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Sixteen papers on the general theme of the "place" of psychology, particularly in higher education, arose from the author's paper "Psychology in its place." Several themes emerge from the disparate contributions. The author discusses two papers which directly comment on his original one, the papers of John Newland and Tom Dickins. Psychology in the political context, and the nature of Psychology as a discipline, are two issues raised in the papers. There are several more, variously discussed by different authors. And of course individual authors also raise unique points. The author opines that the most general matter concerns the nature of higher education, and what should be its aims. The author also discusses other issues raised, namely the content of psychology degrees, and "psychology for all". He argues that psychology is, in principle and often in practice, relevant to virtually every aspect of life, from day-to-day interaction with others to major world problems of war, famine, disease and so on.

Framing design problems and solutions has been recognised in design studies as a central designerly activity. Some recent findings with expert designers relate framing practices to problem-solution co-evolution and analogy use, two further widely recognised design strategies. We wanted to understand if interaction design novices also use co-evolution and analogies to frame their thinking. Furthermore we wanted to see if there are any differences across cultures. The paper reports an analysis of data gained from protocol studies with novice interaction designers in the UK and Botswana. Novice interaction designers in the UK and Botswana show some similarities in framing behaviours using co-evolution and opening analogies to develop metaphorical themes in framing. But within these observations we also found differences across the cohorts, such as different numbers of co-evolution episodes or opening analogies. The implications are discussed in the light of adopting appropriate design pedagogy for novices in different cultures. To increase reframing and generation of more ideas in UK design novices, educators would need to increase the number of leaps between problem and solution spaces. To encourage Botswana groups to frame ideas and work them through in depth, educators would need to discourage students from building too many bridges. Educators are also encouraged to experiment with prohibiting opening analogies to see what other framing behaviours occur.

Radford argues that psychology needs to be of greater value to psychology students, regardless of whether they intend to enter professional practice. He also suggests that psychology should be part of everybody's education, on the basis that human behaviour lies at the heart of the most serious problems facing humanity. This author agrees very much with these general points, but in considering what the content of a psychology degree should be he believes that it is also important to bear in mind some realities about the nature of human learning. In this article, Hardman first briefly reviews some of the literature on how well students remember material over the very long-term (i.e. weeks, months, and years). In the second part, he argues: (1) that evolutionary psychology should be at the heart of the curriculum; and (2) that there should be a greater emphasis on techniques and methodologies. (Contains 1 footnote.)

John Radford's stimulating article on psychology within higher education includes a paragraph on the context of psychology taught as a degree subject. He suggests that while statistics has an established presence on programmes and the discipline is increasingly informed by genetics, "approaches to human behaviour such as anthropology, history, geography, politics, sociology, are relatively rare" (2008, p. 43). Radford argues that when these disciplines do form components of psychology degrees they tend to be available as minor or ancillary subjects. These authors have no data on the frequency with which these "contextual" subjects are taught, or how they are included in programmes, but they would like to argue that psychology students should have opportunities to study other disciplines that have human behaviour as a primary concern. In doing so, the authors draw upon their experiences teaching psychology as a psychosocial science.

Purpose: Most past research on formal mentoring has investigated its antecedents, outcomes and benefits with little attention given to what goes on inside the dyadic relationship. The purpose of this paper is to explore the types of mentor and mentee behaviours that are perceived as critical factors contributing to either a positive or negative mentoring experience for the mentee and the mentor. Design/methodology/approach: Concrete examples of "effective" and "ineffective" mentor and mentee behaviour were collected from the research participants using Flanagan's Critical Incident Technique (CIT). The obtained CIT data were analyzed using forms of open and axial coding. Variants of content analysis were then used for conducting a series of subsequent comparative analyses. Findings: From a total of 187 coded critical incidents the study identified 11 positive and four negative behavioural criteria of mentoring effectiveness as perceived from the mentee perspective, and nine positive and three negative behavioural criteria of mentoring effectiveness as perceived from the mentor perspective. Comparisons against "theoretical" and "best practice" models and taxonomies of positive and negative mentoring reveal varying degrees of overlap and commonality. Research limitations/implications: There are two main limitations. First, the number of research participants was at the bottom end of the typical sample range for qualitative research, which means the collection of critical incidents did not reach the point of data saturation. Second, the study explored the "start-up" and "ongoing" phases of the mentoring lifecycle but not the "end" phase. Originality/value: The findings provide new insights into mentor and mentee behavioural effectiveness within formal mentoring relationships, and thereby add to a sparse empirical knowledge base in this substantially neglected area of mentoring research. Also, they provide a foundation against which to compare and contrast future empirical research that may be conducted on perceived effective and ineffective mentor and mentee behaviours within formal mentoring relationships. (Contains 8 tables and 1 figure.)

In the rapidly changing circumstances of our increasingly digital world, reading is also becoming an increasingly digital experience: electronic books (e-books) are now outselling print books in the United States and the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, many readers still view e-books as less readable than print books. The present study thus used combined EEG and eyetracking measures in order to test whether reading from digital media requires higher cognitive effort than reading conventional books. Young and elderly adults read short texts on three different reading devices: a paper page, an e-reader and a tablet computer and answered comprehension questions about them while their eye movements and EEG were recorded. The results of a debriefing questionnaire replicated previous findings in that participants overwhelmingly chose the paper page over the two electronic devices as their preferred reading medium. Online measures, by contrast, showed shorter mean fixation durations and lower EEG theta band voltage density – known to covary with memory encoding and retrieval – for the older adults when reading from a tablet computer in comparison to the other two devices. Young adults showed comparable fixation durations and theta activity for all three devices. Comprehension accuracy did not differ across the three media for either group. We argue that these results can be explained in terms of the better text discriminability (higher contrast) produced by the backlit display of the tablet computer. Contrast sensitivity decreases with age and degraded contrast conditions lead to longer reading times, thus supporting the conclusion that older readers may benefit particularly from the enhanced contrast of the tablet. Our findings thus indicate that people's subjective evaluation of digital reading media must be dissociated from the cognitive and neural effort expended in online information processing while reading from such devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Centile curves and standard scores are common in epidemiological research. However, standardised norms and centile growth curves for language disorder that reflect the entire UK local school population do not exist. Methods: Scores on six language indices assessing receptive and expressive functioning of children were obtained from the SCALES population survey. Monolingual English speaking participants were aged between five and nine years. Children who attended special schools at study intake, or who were learning English as an additional language were excluded. We constructed language norms using the LMS method of standardisation which allows for skewed measurements. We made use of probability weights that were produced from a two-step logistic model. Distributions of estimated standard scores from an intensively assessed sub-population and from the full population were contrasted to demonstrate the role of weights. Results: Non-overlapping centile curves and standardised scores at each age were obtained for the six language indices. The use of weights was essential at retrieving the target distribution of the scores. An online calculator that estimates standardised scores for the measures was constructed and made freely available. Conclusions: The findings highlight the usefulness and flexibility of the LMS method at dealing with the standardisation of linguistic and educational measures that are sufficiently continuous. The paper adds to the existing literature by providing population norms for a number of language tests that were calculated from the same group of individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how