Managing offshore multi-use settings: Use of conceptual mapping to reduce uncertainty of co-locating seaweed aquaculture and wind farms.

The offshore Multi-use Setting (MUS) is a concept that aims to co-locate marine industrial activities, including wind farms and aquaculture. MUS is considered an innovative approach to promoting efficiency in space and resource use whilst contributing global policy priorities. However, the impacts of MUS development across social, economic, and environmental domains are uncertain, hindering the commercialisation of the concept. In this study, we initially demonstrate the potential consequences of co-locating seaweed aquaculture and a wind farm as a step towards MUS. Using a hypothetical case study and modified Delphi methodology, 14 subject matter experts predicted potential outcomes across social and environmental objectives. Five Cognitive maps and impact tables of 58 potential consequences were generated based on experts' perspective on co-locating seaweed aquaculture and a wind farm. The findings highlight the potential to exasperate pressures in the area, including those already attributed to wind farm operations, such as species mortality and stakeholder conflict. However, it may also enhance social-ecological conditions, such as resource provisioning and promoting habitat functionality in the region, through the addition of seaweed aquaculture. The cognitive maps demonstrate the complexity of managing MUS implementation, where high degree of variability and uncertainty about the outcomes is present. The findings of this study provide the vital entry point to performing further integrative assessment and modelling approaches, such as probabilistic analysis and simulations, in support of MUS decision-making. The research also strongly recommends alternative strategies in the pursuit of combining seaweed production and wind farms to avoid significant financial (among many other) trade-offs and risks. More broadly, we have found that our approach's ability to visually represent a complex situation while considering multiple objectives could be immensely valuable for other bioeconomy innovations or nature-based solutions. It helps mitigate the potential for expensive investments without a comprehensive evaluation of the associated risks and negative impacts, as necessitated by the principles of sustainability in decision-making.

Holistic approach to assess the association between the synergistic effect of physical activity, exposure to greenspace, and fruits and vegetable intake on health and wellbeing: Cross-sectional analysis of UK Biobank.

Background: Urban agriculture has been shown to contribute to healthy lifestyle behaviors, such as increased fruit and vegetable intake and greater exposure to greenspaces and there is plenty of evidence linking these lifestyle behaviors to better health and wellbeing. However, most evidence relates to assessing one behavior at a time despite available epidemiological research showing how the combined effects of multiple behaviors are associated with health and wellbeing. This research aims to examine the association of the interactions between various lifestyle behaviors and exposures related to urban agriculture and health and wellbeing. Methods: We used data from the UK Biobank baseline questionnaire (N~500, 000) to assess the association of two lifestyle behaviors (fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity) and greenspace exposure, with four health and wellbeing markers (blood pressure, BMI, self-health assessment, and self-reported loneliness) independently, and in combination. Associations between lifestyle behaviors, greenspace exposure, and the possible interactions with health and wellbeing were explored using general linear models (GLMs), adjusted for socio-demographic confounders including age, sex, educational qualifications, index of multiple deprivation, and ethnicity, and a lifestyle confounder: smoking status. Results: After removing missing data, as well as participants who did not meet the inclusion criteria, the final study sample was n = 204,478. The results indicate that meeting recommended levels of the World Health Organization (WHO) for fruits and vegetable intake, and the advice from the UK Chief Medical Officer for physical activity, is linked to better health and wellbeing markers. We found that UK Biobank participants who lived in greener areas and were physically active were more likely to feel alone and think their health was poor. Participants who were physically active and met the recommended intake of fruits and vegetables were more likely to have healthy blood pressure, feel less lonely, and rate their health as good. Evidence of three-way interactions was weak, and mostly was not associated with the health and wellbeing markers assessed here. Conclusion: Taken in combination, healthy diets, physical activity and exposure to greenspaces are associated with health and wellbeing. In some cases, these effects are synergistic, indicating associations above and beyond the mere additive effect of the behaviors considered independently. Promoting such behaviors together, for example, through urban agriculture, is therefore more likely to generate greater public health changes than if they are promoted through independent policies and programs. Inter-relationships between these pathways and different health and wellbeing markers, however, are complex, and require further investigation to understand optimal environments and conditions for urban health promotion.

