Illness perceptions, beliefs and prevention of Type 2 Diabetes among British Pakistani mothers and young British Pakistani women

The prevalence rates of type2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) continues to rise among British Pakistanis. The aim of this project was to explore T2DM perceptions and any preventative intentions among British Pakistani women and to discover whether they are doing anything to prevent the onset in themselves and their families. Initially a systematic review was conducted to investigate 20 existing prevention interventions and to assess their effectiveness (n=12,419). Mixed methods approach was adopted and three studies were conducted. The first study consisted of two focus groups with T2DM mothers (n=8) and three focus groups with non-T2DM mothers (n=17). The second study consisted of four focus groups young British Pakistani females (n=11). All focus groups were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Following these a quantitative study was undertaken comprising of a questionnaire survey; 12 prevention-perception items (derived from the qualitative data) and the Illness-Perception Questionnaire Revised (IPQ-R) using participants from the same populations: T2DM mothers (n=41), non-T2DM mother (n=47) and young women (n=42). Results were analysed using multiple/hierarchical regression. The systematic review highlighted that the most effective prevention programmes focussed on behaviour and lifestyle with a combination of support and education to participants. The research studies demonstrated that T2DM was seen as an older person’s disease to be dealt with if/when it happens. T2DM mothers demonstrated knowledge and prevention understanding. There were non-significant relationships between prevention perceptions and T2DM illness perceptions across all three groups. The finding of this thesis emphasised that lifestyle interventions are crucial to aiding T2DM preventions as a good healthy diet and regular physical activity are the key components to T2DM prevention, and the importance of personal experience in perceived severity and lay-beliefs regarding T2DM and on family/cultural influences in British-Pakistanis. The findings of this project can be used to design culturally specific interventions towards preventing T2DM in the British Pakistani community.

Women, drinking and aggression on a night out: Do girls just wanna have fun?

Alcohol misuse and violence is a major public safety concern. Although the extent and nature of alcohol-related violence has been examined there is a paucity of research surrounding the ongoing construction and re-construction of gender identity and its relationship to aggression and alcohol consumption. A social constructionist perspective was used to explore women’s perceptions and experiences of drinking alcohol and incidents of public violence and aggression. Two methods were used. Firstly, an exploratory study consisting of three in-depth interviews and three focus groups to examine the ideas women constructed in relation to their experiences; and further, an online survey to explore self-reported drinking patterns among men and women. The main themes emerging from the qualitative material were ‘planned drinking to excess’ (incorporating the rituals of a ‘pre-drink’ routine), and perceptions of appropriate feminine behaviour (particularly in relation to excessive drinking and alcohol related aggression in and around licensed venues). The survey data indicated that men continue to consume more alcohol and at higher levels than women, while women’s involvement in aggressive incidents on a night out being similar to that of men. Both genders considered that women’s involvement in aggressive incidents in and around licensed venues as ‘unfeminine’. Understanding drinking as a socially constructed activity adds to our understanding of the meaning of drinking for women, and in particular, young women. This perspective may allow more focussed initiatives to address the social and health related harms associated with drinking in and around licensed venues.

"My friend was over the alcohol limit, so I asked him not to drive" : Young females intervening in alcohol-impaired driving

Potential to strengthen a commitment to intervene within a friendship group: – all knew the other passengers, – 3 in 4 discussed intervening with other passengers, – expectations of friends was a key predictive factor. - young women have potential and willingness to intervene in their friends’ drink driving behaviour - majority of campaigns and strategies to reduce alcohol related crashes target the driver however it is arguable that some strategies should target the young female passenger.

Mobile social tool for supporting responsible drinking in yourng women

Binge drinking is an important issue in Australia and worldwide. Existing studies have shown that mobile tools provide an effective method to self-monitor drink sessions, whereas social tool such as Facebook, can be used to construct social drinker identity (thus normalizing binge drinking), but if used among a peer-support that promotes the importance of responsible drinking, it potentially can be effective in moderating alcohol consumption. To combine mobile and social tool approaches, the study involves two complementary and largely qualitative studies to inform a novel design of an engaging mobile social tool for supporting responsible drinking among young women: (1) a survey of literature and mobile tools on alcohol related studies and interventions; (2) an in-depth focus group interview among young women aged 18 to 24. The results and discussions provide some valuable insights for future research and development in the field.

