Browsing by Author "Smith M"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Mobility barriers and enablers and their implications for the wellbeing of disabled children and young people in Aotearoa New Zealand: A cross-sectional qualitative study
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2021-02-06) Smith M; Calder-Dawe O; Carroll P; Kayes N; Kearns R; Lin E-Y; Witten K
    Active participation in community and cultural life is a basic right of all children and young people (CYP) and is central to wellbeing. For disabled CYP, mobility can be constrained through a range of environmental and social/attitudinal barriers. The aim of this research was to understand the enablers and barriers to mobility from the perspectives of disabled CYP. Thirty-five disabled CYP aged between 12 and 25 years took part. Data were collected in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand from mid-2016 to early 2018. Face-to-face interviews and go-along interviews were conducted and were transcribed verbatim. An iterative, thematic approach to analysis was undertaken. Mobility played an essential role in enabling wellbeing, connecting CYP to people, places and possibilities. While the possible impediments to smooth transit appeared infinite, numerous examples of overcoming barriers to mobility were evidenced across a range of factors. Dis/ableism was a pervasive barrier to mobility. The rights to access and experience the city for young people in this study were compromised by transport networks and social norms as well as values that privilege the movement of non-disabled bodies. The findings demonstrate that reducing ableist presumptions about preferences and abilities of disabled CYP, alongside ensuring practical enablers across the transport system must be key priorities for enhancing the wellbeing of this group.
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    Optimising function and well-being in older adults: protocol for an integrated research programme in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
    (BioMed Central Ltd, 2022-03-16) Lord S; Teh R; Gibson R; Smith M; Wrapson W; Thomson M; Rolleston A; Neville S; McBain L; Del Din S; Taylor L; Kayes N; Kingston A; Abey-Nesbit R; Kerse N; AWESSoM Project Team
    Background Maintaining independence is of key importance to older people. Ways to enable health strategies, strengthen and support whanāu (family) at the community level are needed. The Ageing Well through Eating, Sleeping, Socialising and Mobility (AWESSOM) programme in Aotearoa/New Zealand (NZ) delivers five integrated studies across different ethnicities and ages to optimise well-being and to reverse the trajectory of functional decline and dependence associated with ageing. Methods Well-being, independence and the trajectory of dependence are constructs viewed differently according to ethnicity, age, and socio-cultural circumstance. For each AWESSoM study these constructs are defined and guide study development through collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, and with reference to current evidence. The Compression of Functional Decline model (CFD) underpins aspects of the programme. Interventions vary to optimise engagement and include a co-developed whānau (family) centred initiative (Ngā Pou o Rongo), the use of a novel LifeCurve™App to support behavioural change, development of health and social initiatives to support Pacific elders, and the use of a comprehensive oral health and cognitive stimulation programme for cohorts in aged residential care. Running parallel to these interventions is analysis of large data sets from primary care providers and national health databases to understand complex multi-morbidities and identify those at risk of adverse outcomes. Themes or target areas of sleep, physical activity, oral health, and social connectedness complement social capital and community integration in a balanced programme involving older people across the ability spectrum. Discussion AWESSoM delivers a programme of bespoke yet integrated studies. Outcomes and process analysis from this research will inform about novel approaches to implement relevant, socio-cultural interventions to optimise well-being and health, and to reverse the trajectory of decline experienced with age. Trial registration The At-risk cohort study was registered by the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials registry on 08/12/2021 (Registration number ACTRN 12621001679875).
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    Te Ara Mua – Future Streets: Can a streetscape upgrade designed to increase active travel change residents’ perceptions of neighbourhood safety?
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2022) Witten K; Macmillan A; Mackie H; van der Werf B; Smith M; Field A; Woodward A; Hosking J
    We aim to understand how a streetscape intervention, Te Ara Mua- Future Streets, designed to improve the ease and safety of active modes, influenced perceptions of neighbourhood safety and security in Māngere, New Zealand. In this controlled intervention study, survey, focus group and in-depth interview data on neighbourhood perceptions were gathered from adults and children in 2014 and 2017, before and after the intervention. General Linear Mixed Modelling (GLMM) was used to undertake a difference in differences analysis of the individual level survey data on traffic and neighbourhood safety perceptions. Focus group and interview data were analysed thematically. Survey data indicate improvements in neighbourhood safety but not traffic safety perceptions after the streetscape upgrade. Conversely, focus group and interview data suggest enduring fears around people and dogs, but an easing of traffic-related fears attributed to safer crossings and slower vehicle speeds. Our contrasting quantitative and qualitative findings demonstrate a complex interplay of neighbourhood people and place attributes in shaping residents’ experiences of safety and security, and therefore the importance of combining personal safety and traffic safety, as well as multiple measures, when investigating pathways between built environment change and active travel.
