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Primary Health Care Nurses’ Perceptions Of Risk During Covid-19: A Qualitative Study, Christine Ashley, Sharon James, Catherine Stephen, Ruth Mursa, Susan Mcinnes, Anna Williams, Kaara Calma, Elizabeth Halcomb

Scopus Harvesting Series

Purpose: COVID-19 has presented health care professionals with unprecedented challenges. Significant risks have emerged as nurses have continued to work in delivering frontline health care during the pandemic. Feeling “at risk” has significant deleterious effects on nurses. The study sought to explore the perceptions of risk by Australian primary health care nurses (PHC) during COVID-19. Methods: Twenty-five Australian PHC nurses were purposively recruited from survey respondents who indicated a willingness to be interviewed. Phone interviews were undertaken between June and August 2020. Audio-recordings were transcribed and analyzed thematically. Findings: Participants shared concerns about risks in the workplace that emerged during …

Duty Or Safety? Exploring Emergency Service Personnel's Perceptions Of Risk And Decision-Making When Driving Through Floodwater, Mozumdar Ahmed, Katharine A. Haynes, Matalena Tofa, Gemma Hope, Melanie R. Taylor

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: Part B

Vehicle-related flood fatalities and rescues due to driving through floodwater are a significant emergency management issue for emergency services. To reduce fatalities, injuries, and costs associated with this risky driving behaviour it is essential to develop strategies to stop or reduce the incidence of people driving through floodwater. In Australia, people are told not to enter floodwater – on foot or in vehicles – with the phrase ‘If it's flooded, forget it’ widely used in official messaging. As first responders responsible for floods, storms and tsunamis, Australian State Emergency Service (SES) personnel are working in flood conditions regularly and are …

Middle-Aged Australians’ Perceptions Of Support To Reduce Lifestyle Risk Factors: A Qualitative Study, Christine Ashley, Elizabeth J. Halcomb, Susan Mcinnes, Karin Robinson, Elizabeth Lucas, Susan Harvey, Sarah Remm

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: Part B

Increasingly, middle-aged people are demonstrating lifestyle risk factors that increase their risk of developing chronic disease. Reducing lifestyle risk in middle age can significantly reduce future morbidity and mortality and improve quality of life. Understanding peoples’ perceptions of health support is important to inform health professionals and policymakers regarding strategies to support lifestyle risk reduction. This paper seeks to explore middle-aged Australians’ perceptions of support for lifestyle risk reduction. Thirty-four middle-aged Australians were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. The overarching theme ‘support for healthy lifestyles’ comprised three subthemes. ‘Engagement with …

Role Of Area-Level Access To Primary Care On The Geographic Variation Of Cardiometabolic Risk Factor Distribution: A Multilevel Analysis Of The Adult Residents In The Illawarra—Shoalhaven Region Of Nsw, Australia, Renin Melkias Baby Selvi Toms, Xiaoqi Feng, Darren J. Mayne, Andrew D. Bonney

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

Background: Access to primary care is important for the identification, control and management of cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs). This study investigated whether differences in geographic access to primary care explained area-level variation in CMRFs. Methods: Multilevel logistic regression models were used to derive the association between area-level access to primary care and seven discrete CMRFs after adjusting for individual and area-level co-variates. Two-step floating catchment area method was used to calculate the geographic access to primary care for the small areas within the study region. Results: Geographic access to primary care was inversely associated with low high density lipoprotein (OR …

Peritoneal Dialysis Related Peritonitis As A Risk Factor For Cardiovascular Events, Kirsten S. Hepburn, Kelly Lambert, Judy Mullan, Brendan Mcalister, Maureen A. Lonergan, Hicham Ibrahim Cheikh Hassan

Australian Health Services Research Institute

Background Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Infection is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular events (CVE), however no studies have examined the association between PD peritonitis and CVE. Aim The aim of the study was to examine peritonitis as a risk factor for CVE in PD patients. Methods This retrospective cohort study included all adults undertaking PD for ≥ 3 months in one Australian health district from 2001‐2015. Baseline characteristics and peritonitis event information was obtained from the Australian and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry. The Centre for Health Research …

Mental Health Presentations To Acute Psychiatric Services: 3-Year Study Of Prevalence And Readmission Risk For Personality Disorders Compared With Psychotic, Affective, Substance Or Other Disorders, Kate L. Lewis, Mahnaz Fanaian, Beth Kotze, Brin F. S Grenyer

