Public views of the benefits and barriers to the consumption of a plant-based diet

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine consumers' perceived benefits and barriers to the consumption of a plant-based diet. Design: Mail survey that included questions on perceived benefits and barriers to the consumption of a plant-based diet. Setting: Victoria, Australia. Subjects: Four hundred and fifteen randomly selected Victorian adults. Results: The main perceived barrier to adoption of a plant-based diet was a lack of information about plant-based diets (42% agreement). Sex, age and education differences were present in over a quarter of the barrier items. For example, non-university-educated respondents and older people were less willing to change their current eating pattern than were university educated and younger respondents. The main benefits associated with plant-based diets were health benefits, particularly decreased saturated fat intake (79% agreement), increased fibre intake (76%), and disease prevention (70%). Age, sex and education differences with regard to benefits were apparent, although sex differences were more important than age or education differences. Conclusions: The majority of respondents perceived there to be health benefits associated with the consumption of a plant-based diet. Compared with the proportion of respondents who agreed that there were particular benefits of eating a plant-based diet, perceived barriers were relatively low. An understanding of the perceived benefits and barriers of consuming a plant-based diet will help formulate strategies that aim to influence beliefs about plant foods, plant food consumption, and, ultimately, public health.

Lay people's views of school food policy options: associations with confidence, personal values and demographics

A random population survey administered by mail to examine lay people's views of children's food policies and their associations with demographics, personal values and confidence in authorities was conducted among adults in Victoria, Australia. Three hundred and seventy-seven people responded (response rate 57.6%). The questionnaire contained 35 items about children's healthy eating policy options plus details like personal values, confidence and demographic items. There was widespread support for healthy school food policies. The strongest support was for life skills education and school-based nutrition and physical education programmes. Many age-related associations indicated that people >48 years were more in favour of healthy eating policies than younger people. There were fewer statistically significant associations with parent status and sex. In contrast, many associations showed that respondents with strong equity–harmony values and those with least confidence in the authorities were most in favour of healthy eating policies for schoolchildren. It is concluded that there is widespread support for school-based health and nutrition education and for active school food policies. However, differences between demographic and values groups suggest the need for caution in the promotion of public health nutrition initiatives among schoolchildren.

External breast prosthesis use: experiences and views of women with breast cancer, breast care nurses, and prosthesis fitters

After mastectomy, the provision of an appropriate breast prosthesis can help to improve body image and quality of life and reduce associated emotional distress. Although up to 90% of women use an external breast prosthesis after mastectomy, little is known about their experiences and satisfaction with breast prosthesis use. Focus groups were conducted with women who had been fitted with an external breast prosthesis, breast care nurses, and prosthesis fitters to explore women's experiences of prosthesis use. Qualitative thematic content analysis of focus group transcripts indicated that whereas women's initial reaction to the prosthesis generally was negative, this improved over time. Provision of adequate information and support, characteristics of the fitter and the fitting experience, and relationships with breast care nurses and prosthesis fitters were important to women's acceptance and satisfaction with their prosthesis. The study results highlighted the key role that breast care nurses play and the underestimation of the prosthesis fitter's role. Common themes concerning the impact of prosthesis use included body image, appearance, and feminine identity. These findings have important implications for professionals involved in the delivery of breast prostheses services.

Staff and student views of the usefulness of information technology materials within an integrated curriculum: are these educational resources effective in promoting student learning?

This paper reports on a study on the perceived effectiveness of educational resources within the context of a single course in a first-year biology program at the University of Sydney (Australia). The overall study examined the dynamic state of perceptions towards these resources by the major stakeholders involved with the course (students, teaching staff, and technical staff). A major focus of the research was the extent to which the students used the computer-based resources made available to them, and staff and students' perceptions of the usefulness of these resources in supporting their learning. Specifically, results are discussed related to student use of computers and the Internet, use of biology online materials in the virtual learning environment, use and perceptions of communication technologies, and use and perceptions of computer-based online resources. Data were collected from the students using surveys and focus groups and from staff using surveys and interviews within an action-research paradigm. While the majority of students found the resources to be of use in supporting learning, some did not find them useful, and some did not use them at all. In comparison, the staff had higher expectations of both usage and usefulness. The level of student use was not a function of access to computers or the Internet, so the findings suggest that the provision of online resources will not necessarily generate value-added learning.

