Cycling and Walking to Work in New Zealand, 1991-2006: Regional and Individual Differences, and Pointers to Effective Interventions

Background Evidence of effective interventions to prevent peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter malfunction before first use is presently insufficient to guide clinical care. Regular flushing of the PD catheter (e.g. before PD commencement) has been adopted by some practitioners in the belief that it will prevent catheter obstruction and/or malfunction. The aim of this study was to characterize and evaluate PD catheter flushing practices across Australian and New Zealand PD units. Methods An on-line survey was distributed to all 62 PD units in Australia (12 August 2016; n = 51) and New Zealand (2 February 2017; n = 11), with questions relating to PD catheter flushing practices, audit, and outcomes. Results Forty-nine units of variable size (< 16 to > 100 patients) completed the survey (79% response rate). All centers flushed PD catheters at some stage after insertion as routine unit practice. Forty-one units (84%) routinely flushed during periods of PD rest at varying intervals ranging from alternate daily to monthly. The type and volume of solution used to flush varied between units. Units that practised routine flushing of PD catheters were almost twice as likely to audit their catheter-related outcomes (66% vs 38%, p = 0.23) and more likely to have reported blocked catheters in the preceding 12 months (84% vs 0%, p = 0.01) compared with those units that did not routinely flush PD catheters. Thirty units (61%) regularly audited and monitored catheter-related outcomes. Conclusions This study identified a wide variation in center practices relating to PD catheter flushing. Drawing conclusions about any relationship between flushing practices and clinical outcomes was impeded by the relatively low uptake of regular auditing and monitoring of catheter-related outcomes across surveyed units. Evaluation of the benefits and harms of standardized PD catheter flushing practices on patient outcomes in a randomized trial is needed to guide practice.

Download Full-text

The Developmental Psychopathology of Stress Exposure in Childhood

The Oxford Handbook of Stress and Mental Health ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190681777.013.12 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 264-286

Author(s):

Jenalee R. Doom ◽

Dante Cicchetti

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Developmental Psychopathology ◽

Institutional Care ◽

Risk And Resilience ◽

Stress Exposure ◽

Severe Stress ◽

Childhood Stress ◽

Future Directions ◽

Effective Interventions ◽

And Behavior

This chapter reviews how the field of developmental psychopathology has shaped research on risk and resilience processes in the context of childhood stress. The central tenets of developmental psychopathology, including its transdisciplinary and multilevel nature, equifinality and multifinality, developmental cascades, and the interaction of risk and protective factors across development, guide research aiming to understand individual differences in response to stressors during childhood. Various stressors that children experience, including maltreatment, poverty, institutional care, malnutrition, and environmental exposures, can lead to different effects on biology and behavior depending on the type, timing, chronicity, and severity of the stressor. Genetics, psychobiology, and neurophysiology have been incorporated into this research to enhance our understanding of individual differences in functioning following childhood stress. Future directions include more fully incorporating sex differences into studies of childhood stress and utilizing research in this area to create effective interventions for children experiencing severe stress.

Download Full-text

International Migration Decision-Making: The Peculiar Case of New Zealand

10.26686/wgtn.17006179 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Aidan Tabor

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Decision Making ◽

Individual Differences ◽

New Zealand ◽

Decision Process ◽

Sensation Seeking ◽

Migration Decision ◽

The Relationship ◽

Peculiar Case

New Zealand is a peculiar case because it has both high immigration (roughly 23% born abroad) and high emigration (24% of highly skilled New Zealanders live overseas). Within this context, the purpose of this research is to a) examine why some people selfselect to migrate internationally and others do not, b) explore how people make a decision to leave their country of origin, c) investigate how they select a destination, and d) consider how insights learned can contribute to Naturalistic Decision Making (NDM) theory of how decisions are made in the real world. In the first study, three of the largest immigrant source countries were selected for inclusion: United Kingdom/Ireland (with higher wages than New Zealand), South Africa (similar wages), and India (lower wages). Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 20 pre-departure and 26 post-arrival migrants to New Zealand. A thematic analysis was conducted separately for each country’s data, resulting in a total of 1564 coded extracts in 43 themes and subthemes. The findings support the view that the migration decision process contains three decisions: whether to go, where to go and when to go. Regarding the question of whether to go, Indian and British participants had very similar reasons for leaving their country of origin: lifestyle and work/life balance, opportunities for work and children, and environment. South Africans were overwhelmingly concerned with quality of life, particularly safety. New Zealand was selected as a destination of choice due to quality of life, climate, accessibility of nature, cultural similarity, career opportunities, visa process transparency and the perception that migrants were wanted. On the question of when to go, unlike much of the decision-making in the research literature, this decision process was a negotiation between partners that occurred over a long period of time, quite often years. The second study explored individual differences, such as personality characteristics, in the international mobility intentions of New Zealanders. In a sample of 205 adults born and currently living in New Zealand, 38.5% were planning to move abroad. Using logistical regression techniques, it was found that higher persistence, openness to experience, extraversion, and promotion focus all increased the chances that a participant was planning departure. Higher agreeableness and conscientiousness lowered the odds of a move. Gender moderated the relationship between sensation seeking and intention to migrate, with women’s decision being influenced to a greater extent than men’s by sensation seeking. Also, gender moderated the relationship between emotional stability and intention to migrate, as men who were lower in emotional stability were more likely to leave. The implications from this research include the following NDM-based assumptions: migration decision-making is a process driven by individual differences, occurs over time, has multiple decision-makers, exists within a social (family) context, has real consequences for the parties involved, is bound by cultural norms, takes place in a dynamically-changing environment (including immigration policy changes, life-stage, family health and resources changes), and is the expression of goals that may change during the process.

