The Effects of Constitutional Changes on the Judiciary System in Albania: The Process of Vetting

The adoption of laws in Albania is often achieved through consensus among legislators, declaring it as the best solution for a certain political or legal situation, which resulted ineffective in many cases. The focus of law improvements was concentrated on control/Vetting, that is, the exclusion from the judicial system of individuals who do not meet one of the three constitutional criteria (wealth, moral integrity, and professionalism). Vetting, control per se, is not a reform of justice, but only one of its constitutive phases. The Albanian Constitution changes aim to restructure the justice institutions to achieve the standards requested for the Albanian EU integration. The paper goes through the different constitutional reforms, focusing on the judicial system changes especially on the recent results of the vetting process in Albania. The questions like: How is the Vetting process affecting judicial standards, how are the new Albanian justice institutions reacting, what is the public opinion on this progress and the benefits of society, are essential to understand how this process was conducted in Albania, its problems and difficulties. The results are explained through underlining different studies, media interventions, and recent political and public statements of involved institutions. Received: 19 August 2021 / Accepted: 1 November 2021 / Published: 3 January 2022

Vaccine hesitancy and behavior change theory-based social media interventions: a systematic review

It is widely acknowledged that vaccine hesitancy is a multifaceted problem that cannot be addressed by a single strategy. Behavior change theories and social media tools may together help to guide the design of interventions aimed at improving vaccination uptake. This systematic review aims to identify the breadth and effectiveness of such theories and tools. The systematic review search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, ACM, Cochrane Library, ProQuest, and Web of Science databases for studies between January 2011 and January 2021 that applied social media tools to increase vaccine confidence or improve vaccination uptake. The literature search yielded a total of 3,065 publications. Twenty articles met the eligibility criteria, 12 of which were theory-based interventions. The result shows that the Health Belief Model was the most frequently deployed theory, and the most common social media tool was educational posts, followed by dialogue-based groups, interactive websites, and personal reminders. Theory-based interventions were generally more measurable and comparable and had more evidence to trigger the positive behavior change. Fifteen studies reported the effectiveness in knowledge gain, intention increase, or behavior change. Educational messages were proved to be effective in increasing knowledge but less helpful in triggering behavior change. Dialogue-based social media intervention performed well in improving people’s intention to vaccinate. Interventions informed by behavior change theory and delivered via social media platforms offer an important opportunity for addressing vaccine hesitancy. This review highlights the need to use a multitheory framework and tailoring social media interventions to the specific circumstances and needs of the target audience in future interventions. The results and insights gained from this review will be of assistance to future studies.

Social Media Interventions Targeting Exercise and Diet Behaviours in People with Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs): A Systematic Review (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Background: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death globally. Promoting physical activity and healthy eating is essential to help manage the NCD burden and reduce mortality. Social media may be a potential platform for delivering and scaling health promotion initiatives. OBJECTIVE Objective: In this systematic review, we aimed to examine i) the feasibility and acceptability of social media interventions targeting physical activity and/or diet for people with NCDs, ii) the effectiveness of these interventions on exercise and diet behaviours, iii) specific design components used to promote user engagement and iv) the effectiveness on other health outcomes. METHODS Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Google Scholar, CINAHL, EMBASE, and SPORTDiscus from inception until June 2021. Social media interventions targeting physical activity and/or diet were included. Participants were any age, with a diagnosis of one of the following categories of NCDs; cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes or mental illness. Interventions using social media alone or as part of an intervention with other modes of delivery were included. Eligible study designs were randomised controlled trials (RCTs), non-randomised controlled trials, feasibility or pilot studies, or quasi-experimental studies. RESULTS Results: A total of 2,358 publications were identified. After removal of duplicates, 2,233 publication titles and abstracts were screened, and 10 publications were eligible, describing 8 individual studies. The study designs included n=5 RCTs and n=3 pilot or feasibility studies, all published between 2016 and 2020. Sample sizes ranged from n=11 to n=312. Half of the studies were conducted in the United States of America. Clinical populations included severe mental illness (n=2), cardiovascular disease (n=2), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n=2), cancer (n=1) and Type 2 diabetes (n=1). Facebook (n=3) and WeChat (n=3) were the most used social media platforms. The majority utilised social media to deliver health education and facilitate social support and all studies reported >70% retention. Four of the five included RCTS reported significant improvements in exercise behaviours (e.g., step count, exercise capacity) while diet was only assessed in two studies and results were non-significant. Of the 6 included RCTs (including 1 pilot RCT), study quality ranged from fair to good according to the PEDRo quality checklist. CONCLUSIONS Conclusions: Social media interventions appear to be feasible and acceptable among specific ND populations and preliminary evidence suggests interventions delivered solely via social media or in addition to other modalities may be effective for improving exercise behaviours. The evidence for diet behaviours remains unclear. While overall there is an emerging evidence base, more rigorous evaluation including replication studies are needed to determine the efficacy of social media interventions. CLINICALTRIAL CRD42021251838

