scholarly journals Insights from the evaluation of a provincial healthy eating strategy in Nova Scotia, Canada

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. 1870-1878
Author(s):  
S Meaghan Sim ◽  
Sara FL Kirk
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Strategy Implementation ◽  
Canadian Province ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Health Model ◽  
Document Review ◽  
Depth Interviews

AbstractObjectiveHealthy Eating Nova Scotia represents the first provincial comprehensive healthy eating strategy in Canada and a strategy that is framed within a population-health model. Five years after strategy launch, our objective was to evaluate Healthy Eating Nova Scotia to determine perceptions of strategy implementation and strategy outputs. The focus of the current paper is on the findings of this evaluation.DesignWe conducted an evaluation of the strategy through three activities that included a document review, survey of key stakeholders and in-depth interviews with key strategy informants. The findings from each of the activities were integrated to determine what has worked well with strategy implementation, what could be improved and what outputs have resulted.SettingThe evaluation was conducted in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.ParticipantsParticipants for this evaluation included survey respondents (n 120) and key informants (n 16). A total of 156 documents were also reviewed.ResultsSignificant investments have been made towards inter-sectoral partnerships and resourcing that has provided the necessary leadership and momentum for the strategy. Policy development has been leveraged through the strategy primarily in the health and education sectors and is perceived as a visible success. Clarity of human resource roles and funding within the context of a provincial strategy may be beneficial for continued strategy implementation, as is expansion of policy development.ConclusionsKnown to be the first evaluation of its kind, these findings and related considerations will be of interest to policy makers developing and implementing similar strategies in their own jurisdictions.

Developing School Nutrition Policies: Enabling and Barrier Factors

2009 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 166-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie MacLellan ◽  
Jennifer Taylor ◽  
Catherine Freeze
Keyword(s):  
Policy Development ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
School Life ◽  
Resource Limitations ◽  
Nutrition Policies ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
External Pressures ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Document Review

Purpose: The study was conducted to identify the enabling and barrier factors in the development of nutrition policies in Prince Edward Island elementary and consolidated schools. Methods: A document review and in-depth interviews were conducted with key stakeholders (n=12). Results: Principals were identified as important champions for change. Working group members created an interface between the school world and the nutrition world, and drew upon common philosophical ground to work together to lead the change process. Successfully navigating the process of policy development required building a case for change, testing policies in the real world, integrating healthy eating within school life, offering support to schools, engaging participants, and acknowledging the need to weigh the costs and benefits of the change. At times, external pressures on schools and available foods varied in the extent to which they enabled or challenged policy development. Finally, resource limitations, competing issues, and the use of unhealthy food as rewards were identified as the primary barriers. Conclusions: The use of a consultative approach that engages key stakeholders early in the process is critical to the successful development of school nutrition policies. This approach also may be an important predictor of the longterm success of such initiatives.

scholarly journals Key stakeholders’ perspectives and experiences with defining, identifying and displaying gaps in health research: a qualitative study

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. e039932
Author(s):  
Linda Nyanchoka ◽  
Catrin Tudur-Smith ◽  
Raphaël Porcher ◽  
Darko Hren
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
The Body ◽  
Research Gaps ◽  
Topic Area ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Research Gap ◽  
Depth Interviews

IntroductionMapping the current body of evidence including what is missing helps provide a better understanding of what research is available, ongoing and needed and should be prioritised. Identifying research gaps can inform the design and conduct of health research by providing additional context information about the body of evidence in a given topic area. Despite the commonly used term ‘research gap’ in scientific literature, little is written on how to find a ‘research gap’ in the first place. Moreover, there is no clear methodological guidance to identify and display gaps.ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore how key stakeholders define research gaps and characterise methods/practices used to identify and display gaps in health research to further advance efforts in this area.DesignThis was an exploratory qualitative study using semistructured in-depth interviews. The study sample included the following stakeholder groups: researchers, funders, healthcare providers, patients/public and policy-makers. Interview transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis.ResultsAmong the 20 interviews conducted (20 participants), a variety of research gap definitions were expressed (ie, five main themes, including gaps in information, knowledge/evidence gaps, uncertainties, quality and patient perspective). We identified three main themes for methods used to identify gaps (primary, secondary and both primary and secondary) and finally six main themes for the methods to display gaps (forest plots, diagrams/illustrations, evidence maps, mega maps, 3IE gap maps and info graphics).ConclusionThis study provides insights into issues related to defining research gaps and methods used to identify and display gaps in health research from the perspectives of key stakeholders involved in the process. Findings will be used to inform methodological guidance on identifying research gaps.