The Influence of Social Support and Social Integration Factors on Return to Work Outcomes for Individuals with Work-Related Injuries: A Systematic Review.

Purpose In occupational rehabilitation, the biopsychosocial model endorses the role of social factors in worker recovery. We conducted a systematic review to explore three questions examining the role of social support for the return-to-work (RTW) of individuals with work-related injury: (1) What are the worker-identified social barriers and facilitators in RTW; (2) What is the relationship between social factors and RTW; and (3) What is the effectiveness of social interventions for RTW. Methods Systematic searches of six databases were conducted for each research question. These identified 11 studies meeting inclusion criteria for Research Question 1, and 12 studies for Research Question 2. No studies were identified that met inclusion criteria for Research Question 3. A narrative synthesis approach was used to analyse the included studies. Results Research Question 1 identified five themes in social barriers and facilitators to RTW, including contact/communication, person-centred approaches, mutual trust, reaction to injury, and social relationships. Research Question 2 identified moderate support for reaction to injury and social integration/functioning as predictors of RTW and weak evidence for co-worker support. Four studies reported significant associations between social factors and RTW, six reported mixed findings with at least one significant social predictor, and two found no significant relationships. However, conclusions were limited by the inconsistency in measurement of social factors. Conclusions Our findings indicate that social support and integration may influence RTW following work-related injury, and highlights the need for further systematic examination of social factors in the field of occupational rehabilitation.

International employee perspectives on disability management.

PURPOSE: To provide an international analysis of employees' views of the influence of disability management (DM) on the workplace. METHODOLOGY: An international research team with representation from Australia, Canada, China, and Switzerland collected survey data from employees in public and private companies in their respective regions. Due to lack of availability of current measures, a research team-created survey was used and a total of 1201 respondents were collected across the four countries. ANALYSIS: Multiple linear (enter) regression was also employed to predict DM's influence on job satisfaction, physical health, mental health, workplace morale and reduced sickness absence, from respondents' perceptions of whether their company provided disability prevention, stay-at-work, and return-to-work initiatives within their organization. One-way ANOVA comparisons were used to examine differences on demographic variables including company status (public versus private), union status (union versus nonunion), and gender. RESULTS: The perceived influence of DM programs was related to perceptions of job satisfaction; whereas, relationships with mental health, physical health, morale, and sickness absence were variable according to type of DM program and whether the response was related to self or others. Difference analyses (ANOVA) revealed significantly more positive perceptions for private and nonunion organizations; no gender effects were found. CONCLUSIONS: There is perceived value of DM from the perspective of employees, especially with respect to its value for coworkers. Implications for Rehabilitation Rehabilitation efforts should continue to focus attention on the value of disability management (DM). In particular, DM that is fully committed to the biopsychosocial model would be supported by this research. Employees reported the most value in the psychosocial variables addressed by DM, such that rehabilitation professionals could focus on these valued aspects to improve buy-in from employees. The interest in coworker value may provide another avenue for rehabilitation efforts to increase uptake, by highlighting the value of intervention efforts for employee coworkers. Rehabilitation professionals in union environments may need to be particularly cognizant of the need for encouraging psychosocial and coworker value potentially seen by employees in order to increase acceptance and participation for organizational DM efforts.

Disability management and organizational culture in Australia and Canada.

BACKGROUND: Organizational culture has received increasing attention in terms of its influence on workplace health and productivity, yet there has been little research on its relationship with employer-based disability programs. OBJECTIVE: This study explored the relationship between disability management and organizational culture in Australian and Canadian organizations. METHODS: Thematic analysis was conducted on data from semi-structured interviews with 16 employees, including injured workers, human resource managers and disability managers in two Australian and two Canadian large organizations. RESULTS: Seven themes were identified: 1. Consistency between espoused beliefs and artifacts in organization; 2. Genuineness of interest in well-being of injured worker; 3. Level of ongoing support of worker following injury; 4. Communication with injured workers; 5. Level of support from supervisors and co-workers; 6. Promptness in claims processing and covering medical costs and; 7. Focus on wellness and injury prevention. It was found that organizational culture may impact the delivery and perceived value of employer-based disability management programs. CONCLUSIONS: Given the potential relationship between organizational culture and disability management, employers should facilitate a positive workplace culture by ensuring consistency among underlying values, espoused values and actual treatment of employees, including injured workers.

