scholarly journals Bodies of concern? A qualitative exploration of eating, moving and embodiment in young mothers

2021 ◽  
pp. 136345932110607
Author(s):  
Grace Lucas ◽  
Ellinor K Olander ◽  
Debra Salmon
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Young Mothers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Area Of Concern ◽  
Qualitative Exploration

In some countries, including the United Kingdom, young mothers’ pregnant and postnatal bodies remain an area of concern for policy and practice, with interventions developed to support improved health behaviours including diet and physical activity. This article explores what young women themselves think and feel about eating and moving during and after pregnancy. Semi-structured interviews with 11 young mothers were conducted within two voluntary organisations. Data were analysed using thematic analysis with the theoretical lens of embodiment, which provided an understanding of how young women’s eating and moving habits related to how they felt about their bodies in the world. Four themes situated in different experiences of being and having a body were identified: pregnant body, emotional body, social body and surveilled body. Stress and low mood impacted eating habits as young women responded to complex circumstances and perceived judgement about their lives. Food choices were influenced by financial constraints and shaped by the spaces and places in which young women lived. Whilst young women were busy moving in their day-to-day lives, they rarely had the resources to take part in other physical activity. Holistic approaches that focus on how women feel about their lives and bodies and ask them where they need support are required from professionals. Interventions that address the structural influences on poor diet and inequalities in physical activity participation are necessary to underpin this. Approaches that over-focus on the achievement of individual health behaviours may fail to improve long-term health and risk reinforcing young women’s disadvantage.

Diversity in teachers’ approaches to movement integration: A qualitative study of lower secondary school teachers’ perceptions of a state school reform involving daily physical activity

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 429-447
Author(s):  
Henrik Taarsted Jørgensen ◽  
Sine Agergaard ◽  
Michalis Stylianou ◽  
Jens Troelsen
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
School Reform ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Physical Activity Policy ◽  
Danish School ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Movement Integration

In the context of implementing a physical activity policy as part of a national school reform in Denmark, the purpose of this study was to explore lower secondary teachers’ interpretations and perceptions of the physical activity policy with a focus on movement integration. In total, 14 teachers from four different schools were selected to take part in this qualitative study, which involved semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, go-along observations and informal interviews. A thematic analysis framework was employed to identify and describe patterns of meaning within data. The findings showed substantial diversity among teachers’ interpretations and perceptions of movement integration, and consequently a lack of definitional clarity regarding movement integration and a possible misalignment between policy and practice. Teachers’ perceptions and interpretations of movement integration were influenced by other and more prioritised policies and discourses regarding academic achievement, as well as by intrapersonal, interpersonal and institutional factors. The findings also suggested a lack of support and collaboration within the school and provided insights into the strengths and weaknesses associated with the autonomy afforded in the Danish school reform.

scholarly journals Ageing in Urban Neighbourhoods: Exploring Place Insideness Amongst Older Adults in India, Brazil and the United Kingdom

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-223
Author(s):  
Ryan Woolrych ◽  
Jamuna Duvurru ◽  
Adriana Portella ◽  
Judith Sixsmith ◽  
Deborah Menezes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Older People ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Sense Of Place ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Urban Neighbourhoods

The ageing in place agenda emphasises the importance of supporting older adults to age in their communities surrounded by the personal resources to age well. In exploring the relationship between older people and their environment, the concept of place insideness is seen as central to constructing feelings of identity, belonging and attachment in old age. Yet there has been little research exploring how older adults experience place insideness across different urban, social and cultural contexts which is an impediment to identifying effective interventions for age-friendly cities and communities. This article explores how place insideness is experienced amongst older adults across India, Brazil and the United Kingdom. The article presents qualitative findings from 294 semi-structured interviews collected across 9 cities and 27 neighbourhoods. The findings reveal that older adults cultivate their sense of place insideness in old age through dimensions of physical insideness (i.e., environmental competence in navigating and engaging in the community), social insideness (i.e., knowing others) and autobiographical insideness (i.e., shared place histories). In drawing on older people’s understanding of their communities, this article explores the opportunities and challenges in developing a sense of place insideness to support ageing well. We identify implications for policy and practice in terms of how we can better design urban environments as age-friendly communities which support a greater sense of place for older people.

