Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Health Outcomes And Health Service Needs Of The Martu And Nyiyaparli People Of Northwest Western Australia: A Grey Literature Review, Keith Mcnaught, Colette Rhoding, Michelle J. Schwager

Journal of the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

Introduction: Health outcomes for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples are very poor. This is considerably worse in remote regions. The East Pilbara, where the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities of the Martu and Nyiyaparli people reside, is one such remote region.

Methods: This review explored the grey literature relating to the health services and health outcomes of the Martu and Nyiyaparli people. Search strategies included specific search terms as well as the systematic search of specific websites likely to inform this review. To ensure relevance of the data, the review incorporated documents published in the last five years …

Review Of Alcohol And Drug Treatment For Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Marguerite Tracy, Bradley Freeburn, Kylie Lee, Julie Woods, Kate Conigrave

Journal of the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

This review provides an overview of treatments for problem alcohol and other drug (AOD) use for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It includes information on the available research and discusses core principles for providing treatment. The review outlines how effective mainstream treatment approaches can be adapted to be more suitable for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of being or worldview. It also highlights that services, such as those offered by Aboriginal community controlled health organisations are in a unique position to offer culturally secure treatment approaches. The barriers to accessing treatment are discussed as well as recommendations for …

Timing Is Everything, But Does It Really Matter? Impact Of 8-Weeks Morning Versus Evening Iron Supplementation In Ballet And Contemporary Dancers, Caitlin Attwell, Alannah Mckay, Marc Sim, Cory Dugan, Joanna Nicholas, Luke Hopper, Peter Peeling

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The effectiveness of a morning versus evening oral iron supplement strategy to increase iron stores was explored. Ballet and contemporary dancers with serum ferritin (sFer) < 50 g/L (n = 14), were supplemented daily with 105 mg elemental oral iron in either the morning (FeAM) or evening (FePM) for 8 weeks. A control group (n = 6) with sFer > 50 g/L were given no supplement over the same period. Dancers’ sFer were measured at baseline and post-intervention. Assessment of daily training load, dietary intake, and menstruation were made. A significant interaction (p < 0.001) showed the within group sFer change over the 8-week intervention in FeAM (+25.9 ± 10.5 g/L) and FePM, (+22.3 ± 13.6 g/L) was significantly different to CON (−30.17 ± 28.7 g/L; both p = 0.001). This change was not different between FeAM and FePM (p = 0.778). sFer levels within FeAM and FePM significantly increased over the 8-weeks; however, they significantly decreased in the CON group (all p < 0.05). Post-intervention sFer levels were no longer different between the three groups (p > 0.05). Training load, dietary intake, and number of menstrual cycles incurred were similar between FeAM and FePM (p > 0.05). Oral iron supplementation in either the morning or evening appears equally effective in increasing sFer levels in dancers with sub-optimal iron status.

Investigating Pre-Professional Dancer Health Status And Preventative Health Knowledge, Joanna Nicholas, Sara Grafenauer

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Dance is a highly demanding physical pursuit coupled with pressure to conform to aesthetic ideals. Assessment of health status and preventative health knowledge of pre-professional dancers may help inform educational strategies promoting dancers’ health and career longevity. The aim of this research was to establish a baseline understanding of dance students at a single pre-professional institution based on metrics focused on current health, nutrition, lifestyle, and wellbeing while also gauging knowledge of longer-term health implications. Methods: Adopting a cross-sectional study design, the Dance-Specific Energy Availability Questionnaire was tailored for Australian participants and administered online. Results: The response rate was …

Survey Of Attitudes Toward Performing And Reflecting On Required Team Service-Learning (Sasl): Psychometric Data And Reliability/Validity For Healthcare Professions Students In Preclinical Courses, Lon J. Van Winkle, Shane L. Rogers, Bradley O. Thornock, Brian D. Schwartz, Alexis Horst, Jensen A. Fisher, Nicole Michels

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: Previously we assessed healthcare professional students’ feelings about team-based learning, implicit bias, and service to the community using an in-house paper survey. In this study, we determined whether this survey is a reliable and valid measure of prospective medical students’ attitudes toward required service-learning in an Immunology course. To our knowledge, no published questionnaire has been shown to be dependable and useful for measuring such attitudes using only eight survey items. Methods: Fifty-eight prospective medical students in Colorado (CO) and 15 in Utah (UT) completed the same Immunology course using remote technology. In addition to the usual course content, …

Evaluation Of An Australian Neurological Nurse-Led Model Of Postdischarge Care, Judith Dianne Pugh, Kathleen Mccoy, Merrilee Needham, Leanne Jiang, Margaret Giles, Elizabeth Mckinnon, Kym Heine

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Neurological disorders are a leading cause of disease burden worldwide, placing a heavy demand on health systems. This study evaluated the impacts and cost savings of a community-based nursing service providing supported discharge for neurological patients deemed high-risk for unplanned emergency department presentations and/or hospital readmissions. It focused on adult patients with stroke, epilepsy, migraine/headache or functional neurological disorders discharged from a Western Australian tertiary hospital. An observational design was used comprising prospective enrolment of patients receiving nurse-led supported discharge and follow-up (Neurocare), 21 August 2018 to 6 December 2019 (N = 81), and hospital administrative data, 1 February …

Review Of Cannabis Use Among Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People, Julia Butt, Mandy Wilson, Jocelyn Jones, Simon Lenton

Journal of the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

The health effects of cannabis use may not always be seen as a high priority for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. However, the impact of cannabis use on physical and mental health can have significant consequences. It is known that the use of high potency cannabis has increased over the last two decades, with a corresponding increased risk to health. In particular, young people are at increased risk of experiencing harms to mental health. Physical harms to health include effects on the respiratory system, cardiovascular system, an increased risk of cancer, and in-utero effects from maternal use. The review …

Review Of Diabetes Among Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People, Katherine Ride, Samantha Burrow

Journal of the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic disease condition globally. Type 2 diabetes in particular, has reached epidemic proportions, with the greatest burden falling on socially disadvantaged groups and Indigenous peoples.

