Catherine Angell

Draw, Write and Tell: A Literature Review and Methodological Development on the "Draw and Write" Research Method.

The creative research method ‘draw and write’ has been used in health, social care and education research for several decades. A literature search of studies utilising this method was conducted during the planning stages of a study exploring primary school children’s perceptions of infant feeding. A review of this literature noted a range of benefits of ‘draw and write’ in enabling child participation. However, it also identified that the method has been used inconsistently and found that there are issues for researchers in relation to interpretation of creative work and analysis of data. As a result of this, an improvement on this method, entitled ‘draw, write and tell’, was developed in an attempt to provide a more child-orientated and consistent approach to data collection, interpretation and analysis. This article identifies the issues relating to ‘draw and write’ and describes the development and application of ‘draw, write and tell’ as a case study, noting its limitations and benefits.

“Is it realistic?” the portrayal of pregnancy and childbirth in the media

BackgroundConsiderable debate surrounds the influence media have on first-time pregnant women. Much of the academic literature discusses the influence of (reality) television, which often portrays birth as risky, dramatic and painful and there is evidence that this has a negative effect on childbirth in society, through the increasing anticipation of negative outcomes. It is suggested that women seek out such programmes to help understand what could happen during the birth because there is a cultural void. However the impact that has on normal birth has not been explored.MethodsA scoping review relating to the representation of childbirth in the mass media, particularly on television.ResultsThree key themes emerged: (a) medicalisation of childbirth; (b) women using media to learn about childbirth; and (c) birth as a missing everyday life event.ConclusionMedia appear to influence how women engage with childbirth. The dramatic television portrayal of birth may perpetuate the medicalisation of childbirth, and last, but not least, portrayals of normal birth are often missing in the popular media. Hence midwives need to engage with television producers to improve the representation of midwifery and maternity in the media.

More than Just “Snap, Crackle, and Pop”: “Draw, Write, and Tell”: An Innovative Research Method with Young Children

ABSTRACT The current study introduces “Draw, Write, and Tell” (DWT), a creative method suitable for research with younger children between the ages of 5 and 11 years. A case study using an advertisement promoting Kelloggs Rice Krispies cereal illustrated how DWT can be implemented in practice. The researchers concluded that the method offers several benefits. Data quality was high as a result of participant and stakeholder buy-in, the application of visualization methods, and the possibility of data triangulation through its multi-method design. Advertisers can use the results for evaluating childrens responses to advertising material. What is more, enhanced creativity provides an opportunity for the modification of communications. Limitations of DWT with directions for its future development also are considered.The current study introduces “Draw, Write, and Tell” (DWT), a creative method suitable for research with younger children between the ages of 5 and 11 years. A case study using an advertisement promoting Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal illustrated how DWT can be implemented in practice. The researchers concluded that the method offers several benefits. Data quality was high as a result of participant and stakeholder buy-in, the application of visualization methods, and the possibility of data triangulation through its multi-method design. Advertisers can use the results for evaluating children’s responses to advertising material. What is more, enhanced creativity provides an opportunity for the modification of communications. Limitations of DWT with directions for its future development also are considered.

Dirty and 40 days in the wilderness: Eliciting childbirth and postnatal cultural practices and beliefs in Nepal

BackgroundPregnancy and childbirth are socio-cultural events that carry varying meanings across different societies and cultures. These are often translated into social expectations of what a particular society expects women to do (or not to do) during pregnancy, birth and/or the postnatal period. This paper reports a study exploring beliefs around childbirth in Nepal, a low-income country with a largely Hindu population. The paper then sets these findings in the context of the wider global literature around issues such as periods where women are viewed as polluted (or dirty even) after childbirth.MethodsA qualitative study comprising five in-depth face-to-face interviews and 14 focus group discussions with mainly women, but also men and health service providers. The qualitative findings in Nepal were compared and contrasted with the literature on practices and cultural beliefs related to the pregnancy and childbirth period across the globe and at different times in history.ResultsThe themes that emerged from the analysis included: (a) cord cutting & placenta rituals; (b) rest & seclusion; (c) purification, naming & weaning ceremonies and (d) nutrition and breastfeeding. Physiological changes in mother and baby may underpin the various beliefs, ritual and practices in the postnatal period. These practices often mean women do not access postnatal health services.ConclusionsThe cultural practices, taboos and beliefs during pregnancy and around childbirth found in Nepal largely resonate with those reported across the globe. This paper stresses that local people’s beliefs and practices offer both opportunities and barriers to health service providers.Maternity care providers need to be aware of local values, beliefs and traditions to anticipate and meet the needs of women, gain their trust and work with them.

