Digital Commons Network^™

Health-Related Quality Of Life And Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease In North Carolina, David Brown, Roy Pleasants, Jill Ohar, Monica Kraft, James Donohue, David Mannino, Winston Liao, Harry Herric

David C. Brown

Background:

Comparisons of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) between persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and adults in the general population are not well described.

Aims:

To examine associations between COPD and four measures of HRQOL in a population-based sample.

Patients & Methods:

These relationships were examined using data from 13,887 adults aged >18 years who participated in the 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) conducted in North Carolina (NC). Logistic regression was used to obtain adjusted relative odds (aOR).

Results:

The age-adjusted prevalence of COPD among NC adults was 5.4% (standard error 0.27). Nearly half of adults …

Federalizing Public Education, Thomas Kleven

Thomas Kleven

This article assesses the case for federalizing public education in the United States. The starting point is a conception of democracy I call equitable sharing, meaning that the goods of social life must be equitably distributed among all society’s members. I argue that equitable sharing mandates society to ensure that all children have access to a relatively equal educational opportunity—i.e., a comparable opportunity to advance educationally as far as their abilities, interests and willingness to strive allow—at least through elementary and secondary school. To set the stage for discussing the merits of federalization, I examine various models through which society …

Postgraduate Research Experience 2009 : The Report Of The Postgraduate Research Experience Questionnaire, Ali Radloff, Daniel Edwards, Hamish Coates, B Guthrie, C Tilbrook

Dr Daniel Edwards

Each year, graduates of Australian higher education institutions who have completed a doctoral or research masters degree are invited by their institution and Graduate Careers Australia (GCA) to respond to the Postgraduate Research Experience Questionnaire (PREQ) about four months after graduation. This report presents the results from the ninth PREQ survey conducted since 1999. The PREQ asks graduates to respond to 28 statements about seven aspects of their research degree. The first 27 statements measure the quality of supervision, the intellectual climate of the department in which the respondent studied, the development of generic skills, the quality of the infrastructure …

Discourse Or Merely Noise? Regarding The Disagreement On Undocumented Migrants, Markus Gunneflo, Niklas Selberg

Niklas Selberg

Gender Violence In India Prajnya Report 2010, Professor Vibhuti Patel

Professor Vibhuti Patel

Gender violence in personal lives as well as the systems and structures perpetuating it need serious examination. Indian women experience all kinds of gendered violence at different stages of their lives, from womb to tomb, as a result of modernisation and commercialisation of subsistence economies, family ties becoming less supportive, increasing migration, demanding work, inhuman labour processes in informal economies, sectarian vested interests manifesting through identity politics, trafficking of women and girls as cheap labour, forced marriage and various forms of misogyny in print and electronic media. Honour killing of young lovers and married couples by their relatives brings to …

Commercial Surrogacy: Is Regulation Necessary To Manage The Industry?, Cara M. Luckey

Cara M Luckey

This paper discusses legal and ethical issues involved with commercial surrogacy both within the United States and Internationally. Inconsistencies in laws create an increased potential for the exploitation of the parties involved in a surrogacy agreement. The validity of contracts varies between states and certain countries that allow surrogacy do not adequately protect the surrogate mothers. As this field of Assisted Reproductive Technology becomes more prevalent, the need for effective regulation of commercial surrogacy is essential.

Book Review Of A Companion To Media Studies, Edited By A. Valdivia, Sumana Chattopadhyay

Sumana Chattopadhyay

No abstract provided.

Tackling Universal Women As A Research Problem: What Historiographic Sources Do And Don’T Tell Us About ‘Gender’ In The Silent Motion Picture Studio, Mark Cooper

Mark Garrett Cooper

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Death Penalty Jurisprudence Of The October 2007 Supreme Court Term (The Twentieth Annual Supreme Court Review), Richard Klein

Richard Daniel Klein

No abstract provided.

