Advocacy Program Research Articles

Examining facilitators and challenges to implementing equitable green space policies: Lessons from Los Angeles County

ABSTRACT Many cities and counties in the U.S. have recently passed equity-oriented policies to improve access to green space for disadvantaged communities. However, the implementation of these policies could limit their intended outcomes, and scant research has focused on their implementation. To address these knowledge gaps, we explored the facilitators and challenges to effectively implementing equity-oriented policies that dedicate green space funding to low-income communities of color in Los Angeles County. We conducted interviews with 25 green space practitioners (in public agencies and nonprofits) and participant observation at 28 meetings. We found that facilitators of equitable implementation include nonprofit advocacy and technical assistance programs, while challenges include limited capacity and funding for nonprofits and cities, politics and bureaucracy, and market conditions. Our results align with policy process theories describing actors and streams in policymaking, and call for consideration of how systemic issues such as structural racism hinder equitable implementation.

Students’ Needs on Development Programs: Inputs for Student Services Enhancement


 This study assessed needs for development programs of NDMU students in terms of leadership formation, socio-cultural performing arts, advocacy programs, involvement in clubs and organizations, and sports and wellness programs. It was conducted at Notre Dame of Marbel University with 345 respondents enrolled in the school year 2019-2022 and was selected through convenient sampling. Researcher- made on needs assessment survey questionnaire was employed and online survey method was used in gathering the data. This study also utilized a quantitative-descriptive research design using descriptive statistics in analyzing the data. The mean was used to determine the degree of involvement of students in different categories. Data revealed that there is a high degree of need to address the leadership and formation of students with an overall mean of 3.30. Also, in socio-cultural and performing arts, it was found out that there is moderate degree of need to intensify the program that will help the students improve their skills in performing, with an overall mean of 3.10. In terms of the advocacy program, there is a moderate degree of need to enhance the social and communication skills of the students who wanted to organize community projects, with an overall mean of 3.23. Further, the data gathered showed that the involvement in the clubs and organizations of the students has a moderate degree of need to be improved with an overall mean of 3.20, and when it comes to sports and wellness, there is a moderate degree of need to intensify, or address with an overall mean of 3.19. Since there is a high degree of need for leadership and formation, there is a need to strengthen the activities involved in this category. On the other hand, four (4) categories were assessed as having moderate need; there is also a need to re-visit and evaluate to justify making these programs more effective.

Strengthening Posyandu Institutions in Handling Stunting Problems

One effort in dealing with stunting in the community is bystrengthening the POSYANDU institution. In the process ofcommunity empowerment, institutional strengthening is needed aspart of the organization of women's abilities that have been obtainedand then strengthened in institutions that will eventually occur tolearn from one another and as an institutionalized learning exchangeprocess. Through institutional strengthening it is hoped that theacquisition of information, knowledge and skills will continue to beinstitutionalized in social organizations, especially those relating tostunting prevention and handling in Jelbuk Village. The serviceslearned are based on a qualitative approach with descriptivemethods. The subjects of this community service activity were PKKand POSYANDU cadres from Jelbuk village. Data collectiontechniques are done using interviews, observation and studydocumentation. The findings show that the POSYADU institutionalstrengthening strategy can be carried out through strengtheningUKBM management and Health Program Advocacy.

The EU Public Diplomacy in the United States under the D. Trump Administration: Challenges, Key Projects and Outcomes

Public diplomacy is one of the key foreign policy instruments of the European Union for strengthening its international stance. In that regard, Brussels pays special attention to ensuring trust-based relations with the United States, which traditionally acts as the EU’s leading trade and military partner. The apparent cooling in transatlantic relations provoked by harmful rhetoric and practices of D. Trump administration forced the EU to focus on non-traditional channels of interacting with the American audience. In this context, the analysis of the EU’s attempts to adapt its public diplomacy programmes in the United States to the new realities is of particular interest. The first section outlines the political, economic, administrative, and image risks faced by EU diplomats in this area during the presidency of D. Trump (2017−2020). The second section examines the main thematic priorities, mechanisms and projects of the EU public diplomacy aimed at the American audience. The author argues that during the period under review the EU placed special emphasis on advocacy, cultural diplomacy, and exchange programmes for young people. The author concludes that, although European diplomats failed to achieve a qualitative improvement in transatlantic relations during D. Trump’s tenure, the EU public diplomacy demonstrated resilience and flexibility in the face of adverse circumstances. Indeed, the EU diplomats proved their creativity in developing innovative programmes which can be instrumental for future development of the EU public diplomacy in general.

