A method for the quantitative analysis of the layering of HIV-related stigma

HIV-related stigma is regarded as one of the major barriers in the development of effective prevention and care programs; but the stigma associated with HIV stigma is not a singular entity. The stigma of the infection is layered with other stigmas, such as those associated with the routes of transmission (e.g., sex work and injecting drug use) and personal characteristics (e.g., race, religion, ethnicity and gender). In developing programs and policies to overcome HIV-related stigma, cognisance needs to be taken of all the sources of stigma, and how they may interact. A novel method is described for examining the layers of HIV/AIDS-related stigma, and secondary data are adapted to illustrate this. The importance of understanding the layering of stigma for the development of effective interventions is also discussed.

Preparing to not to be a footballer : higher education and professional sport

In the commercialised and professionalised world of elite sport, issues associated with career pathways and post sporting career options have a particular resonance. In various football codes, an unexpected knock, twist, bend or break can profoundly impact a player's career. In this high risk and high consequence environment, a number of sports entertainment industries have instituted player development and education programmes to educate and prepare elite level performers for life after football. Drawing on Foucault's later work on governmentality and the care of the self, this paper will discuss findings from a research project funded by the Australian Football League (AFL). The paper presents data that suggests that, elite performers are so focused on establishing and prolonging a career as an elite performer, that other aspects of identity are seen as something to be complied with as a consequence of industry expectations. An industry emphasis on higher education raises issues for the sports industries that promote player enrolment in higher education and for the higher education institutions that must manage this lack of engagement.

Extended supervision of sexual offenders in Australia and New Zealand : differences in implementation across jurisdictions

Australia and New Zealand have joined the movement of many Western societies in recent years to address a perceived gap in public safety by passing legislation allowing for extended supervision of sex offenders in the community after their release from prison. The Australian State of Victoria passed a law similar to that of New Zealand, and both laws have now been in effect for a similar period of time. Yet despite having comparable laws and approximately comparable base populations, there have been 145 extended supervision orders imposed in New Zealand and 20 such orders in Victoria. This article examines the differences in implementation and the underlying procedures used in the two jurisdictions to understand these very different outcomes. Implications for professional practice, ethics, public safety, and policy development are discussed.

Engaging rural communities in health care through a paramedic expanded scope of practice

Introduction: This article explores how community engagement by paramedics in an expanded scope role contributes to both primary health care and to an overall improved emergency response capacity in rural communities. Understanding how expanded scope paramedics (ESP) can strengthen community healthcare collaborations is an important need in rural areas where low workforce numbers necessitate innovation.

Methods: Four examples of Australian rural ESP roles were studied in Tasmania, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria to gather information on consistent elements that could inform a paramedic expanded scope model. Qualitative data were collected from semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders and organisational documents. Thematic analysis within and across cases found community engagement was a key element in the varied roles. This article relies heavily on data from the Victorian and Tasmanian case studies because community engagement was a particularly strong aspect of these cases.

Results: The ESP in the case studies increased interactions between ambulance services and rural communities with an overall benefit to health care through: increasing community response capacity; linking communities more closely to ambulance services; and increasing health promotion and illness prevention work at the community level. Leadership, management and communication skills are important for paramedics to successfully undertake expanded scope roles.

Conclusion: ESP in rural locations can improve health care beyond direct clinical skill by active community engagement that expands the capacity of other community members and strengthens links between services and communities. As health services look to gain maximum efficiency from the health workforce, understanding the intensification of effort that can be gained from practitioner and community coalitions provides important future directions.

Distance learners’ study-related interactions with other people in their life-contexts: investigating an unexplored phenomenon

Distance learners are typically embedded within rich and complex life-contexts that comprise family, friends, work colleagues, and community connections. However, relatively few studies explore the interplay between distance learners’ life-contexts and their studies and none examine the study-related interactions distance learners engage in with other people in their life-contexts. Changes currently occurring in the higher education sector, including the emergence of postgraduate lifelong learners, mean this position is becoming untenable. This research note provides an overview of a study currently under development that is intended to shed light on this unexplored phenomena.

Lessons in building capacity in sexuality education using the health promoting school framework: from planning to implementation

Purpose – The health promoting school model is rarely implemented in relation to sexuality education. This paper reports on data collected as part of a five-year project designed to implement a health promoting and whole school approach to sexuality education in a five campus year 1-12 college in regional Victoria, Australia. Using a community engagement focus involving local and regional stakeholders and with a strong research into practice component, the project is primarily concerned with questions of capacity building, impact and sustainability as part of whole school change. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach – Using an action research design, data were collected from parents, students, teachers and key community stakeholders using a mixed methods approach involving surveys, interviews, document analysis and participant observation. Findings – Sexuality education has become a key school policy and has been implemented from years 1 to 9. Teachers and key support staff have engaged in professional learning, a mentor program has been set up, a community engagement/parent liaison position has been created, and parent forums have been conducted on all five campuses. Research limitations/implications – The translation of research into practice can be judged by the impact it has on teacher capacity and the students’ experience. Classroom observation and more longitudinal research would shed light on whether the espoused changes are happening in reality. Originality/value – This paper reports on lessons learned and the key enabling factors that have built capacity to ensure that sexuality education within a health promoting, whole school approach will remain sustainable into the future. These findings will be relevant to others interested in building capacity in sexuality education and health promotion more generally.