multi‐agency response teams communicate and coordinate in different phases of a simulated terrorist incident. Procedural guidelines state that responders should coordinate their response to a major emergency across two phases: 'response' (when the incident is ongoing) and 'recovery' (when the threat has subsided, but the legacy of the incident is ongoing). However, no research has examined whether these phases map to the behaviours of responders in situ. To address this, we used measures of communication and coordination to examine how behaviours evolved during a simulated terrorist incident in the United Kingdom. We grounded our approach within the theoretical literature on multi‐team systems. It was found that the current response/recovery classification does not fit the nuanced context of an emergency. Instead, a three‐phase structure of 'response/resolve/recovery' is more reflective of behaviour. It was also found that coordination between agencies improved when communication networks became less centralized. This suggests that collaborative working in multi‐team systems may be improved by adopting decentralized communication networks. Practitioner points: To better prepare responders for emergencies, we recommend a three‐phase structure of 'response/resolve/recovery' is introduced in place of the current guidelines that outline a two‐phase structure of response and recovery.A three‐phase structure more accurately describes the behaviours of responders during emergencies and accounts for the shift in urgency between an ongoing incident (response) and shortly afterwards when the immediate threat has subsided (resolve).Given the cognitive load on focal agencies, decentralized communication structures should be introduced in the early phases of an emergency to increase collaborative decision‐making across inter‐agency partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Could a salary history ban (SHB) reduce the gender wage gap? Proponents of this intervention believe the gap is sustained by the practice of eliciting salary histories from job applicants. Although observational studies suggest that SHB operates as envisioned, two features complicate the interpretation of its effects. These are, respectively, the passage of relevant legislation alongside SHB, and the presence of public campaigns that propel SHB into law. We assessed SHB in the United Kingdom, where neither potential confound was present, and did not find evidence that the intervention operated as intended. An intention-to-treat analysis of a 16-month field experiment, conducted with 230 staff hires at a private educational institution, indicates that SHB was about as likely to harm new hires as it was to help them. Additional analyses did not reveal significant differences between women and men. We supplement these results with an interrupted time series analysis of 3,687 placements made by a recruitment firm that voluntarily adopted SHB for its job candidates. Salaries were significantly lower under SHB, but were not significantly different for women versus men. Taken together, our results suggest that SHB was ineffective in isolation from contemporaneous legislative changes, proequality messaging, or some combination thereof. This paper was accepted by Olav Sorenson, organizations. Supplemental Material: Data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4658. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a life-limiting genetic condition in which daily therapies to maintain lung health are critical, yet treatment adherence is low. Previous interventions to increase adherence have been largely unsuccessful and this is likely due to a lack of focus on behavioural evidence and theory alongside input from people with CF. This intervention is based on a digital platform that collects and displays objective nebuliser adherence data. The purpose of this paper is to identify the specific components of an intervention to increase and maintain adherence to nebuliser treatments in adults with CF with a focus on reducing effort and treatment burden. Methods: Intervention development was informed by the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) and person-based approach (PBA). A multidisciplinary team conducted qualitative research to inform a needs analysis, selected, and refined intervention components and methods of delivery, mapped adherence-related barriers and facilitators, associated intervention functions and behaviour change techniques, and utilised iterative feedback to develop and refine content and processes. Results: Results indicated that people with CF need to understand their treatment, be able to monitor adherence, have treatment goals and feedback and confidence in their ability to adhere, have a treatment plan to develop habits for treatment, and be able to solve problems around treatment adherence. Behaviour change techniques were selected to address each of these needs and were incorporated into the digital intervention developed iteratively, alongside a manual and training for health professionals. Feedback from people with CF and clinicians helped to refine the intervention which could be tailored to individual patient needs. Conclusions: The intervention development process is underpinned by a strong theoretical framework and evidence base and was developed by a multidisciplinary team with a range of skills and expertise integrated with substantial input from patients and clinicians. This multifaceted development strategy has ensured that the intervention is usable and acceptable to people with CF and clinicians, providing the best chance of success in supporting people with CF with different needs to increase and maintain their adherence. The intervention is being tested in a randomised controlled trial across 19 UK sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individualised behaviour change interventions can result in greater effects than one-size-fits-all approaches. Factors linked to success include dynamic (vs. static) tailoring, and tailoring on behaviour, multiple theoretical variables, and participant characteristics. XP is a very rare (∼100 UK patients) genetic disease, involving an inability to repair ultraviolet radiation (UVR)-induced damage, resulting in skin cancers and eye damage from an early age, and mean life expectancy of 32-years. Management involves rigorous UVR photoprotection, which is often inadequate, and no interventions have been published. UK-based care is personalised and delivered by a multidisciplinary team at the National XP Service in London. Following an intensive, mixed-methods formative phase with patients diagnosed with XP (n-of-1, qualitative interviews, objective UVR measurement, cross-sectional survey) and relevant stakeholder consultation (clinical and patient/public teams), the 'XPAND' intervention was developed. This paper describes the comprehensive and novel tailoring and personalisation processes used to deliver the intervention. XPAND consists of core and personalised modules targeting cue-based (time of day, weather, symptoms), belief-based (motivation, priority), self-regulatory (effort, barriers, planning), and emotional (stress, self-consciousness, mental exhaustion) factors, social support, disclosure, habit, and willingness, using appropriately-matched BCTs. A-priori, phase I data and a baseline profiling questionnaire (data sources) were used to allocate modules to participants ('personalisation') and to adapt module content ('tailoring'). Iterative decisions about delivery were based on patient response to feedback, identification of additional barriers (e.g. reasons for varying protection across contexts), and emergence of new barriers as improvements in protection were attempted or achieved (e.g. appearance concerns). Dynamic multi-level personalisation and tailoring based on mixed-methods in XPAND allowed for insights and decision-making not possible with cross-sectional quantitative or qualitative methods alone. Data collection and allocation/adaptation methods may be of use in other rare conditions where small patient numbers mean that within-participant, individual-level delivery is well-suited and feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Young people with psychosis have higher rates of obesity, premature cardiovascular disease, and death compared to non-psychotic peers in the general population due to changes in metabolic regulation linked to antipsychotic medication and adverse health risk behaviors. The aim of this paper is to outline the development, implementation, and evaluation of a combined 12-week exercise and health behavior intervention delivered as part of an Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) routine service, within the UK. Methods: Participants (n = 27) completed a 12-week combined intervention program, engaging in weekly, 90-min sessions comprising a healthy behavior education session (45 min), followed by a facilitated exercise session (45 min). Anthropometric data from participants (n = 26) were collected at baseline, 12 weeks, and 12 months post-intervention. Health behaviors and clinical measurements were assessed at baseline and 12 months. Results: Mean baseline data suggests participants were at an increased health risk on entry to the program, with elevated values in mean body mass index (BMI; 70% overweight/obese), waist circumference, resting heart rate, and triglycerides. Fifty percent reported smoking daily, 64% ate < 5 fruits/vegetables per day, and 52% of participants were prescribed highly obesogenic antipsychotic medications (i.e., Olanzapine). At 12 weeks and 12 months, no changes were observed in mean BMI, waist circumference or any other clinical variable (p > 0.05). At 12 months, participants reported a positive impact on health behaviors including improved diet, increased physical activity levels, and cessation of substance use (n = 2), alcohol use (n = 2), and smoking (n = 4). Focus groups captured participant experiences, engagement with and satisfaction with the program, including challenges/barriers to program adherence. Conclusions: The 12-week exercise and health behaviors program supported participants to attenuate their