Search Results (325)

This study provides user-centered insights into how inclusive forest design can support the physical, emotional, and social well-being of older adults. It operationalizes universal design principles in natural settings and confirms their relevance through empirical evidence. With the acceleration of global population aging, adapting forest recreation environments to meet the specific needs of older adults is increasingly urgent. This study investigates how infrastructure influences both participation and emotional well-being among older visitors to forest recreation areas. Data were collected from 446 participants aged 65 and older, using a structured survey distributed through in-person contact and digital snowball sampling. Participants reported their infrastructure preferences and their emotional responses related to forest visits. The findings show that older adults highly value site cleanliness, shaded seating, accessible restrooms, and clear signage. Expectations varied significantly according to health status, age group, and visitation frequency. Emotional well-being was positively associated with both comfort and visit frequency. These results demonstrate how inclusive infrastructure plays a vital role in supporting older adults’ access to and enjoyment of forest environments. The study affirms that universally designed forests not only reduce barriers but also promote psychological health and active aging, contributing to developing more equitable and sustainable nature-based recreation areas. Full article

The acoustic environment of dental clinics plays a critical role in shaping patient experience, staff performance, and overall clinical effectiveness. This comprehensive review, supported by systematic search procedures, investigates how soundscapes in dental settings influence psychological, physiological, and operational outcomes. A total of 60 peer-reviewed studies were analyzed across dental, healthcare, architectural, and environmental psychology disciplines. Findings indicate that mechanical noise from dental instruments, ambient reverberation, and inadequate acoustic zoning contribute significantly to patient anxiety and professional fatigue. The review identifies emerging strategies for acoustic optimization, including biophilic and sustainable design principles, sound-masking systems, and adaptive sound environments informed by artificial intelligence. Special attention is given to the integration of lean management and circular economy practices for sustainable dental architecture. A design checklist and practical framework are proposed for use by dental professionals, architects, and healthcare planners. Although limited by the predominance of observational studies and geographic bias in the existing literature, this review offers a comprehensive, interdisciplinary synthesis. It highlights the need for future clinical trials, real-time acoustic assessments, and participatory co-design methods to enhance acoustic quality in dental settings. Overall, the study positions sound design as a foundational element in creating patient-centered, ecologically responsible dental environments. Full article

Immersive technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) have emerged as powerful tools in cultural heritage education and preservation. Building on prior work that demonstrated the effectiveness of gamified XR applications in engaging users with heritage content and drawing on existing studies in neuroscience and cognitive psychology, this study explores how immersive experiences support multisensory integration, emotional engagement, and spatial presence—all of which contribute to the deeper encoding and recall of heritage narratives. Through a theoretical lens supported by the empirical literature, we argue that the interactive and embodied nature of AR/VR aligns with principles of cognitive load theory, dual coding theory, and affective neuroscience, supporting enhanced learning and memory consolidation. This paper aims to bridge the gap between technological innovation and cognitive understanding in cultural heritage dissemination, identifying concrete design principles for memory-driven digital heritage experiences. While promising, these approaches also raise important ethical considerations, including accessibility, cultural representation, and inclusivity—factors essential for equitable digital heritage dissemination. Full article

Urbanization poses mental health risks for urban dwellers, whereas natural environments offer mental health benefits by providing restorative experiences through visual stimuli. While urban waterfront spaces are recognized for their mental restorative potential, the specific environmental features and individual visual behaviors that drive these benefits remain inadequately understood. Grounded in restorative environments theory, this study investigates how these factors jointly influence restoration. Employing a controlled laboratory experiment, subjects viewed real-life images of nine representative spatial locations from the waterfront space of Guangzhou Long Bund. Data collected during the multimodal experiments included subjective scales data (SRRS), physiological measurement data (SCR; LF/HF), and eye-tracking data. Key findings revealed the following: (1) The element visibility rate and visual characteristics of plant and building elements significantly influence restorative benefits. (2) Spatial configuration attributes (degree of enclosure, spatial hierarchy, and depth perception) regulate restorative benefits. (3) Visual behavior patterns (attributes of fixation points, fixation duration, and moderate dispersion of fixations) are significantly associated with restoration benefits. These findings advance the understanding of the mechanisms linking environmental stimuli, visual behavior, and psychological restorative benefits. They translate into evidence-based design principles for urban waterfront spaces. This study provides a refined perspective and empirical foundation for enhancing the restorative benefits of urban waterfront spaces through design. Full article

