scholarly journals Developing the UNICEF Malawi School Handwashing Program

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 74-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joy Parkinson ◽  
Philip C. Mkandawire ◽  
Timo Dietrich ◽  
Abi Badejo ◽  
Mohammad Kadir ◽  
...  

Diarrhea is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among children and immune-compromised individuals in Malawi. Handwashing with soap (HWWS) is one of the most cost-effective health interventions to prevent diarrhea. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Malawi has adopted a social marketing approach to achieve large-scale behavioral change for HWWS. The study, commissioned by UNICEF Malawi, was developed by PSI Malawi and Griffith University and conducted by PSI Malawi. Formative research insights using two research studies are presented including observations at 30 primary schools in terms of HWWS behavior. Second, key informant interviews with school administrators and staff members were conducted to understand HWWS motivation, opportunity, and ability factors. This study found less than half of the assessed schools had handwashing facilities. Structural barriers that prevent school children from practicing HWWS were identified including a lack of financial resources to construct permanent handwashing facilities in schools. Many schools also experience a lack of support from the community as citizens are not aware of the benefits of HWWS. Changes to school and community infrastructure are required to facilitate the adoption of the behavior. Supporting activities to encourage school children to practice HWWS and reinforcement strategies to sustain the behavior over time should also be implemented. School children can then become change agents for HWWS by reinforcing the behavior at home thereby contributing to the achievement of the national objectives to reduce diarrhea and leading to improved health and well-being for communities in Malawi.

2021 ◽  
pp. 004728752110115
Author(s):  
Mary-Ann Cooper ◽  
Ralf Buckley

Leisure tourism, including destination choice, can be viewed as an investment in mental health maintenance. Destination marketing measures can thus be analyzed as mental health investment prospectuses, aiming to match tourist desires. A mental health framework is particularly relevant for parks and nature tourism destinations, since the benefits of nature for mental health are strongly established. We test it for one globally iconic destination, using a large-scale qualitative approach, both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourists’ perceptions and choices contain strong mental health and well-being components, derived largely from autonomous information sources, and differing depending on origins. Parks agencies emphasize factual cognitive aspects, but tourism enterprises and destination marketing organizations use affective approaches appealing to tourists’ mental health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 12207
Author(s):  
Rokhshid Ghaziani ◽  
Mark Lemon ◽  
Paramita Atmodiwirjo

Existing frameworks for biophilic design have similar strategies and attributes as useful checklists for designers; however, the focus has been on adults rather than children, and there remains the need for more guidance related to school design by extension. The application of biophilia would be a design resolution in schools because of its impact on children’s health and well-being, which has been more important since the pandemic started; however, it remains quite unexplored in school design in many countries, including the UK. Biophilic design patterns can be used in school buildings and grounds for greater connectivity between spaces and nature in order to promote children’s well-being. This paper focuses on ten biophilic design patterns under two categories of ‘nature in the space’ and ‘natural analogues.’ This study presents the findings of case studies in various countries. The analysis focuses on the manifestations of biophilia to inform the application of biophilic design patterns for primary schools. Finally, this paper suggests how primary school children could be involved in a co-design process in order to evaluate biophilic design patterns.


2021 ◽  
pp. 095935352110499
Author(s):  
Lisa Rudolfsson ◽  
Elisabeth Punzi

The focus of this study was on female emergency medical personnel's experiences of treating women who have been raped and on their own experiences of being women themselves working in this situation. We interviewed 12 female medical personnel in four focus groups of two to five participants each. The material was analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Participants’ experiences were structured under two main themes: Prerequisites for care and Effects on oneself. As women, the participants emphasized their understanding of other women and stressed the importance of offering flexible care and taking time with each patient. They described how their work affected them personally, making them increasingly aware of men's violence against women and their need for support from their colleagues. They also discussed structural barriers to both patient care and self-care. If unaddressed, such shortcomings risk negatively affecting raped women seeking medical care and may also be detrimental to the health and well-being of the professional offering care.


Author(s):  
Susan E. Peters ◽  
Hao D. Trieu ◽  
Justin Manjourides ◽  
Jeffrey N. Katz ◽  
Jack T. Dennerlein

