This article uses a study of the life-story narratives of former classmates of Dutch and Moluccan descent to argue that the constructionist approach to intersectionality, with its account of identity as a narrative construction rather than a practice of naming, offers better tools for answering questions concerning intersectional identity formation than a more systemic intersectional approach. The case study also highlights the importance of the quest for origins in narratives. It demonstrates that theories of intersectionality are not justified in subsuming the issue of belonging under the identity marker of ethnicity, when all identities are performatively produced in and through narrative enactments that include the precarious achievement of belonging. The case study demonstrates that if narrative accounts of a (singular or collective) life fail to achieve narrative closure regarding roots, attempts to trace routes are seriously hampered.
DOCUMENT
Abstract The aim of this cross-sectional study was to develop a Frailty at Risk Scale (FARS) incorporating ten well-known determinants of frailty: age, sex, marital status, ethnicity, education, income, lifestyle, multimorbidity, life events, and home living environment. In addition, a second aim was to develop an online calculator that can easily support healthcare professionals in determining the risk of frailty among community-dwelling older people. The FARS was developed using data of 373 people aged ≥ 75 years. The Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) was used for assessing frailty. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the determinants multimorbidity, unhealthy lifestyle, and ethnicity (ethnic minority) were the most important predictors. The area under the curve (AUC) of the model was 0.811 (optimism 0.019, 95% bootstrap CI = −0.029; 0.064). The FARS is offered on a Web site, so that it can be easily used by healthcare professionals, allowing quick intervention in promoting quality of life among community-dwelling older people.
DOCUMENT
In today's world, understanding different viewpoints is key for societal cohesion and progress. Robots have the potential to provide aid in discussing tough topics like ethnicity and gender. However, comparably to humans, the appearance of a robot can trigger inherent prejudices. This study delves into the interplay between robot appearance and decision-making in ethical dilemmas. Employing a Furhat robot that can change faces in an instant, we looked at how robot appearance affects decision-making and the perception of the robot itself. Pairs of participants were invited to discuss a dilemma presented by a robot, covering sensitive topics of ethnicity or gender. The robot either adopted a first-person or third-person perspective and altered its appearance accordingly. Following the explanation, participants were encouraged to discuss their choice of action in the dilemma situation. We did not find significant influences of robot appearance or dilemma topic on perceived anthropomorphism, animacy, likeability, or intelligence of the robot, partly in line with previous research. However, several participants hearing the dilemma from a first-person perspective changed their opinion because of the robot's appearance. Future work can expand with different measures such as engagement, in order to shed light on the intricate dynamics of human-robot interaction, emphasizing the need for thoughtful consideration in designing robot appearances to promote unbiased engagement in discussions of societal significance
DOCUMENT
This paper will query whether a dedicated news platform can attune to young people’s civic needs? That is to ask: can this be a space that follows a social media logic of conversation and ‘give and take’ – with producers and consumers changing roles or even losing the distinction? How could and would such a news source be of interest to urban young, arguably the group that feels most removed from citizen status and social acceptance for who they happen to be? ‘Urban youth’ for us refers to a very specific group of young people. They are Marokko.nl’s community members. As the name suggests a fair number of them will consider themselves to be Moroccan-Dutch. From our perspective it is important to understand this group as identifying with ethnic minority groups in the Netherlands, although most of them will have been born in the Netherlands and hold Dutch citizenship. More than other young people they will recognize Islam as the religion they feel closest to. They also share a sense, as will become clear below, that they are caught ‘between two worlds’ (Elias and Lemish, 2008; Singla, 2004; Gezduci and D’Haenens, 2010). Mainstream Dutch media cast preciously few actors, anchors, audience members and experts from ethnic minority groups. Not surprisingly, this is often given as a reason to distrust hegemonic media and as underlining a sense of distance and alienation from Dutch society (see also Awad and Roth, 2011: 401).
