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Full Term, Peri-Urban South African Infants Under Six Months Of Age Are At Risk For Early-Onset Anemia., Lindi Sibeko, Ma Dhansay, Karen E. Charlton, Timothy Johns, M Van Stuijvenberg, Katherine Gray-Donald

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Objective: There is a paucity of data on the micronutrient status of low-income, lactating South African women and their infants under 6 months of age. The aim of this study was to elucidate the level of anaemia and vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in peri-urban breast-feeding women and their young infants.

Design: Cross-sectional study including anthropometric, biochemical and infant feeding data.

Setting: Peri-urban settlement in Cape Town, South Africa.

Subjects: Breast-feeding women (n = 113) and their infants (aged 1–6 months) attending a peri-urban clinic.

Results: Mean (standard deviation (SD)) haemoglobin (Hb) of the lactating mothers was 12.4 (1.3) gdl …

Beta-2 Glycoprotein1: Function In Health And Disease, Spyridon Miyakis, Bill Giannakopoulos, S A. Krilis

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Beta-2 glycoprotein I (β2GPI) is the principal target of autoantibodies in the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). It is abundant in human plasma and shares high homology between different mammalian species. Although the exact physiological function of β2GPI has not been fully elucidated, several interactions have been described with other proteins and with negatively charged surfaces, such as anionic phospholipids, dextran and heparin. β2GPI is involved in the coagulation pathway, exerting both procoagulant and anticoagulant activities. Plasma from β2GPI-deficient mice exhibits impaired thrombin generation in vitro. Recently, it has been demonstrated that β2GPI binds factor (F) XI in vitro at concentrations lower …

Editorial Essay, Jennifer Cypher, Catherine Phillips

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

As we put this issue together the last days of 2003 swirled around us, with all the artifice and artifacts that this time of year seems to generate. The steamy-windowed café where we planned the final week of tasks was full of holiday greenery, all artificial. Part of our conversation revolved around the artifacts still to be purchased or made for friends and family. The reality of our intimate connections with artifacts and artifice seems heightened at this time of year. We buy and bake and celebrate, undeniably caught up in webs of things and crafts and greenery (artificial or …

Gay And Lesbian Public History In Australia, Andrew Gorman-Murray

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Although scholarly interest in gay and lesbian history broadly defined is relatively young, research has increased significantly since the early 1990s. This was largely stimulated by the gay liberation movements of the 1970s and 1980s which both encouraged collective self-awareness amongst gays and sought acceptance from the broader straight society. During the 1990s gays became a significant 'consumer' group targeted by various companies and non-commercial organisations as a niche market. One need only scan through gay community periodicals such as SX or Sydney Star Observer to appreciate the number of businesses and non-commercial groups servicing the gay community. ln light …

Are Current Social Marketing Campaigns Getting Through To Undergraduate University Students?, Sandra C. Jones

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In this study, we conduct a survey of health behaviours among undergraduate university students. The health behaviours include weight control, exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, use of illicit drugs, and safe-sex practices. By comparing the results with national survey results, we test the hypothesis that university students – who have completed high school, with better than average grades – are more likely to exhibit healthy behaviours and avoid unhealthy or unsafe behaviours than the general population. Detailed information on the health behaviours of university students is not currently available (see Australia’s Health 2000, in which there are no reports of health …

Believability And Effectiveness Of Young Adult Safe-Drinking Messages, N. Breen, Sandra C. Jones

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study investigates eight safe-drinking messages, using appeals to the ‘self’ versus appeals about ‘others’, in combination with either a low or high physical threat, or a low or high social threat. The participants were18-25 year old second-year university marketing students. An experimental design was used for data collection, which involved 196 participants, with the groups comprised of participants with homogenous demographic characteristics and drinking behaviour. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the believability and effectiveness of the messages. It was determined that messages about ‘others’ were perceived as more believable and effective than the corresponding appeals used …

Linking The Structure And Perception Of 3-D Faces: Gender, Ethnicity And Expressive Posture, Guillaume Vignali, Harold C. Hill, Eric Vatikiotis-Bateson

