Public Sessions Research Articles

COVID-19 Vaccination Program for Migrant and Refugee Women in Western Australia: Community-Led Approach and Decolonizing Practice Reflections

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted culturally and racially marginalized (CARM) migrants in Australia, with communities having varying levels of accurate knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines. At the height of the pandemic, public health programs that prioritized colonial knowledge and practices resulted in negative social, economic, and health outcomes for CARM communities. To support access to COVID-19 vaccinations and equity in delivery, therefore, it is critical that awareness-raising programs are tailored to meet all communities’ intersecting needs. In this paper, we share our reflections on a community-led COVID-19 vaccination awareness program designed specifically for CARM migrant women in Perth, Western Australia. The program was led by CARM migrant women who delivered five public information sessions for women in the Pakistani, Iraqi, Chin, and Indonesian communities. This paper offers an overview of the program and critical reflections on the challenges involved in community-led programs that are underpinned by a commitment to decolonization.

Evaluation of a Faith-Placed Health Education Service on Bowel Cancer Screening in Mosques in East London.

Bowel cancer screening using faecal immunochemical testing is provided in the United Kingdom with the aim of reducing mortality from colorectal cancer. However, there are low participant rates among ethnic minorities across the United Kingdom. Faith-placed interventions have the potential to improve screening rates among such populations, but studies examining their effectiveness are scarce. We delivered a presentation on bowel cancer screening to 204 Muslims in seven mosques in East London (intervention group). All participants completed a questionnaire regarding attitudes, perceptions and knowledge of bowel cancer screening before and after the presentation. Concurrently, we administered the questionnaire to 72 subjects attending a mosque thatdid not receive the presentation (comparison group). The intervention group showed a greater willingness to do the test (90% vs. 67%, p < 0.001) and to recommend it to others (96% vs. 74%, p < 0.001), ability to complete the test by themselves (94% vs. 56%, p < 0.001) and confidenceinnoticingsymptoms (78% vs. 32%, p < 0.001) afterthe presentation compared to before. There was a significant difference between the intervention group post-presentation and the comparison group on intention to do the test (90% vs. 79%, p = 0.02), recommending it to others (96% vs. 83%, p < 0.001),andconfidence in their ability to complete the test by themselves (94% vs. 63%, p < 0.001). A culture-sensitive, faith-placed health education intervention delivered in mosques can substantially improve knowledge of bowel cancer screening and increase the intention to participate in the screening programme. The intervention presentation was developed using insights from four public involvement sessions with four to six members representative of the East London Muslim community. The sessions sought attendees' thoughts on appropriate ways to approach the intervention design for their communityand asked for their views on the acceptability,appropriateness of messaging, format/designand likely impact of the presentation. Their views were then utilised to improve the presentation.

Digitale Live-Öffentlichkeiten: Eine medienlinguistische Analyse von parlamentarischen Live-Tickern auf DerStandard.at

Abstract This paper adopts a media-linguistic perspective to explore how liveblogs, specifically ‘live tickers’, contribute to the formation of episodic publics during parliamentary debates and investigations. Using a dataset of 45,332 journalistic entries from the Austrian online medium DerStandard.at, the mixed-method study unpacks the complex, multimodal dynamics that emerge from the interplay between individual entries and their presentation on the news website. Liveblogs are found to enable users to regularly track parliamentary activities, thereby reflecting the episodic structure of the event and emphasizing an impression of immediacy and collective experience. Importantly, liveblogs demonstrate a strong connection to current events, constantly updating themes and anticipating future developments. Furthermore, this study sheds light on the active engagement of users who are interested not only in the outcomes of parliamentary debates or inquiries but their entire progression. The observed differences in coverage between public and non-public sessions suggest a need for further research into different forms of quotation and recontextualization practices. Ultimately, this research highlights the unique role of liveblogs as venues for political participation and engagement, and offers novel insights into the structure, function and linguistic configuration of live digital publics.

