Browsing by Subject "Wellbeing"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Assessment of residents' social and economic Wellbeing in conservation resettlement: a case study of Padampur, Chitwan National Park, Nepal.
    (2011-12) Dhakal, Narayan P.
    Conservation resettlement is a controversial issue in balancing biological conservation with the people’s social and economic needs. Very few studies have examined the conservation resettlement outcome, and majority of them view resettlement as counterintuitive to the people’s livelihood in the name of biological conservation. This thesis focuses on residents’ responses on social, economic and environmental consequences of a voluntary resettlement. Studies of forced resettlement during the creation and maintenance of national parks and protected areas have found negative socioeconomic consequences for human wellbeing. I investigated residents’ social and economic wellbeing following a citizeninitiated resettlement program in Padampur, Nepal. We found a difference between voluntary and forced resettlement respondents in overall satisfaction as well as evaluation of land quality and employment factors. However, there was no difference in their evaluation of land ownership, housing, physical infrastructure, health, social ties, and support services as having positive outcomes. Most respondents reported being socially and economically better off in the new location. In the future, economic status, food and nutrition, and marginalization of some groups could potentially reduce satisfaction. Residents’ post resettlement economic wellbeing is an important factor in balancing conservation and socioeconomic needs. After the resettlement, we found more residents were engaged in off-farm jobs, micro-enterprises, and physical facilities which were serving their needs. Our findings suggest that considering the following factors in resettlement planning may provide better post resettlement economic wellbeing: a) participatory and bottom up planning; b) fair compensation of physical asset; and c) provision of basic needs for water, and facilities for health and education. I emphasize the need of participatory resettlement planning models, and feel that the results have general applications to resettlement efforts. To see the biological aspects of the resettlement, I assessed the prey abundance in the evacuated area in comparison to the abundance in the park core area. I have chosen Sambar Unit (SU) as a measurement unit to assess the prey abundance. SU is significant with more prey abundance in the evacuated area than the core area of the park. Residents’ perceived biodiversity loss and gain was assessed in both locations (old and new). After the resettlement, residents’ positive perception in restoring wildlife habitat in the old site decreased pressure and decreased human wildlife conflicts. In the new site, I found increased understanding on sustainable utilization of natural resources through community forestry by reducing forest dependency. I suggest the need of periodic monitoring of post resettlement biological and socioeconomic gains to evaluate the long term viability of voluntary resettlement for conservation and residents’ better wellbeing. We suggest future conservation related resettlement consider lessons from the Padampur model.
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    Engaging Older Adults with Alzheimer's Disease in Exercise: Impact on Caregivers
    (2022-05) Sims, Tai
    In 2020, over 11 million informal caregivers cared for 6.5 million older adults with Alzheimer’s disease in America. By 2050 the number of older adults with Alzheimer’s disease is projected to double, which will demand the need for more informal caregivers. Family most often serve as informal caregivers. Informal caregiving is associated with increased burden, and poorer wellbeing and overall health. Interventions that target family caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease have shown minimal benefit on caregiver outcomes. Interventions that target people with Alzheimer’s disease, often neglect examining the intervention’s impact on family caregivers. In particular, exercise interventions have shown some promise in improving cognition and physical function of people with Alzheimer’s disease; however, little is known on how such interventions impact family caregivers. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to evaluate the impact of a 6 month, moderate intensity aerobic exercise intervention for community-dwelling older adults with Alzheimer’s disease on caregiver burden, wellbeing and general health. The study results were mixed across quantitative and qualitative data for caregiver burden and wellbeing. However, the findings suggest that improved caregiver burden and wellbeing may have been a consequence of perceived benefits of respite time and social support received by both study groups, rather than changes in care-recipients as a result of the exercise intervention. Both quantitative and qualitative data indicated the exercise intervention did not influence caregivers’ general health. This study provides some insight that integrating a family caregiver component into community-based exercise programs has the potential to benefit both people with Alzheimer’s disease and their family caregivers.
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    From Problem to Promise: An Examination of the Effects of Peer Group Coaching on the Wellbeing of Undergraduate Students
    (2015-05) Sommers, Jayne
    College student mental health has historically been framed as a "crisis"� in need of a solution. Currently, college counseling centers report an inability to meet the demands of students. This study invites a shift in thinking about college student mental health to a focus on student wellbeing. This focus is not meant to replace attention to severe mental health needs of students, but is instead intended to augment the work being done by student affairs staff. Given college students' increasing mental health needs, higher education professionals are obligated to explore additional means of supporting students. The practice of peer coaching has been demonstrated as beneficial to participants in spheres outside of higher education. This mixed methods study sought to examine the experiences of 30 undergraduate students enrolled in a semester-long peer group coaching program. Students who participated in peer group coaching (n = 30) showed significant increases in multiple dimensions of wellbeing as measured by the Ryff (1989) Scales of Psychological Wellbeing and the Social Provisions Scale (Cutrona & Russell, 1987), while a comparison group (n = 34) increased in only one dimension. Analysis of qualitative interview data provided description of the experience of peer group coaching in students' own words, and a third analysis involving both the quantitative and qualitative data provided support for and illumination of the quantitative changes. Overall, the results of this study support the creation of peer coaching groups as one means of addressing the needs of today's undergraduate students.
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    Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate a Self-Guided, Web-Based Mindfulness Program for Stress Reduction and Wellbeing Promotion
    (2015-08) Prasek, Aimee
    Background: Stress is a public health issue that has costly personal and societal effects. Stress-reduction interventions, such as those integrating mindfulness practices, have demonstrated significant improvements for stress and wellbeing outcomes when delivered to small, in-person groups. The effectiveness of self-guided, web-based mindfulness programs to address barriers of in-person programs deserves more attention. Objective: The purpose of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to determine the effectiveness of a self-guided, web-based mindfulness program ("Sherman Project"�) in reducing perceived stress and improving wellbeing for a group of University students, staff, and faculty. Method: A randomized controlled trial was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a self-guided, web-based mindfulness program. Students, staff, and faculty from a large University were recruited to participate. Results: 192 participants were randomized to either the intervention group or the waitlist control. Participants were predominantly Caucasian females. The study was powered to detect statistically significant differences in PSS scores at the mid-assessment point. Compared to the waitlist control, the intervention group demonstrated significantly improved PSS scores at both the mid and post-assessments. The intervention group also demonstrated improved wellbeing when compared to the waitlist. Intervention participants engaged in the 7-week program for roughly 120 total minutes. A small, but non-significant association between program engagement and PSS scores was found, suggesting that as individuals engaged more in the program, perceived stress may slightly decrease. Conclusions: This RCT demonstrated effectiveness for the use of Sherman Project, a self-guided, web-based mindfulness program, to reduce perceived stress for a sample of University students, staff, and faculty. Wellbeing also showed tendency for improvement for the intervention group. Results may support the use of low-intensity, web-based mindfulness interventions as an effective option to address common access barriers of in-person services and as an efficient component of public health initiatives for stress reduction and wellbeing-promotion.