Thalassemia care in Nepal: In dire need of improvement.

Thalassemia care in Nepal: In dire need of improvement.

Assessment of Breast Cancer Awareness Among Women of Reproductive Age in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State

Incidence of breast cancer is increasing worldwide. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer as a major cause of cancer death among woman according to national breast cancer foundation in 2016. The current prevalence of breast cancer in Nigeria is 12.5% which implies 1 out of 15 women are living with the disease. This worrisome development will continue to attract attentions and actions of governmentsat all levels, NGOs, health institutions and researchers. The study aims to assess breast cancer among women of reproductive age in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State. The sample size of 110 women of child-bearing age were selected randomly across Akure south, eleven political wards through multistage sampling technique. The data generated from in-depth interviews of the informants and from secondary sources like government journals, medical publications, hospital records, NGOs Articles and internet materials were qualitatively analyzed. The study revealed that majority of the respondents did not have adequate breast cancer awareness. The study concluded that the government and critical stakeholders should adopt more proactive approaches towards effective advocacy programmes that can checkmate the high mortality rate of the disease as the existing information channels have not impacted significantly on breast cancer awareness campaigns. Therefore, it is hereby recommended that governments at all levels in collaboration with NGOs, health organizations, religious bodies, mass media, traditional institutions and other stakeholders should intensify well coordinated efforts to create the needed awareness about the scourge among the womenfolk who incidentally have the highest prevalence of the disease.

“We Should All Be Welcome:” A Discourse Analysis of Religious Coping for Black Parents Raising Autistic Children

Disability for Black families raising autistic children is often inseparable from religious identity and experience. Black parents raising autistic children may rely on their religion to create meaning and seek guidance, but they may also experience unmet support needs from their religious congregations. In this study we analyzed group session transcripts and written responses using Foucauldian Critical Discourse Analysis to highlight the voices of seven Black parents raising autistic children in the context of a parent advocacy program. We aimed to understand the micro-, meso-, and macro-level processes that maintain stigma and barriers to communal coping. Implications for religious leaders and future research are noted.

Awareness, attitude and ethical concerns among faculty members in Nigerian universities on open educational resources (OERs)

ABSTRACT Based on a descriptive research design, this study examined the variables of the levels of awareness, attitude and ethical concern in relation to faculty members in Nigerian universities and Open Educational Resources (OER). Against the backdrop of the five hypotheses raised and tested, findings indicated significant status-induced differences in how faculty members perceived OER and their ethical concern towards it. The analysis further showed that the benefits of OER (β = 0545) contributed more to the prediction of ethical concern. Moreover, academics’ awareness, attitude, and willingness contributed significantly to the emergence of OER initiatives. The study highlighted further academic staff benefits of OER in Nigerian universities. Consequently, it is recommended that universities and libraries need to fully embrace OER initiatives focusing on policy development, even as libraries undertake more aggressive awareness and advocacy programmes on OER among faculty members.

Biology of Bhutanitis ludlowi Gabriel, 1942 (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhutan

It was in 1933–34 that the first discovery of Bhutanitis ludlowi was made by plant explorer Frank Ludlow and George Sheriff at Tobrang, upper part of Trashiyangtse valley, Bhutan. It was rediscovered after a lapse of 76 years in 2009 by Bhutanese forester Karma Wangdi. Bhutanitis ludlowi is native to Trashiyangtse and occurs in few pockets of areas in northeastern part of Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS). There has been no report which described complete life cycle of Bhutanitis ludlowi till date. Listed in CITES appendix II, the endemic species is also the first butterfly species to be included under Schedule I of FNCRR of Bhutan, making it a totally protected species in Bhutan. For the first time a complete life cycle stages of Bhutanitis ludlowi was recorded at BWS on the host plant Aristolochia griffithii Hook.f. & Thomson ex Duch in ex situ environment. A greenhouse with dimensions of 12 X 5 X 3 m was constructed and a thriving habitat was created artificially through establishment of Aristolochia griffithii nursery inside the greenhouse. The eggs were brought down to the new environment at an elevation of 1,752 m from their natural habitat (elevation of 2,200 m). The eggs were incubated in the greenhouse with host plants in ex-situ conditions. Eggs incubated inside the greenhouse were examined at eight hour intervals daily (twice a day: 0900 h and 1700 h) to record physical changes in eggs such as colours. Bhutanitis ludlowi is univoltine brood where the life cycle completes in 365–367 days with egg hatching (Average = 16 days; SD = 2), larva (Avg. of 174 days SD 3), pupa (174 days, SD 1.53)) and adults emerged after 366 days. Predators of Bhutanitis ludlowi include spider, wasps, praying mantis, snails, and ants. Bhutanitis ludlowi protects themselves by avoiding predators through mechanisms like odour, camouflaged colorations, and excretion of poisons. Advocacy programs on its conservation importance and formation of community conservation support groups to protect its habitats is seen as one of the priority activities in the identified range of Bhutanitis ludlowi.

