Personal Behavior Research Articles

Does implementation of a low emission zone change perceptions of air quality, acceptability and travel behaviour? a longitudinal and repeated cross-sectional survey study in Bradford, UK

Background Despite the popularity of low emissions zones (LEZ) across Europe their public acceptability and impact on travel behaviours are scarcely studied. We aimed to explore changes in acceptability, perceptions of air quality, and travel behaviours in a multi-ethnic sample living in Bradford, UK after the implementation of a Clean Air Zone (a type of LEZ). Methods Telephone, in-person and online surveys were conducted one year pre- and one year post implementation. Participants included members of the representative Born in Bradford (BiB) cohort and members of the general public. A repeated cross-sectional analysis explored changes in responses between baseline and follow-up questions using chi-square tests and tests of proportions. Multinomial regressions explored whether socio-demographic variables were associated with changes in attitudes longitudinally. Results A total of 1,949 and 2,085 individuals participated in the baseline and follow-up surveys; 814 participants completed both. Participants were mostly female, aged 35–44. Half were white British, and 30% of Pakistani origin. The majority of participants supported the clean air zone at follow-up (59–64%), although these figures were lower than at baseline (by 4.9% for BiB families and 10.8% for members of the general public). A third indicated high concern about air quality (34–38%). Personal travel behaviours showed little variation pre to post implementation. On the whole, attitudes of those completing both surveys remained stable, and there were no systematic relationships between socio-demographic variables and whether attitudes worsened or became more positive. Conclusion Whilst CAZ support remained high, we observed small decreases in support after the CAZ implementation. As public acceptability is a key facilitator to the success of initiatives such as CAZ, a decrease in public support may threaten their sustainability. Communication about the need for CAZ, and demonstrations of their positive impact will be important to maintain levels of acceptability.

Who’s Active Actor? The Analysis of Moderating Impact of Opportunity and Cost on Personal Energy Saving Behavior and Public Policy Participation

Who’s Active Actor? The Analysis of Moderating Impact of Opportunity and Cost on Personal Energy Saving Behavior and Public Policy Participation

Prevalence of Chronic Liver Disease Based on Ultrasound Shear Wave Elastography in an Adult Asian Indian Population Attending Outpatient Preventive Radiology Clinics in India.

To determine the ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE)-based prevalence of chronic liver disease in an adult Asian Indian population attending preventive radiology outpatient clinics in India. Liver stiffness measures (LSMs) were ascertained using ultrasound SWE and interquartile range/median (IQR/M) ratio ≤ 30% kilopascal (kPa) units were considered a good quality measurement. Details of modifiable risk factors including comorbidity and personal risk behaviors were collected. The liver was graded based on the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound Liver Elastography Consensus Statement and Grades 4 and 5 indicated compensated advanced chronic liver disease (cACLD) and clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH). A multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze associations with chronic advanced liver disease. The median LSM in the study participants (n = 1145) was 8.0 (IQR 6.5, 9.85) kPa units. 10.65% of the study population had advanced chronic liver disease (cACLD and CSPH) and 22.79% had LSM that was suggestive of cACLD. cACLD and CSPH were significantly associated with comorbidities, personal risk behaviors, and lean and obese body mass indices. Modifiable risk factors were present in 20%-50% of participants with LSM between 7 and 13 kPa. Information on the prevalence of LSM-based cACLD and CSPH and modifiable risk factors in persons with LSM between 7 and 13 kPa will help to design preventative strategies using LSM as an objective imaging biomarker.