Reporting Guidelines for Social Media Research (RESOME): Study protocol (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Social media applications platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are being increasingly utilised to deliver public health interventions. Despite the high-level of research interest, there is no consensus or guidance on how to report social media interventions. Reporting guidelines which incorporate elements from behaviour change theories and social media engagement frameworks could foster more robust evaluations that capture outcomes demonstrating impact on behaviour change and engagement. OBJECTIVE The aim of this project is to develop, publish and promote a list of reporting guidelines for the social media research (RESOME). METHODS RESOME guidelines will be developed by using a modified Delphi approach, where two rounds of questionnaires are sent to experts and stakeholders asking them to rate their agreement with a series of statements until a level of consensus is reached, followed by a virtual consensus meeting to finalise the reporting guidelines. After the consensus meeting, the reporting guidelines will be written up in the form of a paper outlining the need for the new guideline, how the guidelines were developed, along with the finalised checklist for reporting. Prior to publication, we will pilot the guidelines to check for understanding and simplify the language used if necessary. RESULTS The first draft of the RESOME reporting guidelines have been developed with the Delphi method to be carried out in June and July of 2021. As of May 2021, this study has been approved by the UCL Ethics committee (ID:14687/004). CONCLUSIONS Developing reporting guidelines for social media research will contribute to improved reporting and will make it easier to assess effectiveness of social media interventions. Future work will be needed to evaluate usefulness and practicality.

Inventar uma Sunnah: o Estado Islâmico, salafismo e inovação

<p>A pesquisa toma como objeto de análise a relação entre os grupos salafistas e as dinâmicas culturais que lhe são contemporâneas. Especificamente, avalia-se o Estado Islâmico, grupo salafista-jihadista que emergiu como protagonista de debates políticos e religiosos a partir de 2014. Com base nos recursos teóricos e metodológicos dos estudos culturais, as intervenções midiáticas do grupo são interpretadas como indícios de hibridização entre posicionamentos tradicionais e suportes modernos. Sinais de criatividade e de mobilidade cultural, as condutas do grupo foram importante estratégia de recrutamento. A competência da organização em operar essas duas estruturas fez do Estado Islâmico o grupo jihadista mais bem-sucedido da segunda década do século XXI.</p><p>Inventing a Sunnah: the Islamic State, Salafism and Innovation</p><p>This study analyzes the relationship between different Salafi groups and the contemporary cultural dynamic surrounding them. Specifically, the paper assesses the role of the Islamic State,a Salafi-jihadi group that emerged in 2014 as a leader in political and religious debates. Utilizing the theoretical and methodological resources of cultural studies, the paper analyzes the group’s media interventions, viewing them as evidence of hybridization between traditional positions and modern supports. Signalling creativity and cultural mobility, the group’s conduct was an important recruitment strategy. The organization’s competence in operating these two structures has made Islamic State the most successful jihadi group of the second decade of the 21st century.</p><p>Islamic State | Hybridization | Salafism</p>