scholarly journals Away from Home: A Qualitative Exploration of Health Experiences of Nigerian Students in a U.K. University

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Folashade T Alloh ◽  
Desiree Tait ◽  
Clare Taylor
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Culture Shock ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cultural Dimension ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Nigerian Students ◽  
Qualitative Exploration

This study explored the factors that contribute to the health experience of Nigerian students in the United Kingdom. Challenges faced by international students include dietary issues, isolation, stress, depression and others. Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted combination of purposive sampling and snowball sampling techniques were used to recruit participants for the study. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic content analysis and Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to interpret themes. Two major themesfrom our findings were discussed under broad headings: Transitional changes and financial capability. These findings have practical implications for Nigerian students’ well being in a U.K. university. Cultural dimension is needed to reduce culture shock experience among international students during sojourning

scholarly journals Bringing Policy and Practice To the Table: Young Women’s Nutritional Experiences In An Ontario Secondary School

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Gray
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Young Women ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Eating Behaviours ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Nutrition Messages ◽  
The Government

In recent years, media, health organizations and researchers have raised concern over the health of Canadian children and adolescents. Stakeholders have called on the government to confront the problem. Schools are seen as an ideal site for developing and implementing large-scale interventions because of the ease of access to large groups of children and adolescents. Within Ontario, new nutrition policies, such as the School Food and Beverage Policy (2011) have been implemented in an attempt to change the current health status of children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to examine the eating behaviours and nutrition knowledge of young women in an Ontario secondary school.  Semi-structured interviews were used to examine the reproduction, negotiation and resistance to the nutrition messages received by young women within the school environment. The interviews revealed the influence of parents, the inability of apply learned knowledge and the ineffectiveness of the school environment. 

scholarly journals Physical activity promotion in German vocational education: does capacity building work?

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 1577-1589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Popp ◽  
Johannes Carl ◽  
Eva Grüne ◽  
Jana Semrau ◽  
Peter Gelius ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Nursing Students ◽  
Vocational Education ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Physical Activity Promotion ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Activity Promotion

Abstract Apprentices in many sectors are exposed to increased health risks and show low levels of physical activity (PA). Environmental and policy approaches seem to be promising tools for PA promotion as they can positively influence the context in which PA occurs. This article reports results from a German research project (2015–2018) that developed and implemented measures for PA promotion in the field of vocational education (VE). A participatory approach—cooperative planning (COP)—involving researchers as well as stakeholders from policy and practice was used in two VE settings—nursing care and automotive mechatronics. We assessed the extent to which new capacities for PA promotion were created by conducting semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from both sectors (n = 12) and one group interview with nursing students (n = 4). Transcripts were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Findings show that new capacities were created mainly in the form of resources and opportunities and that several measures for PA promotion (e.g. a regular lesson on the issue of PA and health and a tutoring system) were successfully integrated into VE routines. However, establishing new organizational goals and obligations appeared to be challenging. Moreover, the article presents influencing factors, such as the participation of the main actors that strongly supported the process of capacity building within their organization. We conclude that COP seems promising in creating new capacities for PA promotion in the field of VE, and therefore has the potential to promote a physically active lifestyle among apprentices.

scholarly journals Aspects Influencing Food Intake and Approaches towards Personalising Nutrition in the Elderly

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandru Rusu ◽  
Mirana Randriambelonoro ◽  
Caroline Perrin ◽  
Carlijn Valk ◽  
Berta Álvarez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Eating Behaviour ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Motivational Aspect

