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Body weight has a long history of functioning as a symbol of one’s beauty, social status, morality, discipline, and health. It has also been a standard inflicted much more intensely on women than men. While US culture has long idealized thinness for women, even at risky extremes, there is growing evidence that weight standards are broadening. Larger bodies are becoming more visible and accepted, while desire for and approval of a thin ideal has diminished. However, the continued widespread prevalence of anti-fat attitudes and stigma leaves uncertainty about just how much weight standards are changing. This study used an online survey (n = 320) to directly compare evaluations of thin, fat, and average size women through measures of negative stereotypes, prejudicial attitudes, and perceptions about quality of life. Results indicated that, as hypothesized, thin women were perceived less favorably than average weight women. However, fat women were perceived less favorably than both average and thin women. Men were harsher than women in their evaluations of only fat women. Additionally, participants being underweight or overweight did not produce an ingroup bias in their evaluations of underweight and overweight targets, respectively. That is, participants did not rate their own group more favorably, with the exception of overweight participants having lower prejudice toward overweight targets. These findings add to the emerging evidence that women’s weight standards are in transition, marked by an increasingly negative perception of thin women, though not necessarily growing positivity toward fat women. This evidence further points toward the need for more extensive research on attitudes of people across the entire weight spectrum.

Most new media research focuses on behavior as a measure of engagement, while the psychological state of being occupied with its content has received little attention. This study examined news engagement beyond pure action observation by exploring young people’s psychological experiences with the news.

The study carried out a digital native’s survey on 212 people (18–28 years). The focus of the survey was on understanding individuals’ engagement with online news using affective and cognitive components. The authors compared the influence of each type of engagement on youth consumption of and attitudes toward online news.

The results of the hierarchical regression analysis showed that affective engagement can be a stronger predictor of online news consumption than cognitive engagement. While affective engagement significantly predicts positive attitudes toward online news, cognitive engagement had no significant effect.

These findings suggest that “engaging the heart” is more influential than “engaging the mind” in drawing young people to the news in today’s information environment. The study thus contributes to the understanding of the cognitive and emotional focus on news content and their importance in shaping young people’s expectations of online news. The findings from this study could have broader implications for future trends in online news consumption.

Practitioner architects who teach design move between their professional practice and teaching, and these different work contexts and cultures shape their identity. When teaching, they need to self-regulate in order to perform independently and develop their teaching. This paper discusses what practitioner architects who teach design say they do in design studios, their conceptions about roles in design studios, how they develop their ability for evaluative judgement and shape their identity.

This study employs case study methodology. It relies on data collected via semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The audio recordings were transcribed and analysed by identifying persistent words, phrases and ideas that were grouped into themes. Each “idea” is drawn from terms used by participants (e.g. characterising aspects of their practices) and researchers’ interpretations and/or based on existing ideas (e.g. found in the literature). The “theory of practice architectures” is employed as a framework of analysis to investigate what professional architects who teach design say they do in studios and their conceptions of their roles, design teaching and development of teaching expertise.

Findings show that practitioner architects who teach design employ evaluative judgement to provide constructive feedback to students and monitor the quality of their own projects. They also use evaluative judgement to assess the quality of their own teaching and hence self-regulate their professional development as design educators. Participants do not identify as teachers; rather their identity is firmly rooted in professional practice.

The study focuses on practitioner architects who teach design and explores how they develop their ability for evaluative judgement and shape their identity through the lens of “theory of practice architectures” which offered a comprehensive view of practices as encompassing conceptions, intentions, actions and outcomes.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of urban homeowners’ green perceived values (i.e. green functional, emotional, ecological and aesthetic values) on their greening behavioural intention. The study further tested the mediating role of green attitude in the relationship between the green perceived value dimensions and greening intention through the theoretical lens of the customer value theory (CVT) and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB).

A quantitative survey design was employed for this study. Empirical data were drawn from 501 households in Ghana using a purposive sampling technique. The hypothesized relationships were analysed using structural equation modelling.

The results of this study revealed that urban homeowners’ intention to adopt greening behaviour is directly influenced by their perception of green functional, ecological and aesthetic values. In addition, the study found that green attitude partially mediated the links between homeowners’ green functional, ecological and aesthetic values and their greening intention. Green emotional value on the other hand did not have a significant direct effect on homeowners’ greening intention. However, it had an indirect effect on greening intention through green attitude. Thus, we can conclude that green attitude fully mediated urban homeowners’ perception of green emotional value and their greening intention.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to attempt to integrate the CVT and the TPB to understand urban homeowners’ greening intention. The study which focuses on Ghana provides new insights into the pathway for promoting voluntary greening behaviour within a developing country

This paper explores the intricate evolution of human–machine interaction within the framework of Society 5.0, highlighting how technological advancements influence human behavior and societal progress.

