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Short Sleep Duration Is Associated With Risk Of Future Diabetes But Not Cardiovascular Disease: A Prospective Study And Meta-Analysis, E G. Holliday, Christopher A. Magee, Leonard Kritharides, Emily Banks, John Attia

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Epidemiologic studies have observed association between short sleep duration and both cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes, although these results may reflect confounding by pre-existing illness. This study aimed to determine whether short sleep duration predicts future CVD or type 2 diabetes after accounting for baseline health. Baseline data for 241,949 adults were collected through the 45 and Up Study, an Australian prospective cohort study, with health outcomes identified via electronic database linkage. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals. Compared to 7h sleep, <6h sleep was associated with incident CVD in participants reporting ill-health at baseline (HR=1·38 [95% CI: 1·12-1·70]), but not after excluding those with baseline illness and adjusting for baseline health status (1·03 [0·88-1·21]). In contrast, the risk of incident type 2 diabetes was significantly increased in those with <6h versus 7h sleep, even after excluding those with baseline illness and adjusting for baseline health (HR=1·29 [1·08-1·53], P=0.004). This suggests the association is valid and does not simply reflect confounding or reverse causation. Meta-analysis of ten prospective studies including 447,124 participants also confirmed an association between short sleep and incident diabetes (1·33 [1·20-1·48]). Obtaining less than 6 hours of sleep each night (compared to 7 hours) may increase type 2 diabetes risk by approximately 30%.

Factor Analysis And Validity Of A Short Six-Item Version Of The Desires For Alcohol Questionnaire, C Mo, Frank P. Deane, Geoffrey C. Lyons, Peter Kelly

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Reductions in cravings have been associated with improved recovery from alcohol and other drug use problems. Self-report assessments of cravings provide a way of monitoring progress over the course of treatment particularly in residential settings. There is a need to develop brief craving measures suitable for repeat administration. The aim of the study was to assess the reliability and validity of a six-item version of the Desires for Alcohol Questionnaire (DAQ-6). In study 1 exploratory factor analysis involving 710 participants attending residential treatment revealed two factors: 'expectancy of negative reinforcement' and 'strong desires and intentions'. In study 2 confirmatory factor …

Influence Of Initial Severity Of Depression On Effectiveness Of Low Intensity Interventions: Meta-Analysis Of Individual Patient Data, Peter Bower, Evangelos Kontopantelis, Alex Sutton, Tony Kendrick, David A. Richards, Simon Gilbody, Sarah Knowles, Pim Cuijpers, Gerhard Andersson, Helen Christensen, Bjorn Meyer, Marcus Huibers, Filip Smit, Annemieke Van Straten, Lisanne Warmerdam, Michael Barkham, Linda Bilich, Karina Lovell, Emily Tsung-Hsueh Liu

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective To assess how initial severity of depression affects the benefit derived from low intensity interventions for depression. Design Meta-analysis of individual patient data from 16 datasets comparing low intensity interventions with usual care. Setting Primary care and community settings. Participants 2470 patients with depression. Interventions Low intensity interventions for depression (such as guided self help by means of written materials and limited professional support, and internet delivered interventions). Main outcome measures Depression outcomes (measured with the Beck Depression Inventory or Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), and the effect of initial depression severity on the effects of low intensity …

Familial Analysis Of Mmn In Cannabis Users: A Case Study, Felicity Webster, Samantha Broyd, Rodney J. Croft, Hendrika H. Van Hell, Lisa-Marie Greenwood, Stuart Johnstone, Juanita Todd, Patricia Michie, Nadia Solowij

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the 23rd Australasian Society for Psychophysiology Conference, 20-22 Nov 2013, Wollongong, Australia

Participant Experiences From Chronic Administration Of A Multivitamin Versus Placebo On Subjective Health And Wellbeing: A Double-Blind Qualitative Analysis Of A Randomised Controlled Trial, Jerome Sarris, Katherine H M Cox, David A. Camfield, Andrew Scholey, Con Stough, Erin Fogg, Marni Kras, David J. White, Avni Sali, Andrew Pipingas

