Intergenerational differences in healthy eating beliefs among British Pakistanis with type 2 diabetes.

INTRODUCTION: There are growing concerns on how to prevent, slow down and induce remission of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Recent evidence has found diet and lifestyle interventions can cause remission of T2DM, however, there are challenges for diverse groups such as British Pakistanis who are four times more at risk of T2DM. There is a need to understand the food behaviours of different generational groups to develop culturally appropriate strategies to support diabetes prevention programmes. AIMS: This study explores beliefs about healthy eating and food practices related to T2DM among British Pakistanis to understand the challenges they face in implementing healthy diets. METHOD: We carried out 26 semi-structured qualitative interviews via telephone and face-to-face. The sample included T2DM British Pakistanis living in Bradford (UK), aged between 18 and 71 with a mean age of 50 (SD = 17.04). Among the participants, 14 were women (54%) and 12 were men (46%), with interviews conducted in both English (76%) and Urdu (24%). Participants were grouped under three generation groups based on age (first generation 65+; second generation 40-64; younger generation 18-39 years). There was no biological link between the generational groups, and they were not part of the same family. Data were analysed using qualitative reflexive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Findings were categorised into three themes: knowledge and awareness of diabetes symptoms; social and family context of food practices and making sense of healthy eating. The family was the fundamental unit of understanding food-related health behaviours. Eating traditional food was perceived as healthy and deemed practical for first generations who were the initial members of their family to settle in the UK as well as the second generations who had parents born in Pakistan. Younger British Pakistanis were born in the UK and reported that they struggled to eat alternative foods within the home and manage their T2DM. CONCLUSION: These findings improve our understanding of how three generations of British Pakistanis with T2DM negotiate healthy diets. There is a need for culturally tailored diet modifications and interventions, where different generational needs can be specifically targeted to adopt healthier diets which should be shared and encouraged.

Volunteering in the community: Understanding personal experiences of South Asians in the United Kingdom.

Upstanding civic action is central to individual and community well-being, particularly when communities comprise rich and diverse membership. However, not all groups in society have the same opportunities and resources to volunteer. This is particularly true for South Asian people, who are often reported to be less likely to volunteer. Research into the experience and meanings that this ethnic group attributes to volunteering has been exceptionally scarce. Informed by a community psychology perspective, this qualitative study conducted nine semistructured interviews with British South Asians involved in formal volunteering activities. The aim was to explore their personal experiences and motivations regarding volunteering for their community of belonging. Results from reflexive thematic analysis were grouped under three themes. These were (1) volunteering cultivated individual well-being, (2) South Asians who volunteer often experience social injustice and marginalisation and (3) volunteering for South Asians is intrinsically tied to religious and cultural motivations. British South Asians faced personal and social obstacles in accessing fundamental health and social care in their communities of belonging. Religion, and community social capital were positive volunteering strategies for British South Asians. Positive impacts of well-being included becoming closer to faith and increased sense of meaning/purpose and recognising of individual strengths. These findings offer valuable insights and recommendations for community organisations and governmental bodies to better promote volunteering for ethnic minorities. We suggest the adoption of cultural and religious sensitivity, along with strategies to remove barriers in access to opportunities and support for volunteering.

Research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: A call to action for psychological science.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) that has caused the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic represents the greatest international biopsychosocial emergency the world has faced for a century, and psychological science has an integral role to offer in helping societies recover. The aim of this paper is to set out the shorter- and longer-term priorities for research in psychological science that will (a) frame the breadth and scope of potential contributions from across the discipline; (b) enable researchers to focus their resources on gaps in knowledge; and (c) help funders and policymakers make informed decisions about future research priorities in order to best meet the needs of societies as they emerge from the acute phase of the pandemic. The research priorities were informed by an expert panel convened by the British Psychological Society that reflects the breadth of the discipline; a wider advisory panel with international input; and a survey of 539 psychological scientists conducted early in May 2020. The most pressing need is to research the negative biopsychosocial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate immediate and longer-term recovery, not only in relation to mental health, but also in relation to behaviour change and adherence, work, education, children and families, physical health and the brain, and social cohesion and connectedness. We call on psychological scientists to work collaboratively with other scientists and stakeholders, establish consortia, and develop innovative research methods while maintaining high-quality, open, and rigorous research standards.

Partnership working as liberation psychology: Forced labor among UK Chinese migrant workers.

In this article we seek to reflect critically on some recent research we have carried out, in collaboration with a Chinese welfare NGO, on the experience of forced labor among Chinese migrant workers in the UK. We will (a) locate briefly the wider political context of migrant work (both regular and irregular) in the UK; (b) explore how and why the actual research methods and process of the research deviated in practice from those that were planned; and

Eudaimonic well-being and community arts participation.

AIMS: This article considers eudaimonic models of psychological well-being in relation to qualitative data previously gathered as part of Manchester Metropolitan University's Invest to Save Arts in Health programme (2004-07). METHODS: The research draws from 21 interviews with participants involved in Invest to Save arts projects for older people and adults with a mental health diagnosis. Using a collaborative team approach, a hybrid thematic analysis was undertaken alongside an updated literature review framed by positive psychology and with a focus on well-being. RESULTS: The analysis identified eudaimonic themes of autonomy/intrinsic motivation and challenge to be particularly pertinent to participants' experiences of the scheme. Findings suggest that the programme provided a sense of purposeful occupation, cognitive and creative challenge and opportunities for autonomous self-expression and heightened concentration (flow). Many participants identified with the arts activities on offer and, while not necessarily aspiring to achieve any particular status, were intrinsically motivated to develop what they considered to be their innate creative potential. Some also reported that sustained engagement was important to their continued psychological well-being. CONCLUSIONS: Arts and health researchers might usefully draw from theories of well-being from positive psychology. Both fields are compatible in that they share an interest in human flourishing and understanding of wellness as more than an absence of dysfunction or disease. Further research is needed to ascertain whether the limited results presented here are representative of other populations. What does seem evident is that arts projects have a broad appeal and can be highly inclusive, accommodating participants with diverse needs. More generally the investigation raises questions about the cultural scaffolds that are in place to support eudaimonic well-being across the lifespan, as well as the consequences of restricting such opportunities for individuals and communities.

Consultation and participation with children in healthy schools: choice, conflict and context.

In this paper we report on our use of a participatory research methodology to consult with children in the UK on how to improve pupil well-being in secondary schools, framed within the wider social policy context of healthy schools. We worked with children on the selection of our research methods and sought to voice the views of children to a local education authority to improve the design of school environments. The consultation process ultimately failed not because the children were unforthcoming with their views on either methods or on well-being in schools, but because of difficulties in how their views were received by adults. We show how the socio-economic, cultural and political context in which those difficulties were set might have led to the eventual break down of the consultation process, and we draw out a number of possible implications for consultative and participatory work with children in school settings.

Systemic evaluation: three flexible and inclusive approaches / Systemic evaluation: three flexible and inclusive approaches

Este artículo presenta tres diferentes enfoques para la evaluación, útiles para diversos propósitos, que pueden combinarse para producir un conjunto de instrumentos flexibles en respuesta a una amplia variedad de situaciones. Ofrece los argumentos que justifican la realización de evaluaciones sistémicas (holísticas) que son a la vez inclusivas y participativas