A multidimensional framework is developed through a qualitative approach to analyze the evolution of human–technology interaction. This innovative conceptual model provides a comprehensive understanding of these dynamics.

The proposed model unveils a significant shift from perceiving technology as a mere tool to acknowledging its profound influence on daily routines and potential enhancements. This revelation underscores the critical role of human-centric strategies, enlightening us about the evolving nature of technology.

The study synthesizes existing research to present a comprehensive framework for understanding human–machine interaction, providing insights that can inform future research and theory development.

This study equips policymakers, researchers and practitioners with actionable strategies to enhance technology use. By incorporating human-centric approaches, addressing issues such as technostress and promoting effective digital knowledge management, this research empowers the audience with practical solutions.

The paper underscores the broader impact of technology on societal progress. It emphasizes the importance of incorporating human-centric strategies in technology implementation to promote fairness, inclusivity and overall societal well-being.

This paper introduces an innovative conceptual model based on a multidimensional framework to analyze the complex evolution of human–technology interaction. It enriches the ongoing debate by highlighting the nuanced relationship between humans and technology, addressing significant gaps in existing literature and offering an original interpretative perspective.

The purpose of microcredit is to offer small loans to people who are not covered by traditional financial channels. It can facilitate entrepreneurship, boosting local socio-economic development and improving environmental and political factors.

This paper aims to analyse microcredit in Italy, focusing on a project based in Rione Sanità, Naples. Rione Sanità is one of the poorest areas of Southern Italy, displaying high rates of criminality and unemployment, especially among youth, women, migrants and the vulnerable. The district is renowned for its fine and ancient handicrafts, food, trade and historical heritage – potential drivers for boosting tourism in the area. Qualitative methodologies were used to collect primary data through field visits and interviews with project bankers, local businesses, artisans, associations and religious representatives, project volunteers, as well as participation at local meetings. These data were corroborated by budget analysis based on the project's accounting.

The study shows encouraging results for the project and policy prospects. Despite the tiny starting numbers, there emerges a significant potential for microcredit to spread in the district, as in Southern Italy, providing an effective strategy to combat unemployment, usury and criminality, yielding community development and favoring broad societal challenges.

With this evidence, the paper attempts to shed some light and verify the potential of microfinance projects as a driver of sustainable development and ethical finance in poor areas of developed countries.

This study aims to explore art workshops for people living with dementia as a process enabling creative expression and fostering communication with others.

To enable detailed exploration of the expressive powers of painting and drawing, the authors draw several examples from a series of painting workshops for people living with dementia, which formed part of the PPI for research into experiences of restraint within care.

Artwork enabled personal expression, facilitated conversation with others and revealed hidden knowledge and abilities, but also revealed dangers of miscommunication, specifically here related to technological changes and spirituality.

Individual differences in responses to painting will exist meaning that the specific findings outlined here are unique to individuals and not always generalisable. This follows from the quality of the individual communication that may be enabled by painting, meaning that close attention to each person is both fostered and required.

Art activities can provide a means to enable deep personal expression and agency in people living with dementia, which can contribute to countering dehumanisation.

Attention to the process of painting can be beneficial in fostering verbal and non-verbal communication with individuals who have difficulties in communication. Attention to cultural issues in care needs to incorporate understanding of spiritual and religious issues and take note of gaps in understanding related to technological as well as cultural changes between generations.

Much work in this area explores art activities for people living with dementia in terms of beneficial outcomes. This work explores the creative process inherent in painting, drawing upon insights from art theory and providing in-depth individual insights through case studies. Both researchers in this study are artists and the work drew upon their understanding of the processes of painting.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted healthcare systems globally, including antenatal care coverage. Pregnant women, who were considered “at risk” during the pandemic, replaced in-person antenatal visits with telemedicine and accessed health information online. However, little is known about pregnant women’s online information-seeking behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the information seeking behaviour of pregnant women online during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This research uses qualitative study and in-depth interviews to obtain data from eight pregnant women during the pandemic. Data were thematically analysed, with responses presented verbatim to illustrate themes.

