title: "Sometimes choices are not made, because we have 'a' choice, they're made because they are 'the' choice": Barriers to weight management for clients in rural general practice

authors: Norman, Kimberley

subjects: Obesity

abstract: BACKGROUND: Obesity is an international health issue which currently affects over 34% of New Zealand adults and leads to further physical and psychosocial health complications. People living in rural communities experience health inequities and have a high-risk of becoming obese. The aim of this study was to explore and identify barriers to effective weight management in rural Waikato general practice. 
METHODS: Using semi-structured interviews, 16 rural Waikato participants shared their experiences with barriers to weight management. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. 
RESULTS: Four themes were identified: resource constraints, rural locality barriers, rural sociocultural norms barriers, and participants' understanding the solutions needed to overcome their specific barriers to effective weight management. For these participants, finding a feasible weight management strategy was a challenging first step in their weight management journey. A programme that would 'work' meant one that was economically viable for low-income persons, accessible, even if living rurally with less resources, and did not cause harm or jeopardise their social connections within family or community. 
CONCLUSION: Overall, participants noted a lack of weight management strategy 'choice' because of income, isolation or accessibility of their rural location and/or the sociocultural norms of the community they lived in restricted options available to them. Future weight management initiatives may be better devised from within communities themselves and will need to be cognisant of the barriers specific to rural communities. Rural perspectives have much to offer in any such reconsideration of weight management initiatives.

text: "Sometimes choices are not made, because we have 'a' choice, they're made because they are 'the' choice": Barriers to weight management for clients in rural general practice BACKGROUND: Obesity is an international health issue which currently affects over 34% of New Zealand adults and leads to further physical and psychosocial health complications. People living in rural communities experience health inequities and have a high-risk of becoming obese. The aim of this study was to explore and identify barriers to effective weight management in rural Waikato general practice. 
METHODS: Using semi-structured interviews, 16 rural Waikato participants shared their experiences with barriers to weight management. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. 
RESULTS: Four themes were identified: resource constraints, rural locality barriers, rural sociocultural norms barriers, and participants' understanding the solutions needed to overcome their specific barriers to effective weight management. For these participants, finding a feasible weight management strategy was a challenging first step in their weight management journey. A programme that would 'work' meant one that was economically viable for low-income persons, accessible, even if living rurally with less resources, and did not cause harm or jeopardise their social connections within family or community. 
CONCLUSION: Overall, participants noted a lack of weight management strategy 'choice' because of income, isolation or accessibility of their rural location and/or the sociocultural norms of the community they lived in restricted options available to them. Future weight management initiatives may be better devised from within communities themselves and will need to be cognisant of the barriers specific to rural communities. Rural perspectives have much to offer in any such reconsideration of weight management initiatives.

year: 2022-10-25

title: Integrating user design and formal models within PVSio-Web

authors: Watson, Nathaniel

abstract: Creating formal models of interactive systems has wide reaching benefits, not only for verifying low-level correctness, but also as a tool for ensuring user interfaces behave logically and consistently. Despite this, tools for designing user experiences and tools for creating and working with formal models are typically distinctly separate systems. This work aims to bridge this divide by allowing the generation of state machine diagrams and formal models via a simple, interactive prototyping tool that mirrors the basic functionality of many modern digital prototyping applications.

text: Integrating user design and formal models within PVSio-Web Creating formal models of interactive systems has wide reaching benefits, not only for verifying low-level correctness, but also as a tool for ensuring user interfaces behave logically and consistently. Despite this, tools for designing user experiences and tools for creating and working with formal models are typically distinctly separate systems. This work aims to bridge this divide by allowing the generation of state machine diagrams and formal models via a simple, interactive prototyping tool that mirrors the basic functionality of many modern digital prototyping applications.

year: 2018

title: Digital Taniwha: Growing Māori participation in the IT industry

authors: Williams, Warren

subjects: Māori research

abstract: This study explores the influencing factors on the participation levels of Māori (indigenous people of New Zealand) in the national IT industry. It particularly focusses on Māori IT professionals and why their participation in IT sector events and activities are not as visible as non-Māori. The researcher, who is also a Māori IT professional, has engaged with Māori in IT during his career, and forms the initial question of “where are they?”. The researcher proposes that more IT entrants and current IT professionals, who hold a Māori worldview grounded in cultural values that promote innovation and creativity, would benefit not only Māori but the IT industry and the nation. 

