Many strategies to increase children’s physical activity have been studied, noted and implemented. It is important that physical educators realize their role in increasing physical activity both in school and outside of school. In order to promote physical activity outside of school it is important to understand what types of physical activities in which children enjoy participating. This study manipulated specific games taught in physical education classes and then explored how many and what types of these activities were continued in out-of-school free play at home in the children’s neighborhood. The students’ activities increased after the intervention, especially the activities taught in the Physical Education class. Activities tended to take place closer to their homes and required little to no equipment. A majority of students enjoyed playing outside for at least one hour per day. A pre and post 7-day activity survey showed activity frequency increased after a games unit was taught in physical education class.

No description available.

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient in the human diet. A unique property of vitamin D is that it can be produced by endogenous synthesis in the skin following sufficient Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation. In fact, our understanding of this compound has changed, such that it is no longer consider a true vitamin, but rather a steroid hormone. De-identified data for this analysis were derived from women residing in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia who completed routine medical visits in the summer of 2009 at King Fahad Hospital (KFH). In Chapter 1,“THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN VITAMIN D STATUS IN NORMAL WEIGHT VERSUS OBESE WOMEN RESIDING IN WESTERN SAUDI ARABIA” we evaluate the relationship between body size and serum 25(OH)D concentrations including the association between change in body size during adulthood and vitamin D status. This study examines whether the current weight and weight change since age 18 years are associated with vitamin D status. This study found that neither current weight nor adult weight gain were associated with vitamin D status in Saudi Arabian women. In chapter 2,“IS AVOIDING SUN EXPOSURE VIA SUN PROTECTION PRACTICES ASSOCIATED WITH LOW VITAMIN D STATUS IN SAUDI ARABIAN WOMEN?” we investigate whether women who avoid UV exposure have lower 25(OH)D concentrations than women who do not avoid exposure. UV exposure was defined by time in outdoor activities, use of protective clothing and sunscreen. This study demonstrated that avoiding UV exposure via indoor activity and the use of sunscreen or/and wearing protective clothing was not associated with vitamin D status. Chapter 3, “VITAMIN D STATUS AND BREAST CANCER IN SAUDI ARABIAN WOMEN: A CASE CONTROL STUDY” we examine if vitamin D status as assessed by serum concentrations of 25(OH)D would be lower in breast cancer cases as compared to controls. This study demonstrated that there is a significant relationship between higher serum concentrations of 25(OH)D and lower risk of breast cancer. Chapter 4, “IMPLICATIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS” is presented a summary of key findings from the three studies in this dissertation to determine avenues of further research. The appendices consist of materials related to the dissertation work.

The aim of this project was to develop a product in cooperation with Primus Company in Stockholm. It consisted of designing a container with the items needed when cooking and eating outdoors, in order to help the users eat and cook in a proper way while practicing activities such as camping or hiking.   Considering the specifications posed by Primus, research was done. One of the main issues to start this research was to carry out a market analysis in order to know all the products similar to the one that was going to be developed. Then, an analysis of the company and the main competitors of it was done in order to develop a product with Primus style and to get ideas for the product. In addition, a questionnaire study directed to potential users was carried out. In this way, it was possible to get to know things such as which items people usually carry in their backpack for cooking and eating outdoors and which ones they considered essential. This helped with making a choice of what the product should contain.   Once all the information collected from the research and from the study of the specifications was prioritized, the concept development phase started. For reaching an outcome, many aspects such as the items that the container should include, the shape of the container and the best material for the product were discussed.   Primus TetraCube is a product that suits all the requirements established at the beginning. In this way, Primus TetraCube is a product that can be carried in an 80 litres backpack and where the user can store all the necessary items for four people who want to eat and cook outdoors. It has also been designed taking into consideration all the details, resulting in a product that follows the aesthetics of Primus with soft shapes and colours such as red, black and grey. Everything combined make Primus TetraCube a comfortable product which helps the user feel at home in terms of convenience and comfort.

