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The concept of wellness has transformed over the decades with the ever-adapting lifestyle of society and thus can be broadly defined as the responsibility of the individual through practicing health-promoting lifestyle behaviour. There are various factors that contribute to an individual's sense of overall physical wellbeing which can be categorised into skill-related and health-related components which have been extensively investigated. However, there is a considerable lack of evidence regarding the integration of these components. This study thus sought to determine a means of integrating the various components of physical wellness to provide an indication of wellness state. This was approached from two avenues: the first (Study 1) explored a component of wellness to ascertain whether it can be used as a measure in determining overall physical wellness and the second (Study 2) assessed the influence of physical activity on various wellness parameters and utilised these wellness parameters in the derivation of an overall physical wellness indicator to determine an individual's state of overall wellbeing. Study 1 involved comparing Sports vision between sedentary and active work environments in a sample of 158 university students and 230 training recruits. The participants were subjected to various visual skill assessments to determine if an active environment transfers to visual proficiency. The results indicate that while the recruits were more proficient in some skills, students displayed a greater aptitude in other areas. The findings obtained in this study are in concert with previous research, indicating that individuals exposed to physical activity, even for a short period of time, tend to acquire superior visual skills. However, the skills are honed according to the field of expertise due to the transfer effect that occurs in the brain. Comparing physical wellness in sedentary and active work environments July 2013 ix The concept of Sports vision that was explored in this study provided insight into its role in wellness and it was suggested that these assessments can be utilised in assessing overall physical wellness. Study 2 delved into the area of overall physical wellness and explored the components and influence of an active work environment on these components. 165 undergraduate university students and 234 training recruits and law enforcement employees underwent several wellness assessments in a bid to compare overall physical wellness in sedentary and active work environments. The individual results were compared, and scored into risk areas that were ultimately compounded to formulate an overall physical wellness indicator. It was found that the students were superior in some areas of wellness; however the recruits possessed a greater state of overall physical wellness. This indicates that physical activity does contribute significantly to attaining a state of overall physical wellness and thus reduces the risk of developing lifestyle-related chronic conditions. The overall findings suggest that maintaining a healthy lifestyle through physical activity and health-promoting behaviour will result in a greater state of wellness. This area of research has unfolded a host of possibilities for future research, especially into the overall wellness indicator and the integration of the health and skill-related components of overall physical wellness. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Physiology / unrestricted

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / Violence is considered to be one of the most critical and threatening global problems plaguing the world today, leaving a trail of devastating consequences to societies, economies, cultures, families and individuals (Desjarlais & Kleinman, 1997). Adolescents who grow up in a context of violence learn distorted ways of thinking, acting, living and interacting. Aggressive tendencies and violent behaviour become internalised and adopted as acceptable ways to resolve conflict situations. Chronic, continuous exposure to violence results in physical, psychological and emotional disturbances, such as depression, anxiety, lowered self-confidence, sleep disturbances, decreased attention and concentration spans. This study addressed the form of violence known as community violence, i.e. violence that children experience within their communities (either as witnesses or as victims). This study investigated the effects of this negative environmental experience and investigated potential mediating and moderating variables that could influence the harmful effects of such experiences. The variables considered as mediating and/or moderating variables were social support and self-esteem. The theoretical framework adopted for this study was Bronfennbrenner's Bioecological Systems theory. / South Africa

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / Cash transfers, integral in social protection, have increasingly been viewed as a viable measure of promoting human development outcomes in low and middle income countries in the face of persistent poverty exacerbated by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Sub-Saharan Africa has been the worst hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic with almost two thirds of the world’s HIV/AIDS patients living in the region. By 2005, 12 million children were orphaned by the disease while 2 million more below 15 years of age were estimated to be infected (UNICEF, 2005:2). To address the plight of orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya the government together with various international development agencies launched the Cash Transfer Programme for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (CT-OVC) in 2004 to provide for the basic needs of OVC and promote their human development. With the capability approach as its theoretical framework, this research seeks to determine the value attached by recipients of the CT-OVC to capabilities in the four broad dimensions of social life, health, education and play. It also seeks to gauge the extent of attainment of functionings in the four dimensions, and the association between participation in the programme and one’s functionings in the key dimensions. The research is conducted through a quasi-experimental design which compares recipients of the cash transfer to non-recipients and mixed methods are used to collect and analyse data. Results show that OVC consider capabilities in the dimensions of social life, education, health and play to be of high value in their lives. Children in the recipient group appear to have attained functionings in the four dimensions to a higher degree than their counterparts in the comparison group. There is also an association between participation in the CT-OVC programme and attainment of functionings in all four dimensions. Perceptions from participants explore further opportunities created or expanded through the CT-OVC as well as participants’ suggestions on the programme