Another Role For Securities Regulation: Expanding Opportunity, Jasmin Sethi

Jasmin Sethi

Securities regulation can be justified on a number of grounds, but historically, expanding opportunities for wealth accumulation across sectors of the population has not been a justification given credence. This paper examines the implications of integrating an opportunities based perspective in evaluating securities regulation for policy decisions. I demonstrate how the policy implications of such a perspective are often distinct from those implicated by other approaches, such as a public welfare approach to securities regulation. In this article, I apply this perspective and what we know about human behavior to examine how securities policy could be shaped by an opportunities-based …

Number Line Estimation: The Use Of Number Line Magnitudes Estimation To Detect The Presence Of Math Disability In Postsecondary Students, Steven Mcdonald

Steven McDonald

This study arose from an interest in the possible presence of mathematics disabilities among students enrolled in the developmental math program at a large university in the Mid-Atlantic region. Research in mathematics learning disabilities (MLD) has included a focus on the construct of working memory and number sense. A component of number sense is the formation of a mental number line. This study looked at the mental representations of the number line in postsecondary developmental math students. It was found that the overall representation was linear, linear for three of four academic levels, and there were linear representations based upon …

Justice For All: The Struggle For Worker Rights In Mexico, Lance A. Compa

Lance A Compa

[Excerpt] The Solidarity Center is launching a new series, Justice for All: The Struggle for Worker Rights. This series follows the May 2003 publication of the Solidarity Center’s groundbreaking Justice for All: A Guide to Worker Rights in the Global Economy. Through powerful first-person narratives, the reports thoroughly examine worker rights, country by country, in today’s global economy. This first report, by renowned worker rights researcher Lance Compa, takes a hard look at Mexico’s century-long fight for independent, democratic trade unions and social justice. Compa puts Mexico’s labor law and practice to the test against international worker rights standards reflected …

Hiv And Aids In Africa: Compulsory Licensing Under Trips And Doha Declaration, Ufuoma Barbara Akpotaire

Ufuoma Barbara Akpotaire

In today’s world, there is a lot of focus on issues such as militancy, global warming, terrorism, racism and even politics. Unfortunately, there is a problem that has killed and is still killing far more people than any of the above issues. That problem is HIV/AIDS.

AIDS is a serious medical condition that predisposes patients towards opportunistic infecting tumors, dementia and death. HIV is the viral agent associated with AIDS. Africa is without doubt more heavily affected by HIV/AIDS than any other region of the world. Although Nigeria’s HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is still relatively low compared to some countries in …

Dazzling The World: A Study Of India's Constitutional Amendment Mandating Reservations For Women On Rural Panchayats, Eileen Kaufman, Louise Harmon

Louise Harmon

No abstract provided.

Toward A Religious Minority Voice: A Look At Free Exercise Law Through A Religious Minority Perspective, Samuel J. Levine

Samuel J. Levine

Legal scholars have recently advanced theories emphasizing the importance of perspectives in the law. Perspective scholarship recognizes that laws are necessarily shaped by society's dominant forces, including its biases and preconceptions. Perspective scholars attempt to understand how these forces have shaped our laws, and they suggest changes to accommodate those affected by society's biases.

In this Article, Professor Levine introduces the concept of a religious minority perspective. He develops the concept of a religious minority perspective in the context of several, prominent Free Exercise cases. Professor Levine discusses these cases in his presentation of the central themes of a religious …

Where Would Australian Travellers Seek Information About Bird Flu? Results Of Two Airport Intercept Surveys, Loiuse Waters, Sandra C. Jones

Sandra Jones

A potential bird flu pandemic has been the recent focus of the world’s attention. Successful control efforts will require using sources of information that both residents and visitors within a country will actively seek information from; this is critical to prevent panic and to elicit the desired public responses. This paper reports the combined results of two airport intercept surveys which illustrate the Australian traveller’s preferred and likely sources of information about bird flu in the event of a bird flu pandemic. Our results indicate that Australian travellers would be most likely to seek information from the internet and their …

Branding: An Adolescent Sun Protection Perspective, Melissa Lynch, Sandra C. Jones, Lyn Phillipson

Sandra Jones

Australian adolescents are consistently found to exhibit low levels of adherence to sun protection guidelines, resulting in high levels of skin cancer incidence in later life. Given the importance of image, appearance, and peer approval factors in adolescent sun protection, this study sought to examine adolescents’ perceptions of the “sun protection brand,” its competing brands, and possible complementary brands. A series of 14 focus groups were conducted with adolescents in Years 9 and 10 (junior high school), and the results are examined in the context of potential branding-related marketing strategies to overcome some of the barriers to sun protection.