The effect of social media interventions on physical activity and dietary behaviours in young people and adults: a systematic review

Background The objectives of this systematic review were to update the evidence base on social media interventions for physical activity and diet since 2014, analyse the characteristics of interventions that resulted in changes to physical activity and diet-related behaviours, and assess differences in outcomes across different population groups. Methods A systematic search of the literature was conducted across 5 databases (Medline, Embase, EBSCO Education, Wiley and Scopus) using key words related to social media, physical activity, diet, and age. The inclusion criteria were: participants age 13+ years in the general population; an intervention that used commercial social media platform(s); outcomes related to changes to diet/eating or physical activity behaviours; and quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies. Quality appraisal tools that aligned with the study designs were used. A mixed methods approach was used to analyse and synthesise all evidence. Results Eighteen studies were included: randomised control trials (n = 4), non-controlled trials (n = 3), mixed methods studies (n = 3), non-randomised controlled trials (n = 5) and cross-sectional studies (n = 3). The target population of most studies was young female adults (aged 18–35) attending college/university. The interventions reported on positive changes to physical activity and diet-related behaviours through increases in physical activity levels and modifications to food intake, body composition and/or body weight. The use of Facebook, Facebook groups and the accessibility of information and interaction were the main characteristics of social media interventions. Studies also reported on Instagram, Reddit, WeChat and Twitter and the use of photo sharing and editing, groups and sub-groups and gamification. Conclusions Social media interventions can positively change physical activity and diet-related behaviours, via increases in physical activity levels, healthy modifications to food intake, and beneficial changes to body composition or body weight. New evidence is provided on the contemporary uses of social media (e.g. gamification, multi-model application, image sharing/editing, group chats) that can be used by policy makers, professionals, organisations and/or researchers to inform the design of future social media interventions. This study had some limitations that mainly relate to variation in study design, over-reliance of self-reported measures and sample characteristics, that prevented comparative analysis. Registration number: PROPSERO;CRD42020210806.

A Radio Drama’s Effects on HIV Attitudes and Policy Priorities: A Field Experiment in Tanzania

A growing body of evidence investigates how entertainment education influences knowledge about HIV, stigma toward those with HIV, and openness to disclosing one’s HIV status. The present study shows that in addition to these effects, mass media interventions may influence audiences’ policy priorities, such as their demand for local access to HIV/AIDS medical care. A condensed (2 hours) version of a popular Swahili radio drama was presented to rural Tanzanians as part of a placebo-controlled experiment, clustered at the village level. A random sample comprising 1,200 participants were interviewed at baseline and invited to attend a presentation of the radio drama, and 83% attended. Baseline respondents were reinterviewed 2 weeks later with a response rate of 95%. In addition to increasing listeners’ knowledge and support for disclosure of HIV status, the radio drama produced sizable and statistically significant effects on listeners’ preference for hypothetical candidates promising improved HIV/AIDS treatment.

Impact of Social Media on Skin Cancer Prevention

Despite the increasing prevalence of social media usage in health care contexts, its impact on skin cancer prevention and awareness has not been largely investigated. We conducted a review of literature on this topic with the objective of summarizing and analyzing the role of social media in skin cancer and sun damage awareness and to identify the uses, benefits, and limitations of different social media platforms on skin cancer prevention. In today’s technological society, it is critical to understand and study the best form of communication. Specific platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok vary in originators of material, target demographics, messaging strategies, and reliability of information with regards to skin cancer, sun, and indoor tanning damage. Our results demonstrate that social media interventions have shown promise in skin cancer prevention and continue to escalate by the day. Dermatologists should keep pace with the latest dermatological content on social media and examine its evolution to target the right audience with the proper messages. Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness and true impact of social media on meaningful and lasting behavior change for skin cancer prevention.