scholarly journals Development of a Threshing Device for Pearl Millet

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Akinwonmi Ademola Samuel ◽  
Kolawole Adenike Alice ◽  
Seckley, Emmanuel Mawuli ◽  
Adedotun O. Adetunla
Keyword(s):  
Pearl Millet ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Well Being ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Centrifugal Fan ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Lactating Mothers ◽  
Anticlockwise Direction ◽  
Foreign Materials

Millets are high energy and nutritious foods recommended for the health and well- being of infants, lactating mothers and elderly people. Threshing of this crop still poses a lot of problems to local farmers. To make millet farming integral in Ghana, engineers are making concerted efforts to produce simple farm implements. This will complement other measures adopted by other stake holders to ensure that there is food security. This paper therefore presents a community based millet thresher to reduce the burden farmers go through in threshing pearl millet. The millet thresher has a thresher welded to a steel shaft and then supported on a frame. Connected to the thresher are; an input mounted on the thresher and an output fitted to the exit of the thresher. The output comprises a sieve and a tray. A centrifugal fan supported on the frame supplies air that winnows the threshed grain coming out of the tray and the cleaned millet grains fall into a collector. The millet thresher mainly employs the effects of friction (taking advantage of the fact that millets can be effectively threshed by rubbing the panicles on a rough surface) for threshing. Results show that the thresher rotates in the anticlockwise direction at a speed of 950 revolutions per minute with shaft diameter of 30.88 mm calculated from the equivalent torque. The millet thresher would reduce the long laborious hours spent in threshing and improve the quality of the grains since the possibility of the wind introducing foreign materials into the millet is reduced.

Urban and rural millennials: Heterogeneity of the young adult generation

2019 ◽  
pp. 5-28
Author(s):  
Vadim V. Radaev
Keyword(s):  
Coming Out ◽  
Generational Differences ◽  
Cohort Analysis ◽  
Social Indicators ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Generational Cohort ◽  
Rural Infrastructure ◽  
Sociological Approach ◽  
Monitoring Survey

A sociological approach towards the generational cohort analysis is developed. A special emphasis is made upon the youngest adult generation of millennials coming out of their adolescence in the 2000s. A broad range of social indicators is used for empirical exploration of intra-generational differences between urban and rural millennials. Data were collected from the annual Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE) in 2003—2016. Numerous significant differences have been revealed with regard to the educational level, family planning, use of modern gadgets and digital technologies, commitment to healthy lifestyles, and some values. Some practices are more widely spread among rural millennials, whereas other practices are more characteristic of urban millennials. Most of revealed differences are explained by the lower level of material well-being of rural millennials and lower quality of rural infrastructure.

Comparison of mental health, well-being and parenting sense of competency among Australian and South-East Asian parents of autistic children accessing early intervention in Australia

Autism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136236132110100
Author(s):  
Jodie Smith ◽  
Rhylee Sulek ◽  
Ifrah Abdullahi ◽  
Cherie C Green ◽  
Catherine A Bent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Early Intervention ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cultural Background ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Health Quality

Parents from individualist cultures (those focused on autonomy of individuals; that is, Australian) may view their autistic children differently compared to parents from collectivist cultures (where community needs are valued over an individual’s, that is, South-East Asian cultures). As most research on autism and parenting has been undertaken in Western individualist cultures, knowledge of parenting beliefs and mental health within collectivist cultures is lacking. We compared the mental health, quality of life, well-being and parenting sense of competency between families raising an autistic child from two groups: 97 Australian parents and 58 parents from South-East Asian backgrounds. Children from both groups were receiving the same community-based early intervention. No group differences were found on the measures of mental health but, when compared to Australian parents, parents from South-East Asian backgrounds reported higher well-being and less impact on their quality of life resulting from their child’s autism-specific difficulties. Furthermore, a positive association between well-being and quality of life was only observed for South-East Asian parents. Hence, the views of, and responses to, disability for South-East Asian parents may act as a protective factor promoting well-being. This novel research indicates that culture plays a role in parenting autistic children and highlights the need to accurately capture cultural background information in research. Lay abstract We know that parents of autistic children experience poorer mental health and lower well-being than parents of non-autistic children. We also know that poorer mental health among parents of autistic children has been observed across different cultures. Most research focuses on Western cultures, so we know little about parental mental health and well-being of parents from different cultural backgrounds; yet, it is likely that cultural background contributes to how parents view their child’s condition and respond to the diagnosis. Here, we compared mental health, quality of life and well-being between families raising an autistic child from Australian backgrounds to families from South-East Asian backgrounds. All children in the current study were receiving the same community-based early intervention. When compared to the general population, parents had poorer mental health overall, but there were no differences between the two groups of parents. However, parents from South-East Asian backgrounds reported higher well-being and fewer difficulties associated with their child’s autism. These findings suggest that cultural background likely influences not only parent’s view of, and response to, their child’s autism, but also their own sense of well-being. As researchers and clinicians working with families of autistic children, we should more explicitly consider family’s cultural background within our work.