physical health risk which was sustained at 12-month follow-up. Self-reported positive health behavior changes are likely to have contributed to the prevention of excessive weight gain in this high-risk period. The evaluation was designed to have validity for a "real world EIP setting" and reflect the complexity of delivery to this participant group. Evaluation findings influenced subsequent commissioning of the physical health intervention as an ongoing element of routine EIP care within the participant site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between women's social class and their levels of self- and other-objectification. Two online studies comprising of multiple questionnaires were conducted: Study 1 examined the association between the social class (both objective and subjective) of 198 non-student British women and their self-objectification levels, while Study 2 turned towards the relationship between social class and other-objectification among 82 non-student British women. Our results indicated no apparent relationship between social class and each of the relevant objectification measures. As the first paper on the topic of class and objectification, it appears that there is no relationship observed between the two., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Islamic leaders, staff, and Muslim parents in the UK are supportive of healthy lifestyle intervention delivery through Islamic Religious Settings. Such interventions are necessary given high obesity rates in British South Asian (40%) compared to White British (32%) children of equivalent age. Co-production can facilitate the development of culturally appropriate health interventions, however it can be theoretically and practically challenging, and evaluation of co-production within an Islamic Religious Setting context is lacking. The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of taking a co-production approach to develop an obesity-prevention toolkit for Islamic Religious Settings. Methods: An obesity-prevention toolkit for use in Islamic Religious Settings, incorporating physical activity, healthy diet, and organisational change, has been co-produced to be evidence-informed and contextually relevant. A qualitative process evaluation was employed to examine experiences of co-production. Semi-structured interviews (n = 15) and a focus group (n = 5) were conducted with toolkit co-production stakeholders, e.g., subject experts, an Islamic scholar, and Islamic Religious Setting staff. Transcripts were analysed inductively using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: The analysis revealed four major themes regarding stakeholders' experiences of co-producing a childhood obesity-prevention toolkit for Islamic Religious Settings. These themes are: (1) attitudes towards obesity-prevention through Islamic Religious Settings, (2) benefits of co-production including capacity building and ownership (3) negotiating involvement, power, and perspectives within the co-production process, and (4) the complexities of effective communication in co-production. Conclusion: This study adds to the evidence-base in support of delivering health promotion through faith settings. Taking a co-production approach to develop an obesity-prevention toolkit for Islamic Religious Settings provided benefit to the toolkit product and local stakeholders. The toolkit is currently being implemented across Bradford, UK and there is potential to adapt the toolkit to other geographical contexts, and for evaluating effectiveness for preventing obesity in British Muslim families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Speech and language therapy provision for aphasia (a language disorder) post stroke has been studied over time through surveys completed by speech and language therapists. This paper revisits provision based on what was received by 278 patients in 21 UK speech and language therapy departments in 2014–2016. Aims: To explore the speech and language therapy received by community dwelling people with post stroke aphasia in the UK. Methods and procedures: A quantitative content analysis was conducted by two speech and language therapist researchers. Therapy goals recorded were coded into categories and subcategories. Descriptive statistics were used to identify the frequency with which goal categories were targeted, average therapy time received, length and frequency of therapy sessions, personnel involved and mode of delivery. Outcomes and results: Forty-five percent of participants were in receipt of therapy in the three month window observed. Six goal categories were identified. Rehabilitation was the most frequent (60%) followed by enabling (17.2%), review (4.3%), assessment (3.6%), supportive (3.5%) and activity to support therapy (2.8%). The median amount of therapy received in three months was 6.3 hours at an average of one 60-minute session every two weeks. Seventy-seven percent of therapy sessions were delivered by qualified speech and language therapists and 23% by assistants. Ninety percent of sessions were one to one, face to face sessions whilst 9.5% were group sessions. Discussion: In line with previous reports, speech and language therapy for community dwelling stroke survivors with aphasia is restricted. Rehabilitation is a large focus of therapy but the intensity and dose with which it is provided is substantially lower than that required for an effective outcome. Despite this, one to one face to face therapy is favoured. More efficient methods to support more therapeutic doses of therapy are not commonly used in routine clinical services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personhood discourses in dementia care have gained prominence and current care home standards mandate that care should be “person-centred”. However, it is unclear how the personhood of staff is construed within the care relationship. This paper aims to explore how the personhood of paid carers of people with dementia can be understood by focussing on the views and experiences of care home staff. We undertook a secondary qualitative analysis of interviews with 25 paid care staff in England, conducted as part of the MARQUE (Managing Agitation and Raising QUality of lifE) study. The authors inductively developed themes around the topic of personhood for staff, contrasting management and care staff perspectives. We found that many care staff are not identified as persons in their own right by their employing institutions, and that there is a general lack of acknowledgment of the moral work of caring that occurs within formal care work. This oversight can reduce the complex relationships of care work to a series of care tasks, challenges care workers’ self-worth and self-efficacy, and impede their efforts to deliver person-centred care. We conclude that care staff status as persons in their own right should be explicitly considered in quality standards and supported by employers’ policies and practices, not simply for their role in preserving the personhood of people with dementia but for their own sense of valued personhood. Enhancing staff personhood may also result in improved care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the context of reopening society in the summer of 2021, as the UK moved away from 'lockdowns', the Government of Wales piloted the return of organized 'mass gatherings' of people at a number of test events. The current study reports behavioral observations that were made at two of the test events to inform this process. The researchers were particularly interested in four key factors: how (1) context within a venue, (2) environmental design, (3) staffing and social norms, and (4) time across an event, affected the personal protective behaviors of social distancing and face-covering use. Data collection was undertaken by trained observers. Adherence to protective behaviors was generally high, but there is clear evidence that these behaviors were shaped in a systematic way by the environment, situational cues, and the passage of time during the events. Some instances of large-scale non-adherence to personal protective behaviors were documented. An analysis within a dual-process framework suggests ways to understand and respond to supporting target health behaviors in groups of people where intervention is deemed valuable, such as in complex or ambiguous contexts. This is one of the first studies to include a 'true' behavioral measure in understanding human responses to COVID-19. It demonstrates that behavioral observations can add precision and granularity to understanding human behavior in complex real-world contexts. Given the significant physical and mental health burden created acutely and chronically by COVID-19, this work has implications for how governments and organizations support target populations in other complex challenges facing us today, such as in sustainability, and healthy lifestyle behaviors. An individual's intentions are not always matched by their actions, and so the findings support a balanced liberal paternalistic approach where system-level changes support appropriate individual-level decisions to engender collective responsibility and action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Surgical site infections (SSI) account for 16% of healthcare associated infections, and are associated with considerable morbidity, mortality and increased costs of care. Ensuring evidence-based practice to prevent SSI is incorporated across the patient�s surgical journey is complex. OneTogether is a quality improvement collaborative of infection prevention and operating department specialists, formed to support the spread and adoption of best practice to prevent SSI. This paper describes the findings of an expert workshop on infection prevention in operating departments. Methods: A total of 84 delegates from 75 hospitals attended the workshop, comprising 46 (55%) theatre nurses operating department practitioners; 16 (19%) infection control practitioners and 22 (26%) other healthcare practitioners.Discussion focused on evidence, policy implementation and barriers to best practice. Responses were synthesised into a narrative review. Results: Delegates reported