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background While many randomised controlled trials have been conducted on multivitamins, to our knowledge no qualitative research exploring the subjective experience of taking a multivitamin during a clinical trial has been reported. Methods Semi-structured and open-ended written questions were incorporated into a 16-week double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel groups trial of once-daily multivitamin administration. At the final study visit (week 16), three open-ended questions were posed to elucidate any positive, negative or unusual experiences from taking either the multivitamin or matched placebo. Qualitative thematic analysis was undertaken by researchers who were blind as to treatment condition of participants, and triangulation (independent …

A Comparative Analysis Between Primary And Secondary Teachers: A Self-Determination Perspective, Dana J. Perlman, Phil Pearson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The importance of student motivation within a student's educational career can be viewed as a cornerstone to effective pedagogy and student learning. Xiang, Lee and Shen (2001) have indicated that as student's progress throughout the K-12 system, their level of motivation tends to decrease. As such, a question of intrigue is whether teachers within different grade levels provide different motivational instruction. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the differences between primary and secondary educators ability to provide a motivationally-supportive learning context. Grounded within the self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985), this study utilized a quantitative approach …

Different Methods For Ethical Analysis In Health Technology Assessment: An Empirical Study, Samuli Saarni, Annette J. Braunack-Mayer, Bjorn Hofmann, Gert-Jan Van Der Wilt

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objectives: Ethical analysis can highlight important ethical issues related to implementing a technology, values inherent in the technology itself, and value-decisions underlying the health technology assessment (HTA) process. Ethical analysis is a well-acknowledged part of HTA, yet seldom included in practice. One reason for this is lack of knowledge about the properties and differences between the methods available. This study compares different methods for ethical analysis within HTA.

Methods: Ethical issues related to bariatric (obesity) surgery were independently evaluated using axiological, casuist, principlist, and EUnetHTA models for ethical analysis within HTA. The methods and results are presented and compared.

Results: …

Phon: Free Software For Phonological Transcription And Analysis, Heather Buchan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Software review - Phon is an open-source program for the transcription and analysis of phonological and phonetic data. It was designed to help systematize research in children’s phonological development, but many functions in Phon, particularly the powerful search function, can be used for a wide range of investigations in phonetics and phonology. Phon is compatible with other language processing programs and is not just limited to English, making it a useful tool for documenting and analyzing the phonological system of any spoken language.

Impact Of The Home Learning Environment On Child Cognitive Development: Secondary Analysis Of Data From 'Growing Up In Scotland', Edward Melhuish

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study aims to investigate whether interview-based measures of children’s activities are associated with cognitive ability at age 34 months, and whether they have independent effects once socio-demographic factors have been taken into account.

Consuming Children: An Analysis Of Australian Press Coverage Of The Claims And Counterclaims Of Advocacy And Industry Groups In Relation To A Proposed Ban On 'Junk Food' Advertising, Kate Holland, R Warwick Blood, Samantha Thomas, Asuntha Karunaratne, Sophie Lewis

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Evidence of rising rates of overweight and obesity in Australia has generated considerable discussion about potential policy responses and solutions. In relation to childhood obesity, one suggestion that has been put forward is to ban or restrict junk food advertising to children. Debate about the merits of such a proposal was an enduring issue in the Australian press during our study's time frame, January 2008-January 2009. This paper is one part of a larger project investigating the reporting and portrayal of overweight and obesity in the Australian media, and the lived experiences of overweight and obese adults. In Australia, O'Hara …

Initial Severity And Antidepressant Benefits: A Meta-Analysis Of Data Submitted To The Food And Drug Administration, Irving Kirsch, Brett J. Deacon, Tania B. Huedo-Medina, Alan Scoboria, Thomas J. Moore, Blair T. Johnson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Meta-analyses of antidepressant medications have reported only modest benefits over placebo treatment, and when unpublished trial data are included, the benefit falls below accepted criteria for clinical significance. Yet, the efficacy of the antidepressants may also depend on the severity of initial depression scores. The purpose of this analysis is to establish the relation of baseline severity and antidepressant efficacy using a relevant dataset of published and unpublished clinical trials. Methods and Findings: We obtained data on all clinical trials submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the licensing of the four new-generation antidepressants for which …

