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The foundation of healthy workplace design is an understanding of work practices. Volunteers comprise the majority of the workforce in care centers using horses to address human health issues. Documentation is lacking on protections for worker well-being in equestrian microenvironments which are known to have the potential for dust exposures. Climate acts as a master variable in equestrian facility design and ventilation usage to address dust and temperature concerns. Using climate as an independent variable, our objective was to characterize space usage, safety, environmental control, and organizational practices through a national survey of equine assisted programs. We found that more fully enclosed indoor arena spaces were in cold/very cold and mixed-humid climates (p = 0.0114). Annually more volunteers (p = 0.0073) work in these two climate groups averaging 100 volunteers per location. A total of 34% of all facilities, regardless of climate, do not use mechanical ventilation systems (e.g., fans). As volunteer worker time in the arena increased, time in the barn microenvironment tended to decrease (p = 0.0538). We identified facility designs, ventilation usage, and worker arrangements to refine the scalability of future air contaminant monitoring and to provide frameworks for education, workplace design, and prevention of exposure to dust.

Large events have huge impacts on local economies. Many tourists travel to participate in various events. Ma jority of large Finnish events could not be organized without volunteer workers. However, in the Finnish research literature these volunteer workers are often overlooked even though without them the number of annual Finnish events would be considerably smaller. In this study we examine motivations of Finnish volunteer workers regarding their participation in a cultural event and how the volunteer workers are committed to the event. Through principal component analysis seven motivational factors are identified: Career orientation, Love of Culture, Personal Growth, Extrinsic Rewards, Expression of Values, Community Involvement and Interpersonal Contacts. Based on the motivations four clusters of volunteer workers were identified: Communals, Career Oriented, Helpful Socials and Culture Lovers. Even though there were no differences between clusters in their commitment to the event, motivations have various effects on commit-ment. The results provide insights into motivations of volunteer workers in a cultural event and help Finnish events understand their volunteer workers better and ensure the future of the events., Motivations and commitment of volunteer workers in a culture event: Case Ilosaarirock Large events have huge impacts on local economies. Many tourists travel to participate in various events. Ma jority of large Finnish events could not be organized without volunteer workers. However, in the Finnish research literature these volunteer workers are often overlooked even though without them the number of annual Finnish events would be considerably smaller. In this study we examine motivations of Finnish volunteer workers regarding their participation in a cultural event and how the volunteer workers are committed to the event. Through principal component analysis seven motivational factors are identified: Career orientation, Love of Culture, Personal Growth, Extrinsic Rewards, Expression of Values, Community Involvement and Interpersonal Contacts. Based on the motivations four clusters of volunteer workers were identified: Communals, Career Oriented, Helpful Socials and Culture Lovers. Even though there were no differences between clusters in their commitment to the event, motivations have various effects on commit-ment. The results provide insights into motivations of volunteer workers in a cultural event and help Finnish events understand their volunteer workers better and ensure the future of the events.