“As many options as there are, there are just not enough for me” : a qualitative analysis of contraceptive use and barriers to access among Australian women

There is currently little information available about reasons for contraceptive use or non-use among young Australian women and the reasons for choosing specific types of contraceptive methods. A comprehensive life course perspective of women's experiences in using and obtaining contraceptives is lacking, particularly relating to women's perceived or physical barriers to access. This paper presents an analysis of qualitative data gathered from free-text comments provided by women born between 1973 and 1978 as part of their participation in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health is a large cohort study involving over 40,000 women from three age groups (aged 18-23, aged 40-45 and aged 70-75) who were selected from the database of Medicare the Australian universal health insurance system in 1995. The women have been surveyed every 3 years about their health by mailed self-report surveys, and more recently online. Written comments from 690 women across five surveys from 1996 (when they were aged 18-23 years) to 2009 (aged 31-36 years) were examined. Factors relating to contraceptive use and barriers to access were identified and explored using thematic analysis. Side-effects, method satisfaction, family timing, and hormonal balance were relevant to young women using contraception. Most women who commented about a specific contraceptive method wrote about the oral contraceptive pill. While many women were positive or neutral about their method, noting its convenience or non-contraceptive benefits, many others were concerned about adverse effects, affordability, method failure, and lack of choice. Negative experiences with health services, lack of information, and cost were identified as barriers to access. As the cohort aged over time, method choice, changing patterns of use, side-effects, and negative experiences with health services remained important themes. Side-effects, convenience, and family timing play important roles in young Australian women's experiences of contraception and barriers to access. Contrary to assumptions, barriers to contraceptive access continue to be experienced by young women as they move into adulthood. Further research is needed about how to decrease barriers to contraceptive use and minimise negative experiences in order to ensure optimal contraceptive access for Australian women.

Contraceptive use and unintended pregnancy among 18-23 year old women in Australia : the first findings of the CUPID study

Objectives: Little is known about young adult women's experience of unintended pregnancy in Australia, nor the extent to which ineffective contraceptive use or contraceptive failure may lead to young women becoming pregnant. The CUPID study is the first in Australia to examine young adult Australian women's patterns of contraceptive use, their experience of unintended pregnancy, and their use (or not) of contraception at the time of conception. Methods: Australian women aged 18-23 years completed an online survey about contraceptive use and experience of unintended pregnancy. They were recruited through a range of methods including advertising on Facebook, and snowball sampling. Sample representativeness was established through comparison with Census data. Results: Of the 511 respondents, 403 women reported that they had ever had sex and were not currently pregnant. Among these women, the pill was the most common method of contraception used on the most recent occasion, used alone (30%) or with condoms (21%). Condoms (alone or with another method other than the pill) were used by a further 17%, and long-acting contraceptive methods by a further 16%. Other methods such as natural methods or partner vasectomy were used by 16%. The withdrawal method was surprisingly common and was mentioned by 15% of the women overall, usually in combination with another method. There were 63 women who had been pregnant, including 5 who were pregnant at the time of the survey, and of these 55 (87%) had become pregnant by accident. Of these 55 women, 69% reported using a range of contraception methods when they became pregnant by accident: Pill only (29%) and in combination with condoms (3%) and withdrawal (5%); condoms only (18%) and in combination with withdrawal (16%); emergency contraceptive pill only (3%) and in combination with withdrawal (3%) and withdrawal only (24%). Conclusions: This study highlighted the use of less effective methods of contraception among young Australian women. The withdrawal method was commonly used, often in combination with other methods, particularly before an unintended pregnancy. Among the women who had been pregnant, most reported that their pregnancy had been unintended. A third of the young women who had experienced an unintended pregnancy were using the withdrawal method. Further research is needed about the place of the withdrawal method in the contraceptive practices of young women.

