Hobby Groups Research Articles

The Organization of Sport Tourism of the Volyn Regional Centre of Tourism, Sports and Travelling Tours

The article deals with an overall analysis of legislative documents, research and methodological literature, the reports of the regional Centre of Tourism, Sports an Travelling tours as well as the published materials related to the out-of-school activities in the Volyn Region. Under consideration are state-level regulatory aspects of the tourism ethnography job in out-of-school institutions of Ukraine. The job in the field of Sport Tourism of Ukraine is headed by the Ukrainian State Centre of Tourism and Ethnography. This company serves the interests of the schoolchildren And is subordinated to the Ministry of Education and Science. The Centre of Tourism, Sports and Travelling Tours (functioning in the framework of the Volyn State Administration) is the most important out-of-school institution and coordinator of the tourist-ethnographic work in Volyn Region and one of the most prominent agencies in the fields of tourism for Ukrainian children and adolescents. Of great importance for the development of sport tourism and ethnography in Volyn region is the interest clubs operating in the Regional Centre of Sports and Travelling Tours. The number of those interest clubs and hobby groups is fairly considerable. The replies of the respondents of a poll demonstrate the children’s participation in different sport tourists clubs of Volyn Region with the emphasis on a specific variety of tourism. The article contains the analysis of the major professional fields of the Agency: sport orienteering; sport tourists; geographic ethnography; geological ethnography; project of sport orienteering; project «A Wandering Mr.Know-All»; the project of «Tourism for Everyone»; Young Tourists as Ethnographers; historical Ethnography. The natural environment and resources of the Volyn region are quite propitious for the development of the touristethnographic and sport-tourist activity of the young people. The region offers very good opportunities for arranging walking and hiking tours, contests and just a recreation in the lap of nature. The contents of the activities of a typical interest club have been studied (the focus is on its resources and conditions). The task of our research is to analyze the peculiarities of the job of the tourist society as well as the problems it may face with. The accumulated knowledge, experience, the adequate organization and careful planning of the Centre’s job will make it possible to upgrade the training the tourist staff, encourage the schoolchildren to participate in large-scale tourist events, contests, travelling tours.

Association between the frequency and autonomy of social participation and self-rated health.

Although numerous studies have reported that social participation (SP) has favorable effects on older people's health, no studies have focused on the autonomy of SP. We investigated the cross-sectional relationship between the type, frequency, and autonomy of SP and self-rated health (SRH). A postal survey was mailed to 19354 citizens born between 1945 and 1949 in a city in Nara prefecture (response rate: 65.9%). A total of 12157 respondents (5114 men and 7043 women) with independent basic activities of daily living made up the analytical participants. Six types of SP were measured: volunteer groups, sports groups, hobby groups, senior citizens' clubs, neighborhood community associations and cultural groups. Using multiple logistic regressions, we calculated the odds ratio for poor SRH, with non-participation as the reference. Covariates included age, family size, body mass index, comorbidities, smoking, drinking, walking, depression and cognitive function. Adjusted odds ratios for poor SRH decreased with more frequent SP or with more voluntary SP among both sexes, but this dose-response relationship was stronger in women than in men. After mutual adjustment for the frequency and autonomy of SP, voluntary SP had stronger effects on SRH than frequent SP, especially in sports and hobby groups among men, and in volunteer and hobby groups among women. For cultural groups, women with frequent and voluntary SP had positive effects on SRH, but frequent and obligatory SP had negative effects on men. The present results imply that encouraging voluntarily chosen SP rather than frequent SP might be a key point for successful aging. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 2537-2544.