AbstractHealthy diets have been demonstrated to complement benefits of physical activity, physical condition and mental wellbeing, all of them being important factors influencing the quality of life of elderly. Unfortunately malnutrition is a serious threat and an increasingly prevalent condition among the fast-growing elderly population. The present work addresses the identification of important factors contributing to decreased appetite and food intake as well as the development of approaches towards a healthy diet and personalised nutrition in elderly. Within the present study semi-structured interviews with elderly and elderly suffering from swallowing and mastication difficulties have been performed, results being used for the development of food provision modules and the corresponding recipes addressing the nutritional requirements of elderly. The social context and the swallowing and mastication difficulties influence the eating behaviour as well as the motivation to eat. On the other hand, it was found that texture modified foods (food which texture is adapted to the need of people with swallowing and mastication problems) could act as motivational aspect. With regard to food personalisation in the elderly the consideration of three different case scenarios based on individual independency and the degree of oral impairment seemed to be appropriate. Different aspects such as gender weight, physical activity level as well as high protein demand are important influential factors in the development of personalised recipes in elderly. In addition to the above, a conversational agent was developed as behaviour change module and can be successfully used as smart personal assistant in helping the users to understand their eating habits and adopt healthier nutrition over the long term.

scholarly journals Young children's food in Liverpool day-care settings: a qualitative study of pre-school nutrition policy and practice

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 1858-1866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ffion Lloyd-Williams ◽  
Katie Bristow ◽  
Simon Capewell ◽  
Modi Mwatsama
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
National Level ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Menu Planning

AbstractObjectiveTo explore nutrition and food provision in pre-school nurseries in order to develop interventions to promote healthy eating in early years settings, especially across deprived communities.DesignAn ethnographic approach was used combining participant observation with semi-structured interviews. Research participants were selected purposively using convenience sampling.SettingCommunity pre-school nurseries.SubjectsNursery managers (n 9), cooks (n 6), staff (n 12), parents (n 12) and children at six nurseries (four private and two attached to children's centres) in Liverpool, UK.ResultsPrivate nurseries had minimal access to information and guidelines. Most nurseries did not have a specific healthy eating policy but used menu planning to maintain a focus on healthy eating. No staff had training in healthy eating for children under the age of 5 years. However, enthusiasm and interest were widespread. The level and depth of communication between the nursery and parents was important. Meal times can be an important means of developing social skills and achieving Early Years Foundation Stage competencies.ConclusionsNurseries are genuinely interested in providing appropriate healthy food for under-5s but require support. This includes: improved mechanisms for effective communication between all government levels as well as with nurseries; and funded training for cooks and managers in menu planning, cost-effective food sourcing and food preparation. Interventions to support healthy eating habits in young children developed at the area level need to be counterbalanced by continued appropriate national-level public health initiatives to address socio-economic differences.

scholarly journals Understanding complaints about paramedics: a qualitative exploration in a UK context

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Lucas ◽  
Ann Gallagher ◽  
Magda Zasada ◽  
Zubin Austin ◽  
Robert Jago ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Delphi Study ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Cultural Climate ◽  
Disproportionate Number ◽  
Perceptions And Expectations ◽  
Qualitative Exploration ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Insight Into

IntroductionThis research set out to understand the context and explore the reasons for the disproportionate number of complaints raised against paramedics to the United Kingdom professional regulator – the Health and Care Professions Council – relative to other health professions. MethodsThis paper reports on qualitative findings from one aspect of a mixed-methods study which included a case analysis, Delphi study and literature review. One-to-one semi-structured interviews conducted with 15 stakeholders drawn from practitioners, educators, representatives and regulators, and three focus groups held with 16 practitioners and service users were used to gain an in-depth understanding of the possible reasons for complaints about paramedic practice. ResultsFive themes were generated from a thematic analysis of the data: the impact of public perceptions and expectations; the challenges of day-to-day practice; the effect of increasingly pressurised services; the organisational and cultural climate which impacts paramedics’ work; and the evolving nature of the profession. ConclusionThis study highlights the complex and changing nature of paramedic practice. It provides an insight into the ways in which the character, practice and environment of the profession contribute to a disproportionate number of complaints.

