Pacific Arts Association

Purpose: Older adults remain the least physically active group in Europe, with barriers such as low socioeconomic status, health limitations, and social exclusion contributing to inactivity. JOIN4JOY aims to reduce sedentary behaviour (SB) and increase physical activity (PA) among adults aged 65+, living in community and nursing homes. This project innovatively integrates co-creation, gamification, and social inclusion perspective to design PA programme focused on enjoyment – a key to sustained engagement. By emphasising intergenerational collaboration, inclusive practice, and virtual communities of practice (VCoPs), JOIN4JOY presents a novel model that promotes healthy ageing. Project Description: Development. The JOIN4JOY intervention programme was co-developed through a participatory approach involving older adults (end-users), family members, professionals, students, and policymakers across five European countries: Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Focus groups were guided by the Octalysis gamification framework to ensure enjoyment and engagement were considered. Training modules and materials were developed collaboratively, integrating students and evidence-based strategies from prior successful interventions. Implementation. The project co-created and implemented two tailored programmes: JOIN4JOY-C (for community-dwelling older adults) and JOIN4JOY-NH (for the residents of nursing homes). Both programmes were piloted (Pilot 1 and Pilot 2) by trained professionals and students, combining group PA sessions, self-management strategies, and social engagement. Evaluation. A mixed-method evaluation was used to assess feasibility, acceptability, and impact of the programme. Quantitative tools included subjective questionnaires and scales as well as accelerometries for objective measurement of PA and SB. Qualitative interviews with participants and trainers explored their experiences and perceived benefits of the programme. Dissemination and Scale-Up. The open-access training platform linked to VCoPs was established nationally in local languages and internationally in English to enable peer learning and practitioner support as well as the scale-up of the project. Public events, publications, and practitioner networks will support its dissemination across Europe. Conclusion: JOIN4JOY shows how co-creation, gamification, and inclusive design can reshape PA programmes for older adults, shifting the focus towards enjoyment and social inclusion. Preliminary results indicate high levels of satisfaction and enjoyment among participants. The project offers valuable insights for advancing long-term, inclusive approaches to promote PA among older adults.

Establishing healthy behaviors during a child's first 5years is essential for healthy growth. Parents are targeted as agents of change because they serve as primary models of behavior during this period. Although parent-focused interventions often target empowerment as a driver of change, our understanding of how parents experience the process of empowerment in the context of child health promotion remains limited. This qualitative study explored the process by which parents gain empowerment through participation in a health promotion intervention. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 37 low-income parents who participated in Parents Connect for Healthy Living (PConnect), a 10-week empowerment-centered obesity prevention intervention. Data were analyzed using inductive-deductive thematic analysis and guided by empowerment theories. Most parents were Hispanic/Latino (41%) and female (97%). Five themes emerged that correspond to the process by which parents gained empowerment: (1) friendships formed and relationships strengthened during PConnect, (2) parents strengthened relationships with their children and believed in their ability to parent successfully, (3) the experience of knowledge led to behavior change, (4) parents used new resources to improve family health, and (5) parents took action. Empowerment theory should be a component of health promotion programs.

This study presents the development of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) background threshold values (BTVs) that statistically characterize ambient background conditions for surface waters in undeveloped and developed landscapes of the Pajarito Plateau in the Rio Grande Basin of New Mexico. Between 2009 and 2018, surface water data were collected at 45 locations under a variety of flow conditions and regimes. A total of 163 samples were collected, with roughly 1/3 of samples and locations being in undeveloped areas (n = 53 from 17 locations), and the remainder being in developed areas (n = 110 from 28 locations). While there are areas on the Pajarito Plateau where PCB point sources are known or likely to have contributed to PCBs in soils, PCB BTVs calculated for undeveloped portions of watersheds (upstream of areas where PCB point sources are known or likely to have contributed to PCBs in soils, and therefore not affected by PCB sources within the watershed) are well above New Mexico's human health organism-only (HH-OO) water quality criterion (0.64 ng/L). Background threshold values are even higher in developed areas upstream of managed soil sites, suggesting that in developed areas, both diffuse ambient PCB sources (e.g., atmospheric deposition) and localized urban sources (e.g., building materials, paints, and electrical equipment) contribute to PCBs in those watersheds. These findings indicate that New Mexico's current HH-OO water quality criterion for PCBs cannot practicably be met due to ambient conditions. It is also impracticable to meet the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) criterion continuous concentration (CCC) of 14 ng/L in developed background areas, where the BTV is approximately 1.5 times the CCC. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:1307-1319. © 2022 SETAC.

