Fysisk aktivitet, stress och psykosocial arbetsmiljö är viktiga faktorer på och utanför arbetsplatsen. Tidigare forskning har visat att fysisk aktivitet kan påverka den subjektiva stressupplevelsen. En arbetsmiljö präglad av höga krav, för lite kontroll och socialt stöd kan leda till negativa känslor och stress. Syftet med uppsatsen var att undersöka deltagarnas träningsgrad och dess betydelse för upplevelse av allmän stress och fysisk aktivitet. Psykosocial miljö undersöks och sätts i relation till stressupplevelse, anställningstid, ålder och träningsgrad genom multipla regressionsanalyser. Deltagare i undersökningen var 82 anställda, varav 54 kvinnor. Resultaten visade bland annat att träningsgrad har betydelse för den allmänna upplevelsen av stress och fysisk aktivitet. Slutsatsen att psykosocial arbetsmiljö, stress och fysisk aktivitet kan interagera med varandra är av värde att lyfta fram. Detta kan bidra till ökad medvetenhet för organisationer och vara ett hälsofrämjande verktyg för att minska negativt upplevd stress på och utanför arbetsplatsen.

The work environment in organizations has been associated with a number of factors that contribute to both their success and sustainability. Many researchers have identified the role, influence or the connection between the work environment and these factors such as productivity and creativity. However, it seems that business owners do not take their organization’s work environment into consideration when making major business decisions such as acquiring external funding. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of acquiring external funding on the different social factors influencing the work environment for self-funded firms. We have conducted a multiple case study in which we collected data through conducting interviews with eight employees from five different organizations located in the Middle East region. We analyzed the gathered data based on a theoretical model that connects eleven work environment dimensions with three aspects that are accompanied by acquiring external funding, which are: the changes in management and goals, financial resources and new networks and contacts. As a result, we concluded that the changes in management and goals have the most complex effect on work environment when compared to the other two aspects. In addition, we explored how would these aspects affect the work environment, either directly or indirectly, and found that the individual level changes in the work environment are mostly affected indirectly since the employees do not tend to attribute such changes to external funding directly. Finally, according to our results, it doesn’t seem that having the same funding type would trigger similar changes in the work environment. On the other hand, having a similar funding objective by the financing party would trigger more similarities especially when it comes to the changes in management and goals.

No description available.

Master of Arts / Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work / Matthew R. Sanderson / Depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer is a significant concern for many communities in the High Plains region and, indeed, the global food system. Using data from 181 counties in the High Plains region, the STIRPAT model is used to identify the social drivers of groundwater depletion. The ordinary least squares regression analysis indicates that the scale of irrigation, value of agricultural commodities, and farm income each increase depletion levels, while county per capita income is negatively associated with depletion. Results from a path analysis reveal that government subsidies indirectly drive groundwater depletion by supporting farm incomes and the value of commodities. Groundwater depletion in the High Plains region is ultimately a policy decision − one that has generated a positive feedback loop linking farm incomes to groundwater withdrawals.

Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone Project / In a society growing towards alternative modes of transportation, this study explores the phase 2 streetcar expansion for the Tucson area. Using case studies and research articles, a criteria of factors were created to best judge three predetermined expansion routes. A case study was then done on these routes to determine which route would be best for the area. In this study, the factors that were looked at and used to rank the three routes included; population density and average annual income of the surrounding area of the route (400 meter buffer), accessibility and connectivity, which includes; bus stops, bike lanes, walkability, traffic counts and possible park & ride development. The last factor used in the case study was proximity to destination, specifically how many ‘big destinations’ (destinations that experience high volumes of people) each route had. The proximity to destination factor also determined how good of a balance each route had with housing, work and amenities/leisure destinations.

Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone Project / Abstract Suburbs have long been a place near and dear to the hearts of many, they provide private property, large homes and a sense of security. They have traditionally been located far from city centers and also far from jobs. The following paper researchers whether or not suburban homes can be updated to compensate for the extra distance their inhabitants have to commute to work. The study looks at three case houses in the focus area of Continental Ranch, a Pulte suburb. The follow research was performed using a cost benefit analysis on three case homes and four case vehicles. The results were calculated using available data, estimates and website based calculators. The five upgrades calculated were CFL/LED light bulb replacement, water fixture upgrades, fridge replacement, rainwater harvesting and installation of solar panels. The case homes varied in size from 1,369 to 3,609 square feet and were built between 1989 and 2001. The homes have between two to five bedrooms and two to three bathrooms. The cars chosen as vehicle options for comparison were the Toyota Prius, the Honda Civic, the Honda Odyssey and the Chevrolet Tahoe, all 2016 models. The results found that all three homes could be upgraded to compensate for the annual cost of gas consumption of all four car options. It should be noted that these calculations did not take into account the cost of the upgrades, but rather the savings it would procure.

Purpose: Morocco is undergoing a nutrition transition, characterised by increasing prevalence non-communicable diseases (NCD), including obesity. In that context, it is crucial to focus on fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake as they may have a preventive effect on weight gain and NCDs. Objectives: The objectives of the present work were: to develop an objective measure of F&V intake and to provide a holistic understanding of factors that may influence F&V consumption, such as socio-demographic and psychosocial factors. Methods: The target population was Moroccan women (20-49 years), living in the urban area of Rabat-Salé. This PhD involved three different studies: the first was based on focus groups that yielded qualitative data of women’s views of F&V; the second study involved validating a quantitative F&V Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ); the third a cross sectional population survey-which incorporated findings from studies 1 and 2 to assess dietary intake and the factors influencing F&V consumption. Results: Validation analyses suggested that the quantitative FFQ developed was reliable and valid to measure F&V intake. The mean F&V intake was 213g per day. Women with higher education, higher economic status and better knowledge scores ate significantly larger amounts of F&V than others. Processed food consumption was inversely associated with vegetable intakes. In terms of psychosocial factors, the strongest predictor of intention to eat fruit was control beliefs. Normative beliefs were the strongest predictor of intention to eat vegetables. Intention was the strongest predictor of both fruit and vegetable consumption. Conclusion: The data collected gave an overview of the amount of fruit and vegetables consumed by urban Moroccan women, and enabled a better understanding of the determinants of fruit and vegetable intake. As a consequence, data sheds light on possible avenues for policies and nutrition interventions to focus on in Morocco, in order to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.