Association Analysis Of Chromosome 1 Migraine Candidate Genes, Francesca Fernandez, Robert P. Curtain, Natalie J. Colson, Micky Ovcaric, John Macmillan, Lyn R. Griffiths

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background Migraine with aura (MA) is a subtype of typical migraine. Migraine with aura (MA) also encompasses a rare severe subtype Familial Hemiplegic Migraine (FHM) with several known genetic loci. The type 2 FHM (FHM-2) susceptibility locus maps to chromosome 1q23 and mutations in the ATP1A2 gene at this site have recently been implicated. We have previously provided evidence of linkage of typical migraine (predominantly MA) to microsatellite markers on chromosome 1, in the 1q31 and 1q23 regions. In this study, we have undertaken a large genomic investigation involving candidate genes that lie within the chromosome 1q23 and 1q31 regions …

Basing Economy On Materiality: An Analysis Of Sydney's Freight Flows, Phillip O'Neill, Pauline M. Mcguirk, Frank Stilwell, Dick Bryan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper is part of a systematic examination by the authors of Sydney's changing political economy within its largely self-imposed globalisation agenda. This part seeks to unravel the changing nature of Sydney's material connections across the Sydney basin economy and with other places. The analysis is based on novel uses of GIS-based software and its application to freight flow data. There are employed to describe and delineate the composition, intensity and direction of materials flows arising from the functioning of the Sydney economy. Two questions are explored. First, we seek to expose the global city metaphor as narrowly defining what …

A Comparative Analysis Of Indigenous Peoples' Interests And National Park Issues In Arctic Sweden, Michael J. Adams

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Despite a number of high-profile joint-managed national parks, in Australia there are substantial unresolved issues between indigenous interests and conservation agencies. Conservation agencies have done little comparative international research. This period of Fellowship travel was to commence international field research on comparative analyses of indigenous peoples' interests and national park issues. The focus was investigation and analysis of the Swedish environment agency's policy history and outcomes concerning Saami people's [indigenous Scandinavians] use of national parks in the Laponia World Heritage Area for reindeer herding, hunting and gathering, and other cultural activities. Sweden has a highly comparable economic and social profile …

Characteristics Of Pre-School Environments In Northern Ireland: An Analysis Of Observational Data, Edward Melhuish, Louise Quinn, Kathleen Mcsherry, Kathy Sylva, Pam Sammons, Iram Siraj-Blatchford, Brenda Taggart, Sofia Guimares

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This longitudinal study assesses the attainment and development of children followed between the ages of 3 and 7 years. Over 700 children were recruited to the study during 1998 and 1999 from 80 pre-school centres. Both qualitative and quantitative methods (including multilevel modelling) are used to explore the effects of pre-school experience on children's cognitive attainment and social/behavioural development at entry to school and any continuing effects on such outcomes up to 7 years of age. In addition to the effects of preschool experience, the study investigates the contribution to children's development of individual and family characteristics such as gender, …

Pre-School Centre Characteristics: An Analysis Of Centre Manager Interviews, Louise Quinn, Julie Colhoun, Brenda Taggart, Edward Melhuish, Iram Siraj-Blatchford, Kathy Sylva, Pam Sammons, Kathleen Mcsherry

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This longitudinal study assesses the attainment and development of children followed between the ages of 3 and 7 years. Over 700 children were recruited to the study during 1998 and 1999 from 80 pre-school centres. Both qualitative and quantitative methods (including multilevel modelling) are used to explore the effects of pre-school experience on children's cognitive attainment and social/behavioural development at entry to school and any continuing effects on such outcomes up to 7 years of age. In addition to the effects of preschool experience, the study investigates the contribution to children's development of individual and family characteristics such as gender, …