Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Assessing The Efficacy Of Communication Interventions For Shifting Public Perceptions Of Park Benefits, Betty Weiler, Brent Moyle, Isabelle D. Wolf, Kelly De Bie, Monica Torland

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

One way national parks can sustain their societal relevance and ensure ongoing political and community support is through conscious and deliberate repositioning. This study investigates the potential for psychologically repositioning national parks using persuasive communication designed to shift public perceptions of the benefits of visitor experiences in parks. The experimental communication interventions were selected to target benefits where gaps were identified between the perceptions of park managers and the parks' constituent publics. Using a pre-post design on 1,055 respondents split evenly across two Australian states, the experiment revealed that the website and the video used as interventions were highly effective …

Rediscovering Why I Do What I Do: The Benefits Of Explaining Ergonomics To Researchers From Different Disciplines - A Personal Reflection On A Phd Journey, Alison F. Bell

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the HFESA 52nd Annual Conference, 26-29 November 2017, Wollongong, Australia

Pre-School Benefits All, And Influences The Nation's Well-Being, Edward Melhuish

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Cognitive Benefits Of Social Dancing And Walking In Old Age: The Dancing Mind Randomized Controlled Trial, Dafna Merom, Anne Grunseit, Ranmalee Eramudugolla, Barbara Jefferis, Jade Mcneill, Kaarin J. Anstey

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: A physically active lifestyle has the potential to prevent cognitive decline and dementia, yet the optimal type of physical activity/exercise remains unclear. Dance is of special interest as it complex sensorimotor rhythmic activity with additional cognitive, social, and affective dimensions. Objectives: To determine whether dance benefits executive function more than walking, an activity that is simple and functional. Methods: Two-arm randomized controlled trial among community-dwelling older adults. The intervention group received 1 h of ballroom dancing twice weekly over 8 months (~69 sessions) in local community dance studios. The control group received a combination of a home walking program …

Are Your Ducks In A Row? External And Internal Stakeholder Perceptions Of The Benefits Of Parks In New South Wales, Australia, Monica Torland, Betty Weiler, Brent Moyle, Isabelle D. Wolf

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This research examines the strategic alignment between external and internal stakeholders' perceptions of the benefits of parks. To achieve this objective, surveys were distributed to park agency staff, as well as a sample of residents in New South Wales, Australia. Findings revealed alignment between external and internal stakeholders, with executive managers' perceptions being generally more favourable than staff and community. The paper pays particular attention to the alignment of internal stakeholders' (staff) perceptions, which is important for establishing and defending the market position of parks. A high degree of strategic alignment was found between executive and staff for personal benefits. …

Lessons Learned From Pilot Testing An Experimental Communication Intervention: Generation Y And Park Benefits, Betty Weiler, Brent Moyle, Monica Torland, Isabelle D. Wolf, Mieke Witsel

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports a series of lessons learned from pilot testing an experimental intervention that aimed to shift Gen Y's perceptions of the cultural and heritage benefits of parks. Designed in collaboration with the Office of Environment and Heritage in NSW and delivered via the OEH website, the intervention took respondents on a controlled virtual tour of two national parks, Ku-ring-gai Chase in the Sydney metropolitan area and Mutawintji in outback NSW, both rich in Australian culture and heritage. Overall, the intervention was viewed as successful in impacting respondents' perceptions of the benefits of parks, and will be used in …

Initial Severity And Antidepressant Benefits: A Meta-Analysis Of Data Submitted To The Food And Drug Administration, Irving Kirsch, Brett J. Deacon, Tania B. Huedo-Medina, Alan Scoboria, Thomas J. Moore, Blair T. Johnson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Meta-analyses of antidepressant medications have reported only modest benefits over placebo treatment, and when unpublished trial data are included, the benefit falls below accepted criteria for clinical significance. Yet, the efficacy of the antidepressants may also depend on the severity of initial depression scores. The purpose of this analysis is to establish the relation of baseline severity and antidepressant efficacy using a relevant dataset of published and unpublished clinical trials. Methods and Findings: We obtained data on all clinical trials submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the licensing of the four new-generation antidepressants for which …

Benefits And Barriers To The Consumption Of A Vegetarian Diet In Australia, Emma Lea, Anthony Worsley

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine consumers' perceived benefits and barriers to the consumption of a vegetarian diet.

Design: Survey (written questionnaire) that included questions on perceived benefits and barriers to the consumption of a vegetarian diet.

Setting: South Australia.

Subjects: Six hundred and one randomly selected South Australians.

Results: The main perceived barriers to adopting a vegetarian diet were enjoying eating meat and an unwillingness to alter eating habits. This was the case for men, women and all age groups, although there were sex and age differences present in over half of the barrier items. For …

Medical Tests: Women's Reported And Preferred Decision-Making Roles And Preferences For Information On Benefits, Side-Effects And False Results, Heather M. Davey, Alexandra Barratt, Elizabeth Davey, Phyllis N. Butow, Sally Redman, Nehmat Houssami, Glenn P. Salkeld

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective  To determine women's preferences for and reported experience with medical test decision-making. Design  Computer-assisted telephone survey. Setting and participants  Six hundred and fifty-two women resident in households randomly selected from the New South Wales electronic white pages. Main outcome measures  Reported and preferred test and treatment (for comparison) decision-making, satisfaction with and anxiety about information on false results and side-effects; and effect of anxiety on desire for such information. Results  Overall most women preferred to share test (94.6%) and treatment (91.2%) decision-making equally with their doctor, or to take a more active role, with only 5.4-8.9% reporting they wanted …