This chapter gives a tour of the night sky near the September equinox. The four charts show the night sky around the evening of September 20. As before, the sky from the northern observatory will be covered first, followed by the sky from the southern observatory. Only the constellations in the central part of the charts will be discussed, as those in the outer 25% are better placed in the sky in other charts.

The star charts in this chapter depict the evening sky on March 20, which is near the equinox. The charts contain sufficient stars to determine constellations without overwhelming the charts with all the stars visible from a dark location. The stars visible from a given location will depend on the amount of light pollution in the area. Remember the Moon can also be a huge light polluter and you can expect fewer stars to be seen under the full Moon versus no Moon. I will discuss the view from each hemisphere separately.

Various environmental regulations require the avoidance from, mitigation of, and/or compensatory restoration of lost ecosystem services associated with environmental injuries. The ability of environmental managers to put various categories of ecosystem services into effective operational terms for environmental regulation and decision making has been highly variable to date. Quantitative valuation of the benefits associated with provisioning services (e.g., timber), as well as the direct human use of natural resources (e.g., recreation and tourism), using traditional market-based and revealed preference economic frameworks has been widely adopted. In contrast, valuation of non-material cultural services (e.g., bequest, existence, spiritual, or aesthetic) has been more challenging with various types of environmental assessments relying (1) on narrative descriptions (which define the benefit of an ecosystem service but struggle to define its value), (2) established but not widely accepted contingent valuation economic frameworks, or (3) ecological-based equivalency analysis based on a single habitat or ecological production metric while assuming other regulating, non-material cultural services, and supporting services are equivalent and substitutable on a per unit basis. The lack of effective methods to communicate and appropriately address the value of non-material cultural benefits associated environmental injuries has been an ongoing source of conflict for environmental managers. This paper presents a method for scaling the value of threatened or lost non-material cultural services associated with environmental injuries based on a structured decision support (SDS) approach, which draws from decision sciences (e.g., multi-criteria attribute) and negotiation theory (e.g., interest based). It has been successfully applied in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups in Canada and the US. The value of the benefit of cultural services or goods is estimated by scaling "Benefit-to-Benefit" when possible. In some contexts, the use of "Benefit-to-Cost" method of scaling is warranted. Neither scaling approach requires stakeholders to state a direct monetary value for non-material losses.

The article takes the form of a letter written to pre-service or beginning teachers at the secondary level in the public school system. The letter acknowledges the attributes they bring to the profession (enthusiasm, optimism, creativity, and open-mindedness) and calls on them to make the most of and work to sustain these traits as they begin their careers. They are then advised in the importance of setting clear expectations for their students, maintaining high standards, and always demonstrating professionalism.

Psychological preparation of the child for surgery should be tailored to the developmental stage of the child, guided in part by the child’s age, and whether the child will be admitted to hospital after surgery or go home. Prehospital preparation for school-age children may include web-based strategies, videotapes, or a tour of the operating room. Younger children may benefit from a storybook or coloring book. Separation from the parents can be traumatic; anxiolysis should be addressed using distraction techniques including puppets, electronic games, and videos for the child, having the parents present at the induction or premedication, most commonly in the form of oral midazolam. Children with neurocognitive disorders present unique challenges, requiring parental presence and/or premedication for anxiolysis. Obtaining consent presents special concerns for the vulnerable child that requires a focused preoperative interview. Postoperative care should aim to reunite the parents with the child when the child is awake.