Environmental Interpretation for a Diverse Public: Nature Center Planning for Minority Populations

1997 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan K. Jacohson ◽  
John J. Arana ◽  
Mallory D. McDuff
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Educational Facilities ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
Environmental Interpretation ◽  
School Programs ◽  
Nature Awareness ◽  
The One

The increasing cultural and ethnic diversity in the United States should challenge environmental interpreters to offer programs that attract a variety of audiences. This study investigated minority involvement at Florida's nature centers through a census of 77 nature center directors throughout Florida as well as a survey of 21 minority staff working at these educational facilities. School programs at the nature centers are the primary method for reaching minorities; few programs involve minority adults from the community. The focus of the one-day visits for students is primarily nature awareness, with little emphasis on influencing knowledge or attitudes about local issues, human-environment relationships, or actions to reduce environmental problems. The results indicate the need for nature centers to expand their programs to offer long-term, community-based environmental interpretation for a diverse public.

Utilization of Collaborations to Engage Children in Physical Activity: A Community-Based Research Approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 323-328
Author(s):  
Sheri J. Brock ◽  
Danielle Wadsworth ◽  
Shelby Foote ◽  
Mary E. Rudisill
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Collaborative Partnerships ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Partners ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
Quality Product ◽  
Long Term Impact

Institutions of higher education have a responsibility to prioritize the needs of society and local communities. One essential need prevalent in all communities is to address the rise of obesity and health risks due to lack of participation in physical activity. In the United States, children spend a small percentage of time engaged in physical activity, and engagement decreases further in adolescence and adulthood. Collaborative partnerships between kinesiology faculty at universities and community organizations are one avenue for engaging children in physical activity. Partnerships must be multilevel and community wide to evoke change and have long-term impact and sustainability. Within the context of community-based research, we propose a three-step framework for establishing collaborative partnerships: (1) determining the needs of partners; (2) discussing expertise, services, and philosophy; and (3) providing a quality product. In addition, we outline and illustrate our experiences when collaborating with community partners to promote physical activity.

Determining the Long-Term Effectiveness of a Group-Based Physical Activity Program

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 401-408
Author(s):  
Anamica Batra ◽  
Richard C. Palmer ◽  
Elena Bastida ◽  
H. Virginia McCoy ◽  
Hafiz M. R. Khan
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Population Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
South Florida ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Evidence Based Programs ◽  
The Impact

Objective. In 2015, only half (48%) of older adults in the United States (≥60 years) reported engaging in any kind of physical activity. Few studies examine the impact of evidence-based programs when adopted in community-based settings. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of EnhanceFitness (EF) upto 12-months. Method. EF was offered to older adults in South Florida. A total of 222 EF classes were offered between October 2008 and December 2014. Program consisted of a 1-hour session held three times a week. Even though participation was required for 4 months, 1,295 participants continued the program for at least 1 year. Results. All participants showed significant improvement in outcome measures. A mean change of 1.5, 1.7, and 1.9 was seen in number of chair stands at 4, 8, and 12 months (p < .001), respectively. The number of arm curls performed improved from 16.8 at baseline to 18.8, 18.8, and 19.2 at 4-, 8-, and 12-months, respectively. Participants improved their up-and-go time by decreasing from 9.1 (baseline) to 8.7 (4 months) to 8.6 (12 months; p = .001). Discussion. Randomized controlled trials are commonly used to determine the efficacy of an intervention. These interventions when disseminated at the population level have the potential to benefit large masses. EF is currently offered at more than 700 locations. This tremendous success of EF brings attention to an important question of continuous monitoring of these programs to ensure program consistency and intended outcomes. The model used by the Healthy Aging Regional Collaborative could be replicated by other communities.

