“Are you still driving?” Metasynthesis of patient preferences for communication with health care providers

Aim: The aim of this study was to synthesize published qualitative studies to identify older adults' preferences for communication about driving with health care providers.

Background: Health care providers play a key role in addressing driving safety and driving retirement with older adults, but conversations about driving can be difficult. Guides exist for family members and providers, but to date less is known about the types of communication and messages older drivers want from their health care providers.

Design: A qualitative metasynthesis of studies published on or before October 10, 2014, in databases (PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) and grey literature was performed.

Review Methods: Twenty-two published studies representing 518 older adult drivers met the following inclusion criteria: the study (1) was about driving; (2) involved older drivers; (3) was qualitative (rather than quantitative or mixed methods); and (4) contained information on older drivers' perspectives about communication with health care providers.

Results: We identified 5 major themes regarding older adults' communication preferences: (1) driving discussions are emotionally charged; (2) context matters; (3) providers are trusted and viewed as authority figures; (4) communication should occur over a period of time rather than suddenly; and (5) older adults desire agency in the decision to stop driving.

Conclusion: Various stakeholders involved in older driver safety should consider older drivers' perspectives regarding discussions about driving. Health care providers can respect and empower older drivers—and support their family members—through tactful communication about driving safety and mobility transitions during the life course.     

An empirical research on the determinants of Chinese college students’ carbon label cognition and interpersonal communication willingness

Carbon labels are innovative medium and tools for climate change communication and low-carbon marketing. This study aims at examining how college students are aware of low-carbon and carbon labels, whether they are more willing to communicate low-carbon ideas, and also the determinants affecting their interpersonal communication of carbon labels. The multiple regression analysis shows that Chinese college students’ willingness of interpersonal communication of carbon labels are significantly influenced by their awareness of climate change crisis, the perceived value of carbon labels, the consideration of product environmental attributes, the preferences of carbon labels, the household background, and their educational background. In response to these factors, this paper proposes, in a public perspective, the strategies to enhance the dissemination of carbon labels.     

Identification of trail pheromone compounds from the labial glands of the stingless bee Geotrigona mombuca

Foragers of several species of stingless bees deposit pheromone spots in the vegetation to guide recruited nestmates to a rich food source. Recent studies have shown that Trigona and Scaptotrigona workers secrete these pheromones from their labial glands. An earlier report stated that species within the genus Geotrigona use citral from their mandibular glands for scent marking. Since convincing experimental proof for this conjecture is lacking, we studied the glandular origin of the trail pheromone of Geotrigona mombuca. In field bioassays, newly recruited bees were diverted by artificial scent trails that branched off from the natural scent trail deposited by their nestmates only when they were baited with extracts from the foragers’ labial glands. Compounds extracted from the mandibular glands, however, did not release trail following behavior. This demonstrates that the trail pheromone of G. mombuca is produced in the labial glands, as in Trigona and Scaptotrigona. Furthermore, in chemical analyses citral was identified exclusively in the foragers’ mandibular glands, which disproves its supposed role as a trail pheromone. The labial glands contained a series of terpene- and wax type esters, with farnesyl butanoate as major constituent. We, therefore, postulate that the trail pheromone of G. mombuca is composed of a blend of esters.     

Reduction of Tobacco Smoking Health Risk Through an Appropriate Media Based Communication Strategy in Uganda

The health impacts of tobacco consumption are well documented and have gained acceptance worldwide. Today, a substantial, preventable burden of tobacco attributable diseases exists in most countries, though in most of the cases, unknown. Smoking accounts for almost half of the deaths in middle age in some regions. In Uganda, translating findings into policy action is slow and involves several stakeholders. It will continue to require support from tobacco control campaign groups. This paper analyses secondar...     

Mass communication and pro-environmental behaviour: waste recycling in Hong Kong

Treatment of domestic waste has been one of the major environmental problems in Hong Kong. The Government has a stated policy to advocate the minimization of waste disposal through the encouragement of waste reduction, re-use and recycling. The current study applies Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour to predict behavioural intention and actual behaviour of voluntary use of waste recycling receptacles. A systematic random sample of 173 household members in a public housing estate were interviewed. The results indicated that attitude was the major factor in predicting behavioural intention, followed by behavioural control and social norms. Attitude, subjective norm and perceived control together explained 44% of the variance of behavioural intention. Perception of mass media as a major source of subjective norm was first introduced and tested. Mass communication stood out as one of the major sources of influence in establishment of subjective norms. The study has the implication that more publicity messages should be put on the mass media to promote green behaviours.     