significant problems in translating evidence-based guidance into everyday practice, lack of local polices and poor compliance. Major barriers were lack of leadership, poorly defined responsibilities, and lack of knowledge/training. Conclusions: This workshop has provided important insights into major challenges in assuring compliance with best practice in relation to the prevention of SSI. The OneTogether partnership aims to support healthcare practitioners to improve the outcomes of patients undergoing surgery by reducing the risk of SSI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Children's exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) has been causally linked to a number of childhood morbidities and mortalities. Over 50% of UK children whose parents are smokers are regularly exposed to SHS at home. No previous review has identified the factors associated with children's SHS exposure in the home. Aim: To identify by systematic review, the factors which are associated with children's SHS exposure in the home, determined by parent or child reports and/or biochemically validated measures including cotinine, carbon monoxide or home air particulate matter. Methods: Electronic searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, CINAHL and Web of Knowledge to July 2014, and hand searches of reference lists from publications included in the review were conducted. Findings: Forty one studies were included in the review. Parental smoking, low socioeconomic status and being less educated were all frequently and consistently found to be independently associated with children's SHS exposure in the home. Children whose parents held more negative attitudes towards SHS were less likely to be exposed. Associations were strongest for parental cigarette smoking status; compared to children of non-smokers, those whose mothers or both parents smoked were between two and 13 times more likely to be exposed to SHS. Conclusion: Multiple factors are associated with child SHS exposure in the home; the best way to reduce child SHS exposure in the home is for smoking parents to quit. If parents are unable or unwilling to stop smoking, they should instigate smoke-free homes. Interventions targeted towards the socially disadvantaged parents aiming to change attitudes to smoking in the presence of children and providing practical support to help parents smoke outside the home may be beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving herd health and welfare improvement increasingly relies on cattle veterinarians to train and advise farmers, placing veterinary interactions at the heart of knowledge exchange. Cattle veterinarians recognize their influence and the need to be proactive advisors but struggle with acting upon this awareness in daily practice, reporting a need to enhance their advisory approach to inspire farmer behavior change. Understanding how veterinarian-farmer interactions positively or negatively influence the enactment of change on farm is therefore essential to support the cattle veterinary profession. This paper adopts a qualitative approach to conceptualize how and under what circumstances veterinary advice has the potential to support and inspire farmer engagement with behavior change on the UK dairy farm. Fourteen UK dairy farms were recruited to take part in a qualitative study involving research observation of a typical advisory consultation between veterinarian and farmer (n = 14) followed by separate, in-depth interviews with the farmer(s) and their respective veterinarian. Interview data were organized using a template coding method and analyzed thematically. While accuracy of veterinary advisory content was valued, it was a relational context of trust, shared veterinarian-farmer understanding, and meaningful interpretation of advice at a local (farmer) level that was most likely to enact change. Critically, these relational factors were reported to work together synergistically; a trusting relationship was an essential, but not necessarily sufficient, component to create a culture of change. Findings suggest that cattle veterinarians may benefit from tailoring advisory services to the farmer's specific world view, facilitated by a shared understanding of the farmer's immediate and long-term motivational drivers. In consequence, cattle veterinarians seeking to positively engage farmers in advisory interactions could consider a focus on farmer priorities, motivations, and goals as paramount to frame and inform advisory messages. This explicit collaborative communication encourages the selection of appropriate and timely veterinary expertise, leading to better integration and adoption of advice on farm given enhanced advisory relevance for farmers' unique circumstances. This farmer-centered approach, involving active co-creation of plans between individuals, is critical for engagement and commitment when tackling complex problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric Vehicle (EV) uptake has increased rapidly in the recent years. The rate of EV use is likely to increase in the future as well. At this point, the topic of using EVs for secondary purposes other than mobility and transport is getting more popular. This paper outlines the importance of tariff designs and EV consumer behaviour in achieving the business models such as Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H). We took the United Kingdom (UK) as a case study country to demonstrate how crucial electricity tariffs and consumer behaviour are. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the assessment of worker exposure to high levels of benzene (up to 18 p.p.m. 8 h time weighted average, weekly average) during tunnelling on a contaminated land site (former gas works). Although respiratory and personal protection was used, biological monitoring results indicated that workers had urinary S-phenylmercapturic acid levels in excess of that expected following exposure to the UK workplace exposure limit. Factors such as environmental conditions (high temperature and humidity, confined workspace), respiratory and personal equipment providing insufficient protection, human behaviour (removing protective equipment, using mobile phones), and work practices (12-h shifts, too few and too short breaks, lack of drinking water) were identified as contributing to the exposure. A thorough review of control measures and working practice led to significant improvements, resulting in workers' exposure (as measured by biological monitoring) being kept below the 90th percentile value (8 μmol mol−1 creatinine, 17 μg g−1 creatinine) of data from a good cross section of UK industry (N = 2600) despite the continuing high environmental levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This debate outlines some of the institutional aspects of perceived research quality and the potential implications on academic behaviour across Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. In particular the paper discusses the differences in formal measurements of research output quality in the two regions considered. The paper draws upon my personal experiences living and working in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom, and as such represents a subjective account. I argue that the formality of the UK Research Assessment Exercise encourages a high degree of academic rigor and potentially discourages the willingness to innovate and expand the academic debate. Conversely, I argue that the relative lack of formality in the Scandinavian context can both encourage innovation and potentially discourage academic rigour. As an example, I highlight the emerging field of mobile informatics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently workers' participation in decision-making and income sharing has received growing attention in academic as well as business and union circles, and has become a major political issue in several European countries (notably Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain and Sweden). Part of this interest arises out of the concern with rising concentration of economic power within a small number of large enterprises. In this paper they attempt therefore to give some partial answers to the question if and how worker participation may influence firm behavior and market conduct. Analysis of market conduct under two different assumptions of firms' behavior, corresponding to pure profit maximizing and pure net revenue maximizing per unit of labor, suggests that market structures will be more competitive in an LM-economy. It is, however, important to stress that these results cannot be confirmed for a highly uncertain environment. In general, the results become ambiguous. From the point of view of comparative economic systems their results have a theoretical interest. Furthermore, to the extent that labor participation in existing firms leads to a modification of the objective function of the firm in the direction indicated in this paper.

The article discusses social status and electoral choice in two constituencies in Great Britain in 1952. The statement that social class membership is of outstanding importance as a determining factor in political behavior would probably be regarded by most contemporary social scientists as little more than a truism. And it is perhaps for the very reason that the gross outlines of the relationship are so clearly perceptible that so few systematic attempts have yet been made to analyze its structure in any detail. The material presented in this paper forms part of the results of an inquiry into certain subjective aspects of English social stratification, carried out in September-October 1950. To study social class differences in voting behavior was only one of its aims: the inquiry was designed also to study, inter alia, varying conceptions of the nature of social classes and of the criteria of class membership, the social class placement of various occupations and attitudes to social mobility. An account of the design of the survey and of some of its findings will appear elsewhere; it may be useful, however, to include here some brief notes on the sample, and on the method employed of classifying respondents.