Recruiting and Retaining People With Disabilities for Qualitative Health Research: Challenges and Solutions

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1056-1064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer R. Banas ◽  
Susan Magasi ◽  
Kim The ◽  
David E. Victorson
Keyword(s):  
Health Research ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Qualitative Health Research ◽  
Research Challenges ◽  
Participatory Health Research ◽  
Implicit And Explicit

There are 56.7 million people with disabilities (PWD) living in the United States; yet, PWD are significantly underrepresented in health research. Even when researchers purposively seek to include PWD in studies, challenges emerge related to recruitment and retention, leading to inadequate representation and surface understandings of this population. This in turn contributes to the perpetuation of implicit and explicit health disparities that are already experienced by this population. Grounded within a qualitative, community-based participatory health research framework, we highlight challenges associated with recruiting and retaining PWD in health research, including a critical analysis of the research enterprise structure, how this disables accessible research practices for PWD, and leads to continued skepticism among PWD regarding the value of participating in research. Finally, we propose solutions to create and maintain a culture of access and inclusion as well as long-term collaborative and equity-focused partnerships.

Overeducation, persistence and unemployment in Spanish labour market

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuria Sánchez-Sánchez ◽  
Adolfo Cosme Fernández Puente
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
The United States ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Unemployment Rates ◽  
High Elasticity ◽  
The One ◽  
Term Labour

PurposeThe phenomenon of overeducation and the magnitude and persistence of the imbalance impact are analysed for the Spanish labour market from 2006 to 2013.Design/methodology/approachThe authors present random-effects probit estimations comparing individuals and their short-term and long-term labour mismatches.FindingsThe results support the existence of long-term persistence (status in the previous year) and short-term persistence (status at the beginning of the observed period) in overeducation. Precariousness in the labour market, measured by temporality or by the strong destruction of employment, could force individuals to choose a job below their qualification. Additionally, the phenomenon of overeducation is shown to have increased in the period 2010–2013 in relation to the period 2006–2009 independently of the region considered, though those regions with higher unemployment rates display greater imbalances.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the results come from two different samples, it is possible to conclude that overeducation is a phenomenon that tends to perpetuate over time in Spain.Practical implicationsOne of the issues of greatest interest that is crucial to assess the relevance of the spreading of overeducation is whether overeducation can be considered as a temporal mismatch, in which case the seriousness of the problem would not be so important, or, on the contrary, as a persistent one, in which case, governments should take it into account in their education reform programmes.Originality/valueOvereducation persistence has been studied in countries such as the United States, Canada, Switzerland or Germany; however, in Spain, there are hardly any studies. Spanish labour market has certain specificities that make the analyses relevant: the high unemployment rates and high elasticity of employment with respect to the economic cycles. Under these circumstances, workers could opt for more stable positions that require a lower qualification than the one they have. This option could be even more convenient during crisis. Additionally, the article includes a disaggregated analysis by Spanish regions. The differences in the unemployment rates within and between regions are significant (some of them had at the beginning of the crisis an unemployment rate close to 7%, while in others it exceeded 12%) which allows the authors to study the phenomenon in different contexts.

Residential Dynamics in the Wake of Katrina

2014 ◽  
pp. 294-316
Author(s):  
John Byron Strait ◽  
Gang Gong
Keyword(s):  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
New Orleans ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Tropical Storm ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Transformative Process ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
The One

The increased racial and ethnic diversity experienced by the United States in recent decades has vividly transformed this nation's urban landscapes. In New Orleans, Louisiana this transformative process was dramatically enhanced and accelerated by the disruptive impact of Hurricane Katrina, a tropical storm that devastated many of the area's residential neighborhoods. The displacement and turmoil brought on by this event, and the rebuilding efforts that followed, generated a residential geography that varied considerably from the one that existed prior to the storm. This chapter builds upon earlier work that investigates the impacts these processes had on the changing levels of residential segregation evident among racial and/or ethnic groups in New Orleans from 2000 to 2010. Empirical analysis entailed the measurement of two dimensions of segregation evident among Non-Hispanic whites, African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asians. Measures of residential exposure were decomposed in order to investigate the relative impacts of metropolitan-wide compositional change and intra-urban redistributive change on segregation among the four groups. Irrespective of media reports suggesting otherwise, New Orleans did exhibit very modest forms of residential integration during the decade. However, results also suggest that some groups within New Orleans continue to exhibit “ethnic (or racial) self-selectivity,” a form of residential behavior that concentrates these groups residentially. This chapter provides compelling evidence that residential landscapes across New Orleans continue to be impacted by complex forces operating at both the neighborhood and metropolitan scales.