Leicester, Festival City, or a City with Festivals

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Brown
Keyword(s):  
Local Authority ◽  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Place Identity ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Religious Festivals ◽  
The City ◽  
Depth Interviews

This chapter examines the notion of ‘festival city’ in relation to festivals and events in the City of Leicester, and considers whether a coordinated approach to festivals is appropriate for the city. Through in-depth interviews it examines to what extent the drawing together of festivals and events is important to a selection of the city’s key stakeholders, including the festival organisers and the policy makers, and the potential roles for the local authority. It looks at whether there are place identity and economic benefits of drawing the festivals together, and the value of a promoting a title such as ‘Festival City’. In contrast, a city with festivals may be defined as a city where, although many festivals happen, there is no, or very little, coordination, and no shared strategy, particularly in relation to the role of local government. This is also distinct from a ‘festival city’ in that festivals are seen as separate and promoted as such, with no clear overall purpose, though recognised as positive for a city and actively encouraged. Crucially this chapter asks if leadership in developing a focused, coordinated approach to festivals may be better positioned outside the municipal council. Although the role of the local authority would remain important in providing funding and access to resources, we ask if it could potentially achieve more through developing delivery partnerships. For the purposes of this chapter a ‘festival city’ has been defined as a city where there is coordination of festivals for the purpose of creating a brand to promote tourism and support place marketing. It may also have benefits in raising the profile of smaller events, widening audiences, and increasing potential for raising sponsorship or accessing funding. As we shall see, other UK cities such as York, Bath and Cheltenham have all used this coordinated approach with their festival programmes. This chapter will focus on the City of Leicester where, even within an environment of huge cuts to public spending, there is a commitment to culture, and in particular festivals, as seen in its investment in festivals and the 2013 bid for UK City of Culture, for which it was shortlisted. Leicester has a large number of festivals and its culturally and ethnically diverse population is reflected in its strong mix of arts, cultural and religious festivals.

A Qualitative Examination of the Political and Policy Development of Indiana’s School Scholarship Act (House Bill 1003)

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Agenda Setting ◽  
Republican Party ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Equal Opportunity ◽  
The Political ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Civic Capacity ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Depth Interviews

This research investigation examines the policy context of Indiana’s School Scholarship Act. John Kingdon’s work on agenda setting will serve as the conceptual framework for analyzing the problems, policies, and politics that arose prior to and during the passage of this legislation. The goal of this study is to identify specific social, economic, and political problems that drew attention to the need for this Act as well as to understand of the political behaviors and decision-making of stakeholders during the legislation’s drafting. This cross-sectional qualitative study will use multiple in-depth interviews conducted with key stakeholders in addition document analyses in order to understand this phenomenon. Unfortunately due to time restraints, interviews were not conducted and only press releases and public statements made by stakeholders were coded to discern thematic opinions and behaviors. This investigation found that the document analysis supports the literature on this subject. Concepts that emerged include: civic capacity, equal opportunity, and quality of education. The conclusion is drawn that political parties struggled to define vouchers and charters as a solution to Indiana’s educational issues. Overall, the state Republican Party had more agenda setting power and greater influence than Democrats and thus was able to gain wider support for vouchers. Implications of this research are such that political endeavor may not directly support the education of children. Recommendations for corrective actions are discussed. Limitations of this research are discussed.