Reflexive and critical views of leadership performance in corporate accomplishment : framework and illustration

Purpose – This paper intends to shed some light on the relationship between leadership performance and corporate accomplishment through the aid of complexity sciences. The objective is to describe leadership performance in corporate accomplishment using different teleological approaches.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper discusses the underlying criteria of the relationship between leadership performance and corporate accomplishment. Case illustration and narrative analogy are also provided.

Findings – The authors believe that the discussion highlights a potential downside of leadership performance in corporate accomplishment and its precision rarely highlighted in practice and literature.

Research limitations/implications – There is a reigning assumption in management practice that is based on the belief that a top-down approach of leadership performance in management and business practices is superior to the bottom-up approach. It proffers the assumed importance of strategic management issues, but neglects the knowledge, experience, competence and awareness inherent among employees at tactical and operational levels of business practices. It also proffers a mechanical view of employee performance and ignores the worth of the generation of ideas from subordinates in management and business practices that contribute to corporate achievements. Furthermore, it neglects the fact that it is not possible to know the future nor it is predictable.

Practical implications – The paper contends that the importance of top management tends to be inflated in respect to corporate achievements in the management/leadership literature. It also contends that it should be questioned as to whether the top management of corporations are largely responsible for the corporate results on which they attempt to justify their salaries and other benefits. Furthermore, the paper contends that it also should be questioned as to what extent corporate accomplishment may be derived from the performance of the top management in organizations.

Originality/value – The paper strives to contribute to the ongoing discussion of leadership performance in corporate accomplishment in various ways. The principal contributions are: a set of teleological sub-processes of leadership performance and a case illustration and narrative analogies of teleological leadership performance patterns, in respect to corporate accomplishment in management and business practices. These contributions provide theoretical and managerial ideas and insights to anticipate and avoid deficient or erroneous grounds of leadership performance evaluation in corporate accomplishment.

Erectile dysfunction and relationships : views of men with erectile dysfunction and their partners

There has been limited previous research that has examined the views of both men with erectile dysfunction (ED) and their partners on the impact of ED on their sexuality, relationship and general functioning. The current study was designed to evaluate the above variables among men with ED and their partners. Participants for the current study were 40 heterosexual men with ED and their partners. All participants completed a questionnaire that evaluated their reaction to ED, their past and current sexual activity, their sexual and relationship satisfaction as well as their levels of self-esteem and quality of life (QOL). The results demonstrated that both men with ED and their partners reported a reduction in their levels of sexual activity since the development of ED and that they wanted to seek a solution to the problem. Men with ED demonstrated lower levels of self-esteem, QOL and sexual satisfaction than their partners but there were no differences between the partners in their level of relationship satisfaction. These findings demonstrate that ED has an impact on both the man and his partner. They also indicate the importance of including the man's partner in the assessment and treatment of ED.

Defining dual diagnosis : a qualitative study of the views of health care workers

Background: 'Dual diagnosis' is the term of choice in many countries to describe clients with co-occurring mental health and alcohol and other drug (AOD) issues. However, it is not known if its meaning is consistently represented within and across health care services. This uncertainty has significant implications for referral, consultation and research.
Aim: To obtain information about the way that different health care professionals understand the term 'dual diagnosis'.
Method: Twenty-nine health care workers across five service types (medical, mental health, AOD, dual diagnosis and community health) in Victoria, Australia were interviewed about their understanding of the term 'dual diagnosis'.
Results: The findings indicated that service providers working in AOD and Mental Health had a shared general understanding of what was meant by 'dual diagnosis', despite uncertainties about more specific inclusion criteria. In contrast, medical and community health staff lacked a similar shared understanding, and were more likely to recommend change, but offered no consensus on alternatives.
Conclusion: The results indicate that while the term 'dual diagnosis' has value in efficiently directing attention to the complexity of treatment issues, health practitioners cannot assume it will convey the intended meaning outside mental health or AOD services. Clear articulation of the intended definition may be a necessary requirement in wider health care communication.