Análise de formações comunitárias em favelas - metodologia, perspectivas e resultados - o modelo da associação comunitária Monte Azul (ACOMA)

O objetivo desta pesquisa é retratar a qualidade de vida na Favela Monte Azul tendo em vista a atuação de duas organizações comunitárias - Associação Comunitária Monte Azul (ACOMA) e a Comissão de Moradores - considerando sua história, ideologia, perspectivas e resultados obtidos na transformação da comunidade. Constata-se atualmente que experiências com organizações promotoras do desenvolvimento comunitário não têm sistematizado e apresentado os resultados alcançados na melhoria da qualidade de vida. Isto é importante para a própria comunidade e organização que, juntas, podem buscar soluções para os problemas identificados. O diferencial positivo na qualidade de vida dos moradores desta favela reflete o trabalho de mais de vinte anos da ACOMA e da comunidade organizada.

Ecologia trófica em uma taxocenose de anfíbios: estrutura, filogenia e especialização individual

Historically, ever since the pre-Darwinian naturalists interspecific competition was considered the main force responsible for structuring ecological communities. This interpretation lost strength in the late 70s and throughout the 80s giving room for other views, which consider other factors such as predation, parasitism and the phylogenetic inertia more important. Studies on changes in the trophic niche of a species are still uncommon in general and especially in amphibians. Species considered generalist might actually be a group of individual specialists, or individuals that specialize in a particular category of prey during a period of scarcity of resources, thus reducing intraspecific competition. This work studied the community structure of litter amphibians and trophic variation along the dry and rainy seasons in a population of Leptodactylus macrosternum. Sixteen-litter frog species were studied for their diet. Two central assumptions were tested: 1a) if the community is structured in the niche trophic level, and 1b) if there is a significant difference in the use of food resources by different species (i.e. if the community is structured), the observed structure is the result of ecological interactions or just the current phylogenetic inertia of species. Finally, 2) if there is variation in food resource use between seasons for L. macrosternum. The community showed a structure with respect to the use of food resources, and this structure persisted after taking into account the phylogenetic relationships among species. The diet of Leptodactylus macrosternum varied with the seasons, with a significant degree of individual specialization for the dry season. Patterns of a local community are important to understand its dynamics, and this may play a role in larger- scale processes. Therefore, the studies in community ecology are fundamental to understand and eventually restoring degraded areas

Saberes e práticas em experiência de construção da sustentabilidade no meio rural nordestino

The purpose of this work is to analyze the knowledge relationships that articulate in projects of maintainable rural development construction for the paraiban semi-arid, analyzing the farmers daily practices and their relationship with the technological practices spread by ONGs. We took as empirical object the rural community of Lajedo de Timbaúba, municipal district of Soledade-PB, located in the very small region of paraiban Curimataú. It is a community where registers one of the first cases of maintainable rural development planning in the state of Paraíba. The analysis was centered on the farmers experiences of life in sustainability experience, trying to understand how they acquire new knowledge and how they interact with them. In methodological terms, it was considered feasible to place the knowledge interaction between the farmers and technicians from ONGs by placing the analysis according to Paulo Freire s questioning (2006): extension or communication? To understand the farmers daily practices, it was resorted to the theoretical contribution by Michel de Certeau (2008) in order to discern a microresistance movement of inversion/rejection/changing by the farmers in relation to their external knowledge. Just from the theoretical point of view and resorting to the imaginary social by Cornelius Castoriadis (1982), it was considered the way of living of the farmers researched, having as reference the experience in the material and symbolic production of their lives. It became indispensable, therefore, not to dissociate the knowledge relationships between farmers and technicians from ONGs from the sustainability concepts, maintainable rural development, and rural extension. The results of the study revealed that the farmers from Lajedo de Timbaúba while dealing with the technological practices proposed by ONGs that work in the community, express those practices from their daily logic, and they constitute them in survival strategies that are inserted in their own idiosyncrasy. It was verified, therefore, that the external knowledge presented by the proposals of sociability alternatives with the droughts in the perspective of maintainable development while placed in the farmers daily relationship, they are judged as advantageous or disadvantageous when they are confronted with their peculiar way of doing their daily work. The technological practices are incorporated, denied, or recreated starting from evaluative criteria related to the preservation of the soil and to the economical and social reproduction of the unit of production of family agriculture