Analisis Pengalaman Keluarga Merawat Pasien Skizofrenia dengan Masalah Halusinasi Pendengaran Pasca Hospitalisasi

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 282
Author(s):  
Isti Harkomah
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Depth Information ◽  
Continuous Family ◽  
Family Experience ◽  
Schizophrenic Patients ◽  
Heavy Burden ◽  
Document Review ◽  
Depth Interviews

<p><em>Clients with hallucinations really need continuous family support both internal and external families. Reduced external family support will cause a heavy burden on the internal family in caring for hallucinatory clients. The reason families bring to the hospital is the inability to treat patient hallucinations at home after hospitalization because hallucinations pose a burden on the family. The purpose of this study was to find out in-depth information about family experience in treating schizophrenic patients who experience auditory hallucinations after hospitalization. This research is qualitative research, the phenomenology approach uses the method of collecting data by in-depth interviews and document review. Data were obtained by in-depth interviews with six participants. The results of the study are two main themes, namely family understanding of recognizing hallucinatory problems after hospitalization and family experience in treating schizophrenic patients with hallucinatory problems.It is hoped that health services will further improve the quality of health services in providing health education to families about how to properly care for hallucinatory patients and families are expected to be able to treat hallucinogenic patients well.</em></p><p><em><br /></em></p><p><em><em>Klien dengan halusinasi sangat membutuhkan dukungan dari keluarga secara terus menerus baik keluarga internal maupun eksternal. Berkurangnya dukungan keluarga eksternal akan menimbulkan beban yang berat bagi keluarga internal dalam merawat klien halusinasi. Alasan keluarga membawa ke RSJ adalah ketidakmampuan merawat halusinasi pasien dirumah pasca rawat inap karena halusinasi menimbulkan beban bagi keluarga. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui informasi mendalam tentang pengalaman keluarga dalam merawat pasien skizofrenia yang mengalami masalah halusinasi pendengaran pasca hospitalisasi. Penelitian ini merupahkan penelitian kualitatif, pendekatan fenomenologi menggunakan metode pengumpulan data dengan wawancara mendalam dan telaah dokumen. Data didapatkan dengan wawancara mendalam terhadap enam partisipan. Hasil wawancara dianalisis dengan menggunakan metode Collaizi. Hasil penelitian yaitu terdapat 2 utama tema yaitu pemahaman keluarga tentang mengenal masalah halusinasi pasca hospitalisasi dan pengalaman keluarga dalam merawat pasien skizofrenia dengan masalah halusinasi.Diharapkan bagi pelayanan kesehatan agar lebih meningkatkan mutu pelayanan kesehatan dalam memberikan pendidikan kesehatan kepada keluarga tentang cara merawat pasien halusinasi yang benar dan keluarga diharapkan dapat merawat pasien halusinasi dengan baik.</em></em></p>

scholarly journals What Prompts Small and Medium Enterprises to Implement CSR? A Qualitative Insight from an Emerging Economy

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zengming Zou ◽  
Yu Liu ◽  
Naveed Ahmad ◽  
Muhammad Safdar Sial ◽  
Alina Badulescu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Customer Behavior ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Management Commitment ◽  
Top Management Commitment ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Depth Interviews

The topic of corporate social responsibility (henceforth referred to as CSR) has been a central topic during the last decade, but the majority of the existing literature discusses CSR relationship with large organizations. Whereas, its contribution in small and medium enterprises (henceforth referred to as SME) sector has received little attention. There have been some studies that focused on CSR activities in SME sector quantitatively in the context of developing economies like Pakistan, but the fact is, to date, SME sector of Pakistan is not participating actively in CSR-related activities due to some constraints. The present study is a pioneer attempt, to explore CSR barriers that restrict SME sector of Pakistan from practicing CSR initiatives. For this reason, the present study explores these barriers qualitatively in order to gain in-depth knowledge of different CSR barriers. In doing so, we conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews from 9 SMEs in Lahore city of Pakistan. We performed thematic analysis, which produced five relevant themes of CSR barriers, including: Lack of resources, lack of regulations, lack of top management commitment, lack of CSR knowledge, and passive customer behavior. Our analysis further showed that lack of resources is the most related barrier that hinder SMEs to be engaged in CSR activities. This paper contributes to CSR literature in emerging economies’ context. Through an increased awareness of barriers, policy makers and practitioners may take necessary steps to improve CSR practices in SMEs.