Denunciation and resistance in post-crisis sensemaking

Many stakeholders require some form of post-crisis sensemaking to help them better understand what happened, and why. Through this lens, we review public inquiry oral evidence sessions with the incriminated company leaders from three major business failures in the UK. While the stated objective of these public inquiries was to ‘learn lessons’, we mobilize Harold Garfinkel’s writings on ceremonies of degradation to offer an alternative perspective. We identify and discuss the strategies employed by the denouncers intended to lower the targets’ identities in the social order. We find that the denouncers frequently rely on accounting-oriented challenges. Following this, we explore the company leaders’ responses as they attempt to resist the denunciation. We identify four key resistance strategies: reframing, recalibration, refocusing, and blame-shifting/-sharing. As part of their response, the denounced provide their own accounting-oriented counter-explanations, emphasising that their choices were consistent with professional norms. We discuss the implications of these findings and what they mean for the management and maintenance of social order in the wake of a financial scandal. Specifically, we point to the inherent ambiguity built into established accounting norms which become a key battleground in the fight for the preservation (or ritual destruction) of the target’s identity.

Musical messages – Creating a bespoke climate story for the Outer Hebrides

Exposed to westerly and south-westerly Atlantic weather systems, the Outer Hebrides (off the west coast of Scotland) are a series of islands where the inhabitants are already well versed in coping with severe weather. Headed by the Outer Hebrides Community Planning Partnership (OHCCP) Climate Change Working Group (CCWG), a range of adaptation planning documents are in production. Driven by a desire to engage with local communities, the CCWG alongside the Làn Thìde Climate Beacon, Adaptation Scotland and the Met Office created a project to explore the development of a storyline to communicate climate change information to the Outer Hebrides community. Collaborating with a local artist, Tuil is Geil (Gaelic for “Flood and Wind”) was created through a combination of sonified climate data, local voices and field recordings of local weather. Three themed pieces were created and these pieces (alongside a science presentation on projections of climate change for the Outer Hebrides) formed the centre of public engagement sessions when members of the public were able to share their thoughts about vulnerabilities and adaptation needs on the islands. As a project team we learned a number of important lessons around the process for creating a bespoke storyline for a community which included: i) The need to set appropriate boundaries and manage expectations, ii) The importance of local partner organisations and networks, iii) The need to bridge between science and art, and iv) The need to collaborate with the local community. We strongly believe that this approach has major community impact and it is the intention to support similar storyline projects in other regions of Scotland.

Understanding the Patient Perspective When Designing Future Rehabilitation Interventions after Hip or Knee Replacement Surgery-A Patient and Public Involvement Exercise.

Background and Objectives: Following discharge from hospital, there can be variability in the rehabilitation of patients who have undergone total hip or knee replacement surgery. We invited patients who had had hip or knee replacement surgery to take part in patient and public involvement sessions to help us understand their recovery needs and how rehabilitation services could potentially be improved to meet these needs better. Materials: Patients (n = 14) were invited to one of two patient advisory group sessions which took place in a university setting. Results: Feedback from patients highlighted the need for an inclusive, evidence-based intervention that would benefit patients experiencing all levels of pain, with differing motivations for recovery. Patients desired social support with others who have had similar surgery to reduce the burden of isolation during rehabilitation. Furthermore, patients valued the involvement of their partners and carers in their rehabilitation, to provide social support and guidance on recovery. Patients also expressed a need for consistent information and expert guidance on all aspects of their recovery. Conclusions: These findings can be used to guide the design of rehabilitation interventions following hip and knee replacement and ensure that patient perspectives inform future practice.