Background/Objectives: With the rapid progression of technology, applications have been proposed as a promising alternative to conventional psychotherapeutic treatment. Nonetheless, research on unguided self-help applications for binge eating remains scarce, with most existing studies utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles. Therefore, this paper presents the protocol for a randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of eMOTE, a standalone application designed specifically for women in Portugal who binge eat. eMOTE, adapted from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), is unique in that it focuses on teaching emotion regulation skills while also integrating core CBT strategies. Methods: At least 68 females who self-report binge eating episodes will be randomized into an intervention group with access to eMOTE for eight weeks or a delayed waitlist, which will have access to eMOTE after the T1 assessment. Assessments will be conducted at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1), and at 2-month follow-up (T2). The primary outcomes will include objective and subjective binge eating frequency and binge eating symptomatology, while secondary outcomes will assess global levels of ED psychopathology, shape concern, weight concern, eating concern, dietary restraint, compensatory behaviors, mindfulness, emotion regulation difficulties, intuitive eating, psychological distress, and body mass index. Conclusions: This study will contribute to the limited literature on the use of smartphone technology as an alternative to traditional psychotherapy. Furthermore, this standalone application will offer insights into the use of emotion regulation and food monitoring components designed for adult females experiencing binge eating episodes. Full article

In the era of precision medicine, effective data visualisation plays a pivotal role in supporting clinical decision-making by translating complex, multidimensional datasets into intuitive and actionable insights. This paper explores the foundational principles of visual perception, with a specific focus on pre-attentive attributes such as colour, shape, size, orientation, and spatial position, which are processed automatically by the human visual system. Drawing from cognitive psychology and perceptual science, we demonstrate how these attributes can enhance the clarity and usability of medical visualisations, reducing cognitive load and improving interpretive speed in high-stakes clinical environments. Through detailed case studies and visual examples, particularly within the field of oncology, we highlight best practices and common pitfalls in the design of dashboards, nomograms, and interactive platforms. We further examine the integration of advanced tools—such as genomic heatmaps and temporal timelines—into multidisciplinary workflows to support personalised care. Our findings underscore that visually intelligent design is not merely an aesthetic concern but a critical factor in clinical safety, efficiency, and communication, advocating for user-centred and evidence-based approaches in the development of health data interfaces. Full article

Retrieval practice, or the active recall of information from memory, is a highly effective learning strategy that strengthens memory and comprehension. This effect is robust and strongly backed by research in cognitive psychology. The health professions—including medicine, nursing, and dentistry—have widely embraced retrieval practice as a learning and study tool, particularly for course exams and high-stakes licensing exams. This state-of-the-art review examines the historical development, current applications, and future directions for the use of retrieval practice in health professions education. While retrieval-based learning has long been used informally in these fields, its formal recognition as a scientifically supported study method gained momentum in the early 2000s and then saw a surge in both research interest and curricular adoption between 2010 and 2025. This historical review explores the key factors driving this growth, such as its alignment with assessment-driven education and the increasing availability of third-party study resources that rely on retrieval practice as a guiding principle. Despite its proven benefits for learning, however, barriers persist to its adoption by students, including in the health professions. This article discusses strategies for overcoming these challenges and for enhancing retrieval practice integration into health professions curricula. Full article

Gamification has emerged as a powerful strategy in digital education, enhancing engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes. However, most research lacks theoretical grounding and often applies multiple and uncontextualized game elements, limiting its impact and replicability. To address these gaps, this study introduces a Systemic Gamification Theory (SGT)—a comprehensive, human-centered model for designing and evaluating inclusive and effective gamified educational environments. Sustained in Education, Human–Computer Interaction, and Psychology, SGT is structured around four core principles, emphasizing the importance of integrating game elements (1—Integration) into cohesive systems that generate emergent outcomes (2—Emergence) aligned synergistically (3—Synergy) with contextual needs (4—Context). The theory supports inclusivity by accounting for individual traits, situational dynamics, spatial settings, and cultural diversity. To operationalize SGT, we developed two tools: i. a set of 10 Heuristics to guide and analyze effective and inclusive gamification; and ii. a Framework for designing and evaluating gamified systems, as well as comparing research methods and outcomes across different contexts. These tools demonstrated how SGT enables robust, adaptive, and equitable gamified learning experiences. By advancing theoretical and practical development, SGT fosters a transformative approach to gamification, enriching multimedia learning through thoughtful system design and reflective evaluation practices. Full article

