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- ItemThe lived experience of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) support workers through the COVID-19 pandemic(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2023) Bulmer, Sydney J.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Sanders, JamesThis phenomenological study explores the lived experience of support workers who have worked with clients with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through in-depth interviews with five support workers, the study aims to understand the extent to which working during the pandemic has impacted the support workers' experiences and their relationships with clients. The findings reveal that the pandemic brought numerous challenges, including the need for constant adaptation, limited ability to provide necessary support, and disruptions in routine and resources. Participants identified building rapport and trust as crucial aspects of successful relationships with their clients. The pandemic presented barriers to building trust with new clients, but pre-existing rapport mitigated some of these challenges. Clients with FASD experienced negative impacts on their well-being, including increased substance use, limited access to resources, and difficulties in maintaining self-care. Support workers faced unique challenges in advocating for the FASD population during the pandemic, stemming from limited knowledge and training on FASD, as well as disruptions in service provision and communication. Effective communication strategies and person-centered approaches were identified as essential in supporting clients with FASD. Support workers also faced significant mental health challenges, mirroring those experienced by other healthcare workers during the pandemic. This study contributes to the understanding of the experiences of support workers and clients with FASD during times of societal upheaval. The findings highlight the need for targeted interventions, enhanced training, and support systems to address the unique needs of this population. Practical implications include the importance of day-to-day adaptive strategies, fostering trust and rapport, effective communication, and supporting the mental well-being of support workers. Further research should explore long-term effects, evaluate interventions, and examine the experiences of clients with FASD themselves.
- ItemHedge your bets: design, implementation, and evaluation of an online gambling harm reduction program for offender populations(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2024) Albright-Tolman, Jami I.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Williams, Robert J.Gambling is a common recreational activity that may cause harm to the gambler, their family and friends, and society. Though gambling only causes harm to a small proportion of the general population, it impacts offender populations (consisting of criminal offenders) at much higher rates. Due to unique demographic and subculture factors, offenders are both highly susceptible to gambling harm and less affected by programs designed to address that harm. In this dissertation, I present the development and evaluation of an online gambling harm reduction program for offenders, their family, and those who or live or work with offenders. The program, called Hedge Your Bets, teaches participants about gambling through four online modules that required a demonstration of mastery before proceeding to the next module: (1) gambling knowledge, (2) gambling fallacies, (3) gambling-related mathematical skills, and (4) gambling problems, with each module being delivered one week apart. A total of 84 adults were initially recruited into the study, with 27 of these having criminal convictions and 57 having either worked with offenders or being a close friend or family member. A total of 58 individuals completed the post-program assessment one week after the final module and 53 completed the follow-up survey three weeks after that. Longitudinally, the four modules were effective at creating gambling-related knowledge and skills that were associated with more negative attitudes toward gambling over time as well as decreased gambling behavior, with this latter effect being more pronounced for the offender group. Thus, Hedge Your Bets appears to be a promising program for reducing gambling-related harm in offender populations, though future research should be conducted with larger sample sizes of offenders.
- ItemA longitudinal study assessing the relationship between parents’ and children’s physical activity and their adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2024) Sadia, Farzana; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Larouche, RichardPrevious research highlights the health benefits of engaging in moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity, minimizing screen time and getting optimal sleep. Although many studies have examined associations between parents’ and children’s movement behaviours, most were based on single behaviours despite these behaviours being interdependent. Using data from the Active Transportation and Independent Mobility-2 study, we assessed the associations between parents’ adherence to the 24-hour guidelines, perceived behavioural control (PBC) to support their child’s movement behaviours, and children’s adherence to the Canadian 24-hour movement guidelines. Canadian parents of 7- to 12-year-olds (N = 2257) were surveyed at baseline (December 2020) and were followed every 6 months until June 2022 (4 waves). Movement behaviours were assessed by parent report. The final model was adjusted for age and gender of both children and parents, household income, immigration status and study wave. Our current study found that if a parent respondent met all the guidelines, their children were 1.51 times more likely to meet all three guidelines (95% CI=1.17, 1.93). Moreover, each unit increase in the PBC scale was associated with higher odds of the child meeting all three guidelines (OR=1.72; 95% CI=1.45, 2.03). Moreover, adherence decreased with each year of age (OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.72, 0.83) and was higher in Wave 2 (OR=1.32; 95% CI=1.04, 1.66), Wave 3 (OR=1.73; 95% CI=1.33, 2.25) and Wave 4 (OR=1.62; 95% CI=1.21, 2.18) vs. Wave 1. The findings of this study provide preliminary evidence suggesting that children’s adherence to the guidelines is significantly associated with both parent’s adherence and their PBC. These findings suggest that family-based interventions should be implemented to support children’s movement behaviours.
- ItemMental health and well-being of African immigrant women in southern Alberta, Canada(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2024-05-01) Odekina, Hannah I.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Lokanc-Diluzio, WendiThe aim of this study was to delve into the experiences of African immigrant women in Southern Alberta and the ensuing impact on mental health. Employing an exploratory descriptive qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven (11) African immigrant women. Thematic analysis revealed that these women encountered intersecting challenges in Canada stemming from factors such as race, gender, social class, and immigration status, leading to negative effects on their mental health. Nevertheless, the participants employed various coping strategies to alleviate these challenges, with culture playing a significant role in shaping perceptions and coping mechanisms. The study underscores the importance of implementing culturally safe programs by stakeholders, policy makers, and mental health practitioners to facilitate the successful transition and integration of African Immigrant women into their new environment.
- ItemActive transportation and independent mobility of school-aged children and their parents: a multi-site study(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Health Sciences, 2023) Hecker, Victoria J.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Health Sciences; Larouche, RichardActive transportation (AT) and independent mobility (IM) are important sources of physical activity for children. This study investigated whether parents’ travel mode to school as a child, current travel mode to work, and parental accompaniment on the trip home from school are associated with their children’s AT and IM. Children in grades 4-6 (n=1699) were recruited from urban, suburban, and rural schools in Vancouver, Ottawa and Trois-Rivières. Parents reported their current travel mode to work, IM, and school travel mode as a child. Children self-reported their IM using Hillman’s six mobility licenses. Multiple imputation was performed to replace missing data. Gender-stratified generalized linear mixed models adjusted for child age, parent respondent’s gender, urbanization, and socioeconomic status were used to examine parental influences on their child’s AT and IM. The older a parent was allowed to travel alone as a child, the less IM their child was allowed. Older children and girls whose parents biked to work or lived in Trois-Rivières had higher IM. Parental accompaniment on the trip home from school was associated with less AT trips. Boys in Vancouver and Trois-Rivières reported more active trips compared to Ottawa, though there was no differences found between Vancouver and Trois-Rivières. No significant association was found between parent travel to school as a child and AT. There were no significant associations found between a parent’s current travel mode to work with IM or AT in multivariable models. This project found that children may have more opportunities for AT if parents allow them to come home from school unaccompanied. Parents who experienced IM later may be more restrictive of their child’s IM. This potential for a generational ‘carry-over’ effect has implications for future interventions to promote IM.