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“I want my experiences to make a difference” promoting participation in policy-making and service development by young people who have experienced violence
- Authors:
- HORWATH Jan, KALYVA Efrosini, SPYRU Spyros
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 34(1), January 2012, pp.155-162.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
This paper explores participation, by young people who have experienced violence, in decision making that seeks to inform policy and service developments. It draws on the findings of a trans-European study that gave voice to young people who had experienced different types of violence within the home or community. The young people were from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece and the UK, and included asylum-seekers, Roma who had experienced harassment, and young people with experience of forced marriage. A variety of methods were used with the different groups to obtain data about promoters and inhibitors to participation. The themes identified were: the organisational and policy context in which participation occurs; the knowledge, skills, values and experience of the facilitator; the past experiences of the young people themselves; and the mix of young people involved in a participatory activity combine to inform the level of participation that can be achieved. Drawing on these findings, the article argues that current models of participation do not pay sufficient attention to the complex, multifaceted and fluid process that is participation. A model is proposed that emphasises that participation is a dynamic process with the degree of participation constantly fluctuating depending on the interaction between the organisation, the facilitator and the young people.
Eating patterns may mediate the association between marital status, body mass index, and blood cholesterol levels in apparently healthy men and women from the ATTICA study
- Authors:
- YANNAKOULIA Mary, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 66(11), June 2008, pp.2230-2239.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Marital status has been recognized as a significant health-influencing factor, including cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The aim of the present paper was to evaluate whether eating habits mediate the relationship between marital status and levels of CVD risk factors among apparently healthy men and women from the ATTICA Study. During 2001–2002, 1514 men (18–87 years old) and 1528 women (18–89 years old) from the Attica area, Greece were randomly enrolled in the study; the sampling was stratified by the age-gender distribution of the region. Participants underwent clinical, anthropometric and psychological assessment. Food consumption was assessed through a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Participants were classified as never married, married, divorced and widowed. Discriminant analysis revealed that vegetable consumption, followed by red meat, potatoes, poultry, and soft drinks were the factors with the higher discriminating ability among the food groups studied. In particular, dietary patterns of never married participants were characterized by the consumption of potatoes and red meat, those of married participants by nuts, legumes and fish, those of divorced participants by fruits, cereals and soft drinks, whereas those of widowed participants by dairy, vegetables, sweets and poultry. In addition, never married and divorced participants reported eating fast-foods more frequently and drink less alcohol compared to married or widowed participants. After controlling for potential confounders (i.e., age, gender, physical activity, anxiety score and smoking habits), the reported marital status of the participants was associated only with body mass index and total serum cholesterol levels. When the analysis was repeated after taking into account the information on dietary habits by creating four “new” dietary-adjusted marital status groups, no significant association was revealed between marital status and body mass index and blood cholesterol levels. This finding implies that, in our population, eating patterns may explain the observed differences between marital status and selected CVD risk factors.
The decision-making process of parents regarding organ donation of their brain dead child: a Greek study
- Authors:
- BELLALI Thalia, PAPADATOU Danai
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 2(64), January 2007, pp.439-450.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The purpose of this qualitative study, which was part of a larger study on parental bereavement, was to explore the decision-making process of parents who were invited to donate the organs and tissues of their brain dead child. Research objectives were to investigate how parents reach a decision and which factors affect consent or refusal regarding organ donation. The experiences of 22 parents of 14 brain dead children, hospitalized in two paediatric intensive care units (PICU) in Athens, were studied through semi-structured interviews. Data collection and analysis of the overall study were performed according to grounded theory methodology. Factors that influenced parents’ decisions were identified and classified into (a) personal factors, (b) conditions of organ request, (c) parents’ prior knowledge and experience with organ donation or serious illness, and (d) interpersonal factors. Findings can help care providers to facilitate the decision-making process and respond to parental needs while taking into account the socio-cultural context within which decisions are made. The donation request is meaningful and effective when it is integrated into an approach that offers ongoing support to parents who are faced with the unexpected death of their child.