bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Physical Interventions with People with Intellectual Disabilities: Staff Training and Policy Frameworks
Authors: Murphy Glynis , Kelly‐Pike Amanda , McGill Peter , Jones Samantha , Byatt James 
Published: May 2003

Background  Physical intervention or restraint with people who have intellectual disabilities is sometimes necessary, even though it is known to present dangers to both staff and service users (some service users have died as a result of restraint).Aims  This study aims to investigate the extent to which staff in intellectual disability services were trained in the use of physical interventions or restraint. Their views of a recent policy framework on physical interventions were also sought.Methods  There were three groups of participants: (i) group 1 included staff who had attended conferences on the Policy Framework (the conference sample); (ii) group 2 included staff from two geographical areas (the geographical sample); (iii) group 3 included staff in specialist assessment and treatment services (the SpAT sample). All participants were sent a questionnaire asking them about their training in (and use of) physical intervention methods and their opinions on the policy document.Results  There were at least 12 different types of training recorded, including a number of varieties of Control and Restraint (C&R). By no means did all the senior staff did have training in physical intervention methods. The degree of training varied with the sample and the type of training varied with the employing organization. Most participants in group 1 were very positive about the BILD & NAS Policy Framework but few staff in groups 2 and 3 had read the document. About two‐thirds of the participants said their services had (or were developing) a written policy on physical interventions.Conclusions  There remained a clear need for further training in physical interventions and evidence on which the effectiveness of different methods of physical interventions could be judged.
Jurors' Perception of Witnesses with Intellectual Disabilities and the Influence of Expert Evidence
Authors: Stobbs Georgina , Kebbell Mark Rhys 
Published: May 2003

Purpose  The aim of this study was to assess mock‐jurors' perceptions of the evidence of witnesses with intellectual disabilities either with or without expert evidence and in comparison with witnesses from the general population.Method  Sixty participants read transcripts of a mock trial focusing on the testimony of an eyewitness. Participants were assigned to one of three groups. The first was told that the witness was a person from the general population. The second was told that the witness had mild learning disabilities. The third group was told that the witness had mild learning disabilities and was given expert evidence concerning his abilities.Results  While mock‐jurors perceive witnesses with learning disabilities to be fundamentally honest, they are reluctant to rely on the evidence provided by witnesses with learning disabilities. Expert evidence can go some way to ameliorating the negative perceptions of the reliability of witnesses with learning disabilities.Conclusions  Expert evidence can provide jurors with a certain degree of insight and understanding of an individual witness with intellectual disabilities that potentially increases the likelihood of achieving justice.
Utility of the Brief Symptom Inventory in the Assessment of Psychological Distress
Authors: Kellett Stephen , Beail Nigel , Newman David W. , Frankish Pat 
Published: May 2003

Introduction  People with intellectual disabilities are now acknowledged to be susceptible to the full range of mental health disorders. This acknowledgement has resulted in the need to develop and evaluate instruments for the assessment and detection of mental health problems. This research evaluates the use of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) with 200 people with mild intellectual disabilities representing community, clinical and forensic populations.Results and conclusions  Results illustrate the reliability of the BSI for each of the groups and demonstrates how the Positive Symptom Total (PST) index effectively discriminates between study groups. Case rates for each group are provided. The study illustrates that the BSI could be employed as a brief multitrait assessment instrument and as a treatment outcome measure with people with an intellectual disability.
The Intellectually Disabled Offender: Methodological Problems in Identification
Authors: McBrien Judith 
Published: May 2003

Background  Reliable evidence concerning the prevalence of intellectually disabled offenders that would inform the clinician's approach to the assessment and management of risk is in short supply. This paper aims to assist the clinician in interpreting the available evidence.Methods  A literature search was conducted for all years up to January 2003. Each study was first examined for the methods employed to define and measure intellectual disability. Then, the effect of this on prevalence estimates was considered.Results  A wide range of methods has been used to ascertain the presence of intellectual disability – administrative definitions, psychiatric diagnosis, educational background, self‐report and direct measurement of IQ and adaptive behaviour.Conclusions  Most studies reviewed used less than adequate ascertainment methods. Reliable answers to two key questions – which offenders have intellectual disabilities and which people with intellectual disabilities offend – therefore remain elusive.
Passive Activities: the Effectiveness of Multisensory Environments on the Level of Activity of Individuals with Profound Multiple Disabilities
Authors: Vlaskamp Carla , De Geeter Karin I. , Huijsmans Liselot M. , Smit Inge H. 
Published: May 2003