Repercussões da terapia comunitária no processo de trabalho na estratégia saúde da família: um estudo representacional

The Community Therapy (CT) is in a practice of therapeutic effect and may also be considered as a technology takes care of the therapeutic procedure group, whose purpose is to promote health, prevent illness, developed within primary care in mental health. In this study we sought to understand the social representations of health professionals who work with the Community Therapy, on use of the Family Health Strategy (FHS) in the city of Joao Pessoa. This is a field research with a qualitative view Moscovician Theory of Social Representations, held with seven professionals of the FHS, therapists of Community Health District II. The empirical data were obtained by carrying out two thematic therapies in April 2009, which were wheeled CT. It was used as a technique for analyzing the collective subject discourse, and the data presented through graphs, charts, maps, pictures and graphics and arranged in three stages: Subjects of the study, characterizing the study participants; Social Representations of Therapist Community presenting and discussing the social representations of therapists community studied on CT, and Consequences of Community Therapy at the Family Health Strategy, discussing the meanings attributed by the study participants about changes in FHS. Meanings were attributed to the CT by the therapists studied originated from the speeches, songs, drawings and constructed, and that presented by schematic illustration show the relation between the representations: life, listening, faith / light, change, transformation. The web, symbol of CT, appeared on the images constructed by the representatives of the study and represents the formation of bonds that allows the construction of social support networks that strengthen relationships among community. In the study, proved by professionals who have the meanings about the changes in the work process from the introduction of CT, and shown that the change took place within a more welcoming attitude on the part of professionals, the relationship between Team members had no significant changes, explained by the low compliance of team members to the CT in relation to the user front, the bond was strengthened, and this involved strengthening the role of the therapist community. It is recognized, thereby transforming the character of CT in building links with users, requiring, however, that the team is viewed as offering therapeutic services, not the professional therapist. Therefore, the CT for being a new phenomenon in health services and community belonging, it fits like a novelty which affects the construction of a representation dispute. Still, can contribute to the reorganization of mental health care in line with the new model of mental health care advocated by the Psychiatric Reform.

Violência contra a mulher : estudo de caso em uma instituição de ensino

The study research case with a quantitative approach and prospective data, carried out between December 2010 and February 2011 with the aim of identifying the profile of women in the study, to characterize the acts of violence in the type, frequency, location occurrence and aggressor, analyze the steps taken after the occurrence of acts of violence and the main consequences on the victims. The population consisted of 285 workers in a tertiary institution in Rio Grande do Norte. The results showed that 99 (34.74%) have between 51 to 60 years of age, 78 (27.37%) of 41 to 50 and 62 (21.75%) between 20 and 30 years, are considered color white, 162 (56.84%) have completed higher education, 171 (60.00%) and of these 97 (56.73%) reported having some post-graduate degrees, are married, 141 (49.47%) and have from zero to one child, 148 (51.93%) reside in the south of the city of Natal, 146 (51.23%) have a monthly income of three to five minimum wages, 171 (60.00%) and are mostly in the Technical Administrative Sciences 152 (53.33%), 77 (27.02%) reported having experienced violence, 60 (62.50%) episodes of verbal aggression, 26 (27.08%) of bullying , 05 (5.21%) of physical abuse and 05 (5.21%) sexual harassment; 05 (100.00%) assaults were made by the spouse or partner of the victims and co-workers is another profession were responsible for 18 (30.00%) verbal aggression, 15 (57.69%) bullying and 03 (60.00%) sexual harassment, 02 (40.00%) of victims of physical aggression and 18 (30.00 %) of verbal abused only once, 10 (38.46%) of bullying and 02 (40.00%) of sexual harassment experienced four or more times 05 (100.00%) assaults occurred at domestic and work stood out with 36 (60.00%), verbal abuse, 22 (84.62%), moral harassment and 04 (80.00%) sexual harassment, 35 (36.46%) told colleagues work and 31 (32.29%) for family and friends in 75 (78.13%) cases there was no intervention, 07 (7.29) were unable to respond if something had been done and 14 (14.58% ) have been reported intervention of these, 09 (64.29%) were taken by the heads of the victims, 26 (32.10%) did not notify the fact on the ground that no action would be taken, 62 (80.52%) felt stress , 5 (1.76%) of women turned away from work after the episode of violence, accounting for 198 days of absenteeism. It is concluded that there is a high rate of violence against women, even when they have a good socioeconomic status, and in this sense is important to establish bases of new proposals for improving control of cases of health professionals, especially nurses, to approach patients with a more investigative, and that by identifying a case of violence, be instructed about the paths to be followed for notification while providing psychological support to victims.

Agente comunitário de saúde: perfil adequado a realidade do Programa Saúde da Família?

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Drogas, violência e políticas sociais: estudo de uma comunidade terapêutica

Pós-graduação em Ciências Sociais - FFC