Download Full-text

The Effectiveness of Using Young Professionals to Influence STEM Career Choices of Secondary School Students

Journal of Research in STEM Education ◽

10.51355/jstem.2016.19 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 2-18

Author(s):

P John Williams ◽

Jenny Mangan

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Secondary School ◽

Secondary School Student ◽

Student Interest ◽

Stem Careers ◽

School Students ◽

Effective Interventions ◽

Students Attitudes ◽

Curriculum Choices ◽

The Impact

There is a concern in many countries that secondary school student interest in careers in the STEM areas is declining. In response, a program has been developed in New Zealand for young professional technologists, engineers and scientists (known as ambassadors) to visit schools and carry out a variety of interventions to educate and encourage students to choose STEM careers. The interventions include careers talks and classroom activities, organized by regional facilitators who are employed by the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ) to co-ordinate the programme across New Zealand. The goal of this research was to ascertain whether ambassador interventions are influential on students’ attitudes to careers and curriculum choices in school. The objectives were 1) To investigate the impact of the interventions on students’ views and perceptions of STEM careers; and 2) To discover any specific factors that must also exist in a given context for an intervention to be effective. The main finding was that the ambassador interventions were influential on student career decision processes, though not all students were influenced. The facilitators work effectively in recruiting, training, organizing and supporting the ambassadors, and the ambassadors belief in the value of what they are doing helps ensure effective interventions. The research outcomes are presented as a range of recommendations.

Download Full-text

Generation Y: Incentive and Reward Schemes

10.26686/wgtn.17012561 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Winifred Jessie du Preez

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

New Zealand ◽

Generation X ◽

Generation Y ◽

Employee Retention ◽

Group Method ◽

Depth Information ◽

Baby Boomer Generation ◽

And Performance ◽

Generational Characteristics

Due to the constant changes in workforce and generational composition, employee retention and recruitment has been a major problem. Currently there are three generations working side by side in the workforce namely; the Baby Boomer Generation, Generation X and Generation Y. This research has focused on the most effective ways in which to motivate, attract and retain employees, in particular Generation Y employees. This is important as an employee’s motivation and performance has an impact on the company’s success. Different generational members have different generational characteristics as well as individual differences and failure by mangers to understand the generational and individual differences can result in misunderstandings, miscommunication, conflict and performance issues. By providing managers with the necessary knowledge to understand employees, effective incentive and reward schemes can be designed and implemented. Using Vroom’s Expectancy Theory framework, this study examines Generation Y and X employees in New Zealand accounting and commerce industries in order to understand their preferences, feelings and opinions on the matter of motivation, employee retention and attraction, as well as their perceived generational characteristics. A focus group method was used in order to gather the necessary data. The results illustrate that the characteristics of Generation Y participants did not agree with most of the existing literature on what types of incentive schemes are most effective for these employees, while also pointing out that these employees are also driven by cultural and individual differences. As this study was industry and generational specific, it allowed the gathering of in-depth information, opinions and feelings that contributes to existing literature as well as being the first of its kind due to being executed in New Zealand.

Download Full-text

Generation Y: Incentive and Reward Schemes

10.26686/wgtn.17012561.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Winifred Jessie du Preez