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background The relative burden and risk of readmission for people with personality disorders in hospital settings is unknown. Aims To compare hospital use of people with personality disorder with that of people with other mental health diagnoses, such as psychoses and affective disorders. Method Naturalistic study of hospital presentations for mental health in a large community catchment. Mixed-effects Cox regression and survival curves were generated to examine risk of readmission for each group. Results Of 2894 people presenting to hospital, patients with personality disorder represented 20.5% of emergency and 26.6% of in-patients. Patients with personality disorder or psychoses were 2.3 …

Cross-Sectional Study Of Area-Level Disadvantage And Glycaemic-Related Risk In Community Health Service Users In The Southern.Iml Research (Simlr) Cohort, Roger Cross, Andrew D. Bonney, Darren J. Mayne, Kathryn M. Weston

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

Objectives. The aim of the present study was to determine the association between area-level socioeconomic disadvantage and glycaemic-related risk in health service users in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven region of New South Wales, Australia. Methods. HbA1c values recorded between 2010 and 2012 for non-pregnant individuals aged 18 years were extracted from the Southern.IML Research (SIMLR) database. Individuals were assigned quintiles of the Socioeconomic Indices for Australia (SEIFA) Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantage (IRSD) according to their Statistical Area 1 of residence. Glycaemic risk categories were defined as HbA1c 5.0-5.99% (lowest risk), 6.0-7.49% (intermediate risk) and 7.5% (highest risk). Logistic regression models were …

Patterns Of Signs That Telephone Crisis Support Workers Associate With Suicide Risk In Telephone Crisis Line Callers, Tara Hunt, Coralie J. Wilson, Peter Caputi, Ian G. Wilson, Alan Woodward

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

Signs of suicide are commonly used in suicide intervention training to assist the identification of those at imminent risk for suicide. Signs of suicide may be particularly important to telephone crisis-line workers (TCWs), who have little background information to identify the presence of suicidality if the caller is unable or unwilling to express suicidal intent. Although signs of suicide are argued to be only meaningful as a pattern, there is a paucity of research that has examined whether TCWs use patterns of signs to decide whether a caller might be suicidal, and whether these are influenced by caller characteristics such …

Risk Or Opportunity? The Journey Of Students Entering University Via An Enabling Program, Lynn Maree Jarvis

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

University preparatory or enabling programs operate in most Australian universities. The primary purpose of these programs is to assist students from under-represented or disadvantaged backgrounds to access higher education. Despite a significant level of engagement and funding across the nation, high levels of attrition, as compared to undergraduate courses, speak to an experience that is not always successful for students. The way students experience and manage their entry into higher education via these programs is not well understood leaving significant gaps in our understanding of the interrelationship between the lives of students and the programs they enrol in.

This thesis …

Pubertal Stage, Body Mass Index, And Cardiometabolic Risk In Children And Adolescents In Bogota, Colombia: The Cross-Sectional Fuprecol Study, Robinson Ramírez-Velez, Antonio García-Hermoso, Cesar A. Agostinis-Sobrinho, Jorge Mota, Rute Santos, Jorge Enrique Correa-Bautista, Carlos Andres Pena-Guzman, María Andrea Domínguez-Sanchez, Jacqueline Schmidt-Riovalle, Emilio Gonzalez-Jimenez

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study explored the association between pubertal stage and anthropometric and cardiometabolic risk factors in youth. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2877 Colombian children and adolescents (9¿17.9 years of age). Weight, height, and waist circumference were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. A biochemical study was performed to determine the cardiometabolic risk index (CMRI). Blood pressure was evaluated and pubertal stage was assessed with the Tanner criteria. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed. The most significant variable (p < 0.05) in the prognosis of cardiometabolic risk was found to be the BMI in both boys and girls. In the case of girls, the pubertal stage was also a CMRI predictive factor. In conclusion, BMI was an important indicator of cardiovascular risk in both sexes. Pubertal stage was associated with cardiovascular risk only in the girls.

