Moving online: reflections from conducting system dynamics workshops in virtual settings.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Zimmermann N
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8246820 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan-Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Moving online: reflections from conducting system dynamics workshops in virtual settings.
Zimmermann Nici N Pluchinotta Irene I Salvia Giuseppe G Touchie Marianne M Stopps Helen H Hamilton Ian I Kesik Ted T Dianati Kaveh K Chen Ting T
System dynamics review 20201201 1
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Project description:BackgroundContraception care is recognized as a basic human right, however, many individuals continue to face challenges in accessing adequate care. For youth, factors that influence access to prescription contraception include affordability, availability, acceptability, and youth awareness of these options. As a result, contraception uptake in Canada remains low, with 22.9% of sexually active 15 to 24-year-olds reporting that they did not use a condom or another form of contraception the last time they had sex. Collaborating with youth and meaningfully engaging them in all stages of the research process may help us better understand and develop solutions and services that yield stronger usability among youth.Main textWe engaged in a co-design process to involve youth in the generation of research recruitment materials. In this article, we offer a rich description of the experiences of youth as embedded researchers and contribute to the methodology of co-design research by highlighting specific characteristics in our approach that facilitated youth engagement. Through a series of six virtual workshops, four youth research assistants and eight youth advisors engaged in discussion activities that generated ideas for the recruitment materials for a research study called 'Ask Us: Youth Voices to Improve Contraception Access'. Our strategies included the (i) Re-distribution of Power to Enable Youth Participation, (ii) Use of Technology to Promote Collaboration and Confidentiality and (iii) Emphasizing Reciprocal Knowledge Building, to facilitate meaningful youth participation.ConclusionsThe co-design sessions resulted in the creation of the Ask Us study recruitment materials ( www.askusproject.ca ) and youth informed the chosen wording, colour scheme, images, and more. Our purposeful steps to involve embedded youth research assistants, acknowledge the differences and redistribution of power among researchers and youth advisors, use technology to promote collaboration and confidentiality and emphasize reciprocal knowledge sharing led to a meaningful co-design experience for us as youth research assistants. We argue that deeper considerations of accountability by academic researchers and embedded youth research assistants can further promote youth participation by enabling spaces where youth feel safe.
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Project description:BackgroundAerobic exercise and movement training improve premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms in women. However, the data is still preliminary, and online-based training has not been evaluated yet. Thus, this pilot study aims to assess the workability and usefulness of an online protocol based on aerobic exercise and movement training as an intervention for premenstrual symptoms.MethodsA sample of 30 women from the general population was enrolled in this study, with an average age of 28.27 ± 9.35, and an average BMI of 23.47 ± 3.42 kg/m2. A total of 29 women completed an eight-week online protocol consisting of 30-min aerobic exercises twice a week, as well as a weekly 30-min movement training protocol. A psychological evaluation was conducted at the baseline and after completing the training via the patients' health questionnaire, the body weight image and self-esteem questionnaire, and the premenstrual symptoms screening tool, looking for changes in well-being and specific symptoms related to menses.ResultsSignificant improvements in PMS (p = .015) and mood (p = .011) were recorded, with specific mood effects related to PMS symptomatology. The patients provided positive feedback on the protocol, and adherence was optimal.ConclusionThe effectiveness of a combination of aerobic and isometric exercises was confirmed as a valuable tool in improving women's well-being and reducing premenstrual symptomatology, even if the protocol is delivered online, which tends to be more affordable for the participants than in-presence sessions. Future studies might assess the difference between online programs and face-to-face interventions.
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