A Novel Disability Advocacy and Awareness Program for Training Future Healthcare Professionals on Care for Patients with Disabilities.

In a poll of 714 US physicians, it was revealed that only 40.7% felt very confident in their ability to provide the same quality of care, overall, to patients with disabilities (PWDs) compared with patients without disabilities. It was also found that only 56.5% strongly agreed that they welcomed PWDs into their practice as healthcare providers. This suggests a systemic issue of inequity in medicine, which affects both physicians and patients. If this problem is not corrected, our healthcare system will continue to lack in providing adequate care to PWDs. A key component of this issue is that the lack of confident care for PWDs appears to be a result of insufficient exposure to PWDs during the formative years in medical schools. Although medical students are taught extensive clinical skills and bedside manners, there appears to be little mention of how to make adaptations to basic patient encounters to accommodate PWDs. Further, the lack of representation of PWDs in the medical community results in minimal experience among trainees and the perpetuation of unjust biases in the healthcare system. Changes to the medical field must start with shaping future physicians and filling the void in medical education. As a solution, we at Florida State University (FSU) College of Medicine (COM) propose a program called the Disability Advocacy and Awareness Program (DAAP). Two interactive sessions were designed, and students were offered an immersive experience in which they were not only provided with information through well-crafted presentations but also encouraged to engage in direct interactions with PWDs and a myriad of assistive devices. We believe a great deal of the program's success stemmed from the two-phase interactive model that allowed students to undergo a truly immersive experience that a textbook cannot endow. Although we cannot expect every provider to be an expert on all disabilities, all physicians should have an understanding of how a disability mayimpact a patient's life and medical care. Improved knowledge and awareness surrounding disability and the barriers faced by the PWD population will provide insights that will allow for the most equitable, patient-centered care for the disabled community.

Information Literacy and Sustainable Development Goals Implementation: The Role of Libraries and Librarians

This paper is an exploratory investigation on Information Literacy and Sustainable Development Goals Implementation: The Role of Libraries and Librarians. It is imperative to note that libraries and librarians can help streamline services that encourage the participation and acceptance of stakeholders through its sharing, collaboration and facilitation platforms and services. The familiarity of users to their respective libraries avails the library the opportunity to sensitize, recognize and make visible prospects and challenges recorded with the implementation of SDGs. As it was pointed out that every sector depends on the library, it could be concluded that the library has all that is required to support the sustainable development goals to be achieve because of its characteristic dependability and inclusiveness. This paper recommended that management of libraries should not see the libraries as avenue of enriching themselves as there have been situations where fund released by government has been misappropriated and embezzled at the detriment of effective service provision. There should be in a existence a body with integrity whose responsibility should be to monitor and audit every library project and anyone found culpable punished accordingly. Furthermore, librarians and libraries should get involve in advocacy programmes such as road-walk, distribution of informative flyers, radio jingles and social media campaign with a view to intimating the public on the SDGs.

Firearm Injury: An Escalating Health Crisis.

Firearm Injury: An Escalating Health Crisis.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Menstrual Hygiene Management among Orphan and Vulnerable Adolescents in Lagos State