Detta examensarbete handlar om hur pedagoger ser på utevistelse och dess lärande samt hur de använder utevistelse i sitt pedagogiska arbete. Frågeställningarna som ställdes var: Hur ser pedagoger på utevistelse och lärande? Hur använder de utevistelse i sitt pedagogiska arbete? Begreppen arbetet utgick ifrån för att kunna svara på frågeställningarna var barns rörelseglädje och miljödidaktik. För att ta reda på detta användes enkätundersökning som metod. Enkätundersökningarna skickades ut till de förskolor i en viss kommun, som förskolecheferna godkände. Resultatet från enkäterna som skickades ut visade på att det var en blandning mellan de båda begreppen som användes i denna undersökning.  De flesta gångerna förskolorna gick till lekparken eller skogen var både planerade och oplanerade, då pedagogerna ansåg att barnen behöver båda. / The purpose with this study was to see how preschool-teachers see on the time outdoors and the learning it leads to, and also how they use the time outdoors in their educational work. The questions were as following: How do preschool-teachers look upon the time outdoors and learning? How do preschool-teachers use the time outdoors in their educational work? The concepts of children’s joy of movement and environmental didactics were assumed to answer the questions in this study. To answer these questions survey were used as a method. The survey was sent out to most of the preschools in a municipality. The results of the surveys that came back showed that it’s a mixture of the both concepts that were used in this study and that the most times at the playground or in the woods were both planned and unplanned, because the teacher’s assumes that the children needs both.

Due to the current practices of street design in countries with hot and humid climates that prioritise air-conditioned cars as the favoured mode of transport, the physical and spatial characteristics of the street space have failed to retain much or any user-friendliness for walking or for sustaining street life. Moreover, particularly in Saudi Arabia, the increasingly sedentary lifestyle is leading to significant health problems and prevalence of lifestyle diseases. However, there has been limited research conducted on the use of urban streets under hot and humid conditions, and even less is known about the impact of certain sociocultural aspects in, for example, Muslim countries, on the design of streets for walking. Such a situation poses challenges to the urban space researcher and designer interested in gaining a better understanding of how walking can be restored into the street space. This thesis contributes to the advancement of knowledge in this area by integrating three influential factors connected to walking in a single study; an approach which has not been elaborated previously. This thesis aimed to broaden the understanding of pedestrians’ requirements, attitudes and preferences in order to identify ways in which the neglected street space can be reclaimed for walking under hot-humid climatic conditions and to inform decision-making into improved street design. The scope of this research centred on combining an understanding of pedestrians’ thermal comfort in a hot and humid urban environment, that of the city of Dammam in Saudi Arabia, where the problem is particularly acute, coupled with exploration into the socio-cultural aspects through which behaviour such as undertaking increased physical activity is governed. The research postulated an interactive relationship between the existing conditions of the street space and these two factors. Owing to the multifaceted nature of the factors affecting an individual’s choice to walk, there are few accepted theoretical frameworks, hence studying the cause-and-effect relationship between street design and walking is challenging. Following the literature review and analysis of existing street characteristics; the strategy of mixed-method data collection combining participant observation with interviews and a questionnaire was conducted. The findings revealed the dual impact of key street characteristics on pedestrians’ reluctance to walk on streets and this led to two levels of simultaneous interventions being suggested: physical and spatial. The analytical process (1) identified the upper thermal comfort limit for pedestrians by application of the Physiological Equivalent Temperature index, ‘PET’, through use of the RayMan Software; (2) revealed that physical proximity to other people while on the street is the most sensitive socio-cultural issue in the outdoor spaces of Saudi, particularly between the opposite sexes, and that the existing pavements are generally too narrow to accommodate the preferred personal distance; (3) identified appropriate design interventions at the microscale of the street space to introduce improved shading and create air movement to reduce the impact of solar radiation and humidity and thus to contribute towards encouraging more use of streets for walking; and (4) marking the pavement to indicate distance walked along with high quality streetscape elements was shown to attract pedestrians effectively. Such findings have significant implications for restoring the place of walking on streets in hot and humid cities and the research concludes by emphasising: (1) it is the design of the street space in climatically responsive and socio-culturally compatible ways, rather than the configuration of the urban form that is most associated with increasing physical activity; (2) there is a crucial need to redistribute the street space away from cars and towards pedestrians by widening the existing pavements both for satisfying the average personal comfort distance between pedestrians and for incorporating appropriate streetscape elements.

