DalSpace Institutional Repository
DalSpace is a digital service that collects, preserves, and distributes digital material produced by the Dalhousie community.
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Recent Submissions
Easyfeed: A Persuasive Breastfeeding Application for Nigerian Women
(2025-04-27) Chimamaka , Eneze; Not Applicable; Master of Computer Science; Faculty of Computer Science; Received; N/A; Not Applicable; Bonnie MacKay; Oladapo Oyebode; Rita Orji
Persuasive Technologies (PTs) are widely used as applications for promoting healthy behavior changes. They are applied in and tailored to many domains, including maternity and childcare. PTs incorporate different strategies capable of promoting this behavior change, including self-monitoring. Most current breastfeeding applications focus on Western culture, with little consideration for the cultural nuances and unique experiences of Nigerian breastfeeding mothers. Thus, this thesis seeks to address this gap by developing a breastfeeding application that is culturally relevant and tailored to the Nigerian community.
We present the design, development, and evaluation of the Easyfeed application, a mobile health (mHealth) application for promoting breastfeeding practices among Nigerian mothers. Through exploratory research, combining user-centered design (UCD) and persuasive systems design approaches, we designed the application and conducted a two-phase study (Easyfeed Phase 1 and Easyfeed Phase 2) to evaluate: the effectiveness of different persuasive strategies employed, usability, impact on breastfeeding mothers' motivation, attitudes, self-efficacy, and Nigerian mothers’ health belief inclinations. Prior to Phase 1, we identified three design goals (DG) from reviewing gaps in existing literature on mHealth applications for breastfeeding mothers: DG1 – Enhancing cultural relevance through shared design for Nigerian mothers and the inclusion of cultural music, DG2 – Implementing evidence-based persuasive strategies to encourage continued breastfeeding, and DG3 – Incorporating breast milk pumping to motivate breastfeeding.
In Phase 1, we developed a medium-fidelity prototype of the Easyfeed application addressing DGs 1-3 while incorporating three persuasive strategies (self-monitoring, reminder, and reward), that were selected based on existing applications, aligning with our design goals. We surveyed 154 participants to gather feedback on the prototype's usability, effectiveness, motivation to breastfeed, and its cultural relevance. The results from this survey helped to identify areas for improvement and informed the next phase of development, ensuring that the application was more tailored to users' needs and preferences. Subsequently, we invited our participants to take part in a voluntary interview session where 14 Nigerian women were interviewed to understand their overall perceptions about the application. Our analysis revealed several features that needed to be refined for Easyfeed Phase 2, including music and journaling.
Finally, in Phase 2, we refined the Easyfeed application based on feedback from Phase 1 and developed a high-fidelity prototype, incorporating additional persuasive strategies (competition and emotional appeal). The Phase 2 evaluation (N = 75) in the wild for 10 days, followed by an optional one-on-one interview with 15 participants, showed that the Easyfeed application was perceived as highly motivational, persuasive, useful, and supportive of their breastfeeding journey.
Staffing Models for Blood Donation Centres: A Model-Driven Approach
(2025-04-29) Leeshanok, Emma; Not Applicable; Master of Applied Science; Department of Industrial Engineering; Not Applicable; N/A; Not Applicable; Peter Vanberkel; Leslie Ann Campbell; John Blake
Building on the work conducted by Blake & Shimla (2014), the model presented by this project generates staff schedules based on the minimum staffing requirements for donation clinics operated by Canadian Blood Services (CBS). The proposed design is comprised of two integer programming models and uses a simplified column generation algorithm. Based on the targets set by the user, the first model selects an optimal configuration of clinic length and bed count. These values are then fed into the second model, which assigns shifts based on the calculated requirements. When compared to schedules generated by the client, the model was able to produce solutions of similar or higher quality while also minimizing the operational costs of the clinics. Beyond optimizing clinic scheduling for CBS, this framework can be adapted and applied to other areas within the healthcare industry.
Reading History, Playing with History: The American Girl Historical Collection and Writing and Reading History for Girls
(2025-03-31) Blackmer, Claire
Josephine Butler's "Catharine of Siena: A Biography" in Context
(2025-04-07) James, Emilie
Defending a Realm on a Budget; an Analysis into Swedish Fortifications from 1680-1697
(2025-04-07) Cowx, David