Conserving the planet for the next generation has come to be an essential component of sustainable development, with "future generations" being the term most frequently included when citing definitions of sustainable development. However, beyond words, does a concern for a future beyond the current generation have any bearing on actions taken in the present? This paper examines the concept of generativity (concern for the future) as a component of sustainable development and specifically, in relation to green consumption. A sub-set of data gathered through a survey which sought to explore constructs for a model for green consumer behaviour has been used to reflect particularly, on the relationship between generativity and green behaviour. Further, the data has been deployed to explore comparisons on the basis of gender and age but also differences between respondents in the UK and Portugal. The results show a positive correlation between generativity and green consumption values, as well as between generativity and buying behaviour, and generativity and prosocial attitude. The data does not support gender difference in terms of levels of concern, or differences between the two countries but age, is shown to be an influencing factor. The paper concludes that the concept of generativity merits further exploration. Image 1 • Generativity (concern for the future) is positively correlated with and green consumption values and buying behaviour. • Generativity is positively correlated with prosocial attitude. • Generativity is not influenced by gender. • There were no differences in generativity between the sample in the UK and Portugal. • There are differences in levels of generativity between those with children and those without. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered the behaviour of most of the world's population, particularly affecting the elderly, including people living with dementia (PLwD). Here we use remote home monitoring technology deployed into 31 homes of PLwD living in the UK to investigate the effects of COVID-19 on behaviour within the home, including social isolation. The home activity was monitored continuously using unobtrusive sensors for 498 days from 1 December 2019 to 12 April 2021. This period included six distinct pandemic phases with differing public health measures, including three periods of home 'lockdown'. Linear mixed-effects modelling is used to examine changes in the home activity of PLwD who lived alone or with others. An algorithm is developed to quantify time spent outside the home. Increased home activity is observed from very early in the pandemic, with a significant decrease in the time spent outside produced by the first lockdown. The study demonstrates the effects of COVID-19 lockdown on home behaviours in PLwD and shows how unobtrusive home monitoring can be used to track behaviours relevant to social isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: From April 6th 2015, all small shops in the UK were required to cover up tobacco products at point of sale (POS) to protect children from exposure. As part of a larger 5-year study to measure the impact of the legislation in Scotland, an audit was conducted to assess level and nature of compliance with the ban immediately following its introduction. Materials and Methods: A discreet observational audit was conducted 7–14 days post implementation which took measures of physical changes made to cover products, server/assistant practices, tobacco signage and advertising, and communication of price information. The audit was conducted in all small retail outlets (n = 83) selling tobacco in four communities in Scotland selected to represent different levels of urbanisation and social deprivation. Data were analysed descriptively. Results: Compliance with the legislation was high, with 98% of shops removing tobacco from permanent display and non-compliance was restricted almost entirely to minor contraventions. The refurbishment of shops with new or adapted tobacco storage units resulted in the removal of nearly all commercial brand messages and images from POS, dropping from 51% to 4%. The majority of shops stored their tobacco in public-facing storage units (81%). Most shops also displayed at least one generic tobacco message (88%). Conclusions: Compliance with Scottish prohibitions on display of tobacco products in small retail outlets was high immediately after the legislation implementation date. However, although tobacco branding is no longer visible in retail outlets, tobacco storage units with generic tobacco messages are still prominent. This points towards a need to monitor how the space vacated by tobacco products is utilised and to better understand how the continuing presence of tobacco storage units influences people’s awareness and understanding of tobacco and smoking. Countries with existing POS bans and who are considering such bans should pay particular attention to regulations regarding the use of generic signage and where within the retail setting tobacco stocks can be stored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade there has been significant pressure to minimise emissions and safety risks related to commercial driving. This pressure to meet the triple bottom line of cost, environment, and society has often resulted in the rapid application of vehicle technologies designed to mitigate undesired effects. Often the cognitive and behavioural effects of technologies on the commercial driver have not received in-depth analysis to determine comprehensive viability. As such, this paper aims to identify a timescale for implementation for future technologies for UK road freight, and likely associated human factors issues, improving upon the currently employed 'trial-and-error' approach to implementation which may carry high economic, environmental, safety-related risk. Thought experiments are carried out to broadly explore these future systems. Furthermore, this work aims to examine whether technology alone will be enough to meet future CO2 reduction targets, and assess the role of behavioural and systems interventions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For better or for worse, the assessment of research quality is one of the primary drivers of the behaviour of the academic community with all sorts of potential for distorting that behaviour. So, if you are going to assess research quality, how do you do it? This article explores some of the problems and possibilities, with particular reference to the UK Research Assessment Exercise and discussion around the proposed new Research Excellence Framework and the ongoing work of the Framework 7 European Education Research Quality Indicators project (EERQI). It begins by asking whether there are any meaningful generic criteria of quality which can be applied to research, and tension between such criteria and the diverse and sometimes contradictory requirements of educational research. It then looks at attempts to identify measurable indicators of quality, including consideration of the location of the publication, citation and download counts, and approaches based semantic analysis of machine readable text—but finds all these quasi 'scientific' attempts at quality assessment wanting (hence the 'impossible science'). This is all the more the case because of their attachment to extrinsic correlates of quality rather than intrinsic characteristics of quality and hence the probability that the measures will induce behaviours not conducive to quality enhancement. Instead the article turns to a different approach. This is better expressed perhaps as quality 'appreciation', 'discernment' or even 'connoisseurship' and is rooted in the arts and humanities rather than in (quasi) science. It considers whether this might offer a better approximation to the kind of judgement involved in quality assessment of a piece of research writing than the sort of metrics approaches favoured in current discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why do so many major defence contracts fail to deliver to the contractually agreed performance, time and cost requirements? This paper identifies the conspiracy of optimism as an important factor in the initiation of many projects. Using a combination of Game Theory and participatory workshops, we formulate a theory on the conspiracy of optimism and test it experimentally. This work forms part of a culture and behaviour change initiative within Defence Acquisition involving the Ministry of Defence and many defence contractors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alleys (snickets, ginnels, backways) are particularly common in British industrial cities and were originally designed to allow access to the rear of properties by coalmen and refuse collectors. Although alleys are still useful to allow residents access to the rear of their property without walking through the house, they also provide a means of entry and escape for offenders. Alley-gating is a crime reduction measure that involves the installation of a lockable gate across an alley, preventing access for anyone who does not have a key. This paper presents the findings of a study undertaken to examine the sustainability of Liverpoool s Alley-gating scheme (a robust evaluation of Liverpool s scheme was undertaken in 2002 see Young et al, 2003; Bowers et al, 2004). It specifically reports on the results of a residents survey undertaken in gated and nongated areas. The findings are compared with those from 2002. The results suggest that the positive impacts on perceptions of crime and anti-social behaviour, and experience of crime and anti-social behaviour have been maintained over a four year period in Liverpool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the links between individual and household distributions of earnings. Using a sample of 1991 data from the UK, considerable complexity is uncovered in the structure of the household earnings distribution. This is due to heterogeneity of earners and positive 'clustering' of earners within households. The structure of the clustering behaviour of earners for different household types is estimated, and the contribution of clustering to overall earnings inequality is evaluated. Perhaps surprisingly in view of the observed clustering behaviour, it is found that clustering has reduced overall inequality, although the mean-adjusted distribution of individual earnings is insignificantly different from the distribution of household earnings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The success of a government's COVID-19 control strategy relies on public trust and broad acceptance of response measures. We investigated public perceptions of the UK government's COVID-19 response, focusing on the relationship between trust and perceived transparency, during the first wave (April 2020) of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Methods: Anonymous survey data were collected (2020-04-06 to 2020-04-22) from 9,322 respondents, aged 20+ using an online questionnaire shared primarily through Facebook. We took an embedded-mixed-methods approach to data analysis. Missing data were imputed via multiple imputation. Binomial & multinomial logistic regression were used to detect associations between demographic characteristics and