This research was concerned with the phenomenon of problematic school-related absenteeism (PSRA) within the Victorian secondary school system with particular reference to middle schooling. The study investigated categories of PSRA, identified major risk factors associated with PSRA, and outlined outcomes relevant to selected school-based strategies employed in the management and minimisation of PSRA. A review of literature was undertaken that identified a number of major categories and risk factors that were associated with PSRA. Subsequently, a conceptual framework was developed. It was the conceptual framework underpinned by the research questions that guided the research design and the collection and analysis of data. Five research questions underpinned this research. The primary research question was:

<p>The aim of the literature review was to describe how persons living with HIV experience their health-related quality of life, and which coping strategies they use. Scientific articles were searched in the databases Pubmed and Cinahl. The keywords used were HIV, nursing, health-related quality of life and coping. A total of 18 articles were included in the study. The main result of the literature review showed that persons living with HIV have lower health-related quality of life than healthy individuals. Variables that affected the health-related quality of life were gender, age, symptom experience, antiretroviral treatment, self-care/coping and circumstances of life. Use of both problem-oriented coping strategies and emotion-oriented coping strategies were identified in persons living with HIV. Problem-oriented coping strategies contained lifestyle changes, social support and knowledge. Emotion-oriented coping strategies contained spirituality and avoiding behavior. In conclusion, this literature review showed that it is important for the general nurse to understand the situation persons living with HIV are going through and provide support. This support should be individually accommodated, but could for example consist of education, social support,<strong> </strong>satisfying spiritual needs and encouraging lifestyle changes.</p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

In response to evidence of inadequate fibre and magnesium intakes across the Canadian population, the most recent edition of Canada’s Food Guide included a recommendation for increased whole grain consumption. However, whole grain labelling on food packaging remains voluntary and unregulated. The aim of this research was to examine the nature of nutrition guidance provided by whole grain labelling in the Canadian marketplace through a survey of front-of-package nutrition-related marketing in three supermarkets and a detailed examination of nutrient content, ingredients, and price of breads. Whole grain promotion occurred on relatively few products, predominantly among processed foods, and it frequently appeared in conjunction with references to other nutritional characteristics. The whole grain labelling observed was not misleading with respect to highlighting products with whole grain ingredients and higher levels of fibre and magnesium content; however, products with whole grain labelling were less likely to be lower in price.

In response to evidence of inadequate fibre and magnesium intakes across the Canadian population, the most recent edition of Canada’s Food Guide included a recommendation for increased whole grain consumption. However, whole grain labelling on food packaging remains voluntary and unregulated. The aim of this research was to examine the nature of nutrition guidance provided by whole grain labelling in the Canadian marketplace through a survey of front-of-package nutrition-related marketing in three supermarkets and a detailed examination of nutrient content, ingredients, and price of breads. Whole grain promotion occurred on relatively few products, predominantly among processed foods, and it frequently appeared in conjunction with references to other nutritional characteristics. The whole grain labelling observed was not misleading with respect to highlighting products with whole grain ingredients and higher levels of fibre and magnesium content; however, products with whole grain labelling were less likely to be lower in price.

The aim of the literature review was to describe how persons living with HIV experience their health-related quality of life, and which coping strategies they use. Scientific articles were searched in the databases Pubmed and Cinahl. The keywords used were HIV, nursing, health-related quality of life and coping. A total of 18 articles were included in the study. The main result of the literature review showed that persons living with HIV have lower health-related quality of life than healthy individuals. Variables that affected the health-related quality of life were gender, age, symptom experience, antiretroviral treatment, self-care/coping and circumstances of life. Use of both problem-oriented coping strategies and emotion-oriented coping strategies were identified in persons living with HIV. Problem-oriented coping strategies contained lifestyle changes, social support and knowledge. Emotion-oriented coping strategies contained spirituality and avoiding behavior. In conclusion, this literature review showed that it is important for the general nurse to understand the situation persons living with HIV are going through and provide support. This support should be individually accommodated, but could for example consist of education, social support, satisfying spiritual needs and encouraging lifestyle changes.

This research is focus on the entrepreneurial experiences of new pet-related businesses enterprisers, and tries to investigate the characters of new pet-related businesses, the connections between life experiences and process of entrepreneurship, and the roles pets play in the process of entrepreneurship through a phenomenological approach. The research findings are¡G 1. The valued services provided for customers and pet owners by new pet-related businesses are invisible. They can realize the personificational imagination about pets, give customers the mental comfort, and raise the possibility of developing interpersonal interaction. Therefore, new pet-related businesses emphasize spiritual consumption and making customers happy and content is the core value of new pet-related businesses. 2. The life experiences of new pet-related businesses enterprisers give them the opportunities of starting their own businesses. The connections between life experiences and the process of entrepreneurship are shown by two essences. One is the pursuance of autonomy, and the other is the protection of animal life. Due to the experiences, new pet-related businesses enterprisers may have unique and non-business oriented values of their business. 3. The most important factors in new pet-related businesses, pets, play the dynamic roles in the process of entrepreneurship. They can have multiple meanings simultaneously for new pet-related businesses enterprisers, and may change their roles according to different enterprisers and situations they are in.