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

A statistical study of human face shape is reported whose overall goal was to identify and characterise salient components of facial structure for human perception and communicative behaviour. A large database of 3-D faces has been constructed and analysed for differences in ethnicity, sex, and posture. For each of more than 300 faces varying in race/ethnicity (Japanese versus Caucasian) and sex, nine postures (smiling, producing vowels, etc) were recorded. Principal components analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were used to reduce the dimensionality of the data and to provide simple, yet reliable reconstruction of any face from components corresponding …

Report On The Consumpton Of Vegetables And Fruit In Nsw, Victoria M. Flood, Debra Hector, Liz Story

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Increasing vegetable and fruit consumption in the New South Wales population is a key public health priority. There is little dispute that high vegetable and fruit consumption confers significant health benefits. Epidemiological evidence indicates that increasing intakes of vegetables and fruit decreases the risk of major chronic diseases including cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, diverticulitis, cataracts, macular degeneration, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For optimal health benefits, the importance of consuming a variety of vegetables and fruit is stressed. It is also important that there appears to be a dose-response relationship between vegetable and fruit consumption and …

Comparing Solid Body With Point-Light Animations, Harold C. Hill, Yuri Jinno, Alan Johnston

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The movement of faces provides useful information for a variety of tasks and is now an active area of research. We compare here two ways of presenting face motion in experiments: as solid-body animations and as point-light displays. In the first experiment solid-body and point-light animations, based on the same motion-captured marker data, produced similar levels of performance on a sex-judgment task. The trend was for an advantage for the point-light displays, probably in part because of residual spatial cues available in such stimuli. In the second experiment we compared spatially normalised point-light displays of marker data with solid-body animations …

An Archaeology Of Historical Reality?: A Case Study Of The Recent Past, Alistair Paterson, Nicholas Gill, M.J. Kennedy

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

An Aboriginal elder, an archaeologist and a geographer report on an interdisciplinary project about colonial-era settlement in the Murchison and Davenport ranges in the Northern Territory. Oral history, physical evidence and historical records reveal a distinct central Australian cultural landscape and show that archaeology can do more than merely exhume material to support historical 'realities'. This project provides new or improved understandings of (1) colonial technology in pastoral ventures, (2) continuity and change in Aboriginal life following European arrival, (3) social behaviour in colonial settings, and (4) alternatives to Eurocentric Australian histories.

Work-Based Physiological Assessment Of Physically-Demanding Trades: A Methodological Overview, Nigel A.S. Taylor, Herbert Groeller

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Technological advances, modified work practices, altered employment strategies, work-related injuries, and the rise in work-related litigation and compensation claims necessitate ongoing trade analysis research. Such research enables the identification and development of gender- and age-neutral skills, physiological attributes and employment standards required to satisfactorily perform critical trade tasks. This paper overviews a methodological approach which may be adopted when seeking to establish trade-specific physiological competencies for physically-demanding trades (occupations). A general template is presented for conducting a trade analyses within physically-demanding trades, such as those encountered within military or emergency service occupations. Two streams of analysis are recommended: the trade …

The Nature And Prevalence Of Psychological Problems In New Zealand Primary Healthcare: A Report On Mental Health And General Practice Investigation ( Magpie), John Bushnell, Deborah Mcleod, A D. Dowell, C Salmond, S Ramage, S Collings, P Ellis, Marjan Kljakovic, L Mcbain

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Aims This paper describes the methods used in a study of the prevalence and types of common mental disorders among patients attending New Zealand general practices, and reports some key findings from the first phase of the study. The study also aimed to determine the degree of associated disability and other factors influencing recognition, management, course and outcome of these disorders, and subsequent papers will address these issues. Methods General practitioners (GPs) were selected randomly. In the first phase of the study, all adult attenders at each practice on selected days were administered a short questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire …

What Australians Eat For Breakfast: An Analysis Of Data From The 1995 National Nutrition Survey, P. G. Williams

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective To analyse data on the patterns of food consumption at breakfast reported in the 1995 National Nutrition Survey.