Temaet for oppgaven er frivillig arbeid. Oppgaven er en kvantitativ analyse av ulike typer frivillige arbeidere i Norge. I denne oppgaven defineres frivillig arbeid som «arbeid du gjør for organisasjoner eller personer uten at du får vanlig lønn for dette» (Respons Analyse og Institutt for Samfunnsforskning 2014: 11). Bakgrunnskapittelet starter med å gjøre rede for ulike definisjoner og avgrensninger av frivillig arbeid, i tillegg til å redegjøre for hvilken definisjon av frivillig arbeid som blir benyttet oppgaven. Deretter blir frivillighetens historie i Norge fra middelalderen til i dag gjennomgått i grove trekk. Den siste delen av bakgrunnskapittelet ser på frivillighetens rolle i det norske samfunn i dag. Herunder blir frivillige organisasjoner og frivillig arbeids forhold til offentlig og privat sektor, og sosiale medier gjennomgått. Kapittelet Teori og tidligere forskning tar for seg teori og tidligere forskning på frivillig arbeid. Hovedfokuset for teorikapittelet er Hustinx og Lammertyn sin inndeling i idealtypene kollektiv og refleksiv frivillighet (Hustinx og Lammertyn 2003). Etter redegjørelsen av kollektivt og refleksivt frivillig arbeid blir frivillig arbeid sett på i lys av individualiseringen av samfunnet, normteori og rasjonell handlingsteori. Disse blir igjen diskutert opp mot Hustinx og Lammertyn sine idealtyper. Blant tidligere forskning finner vi Hustinx sin klassifisering av frivillige arbeidere, samt tidligere forskning på frivillig arbeid og sosiale kjennetegn. Oppgaven er eksplorativ og har som formål å undersøke hvilke typer frivillige arbeidere som finnes i Norge i dag. Det er to problemstillinger i oppgaven. Problemstilling 1 er «Hvilke grupper av frivillige arbeidere kan vi finne basert på frivillighetstype?» og problemstilling 2 er «Hva kjennetegner medlemmene i de ulike gruppene?». Basert på disse problemstillingene blir det formulert 3 hypoteser. Den første hypotesen er H1: «H1: Det finnes mer enn to typer frivillige arbeidere», den andre hypotesen er H2: «H2: Disse klassene av frivillige skiller seg fra hverandre i tidsbruk, tilhørighet og type frivillig arbeid de gjør». Disse to første hypotesene ble formulert for å besvare oppgavens første problemstilling. For å besvare problemstilling 2 ble hypotese 3 H3 «Medlemmene i klassene skiller seg fra hverandre på kjønn, foreldreskap, alder, utdanning og inntekt» formulert. Analysen har tre steg, ett for hver hypotese. Problemstilling 1 besvares i de to første stegene av analysen. I disse to første stegene blir metoden latent klasseanalyse benyttet. I steg 1 benyttes informasjonskriteriene AIC og BIC samt fortolkbarhet for å finne ut hvor mange klasser av frivillige som finnes basert på faktorene tidsbruk, tilknytning og type frivillig arbeid utført. Her ble de fem klassene «Aktive frivillige», «Av og på-frivillige», «Dugnadsfrivillige», «Deltakende frivillige» og «Bakgrunnsfrivillige» funnet. I steg 2 besvares hypotese 2 ved hjelp av substansielle fortolkninger av de fem klassene som ble funnet i trinn 1. De fem klassene blir her beskrevet og sammenlignet. I trinn 3 ble en multinomisk logistisk regresjonsanalyse gjort for å besvare hypotese 3 og problemstilling 2. Analysen bygger på funn fra den latente klasseanalysen, og den avhengige variabelen i den multinomiske logistiske regresjonsanalysen er tilhørighet i hver av de fem klassene. I steg 3 ble det funnet overraskende få forskjeller i sosiale kjennetegn mellom klassene. Likevel skilte alle klassene seg fra hverandre i sosiale kjennetegn. Funnene fra analysene blir diskutert opp mot tidligere forskning og teori. Herunder også spesielt Hustinx og Lammertyn sine idealtyper, Kollektiv og refleksiv frivillighet. Oppgaven finner det hensiktsmessig med fem typer frivillige arbeidere.

This VIIth Research Study on Transnational Sociology deals with benevolentsocial actions carried out by Japanese citizens as well as those carried out byJapanese NGOs in recent years. After surveying the limited literature concerning theseareas, the author has found the following major points.1. Almost all individual volunteers who have taken part in volunteer activitieshave experienced gratifying moments, the source of courage for continuingtheir volunteer work.2. A positive first step to initiate volunteer action is to visit some NGO officesand to take part in study tours in developing countries.3. There are some unique and successful NGOs in Japan, especially in local areas,blessed with competent personnel, rich in experience and of good character.4. Some other successful NGOs are given advice by academic specialists.5. Mutual cooperation has recently been growing among NGOs, local governments,business corporations, and academic institutions.Looking favourably upon the increasing interest and understanding of thepresent-day Japanese toward volunteer work and NGO activities in general, the authorsuggests the need for an adequate institutionalisation of social action at the academiclevel.