Age and gender differences in the association between social participation and instrumental activities of daily living among community-dwelling elderly

BackgroundAlthough many studies have suggested social participation (SP) has beneficial effects on elderly people’s health, most of them failed to deal with paid work. Additionally, few studies have focused on the age effect between SP and older people’s health. To investigate whether the association between SP, including paid work, and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), exhibits not only in gender, but also in age among community-dwelling older adults.MethodsIn 2014, we distributed self-administered questionnaires to all community-dwelling elderly aged ≥65 in two medium-sized cities in Nara Prefecture, Japan (n = 32,825). 22,845 residents submitted the questionnaire (response rate, 69.6%). Analyzed subjects were limited to 17,680 persons who had neither dependency in basic ADL nor missing data for required items. SP was assessed based on participation frequency in seven types of social activities: volunteer groups, sports groups, hobby groups, cultural groups, senior citizens’ clubs, neighborhood community associations, and paid work. Using Poisson regression models, prevalence ratio for poor IADL was calculated. To examine age and gender differences in the association between SP and IADL, we performed stratified analyses by age and gender group; male young-old (aged 65–74), male old-old (aged ≥75), female young-old, and female old-old.ResultsPrevalence of those with poor IADL was 17.1% in males and 4.5% in females, showing a significant gender difference. After adjustment for relevant covariates, volunteer groups were inversely associated with poor IADL only in males and the relationship was stronger in the old-old group than in the young-old group. Conversely, only females had a significant inverse association between paid work and poor IADL, and the association was not reliant on their ages but only those who participated infrequently had a favorable effect. Influence of age in the beneficial association between SP and IADL was generally larger in the old-old group than in the young-old group, but hobby groups were inversely associated with poor IADL, regardless of age, gender, and frequency.ConclusionsOur results suggest that SP in older age is positively associated with IADL, however, the association seems to differ depending on the type of activities participated in, the participants’ gender, and their age.

Social activities of older men who require daily support and the purpose of such activities.

Objectives The purpose of this study was to analyze the social activities of older men who require daily support, and to clarify the purpose of such activities, in order to develop effective living support and preventive long-term care service, suitable for this population.Methods Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 older men. Data were analyzed using inductive and qualitative methods.Results Four categories of social activities were identified, and four categories of purposes of these social activities were extracted. The following were the identified social activities: maintenance of "comfortable relationships with others," including family, relatives, friends, and neighbors; "participation and use of services and programs with clear objectives and relationships with others," such as long-term care insurance system services, clubs for the elderly, and hobby groups; maintenance of "relationships with former colleagues, depending on their experience of working with them," where some individuals actively participated in gatherings with former colleagues, while others did not keep in touch at all; and participation in "activities to enrich their feelings and quality of life within their living space," such as reading, watching TV, and doing household chores. The purposes of the observed social activities were to build "relationships with society through communication with other people" and to have a "sense of security by spending time with people of the same age and with those older than them." Hence, participants engaged in clubs for the elderly, as well as in hobby groups. In addition, participants made time for exercising regularly, which maintained their cognitive function and was intended for the "maintenance and activation of their physical functions by continuing to exercise," and "continuing to learn by thinking." Furthermore, participants engaged in the exercise or hobby groups that they were interested in, in order to "utilize their time in a meaningful way" that lead to pleasure and enjoyment.Conclusion The following were the characteristics of the observed social activities: (1) the activities helped participants to maintain relationships with their coworkers, (2) participants had comfortable relationships with others, with these relationships exhibiting different levels (i.e. intimate relationships or casual), and (3) participants actively followed current events. They have clear purpose join and participate in social activities. In addition, it is suggested that this population engage in social activities to enrich physical function and overall quality of life.

Factors contributing to lifelong science learning: Amateur astronomers and birders

AbstractThis research examined lifelong science learning reported by amateur astronomers and birders. One hundred seven adults who reported engaging in an informal (out‐of‐school) science interest were interviewed as part of an ongoing series of studies of lifelong science learners. The goal of the study was to gain insight into how and why amateur astronomers and birders pursue their hobby, how their hobby developed, and what influenced that development. Educators may use this information to design programs that support informal science learning over the lifespan. Informed by self‐determination theory, the characteristics, initial experiences, and interests, influences on continued development of science interests, sources of education, and benefits of engaging in a science hobby were explored. Results showed that most of the participants’ lifelong science interests began in childhood and were influenced by events, resources, and family members. Members of both hobby groups reported that, as a result of their informal science interests, they were more knowledgeable about science, more knowledgeable about how science is done, possessed better observation skills, possessed more environmental awareness, and had opportunities to socialize and network with others with similar interests. The intersection of motivation and social capital derived from hobby engagement and lifelong science learning is discussed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 54: 412–433, 2017

Social Participation and Cognitive Decline Among Community-dwelling Older Adults: A Community-based Longitudinal Study.