Every time a practitioner in children’s services offers a child and their family an intervention a decision or decisions has to be made. However the decision making process in children’s services has rarely been studied. Decision making has been extensively studied in other disciplines in both laboratory and real life situations. A dual process model has been proposed consisting of a fast, automatic, intuitive system and a slower reflective system. The two systems are deemed to work best in different situations and have their own strengths and weaknesses. Decision making in complex situations, such as those involving children and families, involves both types of processes but checks and balances help to ensure that the process is optimal. Expertise can develop over time through reflection on the process. This study explores the decision making process in a Targeted Mental Health in Schools Team (TaMHS) in one Local Authority. TaMHS is a three year Department for Children, Schools and Families’ pathfinder programme aiming ‘to improve mental health outcomes for children and young people via interventions delivered through school’ (DCSF, 2008d). Substantial changes have taken place within children’s services over recent years and research has explored the facilitators of and barriers to effective multi-agency working. However lack of clarity in terminology and detail has prevented an evaluation of the causal links between the facilitators and better outcomes for children and young people. I have used a case study approach with a multi-agency team which has practitioners from six professional backgrounds. Interview data from the manager and six practitioners and an observation of one of their cluster meetings has been collected and analysed using thematic analysis. I have developed a rich picture of the decision making process (DMP) in this team. The DMP is a complex, iterative process which is facilitated by a predetermined organisational structure and continues throughout the assessment and intervention stages. Diversity of views is welcomed and different perspectives are merged leading to shared decisions. Families and school staff are fully involved. Practitioners seem to use processes below conscious awareness as well as a more explicit process which links explanatory models, chiefly risk and resilience, with the choices of interventions. I have identified that many of the known facilitators for effective multi-agency working exist within this team and I propose that these could be the mechanisms which trigger effective decision making. I suggest that the group process involved in this team could be useful for other teams in children’s services. I also discuss ways to improve decision making and I have created a DMP Attributes Model which I have described and then discussed as a tool to aid professional development through the supervision process for practitioners within children’s services. I explore a possible role for educational psychologists in this process. Future research could study the usefulness of this tool with practitioners.

Globally, there is an ageing population resulting in an older workforce; in the UK it is predicted that by 2050 over one third of the workforce will be aged over 50. Construction involves heavy manual labour where working into later life may be difficult and natural, age-related decline is exacerbated by working conditions. Co-developing ideas with workers using participatory approaches can facilitate positive, healthy change in the workplace. The aim of this thesis is to explore ways in which construction workers jobs and workplaces can be made healthier, easier and safer to facilitate healthy ageing and longer working lives. An in-depth interview study with 80 construction workers explored their understanding of their health and wellbeing at work and ideas for improvement. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire identified a high prevalence of symptoms in workers of all ages in the knees, lower back, wrists and hands. Many of these symptoms were considered to be work related; interestingly, this did not affect Work Ability Index ratings. Workers had good ideas to improve their health and wellbeing at work; over 400 changes had been made or were being sustained by workers around improving manual handling, PPE, tools and machinery and health and wellbeing. A further 265 new suggestions were made concerned with education and supervision, facilities and human resources. In-depth focus groups with senior stakeholders (n=18) in three construction organisations explored barriers and opportunities for change. They were concerned about the health and wellbeing of their workers; were keen to hear their ideas; and identified poor communication within the whole workforce as a barrier to change. Opportunities to improve the situation included better feedback to workers, and interactive toolbox talks to encourage idea generation and sharing experiences. Finally, participatory workshops with senior stakeholders and trades workers (n=23) captured ideas for the development of a resource for the industry to facilitate longer working lives. Participants strongly suggested that the resource should facilitate communication between the workforce and supervisors by being visually engaging, strongly health-related and interactive, to capture and maintain the attention and involvement of the workforce.

Health and Wellbeing Boards (HWBs) are new local government (LG) sub-committees tasked with assessing local health and social care needs, and developing strategies for promoting integration and tackling health inequalities; yet they have no statutory authority to compel action. This research explored how they approached tackling health inequalities, focussing on the role of environmental health (EH), the LG public health occupation, in the pre-shadow and shadow stages and as they went live in April 2013. Four case study sites (based around individual HWBs) were purposively sampled to ensure that a variety of HWBs were included, including unitary and two-tier authorities and urban, suburban and rural areas. Data collection at each case study site included semi-structured interviews, observation of HWB meetings, and documentary analysis and extended for 18 months from early 2012. In addition, EH practitioners and managers were interviewed from each of the English regions to provide a wider context. The data was analysed thematically both inductively and deductively using Atlas.ti. and conclusions drawn. HWBs were varied in their structures, practices and intentions and some changed considerably during the research, as would be expected at a time of new policy development and implementation. There was evident commitment and enthusiasm from HWB members to improve the health of local populations. However it is unclear what ‘success’ will be or how it will be measured and attributed to the work of the HWB, and there were some tensions between the various parties involved. There was an espoused commitment to the principles of Marmot, in particular to children, however much of the focus during HWB meetings was on integrating health and social care. Taking action on many of the social determinants of health is outside the core sphere of HWB control, however they did not generally appear to be utilising some of the readily available tools, such as EH work to improve local living and working conditions. EH was found to be largely ‘invisible’ within its own public health community and does not have a tradition of evidence based practice needed to secure funding in the new system. This, along with the decline of the regulatory role, has led to a period of reflection and adaptation. The research findings are linked by the policy approaches of ‘doodle’ and localism, including the shrinking of the state, and in particular the retreat of statutory and regulatory roles and the introduction of overt political values in policy making; shifting the focus to relationships, partnership-building, integration and the impact of individuals. The contexts in which the research has taken place, both at local and national levels, including financial austerity, major health restructuring, and high national and local expectations are all significant factors which have shaped the findings.