Design The Australian Bureau of Statistics was commissioned to undertake additional analysis of data on food intake collected using 24-hour recall interviews, a food frequency questionnaire and a food habits questionnaire.

Subjects Nationally representative sample of 13 858 Australians, from age 2 years, surveyed in the 1995 National Nutrition Survey.

Main outcome measures Percentage of people eating breakfast regularly, mean amount of food groups consumed at breakfast, the percentage of respondents consuming each food item, and the mean serve sizes.

Statistical …

Relative Bias In Diet History Measurements: A Quality Control Technique For Dietary Intervention Trials, Gina S. Martin, Linda C. Tapsell, Marijka Batterham, Kenneth G. Russell

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: Investigation of relative bias in diet history measurement during dietary intervention trials.

Design: Retrospective analysis of human dietary data from two randomised controlled trials examining modified fat diets in the prevention and treatment of type II diabetes mellitus.

Setting: Wollongong, Australia.

Subjects: Thirty-five overweight, otherwise healthy subjects in trial 1 and 56 subjects with diabetes in trial 2.

Interventions: Diet history interviews and three-day weighed food records administered at one-month intervals in trial 1 and three-month intervals in trial 2.

Results: In a cross-sectional bias analysis, graphs of the association between bias and mean dietary intake showed that bias …

Can Motivational Signs Prompt Increases In Incidental Physical Activity In An Australian Health-Care Facility?, A L. Marshall, A E. Bauman, C Patch, J Wilson, J Chen

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study aimed to evaluate whether a stairpromoting signed intervention could increase the use of the stairs over the elevator in a health-care facility. A time-series design was conducted over 12 weeks. Data were collected before, during and after displaying a signed intervention during weeks 4–5 and 8–9. Evaluation included anonymous counts recorded by an objective unobtrusive motion-sensing device of people entering the elevator or the stairs. Self-report data on stair use by hospital staff were also collected. Stair use significantly increased after the first intervention phase (P 0.02), but after the intervention was removed stair use decreased back towards …

P300 Amplitude Is Determined By Target-To-Target Interval, C. J. Gonsalvez, J. Polich

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

P300 event-related brain potential (ERP) measures are affected by target stimulus probability, the number of nontargets preceding the target in the stimulus sequence structure, and interstimulus interval (ISI). Each of these factors contributes to the target-to-target interval (TTI), which also has been found to affect P300. The present study employed a variant of the oddball paradigm and manipulated the number of preceding nontarget stimuli (0, 1, 2, 3) and ISI (1, 2, 4 s) in order to systematically assess TTI effects on P300 values from auditory and visual stimuli. Number of preceding nontargets generally produced stronger effects than ISI in …

The Effect Of Individual Psychological Characteristics In The Use Of Computerised Information Systems, Farideh Yaghmaie, Peter Caputi, Rohan Jayasuriya

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Investments in computerised information systems in the health industry in evident in most parts of the world. In hospitals and other Healthcare settings, increasingly, hands-on computer use is becoming an important behaviour for effective job perfonnance for health professionals. As the pre-employment (professional) training is provided at a number of different settings the exposure health workers have to computing will vary. Providing training and support to such end-users becomes a complex problem. In addition, based on their prior exposure to computer technology in their work place individuals will have different experiences that make implementation of such systems more complex. Individual …

Prevalence Of Household Food Poverty In South Africa: Results From A Large Nationally Representative Survey, Karen E. Charlton, Donald Rose

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

OBJECTIVES: Household food insecurity is a major determinant of undernutrition, yet there is little information on its prevalence in the South African population. This paper assesses household food insecurity in South Africa using a quantitative and objective measure, known as food poverty, and provides prevalence estimates by geographic area and socio-economic condition. DESIGN: Secondary data analysis combining two sources: Statistics South Africa's household-based 1995 Income and Expenditure Survey; and the University of Port Elizabeth's Household Subsistence Level series, a nationally-conducted, market-based survey. SETTING: South Africa. SUBJECTS: A nationally representative sample of the entire country - stratified by race, province, and …

