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

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. 

Author(s):  
Grace Lucas ◽  
Ellinor K Olander ◽  
Debra Salmon

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.


2007 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Kleinfeld ◽  
Maria Elena Reyes

The gender gap in college enrollment and completion has become a concern in many nations. The phenomenon is extreme in Alaska, particularly among indigenous people. Semi-structured interviews with 162 urban and indigenous students graduating from high school, and in addition, two single-gender focus groups, suggest that many young men do not see a college education as necessary to financial success and do not expect to assume the gender role of sole family provider. Young women tend to see a college degree as essential to changed gender roles where women are expected to attend college, pursue a career, and not be dependent on a man for financial support. Many young men withdraw from the demands of a verbally-saturated high school curriculum, which they find unenjoyable. Both young men and young women tend to label male withdrawal from school as “male laziness,” an essentialist interpretation rather than an interpretation based on the school environment and changing gender roles.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Almeida Pinto da Silva ◽  
Catarina Pinto Pereira ◽  
Marta Sofia de Sousa Pinto

Abstract Background The use of psychoactive substances frequently starts at a younger age than adulthood. Having in mind the advantages of taking into consideration the youth perspective, this retrospective study tried to provide them with a role in identifying their own needs regarding drug use focused interventions, the obstacles in accessing both general health and harm reduction services; the changes needed for a more effective, congruent and empowering response to the use of psychoactive substances before the age of 18.Methods The study was divided into two parts. Both parts had a qualitative focus complemented with a quantitative dimension and were supported by a multi-method approach. The first part was comprised of a questionnaire sent online to all harm reduction teams and two focus groups with eight harm reduction professionals and six people who use(d) drugs. The second part used an online questionnaire applied to 143 participants aged between the age of 18 to 25 complemented by two semi-structured interviews.Results The need for Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Activities in the drug education field, namely in the educational context; the lack of information about available services; the need for confidentiality were the most mentioned issues by the young people. Also, the informal network played a significant role in the participants relationship with psychoactive substances.Conclusions The lack of information was the most highlighted obstacle. Also, there is a confluence of various vulnerabilities such as being under 18, using drugs and the different social situations that they live in. To improve policy and practice regarding drug use among young people, harm reduction interventions must be scaled-up as well as intentionally driven to empower youth to deal with. School environment was chosen by participants as one of the elected environments to implement Harm Reduction services.


2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neha Rathi ◽  
Lynn Riddell ◽  
Anthony Worsley

Purpose The current Indian secondary school curriculum has been criticised for its failure to deliver relevant skills-based food and nutrition education for adolescents. The purpose of this paper is to understand the views of adolescents, their parents, teachers and school principals on the present food and nutrition curriculum and the role of the schools in developing food skills. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were held with 15 students aged 14-15 years, 15 parents, 12 teachers and ten principals in ten private schools in Kolkata, India. The interview questions were primarily based on the content, merits and demerits of the curriculum. The digitally recorded data were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Findings All the 52 interviewees observed that the food and nutrition curriculum created awareness in students about the importance of healthy eating. However, they also described certain weaknesses of the curriculum. These included lack of practical assignments, an out-dated and a limited curriculum, which failed to initiate critical thinking and was contradicted by sales practices in the school food environment. The interviewees prioritised the inclusion of food skills in the curriculum. Practical implications The emerging evidence suggests the need for the development of a skills-focussed food and nutrition curriculum to encourage healthy eating behaviours among adolescents. Originality/value Most of the work on food and nutrition education has come from developed nations – this is the first study in the Indian context of the secondary school food and nutrition curriculum.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Stack ◽  
Jennifer E. Symonds ◽  
William Kinsella

Objective: Transition from primary school to secondary school is an important point in a young person's development. Children's experiences at transition have been found to have an enduring impact on their social and academic performance and potentially their success or failure at secondary school. This primary-secondary transition frequently presents challenges for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), resulting in uncertainty and anxiety. The objective of this study was to explore the perceptions of children with ASD, on the topic of which features of school environment fit more or less well with their needs, as they transferred from primary to secondary schools.Method: Semi-structured interviews were used to gather the experiences of 6 students with ASD, and their parents, before and after the transition to secondary school. A thematic analysis of these data identified common themes that captured the fits and misfits between the children's needs and their primary and secondary school environments.Result: Overall, participants voiced more positive perspectives of secondary school than primary school. Data analysis identified themes of feelings about school, peer relationships, relationship with school staff, curriculum, school organization, and accommodations.Conclusion: Inclusion and integration of students with ASD in mainstream secondary schools at transition can be a positive experience when the school environments are a good fit with the individual needs of each child with ASD. The transition can be challenging for children when a one size fits all approach is taken.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Maniatopoulos ◽  
David J. Hunter ◽  
Jonathan Erskine ◽  
Bob Hudson

