Green Star is not a physical activity star

Facilities ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn Creagh ◽  
Sarah McGann ◽  
Marian Tye ◽  
Jonine Jancey ◽  
Courtney Babb
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Spatial Configuration ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Designed Environment ◽  
Personal Context

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on research investigating the relationship between physical activity and workplace design. In particular, the paper explores the social–ecological context of a new workplace building. This paper seeks to understand why better physical activity outcomes for the staff were not observed in the new building despite influence from a staff wellness committee during design; achieving success against existing best-practice indicators; and staff reporting increased feelings of wellness, energy and satisfaction with the new building. Design/methodology/approach Three design aspects are taken as a focus from within an opportunistic pre-/post-physical activity study of an organisation as they move from a building they occupied for 30 years into a new purpose-designed building. This study was conducted through mixed methods, incorporating ethnographic, architectural and quantitative means. Findings The social, spatial and personal context is important for understanding participant workplace-based physical activity. Despite the health and well-being goals and 5 Star Green Star outcomes of the new building, participants were sedentary for a substantive part of their workday in both buildings. Practical implications A well-designed environment can support staff feeling healthier, but the 5 Star Green Star rating does not implicitly ensure a healthier, activity-promoting environment. Facilities managers and designers can act to provide physically active paths as the most straightforward circulation option in workplaces. Originality/value The originality of this study lies in the opportunity to conduct a pre-/post-study of physical activity where the organisation, workforce and type of work are constant and where the variable is the building design, spatial configuration and location. The methods used in this study draw from both health promotion and architectural research practices.

Promoting physical activity

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Chalkley ◽  
Lauren Sherar
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Physical Activity Promotion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Role Modelling ◽  
School Based ◽  
Marginalized Groups ◽  
Activity Promotion ◽  
The Social ◽  
Health And Well Being

Physical activity is beneficial to children’s health and well-being. Evidence suggests that physical activity declines with age from childhood through adolescence and into adulthood, with boys being more active than girls at all ages. Physical activity participation in childhood is affected by the social support and role modelling provided by family, peers, friends, and teachers. Marginalized groups are disadvantaged in terms of access to opportunities to be physically active. From a population perspective, the greatest gains in public health will be achieved by helping those who are most inactive to become moderately active. Physical activity promotion efforts for children have predominantly focused on school-based programmes, but multisectoral approaches are needed with transformative and enlightened public policy regarding many facets of children’s lives such as school curricula, active travel, safe play areas, and enhanced sports opportunities for all.

scholarly journals Motivating students for physical activity: What can we learn from student perspectives?

2020 ◽  
pp. 1356336X2097021
Author(s):  
Gwendolijn MM Boonekamp ◽  
John AJ Dierx ◽  
Erik Jansen
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Student Perspectives ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
School Based ◽  
The Social ◽  
Unique Method ◽  
Health Promoting

Regular physical activity (PA) contributes to lifelong health and well-being. Adolescents in the Netherlands do not engage in sufficient PA, leading to serious health risks. The purpose of this study is to inform PA-enhancing strategies. This paper offers a unique method for analysing students’ perspectives about opportunities for PA in their school environments. The research method combines two approaches: a Health Promoting Schools (HPS) approach, which supports children’s development by using the school setting to promote PA, and a salutogenic approach, which engages all students in dialogue and reflection to identify factors or ‘assets’ that enhance their PA. Ninety-three students aged 12–14 from four secondary pre-vocational education schools participated in two group sessions in which the structured interview matrix and photovoice methods were employed. In these sessions, the students interacted with each other about four asset categories: talents, passions, the social environment and the physical environment. Thematic analyses of their dialogues led to three main insights: (a) students must perceive the activities as meaningful, appealing, contextually possible and manageable; (b) they use a wide variety of reasoning processes when deciding whether to engage in PA; and (c) it is valuable to invite students to share their individual perspectives on assets related to PA. All these aspects connect to the goals of both HPS and salutogenesis. We conclude that shifting the focus towards developing school-based interventions that build on student perspectives and active participation provides students with realistic opportunities for shaping PA and motivates them to be more physically active.