Background  The use of multisensory environments (MSEs) is perceived to be important for individuals with profound and multiple disabilities, although there is limited research on the efficacy of the procedures. After a search of the literature, numerous positive outcomes of MSEs were described. Our research aimed to determine whether the use of an MSE, when applied to increase the level of alertness and interaction, actually leads to this effect.Methods  A total of 15 facilities in the Netherlands and Belgium agreed to participate in the investigation. Information was gathered on the use of MSE by 177 individuals. For 62 persons, an increase of level of activity was the only stated goal. We randomly selected 20 persons out of this group for observation, using momentary time sampling as a means to relate multisensory experiences to the level of alertness and interaction.Results  The results of our study show that in general there is little evidence for an increase in activity levels as a result of MSE. There is, however, a relation between the level of activity and contextual variables. In particular, people with profound multiple disabilities have strong responses towards stimuli provided by members of staff (touching, talking to the person).Conclusions  In general, the living unit is as good a place as the MSE for promoting alertness and interactions. The influence of materials on the level of activity is limited.
Community Integration or Community Exposure? A Review and Discussion in Relation to People with an Intellectual Disability
Authors: Cummins Robert A. , Lau Anna L. D. 
Published: May 2003

Background  This paper reviews the issue of integration as it applies to people with an intellectual disability. A compelling finding is the almost exclusive orientation of the literature to physical integration within the general community of non‐disabled people. Moreover, it seems to be generally assumed that the more frequently people experience such integration the better their lives will be.Methods  We question the validity of this assumption on several grounds. It is social, not physical integration, that has a reliable positive influence on well‐being. This is an important conclusion as some disabled people find effective social integration with the general community extremely difficult to achieve. Because of this, the consequences of an overly enthusiastic program of integration for such people has more potential to be more stressful than beneficial.Results  We further argue that, as integration is being pursued to benefit the individual, the essential goal of service provision should be to achieve a sense of community connectedness, rather than being concerned with physical integration within the general community.Conclusion  It is proposed that such connectedness is more likely to be achieved within the community of people with an intellectual disability.
The Development of the Nutrition and Activity Knowledge Scale for Use with People with an Intellectual Disability
Authors: Illingworth Kaye , Moore Kathleen A. , McGillivray Jane 
Published: May 2003

Background  Obesity is an increasing health problem for many Australians, no less so among people with an intellectual disability. Behaviour change aimed at improving nutritional intake and increasing levels of physical activity is a requirement for the reduction of obesity. An essential part of this process is to first ascertain the level of knowledge and beliefs people with an intellectual disability have about these behaviours.Methods  The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically evaluate a scale to assess levels of nutritional and physical activity knowledge among people with an intellectual disability.Results  Seventy‐three people with an intellectual disability completed the interview‐rated scale at time 1 and 66 of them completed it again at a 3‐week re‐test.Conclusions  The scale demonstrated strong factorial construct validity, high internal consistency and good temporal stability. The applications of this scale in future research and in intervention programmes are discussed.
Milk yields, physico‐chemical properties and composition of milk from indigenous Malawi goats and their Saanen half‐breds
Authors: Mumba P.P. , Banda J.W. , Nyoni C.C. , Kaliwo A.E. , Msowoya S.B.S. 
Published: May 2003

AbstractA study to compare milk yield, some physico‐chemical properties and the chemical composition of milk from 23 indigenous Malawi goats and 10 Malawi local × Saanen crosses was carried out from January to March 2000. The results showed that the average milk yield from the crosses (102.0 ± 11.21 kg) was higher (P < 0.01) than that from the indigenous goats (37.1 ± 4.79 kg). However, the pH and specific gravity of both milk samples did not differ significantly from each other. The latter was attributed to the fat and total solids contents, which did not differ significantly in the two milk samples. Although the crude protein content was not significantly different, lactose and minerals, namely calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium and chloride, were higher (P < 0.01) in milk from the crosses than in milk from the indigenous goat. The results have shown that the levels of nutrients in goat milk are high, and this is indicative of its potential to improve the diets of rural Malawians. Also, as smallholder farmers sell raw unheated milk to the processing plants, such milk should not be kept for> 33 h in the cool dry season and for not> 20 h in the hot dry season. Farmers can also adopt a charcoal cooler to save the milk for an even longer time than they can at room temperature. In this case, the raw milk can only be stored for not> 20 h in the cool dry season and not> 16 h in the hot dry season.
Consumer price knowledge before and after the euro changeover
Authors: Aalto‐Setälä Ville , Raijas Anu 
Published: May 2003