“As many options as there are, there are just not enough for me” : a qualitative analysis of contraceptive use and barriers to access among Australian women

There is currently little information available about reasons for contraceptive use or non-use among young Australian women and the reasons for choosing specific types of contraceptive methods. A comprehensive life course perspective of women's experiences in using and obtaining contraceptives is lacking, particularly relating to women's perceived or physical barriers to access. This paper presents an analysis of qualitative data gathered from free-text comments provided by women born between 1973 and 1978 as part of their participation in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health is a large cohort study involving over 40,000 women from three age groups (aged 18-23, aged 40-45 and aged 70-75) who were selected from the database of Medicare the Australian universal health insurance system in 1995. The women have been surveyed every 3 years about their health by mailed self-report surveys, and more recently online. Written comments from 690 women across five surveys from 1996 (when they were aged 18-23 years) to 2009 (aged 31-36 years) were examined. Factors relating to contraceptive use and barriers to access were identified and explored using thematic analysis. Side-effects, method satisfaction, family timing, and hormonal balance were relevant to young women using contraception. Most women who commented about a specific contraceptive method wrote about the oral contraceptive pill. While many women were positive or neutral about their method, noting its convenience or non-contraceptive benefits, many others were concerned about adverse effects, affordability, method failure, and lack of choice. Negative experiences with health services, lack of information, and cost were identified as barriers to access. As the cohort aged over time, method choice, changing patterns of use, side-effects, and negative experiences with health services remained important themes. Side-effects, convenience, and family timing play important roles in young Australian women's experiences of contraception and barriers to access. Contrary to assumptions, barriers to contraceptive access continue to be experienced by young women as they move into adulthood. Further research is needed about how to decrease barriers to contraceptive use and minimise negative experiences in order to ensure optimal contraceptive access for Australian women.

Young women’s experiences as consumers of maternity care in Queensland

Background: Young motherhood is commonly associated with vulnerabilities, stereotyping of young women’s behaviour and poor outcomes for them and their children. The objective was to understand how maternity care is experienced for this group in the transition to parenthood. Methods: Data from a large-scale 2010 survey of women’s experience of maternity care were analysed using qualitative methods with open text responses. Results: 7,193 women responded to the survey: 237 were aged 20 years or less. Most (83%) of these young women provided open text responses. The main themes were: ‘being a consumer’, ‘the quality of care’, ‘needing support’ and ‘pride in parenthood’ while subthemes included ‘being young’ and ‘how staff made me feel’, ‘testimonials for staff’, ‘not being left’ and ‘it’s all worthwhile’. Conclusion: Many young women responding described a positive experience. For many first time mothers this marked a positive change in their identity. Nevertheless staff perceptions and attitudes affected how they saw themselves and what they took away from their experience of maternity care. A key message for other women supported and reinforced their role as active and involved consumers who, in engaging with services, have to stand up for themselves and make their needs and wishes known.

Participation in science and technology : young people's achievement-related choices in late modern societies

Young people’s participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is a matter of international concern. Studies and careers that require physical sciences and advanced mathematics are most affected by the problem and women in particular are under-represented in many STEM fields. This article views international research about young people’s relationships to, and participation in, STEM subjects and careers through the lens of an expectancy value model of achievement-related choices. In addition it draws on sociological theories of late-modernity and identity, which situate decision-making in a cultural context. The article examines how these frameworks are useful in explaining the decisions of young people – and young women in particular – about participating in STEM and proposes possible strategies for removing barriers to participation.

Using digitally distributed vulgar comedy to reach young men with information about healthy sexual development

Focus groups show that young men do not have available to them the same resources to learn about healthy sexual development as do young women. A collaborative project led by a leading provider of sexuality education aimed to reach young men with information about healthy sexual development by using a genre that focus groups showed they favoured - vulgar comedy. This project raised two important issues. First, comedy is ambivalent - it is by definition not serious or worthy. This challenges health communication, which traditionally favours the clear presentation of correct information. Second, vulgarity can be challenging to the institutions of health communication, which can be concerned that it is inappropriate or offensive. This article addresses these issues and reports on the materials that emerged from the project.

