Life Partnership Research Articles

OA26 How inclusive partnership working influences local policy and practice: the case of the end of life partnership.

: Ageing, death, dying and loss are universal issues that have a range of health, wellbeing, financial and socio-economic costs for society. The End of Life Partnership (EoLP) is a charitable collaborative in Cheshire, which aims to transform end of life experience and care, by working with a wide range partners from the public, private and third sectors and by engaging individuals, families and communities. Launched in April 2014, the EoLP merged three existing programmes focussing on public health, education and service development and added an additional research focus. There are now four dedicated departments: Public Health and Wellbeing; Research, Evaluation and Technology; Service Development; Education and Practice Development. In October 2014 a Dementia work stream was added. The work of The EoLP is shaped, overseen and monitored by a Strategic Partnership Executive, with representation from key local stakeholders and a board of trustees. The EoLP meets national objectives and delivers on local priorities agreed with stakeholders, including patients and the public. This is strengthened through a dedicated Cheshire Living Well, Dying Well Partnership to enable community voices to be heard. Significant milestones have already been realised as a partnership collaborative. For example, response to the national review of the Liverpool Care Pathway incorporated development of a local care plan with stakeholders, educational strategy to ensure effective roll-out, public consultation and work to measure impact. The EoLP works to influence and shape policy and practice at a local, regional, national and international level.

SACRED DIVORCE: RELIGION, THERAPEUTIC CULTURE, AND ENDING LIFE PARTNERSHIP. By Kathleen E. Jenkins. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2014. ix + 236 pp. $80.00 cloth, $27.95 paper.

Journal for the Scientific Study of ReligionVolume 54, Issue 1 p. 180-181 Book Review SACRED DIVORCE: RELIGION, THERAPEUTIC CULTURE, AND ENDING LIFE PARTNERSHIP. By Kathleen E. Jenkins. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2014. ix + 236 pp. $80.00 cloth, $27.95 paper. COURTNEY ANN IRBY, COURTNEY ANN IRBY Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IllinoisSearch for more papers by this author COURTNEY ANN IRBY, COURTNEY ANN IRBY Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IllinoisSearch for more papers by this author First published: 05 March 2015 https://doi.org/10.1111/jssr.12162Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Volume54, Issue1March 2015Pages 180-181 RelatedInformation

Marriage in Islam: Life Partnership or Discriminatory Family Set Up? An Analysis of Some Protective Legal and Moral Shariah Provisions for Women with Special Reference to Surah An-Nisa

The institution of family occupies a highly important position in Islam. Besides regulating human marital relations it plays a key role in the development and progression of a well-entrenched social order. It considers this relationship a sacrament social contract between two independent and pubescent persons and introduces checks and balances to protect and secure the rights of all stakeholders in this matter - husband, wife, children and the society large. Unlike certain other religions, Islam however does not regard marriage above dissolution and gives this right to both the spouses. According men and women equal social, legal and moral status as human beings, Islam differentiates between their status, roles and responsibilities in the family system, based on equity and justice. However, the true spirit of role differentiation is misunderstood by non Muslims as well as by less informed Muslims as establishing the patriarchal system endorsing gender equality and discrimination against women.

School food in England: Are we getting it right?

School food in <scp>E</scp>ngland: Are we getting it right?

Life partnerships in childhood cancer survivors, their siblings, and the general population

Life partnerships other than marriage are rarely studied in childhood cancer survivors (CCS). We aimed (1) to describe life partnership and marriage in CCS and compare them to life partnerships in siblings and the general population; and (2) to identify socio-demographic and cancer-related factors associated with life partnership and marriage. As part of the Swiss Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (SCCSS), a questionnaire was sent to all CCS (aged 20-40 years) registered in the Swiss Childhood Cancer Registry (SCCR), aged <16 years at diagnosis, who had survived ≥ 5 years. The proportion with life partner or married was compared between CSS and siblings and participants in the Swiss Health Survey (SHS). Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with life partnership or marriage. We included 1,096 CCS of the SCCSS, 500 siblings and 5,593 participants of the SHS. Fewer CCS (47%) than siblings (61%, P < 0.001) had life partners, and fewer CCS were married (16%) than among the SHS population (26%, P > 0.001). Older (OR = 1.14, P < 0.001) and female CCS (OR = 1.85, <0.001) were more likely to have life partners. CCS who had undergone radiotherapy, bone marrow transplants (global P Treatment = 0.018) or who had a CNS diagnosis (global P Diagnosis < 0.001) were less likely to have life partners. CCS are less likely to have life partners than their peers. Most CCS with a life partner were not married. Future research should focus on the effect of these disparities on the quality of life of CCS.

