scholarly journals When nature calls back: sustaining behavioural change in rural Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zach White ◽  
Madhav Vaidyanathan ◽  
Zara Durrani ◽  
Antonella Bancalari ◽  
Britta Augsburg
Keyword(s):  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Rural Pakistan

Obesity and adiposity: the culprit of dietary protein efficacy

2020 ◽  
Vol 134 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-401
Author(s):  
Carla El-Mallah ◽  
Omar Obeid
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Physiological Mechanism ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The Past ◽  
Body Adiposity ◽  
Reduce Sugar ◽  
Eye Opening ◽  
Potential Strategy ◽  
Limitations And Exceptions

Abstract Obesity and increased body adiposity have been alarmingly increasing over the past decades and have been linked to a rise in food intake. Many dietary restrictive approaches aiming at reducing weight have resulted in contradictory results. Additionally, some policies to reduce sugar or fat intake were not able to decrease the surge of obesity. This suggests that food intake is controlled by a physiological mechanism and that any behavioural change only leads to a short-term success. Several hypotheses have been postulated, and many of them have been rejected due to some limitations and exceptions. The present review aims at presenting a new theory behind the regulation of energy intake, therefore providing an eye-opening field for energy balance and a potential strategy for obesity management.

Syed Nawab Haider Naqvi, Mahmood Hasan Khan and M. Ghaffu Otaudhry (edt.). LaJld Reforms in Pakistan, A Historical Perspective. Islamabad: Pakistan Institute of Development Economics 1987. viii+216 pp.Price: Rs 220 (USS 35) for hardcover; Rs 140.00 (USS 20) for soft-cover.

1988 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-218
Author(s):  
Luther Tweeten
Keyword(s):  
Land Tenure ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
State Ownership ◽  
Land Reforms ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Rural Pakistan ◽  
The Status ◽  
Land Tenure System ◽  
Ownership Of Land ◽  
High Degree

The authors describe how Pakistan has grappled with land reform, surely one of the most intractable and divisive issues facing agriculture anywhere. The land-tenure system at independence in 1947 included a high degree of land ownership concentration, absentee landlordism, insecurity of tenant tenure, and excessive rent. Land reform since 1947 focused on imposition of ceilings on landholding, distribution of land to landless tenants and small owners, and readjustments of contracts to improve the position of the tenant. These reformist measures have removed some but by no means all of the undesirable characteristics of the system. The authors list as well as present a critique of the reports of five official committees and commissions on land reform. The reports highlight the conflicts and ideologies of the reformers. The predominant ideal of the land reformers is a system of peasant proprietorship although some reformers favoured other systems such as communal farming and state ownership of land, and still others favoured cash rents over share rents. More pragmatic reformers recognized that tenancy is likely to be with Pakistan for the foreseeable future and that the batai (sharecropping) arrangement is the most workable system. According to the editors, the batai system can work to the advantage of landlord and tenant if the ceilings on landholding can be sufficiently lowered (and enforced), the security of the tenant is ensured, and the tenant has recourse to the courts for adjudication of disputes with landlords. Many policy-makers in Pakistan have come to accept that position but intervention by the State to realize the ideal has been slow. The editors conclude that" ... the end result of these land reforms is that they have not succeeded in significantly changing the status quo in rural Pakistan" (p. 29).

Improving the Protection of Children Against Air Pollution Threats in Romania � The RokidAIR Project Approach and Future Perspectives

2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 841-846
Author(s):  
Hai-Ying Liu ◽  
Daniel Dunea ◽  
Mihaela Oprea ◽  
Tom Savu ◽  
Stefania Iordache
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Personal Exposure ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Quality Maps

This paper presents the approach used to develop the information chain required to reach the objectives of the EEA Grants� RokidAIR project in two Romanian cities i.e., Targoviste and Ploiesti. It describes the PM2.5 monitoring infrastructure and architecture to the web-based GIS platform, the early warning system and the decision support system, and finally, the linking of air pollution to health effects in children. In addition, it shows the analysis performance of the designed system to process the collected time series from various data sources using the benzene concentrations monitored in Ploiesti. Moreover, this paper suggests that biomarkers, mobile technologies, and Citizens� Observatories are potential perspectives to improve data coverage by the provision of near-real-time air quality maps, and provide personal exposure and health assessment results, enabling the citizens� engagement and behavioural change. This paper also addresses new fields in nature-based solutions to improve air quality, and studies on air pollution and its mental health effects in the urban areas of Romania.

Development of “My Retainers” mobile application: Triangulation of two qualitative methods (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalya Al-Moghrabi ◽  
Fiorella Beatriz Colonio-Salazar ◽  
Ama Johal ◽  
Padhraig Seamus Fleming
Keyword(s):  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Mobile Application ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Patient Experiences ◽  
Application Development ◽  
Participant Preferences ◽  
Orthodontic Retainers ◽  
Purposive Sample

BACKGROUND Diligent wear of removable orthodontic retainers requires prolonged compliance and is invariably necessary to preserve optimal results. Patient-informed behaviour-change interventions represent a promising and novel means of enhancing compliance with retainer wear. OBJECTIVE To describe the development of a patient-informed mobile application aimed to enhance retainer wear. METHODS Four aspects were considered during mobile application development: participant preferences; analysis of publicly-available retainer-related posts on Twitter; available interventions; and behaviour-change theories. Audio-recorded one-to-one interviews were conducted with a subset of participants to account for patient preferences in terms of features, design and content. A criterion-based purposive sample of participants wearing vacuum-formed retainers for at least 4 years was used. Thematic analysis of transcribed data was undertaken. RESULTS The need to facilitate communication with the treating clinician, responsive reminder and tracking systems, and access to useful and engaging written and visual information, in addition to other personalised and interactive features were considered important. Concerns related to retainer wear shared on Twitter informed an exhaustive list of frequently-asked questions. Application features were mapped to relevant theoretical constructs. Determinants of existing behavioural change theories were used to link application features to expected outcomes. CONCLUSIONS A holistic process involving both patient and professional input can be useful in informing the development of mobile applications. The orthodontic application (“My Retainers”) will undergo further scrutiny in relation to its effectiveness in inducing behavioural change and concerning patient experiences prior to finalisation.