Background Falls are common in older people. Despite strong evidence for effective falls prevention strategies, there appears to be limited translation of these strategies from research to clinical practice. Use of peers in delivering falls prevention education messages has been proposed to improve uptake of falls prevention strategies and facilitate translation to practice. Volunteer peer educators often deliver educational presentations on falls prevention to community-dwelling older adults. However, research evaluating the effectiveness of peer-led education approaches in falls prevention has been limited and no known study has evaluated such a program from the perspective of peer educators involved in delivering the message. The purpose of this study was to explore peer educators’ perspective about their role in delivering peer-led falls prevention education for community-dwelling older adults. Methods A two-stage qualitative inductive constant comparative design was used. In stage one (core component) focus group interviews involving a total of eleven participants were conducted. During stage two (supplementary component) semi-structured interviews with two participants were conducted. Data were analysed thematically by two researchers independently. Key themes were identified and findings were displayed in a conceptual framework. Results Peer educators were motivated to deliver educational presentations and importantly, to reach an optimal peer connection with their audience. Key themes identified included both personal and organisational factors that impact on educators’ capacity to facilitate their peers’ engagement with the message. Personal factors that facilitated message delivery and engagement included peer-to-peer connection and perceived credibility, while barriers included a reluctance to accept the message that they were at risk of falling by some members in the audience. Organisational factors, including ongoing training for peer educators and formative feedback following presentations, were perceived as essential because they affect successful message delivery. Conclusions Peer educators have the potential to effectively deliver falls prevention education to older adults and influence acceptance of the message as they possess the peer-to-peer connection that facilitates optimal engagement. There is a need to consider incorporating learnings from this research into a formal large scale evaluation of the effectiveness of the peer education approach in reducing falls in older adults.

Background The use of community volunteers is expected to improve access to accurate diagnosis and timely treatment of malaria, using rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT). However, empirical data from the field are still limited. The aim of this study was to assess whether training village volunteers on the use of Paracheck-Pf® RDT and ACT (artemether-lumefantrine (AL)) for Plasmodium falciparum and presumptive treatment with chloroquine for Plasmodium vivax had an effect on the coverage of timely diagnosis and treatment and on mortality in malaria-endemic villages without health staff in Myanmar. Methods The study was designed as a cluster randomized controlled trial with a cross-sectional survey at baseline, a monthly visit for six months following the intervention (village volunteers trained and equipped with Paracheck-Pf®) and an endline survey at six months follow-up. Survey data were supplemented by the analysis of logbooks and field-based verbal autopsies. Villages with midwives (MW) in post were used as a third comparison group in the endline survey. Intention-to-treat analysis was used. Results Of 38 villages selected, 21 were randomly assigned to the intervention (two villages failed to participate) and 17 to the comparison group. The two groups had comparable baseline statistics. The blood tests provided by volunteers every month declined over time from 279 tests to 41 but not in MW group in 18 villages (from 326 to 180). In the endline survey, among interviewed subjects (268 intervention, 287 in comparison, 313 in MW), the coverage of RDT was low in all groups (14.9%, SE 2.4% in intervention; 5.7%, SE 1.7% in comparison; 21.4%, SE 2.6% in MW) although the intervention (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.5-6.7) and MW (OR 5.4, 95% CI 2.6-11.0) were more likely to receive a blood test. Mean (SE) of blood tests after onset of fever in days was delayed (intervention 3.6 (0.3); comparison 4.8 (1.3); MW 3.2 (0.4)). Malaria mortality rates per 100,000 populations in a year were not significantly different (intervention 130 SE 37; comparison 119 SE 34; MW 50 SE 18). None of the dead cases had consulted volunteers. Conclusions The results show that implementing volunteer programmes to improve the coverage of accurate and timely diagnosis with RDT and early treatment may be beneficial but the timeliness of detection and sustainability must be improved.