Whole school food programmes and the kitchen environment

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the impact of the Food For Life Partnership (FFLP) whole school food programme on kitchen staff employment and professional development.Design/methodology/approachThis exploratory research involved baseline and follow‐up interviews with 74 kitchen staff (51 primary and 23 secondary English schools) enrolled onto the FFLP programme. Empirical data were collected using a semi‐structured questionnaire between 2007‐2010 with an average of 20 months between baseline and follow‐up. Data were collected on the perceived programme impact on school cook professional experience and employment and their role in health promotion.FindingsNumbers of kitchen staff and mean job satisfaction grew. Kitchen staff reported significant investment in their kitchen environment. They felt a greater degree of involvement and broader integration with the rest of the school's educational mission. However, towards the end of their involvement, kitchen staff became increasingly cognizant of the growing challenges posed by broader economic conditions emerging at the time of follow‐up.Practical implicationsKitchen staff can play an important role in the promotion of healthy eating and school cohesion. However, there are significant organisational and employment‐based barriers to fulfilling this potential.Originality/valueThis paper outlines the role of kitchen staff in whole school food programmes and illustrates the key dimensions and barriers that need to be overcome to enhance their role through the delivery of improvements in school food uptake and the promotion of healthier and more sustainable food consumption.

A process evaluation of student participation in a whole school food programme

PurposeHealth promotion programmes are widely held to be more effective when the subjects of them actively participate in the process of change. The purpose of this paper is to report on an evaluation of the Food for Life Partnership programme, a multi‐level initiative in England promoting healthier nutrition and food sustainability awareness for students and their families through involvement in cooking, growing, farm visits and School Nutrition Action Groups (SNAGs).Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a mixed methods approach, drawing upon quantitative and qualitative data sources. The data sources included quantitative data on school level programme related activities, qualitative data collected through focus groups with children and reports from teachers and other staff involved in the delivery of the programme.FindingsThe paper concludes that the pivotal role of SNAGs in catalysing and embracing a whole school approach must be seen as an important mechanism for any health promotion in complex school environments.Originality/valueThis was a national evaluation of a unique school food project aiming to transform food culture in primary and secondary schools. The findings highlight the importance of a whole school approach to public health initiatives and the centrality of pupil participation in the success and sustainability of such interventions.

Creating a Learning Environment to Promote Food Sustainability Issues in Primary Schools? Staff Perceptions of Implementing the Food for Life Partnership Programme

There is increasing interest in the role that schools can play in promoting education for sustainable development (ESD), and evidence is emerging that schools can be influential in the emerging agenda around the ecological, ethical and social aspects of food, diet and nutrition. With regard to such food sustainability issues, this paper analyses the role of the Food for Life Partnership national programme in supporting garden and farm-based learning activities in 55 primary schools in England, UK. Using a mixed methods approach, the study examined the programme’s implementation through staff perceptions and a range of school change indicators. The study found that the programme delivery was associated with widespread institutional reforms. According to staff, implementation of the programme provided a range of opportunities for pupils to learn about food production and sustainability, but addressing these issues was challenging for teachers and raised a number of questions concerned with effective, equitable and on-going implementation. At a pedagogical level, teachers also reflected on conceptually challenging aspects of food sustainability as a topic for primary school education. The study identified ways that ESD programmes could support schools to think about and implement learning opportunities as well as identifying significant barriers related to resourcing such programmes.