DOCUMENT
The Challenge Me intervention aimed to indirectly involve parents in a school-based intervention, by challenging primary school children to perform physical activity (PA) and nutrition-related activities with their parents. The aim of this study is to gain insight in whether this was a feasible strategy to engage children and parents, especially those of vulnerable populations. An exploratory cross-sectional study design was applied. Four primary schools implemented the intervention. Data consisted of challenges completed (intervention posters) and child and family characteristics (questionnaires and anthropometric measurements). Associations between challenges performed and child and family characteristics were assessed using linear regression analysis. Of the 226 study participants, 100% performed at least one challenge, and 93% performed at least one challenge involving parents. Children who performed more PA challenges were often younger, a sports club member, lived in higher socioeconomic status neighbourhoods, of Western ethnicity and from larger families. Regarding nutrition challenges involving parents, younger children performed more challenges. There was no difference in intervention engagement regarding gender, weight status, PA preference, healthy nutrition preference, or the Family PA and Family Nutrition Climate. Challenge Me has potential in involving parents in a school-based intervention. However, certain characteristics were associated with higher involvement
DOCUMENT
Objective: This study evaluated the effect of an after-school group-based medium-intensity multicomponent behavioural intervention programme for children aged 8–12 years classified as overweight, obese or at risk for overweight on body mass index standard deviation score (BMI SDS). In accordance with standardized protocols body weight and height were measured in 195 participants (88 boys, 107 girls) at baseline and at the end of the programme. A total of 166 children derived from a school-based monitoring system served as control group. Multivariate regression analyses examined the effect of the intervention and the independent factors associated with better outcomes in the intervention group. Results: Analysis of covariance showed a significant intervention effect on BMO SDS in favour of the intervention group (b-coefficient - 0.13 ± 0.03; p < 0.01) compared with the control group. Change in BMI SDS between baseline and follow-up in the intervention group was associated with baseline age (b-coefficient 0.03 ± 0.02; p=0.04) but was independent from gender, ethnicity, baseline BMI SDS, time between baseline and follow-up, school year and attendance rate.
DOCUMENT
Alongside the growing number of older persons, the prevalence of chronic diseases is increasing, leading to higher pressure on health care services. eHealth is considered a solution for better and more efficient health care. However, not every patient is able to use eHealth, for several reasons. This study aims to provide an overview of: (1) sociodemographic factors that influence the use of eHealth; and (2) suggest directions for interventions that will improve the use of eHealth in patients with chronic disease. A structured literature review of PubMed, ScienceDirect, Association for Computing Machinery Digital Library (ACMDL), and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) was conducted using four sets of keywords: “chronic disease”, “eHealth”, “factors”, and “suggested interventions”. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies were included. Four researchers each assessed quality and extracted data. Twenty-two out of 1639 articles were included. Higher age and lower income, lower education, living alone, and living in rural areas were found to be associated with lower eHealth use. Ethnicity revealed mixed outcomes. Suggested solutions were personalized support, social support, use of different types of Internet devices to deliver eHealth, and involvement of patients in the development of eHealth interventions. It is concluded that eHealth is least used by persons who need it most. Tailored delivery of eHealth is recommended
DOCUMENT
Abstract Aims: Medical case vignettes play a crucial role in medical education, yet they often fail to authentically represent diverse patients. Moreover, these vignettes tend to oversimplify the complex relationship between patient characteristics and medical conditions, leading to biased and potentially harmful perspectives among students. Displaying aspects of patient diversity, such as ethnicity, in written cases proves challenging. Additionally, creating these cases places a significant burden on teachers in terms of labour and time. Our objective is to explore the potential of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted computer-generated clinical cases to expedite case creation and enhance diversity, along with AI-generated patient photographs for more lifelike portrayal. Methods: In this study, we employed ChatGPT (OpenAI, GPT 3.5) to develop diverse and inclusive medical case vignettes. We evaluated various approaches and identified a set of eight consecutive prompts that can be readily customized to accommodate local contexts and specific assignments. To enhance visual representation, we utilized Adobe Firefly beta for image generation. Results: Using the described prompts, we consistently generated cases for various assignments, producing sets of 30 cases at a time. We ensured the inclusion of mandatory checks and formatting, completing the process within approximately 60 min per set. Conclusions: Our approach significantly accelerated case creation and improved diversity, although prioritizing maximum diversity compromised representativeness to some extent. While the optimized prompts are easily reusable, the process itself demands computer skills not all educators possess. To address this, we aim to share all created patients as open educational resources, empowering educators to create cases independently.
DOCUMENT
Using political discourse analysis, this book examines the extent to which the salient approaches of previous leadership generations have translated into present day policies shepherded in by Xi Jinping. On the strategic political level, the book includes comparisons of China's recent leadership periods with a focus on Xi Jinping's era, and contains examples of whether and how specific topics and tactics reoccur across generations. The state development strategy section then goes on to include chapters on shaping China’s strategic narratives, neoliberal discourse within state developmentalism, and keyword evolution. The practical policies part looks at the issues of re-education, health, class, and ethnicity, analysing how the leaders talk about China’s poor, frame the representations of megaprojects on social media, and discursively display diplomatic strength. As a study of the rule of Xi Jinping and the rhetoric of the contemporary Chinese political system, this book will be of huge interest to students and scholars of Chinese politics and political science more broadly.
LINK
