Search results

Over the past decades numerous policies, programmes and interventions have been undertaken to increase students’ participation in physical activity in school. Research shows that intervention effects are mostly related to the way in which the program or policy is implemented, nevertheless, few studies have focused on the implementation process. Thus, this paper aims to explore and identify key implementation successes and barriers as perceived by principals, project leaders, teachers and students.

A case study of eight schools participating in the Norwegian project “Physical activity and healthy school meals” was conducted, applying a qualitative approach.

Findings show that all schools managed to ensure extra time for physical activity, varying from 20 to 45 minutes per day. None managed, however, to fulfil the recommendation of 60 minutes daily. Factors promoting the implementation were related to formalisation and anchoring in terms of policy plans and establishment of a project group, while factors hindering the implementation were related to lack of competence and confidence among teachers and lack of allocated time from school leaders.

National, regional and school level structural conditions, in terms of time allocation and competence building, seem to be important targets for interventions aiming at facilitating daily physical activities in schools. More specific, governmental allocation of targeted schedule time seems also to be important.

The identification of factors influencing implementation efforts aiming at enhancing physical activity can help practitioners to address such barriers and thus contribute to better implementation of physical activities in schools

The health promoting benefits of sport participation are under-utilized and should be further developed, particularly at the grassroots level. The purpose of this paper is to examine how grassroots coaches in youth football perceive their coaching practices after participating in a community-based coach education program aimed at optimizing their experiences in youth sport, namely the Empowering Coaching™ training program, based on self-determination theory (SDT) and achievement goal theory (AGT). It compares French and Norwegian coaches to suggest whether the principles of the Empowering Coaching™ training program can be applied successfully in the two countries.

The Empowering Coaching™ training program is a six hour workshop and was delivered at the beginning of the 2011 football season. At the end of the season, the grassroots coaches’ reflections on their coaching practices were examined through a qualitative approach with in-depth interviews of 18 coaches in France and Norway, applying a hybrid analyses and comparing country-wise.

All coaches expressed the intention to embrace the philosophy of the program, and to apply several of the strategies they had learnt during the workshop. The coaches perceived that the program supported their efforts to develop and implement strategies to stimulate intrinsic motivation, enjoyment and long-term participation among the players. There were some differences between coaches from France and Norway (e.g. rules and involvement), but the similarities were more evident, supporting the universality of applying SDT in the youth sport setting.

The findings are encouraging for sport as a health promoting setting and for the development of the personal skills in grassroot coaches, as they imply that coaches who feel competent in how to structure practices and matches that provide the players with positive sport experiences are likely to enable players to feel supported and motivated.

This study explores qualitatively the impact of an intervention based on SDT and AGT, focussing on football coaches’ reflections on their coaching practices.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the implementation of a theoretically grounded coach education training programme for youth football coaches in Norway, through observational methods. In particular, it focuses on implementation fidelity and programme adaptation, and possible differences between the coach educators (CEs) according to their level of experience.

Implementation fidelity and programme adaptations for seven CEs were explored through the use of a fidelity scale and in-depth qualitative analyses. Participant responsiveness was applied to inform the observational analyses.

Results showed that most of the programme was implemented with moderate to high fidelity, and that it was adapted when delivered. Most of the adaptations seemed to be positive, aligning with the programme’s theoretical foundation and goals. A few negative and neutral adaptations also occurred. The most experienced CEs seemed to deliver the programme with highest fidelity and they also made most positive adaptations. The findings, supported by the participants’ evaluation of the programme delivery, indicate that these CEs also delivered the programme with high quality.

In the field of implementation research there is a need for further studies applying observational methods to explore programme effectiveness in relation to implementation fidelity, adaptations made and the quality of programme delivery.

This study applies observational methods to evaluate the fidelity of implementation and adaptations made when implementing a coach education programme, and based on these findings quality of delivery is discussed.

Mucorales has been described to be widely distributed during the most recent COVID-19 pandemic, with a greater frequency of disease in India, particularly among those with immune deficiencies. This study aims to use computational tools to develop a vaccine.