AbstractThis article examines how the price knowledge of Finnish consumers has changed since the adoption of the euro. Our study measures price knowledge by comparing consumers’ price estimations with actual market prices at two points in time: before (October 2001) and after (March 2002) the changeover to the euro. Furthermore, we study potential differences between three different age groups. We approach the issue using four determinants, namely (1) response percentage (the percentage of respondents who were able to give a price estimate); (2) the difference between the median of the market prices and the median of the price evaluations; (3) the difference between the average of the market prices and the average of the price evaluations; and (4) the average of the absolute deviations between the average of product prices and consumer price evaluations. Our results indicate that, on average, consumers know the prices of grocery products quite well despite the prevailing dispersion of actual prices in the market. Price knowledge was found to be rather good both before and after the introduction of the euro. Nevertheless, the good price knowledge after the changeover was probably because consumers remembered the prices asked in the old currency and converted them to euros. The majority of respondents were able to give price estimates that were within the range of actual price dispersion in stores. The results also show some deterioration in price knowledge after the advent of the euro. There was variation between different age groups, and it seems that the introduction of the euro has affected various groups differently. Consumers aged 30–50 years knew prices best both before and after the euro, whereas the ability to estimate prices had declined most among consumers above 50 years after the euro changeover.
Production and sensory characteristics of flavoured soymilk samples
Authors: Nti Christina Antwiwaa , Larweh Patience Mateko 
Published: May 2003

AbstractThe sensory quality characteristics of four flavoured soymilk samples including vanilla, banana, coffee and chocolate were evaluated at varying concentrations of the flavour. This was done to establish the most acceptable flavour and desired concentration for commercial production of soymilk and also to facilitate increased consumption of soymilk for improved nutrition. Hot extraction of the milk from blanched soybeans was achieved by blending in hot water and sieving through muslin cloth. Different concentration levels of the flavours being assessed, namely chocolate, coffee, vanilla and banana, were added. Consumer preference for the various samples was assessed using a nine‐point hedonic scale. Addition of flavours was found to improve the sensory characteristics and consumer preference of soymilk. Colour, taste, aroma, mouthfeel and hence overall acceptability of the soymilk samples were improved significantly by the addition of vanilla, banana, coffee and chocolate flavours. The maximum concentrations of the individual flavours for optimal sensory impact were established. Based on the results, the following flavour concentrations are recommended per 100 ml of soymilk: 0.03% vanilla, 0.01% banana, 1.5% coffee and 4% chocolate.
Who speaks for the consumer?
Authors: Goldsmith Elizabeth 
Published: May 2003

In 2002 and 2003, I was selected as a funded consumer representative and a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). This abstract describes the experience and what it means to empower consumers. Although the example given is from the US, the principles are applicable to other countries.NAIC is the association of the chief insurance regulators of the 50 states, four territories, and the District of Columbia. As a consumer representative I attend four national meetings each year to speak up on behalf of the fair and equitable treatment of consumers. The purpose of NAIC is to improve state insurance regulation by facilitating a degree of uniformity of regulation among the states (Cude, 1997). To ensure that consumers were heard, NAIC created its Consumer Participation Program in 1992 (Cude, 1995).At a typical meeting, there are about 500 regulators, 1000 industry representatives, and 13 consumer representatives. Five of the 13 are selected to serve on the Board. The consumer representatives include professors, lawyers, economists, and community activists. Being so few in number, the question arises: How effective can we be? The fundamental responsibility is to represent consumers’ viewpoints, to give authority to or to voice their perspective that is the definition of empowerment. This quite literally means going to the microphones at NAIC meetings, but it also means working behind the scenes drafting policy and model laws.According to A. Coskun Samli (2001), empowering the consumer will benefit society as a whole. It will expand the economy. Serving as a consumer representative is indeed a worthwhile challenge, a chance to change things for the better.
Money talks – a program to improve financial literacy of teens
Authors: Varcoe Karen P. , Fitch Paula Rene 
Published: May 2003