Orientador: Anita Liberalesso Neri Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação Resumo: Objetivo: analisar significados, motivações, benefícios percebidos, bem-estar subjetivo, ajustamento psicológico e atitudes em relação à comunidade' entre idosos brasileiros e americanos que realizam trabalho voluntário. Participantes: 54 brasileiros e 49 americanos com mais de 60 anos, principalmente mulheres. Instrumentos e técnicas: questionários e escalas levantando informações sociodemográficas, natureza do vínculo institucional, modos de vida, motivações, significados, benefícios percebidos, bem-estar subjetivo, ajustamento psicológico e atitudes em relação à comunidade; entrevistas semi-estruturadas; observação participante. Análise de dados: análise de conteúdo, estatística descritiva e análise etnográfica. Resultados: Forte similaridade entre os dois grupos, embora os americanos tenham vínculo mais forte com o trabalho voluntário. Todos valorizaram a solidariedade, a oportunidade para a auto-desenvolvimento e a geratividade propiciadas pelo trabalho voluntário; os americanos enfatizaram mais os ganhos em geratividade e os brasileiros a auto-aceitação e o crescimento pessoal. A satisfação e os afetos positivos foram elevados nas duas amostras; o significado do termo voluntário associa-se a valor social. Houve diferenças entre as motivações iniciais, voltadas ao outro, e as motivações permanência, voltadas ao self ; satisfação com o voluntariado associou-se a treinamento e supervisão; identificaram-se relações de interdependência no ambiente institucional. Conclusão: a atividade voluntária formal entre idosos estimula o processo de socialização e o auto-conhecimento Abstract: Objective: to assess meanings, motivations, perceived benefits, subjective well-being, and psychological adjustment and attitudes toward community among Brazilian and American seniors that do volunteer work. Participants: 54 Brazilian and 49 American people older than 60 years of age, especially women. Instruments and techniques: questionnaires and scales gathering the following data: sociodemographic, nature of the institutional link, ways of life, motivations, meanings, perceived benefits, subjective well-being, psychological adjustment, and attitudes regarding community; semi-structured interviews; participant observation. Data analysis: content analysis, descriptive statistics, ethnographic analysis. Results: strong similarity between the two groups, although Americans have a strongest link with volunteer work. Everyone valued solidarity, opportunity for self-development and gerativity brought by the volunteer work; Americans emphasized gains in generativity and Brazilians, self-acceptation and personal growth. Satisfaction and positive affects were high in both samples. There were differences between the initial motivations, focused on other people, and the permanent motivations, focused on the self; satisfactions with volunteer work were associated to training and supervision; interdependent relationships in the institutional environment were identified. Conclusion: formal volunteer work among seniors stimulates processes of socialization and self-knowledge Doutorado

Since the 1980s, a “community approach” has been accepted as being the way forward in effectively tackling drug and alcohol related problems. The involvement of local communities is considered essential to achieve effective change. This qualitative research explores the context and policy environment of community participation. It examines issues involved in moving from a micro medical model, to a macro intersectoral approach. The subject is studied using Ballymun Youth Action Project, one of the earliest community responses to drug abuse in Dublin, as a case study. The data was collected through: 1) documentary research of records, files, reports, etc.; 2) documentary research of official statements of government policy, publications and newspaper reports; 3) in-depth, taped interviews with staff members. The researcher was the first employee of the Project, with fifteen years of extensive relationships to draw on for the purposes of this qualitative study. Through inductive analysis, the story of this unique community response is told, with important dimensions emerging for analysis. Challenges to be faced in developing community participation are identified. The contribution of community development is explored. Two important conclusions are reached. One is that comprehensive intersectoral collaboration, with significant community participation, challenges traditional relationships. Effective training and education for all sectors needs to take place within a development strategy for this challenge to be met, and necessary changes to be made. The second is that work remains to be carried out to develop congruence among the theoretical concepts involved in community drugs work. The research concludes that Dublin offers a unique contribution to the further study of community participation. It makes recommendations for action research, which could contribute to the building of theory from practice, through the many ways that local people are involved in the drugs initiative.