Evaluation of a participatory approach to improve healthy eating and physical activity in a secure mental health setting

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 301-309
Author(s):  
Alberto Mateo-Urdiales ◽  
Margaret Michael ◽  
Charlotte Simpson ◽  
Jane Beenstock
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Prevalence Of Obesity

Purpose The prevalence of obesity in secure mental health units is higher than in the general population, having a negative impact on the physical health and mental well-being of people with severe mental health illness (SMI). The purpose of this study was to describe the feasibility of a programme aimed to help people with SMI to eat healthily and be physically active. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods approach was used. A questionnaire administered to patients in both wards measured acceptability, demand, implementation and practicality of the project. Individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups were used to explore staff and patients’ perceptions of the project; as well as the barriers and enablers towards an effective implementation and participation in the project’s activities. Findings Patients were, overall, satisfied with the activities implemented. Successful activities were easy to implement, had staff actively engaged and did not require logistic or administrative planning beforehand. Barriers included unawareness around funding mechanisms of activities, staff capacity issues or lack of patients’ permission to leave the ward. Originality/value Few studies have assessed the feasibility of real-life interventions aimed to improve healthy eating and physical activity in secure mental health units. The results of this study can inform commissioners and providers of mental health services to design and implement new interventions and programmes.

scholarly journals Social enterprise and wellbeing in community life

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Farmer ◽  
Tracy De Cotta ◽  
Katharine McKinnon ◽  
Jo Barraket ◽  
Sarah-Anne Munoz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Enterprise ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Boundary Spanning ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Positive Interactions ◽  
Community Life ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Mental Mapping

Purpose This paper aims to explore the well-being impacts of social enterprise, beyond a social enterprise per se, in everyday community life. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory case study was used. The study’s underpinning theory is from relational geography, including Spaces of Wellbeing Theory and therapeutic assemblage. These theories underpin data collection methods. Nine social enterprise participants were engaged in mental mapping and walking interviews. Four other informants with “boundary-spanning” roles involving knowledge of the social enterprise and the community were interviewed. Data were managed using NVivo, and analysed thematically. Findings Well-being realised from “being inside” a social enterprise organisation was further developed for participants, in the community, through positive interactions with people, material objects, stories and performances of well-being that occurred in everyday community life. Boundary spanning community members had roles in referring participants to social enterprise, mediating between participants and structures of community life and normalising social enterprise in the community. They also gained benefit from social enterprise involvement. Originality/value This paper uses relational geography and aligned methods to reveal the intricate connections between social enterprise and well-being realisation in community life. There is potential to pursue this research on a larger scale to provide needed evidence about how well-being is realised in social enterprises and then extends into communities.

scholarly journals Exploring collaboration within social housing retrofit practice for an ageing population: a single case study in the West of Scotland

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dayna Rodger ◽  
Nicola Callaghan ◽  
Craig Thomson
Keyword(s):  
Social Housing ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Single Case Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Data Infrastructure ◽  
The Social

Purpose Sustainably addressing the social and economic demands from an ageing population is a major global challenge, with significant implications for policy and practice. This is resultant of the increasing demand for housing adaptations to prevent increased pressure upon acute health services. Through the lens of institutional theory, this paper aims to explore the levels of joined-up retrofit practice within a Scottish social housing provider, under a constructivist approach. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory single case study of a Scottish local authority was undertaken. Within this, nine key stakeholders were interviewed, taking a hierarchical approach, from director to repair and maintenance staff. Results were analysed by using Braun and Clarke’s six stages of thematic analysis. Findings There is a need for greater levels of integration within retrofit practice to not only improve the health and well-being of the older population but also increase efficiency and economic savings within public services. Currently, there are key issues surrounding silo-based decision-making, poor data infrastructure, power struggles and a dereliction of built environment knowledge and expertise, preventing both internal and external collaboration. However, housing, energy and health have interlinking agendas which are integral to achieving ageing in place. Therefore, there must be system-wide recognition of the potential benefits of improved cross-sector collaboration, preventing unintended consequences whilst providing socioeconomic outcomes. Originality/value This research provides a new perspective surrounding retrofit practice within the context of an ageing population. It highlights the requirement for improved cross sector collaboration and the social and economic cost of poor quality practice.

How do social responsibility and social entrepreneurship generate value creation in pandemics?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Silva ◽  
Margarida Rodrigues ◽  
Mário Franco ◽  
Cidália Oliveira ◽  
Nuno Sousa
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
High Degree

Purpose Using self-determination theory and individual social responsibility’s (ISRs) association with pure social entrepreneurship, this study aims to answer the following question: How and why have the different actors responded to the crisis caused by the pandemic? Design/methodology/approach Qualitative research (multiple case studies) was adopted, resorting to interviewees with seven economic and non-economic actors in the Portugal context. Findings The results obtained, using MAXQDA software, show that those carrying out actions of social responsibility have a high degree of self-determination and intrinsic motivation, and are true social entrepreneurs, which lets them improve the well-being of those around them. In addition, these individuals feel good about themselves by performing these actions, as they measure their performance by the social impact of their actions on society in general. Practical implications This study suggest there is a high awareness amongst people to exercise that responsibility in a voluntary way, through humanitarian initiatives and campaigns brought about especially by an unprecedented pandemic. In practice, people joining these initiatives motivate many others towards the causes, creating the will to continue in the future and satisfy unmet needs provoked by social crises. Originality/value This study is innovative because it is related to filling the gaps identified, mainly by carrying out an empirical study about ISR, rather than that of firms, where studies are more common.