To examine whether social participation (SP) by older individuals is associated with cognitive decline (CD). Participants were community-dwelling older adults aged 65 or older with both independent activities of daily living and normal cognitive performance at baseline (2,768 men and 3,325 women). CD was evaluated using the Cognitive Performance Scale. Logistic regression analysis stratified by gender was used to examine CD in relation to SP, with nonparticipation as reference. Age, family, body mass index, pensions, comorbidities, medications, alcohol, smoking, depression, self-rated health, and instrumental activities of daily living were used as covariates. During the 3-year follow-up, 16.7% of eligible participants reported CD. After covariate adjustments, greater social group participation was associated with CD prevention for women only. Lessened negative CD effects were found in respondents active in these particular types of social outlets: neighborhood associations (odds ratio = 0.81, 95% confidence interval = 0.66-0.99) and local event groups (0.79, 0.63-0.99) for men, and hobby groups (0.70, 0.54-0.91) and volunteer groups (0.66, 0.45-0.96) for women. Our results suggest that greater social group participation prevents CD in women, while the beneficial effect of each type of SP on cognition differs between genders. Determining which types of social groups are best for community-dwelling older people's participation based on gender may help them maintain their cognitive functioning abilities.

Time in 1:72 Scale: Plastic Historicity of Soviet Models

Time in 1:72 ScalePlastic Historicity of Soviet Models Alexey Golubev (bio) A scale model of Lenin’s car will be a perfect addition to your school’s technology corner or Soviet history room. —Article from a Soviet technical journal It is a grand attempt to overcome the wholly irrational character of the object’s mere presence at hand through its integration into a new, expressly devised historical system: the collection. —Walter Benjamin, The Arcades Project When the Soviet government ordered the construction of the national exhibition center in Moscow in 1935, it was initially conceived as a showcase of Soviet agriculture and was named, accordingly, the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition. Two decades later, with the dawn of the space era and the rapid industrialization and urbanization of Soviet society, this focus on agriculture no longer seemed relevant, and in 1959, the exhibition center was renamed the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy (VDNKh). As part of this reorientation of the Soviet national exhibition, a pavilion that had previously been devoted to bog peat was renamed Young Technical Designers (Iunye tekhniki) and started featuring the craftsmanship produced by schoolchildren’s extracurricular hobby groups (kruzhki) and centers of young technical designers (stantsii and kluby iunykh tekhnikov), such as hand-built vehicles and agricultural equipment, scale models of ships and planes, and designs of existing and future spacecraft. [End Page 69] Click for larger view View full resolution The Young Technical Designers Pavilion at VDNKh in Moscow, Early 1980s, a Soviet-Era Postcard Source: https://pastvu.com. The allocation of a special pavilion at the Soviet national exhibition to “young technical designers” highlighted the importance that Soviet education officials gave to extracurricular activities of school-age children. The Department of Extracurricular Education was established within the People’s Commissariat of Education of Soviet Russia as early as November 1917. In 1952, the Council of Ministers of the USSR passed a resolution that harmonized the networks of extracurricular clubs and centers. Over the course of the decades that followed, palaces and houses of Young Pioneers, centers of young technical designers, school hobby groups, and other forms of extracurricular activities sprang up all over the Soviet Union.1 In 1988, there were 464,384 extracurricular clubs and centers in the Soviet Union, or roughly four times the number in 1950. The official statistics claimed that 7.5 million schoolchildren attended them, with technology-related clubs and groups being the most popular (2,132,659 children).2 According to the 1989 Soviet census, the number of schoolchildren (aged 7–17) in the USSR exceeded 45 million, which means that approximately one in every six Soviet school-age children attended extracurricular activities at any given time.3 Given high turnover rates, the proportion of Soviet students who at some point in their education enrolled in hobby groups was considerably higher, in particular in urban centers.4 The development of extracurricular technical activities served a pragmatic function: the incorporation of labor into the productive forces of the Soviet economy. The idea of spreading technological literacy among schoolchildren was, in fact, borrowed from late imperial pedagogy: in particular, from [End Page 70] the works of Evgenii Medynskii, a prominent theorist of extracurricular education who continued to work under the new authorities.5 During the 1920s and especially the 1930s, technological literacy became increasingly associated with one’s civil obligation to serve the national cause in peace and in war.6 The Young Technical Designers Pavilion reflected the post-Stalinist development of this political fantasy of schoolchildren’s contribution to the national economy, which was also prominently featured in educational theory and—hardly surprisingly—Soviet teen science fiction.7 At the official level, Leonid Brezhnev emphasized in a speech to the 16th Congress of the Komsomol that its leaders should “develop the scientific and technological creativity of working youth” as a prerequisite for the evolution of socialism into communism.8 This logic, which treated extracurricular activities of schoolchildren as viable assets of national development, placed them in the context of the Cold War competition between ideological blocs. For Soviet officials and education theorists, youth mastery of technology was a way to secure the USSR’s position at...

