Search

Background: Efficacious pediatric weight management (PWM) programs have existed for over two decades, but there is limited evidence that these programs have been translated into regular practice. There is even less evidence that they have reached communities experiencing health disparities where access to care is limited. The purpose of this project was to use a community-engaged approach to select an evidence-based PWM program that could be delivered with the available resources in a community that is experiencing health disparities. Methods: The project was developed by the Partnership for Obesity Planning and Sustainability Community Advisory Board (POPS-CAB) in the Dan River Region of southwest Virginia. The POPS-CAB included representatives from a local pediatric health care center, the Danville/Pittsylvania Health Department, Danville Parks and Recreation, the Boys and Girls Club, and the Fralin Center for Translational Obesity Research (n=15). Three PWM programs were identified that met the criteria of demonstrating short and longer-term efficacy, across multiple studies and diverse populations, in reducing childhood obesity for children between the ages of 8 to 12 years across multiple studies. The programs included the Traffic Light Diet, Bright Bodies, and Golan and colleagues' Home Environmental Change Model. All three programs included a high frequency of in-person sessions delivered over a 6-month period, but one included an adapted version that delivered the content via interactive technology and could be delivered with far fewer resources (Family Connections adapted from the Home Environmental Change Model). A mixed-methods approach was used to determine program selection. This approach included individual POPS-CAB member rating of each program, followed by small group discussions, a collective quantitative rating, and, once all programs were reviewed a rank ordering of programs across characteristics. Finally, a large group discussion was conducted to come to agreement on the selection of one program for future local adaptation and implementation. All small and large group discussions were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim to identify themes that influenced the program selection decision. The quantitative results were averaged across individuals and across the groups. Qualitative results were reduced to meaning units, and then grouped into categories, and lastly, themes. Results: Individual ratings across Bright Bodies, Family Connections, and Traffic Light were 3.9 (0.3), 3.6 (0.5), and 3.4 (0.4), respectively. The ratings differed slightly between community and academic partners demonstrated by a higher rating for Bright Bodies by community members and a higher rating for Family Connections by academic members. After small group discussions the average group ratings across the programs was 3.8 (0.4) for Bright Bodies, 3.5 (0.6) for Family Connections, and 3.4 (0.6) for Traffic Light. Finally, the rank order of programs for potential implementation was Bright Bodies, Family Connections, and Traffic Light. Qualitative information for each program was broken down into four main themes of discussion, (1) the importance for the chosen program to have a balance of nutrition and physical activity, (2) negative perceptions of calorie counting, (3) a desire to target both the parent and the child, as well as (4) the need for practicality and usability the target settings. During the final large group discussion, the above themes suggest that the primary reasons that Bright Bodies was selected included the availability of nutrition information, structured physical activity sessions, presence of a usable workbook, as well as the balance of parent and child involvement. Conclusion: Key considerations in program selection were related more to the program content, delivery channel, and available resources for replication rather than simply selecting a program that was less resource intensive. Master of Science

Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2008. Situated between embryonic ideas and 'finished' work are thought-image drawings, the tangible evidence of the exploratory thinking of artists. Often found in sketchbooks, these drawings are ?becoming-art?, precursors to the work exhibited or performed in galleries and public places. Thought- image drawings are private drawings that reveal the uncensored hand at play, and hide in the shadows of public discourse. They are too easily ignored or forgotten, and if they are kept, they are relegated to archives where they remain, under-utilised. In this study, I explore and establish sketchbooks as dynamic, dual sites of discovery in which artists encode a plethora of ideas for themselves and for others, as long as they are saved and shown at some future time. By developing Gilles Deleuze's and Felix Guattari's 'rhizomatic method of becoming', it is possible to employ an open-ended approach for the continual gathering and sorting of data. Similar to the eclectic action of the brain, the nomadic process of the rhizome assembles disparate knowledge during its trajectory, and pauses or plateaus from time to time to consider the state of affairs before advancing again. To this end, I critique discourse around fixed definitions of drawing as 'systems', and track an investigative path through public archives, private studios and educational institutions. I demonstrate that sketchbooks contain a collection of possibilities rather than certainties and possess the potential to reframe ways in which drawing can be thought and taught. Where the drawing methods found in sketchbooks do not necessarily conform to traditional western systems, I argue that broader investigation into the diverse styles therein may assist students to expand their visual oeuvre. The disparate ideas and methods of drawing found in artists' sketchbooks offer unique opportunities for art and design students to develop their art/design practice beyond the scope presented by work generally displayed in public exhibitions.

Thesis (M Design)--University of South Australia, 1995