Syftet med studien är att ur ett didaktiskt perspektiv beskriva hur förskollärare ser på och arbetar med utomhuspedagogik. För att avgränsa vårt undersökningsområde valdes närmiljön ut, då det i Läroplan för förskolan (2016) står närmiljö men inte förklaras. Studiens teoretiska aspekt är didaktikens frågor var, vad, hur, när och varför. Studien svarar på metod, innehåll och syfte med utomhuspedagogiken, samt faktorer och förskollärarens funktion i densamma. Tidigare forskning belyser innehåll, metod och syfte med utomhuspedagogiken samt förskollärarens roll och villkor för undervisningen. Studien är kvalitativ och sex förskollärare intervjuades. Resultatet visar att förskollärarna använder utomhuspedagogik, som en metod, för att tillsammans med barnen nå ett lärande. Utomhuspedagogiken ses som ett verktyg för att bygga relationer till barnen. Rörelse är ett genomgående tema för utomhuspedagogiken, sett ur alla fem av didaktikens frågor. Förskollärarnas intresse av natur avgjorde utomhuspedagogikens varande. Som sin funktion beskrev förskollärarna förmågor som, närvarande, nyfikenhet och lyhörd inför barnens intressen. Analysen bekräftar i många fall den tidigare forskningen. En fråga som sticker ut är kring inramningen, staketet på förskolan. I studien framkommer primärt positiva argument för att vistas utomhus. Det framkommer lite eller inget negativt. När faktorer som personalfrånvaro och väder påverkar är förskollärarna flexibla och förändrar verksamhetens innehåll. Utevistelsen ställs mycket sällan in utan förkortas eller förläggs på annan plats när faktorerna påverkar.

The sustainability challenge currently poses one of the biggest challenges society has ever faced. With declining natural resources, climate change and a rising human population the need to change humanity’s trajectory towards sustainability has never been more urgent. A greater degree of engagement in sustainability by people in positions of power and influence within society is necessary if this transition is to occur quickly. This thesis explores the dynamics of Outdoor Experiential Learning Processes (OELPs) as applied to individuals from a professional background. The purpose is to assess how the OELP can be designed within society to engage influential professionals in sustainability. The research combines the existing powerful approach of the OELP with the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD). Strategic recommendations are made for how to achieve greater engagement in sustainability amongst OELP participants for a more sustainable future.

No description available.

This study investigated (1) how and where queer young adults remembered playing and exploring gender and sexuality in their child and youthhoods, and (2) how those memories influenced their identities as queer young adults. Eight young adults from Southern Vancouver Island were recruited to the study using non-probability and purposive sampling. Each participant took part in a narrative interview and was asked to recreate in a sand tray one or more places where they remembered exploring gender and/or sexuality in their childhood or youthhood. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis through a queer phenomenological lens inspired by Sara Ahmed. It was determined that “queer failure,” as described by Jack Halberstam, was a critical, formative process that contributed to the reorienting of queer children and youth towards queer futures. The way that queer failure was responded to by significant adults appeared to have enduring impacts on participants’ self-esteem and self-regard, with having a supportive caregiver being associated with positive self-regard as a queer adult, and a lack of support associated with long-term poor mental health and lower likelihood of experiencing pride in being queer. Additionally, participants demonstrated how access to the outdoors provided a meaningful locus of self-discovery wherein the limitations and structures of gender were less omnipresent and they felt more external and internal acceptance of their queer identities. / Graduate / 2023-08-10