Association Between Social Participation and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

BackgroundPopulation-based data examining the relationship between social participation (SP) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) are scarce. This study examined the cross-sectional relationship between SP and IADL in community-dwelling elderly persons.MethodsSelf-administered questionnaires were mailed to 23 710 residents aged ≥65 years in Nara, Japan (response rate: 74.2%). Data from 14 956 respondents (6935 males and 8021 females) without dependency in basic activities of daily living (ADL) were analyzed. The number, type, and frequency of participation in social groups (SGs) were used to measure SP. SGs included volunteer groups, sports groups, hobby groups, senior citizens’ clubs, neighborhood community associations, and cultural groups. IADL was evaluated using the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence. Logistic regression models stratified by gender were used.ResultsAfter adjustment for putative confounding factors, including demographics, health status, life-style habits, ADL, depression, cognitive function, social networks, social support, and social roles, participation in various SGs among both genders was inversely associated with poor IADL, showing a significant dose-response relationship between an increasing number of SGs and a lower proportion of those with poor IADL (P for trend <0.001). A significant inverse association between frequent participation and poor IADL was observed for all types of SGs among females, whereas the association was limited to sports groups and senior citizens’ clubs among males.ConclusionsOur results show that participation in a variety of SGs is associated with independent IADL among the community-dwelling elderly, regardless of gender. However, the beneficial effects of frequent participation on IADL may be stronger for females than for males.

Participation in Extracurricular Activities and Development of Personal and Interpersonal Skills in Adolescents

In this study, we analyze self-reported development experience of adolescents involved in various extracurricular activities. We surveyed a large number of students (9th grade) across several regions of the Russian Federation: St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, Tomsk and Tomsk region, and Pskov. The total number of respondents was 3367. The self-assessment of skills and competencies we used a recently developed YES instrument (Hansen, Larson, 2005). We surveyed the students involved into a range of organized, adult-let extracurricular activities (in hobby groups, sports teams and clubs), and analyzed the obtained data using the method of multiple regression. We have established a connection between specific types of activities and the development of specific personal and interpersonal skills: adolescents involved in individual sports and martial arts believe that these activities help them to develop time management skills and goal setting; development of teamwork skills occurs for any sports and performing activities (dance, theater, etc.); these occupations also help them to acquire the social capital. Individual sports and martial arts offer the most favorable setting for development of most of skills and competencies. At the same time, any types of activities (participation in various sports, fine arts, or academic clubs) assist the youth in building their identities. While all types of extracurricular activities have a positive impact on the development of personality and interpersonal skills, each type of activity can be characterized by its own unique profile.