Many researchers have studied and documented the financial literacy of youth. Even more have developed educational programs or curricula to teach financial and consumer issues to youth; however, few have actually evaluated the effectiveness of their programs. The Money Talks: Should I be Listening? curriculum, developed by a University of California Cooperative Extension team, was created to appeal to teenagers as it increased their financial literacy. In order to develop a program that young people would readily use, and from which they would learn, teenagers were surveyed prior to program development to determine the topics that were relevant to them, the educational format that appealed to them, and when and where they preferred to receive the information (Varcoe, Peterson, Garrett, Martin, Rene, & Costello, 2001).This paper discusses the effectiveness of The Money Talks: Should I be Listening? curriculum on the financial knowledge and behaviour of participants using the series. The curriculum was designed for use as a part of school curriculum as well as for presentation in other venues.The findings indicate that using the curriculum did improve the financial literacy of high school students with significant positive changes in both knowledge and behaviour. They have a better understanding of the value of savings and have changed behaviours. It is interesting to note that the males demonstrated a significantly greater increase in knowledge from pre‐test to post‐test than females. Perhaps the females have more interest in or knowledge of financial issues prior to participation in this project?Overall the results of this study are consistent with the findings of others. Research based curricula in personal finance seem to yield results. This age group has specific requirements for method of delivery and location of the seminars suggesting that it is important to keep the materials interactive. To address this issue, a web‐site http:www.moneytalks.ucr.edu was added to the program. Included on the web‐site are interactive games and a video on the importance of saving. The teens are naturally more interested in learning about the consumer and financial issues they perceive as salient in their lives at that particular time. Educators should identify topics of interest to the teens and develop, or use existing, interactive methodology to present the information.
The way we live: understanding the acquisition of living skills to facilitate the consumer empowerment of young people in the 21st century
Authors: Horne Suzanne , Hewer Paul , Kerr Karen 
Published: May 2003

This research seeks to understand the perceived sources of acquisition of living skills by young people and to examine the formal and informal channels of acquisition. The study focuses particularly on the concept of living skills. These are the skills of transition, of growing up, and independence. For the purpose of the research the skills investigated are those associated (or formerly associated) with the school subject of Home Economics and were distilled from past curricula and documentation (DES, 1985; SCP, 1971). They cover three types of skill: social/interpersonal, cognitive and manual. Social skills include awareness of others, and a sense of responsibility, which is the basis of child‐care and showing tolerance of and concern and consideration for others. Cognitive skills are those associated with decision‐making and management, they involve thinking, reasoning and the use of knowledge. Manual skills are concerned with the use of the hands, with dexterity and with the achievement of specific goals, for example the ability to use tools and appliances with emphasis on the safe handling of them. They can also be linked to knowledge in terms of, for example aspects of food safety and hygiene.Research to date has failed to tackle the concept of acquisition of the skills of transition from home to independent living. Most research is focused on skills pertaining to a particular occupation role (Newman and Newman, 1988; Blustein et al., 1989; Nurmi et al., 1994) rather than those of living skills.Respondents were asked where they had learnt most about manual, cognitive and social skills. To facilitate analysis the channels were condensed to family (mother, father, other family members), community (friends, voluntary organisations), self (trial and error, television, books and magazines), taught (at school, university and work), with a final category of ‘never learnt’ (categories adapted from Macbeth, 1989).The findings revealed that the perceived acquisition of these living skills was through informal channels. From this research it can be argued that the family, being the main perceived source of acquisition of living skills creates the right time, the right place and facilitates exchange efficiencies. However, in this over‐dependence on an informal framework it is unlikely that discrepancies of skill provision can be alleviated. Additionally, standardisation may be difficult if not impossible to achieve. Compounding this is the tendency of young people to have to resort to self‐learning, which it could be argued is acceptable for some skills but not for those reliant on correct information input (such as food hygiene and nutrition).