Search

The complex healthcare struggles faced by Syrian refugee women in Ontario, Canada necessitate innovative methodologies that transcend traditional research dissemination to accurately reflect their diverse lived experiences. Ethnodrama emerges as a potent tool in this context, addressing the noticeable gap in engaging wider audiences—including the refugee women themselves—in the research process through dynamic and impactful knowledge mobilization. This study investigates the healthcare challenges and coping strategies of Syrian refugee women using ethnodrama, explores their potential to facilitate knowledge transfer, empower women, and ultimately impact refugee health policy and practice. As part of a broader critical ethnography project involving 25 Syrian refugee women, this research integrates critical ethnography with intersectionality to delve into the participants' interactions with the Ontario healthcare system. The data collected were transformed into dramatic scripts, which were then created by the research team in a simulated hospital environment to maintain the confidentiality and anonymity of the study participants. The process entailed iterative script development, filming, and revisions, ensuring that the portrayal was both accurate and resonant, effectively engaging the audience. The study identified three key themes: navigating and coping with healthcare hurdles, barriers to timely specialist care and cultural dissonance in healthcare. The use of ethnodrama not only enhanced the understanding of these issues but also demonstrated its significant potential in empowering refugee women and influencing public policy. By presenting complex social issues in an engaging and comprehensible manner, ethnodrama has proven to be an effective tool for social change, enhancing policy engagement and providing refugee women with a valuable platform to voice their experiences. This approach not only contributes to the fields of qualitative research and public policy but also underscores the transformative power of integrating artistic modalities with traditional research methods to enact social change and empower marginalized communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social support and health services are crucial for mothers and families during their infants' first year. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of self-isolation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic on mothers' access to social and health care systems support during their infants' first year. We utilized a qualitative design using feminist poststructuralism and discourse analysis. Self-identifying mothers (n = 68) of infants aged 0 to 12 months during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nova Scotia, Canada completed an online qualitative survey. We identified three themes: (1) COVID-19 and the Social Construction of Isolation, (2) Feeling Forgotten and Dumped: Perpetuating the Invisibility of Mothering, and (3) Navigating and Negotiating Conflicting Information. Participants emphasized a need for support and the associated lack of support resulting from mandatory isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. They did not see remote communication as equivalent to in-person connection. Participants described the need to navigate alone without adequate access to in-person postpartum and infant services. Participants identified conflicting information related to COVID-19 as a challenge. Social interactions and interactions with health care providers are crucial to the health and experiences of mothers and their infants during the first year after birth and must be sustained during times of isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Eating concerns, disordered eating and eating disorders have been noted to negatively impact the health and wellbeing of sexual and gender diverse individuals. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of gender diverse Canadians accessing treatment for eating disorders or disordered eating concerns to gain a deeper understanding of how dietitians and other health providers can provide gender affirming care. Methods: Seven self‐identifying gender diverse participants were recruited and took part in semi‐structured interviews. Most participants identified as white. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Four themes around gender dysphoria were constructed from the data, including gender dysphoria and eating disorders, barriers to accessing eating disorder treatments, harmful eating disorder treatment strategies and suggestions for eating disorder programmers and health professionals. Conclusion: Gender dysphoria considerations were believed to be lacking in traditional eating disorder treatment programs. Participants saw the need for more awareness and training in this area for dietitians and other health professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluate the potential of using a process-based ecosystem model (BEPS) for crop biomass mapping at 20 m resolution over the research site in Manitoba, western Canada driven by spatially explicit leaf area index (LAI) retrieved from Sentinel-2 spectral reflectance throughout the entire growing season. We find that overall, the BEPS-simulated crop gross primary production (GPP), net primary production (NPP), and LAI time-series can explain 82%, 83%, and 85%, respectively, of the variation in the above-ground biomass (AGB) for six selected annual crops, while an application of individual crop LAI explains only 50% of the variation in AGB. The linear relationships between the AGB and these three indicators (GPP, NPP and LAI time-series) are rather high for the six crops, while the slopes of the regression models vary for individual crop type, indicating the need for calibration of key photosynthetic parameters and carbon allocation coefficients. This study demonstrates that accumulated GPP and NPP derived from an ecosystem model, driven by Sentinel-2 LAI data and abiotic data, can be effectively used for crop AGB mapping; the temporal information from LAI is also effective in AGB mapping for some crop types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]