Using Ethnography to Improve Intervention Design

2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 331-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Brett ◽  
Jerianne Heimendinger ◽  
Carol Boender ◽  
Cathy Morin ◽  
Julie A. Marshall

Purpose. The purpose of this research was to use a three-phase ethnographic approach to examine the range of factors that affect people's decisions about physical activity and diet. Design. We used open-ended data collection strategies, analyzed inductively, to inform the development of a family intervention. Setting. The study was conducted in a small low-income town in Colorado. Subjects. Families with young children were selected to include social, economic, and ethnic diversity. Twenty-nine of 31 invited families participated (94%). Measures. The measures consisted of 21 open-ended interviews in the first phase; 12 semistructured interviews in the second phase, and six home visits in the third phase. The Atlas.ti program25 was used for data analysis. Results. Significant barriers to regular exercise and good dietary habits were grouped as social/structural (e.g., working parents, costs of exercise) and cultural (e.g., perception that fast food is normal). Behavioral facilitators include disease in the family and community opportunities for exercise. Results revealed family values and dynamics that other methods would have missed. Conclusions. These data suggest that families are embedded in a multicomponent “web” of factors that influence diet and physical activity. It is feasible and desirable to use ethnographic methods to discern the interactions of these factors that make each household unique. These results argue for dynamic intervention designs that operate from a broad contextual perspective.

Author(s):  
Wafaa Husain ◽  
Fatemah Ashkanani

Abstract Background The coronavirus pandemic has transformed and continues to transform and affect the daily lives of communities worldwide, particularly due to the lockdown restrictions. Therefore, this study was designed to understand the changes in dietary and lifestyle behaviours that are major determinants of health during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online questionnaire using a convenience sample of 415 adults living in Kuwait (age range 18–73 years). Results The rate of skipping breakfast remained consistent, with a slight increase during the pandemic. Lunch remained the main reported meal before and during COVID-19. Compared to before COVID-19, people were much more likely have a late-night snack or meal during COVID-19 (OR = 3.57 (95% CI 1.79–7.26), p < 0.001). Moreover, there was a drastic decrease in the frequency of fast-food consumption during COVID-19, up to 82% reported not consuming fast food (p < 0.001). There was a significant increase in the percentage of participants who had their main meal freshly made (OR = 59.18 (95% CI 6.55–1400.76), p = 0.001). Regarding food group patterns, no significant differences were found before and during the pandemic in terms of the weekly frequency of consumption, except in the case of fish and seafood. There were no remarkable changes in beverage consumption habits among participants before and during the pandemic, except for Americano coffee and fresh juice. Furthermore, there was a great reduction in physical activity and an increase in the amount of screen time and sedentary behaviours. A notable increase was detected in day-time sleep and a decrease in night-time sleep among participants. Conclusion In general, this study indicates some changes in daily life, including changes in some eating practices, physical activity and sleeping habits during the pandemic. It is important that the government considers the need for nutrition education programmes and campaigns, particularly during this critical period of the pandemic in Kuwait.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3572
Author(s):  
Lavinia-Maria Pop ◽  
Magdalena Iorga ◽  
Iulia-Diana Muraru ◽  
Florin-Dumitru Petrariu

A busy schedule and demanding tasks challenge medical students to adjust their lifestyle and dietary habits. The aim of this study was to identify dietary habits and health-related behaviours among students. A number of 403 students (80.40% female, aged M = 21.21 ± 4.56) enrolled in a medical university provided answers to a questionnaire constructed especially for this research, which was divided into three parts: the first part collected socio-demographic, anthropometric, and medical data; the second part inquired about dietary habits, lifestyle, sleep, physical activity, water intake, and use of alcohol and cigarettes; and the third part collected information about nutrition-related data and the consumption of fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs, fish, and sweets. Data were analysed using SPSS v24. Students usually slept M = 6.71 ± 1.52 h/day, and one-third had self-imposed diet restrictions to control their weight. For both genders, the most important meal was lunch, and one-third of students had breakfast each morning. On average, the students consumed 1.64 ± 0.88 l of water per day and had 220 min of physical activity per week. Data about the consumption of fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs, fish, sweets, fast food, coffee, tea, alcohol, or carbohydrate drinks were presented. The results of our study proved that medical students have knowledge about how to maintain a healthy life and they practice it, which is important for their subsequent professional life.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arezoo Bajelan ◽  
Mehdi Ghaebi ◽  
Maryam Javadi ◽  
Ameneh Barikani ◽  
Akram Beheshti ◽  
...  