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    The relationship between children’s third-place play, parental neighbourhood perceptions, and children’s physical activity and sedentary behaviour
    (Taylor and Francis Group, 2022-09-27) Lin E-Y; Witten K; Carroll P; Romeo JS; Donnellan N; Smith M
    This study takes a child-centred approach to examine the relationship between children’s third-place play, parents’ perceptions of their neighbourhood environment, and time spent by children in physical activity and sedentary behaviour during weekday out-of-school hours. A total of 1102 children aged 8–13 years from 19 schools across Auckland, New Zealand took part in a public participation geographic information systems (PPGIS) survey utilising closed- and open-ended questions and child mapping of destinations. The results suggested that playing in green places near home were associated with more time spent in light physical activity and less sedentary behaviour. Children who played in street places near home (e.g. driveways, footpath, carpark) spent more time in moderate to vigorous physical activity. Although parental perceptions of their neighbourhood environment were not directly associated with children’s time spent in physical activity, children with parents who perceived their neighbourhood as more connected were more likely to engage in third-place play.
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    Understanding child and youth migrant wellbeing: Reflections from a systematic literature review in the Western Pacific region
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2021-07-31) Smith M; Spencer G; Fouché C; Hoare K
    One of the key social determinants of health that can impact children and young people is migration. Advances in health research have seen a shift away from a biomedical model of health to understanding health as a multifactorial, holistic state - mentally, physically, and socially. The aim of this article is to illustrate how different methods (i.e., adult-centric, child/youth-centered) and frameworks (i.e., biomedical, strengths-based) can impact on research findings in childhood research. Drawing on findings from a systematic review, we examine the approaches taken in eleven studies investigating the health and wellbeing of young migrants in the Western Pacific region. The systematic review highlighted a range of methods (quantitative surveys, drawings, photo novellas) that were used to capture child/youth perspectives, and identify contextual factors beyond immediate biomedical factors that impacted their wellbeing. Adult-centric biomedical approaches were limited in understanding these broader environmental contexts, yet these approaches were prevalent in this body of literature. We highlight the importance of developing more strengths-based approaches and child/youth-centered methods to gain a comprehensive understanding of social and physical environments that child and youth migrants draw upon to support their wellbeing.
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    Understanding children's perceptions of, and priorities for, healthy neighbourhoods in Aotearoa New Zealand: study protocol for a cross-sectional study
    (BMJ Publishing Group, 2021-06-21) Egli V; Mandic S; Pocock T; Narayanan A; Williams L; Clark T; Spasic L; Wilson A; Witten K; Smith M
    Introduction Neighbourhood environments can have significant and enduring impacts on children’s physical, psychological and social health. Environments can impact health through promoting or hindering physical activity, active travel, and healthy eating in addition to opportunities for social interaction, cognitive development, rest and relaxation. There is a paucity of research that has examined neighbourhood and health priorities, strengths and needs from the perspectives of the community, and even less that has focused on the perspectives of children within communities. The aim of this article is to describe the research protocol for a project to gather child-identified needs and strengths-based solutions for promoting child health and well-being in urban neighbourhood environments. Methods and analysis This participatory research project is designed to partner with children in school settings in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand. An abundant communities approach will be used with children to identify needs and strengths related to neighbourhoods and health. Specific methods including collaborative, creative, play-based methods such as concept-mapping activities and co-creation of final dissemination material on the key messages are described. Plans for researcher reflections, data analysis and dissemination are also detailed. Ethics and dissemination This research has been approved by the University of Auckland Human Participants Ethics Committee. Results will be disseminated through child and researcher co-created output, a technical report and academic journal articles. By using evidence-based child-centred approaches to knowledge generation, we anticipate the research will generate new localised insights about children’s preferences and needs for healthy neighbourhoods which will be shared with stakeholders in planning and practice. The detailed session protocol including critical researcher reflections is shared in this manuscript for application, development and refinement in future research.