Bakgrund: Hot och våld från patienter är ett återkommande fenomen på akutmottagningar världen över som sjuksköterskor blir utsatta för. Det tar sig uttryck i både verbala och fysiska angrepp i form av hot, trakasserier eller aggressivt beteende. Dessa angrepp kan medföra konsekvenser för omvårdnadsarbetet. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att beskriva mötet mellan patient och sjuksköterska i hotfulla och våldsamma omvårdnadssituationer inom akutsjukvård. Metod: En allmän litteraturstudie baserad på elva vetenskapliga artiklar med kvalitativ ansats. Resultat: Tre teman genererades ”hot och våld som vårdutmaning”, ”barriärer för mötet” och ”betydelse för omvårdnadsarbete”. Slutsats: Studien kan bidra med ökad förståelse och kunskap hos både sjuksköterskor, ledning och allmänheten gällande utsattheten av hot och våldsincidenter på akutmottagningar. Med denna kunskap kan vården utvecklas och främja både sjuksköterskors välbefinnande och patientmötet. / Background: Threat and violence from patients are a recurring phenomenon at emergency departments worldwide that nurses are exposed to. It manifests itself in both verbal and physical attacks in the form of threats, harassment or aggressive behavior. These attacks can cause consequences for the practice of nursing. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the encounter between patient and nurse in threatening and violent nursing situations in emergency care. Method: A general literature study based on eleven articles with qualitative approach. Result: Three themes were generated “threats and violence as a care challenge”, “barriers to patient encounter” and “importance for nursing work”. Conclusion: The study can contribute to increased understanding and knowledge to both nurses, managements and the public regarding the exposure of threat- and violence incidents in emergency departments. This knowledge can develop health care and promote both the nurses’ well-being and the patient encounter.

Despite copious research into the association between pet-ownership and human wellbeing in general, empirical data is contradictory and research focusing on the effect of pet-ownership across the lifespan is fundamentally lacking. This study provides analysis and discussion on the relationship between pet-ownership in childhood & human physical and psychological wellbeing in young adulthood. One hundred and ten people extending in age from of 18 to 25 responded to a questionnaire related to their demography, pet-ownership, and physical & psychological health. Finding(s) showed no main effect of pet-ownership on physical or psychological health. Furthermore, no significant relation was found between attachment or social support from a childhood pet and ensuing physical or psychological health. Comprehensively more research is required to veritably establish a link between pet-ownership & human physical and psychological wellbeing.

La justice globale du groupe fait référence aux perceptions du traitement juste ou injuste reçu de la part des membres du groupe de travail ou des collègues de travail. Les perceptions de justice organisationnelle ont longtemps été considérées comme stables dans le temps, qui ne pouvaient changer que sur le niveau interindividuel. Cependant, il a été démontré empiriquement que les perceptions de justice varient dans le temps sur les deux niveaux inter et intra-individuels que ce soit d’une période à une autre, d’une semaine à une autre, d’un jour à un autre et même au cours d’une seule et même journée. La justice organisationnelle est connue pour avoir une influence significative sur un certain nombre de comportements et attitudes au travail tels que la performance, la satisfaction, l’intention de départ, l’engagement ou encore l’implication au travail. Récemment, il a été révélé que les perceptions de justice avaient également une influence sur le sentiment de bien-être au travail des individus. Ainsi, la présente recherche examine l’effet des perceptions de justice globale du groupe sur le bien-être au travail en adoptant une approche dynamique appelée la méthode du journal personnel ou la Diary Study. Cette recherche étudie également les mécanismes explicatifs de cette relation. / Overall team justice refers to the perceived treatments received by team members or coworkers at work. Organizational justice has been long considered as a stable variable over time changing from one individual to another. However, empirical studies have shown that justice perceptions vary over time at both the between and the within-individual level across periods of time, from one week to another, form one day to another, and even over the course of one single day. Organizational justice has been shown to have a significant influence on different individual’s attitudes and behaviors at work such as performance, satisfaction, turnover intention, engagement and implication at work. Recently, studies have revealed that justice perceptions have also an influence on individual’s wellbeing at work. Thus, the present research examines the effect of overall team justice perceptions on wellbeing at work by using a dynamic approach, namely, the Diary Study. This research also examines the underlying mechanisms of this relationship.