Destinations: 3 Large Cast Plays for Young People

This book is a collection of three large-cast plays written in response to a very specific problem. My work as a teacher of drama often required me to locate a script that would somehow miraculously work for a cast of unknown number and gender, and most likely uneven skills and enthusiasm, who I hadn’t even met yet. It’s a familiar dilemma for teachers and students of drama in education contexts, at whatever level you’re teaching. I’d first addressed this creative problem with scripts such as Gate 38 (2010). I had tried using scripts that already existed, but found they required such extensive editing to suit the parameters of cast and performance duration that I may as well have been writing them myself. Even in the setting of a closed studio, in altering these plays I felt I was bending the vision of the playwright, and certainly their narrative structure, out of shape. Everyone who’s attempted to stage a performance with a large cast of students in an educational setting knows it takes time to truly connect with a play, its social contexts, themes and characters. It also takes a lot of time to get on top of the practicalities of learning, rehearsing, directing and running a performance with young people. Often the curtain goes up on something unfinished and unstable. I was looking for ways to reduce the complexity of staging a script, while maintaining the potential of this process as a site of rich, enjoyable learning. Two of the plays (Duty Free and Please Be Seated) are comprised of multiple monologues, combined with music-driven ensemble sequences. The monologues enable individuals to develop and polish their own performances, work in small groups, and cut down on the laborious detail of directing naturalistic scenes based in character interaction. The third (Australian Drama) involves a lot of duologues, meaning that its rehearsal process can happily employ that mainstay of the drama classroom: small group work. There’s plenty of room to move in terms of gender-blind casting as well. Please be Seated is mainly young women. The scripts also contain ensemble-based interludes which are non-verbal, music driven, with a choreographic element. They have also springboarded further explorations in form. The ethical and aesthetic complexities of verbatim works; the interaction between music and theatre; and meta-concerns related to the performing of performance: ‘how can the act of acting ‘acted’. The narratives of all three of these plays are deliberately open, enabling the flexible casting and on-the hop editing that large-group, time-poor processes sometimes necessitate. Duty Free is about the overseas ‘adventures’ of young people. Please Be Seated is based in verbatim text about young people falling in and out of love. Australian Drama is about young people in a drama classroom trying to connect with each other and put their own shine on dull fragments of the theatrical canon. The plays were published as a collection in hardcopy and digital editions by Playlab Press in 2015. Please be Seated is a co-write with a large group. These co-author’s names are listed in the publication, and below in ‘additional information’.

New lads or ladettes? A critique of current theoretical explanations for young women’s violence proliferated over social media

Current theoretical explanations for young women’s violence examine physical violence as a masculine behaviour. This means that young women are constructed as rejecting elements of their femininity in favour of masculine behaviours in order to perform violence in an acceptable way, which results in them being constructed as violent femmes, new lads or ladettes. Alternatively, theoretical explanations construct young women as adhering to a feminine gender performance when avoiding physical violence, or engaging what are traditionally considered to be feminine characteristics of aggression. This paper critiques existing theoretical approaches applied to young women’s violence, by drawing on empirical research that examined young women’s physical altercations proliferated through social media. Preliminary research findings illustrate how continuing to construct young women’s violence through a gendered paradigm offers inadequate explanations for what young women’s violence actually entails. It concludes by suggesting how young women’s violence may be more adequately explained using a theoretical framework of embodying gender that moves away from gender dichotomies and constructs violence as a series of bodily practices.

Fighting like a girl … or a boy? An analysis of videos of violence between young girls posted on online fight websites

How young women engage in physical violence with other young women is an issue that raises specific concerns in both criminological literature and theories. Current theoretical explanations construct young women’s violence in one of two ways: young women are not physically violent at all, and adhere to an accepted performance of hegemonic femininity; or young women reject accepted performances of hegemonic femininity in favour of a masculine gendered performance to engage in violence successfully. This article draws on qualitative and quantitative data obtained from a structured observation and thematic analysis of 60 online videos featuring young women’s violent altercations. It argues that, contrary to this dichotomous construction, there appears to be a third way young women are performing violence, underpinned by masculine characteristics of aggression but upholding a hegemonic feminine gender performance. In making this argument, this article demonstrates that a more complex exploration and conceptualisation of young women’s violence, away from gendered constructs, is required for greater understanding of the issue.

The L Pack: Addressing the Sexual Health Needs of Young Lesbians

Concerns about the sexual health of women who identify as other than heterosexual have been highlighted in numerous research reports, yet access to information, advice and services remains limited within Northern Ireland. In response to this, a group of young women have produced a sexual health resource (‘‘The L Pack’’) specifically for those who identify as lesbian or bisexual. This article discusses the issue of lesbian sexual health and the rationale for the production of The L Pack. Drawing upon discussions with the young women involved and the various partners, it outlines the participatory process of producing information for young women by young women, the meaning and value of this and the nature of learning for all involved. Illustrating feminist and related principles through practice examples, the article outlines how the project moved from a focus on individual learning to one where the young women involved gained the knowledge, skills and confidence to take their learning to their peers and others.