Browsing by Author "Fung, Tak"

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    Factors associated with post-traumatic growth, quality of life, and spiritual well-being in outpatients undergoing bone marrow transplantation: a pilot study
    (2016-02) Sinclair, Shane; Booker, Reanne; Fung, Tak; Raffin-Boucha, Shelley; Enns, Bert; Beamer, Kate; Ager, Naree
    Purpose/Objectives: To examine the relationships between spiritual, religious, and sociodemographic factors and post-traumatic growth, quality of life, and spiritual well-being in outpatients undergoing bone marrow and/or stem cell transplantation (BMSCT). Design: Cross-sectional, descriptive, exploratory. Setting: Outpatient bone marrow transplantation clinic at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Sample: 100 patients (21 pre-BMSCT and 79 post-BMSCT) accrued consecutively via nonprobability sampling. Methods: Study participants completed the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy– Bone Marrow Transplantation (FACT-BMT), the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy–Spiritual Well-Being (FACIT-Sp), and a demographic questionnaire. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, t tests, and correlational analyses. Main Research Variables: Demographic variables, FACT-BMT scores, PTGI scores, FACITSp scores. Findings: The majority of participants identified themselves as being at least somewhat spiritual. Significant differences were noted between those who identified as being not religious at all versus having at least some religiosity in several subscales of the PTGI, as well as on the FACIT-Sp. Similarly, significant differences were observed between participants who identified as being not spiritual at all versus having at least some spirituality for several subscales on the PTGI. Most participants indicated they would be at least somewhat likely to recommend spiritual care to a new patient. Conclusions: Most patients in this study within a publicly funded healthcare system selfidentified with spirituality, used spiritual resources, and would recommend that other patients undergoing BMSCT seek the support of a spiritual care professional or chaplain. Spirituality, along with practical and relational factors, had a positive impact on certain aspects of post-traumatic growth, quality of life, and spiritual and physical well-being. Implications for Nursing: Oncology nurses are encouraged to routinely address spiritual issues. Findings from this study suggest that spirituality is not only important to patients undergoing BMSCT, but also may be an integral component of patients’ post-traumatic growth, quality of life, and spiritual well-being.
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    Incorporating Asset-Building into a Shared Risk Factor Approach to School-Based Eating Disorder and Obesity Prevention
    (2016) Ross Batten, Shannon Barbara; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Fung, Tak; Zwiers, Michael
    In response to the high prevalence of eating disorders and obesity in adolescents, researchers are increasingly recognizing the benefits of developing universal prevention programs that address risk factors relevant to both issues. Further, an exclusive emphasis on risk overlooks the strengths in adolescents’ lives, potentially undermining their capacity to overcome challenges and develop into healthy adults. The developmental assets framework, which is composed of internal and external assets that have been consistently associated with a broad range of outcomes and health behaviours, represents an optimistic vocabulary for discussing adolescent health that has been gaining momentum in the prevention literature. For the current research study, five shared risk factors (low self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, dieting, weight-related teasing, and media internalization) were targeted through a school-based eating disorder and obesity prevention program that simultaneously promoted three developmental asset areas (positive identity, positive values, and social competencies). Teacher-led lesson plans known as Body Image Kits were delivered to junior high school students as part of their physical education classes. A quasi-experimental research design was used to assess program effectiveness by examining participants’ scores on measures of risk factors and developmental assets at post-program and follow up when compared to those of a control group. Additional subgroup analyses were also conducted to assess if intervention group participants demonstrated differential program effects based on baseline levels of developmental assets. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to measure between-group differences over time. Results of the analyses revealed that the intervention group experienced a short-term reduction in dieting as well as greater overall positive identity compared to the control group. No other significant group or interaction effects were found for the remaining risk factors or developmental asset areas. Findings from the subgroup analyses were mixed, indicating the need to further explore the potential utility of applying the developmental assets framework to complement eating disorder and obesity prevention. The modest program effects found in this research illuminate the practical and methodological challenges that accompany universal school-based research. The implications of these challenges for school-based eating disorder and obesity prevention, counselling psychology, and research, as well as accompanying recommendations, are discussed.
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    Longitudinal Analysis and Modeling of Video Game Play and Addiction Behaviours
    (2016) Wong, Ulric; Hodgins, David; Sears, Chris; Fung, Tak
    This longitudinal study examined Internet gaming by measuring number of days played per month of a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG), World of Warcraft (WoW), collected daily for 19 months from 216 participants. This study was an attempt to improve our understanding of long term play of a purportedly addictive game using behavioural rather than self-reports measures alone. Participants also completed online questionnaires that measured demographic, psychosocial and psychiatric variables at three time points during the study. The data was modeled using (a) cross-sectional models and (b) longitudinal models fitted to the entire participant pool and to a subset of higher use participants. The longitudinal growth curve model fitted to the complete pool of participants suggested that monthly WoW days played was related to higher income, more self-reported days playing video games per week, increasing GAIA coping subscale scores, play of a new WoW expansion pack, and higher ranking of WoW among participants‘ favourite games. The longitudinal growth curve model fitted to a subset of participants in the top 75th percentile of total days played suggested that monthly WoW days played was explained by older age, part time student status, expansion pack play, and higher ranking of WoW among participants‘ favourite games. Higher baseline GAIA addiction scores predicted higher monthly WoW days. Unexpectedly, increasing GAIA addiction scores and GAIA coping scores were related to decreasing monthly WoW days played in this subset of participants. Compared to the cross-sectional models, the longitudinal growth curve models allowed for the modeling of autocorrelated observations and play as a series of exposure and adaptation effects, likely in response to new content. The GAIA coping subscale had a robust relationship with WoW play across high and low use participants while the effects of the GAIA addiction full scale were only significant when the bottom 25% of participants by total WoW days played were excluded from the analysis. Results from the cross-sectional and longitudinal models may have implications for assessment and treatment in clinical settings.
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    Patient and healthcare perspectives on the importance and efficacy of addressing spiritual issues within an interdisciplinary bone marrow transplant clinic: a qualitative study
    (2016-07) Sinclair, Shane; McConnell, Shelagh; Bouchal, Shelley Raffin; Ager, Naree; Booker, Reanne; Enns, Bert; Fung, Tak
    The purpose of this study was to use a qualitative approach to better understand the importance and efficacy of addressing spiritual issues within an interdisciplinary bone marrow transplant clinic from the perspectives of patients and healthcare providers. Participants were recruited from the bone marrow transplant clinic of a large urban outpatient cancer care centre in western Canada. Focus groups were conducted with patients (n=7) and healthcare providers (n=9) to explore the importance of addressing spiritual issues across the treatment trajectory and to identify factors associated with effectively addressing these needs.
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    Photocatalytic Air Purification: Investigation of Design Parameters
    (2017) Chen, Yi Fan; Lee, Tang; Day, E. David; Fung, Tak
    This environmental design Master’s Degree Project is influenced by environmental design, chemistry theories, and research and design approaches as taught by the Faculty of Environmental Design at the University of Calgary and Faculty of Engineering at university of Calgary. The project explored possible variables that may influence the performance of a photocatalytic air purifier/reactor prototype to oxidize volatile organic compounds, a key constituent in polluted air. Several experiments were conducted that examined the impact of the following variables: UV intensity and wavelengths, temperature and humidity, surface area and packing density of the quartz fibre used for the oxidizing reaction. Key findings included potential photocatalytic reactor/air purifier performance improvements, reactor design approach and reaction side effects, The findings will help future research and development of a highly effective photocatalytic air purifier.