Social Participation and the Prevention of Decline in Effectance among Community-Dwelling Elderly: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

BackgroundWe examined the association between a decline in effectance and social participation (SP) from the perspective of the number and the type of SP in a prospective cohort study.MethodsIncluded in this analysis were community-dwelling elderly aged ≥65 without dependency on the basic activities of daily living and reporting a perfect baseline effectance score (n = 4,588; mean age 72.8±5.7). SP was categorized into 5 types: neighborhood associations, hobby groups, local event groups, senior citizen clubs, and volunteer groups. Effectance was evaluated using the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence. Using logistic regression analysis, odds ratio (OR) and a 95% confidence interval (CI) for a decline in effectance were calculated. Age, family, BMI, pensions, medical history, medications, alcohol, smoking, cognitive function, depression, social support, ADL, and IADL were used as covariates.ResultsDuring the 3-year follow-up, 17.8% of eligible participants reported a decline in effectance. After adjustment for covariates, participation in various groups was associated with the preservation of effectance for both genders. Regarding the type of SP, among females, participation in neighborhood associations (OR: 0.62, 95%CI: 0.48–0.81), hobby groups (0.58, 0.43–0.77), local event groups (0.63, 0.47–0.86), and volunteer groups (0.53, 0.35–0.82) was inversely associated with a decline in effectance. Among males, the beneficial effect was more likely limited to hobby groups (0.59, 0.43–0.81) and volunteer groups (0.57, 0.39–0.83).ConclusionsOur results suggest that participation in a variety of social groups is effective for maintenance of older people’s effectance, while the beneficial effect of each type of SP on effectance is stronger for females than for males. Recommending community-dwelling elderly to participate in social groups appropriate for their gender may be effective for successful aging.

Non-Formal Technological Education of Children in the City of Vilnius

Education and socialization constitutes the method of formation of the person, society and state’s future; therefore well-organized non-formal education of children and youth as well as the occupation of their leisure time is a necessary condition for the socialization of the young generation and for effective delinquency prevention.&#x0D; The problem of the research is that the technological education is underestimated in the nonformal education. Children have equal possibilities to participate in activity groups of the general education school and the non-formal education school; however, a clear tendency can be seen that technologies hobby groups are not popular in the institutions of non-formal education of children.&#x0D; The aim of the research was to establish the organizational aspects of the technological education of non-formal education of children in Vilnius city as well as the determining factors. The tasks of the research were the following: to analyze the situation of the organization of non-formal technological education in Vilnius city. To reveal the factors of children’s choice of technological education in the field of non-formal education. To research the problems of the organization of technological development in non-formal education.&#x0D; To achieve this aim the following research methods were used: analysis of literature and documents, empirical study (triangulation questionnaire was used), statistical analysis and comparisons graphical analysis, correlation analysis were performed.&#x0D; The analysis of statistical reports has showed that 2 creation centres and 12 children and youth clubs operate in Vilnius city, in which non-formal and technological education is organized, however, technological hobby groups are not popular among children.&#x0D; The results of the research has showed that the main problems in the field of the organization of technological hobby groups in non-formal education and related their attendance are as follows: inefficient financing of technological hobby groups, lack of activity means, non-equipped technological rooms in which children could educate in the appropriate environment. Also the problems of communications, too high charges for hobby groups and incompatibility of the time and activity of technological education are still not solved.