A comparative approach to assess drivers of success in mammalian conservation recovery programs.

The outcomes of species recovery programs have been mixed; high-profile population recoveries contrast with species-level extinctions. Each conservation intervention has its own challenges, but to inform more effective management it is imperative to assess whether correlates of wider recovery program success or failure can be identified. To contribute to evidence-based improvement of future conservation strategies, we conducted a global quantitative analysis of 48 mammalian recovery programs. We reviewed available scientific literature and conducted semistructured interviews with conservation professionals involved in different recovery programs to investigate ecological, management, and political factors associated with population recoveries or declines. Identifying and removing threats was significantly associated with increasing population trend and decreasing conservation dependence, emphasizing that populations are likely to continue to be compromised in the absence of effective threat mitigation and supporting the need for threat monitoring and adaptive management in response to new and potential threats. Lack of habitat and small population size were cited as limiting factors in 56% and 42% of recovery programs, respectively, and both were statistically associated with increased longer term dependence on conservation intervention, demonstrating the importance of increasing population numbers quickly and restoring and protecting habitat. Poor stakeholder coordination and management were also regularly cited by respondents as key weaknesses in recovery programs, indicating the importance of effective leadership and shared goals and management plans. Project outcomes were not influenced by biological or ecological variables such as body mass or habitat, which suggests that these insights into correlates of conservation success and failure are likely to be generalizable across mammals.

Rehabilitation of compensable workplace injuries: effective payment models for quality vocational rehabilitation outcomes in a changing social landscape.

PURPOSE: With social and economic costs of workplace injury on the increase, efficient payment models that deliver quality rehabilitation outcomes are of increasing interest. This paper provides a perspective on the issue informed by both refereed literature and published research material not available commercially (gray literature). METHODS: A review of payment models, workers' compensation and compensable injury identified relevant peer-reviewed and gray literature that informed our discussion. RESULTS: Fee-for-service and performance-based payment models dominate the health and rehabilitation literature, each described as having benefits and challenges to achieving quality outcomes for consumers. There appears to be a movement toward performance-based payments in compensable workplace injury settings as they are perceived to promote time-efficient services and support innovation in rehabilitation practice. However, it appears that the challenges that arise for workplace-based rehabilitation providers and professionals when working under the various payment models, such as staff retention and quality of client-practitioner relationship, are absent from the literature and this could lead to flawed policy decisions. CONCLUSIONS: Robust evidence of the benefits and costs associated with different payment models - from the perspectives of clients/consumers, funders and service providers - is needed to inform best practice in rehabilitation of compensable workplace injuries. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: Available but limited evidence suggests that payment models providing financial incentives for stakeholder-agreed vocational rehabilitation outcomes tend to improve service effectiveness in workers' compensation settings, although there is little evidence of service quality or client satisfaction. Working in a system that identifies payments for stakeholder-agreed outcomes may be more satisfying for rehabilitation practitioners in workers' compensation settings by allowing more clinical autonomy and innovative practice. Researchers need to work closely with the compensation and rehabilitation sector as well as governments to establish robust evidence of the benefits and costs of payment models, from the perspectives of clients/consumers, funders, service providers and rehabilitation professionals.

Work to retirement: A snapshot of psychological health in a multicultural Australian population.

OBJECTIVE: The specific aim of this study was to explore psychological well-being in workers and retirees and compare responses from people who came from an overseas-born population and those from an Australian born. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS were self-selected, voluntary, informed research participants aged 50 years and older. One hundred and ninety-five people born in Australia and retiring in Australia and 91 people born overseas retiring in Australia responded to an internet-based survey that comprised the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, the PTSD Checklist, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Duke Social Support Index. METHOD: Two-way analysis of variance was conducted for dependent variables against: (1) being born in Australia Yes/No, and (2) Retired/Employed. RESULTS: In terms of adjustment to retirement the findings indicate no significant differences in psychological symptoms during the retirement transition phase between populations. CONCLUSION: Further research needs to be carried out to consider the role of possible explanatory factors that may contribute to the psychological transition to retirement.