The nexus between spirituality and personal financial behavior: a study of students with entrepreneurial intentions

PurposeThe current study explores the relation between students' spiritual quotient (SQ) and personal financial planning (PFP). The students with entrepreneurial intentions were considered for the present study.Design/methodology/approachThe students from higher educational institutes with an intention to be entrepreneurs were considered for data collection. Using a well-designed, closed-ended questionnaire, primary data from college and university students was collected. Using quota sampling, a total of 189 responses were gathered, however the responses of students with entrepreneurial intentions (n = 100) were considered for analysis. To investigate the relationship between PFP and SQ, descriptive analysis, Spearman's rank correlation and forecasted trend line were employed.FindingsThe study revealed a significant positive relationship between PFP and SQ. Thus, SQ also has potential to determine individuals' investment behavior. The study suggests that students' spiritual development can determine their PFP and entrepreneurial actions.Practical implicationsThe outcome of the study can be practically used to explore the investment pattern and behavior of youth. The study would further benefit the stakeholders including issuers, developers and consultants involved in the creation and distribution of financial products. The study guides researchers to undertake further research in this domain.Originality/valueThe existing literature on personal financial behavior has lacked in establishing a relationship between spirituality and investment decisions. The present study is novel in substantiating this void. We contribute to the advancement of literature in behavioral finance. This study identifies multifaceted factors that shape investors' behaviors and preferences in finance and proposes the avenues for future research.

Geographically varying associations between personality and pro-environmental behaviors across the USA

Geographically varying associations between personality and pro-environmental behaviors across the USA

HEARING THE VOICE OF WOMEN WORKING IN EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Early childhood development (ECD) has the potential to change society. Researchers globally recognise the importance of early intervention on children’s overall well-being and development, impacting their personality and social behaviour. When developing policies to support early childhood development, some questions arise regarding the implementation’s practicality. The National Integrated Development Plan for Early Childhood Development in South Africa aims to transform ECD service delivery in South Africa to address critical gaps and ensure comprehensive, universally available, and equitable early childhood development services. Providing quality places for care and education for children between the ages of 0-7 years is emphasised as a critical component of the overall plan toward eradicating poverty. Research indicates that the lack of quality ECD learning environments is one of the critical challenges impacting negatively on achieving the intended transformation. This research paper explores the experiences of the principals and teachers of a selection of 8 ECD centres situated in Outerwest eThekwini. The research is conducted through a theoretical lens of spatial justice for ECD children and their teachers/carers in South Africa. The study is framed within the ecological systems theory developed by Bronfenbrenner, providing an understanding of the complexity of their context. The research design follows a constructivist approach of interviews and participation, enabling voice to a marginalised group within an interpretive/ transformative paradigm. The research findings expose the multiple levels of inequality and the resilience of the women who serve the ECD sector in South Africa.

Mengkaji Perilaku Keuangan Pribadi; Fokus pada Gaya Hidup, E-Commerce, Kontrol Diri, dan Pendapatan

This research examines personal financial behavior in Sidoarjo City in the early adult generation. The aim of this research is to deepen understanding of how individuals in Sidoarjo City manage their personal finances. Quantitative methods were used with non-probability sampling techniques on 117 individuals who were working and had their own income. The results of the analysis show that there is no influence of lifestyle on financial behavior, but e-commerce and self-control have a positive and significant influence on financial behavior. Meanwhile, income has no influence on financial behavior. This research highlights the importance of financial literacy and self-control in managing personal finances, especially among the younger generation.

How Likely Is it that I Would Act the Same Way: Modeling Moral Judgment During Uncertainty.

Moral rules come with exceptions, and moral judgments come with uncertainty. For instance, stealing is wrong and generally punished. Yet, it could be the case that the thief is stealing food for their family. Such information about the thief's context could flip admonishment to praise. To varying degrees, this type of uncertainty regarding the context of another person's behavior is ever-present in moral judgment. Hence, we propose a model of how people evaluate others' behavior: We argue that individuals principally judge the righteousness of another person's behavior by assessing the likelihood that they would act the same way if they were in the person's shoes. That is, if you see another person steal, you will consider the contexts where you too would steal and assess the likelihood that any of these contexts are true, given the available information. This idea can be formalized as a Bayesian model that treats moral judgment as probabilistic reasoning. We tested this model across four studies (N=601) involving either fictional moral vignettes or economic games. The studies yielded converging evidence showing that the proposed model better predicts moral judgment under uncertainty than traditional theories that emphasize social norms or perceived harm/utility. Overall, the present studies support a new model of moral judgment with the potential to unite research on social judgment, decision-making, and probabilistic reasoning. Beyond this specific model, the present studies also more generally speak to how individuals parse uncertainty by integrating across different possibilities.