Parent's views of the importance of making changes in settings where children spend time to prevent obesity

Aim : To examine the kinds of changes parents would like to see in those settings where children spend time (kindergartens and schools, child care centres and after-school care facilities, and the local neighbourhood) in policies and practices that impact on children’s risk of obesity, and to establish whether parents might be willing to advocate for changes in these settings.

Materials and Methods : 175 parents from five randomly selected primary schools and five randomly selected kindergartens located in suburbs of metropolitan Melbourne completed a questionnaire in which they rated the importance of a number of potential changes to promote healthy eating and increase physical activity in their children.

Results : Parents of children in kindergarten most commonly rated changes to the eating environment as important. In contrast, parents of primary school children believed changes related to both eating and physical activity in school were important. Ninety-five per cent of parents of kindergarten children and 89% of parents of primary school children believed it was possible for parents to bring about change to provide more opportunities for their child to eat more healthily and be more physically active. One in four parents reported that they had thought about or had tried to bring about changes in their community.

Conclusions : The findings suggest that mobilising parents to take an active role in advocating for change in those settings that have the potential to shape their children’s physical activity and eating behaviours may be feasible.

Social value measurement and nonprofit organizations: preliminary views of nonprofit and foundation managers

This paper examines how managers of nonprofit organizations and foundations view the measurement of the social value of these organizations. In exploratory interviews, we found that the managers generally agree that objective measures are desired where and when possible, but recognise the difficulties in developing an assessment that enables comparisons across the nonprofit sector. These difficulties, as well as the implications for developing assessments of social value for nonprofit organizations, are discussed

Women's views of postnatal care in the context of the increasing pressure on postnatal beds in Australia

Background : Despite limited evidence evaluating early postnatal discharge, length of hospital stay has declined dramatically in Australia since the 1980s. The recent rising birth rate in Victoria, Australia has increased pressure on hospital beds, and many services have responded by discharging women earlier than planned, often with little preparation during pregnancy. We aimed to explore the views of women and their partners regarding a number of theoretical postnatal care ‘packages’ that could provide an alternative approach to early postnatal care.

Methods : Eight focus groups and four interviews were held in rural and metropolitan Victoria in 2006 with participants who had experienced a mix of public and private maternity care. These included 8 pregnant women, 42 recent mothers and 2 male partners. All were fluent in English. Focus groups explored participants’ experiences and/or expectations of early postnatal care in hospital and at home and their views of alternative packages of postnatal care where location of care shifted from hospital to home and/or hotel. This paper describes the packages and explores and describes what ‘value’ women placed on the various components of care.

Findings : Overall, women expressed a preference for what they had experienced or expected, which may be explained by the ‘what is must be best’ phenomenon where women place value on the status quo. They generally did not respond favourably towards the alternative postnatal care packages, with concerns about any shorter length of hospital stay, especially for first time mothers. Women were concerned about the safety and wellbeing of their new baby and reported that they lacked confidence in their ability to care for their baby. The physical presence and availability of professional support was seen to alleviate these concerns, especially for first time mothers. Participants did not believe that increased domiciliary visits compensated for forgoing the perceived security and value of staying in hospital. Women generally valued staying in hospital for the length of time they felt they needed above all other factors.

Key conclusions and implications for practice : Women were concerned about shortened postnatal length of hospital stay and these concerns must be considered when changes are planned in maternity service provision. Any moves towards shorter postnatal length of stay must be comprehensively evaluated with consideration given to exploring consumer views and satisfaction. There is also a need for flexibility in postnatal care that acknowledges women's individual needs.