Legislating to Control Online Hate Speech: A Corpus-Assisted Semantic Analysis of French Parliamentary Debates

This corpus analysis of linguistic and semantic features in French parliamentary debates concerning online hate speech regulation, highlights tensions between state powers and private rights. Two key themes are identified: first, the problem of definition: how such online content is defined in the debates, and second, the problem of regulation: how the debates negotiate the supra-jurisdictional and individual jurisdiction issues involved, in regulating both the global online content and the responsibilities of the owners of the platforms who manage the content. For this analysis, the authors created a corpus of French National Assembly Examination Committee discussions and public sessions between July 2019 to January 2020 discussing the Loi Avia (Avia Law). The corpus was analysed using quali-quantitative methods. Overall, the study combines a top-down (global) and a bottom-up (local) analysis of the data, applying corpus semantic approaches (Lecolle et al. in Langages 210(2):35–54, 2018; Rastier in The Routledge handbook of semantics, Routledge, pp 507–522, 2015) to contextualize the analysis of the meta-discourse (Hyland in Meta-discourse: exploring interaction in writing, 1st ed. Bloomsbury Academic, Bloomsbury Collections, 2018. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350063617). The analysis highlights the linguistic features revealing the power dynamics inherent within the discourse and counter-discourse of the dominant and opposition political parties respectively.

Participatory evaluation of municipal obesity prevention clubs in Tehran city: Strengths, challenges, and future direction.

Community-based initiatives are important for obesity prevention. This study aimed to evaluate the activities of municipal obesity prevention clubs (OBCs) in Tehran, Iran, using a participatory approach. The evaluation team was formed, and the members identified the OBC's strengths, and challenges and provided suggestions for change through a participatory workshop, observation, focus group discussions, reviewing relevant documents (n = 97), and 35 interviews with involved stakeholders. The MAXQDA software was used for data analysis. An empowerment training program for volunteers was identified as one of the strengths of OBCs. Despite the obesity prevention efforts of OBCs through public exercise sessions, healthy food festivals, and educational sessions, several challenges were identified that hinder participation in OBCs. These challenges included poor marketing strategies, poor training approaches in participatory planning, insufficient motivational support for volunteers, low perceived recognition of volunteers by the community, volunteers' low food and nutrition literacy, poor educational services in the communities, and limited funding for health promotion activities. Weaknesses in all stages of community participation, including information, consultation, collaboration, and empowerment, in OBCs were detected. Facilitating a more enabling environment for informing and involving citizens, expanding neighborhood social capital, and involving health volunteers, academia, and all potential governmental sectors to collaborate for obesity prevention is recommended.

Status of patient safety in selected Ghanaian hospitals: a national cross-sectional study

BackgroundSafety is one of the dimensions of healthcare quality and is core to achieving universal health coverage and healthcare delivery worldwide. In Ghana, the status of patient safety in the...

Awareness, treatment, and practices of lifestyle modifications amongst diagnosed hypertensive patients attending the tertiary care hospital of Karachi: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundDespite massive research guidelines, high blood pressure remains a major public health concern since barriers to treatment and control are on the rise. Lack of awareness is one of the serious impediments to managing hypertension. Therefore, this study is designed to gauge awareness, beliefs, and practices related to hypertension amongst diagnosed subjects. MethodsA total of 425 hypertensive patients were recruited from the wards and outpatient department of Jinnah Medical College Hospital located in Korangi district, Karachi. Data was obtained regarding socio-demographics, comorbidity, duration of HTN, current BP readings, and BMI. Additionally, awareness, practices, treatment, and control of hypertension were also assessed. Using IBM SPSS version 25.0, a chi-square test was run for categorical variables to analyze the differences in demographic variables, awareness, practices, and treatment between controlled and uncontrolled hypertensive patients. Multivariate regression model was used to identify the risk factors associated with uncontrolled hypertension. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results65.6% of the total study population was females, of which, 70.7% had uncontrolled hypertension, with a p-value of 0.007. Majority of the candidates were between the ages of 50 and 59 and there was a significant difference in age groups of controlled and uncontrolled hypertensive patients (p-value = 0.019). Co-morbidities and duration of hypertension yielded no significant results. Awareness, treatment, and practices of lifestyle modifications amongst controlled or uncontrolled hypertension groups were not statistically significant. Age and female gender were the only risk factors significantly linked with uncontrolled hypertension. ConclusionOverall, there was no significant difference in the statistics of controlled and uncontrolled hypertensive patients. This requires further investigation and evaluation to identify the unknown risk factors and co-morbid contributing to these findings. Most of the patients are on treatment and still not controlled, and this could be considered under treatment. Health professional's advice and counseling skills, social media, internet, and public awareness sessions can play an active role in the management of BP and its associated complications.