Dietary N-3 And N-6 Fatty Acids Alter Avian Metabolism: Metabolism And Abdominal Fat Deposition, Ronald Newman, Wayne Bryden, Eva Fleck, John R. Ashes, William A. Buttemer, Leonard Storlien, Jeffery Downing

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The effects of dietary saturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of the n-3 and n-6 series on weight gain, body composition and substrate oxidation were investigated in broiler chickens. At 3 weeks of age three groups of chickens (n 30; ten birds per group) were fed the fat-enriched experimental diets for 5 weeks. These diets were isonitrogenous, isoenergetic and contained 208 g protein/kg and 80 g edible tallow, fish oil or sunflower oil/kg; the dietary fatty acid profiles were thus dominated by saturated fatty acids, n-3 PUFA or n-6 PUFA respectively. Resting RQ …

Acetaminophen Poisoning: An Update For The Intensivist, Paul I. Dargan, Alison L. Jones

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Acetaminophen overdose is common and can result from deliberate/nonstaggered or accidental/staggered ingestion. Patients presenting within 24 h of an acetaminophen overdose can safely be managed on medical wards. Early management of nonstaggered overdose is guided by the plasma acetaminophen concentration, whereas management of accidental/staggered ingestion is guided by ingested dose. Ingested dose and time from ingestion to presentation are important prognostic factors in accidental/staggered ingestion. Acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure (ALF) requires meticulous supportive care in an intensive care unit (ICU), with early identification and transfer of patients who are likely to require liver transplantation to a specialist liver centre. The …

Dealing With Diversity: Incorporating Cultural Sensitivity Into Professional Midwifery Practice, Moira Williamson, Lindsey Harrison

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In the Australian College of Midwives, Code of Ethics, Section 11. Practice of Midwifery, the following is stated "A. Midwives provide care for women and childbearing families with respect for cultural diversity while also working to eliminate harmful practices within those same cultures." However, it is difficult to know what is meant by "respect for cultural diversity". This paper presents the results of a critical review of the health literature. There is surprisingly little consensus about the meaning of terms such as cultural sensitivity and cultural appropriate care. Nor are there reflections on incorporating these concepts into practice. It could …

Believability Of Anti-Drug Advertising As A Function Of Marijuana Usage Experience, Sandra C. Jones, John R. Rossiter

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Marijuana use is on the increase in Australia, particularly among teenagers. Information dissemination is likely to become the main vehicle for minimizing the harms associated with marijuana use, so there is a clear need to develop informative and convincing communication strategies to target young (potential and incipient) marijuana users. However, the Federal Government’s “zero tolerance” approach to drug use is accompanied by anti-drug messages that may lack credibility with young people who already use, or have used, marijuana. Cognitive dissonance theory, as well as research with warning labels on other products such as cigarettes, suggests that young people who currently …

Use Of Self-Report To Monitor Overweight And Obesity In Populations: Some Issues For Consideration, Victoria M. Flood, Karen Webb, Ross Lazarus, Glen Pang

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: To examine the validity of self reported height and weight data reported over the telephone in the 1997 NSW Health Survey, and to determine its accuracy to monitor overweight and obesity in population surveys. Method: Self-reported and measured heights and weights were collected from 227 people living in Western Sydney, who had participated in the NSW Health Survey 1997. Results: Self-reported (SR) weights and heights led to misclassification of relative weight status. BMI, based on measured weights and heights, classified 62% of males and 47% of females as overweight or obese, compared with 39% and 32%, respectively, from self-report. …

Sharing The Spirit? Sociospatial Polarization And Expressed Enthusiasm For The Olympic Games, Gordon R. Waitt, Philippe Furrer