The authors investigated at Mucorales proteins that had previously been associated to virulence factors. Recent research suggests that a vaccine based on high-level cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL), helper T lymphocyte (HTL) and B-cell lymphocyte (BCL) epitopes from diverse proteins might be developed. Furthermore, the vaccine assembly contains the targeted epitopes as well as PADRE peptides to induce an immune response. Computational approaches were used to analyze the immunological parameters used to build the suggested vaccine and validate its TLR-3 binding.

These studies show that the vaccination is capable of triggering a particular immune response. The authors offer a technique for developing and evaluating candidate vaccines using computational tools. To the best of their knowledge, this is the first immunoinformatic research of a prospective mucormycosis vaccine.

During this audit, a successful attempt was made to create a subunit MEV against black fungus. In the current study, MEV has been proposed as a suitable neutralizer candidate since it is immunogenic, secure, stable and interacts with human receptors. A stream study, on the other hand, is produced via a mixed vaccinosis approach. Following that, vaccinologists may perform more exploratory testing to evaluate whether the vaccine is effective.

Anchored in the theories of brand gestalt and stakeholder perspectives, this study aims to undertake a comprehensive examination of the brand gestalt concept, emphasizing its multidimensional nature and the process of co-creation.

Focused within the context of the Wonderful Indonesia brand, the research draws upon a rich qualitative data set derived from in-depth interviews conducted with 18 international tourists, supplemented by netnography (or internet ethnography) of websites, social media and online articles related to Wonderful Indonesia. Using grounded theory methodology, the qualitative data undergo rigorous analysis to identify emergent themes and patterns.

The research elucidates the four dimensions (4S) comprising brand gestalt: storyscapes, sensescapes, servicescapes and stakeholderscapes. Each dimension is further delineated into essential categories, providing a comprehensive understanding of brand gestalt. This study highlights the collaborative nature of brand gestalt, emphasizing the involvement of multiple stakeholders in shaping the brand's identity and perception. Consumer perceptions of co-creation are identified as significant contributors to brand gestalt, enhancing the brand's value proposition.

Destination management and practitioners can use the insights from the research to refine their brand management and marketing strategies by leveraging the dimensions of brand gestalt. Recognizing the collaborative construct of brand gestalt can guide businesses in fostering meaningful relationships with stakeholders and aligning branding efforts with collective visions. Understanding the role of consumer co-creation in brand development can inform strategies aimed at enhancing brand equity and fostering consumer loyalty.

This study extends existing literature on brand gestalt by providing a comprehensive examination of its four dimensions and essential categories. By emphasizing the collaborative nature of brand gestalt, this study contributes to advancing the understanding of brand co-creation paradigms. The identification of consumer perceptions of co-creation as a significant factor in brand gestalt adds novel insights to the literature, offering valuable implications for brand management and marketing strategies.

Online food shopping has emerged as a fast-growing market. However, the retail online food supply chain (ROFSC) is attracting increasing attention due to its social, environmental and financial impacts. This study aims to empirically evaluate food waste prevention and mitigation (FWPM) strategies in a real-world case study within the UK ROFSC.

Advanced methodologies are required to explore and address FWPM problems across ROFSC. Surveys and interviews were conducted with practitioners. Hard and soft data were collected from the case online retailer. Experts from an FWPM non-profit organization checked and validated the data collected.

Results revealed that inter/cross-organization integrated collaboration and visibility in the ROFSC influence FWPM. Findings established that consumers are the main source of food waste, followed by suppliers and online retailers, with 18, 11 and 1%, respectively. Worryingly, only 1% of respondents expressed that there is a strong commitment to a zero-waste strategy, emphasizing the necessity for more effective waste reduction initiatives and awareness.

The research outcome calls for further efforts by policymakers and practitioners to guide consumers toward efficient food waste management practices.

The study extends previous literature by proposing a holistic framework for reducing food waste from suppliers and consumers. The study captured interesting insights on food waste, including measuring, reasoning and destinations of online food waste.