Who Is At Risk Of Chronic Disease? Associations Between Risk Profiles Of Physical Activity, Sitting And Cardio‐Metabolic Disease In Australian Adults, Lina Engelen, Joanne Gale, Josephine Chau, Louise L. Hardy, Martin Mackey, Nathan A. Johnson, Debra Shirley, Adrian E. Bauman

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: To examine the associations of physical activity (PA) and sitting time (sit) with cardio‐metabolic diseases. Methods: Cross‐sectional data from the Australian National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey 2011-2012 (n=9,435) were used to classify adults into low and high risk groups based on their physical activity and sitting behaviour profiles. Logistic regression models examined associations between low and high risk classifications (high PA‐low sit; high PA‐high sit; low PA‐low sit; low PA‐high sit;) and socio‐demographic factors, and associations between low and high risk classifications and the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Results: These results characterise …

The Affluence-Vulnerability Interface: Intersecting Scales Of Risk, Privilege And Disaster, Christine Eriksen, Gregory Simon

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines vulnerability in the context of affluence and privilege. It focuses on the 1991 Oakland Hills Firestorm in California, USA to examine long-term lived experiences of the disaster. Vulnerability is typically understood as a condition besetting poor and marginalized communities. Frequently ignored in these discussions are the experiences of those who live in more affluent areas. This paper seeks to more closely explain vulnerability at its interface with affluence. The aim is to challenge uncritical explanations of vulnerability. We also offer alternative ways of conceptualizing vulnerability as a material condition and social construct that acknowledges broader cultural, ecological, …

Australian Industry Superannuation Default Funds: Examining Sequencing Risk For Baby Boomers, Loretta Anne Iskra

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The growth of superannuation (private pension systems) is a global phenomenon, which has been intended to counter the financial burden of an ageing population. Superannuation is part of the Australian government’s retirement income policy, as it is expected to supplement the Government Age Pension and other private savings in providing sufficient retirement funding for the nation. With the impact of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC) leading to reduced share market asset values, corporate failures and consequently reduced retirement funds, superannuation is increasingly the focus of reform initiatives. In Australia, superannuation is the legislated process of employers depositing a percentage …

A Typology Of Predictive Risk Factors For Non-Adherent Medication-Related Behaviors Among Chronic Non-Cancer Pain Patients Prescribed Opioids: A Cohort Study, Amy Peacock, Louisa Degenhardt, Gabrielle Campbell, Briony K. Larance, Suzanne Nielsen, Wayne Hall, Richard P. Mattick, Raimondo Bruno

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

BACKGROUND: There has been no previous prospective examination of the homogeneity of chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) patients in risk factors for non-adherent opioid use. OBJECTIVES: To identify whether latent risk classes exist among people with CNCP that predict non-adherence with prescribed opioids. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: The Pain and Opioids IN Treatment prospective cohort comprises 1,514 people in Australia prescribed pharmaceutical opioids for CNCP interviewed 3 months apart. Risk factors were assessed in wave 1, and non-adherent behaviors in the 3 months prior to wave 1 and wave 2. Latent class analysis was used to examine groups with …

Zmanjševanje Dejavnikov Tveganja Za Nastanek Srčnožilnih Bolezni Pri Pacientih, Vodenih V Referenčni Ambulanti Družinske Medicine - Vloga Diplomirane Medicinske Sestre, Alenka Terbovc, Bostjan Gomiscek, Ksenija Tusek-Bunc

University of Wollongong in Dubai - Papers

Background: Model of reference family medicine clinic reveals changes in treating patients on primary health level. The consequence is reduction or elimination of risk factors for the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases. Team consists of a doctor, a nurse and a graduate nurse, who significantly improves the quality of controling patients with risk factors by knowledge, proficiency and individual approach. The purpose of master's degree: The purpose of the master's degree thesis is to explore the risk factors for the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases among groups of patients, who are treated in the reference medicine family clinic and general clinic. Research …

Clustering Of Cardiovascular Behavioral Risk Factors And Blood Pressure Among People Diagnosed With Hypertension: A Nationally Representative Survey In China, Yichong Li, Xiaoqi Feng, Mei Zhang, Maigeng Zhou, Ning Wang, Limin Wang

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study aimed to examine association between the number of behavioral risk factors and blood pressure (BP) level among a nationally representative sample of Chinese people diagnosed with hypertension. A total of 31,694 respondents aged 18+ years with diagnosed hypertension were extracted from the 2013-2014 China Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Surveillance. BP of each respondent was classified into six levels according to criteria in 2007 Guidelines for the Management of Arterial Hypertension. Information for smoking, alcohol drinking, fruit and vegetables consumption, physical inactivity, and overweight and obesity were obtained. The average number of risk factors was determined by BP …

Cultures And Disasters: Understanding Cultural Framings In Disaster Risk Reduction By F. Kruger, G. Bankoff, T. Cannon, B. Orlowski And E.L.F. Shipper, Christine Eriksen

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Book review of: Cultures and Disasters: Understanding Cultural Framings in Disaster Risk Reduction F. Krüger, G. Bankoff, T. Cannon, B. Orlowski and E.L.F. Shipper. Routledge, London and New York, 2015, xv + 282 pp, ISBN 978 0 415 74560 4 (paperback).