Exploring social entrepreneurial boundary spanning for compassion-triggered opportunities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliada Wosu Griffin-EL
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Market ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Boundary Spanning ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Entrepreneurial Action ◽  
The Individual

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address the research question: How does the social entrepreneur’s compassion inform how they engage with their environment to mobilize resources for social entrepreneurial action? Design/methodology/approach The study features a comparative case study analysis of seven high-profile social entrepreneurs within Cape Town, South Africa. Data via in-depth interviews, site visits and archival information and follow-up conversations were collected and then analyzed via thematic coding of qualitative analysis. Findings The findings suggest that compassion is an antecedent for the social entrepreneurial boundary spanning shaped by their orientation toward concern for others’ well-being. Propositions presented offer the groundwork for an emergent theoretical framework of social entrepreneurial boundary spanning. Originality/value The study builds upon the emerging compassion research within social entrepreneurship, extending the conceptualization of compassion to be shapers of the social structure – not just the individual or the organization – in an emerging market context.

Abstract P234: Associations of Clinical Characteristics and Health-related Behaviors With Physical Activity Levels in Stage B Heart Failure Patients

Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 141 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maira Tristao Parra ◽  
Meredith A Pung ◽  
Kathleen Wilson ◽  
Christopher Pruitt ◽  
Barry H Greenberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Heart Failure ◽  
Clinical Characteristics ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Heart Failure Patients ◽  
Health Related Behaviors ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Active Patients

Hypothesis: insufficiently active heart failure patients will report poorer QoL, more fatigue and depressive mood compared to active patients. Aims: To characterize clinical characteristics and health-related behaviors according to physical activity (PA). Also, to explore predicting factors of quality of life (QoL). Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of a cohort of Stage B HF patients. PA classification was set as active, moderately active or insufficiently active, according to the LTEQ questionnaire. For QoL, the SF-36 questionnaire was used. ANOVAS, Chi-Square tests or likelihood ratios and unadjusted multiple regression models were calculated. Significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Results: In this cohort, 277 HF patients completed the PA questionnaire. The prevalence of active patients was higher than moderately active and insufficiently active (53.3% vs 15.2% and 29.6%), respectively. Younger age (p = 0.044), lower waist circumference (WC) (p = 0.002), and lower waist-to-hip ratio (p = 0.046) were associated with being active. The prevalence of Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the active groups was significantly lower (p = 0.001). Physically active groups had cases of mild LV enlargement (1.4% and 7.5%, respectively), while no cases were observed among insufficiently active patients (p = 0.017). PA was positively associated with less fatigue (p= 0.002), more vigor (p = 0.001), more self-efficacy (p < 0.001), and better quality of life (p = 0.002). Patients who were less physically active had more inflammation (CRP, p = 0.015; IL-6, p <0.001; TNF-α: p = 0.033, and IL-1ra, p = 0.001). WC (β =-0.16, p = 0.008), glucose (β =-0.12, p < 0.001) and fatigue (β = - 0.39, p < 0.001) predicted general health perception (R 2 = 0.449). For physical functioning (high scores reflects performing PA without limitations due to health), WC (β = - 0.28, p = 0.001), sleep (β = - 1.50, p = 0.003) and fatigue (β = - 0.32, p = 0.018) were significant predictors (R 2 = 0.422); while age (β = 0.36, p <0.001) physical activity (β = 0.051, p = 0.055), sleep (β = 0.50, p =0.046), fatigue (β = -0.37, p <0.001) and depression (β = -1.12, p <0.001) predicted emotional well-being (R 2 = 0.696). Conclusion: Physically active heart failure patients had a better anthropometric profile and lower prevalence of T2DM. In this cohort, PA was not a significant predictor for general and physical functioning, but it remained relevant for predicting emotional well-being.

The social and cultural context of well-being and physical activity in later life in the USA

2018 ◽  
pp. 9-18
Author(s):  
Jasmin Tahmaseb McConatha ◽  
Karin Volkwein-Caplan ◽  
Amarachi Akwarandu
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Usa
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