perceptions or opinions of the UK government's response to COVID-19. Structural topic modelling (STM), qualitative thematic coding of sub-sets of responses were then used to perform a thematic analysis of topics that were of interest to key demographic groups. Results: Most respondents (95.1%) supported government enforcement of behaviour change. While 52.1% of respondents thought the government was making good decisions, differences were apparent across demographic groups, for example respondents from Scotland had lower odds of responding positively than respondents in London. Higher educational levels saw decreasing odds of having a positive opinion of the government response and decreasing household income associated with decreasing positive opinion. Of respondents who thought the government was not making good decisions 60% believed the economy was being prioritised over people and their health. Positive views on government decision-making were associated with positive views on government transparency about the COVID-19 response. Qualitative analysis about perceptions of government transparency highlighted five key themes: (1) the justification of opacity due to the condition of crisis, (2) generalised mistrust of politics, (3) concerns about the role of scientific evidence, (4) quality of government communication and (5) questions about political decision-making processes. Conclusion: Our study suggests that trust is not homogenous across communities, and that generalised mistrust, concerns about the transparent use and communication of evidence and insights into decision-making processes can affect perceptions of the government's pandemic response. We recommend targeted community engagement, tailored to the experiences of different groups and a new focus on accountability and openness around how decisions are made in the response to the UK COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) has been proposed as a useful framework to investigate professional behaviour, however, was not yet applied to the evaluation of an educational intervention. This study will address this gap by utilising the TPB to evaluate the effectiveness of an education programme delivered by the professional regulator for UK doctors in enhancing three professional behaviours: raising concerns, engaging in reflective practice, and use of regulator confidentiality guidance. Methods: This is a comprehensive mixed methods study combining qualitative (interviews) and quantitative (quasi-experiment) data. Intervention participants were asked to complete a survey measuring the variables in the TPB (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and intention) for the three professional behaviours before, immediately post, and 3-months later following the education programme. Ninety-four doctors completed the survey pre/post intervention and 38 at all three times. One hundred and eleven doctors from the same hospital trust who did not take part in the intervention completed the survey at two time points and formed the control group. Forty-two interviews were conducted with intervention participants. Results: The quantitative study revealed that the educational intervention significantly improved attitudes (raising concerns, using confidentiality guidance), subjective norms (raising concerns, reflective practice, using confidentiality guidance), perceived control (raising concerns, using confidentiality guidance), and intentions (using confidentiality guidance) (Group and Time interaction; Fs ≥ 3.996, ps ≤.047, ηp2 ≥.020). Non-UK graduate doctors' subjective norms towards raising concerns and confidentiality guidance increased significantly after the intervention (Fs ≤ 6.602, ps ≥.011, ηp2 =.032 F = 6.602, p =.011, ηp2 =.032), but not UK graduates (p >.05). Interviews revealed that doctors had positive views about professional behaviours but also mentioned numerous barriers to actually engage in more complex, context dependent behaviours. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that an educational intervention was successful in improving the TPB variables of three professional behaviours. It also revealed that teaching professionalism does not happen in isolation and, therefore, personal and contextual factors are crucial to consider. To change complex professional behaviours, barriers at all levels i.e., personal, organisational and system, should be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prevalence of depression is increasing in young people, and there is a need to develop and evaluate behavioural interventions which may provide benefits equal to or greater than talking therapies or pharmacological alternatives. Exercise could be beneficial for young people living with depression, but robust, large-scale trials of effectiveness and the impact of exercise intensity are lacking. This study aims to test whether a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of an intervention targeting young people living with depression is feasible by determining whether it is possible to recruit and retain young people, develop and deliver the intervention as planned, and evaluate training and delivery. Methods: The design is a three-arm cluster randomised controlled feasibility trial with embedded process evaluation. Participants will be help-seeking young people, aged 13–17 years experiencing mild to moderate low mood or depression, referred from three counties in England. The intervention will be delivered by registered exercise professionals, supported by mental health support workers, twice a week for 12 weeks. The three arms will be high-intensity exercise, low-intensity exercise, and a social activity control. All arms will receive a 'healthy living' behaviour change session prior to each exercise session and the two exercise groups are energy matched. The outcomes are referral, recruitment, and retention rates; attendance at exercise sessions; adherence to and ability to reach intensity during exercise sessions; proportions of missing data; adverse events, all measured at baseline, 3, and 6 months; resource use; and reach and representativeness. Discussion: UK National Health Service (NHS) policy is to provide young people with advice about using exercise to help depression but there is no evidence-based exercise intervention to either complement or as an alternative to medication or talking therapies. UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines suggest that exercise can be an effective treatment, but the evidence base is relatively weak. This feasibility trial will provide evidence about whether it is feasible to recruit and retain young people to a full RCT to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an exercise intervention for depression. Trial registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN66452702. Registered 9 April 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context and Aims: Although some exercise-based interventions have been associated with lower levels of pain and performance-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) among musicians, the evidence is still mixed. Furthermore, little is known about musicians' general engagement in physical activity (PA), their knowledge of PA guidelines, or the relevant training they receive on pain prevention and the sources of such training. Similarly, little is known about the relationship between PA and PRMDs and other risk factors for PRMDs. Methods: Following a cross-sectional correlational study design, both standardized and ad hoc measurements were used to investigate self-reported PA [International Physical Activity Questionnaire – Short Form (IPAQ-SF)], knowledge of PA guidelines, and barriers to engaging in PA [Centers for Disease Control (CDC); Determinants of Physical Activity Questionnaire (DPAQ)]; sedentary behavior [Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ)]; pain [36-Item Short Form Survey Instrument (SF-36)] and PRMDs (frequency and severity); reported physical exertion (RPE); anxiety [Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)]; practice behaviors (e.g., practice time; taking breaks frequency; warming up); and relevant training among conservatoire students in the United Kingdom. The entire set of questionnaires was administered both online and via hard copies between June 2017 and April 2018. Results: Demographic information was obtained from 111 respondents, mostly undergraduate students (UGs) from seven conservatoires. They reported high levels of engagement in PA, despite poor knowledge of PA guidelines. Teachers were the most frequently mentioned source of pain prevention information (by 43% of respondents), and 62% agreed that they had received advice on why they should engage in cardio PA. Sedentary behavior was comparable to normative data. Levels of bodily pain and PRMDs were low, but 43% showed "abnormal" clinical anxiety and found playing their instruments "somewhat hard" (RPE) on average. Bodily pain interfering with practice and performance was positively correlated with frequency and severity of PRMDs, anxiety, and RPE. Frequency and severity of PRMDs were also associated with sedentary behavior at the weekend. Anxiety was associated with RPE. No association was found between PA and PRMDs. Conclusion: The relationship between PA and PRMDs and pain remains unclear and needs further investigation. While health education needs to be improved, other pathways may need to be taken. Given the high levels of anxiety, the ideology of Western classical music itself may need to be challenged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is an extremely infectious viral infection of cloven-hoofed animals which is highly challenging to control and can give rise to national animal health crises, especially if there is a lack of pre-existing immunity due to the emergence of new strains or following incursions into disease-free regions. The 2001 FMD epidemic in the UK was on a scale that initially overwhelmed the national veterinary services and was eventually controlled by livestock lockdown and slaughter on an unprecedented scale. In 2020, the rapid emergence of COVID-19 has led to a human pandemic unparalleled in living memory. The enormous logistics of multi-agency control efforts for COVID-19 are reminiscent of the 2001 FMD epidemic in the UK, as are the use of movement restrictions, not normally a feature of human disease control. The UK experience is internationally relevant as few countries have experienced national epidemic crises for both diseases. In this review, we reflect on the experiences and lessons learnt from UK and international responses to FMD and COVID-19 with respect to their management, including the challenge of preclinical viral transmission, threat awareness, early detection, different interpretations of scientific information, lockdown, biosecurity behaviour change, shortage of testing capacity and the choices for eradication versus living with infection. A major lesson is that the similarity of issues and critical resources needed to manage large-scale outbreaks demonstrates that there is benefit to a 'One Health' approach to preparedness, with potential for greater cooperation in planning and the consideration of shared critical resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background