지속가능한 귀촌형 공동체마을 계획을 위한 거주자의 거주후 평가

This study had its purpose to evaluate cooperative village residents' post occupancy satisfaction and need, in the aspects of living environment, social environment, maintenance & management, regional environment, and economic environment. This evaluation should give meaningful data to enhance satisfaction level in the planning and maintenance of sustainable back-to-farm villages. 60 residents residing in the 6 villages answered the questionnaire of this study, which was analysed on the frequency and mean with its median score 3.0. The results of this study were as follows. 1) In the aspect of living environment, villages were recommended to have promenade path, resting spot, bench, small sporting facilities and culture space with adequate programs. 2) In the aspect of social environment, the villages were recommended to have autonomous council and hobby groups, with improved education programs for residents' back-to-farm life. 3) In the aspect of maintenance and management, the authority was recommended to assist the manual development for the pre-planning program of operation cost, and the establishment of village's fund guide and master plan. 4) In the aspect of regional environment, it was needed to make network system between residents and local specialists in civic groups; this network would make village programs to be tied with local programs and resources. And the authority was recommended to assist the cost for the villages to share their programs and facilities with neighboring ones. 5) In the aspect of economic environment, it was recommended to provide local facilities for income increase and production-aid, the mentor system to help non-experience farmers, programs for utilization of surrounding economic resources, and programs for the job-related or other economic activities in the local base.

Exercise to Promote Pupil Securitability

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Health and safety is based on the choices that people make during lifetime. Each of us chooses to act safely or unsafely, healthy or unhealthy. Specific risk group is children and youngsters. Children and young people often have a desire to test their independence, build a personal identity and expand the social life, so young people often experiment also with different types of behavior. In the situations not favorable to health and safety children and young people behavior often do not comply with their knowledge of how to act. Human (human securitability is an internationally-known concept that characterizes human adaptability skills in a rapidly changing environment. Are distinguished 7 human securitability aspects: health, economic, personal (physical), ecological securitability, nutritional, community and political securitability. In the National development plan (NDP) 2020 strategy one of the priorities is human securitability provision. In our study, we analyzed the personal (physical) securitability of educational institutions. A person with a low sense of securitability feels threatened, does not want to use the opportunities of personal growth, trust others and cooperate with them at workplace and in collectives, does not want to participate in the state national development process, and therefore does not contribute to national growth. The pupils are able to learn successfully at school, develop their ability to form a personality only in an environment with a sustainable securitability. The pupil parents can successfully work and act only in the case they are absolutely certain about their children securitability at school, where they spend most of the working day: at schools, in after-school hobby groups, in sports trainings. Creating a safe environment at schools and being educated, growing and developing in this environment, the pupils form understanding of the necessity for a safe and healthy environment and its importance, and develop motivation to keep it for the needs of family, society and the public. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;In strengthening securitability equally important is knowledge and skills to act in different situations. Researching education policy documents, the authors draw the conclusion that it is necessary on a state level to strengthen the securitability of each Latvian resident and the issues related to state securitability in educational institutions and society as a whole. Sports teacher can contribute to the promotion of pupil securitability, using the subject content as the means. Human securitability can be promoted by knowledge acquisition and skills development in securitability-oriented sports lesson.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Common Activities of Parents and Preschool Children Strengthening Their Relationship

The paper deals with the theme of common activities of parents with children of preschool age. Attention is focused on activities strengthening the relationship between adult and children. The text presents the results of research. Research questions: What activities do parents together with their preschool children? What activities from the perspective of parents do strengthen the relationship between parent and child? The research group consists of parents of children attending kindergartens (occasional selection, N=96). Methods: weekly schedule and questionnaire of our own design. Results: description of parent activities carried out together with the children throughout the week, during weekdays dominate interest clubs and hobby groups (often associated with preparation for school), staying out (walk, hike, playing on the playground) and reading (often before bedtime), on the weekend occur more frequently playing on the computer and watching TV. Activities strengthening relationship are characterized by the following features: good atmosphere (whatever kid laugh) and body contact. Parents also expressed as to which activities should in this context be recommended for other parents. The obtained information may be useful to teachers of kindergarten for several reasons: 1) teachers know what to follow, what children di with their parents outside of kindergarten, 2) list of activities may serve as inspiration for teachers, what type of activities can be suitable for collective education, 3) knowledge teachers can use in the consultation and advice for parents.

