Urban cyclists’ perspectives on post-collision behaviour change: A qualitative study

This study explores whether urban cyclists change on-road cycling behaviour following a collision(s) with a motor vehicle, an area that has not been explored in quantitative and qualitative transportation research. Purposive sampling was employed and data was collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 9 males and 9 females from Toronto, Canada. An inductive realist thematic method was used to analyze the data. Overall, three main themes were drawn out: cycling reflexivity, cycling behavioural change and resistance to cycling behavioural change. Eliciting the theme of cycling reflexivity, these findings reveal that all post-collision cyclists actively contemplated behavioural change, and the adoption or resistance toward cycling behavioural change was influenced by intersectional internal and external dispositions emanating from pre-collision cycling behaviours. By adopting general modifications and or defensive cycling practices, in total, 12 cyclists described cycling behavioural change. In contrast, eliciting the resistance toward cycling behavioural change theme, 6 participants indicated that there were no observable modifications in post-collision cycling behaviour. Grounded in the locus of control theory and the health belief model, this study elucidates cycling behavioural change as a psychological and behavioural coping mechanism employed by this particular cohort of cyclists in an effort to mitigate future collisions with motor vehicles. These novel findings set the stage for future research into cyclists’ post-collision experiences grounded in psychological and or behavioural research paradigms.     

Why do new members stop attending health and fitness venues? The importance of developing frequent and stable attendance behaviour

ObjectivesAttendance at health and fitness venues often declines dramatically during the first year of membership. The present study sought to identify factors associated with continued attendance in new members.MethodsA secondary data analysis was conducted on the attendance data of 1726 new members of a health and fitness organisation over the first 12 months of their membership. Associations were assessed between members’ frequency and pattern of attendance during the first quarter of their membership, age, gender, and home location and their attendance levels in the fourth quarter after joining.ResultsThere was a significant reduction in the frequency of attendance over time from a mean of 7.48 times in the first month to a mean of 0.92 in the 12th month after joining. Older age, starting membership in the autumn or spring, frequency of attendance in the first quarter and stability of the context of attendance (i.e., same time and location) in month three were all significantly associated with increased attendance levels in the fourth quarter.ConclusionsThe findings indicate that new members’ early attendance behaviour, in terms of the frequency and the stability of attendance, may be important for supporting continued attendance at health and fitness venues. Interventions to increase longer-term attendance and, in turn, physical activity, should focus on promoting regular and consistent attendance, especially in terms of day, time and location, early on in individuals’ membership of health and fitness venues.     

The role of occupational standards in workplace religious literacy

ABSTRACT

This paper explores the UK National Occupational Standards to identify the breadth of occupations for which it has been determined that workers need some degree of religious literacy. A total of 465 standards documents which mention religion and beliefs relating to a diverse range of occupations were retrieved, of which 13 had a primary focus on religion and beliefs. Approximately 60 percent of these standards noted the need for knowledge about religion and beliefs, though only a quarter of these specified actual performance criteria. With some exceptions, most of the standards were vague as to what is meant by religion and its proxies, with very few attempts to define their terms. A lack of specificity renders the inclusion of references to religion largely tokenistic rather than reflecting a measure of religious literacy which could be practically operationalised.     

COVID in NYC: What We Could Do Better

Abstract

New York City hospitals expanded resources to an unprecedented extent in response to the COVID pandemic. Thousands of beds, ICU beds, staff members, and ventilators were rapidly incorporated into hospital systems. Nonetheless, this historic public health disaster still created scarcities and the need for formal crisis standards of care. These were not available to NY clinicians because of the state’s failure to implement, with or without revision, long-standing guidance documents intended for just such a pandemic. The authors argue that public health plans for disasters should be well-funded and based on available research and expertise. Communities should insist that political representatives demonstrate responsible leadership by implementing and updating as needed, crisis standards of care. Finally, surge requirements should address the needs of both those expected to survive and those who will not, by expanding palliative care and other resources for the dying.     

The concept of vitality. Review of the vitality-related research domain

Existing literature identified numerous positive consequences of vitality, including somatic health, mental well-being, and improved performance. Despite the immense scientifically proven beneficial importance of vitality, the concept has not been accurately conceptualized to ensure its uniform, comprehensive understanding and application. Through a detailed analysis of 93 qualified research studies on vitality, the present study provides a contemporary and concise scoping review of the vitality research domain, in particular how researchers addressed vitality, what aspects of vitality they explored, and how they designed their investigations on vitality. The vitality research domain appears to be composed of mainly quantitative inquiries in the field of psychology. The findings disclose vitality as a quantifiable subjective positive concept consisting of fluctuating physiological and psychological energy, which can be regulated and harnessed by a person possessing it. In addition to outlining features and measurements of vitality, the review generalized its empirically identified antecedents and consequences.     

The intersection of individual differences,personality variation, & military service: A twin comparison design

ABSTRACT

In societies where military service is voluntary multiple factors are likely to affect the decision to enlist. Past research has produced evidence that a handful of personality and social factors seem to predict service in the military. However, recent quantitative genetic research has illustrated that enlistment in the military appears to be partially heritable and thus past research is potentially subject to genetic confounding. To assess the extent to which genetic confounding exists, the current study examined a wide range of individual-level factors using a subsample of twins (n = 1,232) from the restricted-use version of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. The results of a series of longitudinal twin comparison models, which control for the latent sources of influence that cluster within families (i.e., shared genetic and family factors), illustrated generally null findings. However, individuals with higher scores on measures of extraversion and the general factor of personality were more likely to enlist in the military, after correction for familial confounding. Nonetheless, the overall results suggest that familial confounding should be a methodological concern in this area of research, and future work is encouraged to employ genetically informed methodologies in assessments of predictors of military enlistment.