Background/Objectives: Despite its well-established health benefits, adherence to the Mediterranean lifestyle (MedLife) has declined globally, including in its region of origin, alongside a significant shift toward ultra-processed food consumption. Understanding the factors associated with MedLife adherence is essential for developing targeted interventions and tailored policy recommendations. As part of the MEDIET4ALL PRIMA project, this cross-sectional study aimed to comprehensively examine geo-demographic, socio-economic, psychological, behavioral, and barrier-related factors associated with and potentially contributing to MedLife adherence. Methods: Data were collected from 4010 participants aged 18 years and above across ten Mediterranean and neighboring countries using the multinational MEDIET4ALL e-survey, which included the validated MedLife index, along with various other questionnaires. Results: Results indicate that only 22% of respondents demonstrated high adherence to the Mediterranean lifestyle (MedLife), with significant variability observed across countries, age groups, education levels, and health statuses. Spain had the highest proportion of participants with high adherence (38%). Factors associated with significantly higher adherence rates include older age, living in the Mediterranean region, higher education levels, a greater awareness of MedLife principles, lower perceived barriers, normal BMI, better health status, and stable economic and marital conditions (p-values ranging from 0.04 to <0.001). Additionally, individuals with high MedLife adherence exhibited more socially and physically active lifestyles and experienced less psychological strain (p < 0.001). Regression analyses identified MedLife awareness as the strongest positive predictor of adherence (β = 0.206), followed by social participation (β = 0.194) and physical activity (β = 0.096). Additional positive contributors include life satisfaction, sleep quality, living in the Mediterranean region, age, and education (β ranging from 0.049 to 0.093). Conversely, factors that are negatively associated with adherence include sedentary behavior, living environment, and barriers such as low motivation, taste dislike, price unaffordability, limited availability, and the time-consuming nature of preparing Mediterranean food (MedFood; β ranging from −0.036 to −0.067). Conclusions: These findings indicate that fewer than one in four adults across Mediterranean and neighboring countries demonstrate high adherence to MedLife, supporting prior evidence of suboptimal adherence even within Mediterranean regions. This study identified a range of behavioral, socio-demographic, and environmental factors—both positive and negative predictors—that can help guide the design of targeted, culturally adapted interventions to promote MedLife behavior. Future research should incorporate objective measurements and longitudinal monitoring to better understand underlying mechanisms, establish causality, and develop sustainable strategies for enhancing MedLife adherence in diverse populations. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated and intensified pre-existing structural vulnerabilities among older adults living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Nigeria. Within already overstretched healthcare infrastructures, these individuals faced heightened economic precarity, disrupted HIV care, and pronounced psychosocial distress. Exploring their lived experiences critically advances an understanding of resilience and informs contextually responsive interventions that can mitigate future health crises. This study employed a narrative qualitative approach to explore the lived experiences of older adults (aged 50 and above) attending the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) clinic in Ibadan, Nigeria, during the pandemic lockdown. Purposive sampling guided by maximum variation principles enabled the selection of 26 participants who provided detailed accounts through in-depth interviews. Reflective thematic analysis identified complex narratives illustrating intensified financial hardships, disrupted access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), and heightened psychological distress, including anxiety, depression, and profound isolation. Conversely, participants also articulated experiences of resilience, manifesting in improved medication adherence, strengthened family bonds, and introspective growth fostered by enforced isolation. These nuanced findings highlights the necessity of developing an adaptive, integrated healthcare interventions that addresses economic vulnerabilities, psychosocial wellbeing, and ART continuity, thereby better preparing resource-constrained health systems to support older adults with HIV/AIDS in future public health crises. Full article

This paper combines Christopher Alexander’s pattern language with generative AI into a hybrid design framework. The result is a narrative synthesis that can be useful for informed project design. Advanced large language models (LLMs) enable the real-time synthesis of design patterns, making complex architectural choices accessible and comprehensible to stakeholders without specialized architectural knowledge. A lightweight, web-based tool lets project teams rapidly assemble context-specific subsets of Alexander’s 253 patterns, reducing a traditionally unwieldy 1166-page corpus to a concise, shareable list. Demonstrated through a case study of a university department building, this method results in environments that are psychologically welcoming, fostering health, productivity, and emotional well-being. LLMs translate these curated patterns into vivid experiential narratives—complete with neuroscientifically informed ornamentation. LLMs produce representative images from the verbal narrative, revealing a surprisingly traditional design that was never input as a prompt. Two separate LLMs (for cross-checking) then predict the pattern-generated design to catalyze improved productivity as compared to a standard campus building. By bridging abstract design principles and concrete human experience, this approach democratizes architectural planning grounded on Alexander’s human-centered, participatory ethos. Full article

