Helena Valente, Daniel Martins, Marta Pinto, José Luis Fernandes and Monica J. Barratt
Recent studies have shown that people who attend electronic dance music events and use drug checking services (DCS) are a predominantly white male, highly educated middle-class…
Abstract
Purpose
Recent studies have shown that people who attend electronic dance music events and use drug checking services (DCS) are a predominantly white male, highly educated middle-class population. However, there is still a lack of data beyond sociodemographic characteristics that must be addressed. This paper aims to describe the drug use patterns and protective behavior strategies (PBS) used by testers and nontesters at Boom Festival 2018 and analyze the relationship between these behaviors and the decision to use the DCS.
Design/methodology/approach
This is an exploratory research based on a cross-sectional design using baseline data collected at the Boom Festival from testers (N = 343) and nontesters (N = 115).
Findings
Nontesters presented, in general, slightly higher frequencies of use for most drugs, whereas testers tended to adopt PBS more frequently. Moreover, testers planned their drug use more often than nontesters and set more limits on the amount of drugs they used in one session. Both of these behaviors work as predictors for using the DCS.
Practical implications
Our data suggest that DCS might not be easily accessible to all people who use drugs, reaching almost exclusively highly educated people that already apply several harm reduction strategies. Actions should be taken to promote service accessibility.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to compare the demographics, drug use and PBS adoption of DCS users with nonusers who attended the same festival.
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Erenice Natalia Soares de Carvalho and Rachel Forrester-Jones
– The purpose of this paper is to provide a contextual overview of learning disability (LD) in Brazil.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a contextual overview of learning disability (LD) in Brazil.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses an historical approach, providing a critical appraisal of the key theories and treatment of people with LD from the sixteenth century to the present.
Findings
Brazil has experienced a different historical trajectory in terms of treatment and practice for people with LD compared to Europe, the UK and the USA.
Originality/value
Brazil is one of the most rapidly developing, globally important countries with an emerging major economy. There are opportunities now for people with LD to be included in their country’s development, yet their needs should be highlighted.
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Carmen Valor, Paolo Antonetti and Isabel Carrero
Research on sustainable consumption (SC) has shown how, faced with barriers that prevent them from embracing a sustainable lifestyle, consumers experience classic symptoms of…
Abstract
Purpose
Research on sustainable consumption (SC) has shown how, faced with barriers that prevent them from embracing a sustainable lifestyle, consumers experience classic symptoms of distress. Although distress emerges as a constitutive dimension of sustainable lifestyles, research has not yet provided a comprehensive account of how consumers cope with it. This paper aims to provide such an account.
Design/methodology/approach
In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 people who defined themselves as sustainable consumers. A hermeneutic approach was adopted for the analysis.
Findings
The analysis shows that consumers enact two different coping strategies: adjustment or episodic coping and structural coping or deradicalization. Both sets encompass reappraisals and meaning-making strategies to maintain motivation while simultaneously appeasing tensions. They also comprise the strategic enactment of emotions to energize the self and/or to appease distress. Coping influences how SC is appraised and lived, as these practices are dynamically changed to navigate structural constraints.
Practical implications
SC campaigns have traditionally focused on cognitive empowerment. However, the evidence suggests that emotional empowerment could be a more effective way to promote the practice.
Originality/value
This paper provides the first in-depth examination of the strategies adopted to cope with distress. The analysis shows that consumers reconfigure how SC is appraised and implemented, while emphasizing the crucial role of emotion work in the coping repertoire. Although SC is stressful due to structural and social constraints, consumers are able to remain committed to it to varying degrees.
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Martha Prata-Linhares, Helena Amaral da Fontoura and Maria Alzira de Almeida Pimenta
There is an urgency to build a critical view of information and communication technologies in society and education in order to harness their pedagogical potential. Generally, the…
Abstract
There is an urgency to build a critical view of information and communication technologies in society and education in order to harness their pedagogical potential. Generally, the Covid-19 pandemic demanded transformation, which is one of the possibilities in times of crisis. Despite the pandemic exposing digital exclusion in many parts of the planet, digital technologies concurrently have overcome, at least in part, social isolation through the provision of remote activities. The functionality of technologies motivated the question that guides the present investigation: how does the use of technologies before, during, and after the pandemic period appear in the products of the ISATT academic community? The objective is to come to know the contribution of ISATT and the degree to which its input is current and relevant. To meet our goal, we conducted an exploratory study gathering data by means of Google Form questionnaire. ISATT members invited to answer the questionnaire were also participants in the survey. Our intent is to map and describe the relationship between technology and creative teaching and categorize the different approaches used. Our analysis will allow ISATT community members to evaluate their interests, foci, trends, and contributions.
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Darshana Girish Kulkarni, Girish Ramesh Kulkarni, Punit Saurabh and Samik Shome
The COVID-19 outbreak has severely impacted the health tourism industry. This study aims to examine the research undertaken on health tourism during COVID-19.
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 outbreak has severely impacted the health tourism industry. This study aims to examine the research undertaken on health tourism during COVID-19.
Design/methodology/approach
A bibliometric analysis was performed using 211 documents written by 645 authors between 2020 and 2024. The databases used for this analysis are SCOPUS, Web of Science and PubMed. The study was conducted using the Biblioshiny application for R software. Various analyses, including citation analysis, keyword analysis, thematic mapping and evolution and collaboration analysis, were conducted to get a comprehensive picture of the impact of COVID-19 on health tourism.
Findings
The findings suggest that medical tourism was the major area of focus for researchers during COVID-19, whereas wellness tourism was studied in the later stages of the pandemic and is considered important for coping with the negative effects of COVID-19. The thematic review indicates that pre-pandemic research focused on strategies that accelerate the growth of the health tourism sector, whereas during and post-pandemic, the focus was on studying the impact of COVID-19 on the survival and recovery of the sector. Overall, health tourism was considered instrumental in the post-pandemic revival of the tourism industry.
Research limitations/implications
The bibliometric analysis is limited to only four years, as the focus was on studying health tourism during COVID-19. Hence, the study offers more precise insights into the research focus on health tourism during a pandemic. The current study offers limited insights into the post-pandemic scenario as the research is still emerging.
Practical implications
There is a significant opportunity for future research on post-COVID-19 recovery strategies, wherein this research will be helpful for researchers, particularly from emerging countries and countries with high dependence on health, medical and wellness tourism. The thematic analysis provides a valuable comparison of pre-, during and post-pandemic research.
Social implications
The research indicates an opportunity to study the policies and strategies adopted by various countries regarding the health tourism sector in the post-COVID-19 era. The research also highlights the interwoven, intricate, interdisciplinary nature of health tourism in relation to public and mental health and the need for collaborative efforts.
Originality/value
The study provides critical insights and new directions for future research by highlighting the crucial role of health tourism in mitigating the impact of COVID-19.