Citizen science promotes knowledge, skills and collective action to monitor and protect freshwater streams

Abstract Citizen science has great potential to foster ecological knowledge, skills and collective action for biodiversity conservation. To date, however, there are few experimental studies of behaviour change outcomes induced by citizen science. We assessed the effects of citizen science in ecological stream monitoring on participants' individual and collective behaviour and action intentions to protect streams beyond the immediate scope of the citizen science project. For this we applied a three‐wave, quasi‐experimental survey design with a citizen science treatment group (N = 213 participants of the project FLOW in Germany) and two control groups (waiting control group: N = 92, panel control group: N = 250). In addition, we analysed citizen science effects on potential predictors of freshwater conservation behaviour, such as knowledge, skills, awareness of stream stressors and group identification. Results of linear mixed‐model analysis showed that, compared to the control groups, citizen scientists significantly increased their objective stream‐related knowledge, their self‐reported stream monitoring skills and their awareness of stream stressors. These changes remained stable 6 weeks after the citizen science intervention. Notably, citizen scientists also reported increased identification with their citizen science project group and higher levels of collective and personal behaviour to protect streams at posttest (e.g. contacting local politicians with ideas for stream protection or using biodegradable detergents). Analysis revealed that increases in group identification and collective stream protection behaviour were significantly correlated. We could show that the citizen science intervention was particularly effective for participants with high intrinsic motivation and for those with low prior knowledge and experience in stream monitoring. Synthesis and applications. Citizen science can serve as a useful tool to promote ecological understanding, awareness and collective action to conserve freshwater streams. By fostering volunteer skills and community building, citizen science projects can empower participants with different levels of experience to engage in freshwater monitoring and protection. Decision makers should actively support approaches for citizen participation in freshwater monitoring, recognising that collective engagement of diverse community members is needed to finally meet the European Water Framework Directive's goal of restoring the good ecological status of freshwater ecosystems. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

La valutazione della performance individuale del pubblico dipendente. Un progetto di ricerca basato su strumenti costruttivisti

In the Italian public entities, the assessment of employees involves the use of two parameters: the organizational performance objectives and the individual performance factors. The last ones concern the personal behaviors required in the workplace by employees under evaluation, and their measurement affects the construction of the roles of the evaluator and the evaluated. Difficulties invest both: the evaluator considers that he/she does not possess technical tools and relational skills to manage this process; the evaluated tends to focus mainly on the economic and career consequences. The aim of this work is to help the manager to recognize the meaning dimensions underlying his evaluator activity and to become more effective and consistent as evaluator through the use of some constructivist tools. In this way it will be possible to encourage the evaluator to become more aware about the dimensions involved and the impact of his activity on the assigned personnel and on the whole organization.

Analysis Of The Relationship Between Self-Concept And Self-Esteem And The Behavior Of Female Students In Reproductive Health Maintenanceat The District Islamic Boarding School Batanghari Multicenter Study

Reproductive health is a serious problem throughout human life. Vaginal discharge is one of the reproductive health problems of adolescents, especially one that women often complain about. Survey results show that 65% of teenage girls in Indonesia experience vaginal discharge. Self-esteem is an important component in forming a person's self-concept, where self-concept is an important thing in determining a person's behavior, including maintaining reproductive health. This research aims to determine the relationship between self-concept and self-esteem and the behavior of female students in maintaining reproductive health in Islamic boarding schools in Batanghari Regency. This research is a correlative descriptive quantitative research with a cross-sectional, multi-centre research design involving 3 Islamic boarding schools in Batanghari Regency. Sampling used random sampling. The total sample was 98 respondents. The data analysis used includes univariate analysis (respondent characteristics, self-concept, self-esteem, student behavior), as well as bivariate analysis to measure the relationship between self-concept and self-esteem. The results of the research showed that 63.3% of respondents had poor female student behavior in maintaining reproductive health. There is a relationship between self-concept (p-value: 0.008), Self-Esteem (p-value: 0.006) and the behavior of female students in maintaining reproductive health. The research results showed that of the 56 respondents with a negative self-concept, 44 (74.6%) respondents had poor behavior among female students in maintaining reproductive health. Of the 39 respondents with positive self-concept, 18 (46.2%) respondents had good female behavior in maintaining reproductive health. Efforts are needed from Islamic boarding schools to conduct training and health promotion for female students in maintaining reproductive health regarding self-concept and self-esteem.