Psychiatric symptoms among migrants to Malaysia from the southernmost provinces of Thailand

2021 ◽  
pp. 002076402198973
Author(s):  
Kathleen Ford ◽  
Aree Jampaklay ◽  
Aphichat Chamatrithirong
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Self Reporting Questionnaire ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Migrant Groups

Aim: The objective of this paper is to examine the level of psychiatric symptoms and associated factors among Thai migrants from the southernmost Thai provinces of Pattani, Yala, and Narithiwat who are working in Malaysia. Comparisons will be made with the sending population in the southernmost provinces of Thailand. Methods: Data are drawn from survey and in-depth interviews with Thai migrants who are working in Malaysia. Comparisons are made with a probability sample of working age adults in Thailand. The twenty item Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ) was the measure of mental health. Results: The study found that the migrants, on average, have normal levels of psychiatric symptoms. However, although about 24% of migrants reported more eight or more symptoms that may indicate a need for evaluation. There are many stressors in their lives including distance from families, reduced social support, legal matters surrounding immigration, and discrimination/exploitation of migrant groups. Conclusion: The study highlights the need for policy makers and non-governmental organizations to give attention to migrants’ mental health, well-being and sustainable livelihoods.

scholarly journals An Investigation of the Socio-Economic Benefits of Small-Scale Gold Mining in Malawi

Mining ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-34
Author(s):  
Tiyamike Haundi ◽  
Gift Tsokonombwe ◽  
Steven Ghambi ◽  
Theresa Mkandawire ◽  
Ansley Kasambara
Keyword(s):  
Gold Mining ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Gold Rush ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Low Literacy ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
The Government

In the recent years, there has been a surge in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in various districts of Malawi. Reports of a gold rush have emerged in various districts, including Mangochi, Lilongwe, Balaka, and lately in Kasungu. There has been persistence by many indigenous communities participating in ASGM activities, yet little is being done by the government to formalize and support the sub-sector. The purpose of this study was to investigate the benefits of artisanal small-scale gold mining in Malawi and expose the shortfalls so that key stakeholders and policy makers are well informed. A quantitative approach which used semi-structured questionnaires was used and the data was analyzed using Microsoft excel and Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The study shows that ASGM is characterized by people with low literacy levels, who use traditional tools (low-tech) and use methods fueled by lack of capital, and deficiency of basic knowledge of mining and geology. The study found that the government could achieve substantial socio-economic development from the sector by: (1) revising the current artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) legislation so that it embraces the customary practices whilst safeguarding the environment and improving the tax collection base; (2) providing support in form of mining related training and education to these communities; (3) leading in transfer of modern technologies for improved extraction; (4) supporting ASM cooperatives in securing credit facilities from financial institutions; and (5) closing the existing knowledge gap for ASM related issues through introduction of mining desk officers in district councils.

Towards an AIDS-free generation by 2030: how are South African children, adolescents, caregivers and health care workers coping with HIV?

2021 ◽  
pp. 008124632199217
Author(s):  
Yogan Pillay
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
South African ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Free Generation ◽  
Living With Hiv

We are committed to an AIDS free generation by 2030 – nine short years away. This article reflects on the global and South African data on new infections, total number of children and adolescents living with HIV as well as data on vertical transmission. The article includes the voices of key stakeholders in the quest to end HIV in children so that lessons from their experiences can be used by policy makers in strengthening services.

Setting the standard for healthy eating: Continuous quality improvement for health promotion at Nova Scotia Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-55
Author(s):  
Laura J. Kennedy ◽  
Nathan G. A. Taylor ◽  
Taylor Nicholson ◽  
Emily Jago ◽  
Brenda L. MacDonald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Continuous Quality Improvement ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Quality Improvement Process ◽  
Continuous Quality ◽  
The Status ◽  
Collaborative Efforts

Healthcare organizations engage in continuous quality improvement to improve performance and value-for-performance, but the pathway to change is often rooted in challenging the way things are “normally” done. In an effort to propel system-wide change to support healthy eating, Nova Scotia Health developed and implemented a healthy eating policy as a benchmark to create a food environment supportive of health. This article describes the healthy eating policy and its role as a benchmark in the quality improvement process. The policy, rooted in health promotion, sets a standard for healthy eating and applies to stakeholders both inside and outside of health. We explain how the policy offers nutrition but also cultural benchmarks around healthy eating, bringing practitioners throughout Nova Scotia Health together and sustaining collaborative efforts to improve upon the status quo.

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