Grouping Public Health Skills to Facilitate Workforce Development: A Factor Analysis of PH WINS.

This study examined whether distinct factors exist among public health skills, measured through the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS). Understanding how workforce training needs group is important for developing targeted and appropriate public health workforce training sessions. Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine public health skills among tier 1 staff (nonmanagers) and a combined group of tier 2 and 3 staff (managers and executives). Data for this study come from the 2017 PH WINS, which assessed public health workforce perceptions of training needs, workplace environment, job satisfaction, perceptions about national trends, and demographics. The analysis included 22 items. All public health staff in participating agencies were eligible to complete the survey. The national data set included participants from 47 state health agencies, 26 large local health departments (LHDs), and 71 mid-sized LHDs across all 10 Health and Human Services regions in the United States (including LHDs from all states). The analytic sample was n = 9630 in tier 1, n = 4829 in tier 2, and n = 714 in tier 3 staff. Three factors were identified within the skills portion of PH WINS, using exploratory factor analysis. To interpret retained factors, the following parameters were used: factor loadings greater than 0.4, factor cross-loadings less than 0.4 or higher than loadings on other factors, and communalities greater than 0.5. Factors included (1) data and systems thinking, (2) planning and management, and (3) community collaboration, with slight variation in item loadings between tier 1 and tier 2 and 3 staff analyses. This study was the first known factor analysis of the training needs and workforce skills portion of PH WINS in the published literature. This study advances our conceptualization of public health workforce skills and has the potential to shape future critical workforce training development.

Achieving holistic, quality-of-life focused care: description of a Compassion Care Community initiative in Canada.

The compassionate community movement as both a public health approach and a social model of care for various life stages is gaining traction in Canada and elsewhere. One example is the Windsor-Essex Compassion Care Community (WECCC), an evidence-based model and set of tools to improve the quality of life, health and wellness of vulnerable and aging populations by identifying and addressing upstream and downstream social and other risks to physical and mental health. This paper presents findings from the WECCC pilot evaluation. The WECCC initiative provided one-on-one volunteer-supported quality of life assessment, resource navigation and goals support program (Catalyzing Community Connections). This was augmented with public education sessions on social connection and loneliness (Importance of Being Connected) for the broader population. The RE-AIM framework was used to frame evaluation of WECCC through the first 4 years. Questionnaires were used to evaluate participant outcomes related to implementation and effectiveness. Interviews and focus groups were completed to understand impacts. From 2017 to 2020, WECCC has engaged over 2,500 individuals, 65 organizations and 400 volunteers combined in both programs. Nearly all (82% to 95%) participants reported positive changes to health, quality of life and/or social connections. This developmental phase of a compassionate community initiative has allowed piloting of an evaluation framework focusing on reach, adoption, implementation and early signals of effectiveness and maintenance. This demonstration provides information on feasibility, acceptability and potential impacts of this type of over-arching community initiative.

Women in science: a Brazilian experience through immersive narratives in 360° videos

ABSTRACT Arts offer an engaging opportunity to bring about women's underrepresentation issues in physics. In this work, we report the creation process, production, and reception of the short 360° video entitled ‘Women in Science.’ This movie maps and portrays female researchers’ situation in physics at the University of Sao Paulo, a representative subset of the Brazilian physics community. The 360° movies are a novel way of storytelling, attracting public attention, and increasing the empathy caused by immersive experiences. The plots were based on interviews and surveys that embodied the female researcher's experiences over distinct career phases and levels. Challenges concerning the work environment, peer relationships, and the balance between work and personal life have been covered in the movie. All of them emerged in the descriptive analysis as effects that can influence women's career paths and affect their production capacity. This paper summarizes and discusses the scenes and the creative choices over the whole film production. It also reports the movie exhibition and dissemination processes by online streaming video platforms and public sessions with Virtual Reality (VR) gadgets. Based on the attendees’ spontaneous response, it is possible to conclude that the movie brought contributions and promoted discussions on gender-related issues in the academic environment. Art, combined with VR immersive narratives, has proved to be an engaging, low-cost, and reproducible way to communicate sensitive issues to the viewers. Moreover, these experiences through 360° videos can be extended to document and highlight issues from women and other underrepresented minorities in physics.