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

This article seeks to contribute to the literature that assesses the local outcomes of hosting hallmark events by examining the expressed levels of enthusiasm for the year 2000 Olympic Games within Sydney. We report on the results of a telephone survey of 658 Sydney residents conducted in February 1998 designed to measure enthusiasm for the 2000 Olympic Games. As of February 1998, it appeared that enthusiasm for the 2000 Olympics remained strong in Sydney, thereby providing support to the views of those who regard hallmark events as a psychological mechanism to assist residents to feel a sense of pride in …

Validation Of A Food Frequency Questionnaire In Older South Africans, Karen E. Charlton, Estelle V. Lambert

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Objectives: To assess the validity of 213-item semi-qualified food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in estimating habitual energy and protein intake in a sample of older South Africans. Repeatability of the FFQ was assessed by comparison of reported intakes after a 6-month period. Design: Cross-sectional analytic study Methods: Twenty-one subjects were selected from a baseline sample of 200 non-institutional subjects aged 65 years and over in Cape Town, who had previously been randomly selected for a nurtition and health survey using a two-stage cluster design. Reported dietary energy and protein intakes, estimated by means of the FFQ method, were compared with 24-hour …

Physical Activity, Change In Blood Pressure And Predictors Of Mortality In Older South Africans - A 2-Year Follow-Up Study, Karen E. Charlton, Estelle V. Lambert, Judith Kreft

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Objective. A 2-year follow-up study of a cohort of 200 historically disadvantaged older South Africans was conducted to: (i) characterise current levels of habitual physical activity; (ii) relate physical activity to current risk factors for chronic disease; and (iii) identify risk factors associated with 2-year mortaJity. The baseline sample, drawn in 1993, was found to have a high prevalence of hypertension (71.7%). Research design. Retrospective cohort study. Methods. A baseline sample of 200 persons aged ;:;.. 65 years, resident in the Cape Peninsula, was randomly drawn by means of a two-stage cluster design. Baseline measurements included: anthropometry, waist/hip ratio, systolic …

The Prevalence Of Diabetes Mellitus And Associated Risk Factors In Elderly Coloured South Africans, Karen E. Charlton, Naomi S. Levitt, Carl J. Lombard

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Objective. To determine the prevalence of diabetes and its associated risk factors in elderly coloured South Africans. Research design. Cross-sectional analytical study. Methods. A random sample of 200 non-institutionalised coloured (mixed ancestry) subjects aged 65 years of age, resident in urban Cape Town, was drawn by means of a two-stage cluster design. The survey procedure included an oral glucose tolerance test, anthropometric measurements, and physical activity and alcohol intake assessments. Results. The prevalence of diabetes was 28.7% (95% Cl 21.7 - 35.7%), 25.7% in men and 30.3% in women. The prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance was 15% (95% Cl 9.2 …

Vitamin D Status Of Older South Africans, K E. Charlton, D Labadarios, C J. Lombard, M E. J Louw

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Objective. To determine the vitamin D status of older 'coloured' South Africans who had not sustained a fracture. Design. Cross-sectional analytic study.

Methods. A random sample of 200 non-institutionalised subjects in Cape Town aged 65 years was drawn using a two-stage cluster design. Trained fieldworkers interviewed subjects to obtain demographic, dietary and lifestyle data, to draw fasting blood samples for the analysis of serum 25-hydroxyvilamin 0 (25(OH)O) and other biochemical parameters. and to take anthropometric measurements.

Results. Seventeen per cent of the subjects (95% Cl: 11.4 - 22.6%) had serum 25(OH)D levels in the deficient range for the elderly « …

Evaluation Of A New Zealand Tremadocian Trilobite, Anthony J. Wright

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Dionide hectori Reed, 1926, is shown on the basis of new collections from the type area in New Zealand to be a Tremadocian ceratopygide close to Hysterolenus. The species was placed in Taihungshania by Kobayashi (1941). It was provisionally retained in the Taihungshaniidae by Lu (1975) who made hectori type species of a new genus Hectoria (non Hectoria Trechmann, 1918). Ruapyge nom.nov. is proposed here for the reception of hectori. The original length/width ratio is determined by Wellman's method, with little consistency in results. Data from the strain ellipses constructed by Wellman's method are then used to calculate values for …