Background: Evidence supports organizational interventions as being effective for improving worker safety, health and well-being; however, there is a paucity of evidence-based interventions for subcontracting companies in commercial construction. Methods: A theory-driven approach supplemented by formative research through key stakeholder interviews and focus groups and an iterative vetting process with stakeholders, resulted in the development of an intervention for subcontractors in the commercial construction industry. We piloted the intervention in one subcontracting commercial construction company. We used these findings to adapt and finalize the intervention design to be tested in a future large-scale trial. Results: There were several key findings from the formative research, including challenges faced by companies and assets that should be considered in the intervention design. This resulted in a communication infrastructure company-based, continual improvement, participatory intervention design, consisting of a needs assessment and report, committee-led prioritization, action planning and implementation, and worker communication/feedback cycle. The pilot contributed to the final intervention design with modifications made with respect to timing, implementation support, capacity building, adaptability and sustainability. Conclusions: The use of a theory-driven participatory approach to developing an integrated organizational intervention for commercial construction subcontracting companies was important and necessary. It allowed us to consider the empirical evidence and relevant theories and tailor these to meet the needs of our target population. This study gives pragmatic insight into the early development of a complex intervention, with practical experience of how we adapted our intervention at each stage. This intervention will be tested in a future randomized trial.


Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Régis Decorme ◽  
Silvia Urra ◽  
Olatz Nicolas ◽  
Carina Dantas ◽  
Annelore Hermann ◽  
...  

Despite its proven potential for systemic change, large-scale investment (both public and private) in sustainable homes still faces barriers, often caused by insecurity about personal, societal and financial returns on investment and a lack of clarity about concrete elements of sustainable age-friendly living environments and the choice of building, retrofitting and adaptation measures to be implemented. The projects that contributed to this workshop are developing solutions to tackle these barriers and propose a holistic and integrated approach to progress on implementation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Gregorčič

The article presents findings from a large-scale qualitative research study conducted as part of a three-year Erasmus+ project entitled Old Guys Say Yes to Community, which included partners from Slovenia, Portugal, Poland and Estonia. The project explored how inactive ageing affects the quality of life, health and well-being of men aged 60 years or more, and how (self-)exclusion from the community can lead to social and psychological ‘death’. The article highlights four interconnected themes which are inadequately, insufficiently, or simply not addressed by national institutions and often also the non-governmental sector in the researched countries. The themes – the pluralisation of transitions to retirement and ageing; absent bodies and invisible lives; hegemonic masculinity and gendered experiences; and community-based learning, action and spaces – are supported by well-defined issues and obstacles preventing men from integrating into the community and are completed with suggestions and recommendations to implement much-needed changes. In addition to these four themes, the article touches upon a series of subtopics and questions that should be addressed by further scientific research in the observed countries.


Author(s):  
Tavinder Kaur Ark ◽  
Sarah Kesselring ◽  
Brent Hills ◽  
Kim McGrail

BackgroundPopulation Data BC (PopData) was established as a multi-university data and education resourceto support training and education, data linkage, and access to individual level, de-identified data forresearch in a wide variety of areas including human and community development and well-being. ApproachA combination of deterministic and probabilistic linkage is conducted based on the quality andavailability of identifiers for data linkage. PopData utilizes a harmonized data request and approvalprocess for data stewards and researchers to increase efficiency and ease of access to linked data.Researchers access linked data through a secure research environment (SRE) that is equipped witha wide variety of tools for analysis. The SRE also allows for ongoing management and control ofdata. PopData continues to expand its data holdings and to evolve its services as well as governanceand data access process. DiscussionPopData has provided efficient and cost-effective access to linked data sets for research. After twodecades of learning, future planned developments for the organization include, but are not limitedto, policies to facilitate programs of research, access to reusable datasets, evaluation and use of newdata linkage techniques such as privacy preserving record linkage (PPRL). ConclusionPopData continues to maintain and grow the number and type of data holdings available for research.Its existing models support a number of large-scale research projects and demonstrate the benefitsof having a third-party data linkage and provisioning center for research purposes. Building furtherconnections with existing data holders and governing bodies will be important to ensure ongoingaccess to data and changes in policy exist to facilitate access for researchers.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toni C. Antonucci ◽  
James A. Ashton-Miller ◽  
Jennifer Brant ◽  
Emily B. Falk ◽  
Jeffrey B. Halter ◽  
...  

This paper addresses the health problems and opportunities that society will face in 2030. We propose a proactive model to combat the trend towards declining levels of physical activity and increasing obesity. The model emphasizes the need to increase physical activity among individuals of all ages. We focus on the right to move and the benefits of physical activity. The paper introduces a seven-level model that includes cells, creature (individual), clan (family), community, corporation, country, and culture. At each level the model delineates how increased or decreased physical activity influences health and well-being across the life span. It emphasizes the importance of combining multiple disciplines and corporate partners to produce a multifaceted cost-effective program that increases physical activity at all levels. The goal of this paper is to recognize exercise as a powerful, low-cost solution with positive benefits to cognitive, emotional, and physical health. Further, the model proposes that people of all ages should incorporate the “right to move” into their life style, thereby maximizing the potential to maintain health and well-being in a cost-effective, optimally influential manner.


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