Take Home Messages on Sustainable Food: Surveying Parent Perceptions of the Effects of a Primary School Programme

Aims: Parents are important stakeholders in school-based health promotion programmes. This study aimed to understand the perceptions of parents of a primary school-based healthy and sustainable food programme. It specifically sought to examine the perceived effects of the programme on the home environment and on parental engagement with schools. Study Design: A cross-sectional parent survey and a before-and-after school activity survey. Place and Duration of Study: Primary schools in England taking part in the Food for Life Partnership programme, between January 2008 and January 2011. Methodology: In 35 schools a pre-programme enrolment survey on parental involvement was completed and repeated at 18-24 months. In the same schools 740 parents responded to a cross-sectional survey on perceptions and effects of sustainable food education. Results: Parental involvement increased across a number of areas of food-related school

Engaging Secondary School Students in Food-Related Citizenship: Achievements and Challenges of A Multi-Component Programme

Global food security and sustainability, animal welfare, dietary health, and socially just relations of food production have become prominent societal issues. They are of particular concern for young people as their lives progress towards becoming independent consumers and citizens with the capacity to shape food systems of the future. This paper examined the role of the Food for Life Partnership programme in promoting young people’s engagement with food-related citizenship education in secondary schools. The research consisted of a two stage study of 24 English schools. We surveyed experiences and attitudes of students and staff, and recorded programme activities. The results presented a mixed picture. Staff reports and monitoring evidence showed much successful implementation of programme activities across the whole school. However, there was less evidence of positive student behavioral change. Amongst a range of possibilities to account for the findings, one explanation is the organizational challenges of delivering a complex and ambitious programme in the secondary school setting. This suggests the need to develop food citizenship programmes that combine long term institutional reforms alongside focused interventions with specific groups of students. It also highlights the case for ensuring a place for food related citizenship on the educational policy agenda.

Food sustainability education as a route to healthier eating: evaluation of a multi-component school programme in English primary schools

Promising approaches to the promotion of healthier eating among children in primary school settings include the opportunity to practise practical cooking and growing, promoting the take up of healthier school meals and nutritional education. However, less is known about the potential for strategies that integrate approaches through a focus on food sustainability issues--such as the promotion of awareness about local, seasonal, organic, fair trade and higher animal welfare foods. This paper presents an evaluation of the Food for Life Partnership, a multi-component programme that sought to address both the health and sustainability aspects of food. The study consisted of a two-stage cross-sectional survey of Years 5 and 6 students (ages 9-11) in 30 primary schools at enrolment and after 18-24 months, combined with an analysis of programme delivery. Higher self-reported fruit and vegetable consumption in the second stage survey was associated with a range of indicators of school participation in the programme. These included the reform of school meal procurement and preparation; experiential food growing, cooking and farm-based education and improved opportunities for stakeholder engagement. The study therefore develops a case for multilevel programmes that incorporate sustainability issues alongside experiential food education in primary school settings.

Realizing a Holistic Approach to Food through School Gardens and Growing Activities

Garden-enhanced education in schools is increasingly recognized as a promising strategy for promoting healthier eating and environmental awareness for children. Analysis of the development of school garden initiatives can offer insights into how these benefits may be optimized. Using a mixed-methods approach, our study tracked the progress of 55 primary schools participating in the Food for Life Partnership: a multi-component school food program. The findings showed considerable expansion of food growing facilities, outputs and supporting infrastructure. Participating students, parents and community volunteers helped create new links to food-related activities in the dining hall, the classroom and the home environment. This provided a mandate for lead teaching staff, often working under conditions of social deprivation and poor green space, to create a more holistic approach to food in school life. The effectiveness of these changes connected to the strategic re-development of growing spaces and the conceptually integrated messages on food sustainability.

Realizing a Holistic Approach to Food through School Gardens and Growing Activities

Garden-enhanced education in schools is increasingly recognized as a promising strategy for promoting healthier eating and environmental awareness for children. Analysis of the development of school garden initiatives can offer insights into how these benefits may be optimized. Using a mixed-methods approach, our study tracked the progress of 55 primary schools participating in the Food for Life Partnership: a multi-component school food program. The findings showed considerable expansion of food growing facilities, outputs and supporting infrastructure. Participating students, parents and community volunteers helped create new links to food-related activities in the dining hall, the classroom and the home environment. This provided a mandate for lead teaching staff, often working under conditions of social deprivation and poor green space, to create a more holistic approach to food in school life. The effectiveness of these changes connected to the strategic re-development of growing spaces and the conceptually integrated messages on food sustainability.