Environmental and Behavioral Determinants of Septicemia Mortality in Türkiye: A Ten-Year Analysis

This study examines the environmental and behavioral factors associated with variations in septicemia mortality rates across Turkish provinces. Province-level data spanning ten years were analyzed using ordinal logistic regression modeling to determine the predictors of septicemia mortality. Environmental factors such as humidity, temperature, and air pollutants, along with behavioral aspects including alcohol consumption, were evaluated. Analysis of the provided data revealed significant regional variations in septicemia mortality rates across areas with diverse environmental and social characteristics. Higher median humidity and stable environmental conditions (low variability in humidity and temperature) correlated with reduced mortality rates. Alcohol consumption was identified as a risk factor, moderately increasing the risk of septicemia mortality. The findings highlight the intricate relationship between environmental stability, personal behaviors, and septicemia outcomes. The study accentuates the need for targeted public health strategies and suggests that mitigating environmental risks and fostering healthy behaviors could effectively reduce septicemia mortality. Further studies should focus on individual-level data and explore the relationship between these factors in different climatic conditions.

Coaching members of the healthcare team to improve care provision.

Since the challenges of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) pandemic, during which many nurses had to work in extreme circumstances and with limited resources, healthcare leaders have explored how they could better support nurses in the future. Admiral Nurses - who are supported by the charity Dementia UK to provide expert care and advice for people with dementia - have been offered coaching alongside their regular clinical supervision. In the workplace, coaching can be defined as a process that supports another person's understanding, learning, behaviour and progress. Through coaching, nurses can develop their skills and address any negative attitudes and behaviours that may be affecting their work. This article focuses on how coaching techniques and skills might assist nurse leaders to support team members to improve care provision.

Predictive value of Type D personality combined with unhealthy cardiovascular behaviors for the long-term adverse cardiovascular events in ACS patients

Abstract Background Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has become a major public health problem worldwide due to its high morbidity and mortality. In addition to traditional risk factors, psychosocial factors play an important role in the development of ACS.Type D personality, as a combination of social inhibition and negative affect, has been defined as a psychological risk factor for coronary heart disease by the European Society of Cardiology.Meanwhile, ACS patients with Type D personality may have behaviors such as unhealthy dietary behaviors, less regular physical activity, and poorer self-management behaviors. Then, whether the combination of Type D personality and poor cardiovascular health behaviors can increase the risk of poor prognosis in patients with ACS requires further research. Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Type D personality combined with poor cardiovascular health behaviors on long-term major adverse cardiovascular events(MACE) in patients with ACS. Methods A total of 18631 patients diagnosed with ACS between January 2017 and July 2023 were included in this study. Type D personality, cardiovascular health behaviors (smoking cessation, physical activity, average sleep duration at night, dietary assessment index, BMI, lipids, blood glucose, blood pressure) were assessed during the admission period, and were divided into poor, general, and ideal cardiovascular health with a cut-off score of 50 and 80.The binary logistic regression analysis was used to assese the effect of Type D personality combined with cardiovascular health score on the occurrence of MACE (stroke, reinfarction, revascularization, all-cause death). Results The median follow-up in this study was 37 months, and we found that a total of 3750 people had MACE during the follow-up period. The logistic regression result showed that compared with Type D personality (-) and cardiovascular health behaviors (poor) group, Type D personality (+) and cardiovascular health behaviors (poor) group (OR=1.451, 95%CI=1.055-1.995,P=0.022), Type D personality (+) and cardiovascular health behaviors (general) group (OR=1.425, 95%CI=1.092-1.858,P=0.009), Type D personality (-) cardiovascular health behavior (poor) group (OR=1.301, 95%CI=1.013-1.670, P=0.039) were independent risk factors for the occurrence of further adverse cardiovascular events. Conclusion Type D personality combined with unhealthy cardiovascular behavior individuals may be at high risk for MACE. Therefore, early assessment of Type D personality and cardiovascular health behaviors are needed, thereby reducing the incidence of MACE in ACS patients.

