Increasing walking among older people: A test of behaviour change techniques using factorial randomised N-of-1 trials

Objective: Evaluations of techniques to promote physical activity usually adopt a randomised controlled trial (RCT). Such designs inform how a technique performs on average but cannot be used for treatment of individuals. Our objective was to conduct the first N-of-1 RCTs of behaviour change techniques with older people and test the effectiveness of the techniques for increasing walking within individuals.

Design: Eight adults aged 60–87 were randomised to a 2 (goal-setting vs. active control) × 2 (self-monitoring vs. active control) factorial RCT over 62 days. The time series data were analysed for each single case using linear regressions.

Main outcome measures: Walking was objectively measured using pedometers.

Results: Compared to control days, goal-setting increased walking in 4 out of 8 individuals and self-monitoring increased walking in 7 out of 8 individuals. While the probability for self-monitoring to be effective in 7 out of 8 participants was beyond chance (p = .03), no intervention effect was significant for individual participants. Two participants had a significant but small linear decrease in walking over time.

Conclusion: We demonstrate the utility of N-of-1 trials for advancing scientific enquiry of behaviour change and in practice for increasing older people’s physical activity.     

Solidarity and Reciprocity Between People With and Without Disabilities

Governments of contemporary welfare states call upon citizens to care for people with psychiatric or intellectual disabilities. This is deemed sensible and morally just. However, social–psychological theory suggests that stereotyping may stand in the way of engaging into contact. Sociological theory suggests that the giving of help is based on either balanced or generalized reciprocity. Balanced reciprocity depends on one's ability to ‘pay back’, which people with disabilities may have trouble doing. Generalized reciprocity depends on close social bonds, while people with disabilities often have fewer social bonds than other citizens. The current study aimed to find out whether citizens—despite socio‐psychological and sociological theories expecting otherwise—enter into supporting relationships with people with intellectual or psychiatric disabilities. Although we found socio‐psychological and sociological theory to be largely correct, we also found people to be more creative than theory assumes. A smile can be experienced as a return gift, thus including people with intellectual disabilities in the web of balanced reciprocity. Some people create new social bonds to include people with disabilities: they feel close to them because they had a job in the healthcare sector or because they had a family member with a disability. In disadvantaged neighbourhoods, recognition of each other's problems can create feelings of similarity and concomitant reciprocity. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Studying the ecclesiology of a national church: the Danish context

Studying the ecclesiology of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark is a complicated matter. It requires knowledge of a broad range of subjects such as theology, political science, history, and anthropology. This article shows some of the difficulties and problems related to studying a national church which is heavily politicised, because a national church, in a globalised context, easily becomes the symbol of a past identification of nation, state, church, and people. Today, this identification is changing because of immigration, secular ideologies, and secularisation. Researchers in ecclesiology must be aware of the political and national dimensions of their research and how their conclusions are used in the political debate.     

Police Attitudes in England to Return Interviews,in Repeat Missing Person Cases

The aim of this article is to examine the attitudes of English police officers to return interviews of people who are reported missing repeatedly (e.g. three times or more). In addition to a brief police ‘Safe & Well Check’ a return interview is also carried out by a police officer and seeks to find out where people went and why, in order to identify potential risks to their safety and whether they experienced harm whilst they were missing. A mixed‐methods survey of 50 constables from one police force in England ran in March 2014, using quantitative and open qualitative questions. Key themes that emerged were individual frustration at repetition, negativity around usefulness of the interviews, a challenge to involve third sector partners, and development areas in training. Statistical significance was found in variables relating to officer experience and gender, against views on interviewing missing people. The article looks at the limited existing literature and makes recommendations about best practice with return interviews, advocating a multi‐agency approach to improve interventions, and better training to improve positivity towards missing people. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

互联网的使用对中老年人生活幸福感的影响

采用2018年中国健康与养老追踪调查数据(CHARLS),运用主成分回归和结构方程模型,探究互联网的使用对中国中老年人生活幸福感的影响。主成分回归的结果显示中老年人互联网使用程度、家庭情况以及其身体状况都会对其生活幸福感产生积极的影响,结构方程模型的结果显示中老年人家庭情况会直接或通过影响其互联网使用程度间接的对其身体状况产生积极的影响,进而提升其生活幸福感。     

《管子》民本思想述评

《管子》民本思想内容非常丰富,始终围绕着顺民心,应民情而展开,在政治上,崇尚德礼,爱民惠民;在经济上,提倡节约,重民富民;在法律方面,主张严格执法以安民。《管子》的民本思想具有较强的功利性,民本思想归根结底是为君主统治服务的。     

Relational Risk and Its Personal Correlates in Strategic Alliances

In this study we focus on the perception of one particular type of risk in the context of strategic alliances—relational risk. Perceived relational risk refers to the degree to which decision makers are concerned with the partner's opportunistic behavior in cooperative efforts. We develop a measure of relational risk in strategic alliances, and empirically examine some of its personal correlates. Based on a survey of senior executives of corporations and MBA students, we found partial support for the principal hypothesis that the perception of relational risk for prospective strategic alliances is related to an individual's age and trust in people.     

职业评定量表(VIESA)的信度和效度研究

根据D.E.Super的职业发展理论,职业选择的成熟与发展一般分为五个阶段,中学生正处在从探索到成熟的重要转变期。本研究以美国大学测验中心的职业分类系统为基础,以职业评定量表VIESA为工具和对象,对北京市第六十五中学的179名高中三年级学生和北京师范大学心理学系的55名二年级学生进行了施测,检验了量表的信度和效度。量表的信度指标基本在.70以上,构想效度良好,以专业满意感为效标的效标效度达到显著水平。