Background: Acne vulgaris is a multifactorial skin disease affecting many of the world’s population throughout their lives and can cause severe emotional distress and psychological disorders such as poor self-image, depression, and anxiety. Several underlying risk factors are known for acne development, and many, including inappropriate lifestyle, are yet to be studied. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to determine the role of lifestyle factors including dietary habits, physical activity, and bathing frequency in the incidence of acne vulgaris. Methods: The study population included 425 subjects, of whom 171 were acne patients (the case group), and 254 were non-acne patients (the control group). All participants filled out a questionnaire addressing their demographic information and some lifestyle habits. The data were analyzed by SPSS. Results: Fast food consumption was significantly higher in the case than in the control group (P = 0.008). Dairy intake and bathing frequency were significantly higher among non-acne patients than those with acne (P < 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively). Vegetable consumption, water intake, and the number of episodes and minutes of physical activity per week were not significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.1, P = 0.4, P = 0.9, and P = 0.8, respectively). The mean weight of participants was significantly higher in the case than in the control group (P = 0.001). Conclusions: There was no significant difference in most of the studied factors between the two groups. Therefore, further studies are needed to assess the role of other underlying conditions such as genetic factors and hormonal changes in the development of acne vulgaris.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 160
Author(s):  
Gabriela Cárdenas-Fuentes ◽  
Clara Homs ◽  
Catalina Ramírez-Contreras ◽  
Charlotte Juton ◽  
Rafael Casas-Esteve ◽  
...  

Evidence has identified unhealthy lifestyle behaviors as the main contributors to obesity in children, so it is essential to identify factors that could influence children’s lifestyles. The objective of the present study was to analyze the association of baseline maternal educational level with child’s physical activity, screen time, and dietary habits at follow-up. This community-based cohort study was carried out between 2012 and 2014 and included 1405 children aged 8 to 10 years old. Maternal educational level was used as an indicator of child’s socioeconomic status. Physical activity, screen time, and dietary habits were assessed by validated questionnaires. The odds of having commercially baked goods for breakfast [OR 1.47 (95% CI 1.03 to 2.10)], going more than once a week to a fast-food restaurant [OR 1.64 (95% CI 1.20 to 2.26)], and taking sweets and candys several times a day [OR 3.23 (95% CI 2.14 to 4.87) were significantly higher among children whose mothers had a lower educational level compared to their peers whose mothers had a higher level. These associations held for taking sweets and candy several times a day after additional adjustment for the corresponding dietary behavior at baseline. Maternal educational level was inversely associated (p < 0.001) with child’s screen time at follow up and being in the lowest maternal educational category was associated with an increased odds of surpassing the maximum recommended time of screen time of 120 min per day (OR (95% CI) 1.43 (1.07 to 1.90), p = 0.016). Maternal education is a predictor for unhealthy dietary habits and high screen time in children.


2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (12) ◽  
pp. 1709-1723 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorraine O. Walker ◽  
Sookja Kang ◽  
Bobbie S. Sterling

Using a weight resilience framework, health habits of diet and physical activity, social support, and perceived stress were compared in women who lost weight (resilient) and those who did not lose or gained weight (nonresilient) during a weight-loss intervention. Participants were low-income postpartum women participating in a 13-week randomized treatment-control group intervention, with 20 of 50 classified as resilient in losing weight. Measures included the Postpartum Support Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and health habit items from the Self Care Inventory. Weight-loss resilient women showed significantly more frequent healthful dietary habits, such as eating a nutritious breakfast, and less frequent unhealthy habits, such as substituting junk food for meals, and less perceived stress than their nonresilient counterparts at both the midpoint and end of the study. Weight-loss resilient women also showed significantly more frequent physical activity habits at the end of the study. No social support differences were found.


2021 ◽  
pp. 51-70
Author(s):  
Jim Powell

This chapter describes the three phases of the war as experienced by the British cotton trade. The first phase (November 1860 to end June 1862) was characterised by a complacency in the trade, which expected neither a civil war nor a cotton scarcity. The Confederacy’s King Cotton strategy and its failure are examined, as well as British public opinion and British government policy. During the second phase (July 1862 to end August 1864), the full scale of the catastrophe was belatedly recognised and prices soared. Cotton speculation in the Liverpool market became endemic. A price collapse in September 1864 marked the end of the phase. Thereafter, confusion was widespread and prices oscillated violently, as did speculation. This third phase arguably lasted until 1876. The chapter concludes that the civil war period in Liverpool can best be seen as an extended series of bets on whether a war would start and how long it would last.


