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1 – 10 of 63Katie Reeves, Ruth M. James, Katy E. Griggs and Aimée C. Mears
Many pregnant and post-natal women do not meet physical activity (PA) guidelines. One barrier to PA for these women is finding suitable sports bras because of the numerous changes…
Abstract
Purpose
Many pregnant and post-natal women do not meet physical activity (PA) guidelines. One barrier to PA for these women is finding suitable sports bras because of the numerous changes the breasts undergo. This study aims to assess current maternity/nursing sports bras in terms of purchasing activity, likes and limitations of products and determine the essential characteristics and features required for future product developments.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-methods deductive sequential approach was taken using an online questionnaire and in-person focus group interviews. A total of 308 participants who were pregnant, had given birth within the last 12 months or were nursing at the time of data collection completed the questionnaire, and 13 participants also took part in focus group interviews.
Findings
Only 15% of maternity/nursing sports bra purchasers found exactly what they wanted with most problems relating to support, design and fit. Support and comfort were the most important characteristics with 94% and 98% of participants rating them as very important or absolutely essential. Easy nursing access, adjustability, product longevity and value and availability, in terms of where products can be purchased and sizing range, must also be considered for future products to meet user groups’ needs and reduce barriers to PA.
Originality/value
This study investigates the requirements and preferences of maternity/nursing sports bras for both pregnant and post-natal women, including an assessment of a range of commercially available products. These findings provide important implications for future product developments.
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Kate Leech, Karen Rodham, Amy Burton and Traceyanne Hughes
The purpose of the study is to investigate female prisoners’ perspectives on why they gain weight while in prison.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the study is to investigate female prisoners’ perspectives on why they gain weight while in prison.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative design was used with semi-structured interviews with six females currently residing in a prison in the south of England.
Findings
Analysis of the data generated three themes relating to the reasons why women gain weight in prison. These were labelled as “The only thing you haven’t got to ask permission for is your food, it’s just handed to you”, “If you’ve been stripped of the things that make you happy, or that you are addicted to, eating can soothe you” and “prison can make you take better care of your health”.
Originality/value
The results identify perceived reasons why women gain weight in prison uniquely from the female prisoner perspective. The implications of the research identify the need for systemic change throughout different prison departments to enable women to maintain a healthy weight during their custodial sentence.
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Christopher Towers and Richard Howarth
With the context of changing global and local populations and, for example, their composition and distribution, this paper offers insight to food shopping in later life with a…
Abstract
With the context of changing global and local populations and, for example, their composition and distribution, this paper offers insight to food shopping in later life with a focus on Nottingham and Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands. The work is relevant and important due to the specific population makeup of this area and the challenges in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a result of population changes/challenges.
The work takes an interdisciplinary view and draws on literature from both social policy and social care and business and marketing. Using this work as a grounding, and insights to primary research from a wider study in this area, the paper offers discussion and comment on:
the importance of food and food shopping in later life;
issues of, and concerns for, health, well-being, identity and community maintenance and resilience (as a direct result of the challenge to SDG achievement); and
the role(s) and responsibility of business from a core business and wider business/corporate responsibility perspective as a reflection of the above and findings of the work.
the importance of food and food shopping in later life;
issues of, and concerns for, health, well-being, identity and community maintenance and resilience (as a direct result of the challenge to SDG achievement); and
the role(s) and responsibility of business from a core business and wider business/corporate responsibility perspective as a reflection of the above and findings of the work.
Using primary research undertaken by the authors, the paper supports findings from existing work from across social policy and care and business and management – related to the practicalities, challenges and the role of and approaches to food shopping in later life. It specifically offers insight to the efforts made by older food shoppers to maintain their independence and support their choices in a context of interdependence (e.g. within a family, community and environment). The importance social aspects of food shopping (as a counter to isolation and loneliness for example) are also identified and how, for example, the actions of business(es) may undermine the efforts (and resilience) of individuals and communities. “Better” understanding of food shoppers by business and other stakeholders is promoted.
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Iryna Kushnir, Elizabeth Agbor Eta, Marcellus Forh Mbah and Charlotte-Rose Kennedy
This paper aims to ask how the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has orchestrated a sustainable development (SD) agenda in its international policy since 2020.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to ask how the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has orchestrated a sustainable development (SD) agenda in its international policy since 2020.
Design/methodology/approach
By drawing on theoretical ideas around policy orchestration as a key UN governing strategy and applying them to the analysis of the progression of the SD agenda in the EHEA, the paper conducts a thematic analysis of six recent key EHEA international policy documents and 19 interviews with key Bologna stakeholders in France, Germany and Italy.
Findings
The resultant analysis uncovers three overarching key themes that show the EHEA has the capacity to mitigate pitfalls in the UN’s SD agenda; some weaknesses of the UN’s orchestration of SD are translated into weaknesses in the EHEA’s formulation of its SD agenda; and the further development of an SD agenda as an essential direction of EHEA’s work. The paper then goes on to discuss how EHEA policies only mention SD discourse, omit concrete plans for its implementation and keep the very meaning of SD ambiguous throughout international policy documents.
Originality/value
The authors offer three original recommendations that the EHEA should adopt in an attempt to mitigate the issues raised in the run-up to its 2030 deadline for implementing its policies: the EHEA should develop an explicit definition of SD; recognise the Euro-centredness of EHEA policies and open them up to other voices; and cite academic research when developing policy documents.
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F. Sehkar Fayda-Kinik and Aylin Kirisci-Sarikaya
Migration has become a challenging issue in the field of education and an ongoing crisis for many countries. The migration crisis and education have a reciprocal relationship in…
Abstract
Migration has become a challenging issue in the field of education and an ongoing crisis for many countries. The migration crisis and education have a reciprocal relationship in that the influx of migrants puts a strain on educational systems, particularly regarding resources, funding, and linguistic and cultural differences. However, education can play a crucial role in addressing some of the challenges associated with migration, such as the need to integrate, skill acquisition and cultural awareness in host countries, as well as brain drain in the countries of origin. It is crucial to investigate how education can both address the problems caused by migration and maximise its potential for sustainable development. This chapter targets analysing relevant scholarship and aims to illustrate the broad patterns of relevant scholarly sources on migration in the field of education indexed in the Web of Science between 2015 and 2022, explore their collaboration trends, and reveal the conceptual structure of these studies in the context of international sustainable development. A bibliometric methodology is employed for the exploration and analysis of the publications; 991 studies on migration in the field of education are descriptively analysed in terms of distribution of publications with their citations, topics at the micro level, journals, and the number of authors contributing to these papers. The results contribute to picturing the characteristics and collaboration trend of the scholarly sources on migration in the area of education as a challenging disabler or a driving force that contributes to societal development within the scope of international sustainable development.
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