Putting The ‘Community’ Back Into Community Standards For Advertising, Katherine Van Putten, Sandra C. Jones

Sandra Jones

The Advertising Standards Board passes judgments on complaints each year against what is referred to as prevailing community standards. There is however, no explicit definition of what these prevailing community standards are. This research found that there were two major issues that were of most concern to the public in regard to (un)acceptable advertising: the portrayal of women and the consequences of social marketing advertisements. Neither of these issues are adequately addressed by the current advertising Code of Ethics. The results of this research suggest there is an urgent need to develop a set of evidence based community standards for …

Are Negative Reactions To Sexist Appeals In Alcohol Advertisements A Function Of Feminism Or Gender?, Sandra C. Jones

Sandra Jones

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the use of sexual appeals in alcohol advertising is increasing. It has been shown that the use of sex appeals may result in a more negative attitude towards the brand, particularly among female consumers. This study investigates the proposition that this is the effect of feminist ideology rather than, or in addition to, biological gender. The results show that female respondents have more negative attitudes towards alcohol advertisements utilizing overt (or demeaning) sexual appeals than males and more positive attitudes towards alcohol advertisements utilizing feminist (empowering) appeals than males; and that there is no consistent independent …

Who Would The Australian Public Trust To Tell Them About Bird Flu? Results Of An Australia-Wide Cati Survey, Sandra C. Jones, L. Waters, Don C. Iverson

Sandra Jones

A potential bird flu pandemic is currently the cause of much debate worldwide. Successful control efforts will require effective risk communication, and the choice of credible spokespeople is critical to prevent panic and elicit the desired public responses. This paper reports the results of one Australia-wide CATI survey which examined the Australian public’s preferred sources of information on bird flu and credibility of spokespeople in the event of a bird flu pandemic in Australia. Our results indicate medical personnel and organisations are perceived by the public as being the most credible sources for delivering information about bird flu. These findings …

Children And The Internet: What Are "Safe" Websites Telling Our Kids About Food?, Sandra C. Jones, Belinda S. Fabrianesi

Sandra Jones

Food advertising is a contentious issue in regards to childhood obesity and has increasing importance on the public policy agenda both in Australia and overseas. This study examines the nature and extent of food advertising/promotions on popular children’s websites. Three popular children’s websites were chosen: Total Girl, K-Zone and D-Mag. Each is linked to a top-selling magazine and targets children aged eight to12 years. The websites were monitored daily from 1-28 December 2005, with the increase or decrease of any food product advertisements recorded as well as any competitions, games, puzzles and recipes which promoted certain food products. Food product …

'Like Me, Want Me, Buy Me, Eat Me': Relationship-Building Marketing Communications In Children's Magazines, Sandra C. Jones, Nadia L. Mannino, Julia Green

Sandra Jones

Objective: Television, Internet and print media are saturated with advertisements for unhealthy food that use marketing tactics aimed to build long-term brand loyalty and ‘relationships’ with children. While research in this area has largely focused on television, the current study examines children’s responses to relationship-building marketing communications found in popular children’s magazines. Design: A qualitative study consisting of friendship-pair interviews in which children were interviewed and asked to comment on a range of recent food advertisements. Setting: A university-based after-school care programme in New SouthWales, Australia. Subjects: Ten children aged 6–13 years, interviewed in self-selected friendship pairs. Results: The children …

An Exploratory Study On The Effect Of Positive (Warmth Appeal) And Negative (Guilt Appeal) Print Imagery On Donation Behaviour In Animal Welfare, M. Haynes, Jennifer Thornton, Sandra C. Jones

Sandra Jones

Very few studies in social marketing empirically compare the effectiveness of positive and negative appeals. This study examines the effect of positive (warmth appeal) and negative (guilt appeal) print imagery on donation behaviour to an animal welfare organisation. A quasiexperimental design was used to test the appeals, using a convenience sample of 282 university students, with each experimental group being exposed to only one type of appeal. The results indicated that negative imagery which evoked guilt was more effective than positive imagery which evoked warmth, on intention to donate money and time to the animal welfare organisation.