Validity and reliability of a physical literacy knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy and behaviors questionnaire for early childhood educators (PLKASB-ECE): An exploratory factor analysis.

Nurturing physical literacy in young children offers a unique opportunity to address global physical inactivity trend. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) environments, with their extensive reach into this age group, and early childhood educators, through their daily interactions with children, are strategically positioned to influence children's physical literacy development. However, enhancing educators' ability to foster physical literacy requires valid and reliable assessment tools to measure holistic physical literacy constructs (i.e., cognitive, affective, behavioral) to assess the impact of physical literacy educational interventions. The purpose of this study was to develop a holistic digital tool to measure physical literacy knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and behaviors of early childhood educators (PLKASB-ECE) for both their professional teaching context as well as the educator's own personal physical literacy behaviours. This study was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 involved item generation and content validation. Phase 2 employed a cross-sectional validation study design to assess the psychometric properties of the PLKASB-ECE tool. Based on a literature review an initial 19-item instrument was developed that subsequently underwent three rounds of expert content validation. Six additional items were added, resulting in a final 25-item self-report measure with a readability score equivalent to an 8th grade reading level (Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 8.7). This included 1 global rating item, 2 qualitative response items, 7 knowledge items, and 15 items addressing physical literacy attitudes, self-efficacy and behaviors using a 7-point Likert response scale. The PLKASB-ECE tool was administered to 470 educators in Alberta, Canada between 2019 to 2022. The 15 items were subjected to exploratory factor analysis and resulted in a five-factor scale with one item not loading. The five-factor scale held with the final 14 items with loadings ranging from 0.481 to 0.886, Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.70 to 0.82, with ordinal omega ranging from 0.72 to 0.82. Usability, as assessed by completion time, was 8.15 minutes. These findings demonstrate good indices of reliability and validity for the PLKASB-ECE tool. This tool will be valuable as a research outcome measure for assessing educational interventions aimed at enhancing educators' understanding, confidence, and strategies for fostering holistic concepts of physical literacy in young children within ECECs.

Burnout as a multidimensional phenomenon: How can workplaces be healthy environments?

Abstract Purpose Burnout was already a significant problem before the pandemics, but in the aftermath became a serious concern and a public health and occupational health priority. This study had two aims. First, it investigated how different healthy workplace dimensions and other health individual-level variables are related to burnout. Second, it examined differences in terms of presentism, absenteeism, quality of life between employees who report burnout symptoms and those who do not. Methods Participants were 1702 Portuguese employees from various organizations. 69.68% were female, age ranged from 18 to 72 years (M = 43.25 years, SD = 10.40). Almost half of the participants (49.9%; 851 participants) reported having at least one burnout symptom. Results Participants reported that they have felt exhausted (43.7%), irritated (34.5%) and sad (30.5%) always or very often in the last 4 weeks. Regression analysis revealed that the global score on burnout symptoms was negatively related to leadership engagement, psychosocial work environment, personal health resources, health behaviours, and satisfaction with salary. In addition, the global score on burnout symptoms was positively related to worker involvement, enterprise community involvement, perceived stress, and screen time at work. Furthermore, females tend to report a higher level of burnout symptoms compared to males. In addition, burnout has an impact on sickness absenteeism, presentism, and quality of life. Conclusions Our findings have an important contribution to understanding and promoting a healthier work environment and reinforce the need for measures and policies to promote mental health, manage stress, and prevent burnout in the workplace. Key messages • What best explains the burnout symptoms is the workers’ perceived stress, followed by psychosocial risk factors at work. • There is a positive relationship between perceived stress and burnout: effective work stress management is one of the protective factors that prevents burnout.