Taking Risks With Their Hearts: Risk And Emotion In Innovative Forms Of Assessment, Tania Leiman, Elizabeth Abery, Eileen M. Willis

Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice

Research involving student and tutor responses to a ‘pedagogy of the heart’ approach in a first year university health science topic revealed anxiety, insecurity and perceptions of unpredictability in relation to an innovative arts-based assignment designed to elicit and assess experiential or imaginal knowledge. Using the lens of contemporary theories of risk, and explicitly considering the role of emotion in assessment, this paper identifies both the effectiveness of and challenges encountered in this form of assessment. It also explores the relationships between risk and emotion, and between risk and assessment, particularly for young people in the higher education context. By …

Neighborhood Walkability, Fear And Risk Of Falling And Response To Walking Promotion: The Easy Steps To Health 12-Month Randomized Controlled Trial, Dafna Merom, K Gebel, Paul P. Fahey, Thomas E. Astell-Burt, A Voukelatos, Chris Rissel, Cathie Sherrington

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In older adults the relationships between health, fall-related risk factors, perceived neighborhood walkability, walking behavior and intervention impacts are poorly understood. To determine whether: i) health and fall-related risk factors were associated with perceptions of neighborhood walkability; ii) perceived environmental attributes, and fall-related risk factors predicted change in walking behavior at 12 months; and iii) perceived environmental attributes and fall-related risk factors moderated the effect of a self-paced walking program on walking behavior. Randomized trial on walking and falls conducted between 2009 and 2012 involving 315 community-dwelling inactive adults ≥ 65 years living in Sydney, Australia. Measures were: mobility status, …

Imaging Dose In Breast Radiotherapy: Does Breast Size Affect The Dose To The Organs At Risk And The Risk Of Secondary Cancer To The Contralateral Breast?, Vikneswary Batumalai, Alexandra Quinn, Michael Jameson, Geoff Delaney, Lois C. Holloway

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Correct target positioning is crucial for accurate dose delivery in breast radiotherapy resulting in utilisation of daily imaging. However, the radiation dose from daily imaging is associated with increased probability of secondary induced cancer. The aim of this study was to quantify doses associated with three imaging modalities and investigate the correlation of dose and varying breast size in breast radiotherapy. Methods: Planning computed tomography (CT) data sets of 30 breast cancer patients were utilised to simulate the dose received by various organs from a megavoltage computed tomography (MV-CT), megavoltage electronic portal image (MV-EPI) and megavoltage cone-beam computed tomography (MV-CBCT). …

Targeting Integrated Care To Those Most Likely To Need Frequent Health Care: A Review Of Social And Clinical Risk Factors, Janet E. Sansoni, Pamela E. Grootemaat, Habibur R. Seraji, Megan B. Blanchard, Milena Snoek

Australian Health Services Research Institute

Evidence check: Targeting integrated care: social and clinical risk factors

Exposure Perception As A Key Indicator Of Risk Perception And Acceptance Of Sources Of Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, Frederik Freudenstein, Peter M. Wiedemann, Tim Brown

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The presented survey was conducted in six European countries as an online study. A total of 2454 subjects participated. Two main research questions were investigated: firstly, how does the cognitive, moral, and affective framing of radio frequency electromagnetic field (RF EMF) exposure perception influence RF EMF risk perception? Secondly, can the deployment of mobile phone base stations have greater acceptance with RF EMF exposure reduction? The findings with respect to the first question clearly indicated that the cognitive framed exposure perception is the main determinant of RF EMF risk perception. The concomitant sensitivity to exposure strength offers an opportunity to …

Protocol For A Systematic Review Of Telephone Delivered Psychosocial Interventions On Relapse Prevention, Adherence To Psychiatric Medication And Health Risk Behaviours In Adults With A Psychotic Disorder, Alison K. Beck, Amanda Baker, Alyna Turner, Gillian Haddock, Peter James Kelly, Katherine Berry, Sandra Bucci

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Introduction The mental and physical health of individuals with a psychotic illness are typically poor. When adhered to, medication can reduce relapse. However, despite adherence, relapse remains common and functional outcomes often remain compromised. Compliance is also typically low. Cardiovascular-related morbidity and mortality is also elevated, along with several important modifiable health risk behaviours. Access to psychosocial interventions is therefore important, but currently limited. Telephone delivered interventions represent a promising solution, although further clarity is needed. Accordingly, we aim to provide an overview and critical analysis of the current state of evidence for telephone delivered psychosocial interventions targeting key health …

