasi-experimental design namely the comparison group pre-test – post-test design was utilized. A standardized questionnaire entitled Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS-C), developed by Dr. Jane Bajgar and Dr. Richard Lane (2003), was used as the measuring instrument. This questionnaire was developed specifically so that its use of language, the length and content of the form would be child appropriate. The study focused on children in the middle childhood developmental phase, which proved to be the phase where emotional awareness begins to play an important role. Children in this phase are particularly susceptible to new knowledge as they have already obtained the basic cognitive abilities (reading, writing and reasoning) necessary to comprehend the content of the EA program. The following conclusions were derived from the execution of this research study: Emotional awareness seemed to be a relatively unfamiliar term in comparison with the widely recognized and renowned term, emotional intelligence. This study positioned emotional awareness as a prerequisite for emotional intelligence; as it is a practical awareness of cognitively obtainable knowledge regarding the emotions of self and others. Emotional intelligence on the other hand is achieved through constructive and optimal emotional awareness abilities. Based on the research findings, and as suggested earlier, it appears that the education system is particularly well positioned to address the emotional development of a large percentage of the school going population. It is assumed that emotional awareness can be cognitively educated and educators are equipped with the necessary educational skills. The education system is thus further favourably equipped to educate emotional content due to the fact that cognitive development is their field of expertise. The research findings indicated that the EA Program succeeded to a great extent in developing emotional vocabulary, higher level emotional responses and the accompanying ability of emotional expression within the experimental group. This measured increase was derived from a seven week exposure to the EA program, which may be indicative of the results that could be achieved with daily exposure to emotional learning, and a healthy emotional setting within the school environment. Obtaining higher level emotional vocabulary is evidently accompanied by emotional expression as the appropriate vocabulary, which is necessary to express the emotional experience accurately. Emotional expression abilities were addressed in particular by the EA Program, and the empirical results suggest that the emotional vocabulary of respondents did expand. A caring educator, well equipped with insight into emotional awareness, may in many instances prove to be a safety net for many learners. This may well serve as a catalyst for reprogramming the brain of the emotionally scarred learner to trust, and risk getting back in the circle of life again, a better alternative than having the learner only surviving by adopting “fight‟ or “flight‟ strategies. Educators must become equipped with the knowledge to comprehend the possibly diminished brain development of the rebellious, aggressive, emotional or introverted learner. This will ensure that their response to such learners has emotional development at heart rather than further emotional harm. Educators should therefore be in touch with their own emotional awareness as well. Indeed, it may prove interesting to determine the value that would be added to the quality of education in South Africa through emotional awareness training to educators. The education system as a whole possesses a responsibility and accountability regarding the educational wellbeing of their learners, as emotional health pre-determines the learners’ ability to thrive. This study made a valuable contribution to the field of both social work and education in their collective aim to develop and empower children. It is recommended that the common grounds where these two professions may meet should be further explored to determine where such a partnership can add further value to the South African educational setting. Providing an emotionally safe and secure classroom atmosphere requires further exploration, as it is an additional factor relating to the ability of learners to excel in class. Existing literature suggests that peer relationships and self-esteem will also benefit from emotional awareness, but the development of these two variables was not tested in this study, and may be a topic for further research. It would be significant to repeat this study on a national level to determine the current emotional level of primary school learners. Comparative studies to determine the differences in emotional awareness of learners in urban and rural areas, or within different ethnic backgrounds may also be of value. This will assist in determining the South African situation regarding emotional awareness and to develop the means to enhance it within the South African education system. This study demonstrated that emotional awareness is an easily comprehendible term which can be easily educated but presents vast benefits. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

There is a large number of information security awareness programs (iSAP) found in the literature with multiple approaches. Considering that the number of security breaches performed by insiders is as high as 48%, the effectiveness of such programs is questionable. This leaves a considerable space for external, but also internal criminals, to perform and succeed in their attacks, something that can cause heavy losses (both economical and less tangible as reputation) to organizations. This thesis decided to study some of those iSAP to see their strengths and weaknesses. After studying the approaches in focus for this thesis, and following an inductive research method, a new model to develop iSAP from a holistic point of view was presented. The solution has been aligned with subject matter experts (SME) at “Company X” and with end-users external to that company. The model is now ready to be studied empirically in organizations to evaluate its effectiveness.

There is a lack of research on what it means to be college and career ready at the middle school level, and this creates confusion for students when they enter high school and must select courses that are aligned with their college and career goals. This study sought to understand how the Schools to College and Career (S2C) Readiness Program impacts middle school students at the charter school. In order to understand this impact, the study looked at how the S2C Readiness Program relates to students’ understanding and awareness of CCR at the school. Using a quantitative approach this study will sought to answer: What factors influence middle school students' awareness of college and career options after completing the S2C Readiness Program? To answer the guiding question middle school students completed two surveys. Archival data was also collected and analyzed. The results from the student survey responses showed an increase in interest in different careers as student performance level (measured from MAP score) increased. Furthermore, as students completed the S2C Readiness Program, their understanding of basic skills and content knowledge also increased. The results did show an increase in engagement and interest in their S2C elective courses. Also, students responded with an understanding of what it means to be college and career ready as they completed the S2C Readiness Program. There was also an increase in students seeking to understand what it means to be college and career ready as students get older. The research did not support a positive link between S2C elective class choice and college and career awareness. Many students responded that they did not explore college and career interests in their S2C class or on their own and did not engage in projects related to college and careers in their S2C elective class. This study sought to understand this impact, the study looked at how the S2C Readiness Program impacted students’ understanding and awareness of CCR at the charter school. Knowing that many students do not have the skills and tools necessary to be college and career ready this study hoped to provide insight for improving the S2C Readiness Program at the charter school. This research provided recommendations for improving the S2C Readiness Program at the charter school as well as college and career education opportunities in middle schools in general. This dissertation concluded with recommendations for future research to support such initiatives from elementary to the high school level.

<p>The thesis presents three papers discussing some of the methodological issues regarding studies investigating complex community-based cardiovascular health interventions. All three studies involved the Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program (CHAP), a standardised blood pressure and risk factor assessment and educational sessions held in pharmacies or other locally accessible areas in small to mid-sized communities in Ontario, Canada.</p> <p>The first paper reviews the literature and proposes a guide on how to develop a theoretical framework for complex community-based interventions using CHAP as an example. The paper describes a stepwise process of developing a theoretical framework including challenges encountered and strategies employed to overcome them.</p> <p>The second paper presents how recently published randomized controlled trials evaluating complex community-based cardiovascular health interventions monitored and reported implementation fidelity based on a structured review of the published articles and a survey of their primary authors. The results showed that fidelity reporting of included studies was better than those described in previous reviews. Fidelity was verified through self-reports by implementers and supervision by researchers. Strategies described to standardize intervention delivery were through training of implementers and use of implementation guides. The authors’ survey results were consistent with the review results though there were some gaps which could be improved to strengthen fidelity reporting.</p> <p>A data analysis issue with studies investigating complex community-based interventions is that outcomes can be affected by factors from multiple levels. The third paper explores the association of individual, partnership, and community-related factors with CHAP participants’ use of health-related community resources and cardiovascular risk behaviours. This was a cross-sectional analysis of an on-going cohort study. The results showed that individual factors (age and self-efficacy) had the most consistent association with the outcomes. Community and partnership level variables showed less consistent association with the outcome. Methodological and analytical challenges were presented.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)