In Practice

With childhood obesity becoming a serious problem in the UK, schools are an important environment to influence food intake and to challenge food-related behaviour. The Food for Life Partnership is one project that has capitalised on the potential of schools to address the issue of childhood obesity and encourage children to have a healthy relationship with food. School dinners took on a very different meaning when Jamie Oliver launched his 'Feed Me Better' campaign in 2005. The Channel 4 TV series, brought to the public's attention (and consequently to the forefront of the political agenda) the worrying eating habits of children. Since the airing of the series efforts to address the problems highlighted have been stepped up, none with less ambition than the Food for Life Partnership (FFLP). The partnership is funded until December 2011 by the Big Lottery Fund. It encompasses four food focused charities who are committed to working together to transform food culture across a network of schools and communities in England. Led by the Soil Association, the UK's leading food charity, the scheme builds upon their Food for Life enterprise, founded in 2003, which was transformed after Jamie Oliver's influence on government policy. The partnership now also includes the Health Education Trust, Focus on Food Campaign and Garden Organic. All four organizations are focused on improving children's relationship with food in English schools. Food, health and education are intrinsically linked. Habits are developed from a young age and schools are captive environments which have the potential to shape the behaviour of every individual, regardless of social background. With current figures showing that one in four children aged between 2-10 years are overweight or obese and with The British Medical Association suggesting that by 2020 this will rise to one quarter of children being obese in the UK; the spotlight is now on schools to do something to reverse these worrying statistics. The FFLP has therefore been developed to ensure that schools are equipped to provide children with the healthiest possible start in life. The FFLP is a programme and award scheme to aid healthy and sustainable food choices. The award scheme has 3 levels (bronze, silver and gold) which schools can work towards to improve areas such as food quality and provenance, and food education. The scheme requires a school to have a food policy; an action plan; and a School Nutrition Action Group (SNAG), which is a steering group that includes representatives from the whole school community. Schools will then have access to help, advice and expertise and online resources. The FFLP aims to get children thinking positively about food, through teaching them how to cook; establishing farm links so that children understand where the food they eat comes from; and by encouraging children to grow their own food at school. Having a whole school approach means food education is covered across the entire curriculum. The Soil Association also works closely with school caterers and has established the Food for Life Catering Mark which ensures that school meals are fresh, wholesome and healthy, and form part of a balanced diet. The link between socioeconomic status and eating habits cannot be ignored and the project is also keen to ensure that children from deprived backgrounds are eating a nutritious and balanced diet. Of the children entitled to a free school meal in England, 20% choose not to have them. In FFLP schools, free school meal take-up has increased by 13 percentage points in two years in primary schools, and 20 percentage points in secondary schools.1 This is a particularly significant achievement since half of all FFLP schools are in areas with high levels of deprivation. FFLP is therefore closing the gap on social disadvantage through helping those who need it the most. So far the scheme has been a huge success with 3,800 schools currently enrolled on the programme. …

Rethinking Volks V Robinson: The Implications of Applying a "Contextaulised Choice Model" to Prospective South African Domestic Partnerships Legislation

The article considers certain critical failings of the so-called "choice argument" (that is the view that, by opting to cohabit in a life partnership rather than marry or enter into a civil partnership, a life partner is not entitled to the legal benefits provided by matrimonial [property] law) as it was applied to opposite-sex life partnerships by the majority of the Constitutional Court in Volks v Robinson.1 On the basis of Canadian jurisprudence, a "contextualised choice model" is developed that distinguishes between need-based claims and those involving property disputes, and holds that the "choice argument" could at best be relevant regarding the latter category of claims, while the existence of a reciprocal duty of support is sine qua non for any need-based claim to succeed. These findings are applied to registered and unregistered domestic partnerships under the draft Domestic Partnerships Bill, 2008, with the aim of suggesting certain amendments to the Bill in the hope of ensuring amore consistent and principled legal position once the Bill is enacted.Keywords: Life partnership; domestic partnership; Domestic Partnerships Bill; choice argument; contextualised choice model; reciprocal duty of support.

Quality of Life Partnership: promoting the opportunities arising from an ageing society

As we have seen, there are a number of factors that dictate and influence an individual's capacity or willingness to use the internet. In Newcastle, an inspiring and awardwinning initiative has had a significant effect on the way older people are engaged in the city. And surprisingly, one of the successful ways is using the internet. Barbara Douglas explains how they have achieved this and Mary Nicholls describes her involvement in the initiative.