Landscape Preferences, Amenity, And Bushfire Risk In New South Wales, Australia, Nicholas J. Gill, Olivia V. Dun, Christopher R. Brennan-Horley, Christine Eriksen

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines landscape preferences of residents in amenity-rich bushfire-prone landscapes in New South Wales, Australia. Insights are provided into vegetation preferences in areas where properties neighbor large areas of native vegetation, such as national parks, or exist within a matrix of cleared and vegetated private and public land. In such areas, managing fuel loads in the proximity of houses is likely to reduce the risk of house loss and damage. Preferences for vegetation appearance and structure were related to varying fuel loads, particularly the density of understorey vegetation and larger trees. The study adopted a qualitative visual research approach, …

Risky Masculinities: Young Men, Risky Drinking, Public Violence, And Hegemonic Masculinity, Adam Rogan

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Young men’s engagement in risky drinking and public violence is now recognised as a significant public health issue for communities and societies throughout the world. These two practices often lead to a range of serious negative outcomes not only for the participants themselves, but also other individuals and wider society. Drawing on a series of focus groups and in-depth interviews conducted with young Australian men, this research examines the ways in which young men’s engagement in risky drinking and public violence can be understood as a display of hegemonic masculinity. The concept of hegemonic masculinity suggests that there exists a …

Single-Sex After-School Physical Activity Programs For Overweight And At-Risk Children: The Wollongong Sport Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial, Dylan Cliff, Jacqueline Kelly, Rachel Jones, Anthony D. Okely

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the 2014 Global Summit on the Physical Activity of Children, held in Toronto, May 19-22, 2014.

Australian Mothers' Notions Of Risk And Uncertainty In Relation To Their Pre-Teen Children, Jan Wright, Christine Halse, Gary Levy, Catherine Hartung

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In this article we examine the ways discourses of risk manifested and played out within and across two groups of Australian mothers living in two large urban centres in Australia: the first comprised of mothers who had a pre-teen child diagnosed with an eating disorder (n=13); the second of mothers who had a pre-teen child without the symptoms or diagnosis of an eating disorder (n=13). In 2011 and 2012, we conducted in-depth interviews with the mothers in their homes on their ideas about health and their relationships with their children. An analysis of the data collected from these interviews indicated …

Prevalence And Risk Factors Of Food Insecurity Among A Cohort Of Older Australians, Joanna Russell, Victoria M. Flood, Heather Yeatman, Paul Mitchell

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective

With ongoing national concern about food security, the aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of food insecurity and to identify associated characteristics in a cohort of older Australians.

Design, setting and participants

The Blue Mountains Eye Study is a cohort study of community living participants aged 49 + years. The 12-item food security survey was completed by 3068 participants in the cross sectional study which comprised 2335 survivors from baseline and the recruitment of an additional 1174 eligible residents.

Main outcome measures

Prevalence of self reported food insecurity was calculated and multivariate logistic regression provided odds …

Social Risk In Female Entrepreneurship, Roshni Narendran

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

The aim of this chapter is to introduce an alternate means of conceptualising risk, as well as, intercede the concept to the situation of Indian female entrepreneurs. In most contexts, risk tends to be associated with finance (Buttner & Rosen 1988; Jianonkoplos & Bernasek 1998; Verheul & Thurik 2001); however, other intricacies hindering the growth of female entrepreneurship need to be considered. This aspect is trivial when studies are conducted in a culturally rich country like India. When analysing the situation of women in India, researchers refer to the Manusmriti to highlight the social stigma against women in India. Manusmiriti …

Analysis Of The Psychological Impact Of A Vascular Risk Factor Intervention: Results From A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial In Australian General Practice, Suzanne Helen Mckenzie, Upali W. Jayasinghe, Mahnaz Fanaian, Megan Passey, Mark Fort Harris

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

Background Screening for vascular disease, risk assessment and management are encouraged in general practice however there is limited evidence about the emotional impact on patients. The Health Improvement and Prevention Study evaluated the impact of a general practice-based vascular risk factor intervention on behavioural and physiological risk factors in 30 Australian practices. The primary aim of this analysis is to investigate the psychological impact of participating in the intervention arm of the trial. The secondary aim is to identify the mediating effects of changes in behavioural risk factors or BMI. Methods This study is an analysis of a secondary outcome …