Findings show that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the unavailability of health professionals and the fear of contracting the COVID-19 virus influenced pregnant women’s information-seeking behaviour online. Pregnant women accessed online sources as alternatives to consultations with health professionals, searched for drug prescriptions and asked pregnancy-related questions online. Findings also revealed that pregnant women conceptualised these online sources and platforms as safe spaces for sharing and dealing with pregnancy-related anxieties and difficulties during the pandemic.

The number of participants sampled in the study is considered satisfactory since data saturation was achieved. However, considering the generalisation and transferability of the research findings, note that the study focused on a limited number of pregnant women in one state in Nigeria (Lagos State). Hence, the design and sample do not provide adequate generalisation to a larger population of pregnant women in Nigeria. Future research may generalise more broadly to other states in Nigeria. Another limitation of the study was using telephone interviews to collect data. Therefore, this paper could not analyse body language and facial expressions, which prevented us from gaining insights into participants’ descriptions of health information-seeking behaviour online. Therefore, further studies should use alternative data collection methods, such as face-to-face or online video interviews, instead of telephone interviews.

This study has implications for health policy interventions. The study’s findings can guide policies on designing digital health systems for pregnant women during health crises.

This study contributes to existing literature on health information-seeking behaviour online among a vulnerable population – pregnant women in a developing country. Specifically, the study contributes to knowledge on how pregnant women’s health information-seeking behaviour can change online within a health-crisis context like the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications for their overall well-being.

Recent research advocates that there are plenty of opportunities for key players in the offsite construction (OSC) sector to harness the full potential of advanced project management techniques. While previous research mainly focuses on transformations related to digital and advanced technologies driven by industry 4.0 principles, a research gap still exists on the intersection of project management capabilities and OSC. This study attempts to bridge this gap by capturing the homogeneity of different capabilities and integrating them into an overarching framework.

A scientometric analysis is conducted to provide an overview of the co-occurrence network of keywords in the representative studies. A systematic literature review (SLR) of articles published between 2010 and 2022, followed by a subsequent full-text examination of 63 selected articles, revealed 34 interrelated capabilities to be categorised under three exhaustive planning-oriented, design-oriented and delivery-oriented groups.

This review revealed an upward trend of publication on project management capabilities for OSC with a specific interest in optimisation of resources allocated to offsite operations. The top five capabilities discussed more frequently in the literature include (1) artificial intelligence for design error detection, (2) enhanced resource productivity, (3) cost saving in offsite production, (4) real-time traceability of modules and (5) applying lean agile production principles to OSC, which imply the critical role of quality, cost saving, traceability and agility in OSC.

This study elicits core capabilities and develops a new offsite project management framework for the first time. The authors provide directions for researchers and practitioners to apply capabilities for obtaining better outcomes and higher value out of offsite operations.

In response to multiple disruptions, the purchasing supply management (PSM) function in construction supply chain management (CSCM) has gained prominence due to stakeholder pressures, dynamic market conditions and the need to adhere to complex sustainability, safety and health regulations and standards. However, there is a noticeable absence of empirical research on measuring and mitigating PSM vulnerabilities, especially considering the distinct challenges faced by large engineer-to-order project-oriented manufacturers. To address these issues, the purpose of this study is to develop and test a novel method to assist companies in construction supply chains in assessing and managing risks associated with sustainable procuring and sourcing materials.

Grounded in the literature gaps on construction PSM and a real case supply chain, the research uses the design science research (DSR) approach to develop an integrated method for assessing PSM strategies in this sector. The method integrates three essential purchasing dimensions: supply risks, profit impact and sustainability risks of materials, supported by nine subdimensions. Empirical validation took place within a multinational European construction company based in Denmark.

Findings from the supplier–buyer relationships confirmed that the developed method allows for the identification of the key components that significantly impact supplier–buyer relationships, profitability and sustainability. The research further suggests that construction supply chain managers and purchasing practitioners can use the proposed method to evaluate PSM, thus enabling them to make more informed decisions.

Through the utilization of the proposed artifact, construction companies can take a more proactive approach to address PSM uncertainties, thereby enhancing their competitiveness in dynamic construction supply chains.

The research contributes to bridging the theory and practice, providing valuable assistance for construction companies assessing and managing the PSM and supply risks within global construction value chains. This paper provides original insights for the CSCM, aiding in adopting competitive PSM strategies to improve overall supply chain performance.