Research on the Influence of Anchor Influence on Consumers' Purchase Intention in Live Broadcast Room under the Background of Interest E-commerce

In the emerging shopping mode of interest e-commerce live streaming, anchors are the key factors influencing consumers' purchase intentions, and their personal characteristics and behaviors have a significant impact on consumer decision-making. Based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model, this study constructed a structural equation model under the framework of influencer marketing theory to explore the internal mechanism between the various dimensions of anchor influence, consumer trust and identity, and its impact on consumers' purchase decision-making behavior. The results show that in different confidence intervals, the five dimensions of anchors' professionalism, interactivity, authenticity, popularity and innovation can significantly enhance consumers' trust and identity, and then significantly improve consumers' purchase intention. In addition, consumers' trust and recognition play a mediating role between the influence of anchors and consumers' purchase intentions. This study can enrich the theoretical discussion of consumer behavior decision-making in the live streaming environment of interest e-commerce, and provide a strategic reference for e-commerce anchors and interest e-commerce platforms.

Adaptive behavior in primary agenesis of the corpus callosum

Background and aimsPrimary agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC) is a congenital neurological disorder characterized by the absence, either partial or complete, of the corpus callosum in individuals who do not have intellectual disability and are otherwise neurologically asymptomatic. While mild to moderate neurocognitive deficits have been observed in individuals with primary ACC using neuropsychological assessments, the impact of this syndrome on adaptive behavior remains insufficiently understood. MethodsThis study used self- and informant-ratings on the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Second Edition (ABAS-II) to evaluate adaptive behavior in 35 adults diagnosed with primary ACC. ResultsWhile adults with primary ACC reported adaptive functioning comparable to an age-adjusted normative sample, family informants rated their adaptive ability below norms in several skill domains, particularly social skills. ConclusionsThis pattern of lower ratings by informants than self-ratings suggests adults with ACC may have poor understanding of their own behavior and its consequences. This study demonstrates that informants observe significant deficiencies in the conceptual, social, and practical aspects of adaptive behavior in persons with primary ACC, and that these deficiencies are not seen as clearly by the persons themselves.

Description of knowledge, Behavior of Vegetable and Fruit Consumption, and Nutritional Status in Class X Students in Public High School 1 Porong Sidoarjo

In Indonesia, according to the 2018 Basic Health Research report, the majority of the population above the age of 5, which is around 95.5%, still consumes vegetables and fruits below the recommend levels. When a person's knowledge and behavior are not optimal, then they will have difficulty maintaining the balance of food intake they consume. The purpose of the study was to determine the description of knowledge, fruit vegetable consumption behavior and nutritional status in class X students at SMA Negeri 1 Porong. This was a descriptive study. The Sampling method used was simple random sampling with a total samples size of 40 people. The results showed that the knowledge level of respondents in the poor category was 18 adolescents and in the good category was 11 adolescents. Most adolescents (34) exhibited poor vegetable consumption behavior, while the majority (21) demonstrated good fruit consumption behavior. The nutritional status of most respondents had good nutritional status as many as 25 adolescents. In Conclusion, adolescents in SMA Negeri 1 Porong have knowledge about vegetables and fruits in the poor category, poor vegetable consumption behavior, good fruit consumption behavior and good nutritional status.

Developing a Community-Based Carbon Footprint Questionnaire: Towards a Dynamic Understanding of How Personal Behaviour Interacts with Policy and Economic Change

Developing a Community-Based Carbon Footprint Questionnaire: Towards a Dynamic Understanding of How Personal Behaviour Interacts with Policy and Economic Change