2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 304-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly S. Young

Research has identified Internet addiction as a new clinical disorder that causes relational, occupational, and social problems. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been suggested as the treatment of choice for Internet addiction, and addiction recovery in general has used CBT as part of treatment planning. This article outlines cognitive behavioral therapy–Internet addiction (CBT-IA), a uniquely designed model for treating Internet addiction applying CBT with harm reduction therapy (HRT). CBT-IA uses a three-phase approach. In the first phase, behavior modification is used to gradually decrease the amount of time the addict spends online. In the second phase, cognitive therapy is used to address denial that is often present among Internet addicts and to combat the rationalizations that justify excessive online use. The third phase applies HRT to identify and treat coexisting issues involved in the development of compulsive Internet use. As the first model of its kind, it can be used both on an outpatient and inpatient basis to deal with this emergent client population.


2001 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-60
Author(s):  
Frances Davies ◽  
Janet Fletcher

AbstractA three-phase study examined preprimary grade repetition in Western Australian schools. The purpose was to identify factors that influence teacher recommendations to repeat and to investigate outcomes of repeating. Focus group discussions with 24 preprimary teachers in the first phase identified three categories of factors: child, home, and school. Child factors that teachers considered important for coping in Year I were language, motor, and social skills. In the second phase of the study, 54 children were assessed on these three skills using the Early Screening Profiles (Harrison, 1990). A control group of“competent”Year Is was compared with children repeating preprimary and with Year Is considered “at risk” of not coping.The control group performed significantly better on all three skills than the other two groups, confirming thot these skills are accurately assessed in teachers’judgements of readiness for Year 1. The third phase of the study consisted of a posttest of the at-risk Year Is and the children repeating preprimary. The posttest late in the academic year did not find any significant differences between the language, motor, and social development of the two groups.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda Abu ◽  
Barbara Lohse ◽  
Leslie Cunningham-Sabo

Abstract Objectives Characterize parent (P) weight change 2–5 y post participation in Fuel for Fun (FFF) a controlled trial of a school and family intervention focused on culinary and physical activity experiences for 4th grade youth. Methods P who had participated with their 4th grader in FFF were recruited via email to enroll in a follow-up (FFF-FU) assessment. FFF-FU survey set included measures from the original study and new items pertinent to P of adolescents. Physical activity was measured with the IPAQ; low income was denoted as using an income-based program or worry about money for food. Height, weight, age in FFF and FFF-FU were self-reported. Perimenopausal age included 47 y within BL and FFF-FU. Youth in FFF cohorts 1 and 4 were controls and cohorts 2 and 3 included the multi-component intervention. P were enrolled in 1 of 4 treatments varying in type and intensity. FFF and FFF-FU data were collected online using the Qualtrics platform. FFF P completed surveys at baseline (BL), post-intervention, and 4 months post-study. FFF-FU data were collected spring 2018, about 2 to 5 years years post-BL. Data were analyzed with repeated measures controlling for BL or FFF-FU sociodemographics, engagement, health behaviors. Results Of the 418 FFF P, 127 completed FFF-FU surveys (mean age 42.5 6.0 y) with 115 providing weight and height. FFF-FU sample was female (88%), white (84%), active (44% high activity), educated (69% college degree or higher), but had lower BMI and fewer with low income than FFF P. Of FFF-FU providing heights/weights at the 4 assessments, mean (SE) BMIs were 24.2 (0.5), 24.4 (0.5), 24.6 (0.6) and 25.7 (0.6) respectively. Change in BMI was significant after controlling for age, stress, ethnicity, sex, physical activity level, P treatment and engagement, but not when BL to FFU-FU change in age or perimenopausal age were controlled. The significantly greater increase in BMI for P of intervention youth than controls persisted when controlling for sociodemographic and health behavior findings, but not when BL to FFF-FU age change, perimenopausal age or activity level were controlled. Conclusions Significant weight gain by P of youth in a nutrition intervention 2 to 5 years post-study was unrelated to stress, ethnicity, activity level, income, but was related to the FFF-FU age change from BL and perimenopausal age. Funding Sources NIFA.


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