Sex differences in olfactory communication in a primate, the moustached tamarin, Saguinus mystax (Callitrichinae)

This study examines the hypothesis that sexual selection has shaped patterns of olfactory communication in wild moustached tamarins, Saguinus mystax. Do sex differences exist in frequencies and in the intensity of scent marking, in the use of different scent-marking types, and in behavioural responses to scent marks? Scent marking (anogenital, suprapubic, sternal) and behavioural responses (sniffing and overmarking) were recorded in four groups (ten adult and subadult males, seven adult and subadult females in all groups combined) in north-eastern Peru. Frequencies and intensity of scent marking were significantly higher in female tamarins. Males and females did not differ in the use of anogenital marking, but suprapubic marking was employed significantly more often by females. Only 10% of scent marks were monitored by another group member, and only 5% were overmarked by another group member. Most sniffing of scent marks was done by males, and males sniffed at marks produced by females significantly more often than at marks produced by males. Both sexes overmarked scent marks with similar frequency, but females overmarked scent marks produced by males significantly more often than those produced by females. An increase in frequencies of scent marking was observed in two females of one group after the death of the reproducing female, but frequencies of scent marking remained the same in the males of this group. The female-biased rates of scent marking are consistent with predictions made by sexual selection theory for species with substantial male care for offspring and strong reproductive competition between females. However, a decisive test of the proposed role of sexual selection will only be possible with more field data on patterns of olfactory communication in other callitrichine species.     

Siting restrictions and proximity of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations to surface water

Proximity and connections to surface waters may play significant roles in determining impacts of manure spills. As occurred in many U.S. states, Minnesota adopted in 2000 more stringent regulations on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) including restrictions on siting new facilities near surface waters. The objectives of this study were to determine whether CAFO proximity to surface waters decreased following the siting restrictions and to evaluate implications of siting restrictions. Permit dates, locations, and distances to nearest surface water bodies for 111 west central Minnesota CAFOs were determined based on satellite imagery, historical records, and correspondence with regulatory officials. Average distance between surface waters and facilities permitted after 2000 was greater than for facilities permitted before 2000. The increase in average distance between CAFOs and public surface waters was significant for open water (1790 m, p = 0.03), but not for streams (280 m, p = 0.47). Decreased CAFO proximity to surface waters should benefit water quality, but after 2000 facilities continued to be permitted close to hydraulic connections not covered by the siting restriction. Comprehensive manure spill tracking and long term targeted water quality monitoring are needed to evaluate effectiveness of siting restrictions and other strategies for protecting surface waters from manure spills.     

Engaging communities in municipal sustainability planning: the use of communication strategies and social networks in Alberta

In this paper we examine and compare communication processes aimed at building social networks and increasing citizen engagement in two communities participating in a municipal sustainability planning (MSP) pilot programme in Alberta, Canada, initiated by the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA). Data were gathered through qualitative semi-structured interviews and documentary review. In soliciting citizen engagement, each community utilised a variety of communication methods, based on available resources and on-going evaluation of community responses. In both cases, citizens developed a shared vision of a preferred future for their community, aided by a reconfiguration of their internal and external social networks. In addition to drawing upon and strengthening bonding relationships within the community, bridging relationships with external actors and agencies promoted knowledge mobilisation that aided in planning and transitioning towards sustainability. Both communities faced challenges as well, which the authors discuss in relation to the sustainability of MSP planning.     

Effects of Traffic Noise on Occupancy Patterns of Forest Birds

Abstract: Noise may drive changes in the composition and abundance of animals that communicate vocally. Traffic produces low‐frequency noise (<3 kHz) that can mask acoustic signals broadcast within the same frequency range. We evaluated whether birds that sing within the frequency range of traffic noise are affected by acoustic masking (i.e., increased background noise levels at the same frequency of vocalizations reduce detection of vocalization) and are less abundant in areas where traffic noise is loud (44–57 dB). We estimated occupancy, the expected probability that a given site is occupied by a species, and detection probabilities of eight forest‐breeding birds in areas with and without traffic noise as a function of noise and three measures of habitat quality: percent forest cover, distance from plot center to the edge of forest, and the number of standing dead trees or snags. For the two species that vocalize at the lowest peak frequency (the frequency with the most energy) and the lowest overall frequency (Yellow‐billed Cuckoo [Coccyzus americanus] and White‐breasted Nuthatch [Sitta carolinensis]), the presence of traffic noise explained the greatest proportion of variance in occupancy, and these species were 10 times less likely to be found in noisy than in quiet plots. For species that had only portions of their vocalizations overlapped by traffic noise, either forest cover or distance to forest edge explained more variation in occupancy than noise or no single variable explained occupancy. Our results suggest that the effects of traffic noise may be especially pronounced for species that vocalize at low frequencies.     

Educational hazards? The politics of disaster risk education in Rio de Janeiro

Disaster education outcomes are highly dependent on the political context of that education. Based on a rich, in‐depth case study of the creation of community monitors in a landslide and flood‐prone city in southeast Brazil, this paper demonstrates how developmental and political environments add much additional nuance to existing theories of behaviourist and transformative education for disaster preparedness and mitigation. Beyond identifying the benefits of education, it argues that disaster risk reduction outcomes are reliant on governance frameworks that alter over time. The study reveals the political complexity associated with programme implementation and cites the perspectives of a number of participants. Disaster education is shown to be the necessary yet underappreciated twin of the militarised and technical approaches that dominate disaster response in Brazil. Understated, however, is education's situatedness: how it can become an arena of conflict between government and civil actors over matters of state and society in increasingly hazardous urbanisation settings in Latin America.