Trend of Community’s Participation in Environmental Decision-making Process Under EIA: A Study

The present study highlights the plight of public participation in the environmental decision-making process in the state of Gujarat as per the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006. The scope of the study is restricted to people’s participation in public hearing sessions as part of the public consultation process under the notification conducted at different places in Gujarat. The tools and techniques used for the empirical data collection include observation method, schedule, interview and focussed group discussions. The observations and recommendations are given based on the actual data collected from the field through visits to public hearing sessions, interactions with stakeholders and analysis of the minutes of the meeting of the public hearing sessions. Approximately 68 public hearings were held in the year 2020 in Gujarat, out of which 13 were visited covering various geographic locations in the State from February to December 2020.

Extensively Drug-Resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi in Pediatric population during CoVID-19 Pandemic

PurposeThe Extensively Drug-resistant (XDR) Salmonella isolates exhibiting resistance to the first line and the second-line antibiotic options are presently a grave public health concern in Pakistan. Here, we report the first large-scale emergence and spread of an XDR S. Typhi in Peshawar, Pakistan during Coronavirus disease (CoVID-19) pandemic. Initially XDR typhoid cases were reported during post rainy season but now the disease has become endemic during winter months.Methods & MaterialsFrom December 2020 till January 2021, we reported the high level of emerging resistance to different groups of antibiotics among Salmonella isolates from paediatric age group with enteric fever. A total of 548 blood cultures from symptomatic patients were submitted to Microbiology section of Pathology Laboratory, Rehman Medical Institute, Peshawar. All samples were incubated in BACTEC 9240 and processed according to standard guidelines (sub-cultured on Blood and MacConkey's agar and non-lactose fermenting colonies were biochemically tested for Salmonella typhi and confirmed by Salmonella specific anti-sera. Demographic data including age, gender, address and clinical features were also recorded.ResultsSalmonella Typhi was isolated in 71 and 548 blood samples during December 2020 and January 2021, out of which 66 (92.9%) and 5% (7%) were MDR, respectively. All isolates revealed high level of resistance to co-trimaxazole (93%) and complete resistance to chloramphenicol (100%), ampicillin (100%), ciprofloxacin (100%), ceftriaxone (100%), cefixime (100%). All XDR typhoid isolates were sensitive to azithromycin and carbapenems. The children under 15 years’ age (88%) has a significantly high prevalence among children as compared to adults (p=0.0016), males (76%) were affected more than females (24%).ConclusionThe emergence of XDR S. typhi with high level of resistance is quite alarming. With inadequate treatments options, the present situation calls for immediate effective preventive measures including food and water safety, improved sanitation, public awareness sessions and typhoid vaccination campaigns.

Echocardiographic surveillance of rheumatic heart disease in West and North Darfur compared with Kassala State: socioeconomic or genetic differences?

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD), a preventable complication of group A beta-haemolytic streptococcal infection, is highly prevalent in Sudan. Echocardiographic (echo) screening has an established role in disease surveillance. This study aims to measure the echo prevalence of RHD using handheld echo (HHE) in West and North Darfur and Kassala states and initiate control programs. School children 10-18 years of age were selected from the three states and HHE screening was performed by trained paediatric residents supervised by cardiologists using a pre-tested protocol. Health worker training and public awareness sessions were carried out. The study was conducted between November 2020 and December 2021. In West Darfur, 1,547 children were screened, echo prevalence was found to be 17.4/1,000, and 22% had moderate to severe disease. In North Darfur, 800 children were screened and echo prevalence was 16.2/1,000, 23% had moderate to severe disease while in Kasala 2,225 children were screened and the prevalence was 3.1/1,000 and all cases were mild. One hundred and fifty-eight health workers were trained and 20,150 people benefited from health education sessions. The prevalence of RHD in Darfur is 5 times more than in Kassala. This may reflect socioeconomic and genetic differences between the two regions. RHD control in Darfur needs to be consolidated, and echo surveillance is an important tool for early detection and the institution of secondary prophylaxis.