We examined whether the greater severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) amongst men and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) individuals is explained by cardiometabolic, socio-economic or behavioural factors. Methods We studied 4510 UK Biobank participants tested for COVID-19 (positive, n  = 1326). Multivariate logistic regression models including age, sex and ethnicity were used to test whether addition of (1) cardiometabolic factors [diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, prior myocardial infarction, smoking and body mass index (BMI)]; (2) 25(OH)-vitamin D; (3) poor diet; (4) Townsend deprivation score; (5) housing (home type, overcrowding) or (6) behavioural factors (sociability, risk taking) attenuated sex/ethnicity associations with COVID-19 status. Results There was over-representation of men and BAME ethnicities in the COVID-19 positive group. BAME individuals had, on average, poorer cardiometabolic profile, lower 25(OH)-vitamin D, greater material deprivation, and were more likely to live in larger households and in flats/apartments. Male sex, BAME ethnicity, higher BMI, higher Townsend deprivation score and household overcrowding were independently associated with significantly greater odds of COVID-19. The pattern of association was consistent for men and women; cardiometabolic, socio-demographic and behavioural factors did not attenuate sex/ethnicity associations. Conclusions In this study, sex and ethnicity differential pattern of COVID-19 was not adequately explained by variations in cardiometabolic factors, 25(OH)-vitamin D levels or socio-economic factors. Factors which underlie ethnic differences in COVID-19 may not be easily captured, and so investigation of alternative biological and genetic susceptibilities as well as more comprehensive assessment of the complex economic, social and behavioural differences should be prioritised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to study children's thermal comfort and related Adaptive Behaviours in UK primary schools. The study was carried out in 32 naturally-ventilated classrooms during Non-Heating (NH) and Heating (H) seasons. Alongside collecting environmental data, a self-reported questionnaire and an observation form were employed to record children's thermal comfort and adaptive behaviours. From eight primary schools, 805 children aged 9–11 were surveyed and 1390 questionnaires were collected. Children's Thermal Sensation Votes (TSVs), Thermal Preference Votes (TPVs) and adaptive behaviours were compared against temperature offset from comfort temperature by EN 15251 (T diff =T op -T C (CEN)). Results suggest that children's thermal comfort (T C (children)) is 1.9 K and 2.8 K lower than that for adults (T C (CEN)) during non-heating and heating seasons, respectively. Children have lower comfort temperature and higher sensitivity to temperature changes during heating seasons. This can be attributed to children's lower practice of personal behaviours and more consistent indoor conditions during heating seasons. The proportion of children engaged with personal behaviours is one-third lower during heating seasons. As indoor temperature goes above children's thermal comfort band, the proportion of children practising personal behaviours increases during non-heating seasons. Around 80% of window operation is carried out by teachers who have a higher comfort temperature than children. • Around 15% of children are overheated during both non-heating and heating seasons. • Children practice personal behaviours more than environmental behaviours. • The environmental behaviours are done based on teachers' thermal perception. • Only 16% of window operations are done based on children's thermal comfort. • TSV shifts one score by a temperature change of 11.1 °C (NH) and 7.7 °C (H). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• New change points approach enables policy engagement with socio-technical complexity. • Effective engagement with complexity opens new opportunities for change initiatives. • There is no clear binary between academic research and policy professionals. • Translation of social theory insights to policy processes through co-production. Concerns about the climate crisis and the escalating pace of global consumption are accelerating the pressure on governments to moderate public demand for resources like water, food and energy. Notwithstanding their increasing sophistication, standard behavioural change approaches continue to be criticised for a narrow understanding of what shapes behaviour. One alternative theoretical position comes from practice theories, which draw on interpretive and relational understandings to focus on practices rather than people's behaviour, and hence highlight the complex and distributed set of factors shaping resource use. While practice theories have gained considerable interest from policy institutions within and beyond the UK they so far have had limited impact upon policy. It has even been argued that there are insurmountable challenges in reconciling the ontological commitments of practice theories with the realities of policy processes. This article advances academic and policy debates about the practical implications of practice theories. It works with evidence from transdisciplinary research intended to establish whether and how key distinctive insights from social practice research can usefully be brought to bear on policy. We pursued this through co-productive research with four key UK national policy partners, focusing on effective communication of social practice research evidence on agreed issues. A key outcome of collaboratively negotiating challenging social theory to usefully influence policy processes is the 'Change Points' approach, which our partners identified as offering new thinking on initiatives promoting reductions in people's use and disposal of resources. The Change Points approach was developed to enable policy processes to confront the complexities of everyday action, transforming both how problems are framed and how practical initiatives for effecting change are developed. We discuss the case of food waste reduction in order to demonstrate the potential of Change Points to reframe behaviour change policy. We end the paper by addressing the potential and limitations of informing policy with insights from practice theories based upon the successes as well as the challenges we have met. This discussion has broader implications beyond practice theories to other fields of social theory, and to debates on the relations between academic research and policy more broadly. We argue that, through a co-productive approach with policy professionals, and so engagement with the practices of policy making, it is possible to provide a partial and pragmatic but nevertheless effective translation of key distinctive insights from practice theories and related research, to reframe policy problems and hence to identify spaces for effecting change for sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a qualitative exploration of domestic energy consumption practices in the UK social housing sector, and perceived effectiveness of varying intervention techniques in motivating energy reductions. The study was conducted using a sample of N = 20 social housing residents, who had recently taken part in a 'serious game' energy behaviour change intervention trial, thus making them uniquely positioned to provide such insight and feedback on these issues. A series of one-on-one open-ended interview sessions was conducted in residents' homes at the end of the intervention period, using an open-ended discussion framework. Thematic analysis revealed that residents were highly engaged with the topic of energy saving, but that several psychological barriers existed which prevented many residents from changing them behaviour. In line with the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the Norm Activation Model, these barriers included lack of awareness of the issue, action inertia, and perceived lack of behavioural control. Some residents did make savings following the trial, and our interviews provide useful insight into their decision making and behaviour change processes, including evidence for cross-contextual spillover effects, where residents made savings in other areas. However overall, the serious gaming approach did not inspire engagement from the target population, who frequently mentioned lack of time and/or desire to use overly 'technical' solutions for energy savings. Recommendations for ongoing intervention development are discussed, including preference for tailored non-technical visualisation tools and less time intensive versions of the game, and implications for future energy policy development are considered. • A qualitative exploration of domestic energy use practices in UK social housing. • Thematic analysis revealed determinants of energy use in line with TPB and NAM. • Barriers to behaviour change found to include action inertia and lack of awareness. • Digital technology solutions as used here may not be optimal for this target group. • Future interventions for this group should rely more on social influence processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to investigate factors affecting personal well-being of Polish immigrants living in the UK in the face of a significant political change—the Brexit vote. We measured perceived changes in attitude or behaviour of supervisors and co-workers, respondents' perceived stress, and its outcomes such as psychological well-being and intention to leave the UK after the Brexit vote. Method: 551 Polish migrants residing in various regions of the UK took part in the study in the form of Qualtrics online survey. We used self-report measures: Perceived Stress Scale, The Satisfaction with Life Scale, Scale of Psychological Well-being. Results: The most of the respondents did not notice any change in the attitude or behaviour of the supervisor (81%) or co-workers (84%), and only a small percentage of the participants reported negative changes in attitude or behaviour of supervisors (9%) and co-workers (14%). Also, negative change in attitude or behaviour of supervisors or co-workers are associated with perceived stress, which inturn is linked with intention to leave the UK, psychological well-being and life satisfaction. Conclusion: Polish and British co-existence in a workplace setting has not changed much after the Brexit vote. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The health and social care workforce requires access to appropriate education and training to provide quality care for people with dementia. Success of a training programme depends on staff ability to put their learning into practice through behaviour change. This study aimed to investigate the barriers and facilitators to implementation of dementia education and training in health and social care services using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and COM-B model of behaviour change.Methods: A mixed-methods design. Participants were dementia training leads, training facilitators, managers and staff who had attended training who worked in UK care homes, acute hospitals, mental health services and primary care settings. Methods were an online audit of care and training providers, online survey of trained staff and individual/group interviews with organisational training leads, training facilitators, staff who had attended dementia training and managers. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic template analysis.Results: Barriers and facilitators were analysed according the COM-B domains. "Capability" factors were not perceived as a significant barrier to training implementation. Factors which supported staff capability included the use of interactive face-to-face training, and training that was relevant to their role. Factors that increased staff "motivation" included skilled facilitation of training, trainees' desire to learn and the provision of incentives (e.g. attendance during paid working hours, badges/certifications). "Opportunity" factors were most prevalent with lack of resources (time, financial, staffing and environmental) being the biggest perceived barrier to training implementation. The presence or not of external support from families and internal factors such as the organisational culture and its supportiveness of good dementia care and training implementation were also influential.Conclusions: A wide range of factors may present as barriers to or facilitators of dementia training implementation and behaviour change for staff. These should be considered by health and social care providers in the context of dementia training design and delivery in order to maximise potential for implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore what motivates individuals to change their behaviour to reduce their risk of dementia. Methods: We conducted secondary qualitative analysis of a UK-based online survey on motivation to change lifestyle and health behaviour for dementia risk reduction. Participants were recruited through social media, the Join Dementia Research network and the National Institute for Health Research Portfolio. Free-text comments from people aged ≥50 years were analysed by two researchers independently using inductive content analysis. Inter-rater agreement was measured through Cohen's Kappa coefficient. Results: Of the 3,948 participants completing the survey, 653 provided free text comments that were included in the analysis (Mean age = 64.1; SD = 8.3 years). The majority of the sample were women (n = 459; 70.3%), Caucasian (n = 625; 95.7%) and married/in partnership (n = 459; 70.3%). Three overarching themes were identified: (1) motivators to changing lifestyle; (2) barriers for lifestyle change; and, (3) quality of the information received. The inter-rater reliability of the coding was high (k = 0.7). Having a family history of dementia or feeling like they had a healthy lifestyle already were motivating factors for behaviour change. Having competing health priorities other than dementia and caring for someone acted as de-motivators as they reduced the time available to dedicate to one's own health. Evidence-based information around dementia prevention was a motivator, but commonly the information was not trusted. Discussion: Aligned with the World Health Organisation (WHO) mandate on dementia prevention, community health campaigns targeting population awareness around behaviour change and dementia risk factor reduction are urgently needed. To be successful, such campaigns will need to be accompanied by individual approaches that can overcome age-related barriers and individual differences in motivation levels, personal barriers and trust in the information received. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns about climate change associated with the combustion of fossil fuels urge a call for widespread reductions in household energy use. Determining means of achieving this is a key challenge faced by environmental scientists. The current research presents insights gained from a 12-month empirical trial of new serious game for energy, 'EnergyCat'; which was designed to encourage household energy reductions in the UK social housing sector. Effects of gameplay on consumption behaviours and energy awareness were explored using 82 UK social housing households (versus a no-game control). Results indicated the intervention did not lead to any substantive changes in awareness or consumption practices. However, post-intervention feedback highlighted several issues in terms of game design and usability that may explain why the game failed to change behaviour in this instance. We provide a framework of suggestions as to how the game design process could be improved in order to engage residents in future, including use of adaptive fonts for older residents, and provision of clearer instructions on gameplay objectives at the outset. In addition, researchers should ensure close collaboration is maintained with residents throughout the design process in future efforts, in order to maximise likelihood of ongoing engagement from this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Motivational interviewing (MI) is a framework for addressing behavior change that is often used by healthcare professionals. Expression of empathy during MI is associated with positive client outcomes, while absence of empathy may produce iatrogenic effects. Although training in MI is linked to increased therapeutic empathy in learners, no research has investigated individual training components' contribution to this increase. The objective of this study was to test whether a self-coding MI exercise using smartphones completed at hour 6 of an 8-h MI training was superior in engendering empathy to training as usual (watching an MI expert perform in a video clip for the same duration at the same point in the training). Methods: This was a pilot study at two sites using randomization and control groups with 1:1 allocation. Allocation was achieved via computerized assignment (site 1, United Kingdom) or facedown playing card distribution (site 2, United States). Participants were 58 students attending a university class at one of two universities, of which an 8-h segment was dedicated to a standardized MI training. Fifty-five students consented to participate and were randomized. The intervention was an MI self-coding exercise using smartphone recording and a standardized scoring sheet. Students were encouraged to reflect on areas of potential improvement based on their self-coding results. The main outcome measure was score on the Helpful Responses Questionnaire, a measure of therapeutic empathy, collected prior to and immediately following the 8-h training. Questionnaire coding was completed by 2 blinded external reviewers and assessed for interrater reliability, and students were assigned averaged empathy scores from 6 to 30. Analyses were conducted via repeated-measures ANOVA using the general linear model. Results: Fifty-five students were randomized, and 2 were subsequently excluded from analysis at site 2 due to incomplete questionnaires. The study itself was feasible, and overall therapeutic empathy increased significantly and substantially among students. However, the intervention was not superior to the control condition in this study. Conclusions: Replacing a single passive learning exercise with an active learning exercise in an MI training did not result in a substantive boost to therapeutic empathy. However, consistently with prior research, this study identified significant overall increases in empathy following introductory MI training. A much larger study examining the impact of selected exercises and approaches would likely be useful and informative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Appetitive traits, including Food Responsiveness, Enjoyment of Food, Satiety Responsiveness, Emotional Over- and Under-Eating, Food Fussiness and Slowness in Eating, have been captured across childhood using the Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ). The Adult Eating Behavior Questionnaire (AEBQ) has explored these traits in adults, but not adolescents. This study aimed to test the factor structure and reliability of the AEBQ in a sample of UK adolescents, and explore demographic differences. Materials and Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) tested an 8-factor and a 7-factor AEBQ, based on valid, completed AEBQ responses (n = 913) from adolescents aged 11–18 recruited from four London secondary schools. Test–retest reliability was analyzed in a subsample (n = 106) 2-weeks later, and 492 participants completed the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) to assess convergent validity. Demographic differences were explored using a multiple indicator multiple cause (MIMIC) model. Results: The CFA revealed an adequate model fit for a 7-factor structure without Hunger [RMSEA = 0.038 (90% CI:0.035,0.041); CFI = 0.926, TLI = 0.916; and χ2(df = 595) = 8502.69, p < 0.001]. These seven subscales showed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α > 0.70). The ICC for the test–retest was above 0.70. Comparisons with the DEBQ supported the convergent validity of the AEBQ. Older age was associated with greater Food Responsiveness and Enjoyment of Food (all p -values < 0.005). Females reported higher levels of Emotional Over-Eating, Satiety Responsiveness, and Slowness in Eating than males (all p -values ≤ 0.003). Conclusion: This study supports the use of the 7-factor AEBQ as a reliable measure of appetitive traits in adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Encephalitis, characterised as inflammation of the brain tissue, is an important cause of acquired brain injury in children. Objective clinical outcomes vary significantly between affected patients, however they do not always correlate with quality of life as reported by parents. The aim of this study was to explore how parents experience and interpret outcomes in relation to their child who has been affected by encephalitis. Methods: Data were derived from in-depth, semi-structured interviews, with 15 parents of 12 children and young people affected by encephalitis. Paediatric cases were identified from the retrospective arm of the research programme ‘ENCEPH-UK-Understanding and Improving the Outcome of Encephalitis’, and from the prospective UK childhood meningitis and encephalitis cohort study (UK-ChiMES, 2012 to 2016). Data were analysed thematically. Results: Parents’ perspectives on important outcomes for their child and family changed during the different stages of the encephalitis illness trajectory: from acute illness, recovery and rehabilitation, then reintegration into everyday life. Parents’ understanding of their children’s overall outcome was informed by their own experiences, involving comparisons with other children and reflections on their child’s problems before, during and after the acute illness. Conclusion: Outcomes in paediatric encephalitis need to be understood in terms of the context of the patient and family experience as well as the timeframe of recovery. The research highlights the need to include more patient, parent and/or carer reported outcome measures during patient assessment, and that assessment should be repeated during recovery as family concerns change. In the longer term, these parameters could be included in clinical and rehabilitation practice to further support child recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]