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Miller examines the "repositioning" of the "heterosexual plot" in Sydney Owenson's I O'Donnel i (1814) and Maria Edgeworth's I Ormond i (1817) in order to interrogate a "new and unstable" gentility and masculinity. In 1986, Jane Miller published I Women Writing about Men i , which made an initial foray into the examination of the depiction of male characters in literature from a female author's perspective. Miller argues that when a woman's story ends in marriage it cannot be the same as a man's adventure, as she positions women's ultimate narrative goal of the "marriage plot" as a counterpart to Sussman's "masculine plot".[6] In this argument, while men are afforded an ongoing story, in many Victorian texts marriage signals the "end" for women. [Extracted from the article]

Self-efficacy is an important determinant of health behaviour. Digital interventions are a potentially acceptable and cost-effective way of delivering programmes of health behaviour change at scale. Whether behaviour change interventions work to increase self-efficacy in this context is unknown. This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to identify whether automated digital interventions are associated with positive changes in self-efficacy amongst non-clinical populations for five major health behaviours, and which BCTs are associated with that change. A systematic literature search identified 20 studies (n = 5624) that assessed changes in self-efficacy and were included in a random-effects meta-analysis. Interventions targeted: healthy eating (k = 4), physical activity (k = 9), sexual behaviour (k = 3) and smoking (k = 4). No interventions targeting alcohol use were identified. Overall, interventions had a small, positive effect on self-efficacy (g ¯ = 0.190 , C I [ 0.078 ; 0.303 ]). The effect of interventions on self-efficacy did not differ as a function of health behaviour type (Q-between = 7.3704, p =.061, df = 3). Inclusion of the BCT 'information about social and environmental consequences' had a small, negative effect on self-efficacy (Δ g ¯ = − 0.297 , Q = 7.072 , p =.008). Whilst this review indicates that digital interventions can be used to change self-efficacy, which techniques work best in this context is not clear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smoking in pregnancy remains a global public health issue due to foetal health risks and potential maternal complications. The aims of this systematic review and meta-analysis were to explore: (1) whether digital interventions for pregnancy smoking cessation are effective, (2) the impact of intervention platform on smoking cessation, (3) the associations between specific Behaviour Change Techniques (BCTs) delivered within interventions and smoking cessation and (4) the association between the total number of BCTs delivered and smoking cessation. Systematic searches of 9 databases resulted in the inclusion of 12 published articles (n = 2970). The primary meta-analysis produced a sample-weighted odds ratio (OR) of 1.44 (95% CI 1.04-2.00, p = .03) in favour of digital interventions compared with comparison groups. Computer-based (OR = 3.06, 95% CI 1.28-7.33) and text-message interventions (OR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.07-2.38) were the most effective digital platform. Moderator analyses revealed seven BCTs associated with smoking cessation: information about antecedents; action planning; problem solving; goal setting (behaviour); review behaviour goals; social support (unspecified); and pros and cons. A meta-regression suggested that interventions using larger numbers of BCTs produced the greatest effects. This paper highlights the potential for digital interventions to improve rates of smoking cessation in pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A literary criticism is presented that analyzes depictions of the fat male body and eating in the books "Jorrocks’s Jaunts and Jollities," "Handley Cross or Mr. Jorrocks’s Hunt," and "Hillingdon Hall" by author R. S. Surtees. Topics include the consumption of meat, the management of appetite, and the national identity of cuisine.

An introduction is presented to the issue of the journal that discusses topics such as representations of the English traveller in the novel "Bleak House" by Charles Dickens, advertisements of men's fashion, and issues of masculinity related to the disabled male body.