Large Language Models offer transformative capabilities but also introduce growing cybersecurity risks, particularly through their use in generating realistic phishing emails. Detecting such content is critical; however, existing methods can be resource-intensive and slow to adapt. In this research, we present a dual-layered detection framework that combines supervised learning for accurate classification with unsupervised techniques to uncover emerging threats. In controlled testing environments, our approach demonstrates strong performance. Recognising that human users are often the weakest link in information security systems, we examine historical deception patterns and psychological principles commonly exploited in phishing attacks. We also explore watermarking as a complementary method for tracing AI-generated content. Together, these strategies offer a scalable, adaptive defence against increasingly sophisticated phishing attacks driven by Large Language Models. Full article

While the existing research has extensively explored the impact of urban green spaces on residents’ well-being, studies specifically focusing on waterfront sports buildings remain scarce. This study examines how the combined effects of built environment characteristics in waterfront sports facilities enhance user satisfaction through psychological mechanisms. Based on survey data from 721 users across nine major waterfront sports complexes in China, we find that (1) four social function dimensions (social interaction, accessibility, safety, and multifunctionality) show significant positive correlations with satisfaction; (2) place attachment mediates these relationships. These findings validate the importance of integrating water-oriented design principles with community needs, offering both theoretical contributions to human–water interaction studies and practical implications for urban blue space (defined as visible water features including rivers, lakes, and coastal areas) development. Full article

Why should we prepare for a flood which might never happen? Uncertainty around potential future hazards significantly limits citizens’ disaster preparedness, as it influences decision-making and action-taking greatly. To bridge this knowledge–action gap, we developed a novel, no-regrets framework for sustainable flood preparedness under uncertainty, building on a systematic literature review (PRISMA method) and an integrative review of preparedness actions. The review of 364 articles revealed that while no-regrets principles are widely applied in climate policy and risk management, they are not tailored to personal preparedness. Our resulting framework defines clear no-regrets criteria for individual and household-level preparedness (robustness, flexibility, cost-effectiveness, co-benefits, and ease of implementation) and categorizes 80+ flood preparedness actions according to four levels of uncertainty, from unknown futures to imminent hazards. Notably, we found that long-term preparedness actions remain underutilized, psychological preparedness is largely absent, and existing guidance is biased toward physical risk reduction in high-income contexts. This framework offers a practical tool for practitioners, local authorities, and community groups to promote actionable, context-sensitive flood preparedness worldwide and can be adapted to other hazards in future work. Full article

In the context of sustainable architecture, buildings are no longer isolated entities but are integral components of a broader built environment that shapes and responds to human life. As part of this evolving architectural landscape, immersive digital cultural heritage spaces—such as virtual museums—are emerging as dynamic environments that contribute not only to cultural preservation but also to human well-being. This study examines how multisensory spatial design in virtual heritage environments can meet the physical, psychological, and emotional needs of users, aligning with the principles of smart, responsive architecture. A total of 325 participants experienced three immersive VR scenarios integrating different sensory inputs: visual–auditory, visual–auditory–tactile, and visual–auditory–olfactory. Through factor analyses, a three-dimensional model of user experience was identified, encompassing immersion, cultural engagement, and personalization. Structural equation modeling revealed that informational clarity significantly enhanced immersion (β = 0.617, p < 0.001), while emotional resonance was central to personalization (β = 0.571, p < 0.001). Moreover, ANOVA results indicated significant experiential differences among sensory conditions (F = 4.324, p = 0.014), with the visual–auditory modality receiving the highest user ratings. These findings demonstrate how digital cultural spaces—when designed with human sensory systems in mind—can foster emotionally rich, informative, and sustainable environments. By extending the role of architecture into the digital domain, this study offers insight into how technology, when guided by human-centered design, can create smart environments that support both ecological responsibility and enhanced human experience. Full article