Purpose: During adolescence, young people develop their adult identity, and move toward physical and psychological maturity. Puberty, marked by the onset of menarche, is recognized as an important stage, marking the transition from girlhood to womanhood. From this stage until menopause, reproductive health and basic menstrual hygiene practices are important aspects in their lives. The study examined the knowledge, attitude, and practices of menstrual hygiene management among orphan and vulnerable adolescents in Lagos State.
 Methodology: the study was cross sectional and used quantitative research methods. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect data from the female adolescent students aged 8-17 years. A total of 434 orphan and vulnerable female adolescents enrolled in the Integrated Child Health and Social Services Award (ICHSSA 2) project funded by USAID in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study was conducted across the 11 local government areas where the ICHSSA 2 project is being implemented. Adolescents were scored for their level of knowledge, attitude, and practices of menstrual hygiene management.
 Findings: the study found that the mean age at menarche is 12 years. Knowledge and menstruation about menstruation is appreciable. About 92% of the participants had knowledge about menstruation before experiencing it, Majority of the adolescent receive information on MHM first from their mother (62.7%) and 88.5% of the participants use sanitary pads using 3-4 pads per day. 94.5% of the participants have good Practices (WASH) of Menstrual Hygiene Management. Access to sanitary pads is challenging.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Most of the orphans and vulnerable adolescent girls had good knowledge and practices of menstrual hygiene management. This demonstrates a need to design acceptable awareness creation and advocacy programs to improve the knowledge and promote safe hygiene practices of adolescent girls, in line with the SCT and KAP theory. Provision of MHM materials in schools and the inclusion of menstrual hygiene management into the school curriculum to achieve a near total coverage of safe hygiene practices among adolescent girls should also be prioritized as a matter of policy.

Knowledge and Practice on Menstrual Hygiene among Urban Adolescent Girls in Bangladesh

Introduction: Menstruation-related poor knowledge and understanding among adolescent girls may lead to unsafe personal health care practice that ultimately increases the risk of genito-urinary tract infections, drop-out from school, poor academic performance, and overall poor quality of life. Being a developing country, it is an unrecognized problematic area in Bangladesh. Therefore, it is crucial to assess knowledge and practice on menstrual hygiene among urban adolescent girls in Bangladesh.
 Methods: This was a community-based cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of Community Medicine of Rajshahi Medical College among 495 purposively selected urban adolescent girls. Data were collected using a semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire.
 Results: The majority (57.2%) of the respondents in the study were more than 15 years old, and most (93.3%) were Muslim. Most of the girls (82.5%) have experienced menarche within the age range of 12-15 years, and the majority of respondents, 259 (52.32%), were informed about menstruation before menarche. Their source of information about menarche was mothers in most cases. Out of 495 adolescent girls who participated in this study, 70.9% had good knowledge of menstruation. About 82% of girls used commercially made sanitary pads, and 35.2% changed pads or clothes more than three times a day during menstruation.
 Conclusion: The majority (70.9%) of adolescent girls had good knowledge of menstruation, and 73.3% had a good practice on menstrual hygiene. Therefore, there is a need to design and implement universal awareness creation and advocacy programs to improve their knowledge of safe and healthy menstruation management and promote good hygienic practices by creating an appropriate supportive home and social environment for all the adolescent girls.
 TAJ 2022; 35: No-2: 01-11

Using your State Organization to Advocate for Expanded Physical Education Opportunities

In Montana, SHAPE Montana Board members saw the reduction and replacement of physical education with traditional classroom time and decided to spring into action. Collectively, they leveraged their state organization (SHAPE Montana) and created an advocacy program called “The 150 Program” to promote the importance of physical education and physical activity to classroom teachers and administrators. Below are some key strategies this group used to advocate for expanded physical education and physical activity opportunities for elementary school students in Montana. The overall goal of the program was for elementary school students to accumulate the recommended 150 minutes a week of physical activity, with quality physical education being a major component.

Advocacy, Support, and Rehabilitation Programs.

Advocacy, Support, and Rehabilitation Programs.

Scourge of Lassa fever pandemic in Nigeria: The roles of library and information professionals in mitigating the spread of the disease