PurposeFollowing publication of a new vision for the English National Health Service (NHS) in 2014, known as the NHS Five-Year Forward View, a Vanguard programme was introduced by NHS England charged with the task of designing and delivering a range of new care models (NCMs) aimed at tackling deep-seated problems of a type facing all health systems to a greater or lesser degree. Drawing upon recent theoretical developments on the multilevel nature of context, we explore factors shaping the implementation of five NCM initiatives in the North East of England.Design/methodology/approachData collection was based on semi-structured interviews (66 in total) between December 2016 and May 2017 with key informants at each site and a detailed review of Trusts' internal documents and policies related to the implementation of each NCM. Our analysis explores factors shaping the implementation of five NCM pilot sites as they touched on the multiple levels of context ranging from the macro policy level to the micro-level setting of workforce redesign.FindingsIt is far too early to conclude with any confidence that a successful outcome for the NCM programme will be forthcoming although the NHS Long-Term Plan seeks to build on the earlier vision set out in the Five-Year Forward View. Early indications show some signs of promise, especially where there is evidence of the ground having been prepared and changes already being put in place prior to the official launch of NCM initiatives. At the same time our findings demonstrate that all five pilot sites experienced, and were subject to, unrealistic pressure placed upon them to deliver outcomes.Originality/valueOur findings demonstrate the need for a deeper understanding of the multilevel nature of context by exploring factors shaping the implementation of five NCMs in the North East of England. Exploring the wider national policy context is desirable as well as understanding the perceptions of front-line staff and service users in order to establish the degree of alignment or, conversely, to identify where policy and practice are at risk of pushing and pulling against each other.


2020 ◽  
pp. 025576142096398
Author(s):  
Andrew Thomas Sutherland ◽  
Jane Southcott

Participating in large-scale musical performances as part of a secondary school ensemble can be exhilarating. Although students experience such events differently, emotional state is not uniform throughout the process. Developing musicians may put themselves under pressure to perform well and once the event is over, the feelings of anxiety and anticipation are replaced by relief, euphoria or in some cases, melancholy. These emotional reactions can impact the desire to attend subsequent rehearsals and performance projects. Three student members of a school choir reflected on their emotional state from the early part of the rehearsal process to the post-event period. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed and thematically analysed. Findings address the five phases of the performance process: early rehearsals, later rehearsals, the performance, immediately after the event, and the aftermath. Recommendations for secondary school music ensemble conductors encourage lifelong learning of adolescent ensemble musicians through understanding fluctuating emotions connected with performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Almeida Pinto da Silva ◽  
Catarina Pinto Pereira ◽  
Marta Sofia de Sousa Pinto

Abstract Background The use of psychoactive substances frequently starts at a younger age than adulthood. Considering the perspective of young people, this retrospective study tried to provide them with a role in identifying their own needs regarding drug use and interventions focused on it; the obstacles in accessing both general health and harm reduction services; the changes needed for a more effective, congruent and empowering response to the use of psychoactive substances before the age of 18. Methods The study was divided into two parts having both parts a qualitative focus. In the first part of the study, an online questionnaire was sent to all harm reduction teams and two focus groups were carried out with eight harm reduction professionals and six people who use(d) drugs. The second part used an online questionnaire applied to 143 participants aged between the age of 18 and 25 complemented by two semi-structured interviews. Results The need for education about psychoactive substances, namely in the educational context; the lack of information about available services; and the need for confidentiality were the most mentioned issues by the young people. Also, the informal network played a significant role in the participants relationship with psychoactive substances. Conclusions The lack of information was the most highlighted obstacle. Also, there is a confluence of various vulnerabilities such as being under 18, using drugs and the different social situations that they live in. To improve policy and practice regarding drug use among young people, harm reduction interventions must be scaled-up as well as intentionally driven to empower youth to deal with. School environment was chosen by participants as one of the elected environments to implement harm reduction services.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel M. Cáceres ◽  
Esteban Tapella ◽  
Diego A. Cabrol ◽  
Lucrecia Estigarribia

Argentina is experiencing an expansion of soya and maize cultivation that is pushing the agricultural frontier over areas formerly occupied by native Chaco forest. Subsistance farmers use this dry forest to raise goats and cattle and to obtain a broad range of goods and services. Thus, two very different and non-compatible land uses are in dispute. On the one hand subsistance farmers fostering an extensive and diversified forest use, on the other hand, large-scale producers who need to clear out the forest to sow annual crops in order to appropriate soil fertility. First, the paper looks at how these social actors perceive Chaco forest, what their interests are, and what kind of values they attach to it. Second, we analyze the social-environmental conflicts that arise among actors in order to appropriate forest’s benefits. Special attention is paid to the role played by the government in relation to: (a) how does it respond to the demands of the different sectors; and (b) how it deals with the management recommendations produced by scientists carrying out social and ecological research. To put these ideas at test we focus on a case study located in Western Córdoba (Argentina), where industrial agriculture is expanding at a fast pace, and where social actors’ interests are generating a series of disputes and conflicts. Drawing upon field work, the paper shows how power alliances between economic and political powers, use the institutional framework of the State in their own benefit, disregarding wider environmental and social costs. 


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 53-68
Author(s):  
Mile JOVANOV ◽  
Marija MIHOVA ◽  
Bojan KOSTADINOV ◽  
Emil STANKOV

There are several International Olympiads for secondary school students (for example, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and informatics). These Olympiads are not just a science competition, but a means to care for talent in the particular science. The goal of this paper is to identify the necessary topics important for good results at these international contests, and to compare the contest systems for the countries in South Eastern Europe, in the field of Informatics (Computer Science), as a region that is one of the prominent world regions in the context of high results in the international competitions. Here, we provide comparison through detailed analysis of several countries, and further we present a new approach that may be used to compare the achievements of the countries based on the results that students achieved at these competitions. Finally, we present an application of this approach on the results of some of the discussed countries compared to Macedonia. We strongly believe that the paper will provide a valuable content and approach for the entities involved in the organization of the contests, to measure their results compared to other countries, to use the information for improvement, and to use their achievements to raise awareness among the government institutions and companies in order to get support from them.


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