Neuroticism, extraversion, stressful life events and asthma: a cohort study of middle‐aged adults

Stressful life events can trigger asthma exacerbations, but could also contribute to the development of incident asthma. However, only few studies have investigated the association between stressful life events and adult asthma prospectively. Likewise, stress-related personality traits (e.g. neuroticism and extraversion) may increase asthma risk, but this has been examined in only one prospective study. We therefore aimed to investigate the association between neuroticism, extraversion, stressful life events and incident asthma. A population-based sample of 5114 middle-aged adults completed questionnaires between 1992 and 1995. Among those alive in 2002/2003, 4010 (83%) were followed-up by questionnaires. Exposures of interest included neuroticism, extraversion and three stressful life events (unemployment, having broken off a life partnership and death of a close person). Associations with incident asthma were estimated by multivariable risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) using Poisson regression. High vs low neuroticism predisposed to developing asthma (RR = 3.07, 95% CI = 1.71-5.48), but high extraversion did not (RR = 1.30, 95% CI = 0.79-2.15). Having broken off a life partnership significantly increased asthma risk (RR = 2.24, 95% CI = 1.20-4.21) in contrast to death of a close person (RR = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.64-1.75) or unemployment (RR = 1.65, 95% CI = 0.72-3.78). High levels of neuroticism may increase the risk of asthma in middle-aged adults. Having broken off a life partnership was the only stressful event, which was associated with incident asthma. Synthesized with evidence from earlier studies, this could reflect that interpersonal conflicts may increase asthma risk, possibly along an immunological pathway.

Partnerships: How to make writing collaborations pleasurable and productive

Partnerships: How to make writing collaborations pleasurable and productive

Defining Life Partnerships: Does Sexual Orientation Matter?

ABSTRACT This study compared the responses of gay men, lesbians, heterosexual men, and heterosexual women to a number of questions investigating the needs and tensions in life partnerships between two individuals. Overall, the groups had similar attitudes toward life partnerships. Nearly all respondents found great meaning in the idea of life partnership, the pursuits of psychological and physical intimacy and the importance of family and social support, and all three of these categories were actually considered more important than the ability to marry legally. Respondents recognized that having children may encourage commitment to life partnerships, though this was less influential for gay men. A significant percentage of respondents, regarding HIV status, either had no opinion or felt that HIV was not particularly or not at all threatening to life partnerships. Men and women, regardless of sexual orientation, appear to experience similar needs and aspirations regarding life partnerships.

Sexual Abuse in Childhood and Youth as Psychopathologically Relevant Life Occurrence: Cross-sectional Survey

Aim. To assess the perpetrators of sexual abuse in childhood, forms of simultaneous abuse, and characteristics of the families of origin, and the possible effects of abuse on health in adult life. Methods. A cross sectional study conducted between 1998 and 2002 included a random group of 936 inpatients (723 women) aged (mean±standard deviation) 41.0±2.5 years at the psychosomatic clinic in Simbach,Germany. The following questionnaires, previously validated in German, were used to assess the patients: Questionnaire for Life Story and Partnership, Scale for Survey of Quality of Life, ExistentialOrientation Scale, Leipzig Incidence and Psychological Stress Questionnaire, Questionnaire for Assessment ofOne’sOwnBody, Survey of Life Satisfaction, Frankfurt Physical Concept Scale, Giessen Complaint Survey, and the Survey for Collection of Health Behavior Data.We compared the inpatients who had been sexually abused in their childhood (n=250) with other psychiatric inpatients in the control group (n=486). Results. Out of 250 sexually abused patients, 25.7% were victimized by fathers/stepfathers,4%by mothers/stepmothers, 12.4% by aunts or uncles, 10% by brothers or sisters, 7.6% by grandmothers/grandfathers, 30.1% by family acquaintances,and 29.3% by strangers. The parents of sexually abused patients had more conflicts, especially over alcohol consumption (p<0.001) and extramarital affairs (p<0.001), and had more underlying emotional (p<0.001) and physical illnesses (p=0.006). Significantly more sexually abused patients reported having poor concentration and sexual handicaps, tended to hide their body ,abused illicit drugs, had borderline personality disorder, and suicidal ideation Conclusion. The patientswho were sexually abused in childhood had significantly less satisfactory lives andmore frequent psychiatric illnesses, suicidal ideation, disturbed social functioning and perception of the body, and psychosomatic diseases.