Ensuring High-Quality Implementation and Sustainability of Evidence-Based Interventions and Coalitions

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail A. Fagan ◽  
J. David Hawkins ◽  
Richard F. Catalano ◽  
David P. Farrington
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Technical Support ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Community Based ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Core Components ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Coalition Functioning

This chapter reviews the importance of delivering community-based systems and EBIs with fidelity (i.e., in accordance with their implementation requirements) and sustaining these interventions over time. The chapter describes the training and technical support provided in CTC to ensure that coalitions take necessary actions to maintain their functioning in the long term and deliver EBIs in adherence to their core components and to their intended recipients. It is especially important that coalitions collect data on coalition functioning and EBI delivery and use these data when problems are identified. Examples of how CTC coalitions in the United States and other countries have engaged in these efforts are highlighted.

Long-term Trends in China-Taiwan Relations: Implications for U.S. Taiwan Policy

Asian Survey ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 970-991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip C. Saunders
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Security Environment ◽  
The Status ◽  
Long Term Trends ◽  
The One ◽  
The Taiwan Strait ◽  
Political Economic

Long-term political, economic, and military trends are reshaping the security environment in the Taiwan Strait in potentially destabilizing ways and undermining the ““one China”” framework. The United States has become more deeply involved in cross-strait relations to maintain stability and preserve the status quo, but this approach may not be sustainable.

National and International Adaptations of the Children’s Aid Society Model

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice Chu-Zhu
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Culturally Sensitive ◽  
Community Schools ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Program Fidelity ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Core Components ◽  
The One

When the CAS community schools first opened in New York City in 1992, they attracted many visitors interested in learning about and adapting our model. In response CAS created its National Technical Assistance Center for Community Schools (NTACCS) in 1994 to handle the increasing number of requests for information, coordinate the large number of visitors to the schools, and provide technical assistance in the process and operations involved in creating a community school. People who wish to adapt our model can now tour the various components of our program and meet with our staff to ask questions and learn about the implementation of our program. This chapter will explore the core components of the CAS model and how adaptation sites in the United States and other countries have been able to incorporate elements that represent their signature style and reflect the needs of their individual communities. An immediate dilemma occurs when program planners seek to learn from the experience of others—should they try to replicate the model precisely or should they try to adapt it to their own local circumstances? Replicators often speak of the importance of “program fidelity,” while adaptors talk about differing needs among various communities and populations. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) astutely assesses the dilemma: “While individual tailoring may account for success at a given location, there is pressing need for theoretically grounded interventions that will be effective in a wide range of communities. Therein lies a challenge. On the one hand, ‘replication’ implies fidelity to the original while, on the other hand, ‘community-based and culturally sensitive’ implies expectation of variation and sensitivity to that variation. The need to vary interventions is widely accepted, but systematically developed and articulated only occasionally.” The NIMH study found two key components that improved the effectiveness of HIV prevention programs as they were implemented in multiple sites around the country. One component was that they were “community-based,” designed with the input and skills of the particular communities in which they were implemented. The second was that the programs were “culturally sensitive”—that is, they reflected the needs and cultures of the individuals expected to participate in the intervention and used media and messages relevant to those individuals and their lives.

Community-dwelling older adults' perceptions of dignity: core meanings, challenges, supports and opportunities

2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 1292-1313 ◽  
Author(s):  
KATHY BLACK ◽  
DEBRA DOBBS
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

ABSTRACTDignity is a universally important issue for all people, and particularly vital for older adults who face multiple losses associated with ageing. In the United States of America and beyond, the maintenance of dignity is a key aim of policy and service provision for older people. Yet surprisingly little research has been conducted into the meaning of dignity to community-based older adults in the context of everyday life. As life expectancy continues to increase worldwide, unprecedented numbers of people are living longer than ever before. The majority of older adults will face declining health and other factors that may impact dignity in the course of ageing in their communities. This paper reports on a study that explored older people's understandings and experiences of dignity through focus groups and a survey. Three key components of dignity are identified: autonomy, relational and self-identity. In addition, the paper discusses a range of factors that can facilitate or inhibit a sense of dignity for older people, including long-term health issues, sensory deficits and resilience to life events. Finally, the implications of these findings for policy and practice are considered in the context of American social structures and values.

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