When totems beget clans: The brand symbol as the defining marker of brand communities

The veneration of brands as part of “brand communities” reflects the expansion of consumerism in advanced capitalism. But what is it about brand communities that set them apart from other community types? It is argued that brand communities differ from other types of communities in one important respect – the community is a secondary, rather than primary, effect of brand community association. In other words, the brand as symbol precedes the emergence of the brand community, rather than the symbol being employed (in a totemic fashion) to represent a pre-existing community as in other types of community. This realization opens the way for understanding the specific dynamics that characterize brand communities, particularly in their relationship with the corporate entities that legally own brands and market the branded products, and also with wider social trends where the brand comes to possess an iconic, mythic significance. It will be argued that, contrary to the recent trend in the brand community literature to view all manner of brand-oriented group activities as examples of brand communities, there are specific features that set brand communities apart from other types of community configurations. As a consequence, some of the examples put forward by analysts as brand communities might have brand community aspects, but are in fact primarily other types of community formations, such as subcultures and hobby groups. It is suggested that brand communities be viewed as a part of a continuum, with some groups according with the ideal type of brand community more than others. This is not merely important for classification purposes, but is important analytically, as it is contended that brand communities have a unique set of dynamics that sets them aside from other types of community formations.

Social Capital and Mental Health in Japan: A Multilevel Analysis

BackgroundA national cross-sectional survey was conducted in Japan. This is because the growing recognition of the social determinants of health has stimulated research on social capital and mental health. In recent years, systematic reviews have found that social capital may be a useful factor in the prevention of mental illness. Despite these studies, evidence on the association between social capital and mental health is limited as there have been few empirical discussions that adopt a multilevel framework to assess whether social capital at the ecological level is associated with individual mental health. The aim of this study was to use the multilevel approach to investigate the association between neighborhood social capital and mental health after taking into account potential individual confounders.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe conducted a multilevel analysis on 5,956 individuals nested within 199 neighborhoods. The outcome variable of self-reported mental health was measured by the one dimension of SF-36 and was summed to calculate a score ranging from 0 to 100. This study showed that high levels of cognitive social capital, measured by trust (regression coefficient = 9.56), and high levels of structural social capital, measured by membership in sports, recreation, hobby, or cultural groups (regression coefficient = 8.72), were associated with better mental health after adjusting for age, sex, household income, and educational attainment. Furthermore, after adjusting for social capital perceptions at the individual level, we found that the association between social capital and mental health also remained.Conclusions/SignificanceOur findings suggest that both cognitive and structural social capital at the ecological level may influence mental health, even after adjusting for individual potential confounders including social capital perceptions. Promoting social capital may contribute to enhancing the mental health of the Japanese.

How do young people identify with online and offline peer groups? A comparison between UK, Spain and Japan

Peer groups such as neighbourhoods and hobby circles are important sources of social identity for young people, but their viability is challenged by processes of urbanisation and labour mobility. In recent years, traditional peer groups have been joined by easily accessible computer-mediated groups, which have become an everyday part of life in many countries. In this article, we examine how young people identify with various online and offline peer groups. We compare online and offline identification experiences from the perspective of how socio-demographic position and individual sociability characteristics influence them, and examine how these identification processes differ between national contexts. Empirical analyses are conducted based on a survey of online community users from the UK, Spain and Japan (N=4299). It is found that participants identify as strongly with their online communities as they do with their own families, and stronger than with offline hobby groups. In the mature online societies of the UK and Japan, the online group provides a more socio-demographically inclusive source of identification than traditional leisure-time formations. As friends and family move online, affinity towards online groups is more likely to be a reflection of high sociability than a lack of it. Games, social networking sites and other online environments should be seen as crucial contexts for today's youth's socialisation and identification experiences.

Netball Team Members, but Not Hobby Group Members, Distinguish Team Characteristics from Group Characteristics

Research on groups is often applied to sport teams, and research on teams is often applied to groups. This study investigates the extent to which individuals have distinct schemas for groups and teams. A list of team and group characteristics was generated from 250 individuals, for use in this and related research. Questions about teams versus groups carry an a priori implication that differences exist; therefore, list items were presented to new participants and were analyzed using signal detection theory, which can accommodate a finding of no detectable difference between a nominated category and similar items. Participants were 30 members from each of the following: netball teams, the general public, and hobby groups. Analysis revealed few features that set groups apart from teams; however, teams were perceived as more structured and demanding, requiring commitment and effort toward shared goals. Team and group characteristics were more clearly defined to team members than they were to other participant groups. The research has implications for coaches and practitioners.