scholarly journals An evaluation of community-based cognitive stimulation therapy: a pilot study with an Irish population of people with dementia

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. Kelly ◽  
S. Finan ◽  
M. Lawless ◽  
N. Scully ◽  
J. Fitzpatrick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cognitive Stimulation ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Community Based ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Moderate Dementia ◽  
Subjective Cognitive Function

ObjectivesResearch shows that cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) improves cognitive function, quality of life, and well-being of people with mild–moderate dementia. Despite consistent evidence and recommendations, CST is not routinely available in Ireland post-diagnosis. The aim of the current research was to develop and evaluate community-based CST for people with mild–moderate dementia, run by the Alzheimer Society of Ireland across four pilot sites in Ireland.MethodsParticipants with mild–moderate dementia attended once weekly CST sessions for 14 weeks. Baseline and post-intervention assessments were completed by CST participants, carers, and CST facilitators. Primary outcomes of interest for CST participants included quality of life (Quality of Life in Alzheimer Disease Scale), cognitive function (Montreal Cognitive Assessment), and subjective cognitive function (Memory Awareness Rating Scale-Functioning Subscale). Secondary outcomes included well-being, cognitive ability, satisfaction with cognitive performance, and engagement and confidence of CST participants; well-being of carers; and job satisfaction of facilitators. Post-intervention interviews supplemented quantitative analyses.ResultsIn total, 20 CST participants, 17 carers, and six CST facilitators completed evaluation assessments. Results showed that CST improved participants’ satisfaction with cognitive performance (p=0.002), level of engagement (p=0.046), level of confidence (p=0.026). Improvements on subjective cognitive function just fell short of significance (p=0.055). Qualitative analysis of interview data identified consistent themes of cognitive and overall benefits of CST; and provided support for quantitative data.ConclusionsCommunity-based CST positively impacted the lives of people with dementia and their families. This study supports prior recommendations that CST should be made routinely available to people with mild–moderate dementia, particularly in light of the lack of post-diagnostic interventions currently offered in Ireland.

A Community-Based Evaluation of Brief Guided Mindfulness in the Management of Stress and Difficult Emotions

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Shaya MacDonald ◽  
Susan Korol ◽  
Todd Vassallo ◽  
Cathy MacDougall
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Practical Training ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Perceived Quality Of Life ◽  
Before And After

The current study evaluated the effectiveness of a novel three-hour Guided Mindfulness Program on participants’ management of depression, anxiety and stress. The intervention included an educational component emphasizing the psychological value of mindfulness practice combined with a practical training component in mindfulness techniques. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale was administered at three points in time before and after participation in the program. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore perceived quality of life, happiness, and stress 4 to 8 weeks following the program. All participants reported improvements in overall well-being and reported significant decreases in negative affect when comparing pre-program scores (baseline) to follow-up scores. Notably, qualitative interview results indicated that participants attributed most positive post-program results to informal mindfulness practice.

Community-based dementia day programmes: Common elements and outcome measures

Dementia ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie Weir ◽  
Christa Fouche
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Common Elements ◽  
Limited Evidence ◽  
Multiple Stakeholders ◽  
Specific Context ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Core Elements

Dementia Day programmes are considered important in supporting the well-being of both people living with dementia and their caregivers. There is, however, limited evidence on the effectiveness of these programmes. This article reports on a study undertaken in New Zealand on the effectiveness of community-based dementia day programmes. The small-scale pilot study was aimed at investigating the elements that make up an effective client-focused dementia day programme and the methods employed by organisations to measure the outcomes of these programmes. A mixed methods approach was employed with multiple stakeholders. The research revealed that effective day programmes comprised five core elements, and that surveys, reporting and auditing processes are routinely used to measure the quality of outcomes of day programmes. Although these findings are reflective of a specific context, it raises concerns about the nature and availability of evidence informing decisions regarding the design and implementation of day programmes internationally.

scholarly journals BOTTOM-UP STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND INFORMAL LEARNING: TARGETING MEN AGED 60 YEARS OR MORE

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Gregorčič
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Informal Learning ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Qualitative Research Study ◽  
Community Based Learning ◽  
Health And Well Being

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.