Social-ecological systems describe interactions between humans and nature. The ecosystem approach provides a holistic system to manage and understand these interactions, and to maintain and enhance ecosystem services - the benefits nature provides to humans. While much theoretical discourse posits various approaches to the ecosystem approach and ecosystem services, there exists a lack of practical applications examining these approaches, especially in urban and peri-urban environments. The current research used a case study to examine the efficacy of integrating environmental management and ecosystem services within an urban greenspace social-ecological system. Initially, the most pertinent ecosystem services and management options were established. This was achieved through expert opinion, a rapid assessment, and a literature search which enabled the identification of a preferred management approach. This resulted in conservation grazing cattle over a 5 hectare salt marsh, typical of the Upper Mersey Estuary in the UK and situated within an urban area. The effects of cattle grazing on four relevant ecosystem services: (i) wild species diversity, (ii) environmental settings, (iii) carbon storage, and (iv) immobilisation of pollutants, were evaluated over two years. The aim of the evaluation was to examine how the grazing intervention affected ecosystem services. Both quantitative and qualitative measures - reflecting the interdisciplinarity of the ecosystem services concept - were used in the evaluation. For the ecosystem services examined, the results add significant knowledge to the current discourse, and are used to inform new avenues for research. There was an increase in the cultural services (wild species diversity and environmental settings), regulatory services of carbon storage showed no change while differences in the immobilisation of pollutants observed were explained by local variation at the site. These findings show that by integrating ecosystem services and environmental management, larger scale benefits to humans from management options can be recognised and planned for in future natural spaces management, thereby increasing the positive rewards nature provides in abundance.

In construction many problems exist that lead to poor quality of the built environment, for example, lack of integration between service and facility design and poor requirements management. Aiming to mitigate these problems, academics and practitioners have engaged in debating ways of improving the process of designing new facilities. One of the approaches that has been investigated is the use of scientific evidence to support decision makers within the design process. This process is called evidence-based design (EBD). In this respect, a range of studies developed in healthcare sectors encourages the application of EBD in order to add value to the design of these environments and to produce better building outcomes for patients and staff. In this respect, this study was designed to address this issue and is aimed at better understanding how evidence supports design. The achievement of the aim was based on (a) revisiting the philosophical debate about the definitions of evidence and knowledge formation to propose a conceptual framework that can be used to classify evidence within the design domain; (b) investigating the proposed use of evidence within prescriptive design methods of design; (c) understanding how evidence has been used in design practice (specifically in the design of healthcare facilities) and to propose a taxonomy for different categories of evidence that support building design and their advantages and disadvantages; and (d) exploring the existence of opportunities to improve design practice with a basis on a better understanding of evidence. The focus of the research was the design process of healthcare facilities and the unit of analysis was the role of evidence within design. The findings of this research enhance our understanding of design as a knowledge formation system. In this respect, the use of this approach opens opportunities for future studies related to the interpretation and the development of tools that assist design. This research also provides insights related to analysis and synthesis as the proto-theory of design as well as distributed intelligence in design.

The ecosystem services approach is a set of institutional practices which aim to improve natural resource management and policy making, by highlighting the relationship between well-functioning ecosystems and human wellbeing. Within the approach, cultural services (CS) signify the psycho-social aspects of people-nature interrelations. This concept is an understudied area, and is recognised to exhibit high levels of complexity which make it difficult to evaluate. This thesis deconstructs, explores, clarifies and enhances the CS concept. A flexible, phased research design explores cultural services in relation to a specific case-study site, 'Aspley Woods and Heaths' (England). Cultural services are examined through a series of lenses: as an interdisciplinary construct, as an experience of place, as context, as a resource regime, as a discursive resource and as a personal discourse. Mixed qualitative methods identify how CS is constructed through action, speech and text; via an in depth analysis of primary data from semi-structured visitor and expert interviews, unstructured key informant interviews, and marginal participant observation. Additional data informs the enquiry, from a discourse analysis of key study site documents, and a review of site-related historic, ecological, land management, and policy documents. Results from this thesis subsequently challenge the current published definition and subcategorisation of cultural services. The notion that cultural services are nonmaterial is disputed due to the centrality of physical activities, physical sensations, and access management regimes which require material inputs. The benefits premise is challenged since CS experiences included references to anxiety, injury and conflict. The notion that CS are obtained is disputed due to the reciprocal nature of information exchange between people and features of the environment. The idea that CS are solely from ecosystems is challenged due to the part played by interpretative socio-cultural contexts, and natural and social processes which occur outside site boundaries and specified time frames. Instead, this thesis recommends that cultural services be redefined as the ways that humans use discourse to construct and communicate perceptions of nature. CS arise from processes of interaction (activities) and reciprocal information exchange (information functions) with ecosystems. CS subcategories are hence a series of cognitive, retrospective, intuitive, creative, communicative and regenerative interpretative repertoires, which form the basis of social practices such as designation, restoration and policy. The propensity of environments to embody discourse is concluded to be crucial in defining what is valuable about natural ecosystems, and how these contribute to wellbeing.