This thesis employs qualitative aligned research approaches - Kaupapa Māori and Wayfinding, to enable culturally appropriate methods during the data collection and analysis stages. It uses these approaches to support the inclusion of key cultural tenets such as Te Reo Māori (Māori language) and Māori values and practice. This research introduces the term “digital kaitiaki” to appropriately refer to Māori IT professionals. It collects data using appreciative inquiry and action research approaches and specific methods from semi-structured interviews held with digital kaitiaki; through focus groups with over 70 people; and records from action committees and working groups; to field observations of over 30 people. 

It examines the fieldwork data using thematic analysis and cross-checks the themes against influencing factors from the participant’s (including his own) personal and professional careers. The analysis identifies the following key themes: Māori identity and culture, feelings of personal and cultural responsibility, motivational forces, and role models. To respond to these, the study proposes a “Waka Kaitiaki Matihiko” model that connects with widely known Māori metaphors and symbols. It deploys these to inform and capture existing and potential future processes involving digital kaitiaki and to suggest how a culturally supported vehicle for Māori worldview engagement could encourage more Māori to enter IT and lend support for leadership roles for existing Māori IT workers.

To realise that potential, the study looks at leadership styles of the past to recognise what leadership is needed to increase contemporary Māori participation in the IT sector. It compares and contrasts leadership styles over time and constructs a new “digital taniwha” leadership style as fit for purpose for the challenge of growing Māori participation and for steering more Māori into leadership roles. Finally, by building on categories in the Blue Ocean Leadership grid and interweaving them with elements from existing Māori leadership literature, metaphors and symbols, and the findings from participants, it recommends a series of action-oriented interventions. These are designed to address the challenges identified in the key themes and feature governance and leadership programmes, as well as talent and career pathways, Te Reo Māori digital projects, tuakana/teina support and mentoring models, research into diversity representation (e.g., women and youth), and models designed to provide space to support the interventions proposed.

text: Digital Taniwha: Growing Māori participation in the IT industry This study explores the influencing factors on the participation levels of Māori (indigenous people of New Zealand) in the national IT industry. It particularly focusses on Māori IT professionals and why their participation in IT sector events and activities are not as visible as non-Māori. The researcher, who is also a Māori IT professional, has engaged with Māori in IT during his career, and forms the initial question of “where are they?”. The researcher proposes that more IT entrants and current IT professionals, who hold a Māori worldview grounded in cultural values that promote innovation and creativity, would benefit not only Māori but the IT industry and the nation. 

This thesis employs qualitative aligned research approaches - Kaupapa Māori and Wayfinding, to enable culturally appropriate methods during the data collection and analysis stages. It uses these approaches to support the inclusion of key cultural tenets such as Te Reo Māori (Māori language) and Māori values and practice. This research introduces the term “digital kaitiaki” to appropriately refer to Māori IT professionals. It collects data using appreciative inquiry and action research approaches and specific methods from semi-structured interviews held with digital kaitiaki; through focus groups with over 70 people; and records from action committees and working groups; to field observations of over 30 people. 

It examines the fieldwork data using thematic analysis and cross-checks the themes against influencing factors from the participant’s (including his own) personal and professional careers. The analysis identifies the following key themes: Māori identity and culture, feelings of personal and cultural responsibility, motivational forces, and role models. To respond to these, the study proposes a “Waka Kaitiaki Matihiko” model that connects with widely known Māori metaphors and symbols. It deploys these to inform and capture existing and potential future processes involving digital kaitiaki and to suggest how a culturally supported vehicle for Māori worldview engagement could encourage more Māori to enter IT and lend support for leadership roles for existing Māori IT workers.

To realise that potential, the study looks at leadership styles of the past to recognise what leadership is needed to increase contemporary Māori participation in the IT sector. It compares and contrasts leadership styles over time and constructs a new “digital taniwha” leadership style as fit for purpose for the challenge of growing Māori participation and for steering more Māori into leadership roles. Finally, by building on categories in the Blue Ocean Leadership grid and interweaving them with elements from existing Māori leadership literature, metaphors and symbols, and the findings from participants, it recommends a series of action-oriented interventions. These are designed to address the challenges identified in the key themes and feature governance and leadership programmes, as well as talent and career pathways, Te Reo Māori digital projects, tuakana/teina support and mentoring models, research into diversity representation (e.g., women and youth), and models designed to provide space to support the interventions proposed.

year: 2020