Antecedents and Consequences of Online Social Interactions

Online social interactions occur in many venues, from e-mail lists and Usenet newsgroups to real-time chat-rooms and multiuser domains (MUDs). We conceptualize such online interactions as intentional social action and study its individual-level antecedents (attitudes, perceived behavioral control [PBC], anticipated emotions) and social-level antecedents (subjective norms, group norms, social identity). Further, we examine a number of its key behavioral outcome consequences such as changes in offline interactions with family and friends, engagement in neighborhood activities and hobby groups, and the use of such mass media as television, radio, and print publications. An empirical study involving 545 members of 7 different types of high- and low-interactivity online venues not only supports our theoretical framework but uncovers interesting venue- and gender-related differences among participants.

Manufacturing Organizational Memory: Logged Conversation Thread Analysis

Introduction Logged conversation must be conceived of as an OM (Organizational Memory) manufacturing process acquired during active discussions among conversation participants and logged into a hierarchy of text-format data. A mailing list provides a collection of informative correspondences, and its use as a source of organizational knowledge in business is widespread and obvious. To make this use easier, however, good search tools are required. The plethora of current and widespread search technologies can be classified into four categories: (1) Context-extended search using a thesaurus. In this approach, the query term is expanded in context utilizing words/clauses/phrases from a thesaurus to broaden the catchment space. (2) Query-by-example. Here, the user selects relevant document snippets, which are then used for the query base. (3) Keyword Search on full/partial text contents. 4) List Scan, by which the user sorts by date, author, and subject by listing within the structured list (See Figure 1). [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Experimental Setting and Results Corpus Selection From the collection of 20 mailing lists gathered for this study, we found on analysis that they consist of three primary types: 1. In strongly-typed mailing lists, each reply or thread-initiating message can only start after the completion of a input. A typical example of this of mailing list is Organizational Memory Information Systems (OMIS), which force users to input a into the system, often presenting an unnecessary barrier. Such category type information can significantly enhance later OMIS search usability and effectiveness, but our observation has been that the threads do not extend to more than 10 messages. Here, we suspect the negative effect of the entry barrier outweighs usability, and we cannot argue that this of mailing list is good for our classification (Mark & Bordetsky, 1998). 2. A typical locating system allows each member to register and modify the index list pertaining to his or her specialized knowledge or experiences so that later users can locate subject matter experts by a simple keyword query. Each consultant will be registered, and the collected profiles form a thread in the mailing list. Users can add comments and feedback, rating the services received. Such registration data also constitutes a mailing list. It is rare here, as in (1), to see sufficiently long threads. Another drawback is that OM manufacturing does not happen in the locating system per se. Usually, the OM is created while messages are exchanged in a weakly typed message swap (Fisher, 2002). For these reasons, it is inadvisable to choose the locating system for analysis and classification. 3. The plain-vanilla free format or weakly-type-forced mailing lists is often used for hobby and special interest groups. In enterprise, employees form intra-net mailing list to assist OM creation and utilization (Hood, 2003). The mailing list we selected for analysis was borrowed from the amateur radio kit building community (Elecraft, 2003), where OM processes are actively performed and databases frequently accessed. Our list displays distinctive aspects arising from the nature of this community: 1. The list has been used since 1998 and the total number of messages per month increased constantly from the start. 2. The January 2003 list consists of 1406 messages by 311 members. As shown in Figure 2, 156 authors (50%) account for 86% of the messages, forming the list's active core. Fortyseven authors (15%) account for 54% of the messages. 3. Visitors and infrequent guests welcomed by expert advisers constitute 63% of the posters, posting only once or twice in the course of a typical month. Because of these well-behaved community aspects, OM created in the above list qualified as a relevant analysis corpus for our classification. …