Outcomes of a digitally delivered, culturally-sensitive behaviour change platform for BAME adults with type 2 diabetes: 1 year health and engagement outcomes (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Summers
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Culturally Sensitive ◽  
Lifestyle Changes ◽  
Haemoglobin A1c ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Increased Risk

BACKGROUND People from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups are known to have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and face greater barriers to accessing healthcare resources compared to their “white British” counterparts. The main mediators of lifestyle behavioural change are gender, generation, geography, genes, God/religion, and gaps in knowledge and economic resources. Dietary and cultural practices of these individuals significantly vary according to gender, generation, geographical origin and religion. Recognition of these factors and implementing culturally sensitive interventions for type 2 diabetes prevention and management is essential in increasing knowledge of healthy eating, engagement in physical activity and improving health outcomes in BAME communities. Few health apps are tailored for BAME populations, and BAME communities are considered hard-to-reach. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to establish whether the Low Carb Program is a viable scalable solution that can be used as an effective tailored type 2 diabetes intervention for BAME communities. We hypothesized that by taking into account cultural sensitivities, providing the platform in native languages and personalising the platform in accordance with known barriers to health disparities including gender, generation, dietary preferences and religion, the app would engage BAME communities and improve type 2 diabetes related health outcomes. METHODS The study used a quasi-experimental research design comprised of an open-label, single-arm, pre-post intervention using a sample of convenience. All 705 adults with type 2 diabetes who had activated their referral to the Low Carb Program as a result of an NHS consultation between September 2018 and March 2019 were followed for a period of 12 months; mean age 54.61 (SD 16.69) years; 58.2% (410/705) women; 45.1% (318/705) white, 28.5% (201/705) Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi/Other Central Asian, 10.8% (76/705) Arab, 6.2% (44/705) Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups, 6% (43/705) black, 1.8% (13/705) other, (7/705) 1% Chinese/Japanese/Other East Asian. Mean starting glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) 7.99% (SD 2.05%); mean body weight 88.96kg (SD 23.25kg). RESULTS Of the 705 study participants, 513 (72.76%) had completed the Low Carb Program at 12 months. There were statistically significant reductions in body weight and HbA1c in white, Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi/Other Central Asian, Arabic and black participants with the most significant differences in the Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi/Other Central Asian population HbA1c -1.18% (SD 1.49%) and weight 8.03kg (SD 10.65kg). 82.9% of all participants (419/705) of all participants lost at least 5% of their body weight. CONCLUSIONS Offering the culturally tailored Low Carb Program that empowers members to make dietary and lifestyle changes to different BAME groups is an effective and engaging tool in the management of type 2 diabetes. Most importantly, BAME populations in particular people from Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi and Arabic groups who achieve better health outcomes than their white counterparts.

Development of Serious Games for Behaviour Change: A Practical Methodology (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Alberto Catalina Ortega ◽  
Svjetlana Kolić-Vehovec ◽  
Barbara Rončević Zubković ◽  
Sanja Smojver-Ažić ◽  
Tamara Martinac Dorčić
Keyword(s):  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Serious Games ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Intervention Mapping ◽  
Psychological Perspective ◽  
Game Development ◽  
Development Methodology ◽  
Intervention Mapping Protocol ◽  
Post Test

UNSTRUCTURED Objectives: The main purpose of the paper is to define a new methodology that allows the design of Serious Games that promote a behavioural change. The methodology is based on the Intervention Mapping Protocol (IMP) to define all the information and interventions and Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) to promote the behaviour change. Materials and methods: The methodology is based on the experience of game designers and psychologies within the eConfidence H2020 research project in which a new methodology was designed and implemented in two serious games. The game development methodology is described in six steps to be followed, with the psychological perspective integrated with the game design. Both games were tested in 10 schools with a pre and post-test for the data analysis. Results: Both games developed within the methodology present relevant findings on the change of behaviour of the users. Additionally, the proposed metric integrated allows a database improvement of the games to get better results. Conclusion: New methodology for design and study effectiveness of Serious Games that promote behavioural changes, was designed and integrated into two serious games that demonstrate changes in the users. The methodology could help other teams in the work of design and assess the effectiveness of a Serious Game for behavioural change.

The Impact of Social Mobilization on Health Service Delivery and Health Outcomes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xavier Giné ◽  
Salma Khalid ◽  
Mansuri Ghazala
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Child Health Outcomes ◽  
Rural Pakistan ◽  
Post Natal Care ◽  
The Impact

This chapter uses a randomized community development programme in rural Pakistan to assess the impact of citizen engagement on public service delivery and maternal and child health outcomes. The programme had a strong emphasis on organizing women, who also identified health services as a development priority at baseline. At midline, we find that the mobilization effort alone had a significant impact on the performance of village-based health providers. We detect economically large improvements in pregnancy and well-baby visits by female health workers, as well as increased utilization of pre- and post-natal care by pregnant women. In contrast, the quality of supra-village health services did not improve, underscoring the importance of community enforcement and monitoring capacity for improving service delivery.

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