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

New Zealand ◽

Generation X ◽

Generation Y ◽

Employee Retention ◽

Group Method ◽

Depth Information ◽

Baby Boomer Generation ◽

And Performance ◽

Generational Characteristics

Due to the constant changes in workforce and generational composition, employee retention and recruitment has been a major problem. Currently there are three generations working side by side in the workforce namely; the Baby Boomer Generation, Generation X and Generation Y. This research has focused on the most effective ways in which to motivate, attract and retain employees, in particular Generation Y employees. This is important as an employee’s motivation and performance has an impact on the company’s success. Different generational members have different generational characteristics as well as individual differences and failure by mangers to understand the generational and individual differences can result in misunderstandings, miscommunication, conflict and performance issues. By providing managers with the necessary knowledge to understand employees, effective incentive and reward schemes can be designed and implemented. Using Vroom’s Expectancy Theory framework, this study examines Generation Y and X employees in New Zealand accounting and commerce industries in order to understand their preferences, feelings and opinions on the matter of motivation, employee retention and attraction, as well as their perceived generational characteristics. A focus group method was used in order to gather the necessary data. The results illustrate that the characteristics of Generation Y participants did not agree with most of the existing literature on what types of incentive schemes are most effective for these employees, while also pointing out that these employees are also driven by cultural and individual differences. As this study was industry and generational specific, it allowed the gathering of in-depth information, opinions and feelings that contributes to existing literature as well as being the first of its kind due to being executed in New Zealand.

Download Full-text

Co-designing an mHealth tool in the New Zealand Māori community with a “Kaupapa Māori” approach

10.26686/wgtn.12830789 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Lisa Te Morenga ◽

C Pekepo ◽

C Corrigan ◽

L Matoe ◽

R Mules ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Best Practice ◽

Healthy Lifestyle ◽

Well Being ◽

Active Role ◽

Health Interventions ◽

Behaviour Change Techniques ◽

Research Approach ◽

Effective Interventions ◽

Kaupapa Māori

© 2018, © The Author(s) 2018. Obesity rates in Aotearoa/New Zealand continue to rise, and there is an urgent need for effective interventions. However, interventions designed for the general population tend to be less effective for Māori communities and may contribute to increased health inequities. We describe the integration of co-design and kaupapa Māori research approaches to design a mobile-phone delivered (mHealth) healthy lifestyle app that supports the health aspirations of Māori communities. The co-design approach empowered our communities to take an active role in the research. They described a holistic vision of health centred on family well-being and maintaining connections to people and place. Our resultant prototype app, OL@-OR@, includes content that would not have been readily envisaged by academic researchers used to adapting international research on behaviour change techniques to develop health interventions. We argue that this research approach should be considered best practice for developing health interventions targeting Māori communities in future.

Download Full-text

Perception of mineral character in Sauvignon blanc wine: inter-individual differences

Wine Studies ◽

10.4081/ws.2014.4474 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Wendy Veronica Parr ◽

Jordi Ballester ◽

Dominique Peyron ◽

Claire Grose ◽

Dominique Valentin

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

New Zealand ◽

Passion Fruit ◽

Substantial Agreement ◽

Sauvignon Blanc ◽

Direct Association ◽

Global Condition ◽

Global Perception ◽

Nose Clip

Of the descriptors employed to characterize wine organoleptically, minerality is arguably one of the most enigmatic. The aim of the work described in this article was to delineate the nature of perceived minerality in Sauvignon wine, specifically its sensorial reality for experienced wine professionals from France and New Zealand. Participants evaluated 16 Sauvignon blanc wines (8 French; 8 New Zealand) under three conditions, ortho-nasal olfaction, palate only (Nose-clip condition), and by full tasting (global perception). Data from the global condition only are reported here. Key results include: i) that although there were quantitative differences in perception of minerality as a function of culture, there was substantial agreement conceptually between French and New Zealand participants in terms of the sensorial experience of minerality; and ii) that perceived minerality associated significantly with other key wine descriptors, notably presence of citrus, stone-related characters (e.g., flinty or chalky/calcareous notes), and reductive notes, along with absence of Sauvignon varietal characteristics (passion fruit; green notes). Of particular interest, no significant, direct association was found between perceived sourness/acidity and minerality judgments for either culture.

Download Full-text

Changes in milk yield and composition at oestrus in dairy cows

Journal of Dairy Research ◽

10.1017/s0022029900023840 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 52 (1) ◽

pp. 9-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

R. Ian Horrell ◽

Keith L. Macmillan ◽

Ron Kilgour ◽

Kaye Bremner

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

New Zealand ◽

Dairy Cows ◽

Milk Production ◽

Time Course ◽

Dairy Herd ◽

The Other ◽

Cow Milk ◽

Cell Content ◽

The One

SUMMARYA New Zealand dairy herd of 73 cows was observed at pasture during the breeding season. Individual cow milk yields and composition analyses were obtained before, during and after oestrus. There was an overall reduction in yield at the first, and a rebound enhancement at the second milking after onset of oestrus. Changes in fat content followed the same time course and there was a slight increase in lactose content. Protein and somatic cell content were unaffected. There were considerable individual differences in both the duration and intensity of oestrous behaviour on the one hand, and the extent and timing of the effects on milk production on the other. However no relationship was found between the degree of behavioural excitement shown by a cow in oestrus and its change in milk production.

Download Full-text