scholarly journals Religiously Conditioned Health Behaviors within Selected Religious Traditions

2022 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 454
Author(s):  
Anna Majda ◽  
Iwona Bodys-Cupak ◽  
Alicja Kamińska ◽  
Marcin Suder ◽  
Zofia Gródek-Szostak
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Religious Commitment ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
High Level

Background: Health is a value of paramount importance for human existence. It has a special place in every religious system, both on the doctrinal and practical levels. Most religions view health as a priority value to be cared for, and require followers of individual religious groups to take care of their physical and mental health, and to maintain a balance between body and spirit. The aim of the study was to verify whether the level of religious commitment significantly influences health behaviors and whether in selected religions the faithful have a different approach to health behaviors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on a group of 296 people—118 Seventh-day Adventists (SDA), 134 Catholics, and 14 Jews living in southern Poland, and 31 Muslims living in southern and north-eastern Poland. The following research tools were used as part of the diagnostic survey method: a questionnaire survey designed by us; the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ); the Inventory of Health Behaviours (IHB); the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS 10) and anthropometric measurements, physical examination, laboratory tests. Results: Only 75% of Catholics who participated in the study declared a high level of religious commitment. On the other hand, all (100%) of SDA, Jews, and Muslim respondents declared their religious commitment at a high level. SDA were characterized by the most desirable health behaviors on the IHB (high and average levels), especially eating habits. They did not consume alcohol, did not smoke cigarettes. The physical activity of most ADS was high and moderate. Most of the SDA subjects were characterized by an average and low level of stress intensity. The most common correct scores for homocysteine, triglycerides, and CRP were SDA, cholesterol by Jews, glucose by Muslims, and HDL by Catholics. The most common negative results were: homocysteine, glucose and triglycerides among Jews, cholesterol and CRP among Catholics, HDL among Muslims. Optimal blood pressure was most common among Catholics, and hypertension was most often diagnosed among Jews. Most often, Muslims had the correct body weight, and at the same time it was the group of respondents most often diagnosed with obesity. In contrast, underweight was observed only among Catholics. The SDA subjects were most often overweight. Conclusions: The results suggest that public health professionals and nurses should develop culturally specific educational interventions, especially among Catholics.

scholarly journals Gendered trends in young people’s participation in active lifestyles: The need for a gender-neutral narrative

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 535-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Nicola Metcalfe ◽  
Iain Lindsey
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Team Sports ◽  
Young Men ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Gender Neutral ◽  
Active Lifestyles ◽  
Gendered Bodies

Gendered differences in participation in active lifestyles (encompassing sport, physical activity, and physical education) are well established, with young men typically participating in more activities than young women. This paper uses a theoretical approach inspired by Bourdieu’s notions of habitus, field and capital to explore the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of these differences. Drawing on mixed-methods data obtained from questionnaires ( n = 332) and semi-structured interviews with 33 young men and 37 young women aged 15–16, we present two gendered trends which explain gendered differences in active lifestyle participation. Firstly, in this research, young men participated in more activities than young women, viewing their participation as integral to their identity, their sense of self. Young women, in contrast, viewed sport as an ‘optional’ extra, something they could do, if they wished. Secondly, in relation to the differences in the type of activities participated in, young men were more likely to participate in traditional team sports, whereas young women chose to engage in gym/fitness activities to promote appearance and feminine attractiveness. We argue that the gendered norms which dictate ‘appropriate’ gendered active identities are damaging to both young men and women who may wish to deviate from these norms. Social capital is allocated to gendered bodies in accordance with these norms, influencing how young people are viewed in their social hierarchies. A gender-neutral narrative which destabilises gendered sporting norms whilst simultaneously celebrating diversity is needed to promote a safe and inclusive environment where all young men and women can engage in sufficient physical activity.

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