'Most Men Drink... Especially Like When They Play Sports' - Alcohol Advertising During Sporting Broadcasts And The Potential Impact On Child Audiences, Sandra C. Jones, Lyn Phillipson, Lance R. Barrie

Sandra Jones

Alcohol advertising during sporting broadcasts, as well as the sponsorship of sporting events by the alcohol industry, is common practice in Australia, as in many other countries. The strength of the association between alcohol and sports prompts consideration of the potential for children who watch televised sport to be exposed to a considerable amount of alcohol advertising, and to learn to associate alcohol with sport and sporting success. This paper reviews the current alcohol advertising regulations in Australia, particularly in reference to the protection of children. It then details a pair of studies designed to examine the extent and nature …

Believability And Effectiveness Of Young Adult Safe-Drinking Messages, N. Breen, Sandra C. Jones

Sandra Jones

This study investigates eight safe-drinking messages, using appeals to the ‘self’ versus appeals about ‘others’, in combination with either a low or high physical threat, or a low or high social threat. The participants were18-25 year old second-year university marketing students. An experimental design was used for data collection, which involved 196 participants, with the groups comprised of participants with homogenous demographic characteristics and drinking behaviour. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the believability and effectiveness of the messages. It was determined that messages about ‘others’ were perceived as more believable and effective than the corresponding appeals used …

The Use Of Female Sexuality In Australian Alcohol Advertising: Public Policy Implications Of Young Adults' Reactions To Stereotypes, Sandra C. Jones, Amanda Reid

Sandra Jones

Coinciding with the rise of raunch culture, a new female stereotype has emerged in advertising - the lusty, busty exhibitionist who exudes sexual power and confidence. Previous research has generally found that women react less positively to female sexual images in alcohol advertising than males, but different sexual stereotypes have not been explicitly examined. The present study utilizes different types of sexual appeals in three televised advertisements for alcohol brands and investigates the relationship between types of sexual imagery and attitude to the advertisement, stated reasons for (dis)liking the advertisement and purchase intention (PI) among 268 Australian university students. Surprisingly, …

Are Current Social Marketing Campaigns Getting Through To Undergraduate University Students?, Sandra C. Jones

Sandra Jones

In this study, we conduct a survey of health behaviours among undergraduate university students. The health behaviours include weight control, exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, use of illicit drugs, and safe-sex practices. By comparing the results with national survey results, we test the hypothesis that university students – who have completed high school, with better than average grades – are more likely to exhibit healthy behaviours and avoid unhealthy or unsafe behaviours than the general population. Detailed information on the health behaviours of university students is not currently available (see Australia’s Health 2000, in which there are no reports of health …

Using Market Segmentation Theory To Select Target Markets For Sun Protection Campaigns, Sandra C. Jones, L. Rees, Danika Hall, A. Tang

Sandra Jones

This paper describes the initial steps in target market segmentation and evaluation as part of an industry-linked research project to develop a social marketing program for sun protection. The Project Reference Group developed a set of segmentation evaluation criteria based on recommendations from marketing and health promotion literature, as well as adding criteria specifically relevant to the industry partner. The process enabled an informed, representative and defensible selection of a primary target market as an initial starting point for further target market research and segmentation. It also demonstrated that bridging terminology from the fields of marketing and health promotion as …

Communication About Organ Donation Intentions: Formative Research For A Social Marketing Program Targeting Families, Sandra C. Jones, Samantha Reis, K. L. Andrews

Sandra Jones

With the introduction of the Australian Organ Donation Register (AODR), responsibility regarding organ donation decisions primarily rests with the individual. However, family members can be instrumental in facilitating or hindering the rate of organ donation by objecting to or confirming the individual’s wishes. Attitudes and beliefs of family members have been shown to be a strong influence on people’s intentions to donate. Numerous studies have also demonstrated that family communication about organ donation can improve the rate of organ donation. We surveyed 23 matched pairs of undergraduate university students and their parents and found that attitudes to organ donation were …

What Does Alcohol Advertising Tell Young People About Drinking?, Sandra C. Jones, Parri Gregory

Sandra Jones

Alcohol has long been known to be the cause of significant physical, emotional and social harm in our society. Given that the manufacture, distribution and sale of alcoholic products is big business all over the world, clearly the marketing, advertising and promotion of these products is essential. However, there is an ongoing debate regarding the relationship between advertising and alcohol consumption and, importantly, the influence of this advertising on harmful drinking patterns. To examine the potential influence of alcohol advertising on young people (both under and over the legal drinking age), a convenience sample of 287 young people recruited from …