Individual Media Dependency, Social Media and Online Parenting Groups in Malaysia

This research paper examines new mothers’ dependency on parenting social networking sites particularly Facebook in Malaysia by adopting the Individual Media Dependency theory. Due to the ambiguity of the phenomena of transitioning into parenting for new mothers, it is apparent that new mothers rely on parenting social networking sites for support and information. This research is based on parenting social networking sites in Malaysia namely The Breastfeeding Advocates Network and The Parenting Network. Findings from this research suggests that social environment, media systems activity and interpersonal network activity are fundamental intervening conditions in today’s new media environment to fulfil an audience’s goal-oriented needs of orientation, understanding and play.

Does Exposure to the Choose Water Campaign Increase Parental Intentions to Promote More Water and Less Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption?

Purpose: To assess if exposure to the Choose Water public health media campaign increased parents’ intentions to promote healthier beverage consumption in their household. Design: A cross-sectional evaluation administered post-campaign. Setting: A 2017 internet panel survey in Los Angeles County, California. Participants: The survey included 499 parents of young children. Intervention: The Choose Water media campaign included digital media and out-of-home advertisements (eg, transit shelters, interiors of buses) in both English and Spanish. Measures: Dichotomous outcome variables were parental intentions to give child(ren) (1) more water and (2) less sugar-sweetened beverage consumption in their households. The independent variable was campaign exposure, categorized as no exposure, exposed but did not discuss visual, and exposed and discussed visual with someone. Analysis: Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regressions. Results: Among those who were exposed and discussed a campaign visual, the adjusted odds of intending to promote water consumption were 2.82 times greater than for those who reported no exposure (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.46-5.46). Similar odds to promote less sugar-sweetened beverage consumption were observed for those who were exposed and discussed a campaign visual (adjusted odds ratio: 3.27, 95% CI: 1.76-6.08). Those with the lowest educational attainment discussed the visual(s) less (10.5%). Conclusion: Word of mouth may enhance health messaging by allowing time for intended audiences to process campaign content within their interpersonal network.

The meaning of the social support network for women in situations of violence and breastfeeding

Objective: to understand the meanings attributed to the social support network of women breastfeeding and in situations of violence by an intimate partner. Method: a qualitative study, carried out with 21 women, through semi-structured interviews and data analyzed by the Method of Interpretation of the Senses in the light of the conceptual framework of Social Support Network. Results: all women suffered violence by the partner in the puerperium and only one of them maintained exclusive breastfeeding until 180 days postpartum. In the analysis, the category entitled “The action of the social support network in the face of breastfeeding in the context of intimate partner violence” emerged, with two subcategories: “Interpersonal support network” and “Institutional support network”. In the interpersonal network, the partner was little mentioned, on the other hand, there was a greater participation of other women. In the institutional network, non-resolution and actions centered on biological character were evident. Conclusions: the search for help in the interpersonal network stood out in comparison to the institutional network, both with regard to the issue of violence and breastfeeding and the actions related to it, mostly ineffective, characterized by counseling and referrals.

An Empirical Study on the Influence Path of Environmental Risk Perception on Behavioral Responses In China

In recent years, the outbreak of numerous environmental risk incidents aroused widespread public concern about the amplification mechanism of environmental risk in China. However, few studies have investigated the influence path of environmental risk perception on behavioral responses in Chinese context from a micro perspective. In this article, we develop a multidimensional path model from environmental risk perception to behavioral responses, which aims to investigate how the public’s environmental risk perception influence its different behavioral responses, including environmental radical behavior, environmental concern behavior and environmental protection behavior. A survey data from Chinese General Social Survey 2013 (CGSS2013), was used to test the model, including questions related to information channel (e.g., media use, interpersonal network), cognitive evaluation (e.g., environmental value, public’s evaluation of environmental governance) and environmental knowledge. The results indicate that both information channel factors and cognitive evaluation factors can significantly influence the progress that from environmental risk perception to behavioral responses, of which both media use and environmental value play the amplification role in the transform process, while interpersonal network and public’s evaluation of environmental governance would inhibit public’s risk perception transforming into environmental behavior. Besides, environmental knowledge displays a key bridge role between information channel factors and cognitive evaluation factors. This research findings also demonstrated the evolution paths of three environmental behaviors under the same level of risk perception, namely, risk transformation and diffusion, risk perception enhancement and risk attenuation respectively.

A Survey of College Student Dormitory Lifestyle and Related Management Strategies

A systematic survey on the life-style of college undergraduate dormitory of a local public university finds that, most of the time, undergraduates “amuse themselves” in the dorms and mutual learning and communication time is relatively insufficient. Students in the dorms have a higher expectation on interpersonal relationship. However, in reality, there exists the problem that the affection between them is indifferent. Besides, when they come into conflicts, they are incapable of resolving the conflicts through a normal channel. Furthermore, students are relatively satisfied with the life service in dormitory management, while they are not satisfied with the hardware facilities and the rules and regulations. To improve the management level of college student dormitory and promote development of students, it is necessary for the department of college dormitory management to strengthen construction of the physical environment, develop an organic dormitory interpersonal network and establish the dormitory organizational structure and institutional norms in which students can participate. Above all, the department of dormitory management needs to establish the system of dormitory education to help students carry out effective education in life.

Widmo krąży po Europie. Korczulańska Szkoła Letnia jako wyspa wolnego myślenia i przestrzeń dialogu

A spectre is haunting Europe: The Korčula Summer School as a freethinking island and space for dialogue The Korčula Summer School and the journal Praxis associated with it occupy an important place on the map of Yugoslav intellectual history in the nineteen-sixties and seventies. Philosophers, sociologists and representatives of other professions considered the issues of Socialism, revolution, the idea of self-government. These direct contacts with Western intellectuals were not only an important contribution to the Yugoslav philosophical thought, but also constituted an input to the contemporary Western intellectual life.The aim of the article is to present the complex inter-institutional and interpersonal network by which the Yugoslav achievements of the so-called Praxis group became part of the European heritage. In this way, studying wandering ideas shows the Yugoslav culture to be not only receptive, but also creative and innovative. Widmo krąży po Europie. Korczulańska Szkoła Letnia jako wyspa wolnego myślenia i przestrzeń dialogu Na mapie jugosłowiańskiej historii intelektualnej istotne miejsce zajmują Korczulańska Szkoła Letnia (Korčulanska ljetna škola) i związane z nią czasopismo „Praxis”. W ich ramach filozofowie i socjologowie, a także przedstawiciele innych profesji, w latach 60. i 70. XX wieku podejmowali refleksję nad zagadnieniem socjalizmu, rewolucji, idei samorządności. Ożywione kontakty z zachodnimi intelektualistami stanowiły nie tylko istotny wkład w lokalną myśl intelektualną, ale także promieniowały na świat zachodni, gdzie również były dyskutowane i rozwijane.Celem artykułu jest zaprezentowanie licznych i skomplikowanych sieci międzyinstytucjonalnych i międzyludzkich, dzięki którym jugosłowiański dorobek filozoficzny tzw. grupy Praxis, stał się częścią dziedzictwa europejskiego. W ten sposób badanie idei wędrownych pokazuje, że kultura jugosłowiańska miała nie tylko charakter receptywny, ale także generowała idee istotne dla Europy Zachodniej.