Abstract To investigate the reaction of hospitals in burn patient to the announcement of the coming diagnosis related groups (DRGs) payment system in 2014. The claimed data of 506 inpatients from 2009 to 2010 was used for the longitudinal analyses. The average length of stay (ALOS) and medical expenses of each burn patient were compared with the baseline data of 2009. The year effect was analyzed by the generalized estimating equation model. Comparing to the data in 2009, the average length of stay (ALOS) was increased, but medical expenses were decreased. The limitation of the scheme such as insufficient classification of case severity and hospital creep are also discussed. Medical expenses are different in different property of hospitals. Similar resource intensity is unfortunately seriously misunderstood as unified single federal rate in Taiwan. It is concluded that the coming DRGs payment system may changed hospital behavior. This change of hospital behavior may influence the quality of health care.

The objective of this dissertation was to construct a customer-based cause-related sport marketing (CRSM) model and test the relationships among the proposed antecedents, consequences, and moderators. Three experimental studies were executed to achieve the research purpose. Study 1 aimed at examining how customers evaluate cause-related marketing (CRM) campaigns of team licensed products. A choice experiment (N=109) indicated that (a) a "social responsible" feature was the second most important attribute for choosing a baseball cap, (b) a low-fit, but familiar, CRM program was preferred to a high-fit, but unfamiliar, program, and (c) fan identification moderated the impact of sport/cause fit on students' choice of team licensed products. Study 2 investigated the impact of personality and gender on consumer attitudes toward CRSM programs. A 2 (sport/cause fit) x 2 (motivation) within subject experiment (N=86) found that (a) both sport/cause fit and motivation engaging in CRSM significantly affected consumer attitudes toward CRSM, (b) females showed more positive attitudes toward CRSM programs, and (c) Agreeableness was positively related to consumer attitudes toward CRSM but Neuroticism was negatively associated. Study 3 centered on the direct and moderating effects of fan identification and organizational identification on consumer attitudes toward CRSM programs using intercollegiate sport as a context. A two-group (high vs. low-fit CRSM messages), between subject, and post-test only experiment (N=309) denoted that (a) respondents showed more positive attitudes toward high-fit CRSM messages, (b) both fan identification and organizational identification moderated the effects of sport/cause fit on attitudes, and (c) positive attitudes increased purchase intentions on the cause-related products. To sum up, the three experimental studies support the relationships among antecedents, consequences, and moderators proposed in the customer-based causerelated sport marketing model. Theoretical and practical contributions are discussed. Finally, several limitations and future research directions are also established.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent chronic disorders in childhood. The measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) can compliment ADHD behavior rating scales and provide a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of ADHD and its treatment on the child's overall daily functioning and well-being. The purpose of the current study was to assess HRQOL from the perspective of pediatric patient self-report and parent proxy-report and family impact from the perspective of parents in children with ADHD ages 5 to 18 years being seen at a Pediatric Psychiatric Clinic utilizing the PedsQL(TM) 4.0 Generic Core Scales and Family Impact Module. For all PedsQL(TM) 4.0 Generic Core Scales, pediatric patients with ADHD and their parents reported statistically significant worse HRQOL than healthy children, with large effect sizes across all domains. More impaired generic HRQOL was significantly correlated with more severe ADHD symptoms as measured by the NICHQ Vanderbilt Total ADHD Symptom Score for parent proxy-report but not child self-report. More impaired family functioning was significantly correlated with more severe ADHD symptoms. Intraclass Correlations (ICC) between pediatric patient self-report and parent proxy-report across the PedsQL(TM) 4.0 Generic Core Scales were in the poor to fair agreement range. These findings have implications for future research and clinical practice with pediatric patients with ADHD and co-morbid psychiatric conditions and their families. Given the large effect sizes reported between the present sample and healthy children across all HRQOL domains, it is important that interventions designed for children with ADHD and co-morbid psychiatric conditions not only address psychosocial difficulties, but also the physical impairments that may result from medications and/or co-morbid psychiatric diagnoses such as anxiety or depression. Given our finding that greater ADHD symptomatology was significantly associated with greater negative family impact, interventions for this population should focus on mitigating the negative impact of ADHD and co-morbid psychiatric conditions on families, particularly related to the areas of parental worry, family relationships, and daily family activities.