Shaming into compliance? Country reporting of convention adherence to the International Labour Organization

ABSTRACT When does social pressure in the form of “naming and shaming” induce states to concede their prerogatives by providing potentially compromising information to international organizations (IOs)? We provide answers to that question in what we believe is the first systematic study of the impact of social pressure on state reporting practices, as an act of member procedural compliance. We develop related hypotheses by drawing on realist theory and theories of social pressure and test them, in the 1992–2011 period, by analyzing government reporting on multiple conventions to the International Labor Organization (ILO). We find that governments tend to respond negatively to ILO “naming” (as we define it) for some, but not all, ILO conventions. More specifically, we conclude that governments tend to resist reporting on domestic social conditions – here, related to inequality, discrimination, and exploitation – but more readily report on issues (conventions) that are tied directly to the ILO’s core mission, where government culpability is also clearer. We conclude further that shaming – by “shortlisting” governments and holding them to account in public sessions – boosts compliance on some issues.

Radioactive waste management ethics and public policy: a precautionary approach

Abstract. The focus of the project is on how to regulate risky technologies, both old (such as nuclear waste management) and new (such as geoengineering). Thus, the project is aimed at contributing to a better understanding of the ethical, political, and socio-economic aspects of radioactive waste management-related risks. The goal of the project is to contribute to the current discussions on the case of the expansion of the Hungarian Nuclear Power Plant. The Paks II project allows us to present how to set up procedures where some radioactive waste-related risks will not derail decision-makers and how they can be held accountable by the public. The case of Paks II is also compelling; as of today there are only 19 countries in the world that are in the process of new reactor building (World Nuclear Association, 2021). The project is aimed at providing and defending a precautionary approach to radioactive waste management because it involves high levels of uncertainty and the possibility of causing irreversible harm on a global scale. When investigating procedural principles of radioactive waste management policies by three types of precautionary approaches, the project will look at risks that stem from the displacement of politics in public consultations in relation to large infrastructural projects. The practices of the emerging era of public engagement tap into the current debates on democratic politics in political theory with the emergence of deliberative democracy (Bohman and Rehg, 1997; Dryzek, 2000; Gutmann and Thompson, 2009), and radical democracy (Laclau and Mouffe, 2001; Mouffe, 1999, 2000). Specific attention will be paid to the fragmentation of public along with technical and non-technical, local and national, site-specific and general issues, and the role of different political platforms (public exhibition events, consultation documents, and public engagement sessions) in the way in which the political is displaced from the arena of public inquiries to legal challenges and debates about boundaries and geographies.

“Because I’m Old”: The Role of Ageism in Older Adults’ Experiences of Digital Literacy Training in Public Libraries

This article explores the experiences of older adults attending digital literacy training sessions offered by the public library system in one city in Ontario. Semi-structured interviews with 12 older adults (age 60+) demonstrated the significance of societal and internalized ageism in shaping the experiences of participants, as well as the construction of the training as a “safe space” for experimentation. Implications for participants and future public library digital literacy training sessions are discussed, with particular attention to asset-based approaches, the need for skill development, and addressing the effects of ageism on participants. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15228835.2021.1962477 .

COVID-19 precautions for public astronomy education sessions

This paper suggests possible futures for astronomy activities in a post-COVID environment. A corpus of video recordings of astronomy education sessions held in different settings allowed the authors to analyse how sessions are achieved, with inclusive focus on the astronomers, the public attending sessions, and people looking through telescopes. Videos were recorded in Portugal in 2019 and the beginning of 2020. From these video data, and experience as science educators, the authors identify practices that are characteristic of astronomy education—some of these will no longer be safe procedures while living with COVID-19. With planning, both indoor and outdoor astronomy education sessions can continue safely without sacrificing the excitement of seeing objects in the sky. There is more to astronomy than looking through a telescope.