The paper explored the Lassa fever pandemic which is currently the most deadly disease ravaging most part of Nigeria. While it is disturbing that adequate environmental cautions were not been taken to inhibit its seasonal outbreak, it is more worried that 54 years after discovery of Lassa fever disease in Nigeria, stakeholders have failed to produce vaccines against the disease making it the worst in the history of the country. The disease has also spread rapidly in some part of West African countries. Literatures revealed that in the first quarter of 2023, Lassa fever have killed 203 persons across the 26 states in Nigeria. Also, 869 Lassa fever cases were confirmed between March and April, 2023 with predominant age 21-30 years mostly affected. Lassa fever has also 16.7% fatality rates which indicated a serious health challenges across the country. Lassa fever infections became a scourge in Edo, (115 cases), with 113 deaths, Ondo (90 cases), with 48 deaths and Bauchi, (71 cases), with 24 deaths. This necessitated the reason for the paper in creating platform for public enlightenment and education. The role of library and information professionals in raising awareness through public health education, information literacy in Nigeria became a key to mitigate the spread of the disease. The paper advocated strategies with the provision Internet services and social media as a means of providing useful sources of information that would help the general public to be aware on the danger of Lassa fever pandemic. The paper emphasized that proper information awareness through advocacy programmes to mitigate increase in Lassa fever cases by library and information professionals have become a gateway to stop the spread of the disease. The paper concluded that library services were impediment for improving health awareness of the users through education, information and public enlightenment. It is recommended that library and information professionals should serve as a catalyst in the promotion of public health through information awareness and dissemination.

Socio-Demographic Determinants and Utilization of Social Health Insurance Services among Civil Servants in Bayelsa State

Background: Social health insurance is one of the possible organizational mechanisms for raising and pooling funds to finance health services with a view to improving health and well-being. Socio-demographic factors such as level of education, income status, family size, gender, and other factors all contribute to healthcare utilization. This study assessed the socio-demographic determinants of utilization of social health insurance services among civil servants in Bayelsa State. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was adopted with a population consisting of seven thousand and sixty (7060) civil servants in Bayelsa State. A sample size of 491 was selected using multistage sampling procedure. Data were collected with a structured questionnaire and analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and point biserial correlation at 0.05 alpha level. Results: The results of the study showed that the level of utilization of the national health insurance scheme among respondents was high (3.02±0.89). Utilization of social health insurance services had a significant relationship with socio-demographic factors such as gender (n = 491; r = 0.44; p<0.01), household size (n = 491; r = 0.72; p<0.01), educational status (n = 491; r = 0.54; p<0.01) and income status (n = 491; r = 0.50, p<0.01). Conclusion: The socio-demographic determinants of utilization of social health insurance services among civil servants in Bayelsa State were gender, household size, educational status, income status and availability of services. It was concluded among others that the Bayelsa State government should continue to strengthen advocacy programs in support of social health insurance scheme to all the civil servants in the State.

Fisher Folk Disaster Environment and Management

In order to develop proactive program management frameworks, the research set out to assess the requirements and issues of the fishing community. The methods used program-proactive evaluation by John Owen; criteria selection took into account purposive random sampling technique; used interview guide protocol; grounded theory matrix on the data analysis; and served as the basis for the paradigm illustration. The research revealed that respondents had experienced both natural and man-made disasters. Everyone affected, including the participant's family members, experiences anxiety and stress as a result of the destruction. Additionally, there aren't any long-term government initiatives, and organizational management is poor. The paper covers the fisherfolk management framework to develop the institutional processes in terms of participatory governance, leading by example, and enhancing transparency. The fisherfolk association's growing capacity for organizational development in the face of disasters is strongly correlated with early warning disaster messages, disaster planning, education advocacy programs, emergency response skills, sustainable livelihood health programs, financial insurance coverage, and multi-sector community support partnerships.

Lessons learned from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative: A roadmap for the international COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

The COVID-19 vaccine is lauded by many as one of the greatest accomplishments in modern medicine, with the potential to definitively contain the deadliest pandemic of the last century. With the vaccine rollout now underway in the developing world, a robust, methodical, and swift global distribution effort is required to ensure that it will be done in an equitable manner. Taking into account the vast geographic, socioeconomic, cultural, and political diversity of countries around the world, global vaccination efforts have historically required multifaceted, time consuming, and labor-intensive approaches to be effective. However, with over 33 years of experience from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative - an international health initiative aimed at eradicating poliomyelitis - the COVID-19 vaccination campaign does not have to be approached blindly. Using lessons learned from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, this paper aims to identify the supply- and demand-side barriers to the success of the international COVID-19 vaccination effort, and ways each can be overcome. Most notably, health systems shortcomings, political and cultural messaging, and civil unrest and violent conflict serve as daunting obstacles to the success of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative has been able to overcome many of these same obstacles with innovative strategies such as context-specific microplanning, robust health surveillance systems, and community-centered education and advocacy programs. Ultimately, while the Global Polio Eradication Initiative is still fighting the battle of polio eradication, it has provided a roadmap for the COVID-19 vaccination campaign to be executed in a more swift and equitable manner.