The Senior Health Project: Caring for Ethnic Elders, One Neighborhood at a Time

2005 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 59-64
Author(s):  
Kathleen Jett
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Culturally Appropriate ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Health Project ◽  
Good Neighbor ◽  
Do So ◽  
Senior Health

The Senior Health Project attempts to improve the health and quality of life for ethnic elders using a unique neighbor-to-neighbor, safety-net approach and is based on informed caring. Services include culturally appropriate, community-based primary care and care navigation. The majority of the caring is provided by lay workers who are members of the community, hired to help persons in the manner of a good neighbor, if a neighbor were able to do so, offering everything from transportation to reading prescription labels to filling out forms. The caring has been found to improve individual’s well-being. Acceptance by the community has been the key to the success of the project.

scholarly journals Effects of the Community-Based Wellspring Cancer Exercise Program on Functional and Psychosocial Outcomes in Cancer Survivors

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 284-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Santa Mina ◽  
D. Au ◽  
J. Brunet ◽  
J. Jones ◽  
G. Tomlinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Initial Phase ◽  
Exercise Program ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Transition Phase ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Cancer Related Fatigue ◽  
Health Related

Purpose: In this study, we examined the effects of a 30-week community-based exercise program on cancer-related fatigue, quality of life, and other health-related outcomes in a sample of adults with mixed cancer diagnoses. Methods: This prospective cohort study looked at outcomes for participants involved in the Wellspring Cancer Exercise Program in southern Ontario. The program consisted of an initial phase of two supervised sessions weekly for 10 weeks and a transition phase of one supervised session weekly for the subsequent 20 weeks. Outcomes were measured at baseline and every 10 weeks throughout the intervention, as well as at 16 weeks after program completion. Results: During a period of 13 months, 229 of the 355 cancer survivors who enrolled in the exercise program consented to participate in the study. Participants attended 71% of the supervised exercise sessions in the initial phase and 49% in the transition phase. From baseline to the end of the initial phase, significant improvements in cancer-related fatigue, 6-minute walk test, social well-being, systolic blood pressure, balance, and physical activity volume were observed. During the transition phase, health-related quality of life and emotional well-being improved significantly. Conclusions: The Wellspring Cancer Exercise Program is associated with clinically meaningful improvements in cancer-related fatigue and functional aerobic capacity. Several other aspects of well-being in cancer survivors also improved for participants in the program. Community-based cancer exercise programs such as the Wellspring Cancer Exercise Program can improve well-being for cancer survivors and can provide an effective option that enhances sustainability and accessibility to exercise services for this population.

scholarly journals The impact of social care services on carers’ quality of life

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacey Rand ◽  
Florin Vadean ◽  
Julien Forder
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Recipient ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

Unpaid care is an important part of long-term care systems. It is increasingly recognised that carers have their own health and well-being needs. Carer-specific interventions, as well as support for the care-recipient, may enable carers to maintain their own health and well-being alongside caring. This study seeks to establish whether and how community-based care services affect carers’ quality of life. The Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit for Carers was used to capture carers’ social care-related quality of life through qualitative interviews and a survey of carers in England in order to provide insights into the impact of community-based care services on carers’ quality of life outcomes.

DISSEMINATING A CLINICALLY EFFECTIVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAM TO PRESERVE MOBILITY IN A COMMUNITY SETTING FOR OLDER ADULTS

2016 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
J. LAUSSEN ◽  
C. KOWALESKI ◽  
K. MARTIN ◽  
C. HICKEY ◽  
R.A. FIELDING ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Moderate Intensity ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Counseling Intervention

Background: As the population of older adults continues to increase, the dissemination of strategies to maintain independence of older persons is of critical public health importance. Recent large-scale clinical trial evidence has definitively shown intervention of moderate-intensity physical activity (PA) reduces major mobility disability in at-risk older adults. However, it remains unknown whether structured PA interventions, with demonstrated efficacy in controlled, clinical environments, can be successfully disseminated into community settings to benefit wider populations of older adults. Objective: To assess the dissemination of an evidence-based PA program for older adults by evaluating program participation and its impact on mobility, strength and quality of life. Setting: An urban senior center. Participants: Fifty older adults (71.2 ± 8 years aged; BMI: 30.1 ± 7 kg/m2). Intervention: Average of 8.0 ± 1.8 months of participation in the Fit-4-Life Program, a community-based PA and nutrition counseling intervention. Measurements: Mobility (Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)), self-reported physical activity (CHAMPS questionnaire), leg strength, grip strength, and quality of life (Quality of Well-Being Self-Administered (QWB-SA) scale) were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Results: Mean attendance was 55.8%. Fourteen participants were lost to follow-up. Those who dropped-out engaged in less PA at baseline (78 ± 108 mins/wk) compared to those who completed follow-up (203 ± 177 mins/wk, P=0.01). Participants exhibited sustained increases of PA (65 ± 153 mins/wk, P= 0.08), and there were meaningful improvements in SPPB (0.5 ± 0.2, P< 0.01), knee extensor strength (2.6 ± 4.4 kg, P< 0.01) and QWB-SA (0.04 ± 0.09, P= 0.05). Conclusion: The dissemination of a clinically efficacious PA intervention into a community-based setting can improve mobility, strength and quality of life for older adults. This knowledge may be helpful for the design and implementation of larger-scale PA intervention studies designed to preserve mobility in older adults within community-based settings.

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