The emergence of public health open educational resources

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify key concepts in the literature relating to the release of open educational resources (OER), with specific reference to the emergence of public health OER.Design/methodology/approach – A review of the literature relating to the development of OER was followed by an online search for OER literature relating specifically to public health. This was supplemented with evidence gathered during the Public Health Open Resources for the University Sector (PHORUS) project.Findings – A wide array of OER literature was identified, although there was a limited number of public health‐related papers. The key concepts influencing public health OER release were identified as quality, ethics and values, rewards, risks and practical aspects, such as technological developments.Research limitations/implications – There is a limited amount of public health‐related OER literature. Whilst it was possible to draw some conclusions using more general OER literature there is a need ...

Surfing the net for public health resources

OBJECTIVES To identify public health open educational resources (OER) available online, map the identified OER to The Public Health Skills and Career Framework (PHSCF), and triangulate these findings with public health practitioners. STUDY DESIGN Systematic online search for public health OER. METHODS An online search was undertaken using a pre-defined set of search terms and inclusion/exclusion criteria. Public health OER were then mapped against the UK PHSCF. The findings of the search were discussed with public health specialists to determine whether or not they used these resources. RESULTS A number of public health OER were identified, located on 42 websites from around the world. Mapping against the UK PHSCF demonstrated a lack of coverage in some areas of public health education. It was noted that many of the OER websites identified were not those generally used in practice, and those sites preferred by public health specialists were not identified by the online search. CONCLUSIONS Public health OER are available from a number of providers, frequently universities and government organizations. However, these reflect a relatively small pool of original OER providers. Tagging of websites does not always identify their public health content. In addition, users of public health OER may not use search engines to identify resources but locate them using other means.

An emerging model for publishing and using open educational resources in public health

Introduction: The open source revolution has enabled the development of open educational resources (OER) and the potential for sharing lessons learned. We present a potential model for publishing OER in public health to inform workforce development. Methods: As part of the PHORUS (Public Health Open Resources for the University Sector) Project, a review of the literature relating to the development of OER was followed by an online search for OER resources relating specifically to public health. Furthermore, a Delphi study was conducted to identify and prioritize barriers and enablers to the production and use of public health OER. Results: A wide array of OER literature was identified, although there were a limited Number of public health-related papers. The key concepts influencing public health OER release found in the literature were identified as quality, ethics and values, rewards, risks and practical aspects, such as technological developments. These concepts were then further developed through the PHORUS project research findings to produce the basis of a potential model for OER development in public health. Discussion/Conclusion: The synthesis of a literature review and Delphi study has produced a potential model to guide the development of OER in public health. The model provides a matrix where the questions about whether and how an academic can produce and publish OER are answered, according to various risks and benefits to them and their institution. We hope that this will provide practical assistance and encouragement for the academic public health community to create and share OER.

Virtual health education: Scaling practice to transform student learning

The advancements in and affordability of technologies offer increasing opportunities to modernise healthcare education into packages developed to meet the expectations and requirements of the digital generation. Purposefully designed and tested Virtual Reality Learning Environments (VRLE) can offer healthcare students the means to access and revisit learning materials in ways that enhance education and meet a range of needs; including those with specific learning differences and those who have traditionally been disenfranchised. Furthermore, this will make healthcare education much more readily available to those who have been previously marginalised by distance. This paper argues that Virtual Reality (VR) has the unique potential to transform healthcare education and suggests that more providers should consider collaborating with developers and investing in the technology.

An Everyday Trauma: How the Media Portrays Infant Feeding

Infant feeding is a fundamental element in the childbirth continuum. A woman’s decision about whether to breastfeed, and the duration and exclusivity of this, has the potential to affect short and long term health for both herself and her baby (Vitora et al. 2016). When making infant-feeding choices mothers often feel obliged to conform to the expectations of their family, social group and culture (Angell et al. 2011). In addition, women are influenced by the wider society in which they live, and many report feeling pressurized, shamed and marginalised by other people in relation to their infant feeding (Thomson et al. in Maternal & Child Nutrition 11: 33–46, 2015). Although women’s choices are essentially personal and private, strong public opinions on the subject transform it into ‘everybody’s business’. This is exacerbated by mass media, which has become a conduit through which social and individual views on infant feeding are presented and debated. Curiously, the ‘everyday’ nature of this subject means that it often appears in the media in a covert manner, when it is unconsciously included as a minor element in a wider story. In other cases infant feeding is the story, and it appears in the media as a problematic issue and the focus of discussion (Henderson et al. in British Medical Journal 321: 1196–1198, 2000). During the past two decades a small body of research has emerged which has explored how infant feeding is presented in newspapers, magazines and television, in a range different countries and cultures. This chapter will review the existing literature and consider how the media might influence infant feeding behaviour, both currently and in the future.

Birthing Centre Infrastructure in Nepal Post 2015 Earthquake

We suggest that a focus on improving facility delivery services starting from the most severely affected districts could be the necessary step towards achieving universal health care. Technical and financial support offered by international development partners can play a crucial role in enhancing the capabilities of health care facilities including birthing centres.