This review focuses primarily on type 2 diabetes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which is responsible for the majority of cases of diabetes in this population. It provides general information on the social and cultural context of diabetes, and the behavioural and biomedical factors that contribute to diabetes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

This review provides detailed information on:

• the extent of diabetes among Aboriginal and …

Competing Worlds: The Private Lives Of Women Nurse Students And Gender Equity In Higher Education, Lesley Andrew, Ken Robinson, Leesa Costello, Julie Dare

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 Society for Research into Higher Education. A longitudinal qualitative study of undergraduate women nursing students demonstrated the profound and pervasive influence of the heterosexual intimate relationship on their university engagement and achievement. Hitherto, the importance of women’s private lives have been underappreciated in the arenas of student equity and retention. The study showed that traditional ideas of gender held within the intimate relationship were highly detrimental to student autonomy and capacity to engage, and that the university’s organisation and delivery of the curriculum exacerbated the situation. Participants made personal sacrifices, which, while enabling continuation of their studies, were …

Review Of Sexual Health Issues Linked With Cardiovascular Disease And Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Males, Veronica Collins, Tamara J. Swann, Jane Burns, Tim Moss, Mick Adams

Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin

There are well established links between male sexual health conditions and chronic disease, particularly cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Erectile dysfunction (ED) and low testosterone are two sexual health conditions that are relatively common among the wider male population. However, there is a lack of data specifically about these sexual problems among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males.

One of the most important findings of research regarding the links between sexual health and chronic disease is that ED can be a risk marker for future CVD or undiagnosed T2DM. Understanding these links can lead to more holistic …

The Knowledge, Attitudes And Beliefs Of Midwives On The Vaccination Coverage Rates In Perth’S Aboriginal Children, Rebecca Carman, Lesley Andrew, Amanda Devine

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background:

Midwives are well placed to promote vaccination awareness throughout a women’s pregnancy and strengthen childhood vaccination demand following hospital discharge. In Perth, Western Australia, Aboriginal children experience some of the lowest vaccination coverage rates across the nation. To identify factors preventing greater vaccination uptake amongst the target population, a theory-based study was conducted with midwives across two Perth maternity hospitals to explore behavioural attributes, knowledge, attitudes and beliefs surrounding vaccination provision and the vaccines administered to Aboriginal children.

Methods:

A purpose-designed questionnaire was distributed to midwives working in two Perth public maternity hospitals. The proximal constructs of The Theory …

Critical Implications Of M-Payments Use On Healthcare, Jing Zhou, Jo Jung, Yi Lin

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

With m-payment, consumers could now operate cashless by providing an easy and convenient way to pay for products and services. The adoption of m-payment technologies and apps has been mixed, promoting many kinds of research. The studies explore factors, and their impacts influence the intention to use m-payments in China and thus affect the adoption of the same technology.

Isolated Joint Block Progression Training Improves Leaping Performance In Dancers, Paige E. Rice, Kiisa Nishikawa, Sophia Nimphius

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a 12-week ankle-specific block progression training program on saut de chat leaping performance [leap height, peak power (PP), joint kinetics and kinematics], maximal voluntary isometric plantar flexion (MVIP) strength, and Achilles tendon (AT) stiffness. Dancers (training group n = 7, control group n = 7) performed MVIP at plantarflexed (10◦) and neutral ankle positions (0◦) followed by ramping isometric contractions equipped with ultrasound to assess strength and AT stiffness, respectively. Dancers also performed saut de chat leaps surrounded by 3-D motion capture atop force platforms to determine center of …

Profiling Combat Sports Athletes: Competitive History And Outcomes According To Sports Type And Current Level Of Competition, Oliver R. Barley, Craig A. Harms

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

This study aimed to investigate the competitive history (the age when training and competing started), training habits and patterns of winning and losing of competitive combat sports athletes across different combat sports as well as the level of competition (e.g. amateurs, state-level and elite).

Methods

Competitors (N = 298) from mixed martial arts (MMA), Muay Thai/kickboxing, boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ), wrestling, judo and traditional striking sports (TSS) completed an online questionnaire.

Results

Most athletes began competing in their mid-teenage years and competing soon after except for wrestlers who began earlier. Elite athletes began training earlier than amateurs (13.75 …

The Impact Of Singing On Pulmonary Function And Quality Of Life In Patients With Muscular Dystrophy, Mia Simonette

Theses : Honours

Muscular dystrophy is a congenital disorder that results in progressive deterioration of muscle strength and function. The genetic disorder is caused by the absence of dystrophin protein which helps to keep muscle cells together, the absence of this protein causes muscles to become weak and fragile. Despite impairment of motor function and muscle strength, a major issue is the progressive impact on the respiratory muscles. Weak pulmonary function can lead to secondary issues such as atelectasis, decreased lung compliance, repeated infections, ineffective cough and ventilation-perfusion during sleep1. Respiratory failure is said to be the most common cause of death in …

Sustaining Dancer Wellbeing Through Independent Professional Dance Careers, Luke S. Hopper, Peta Blevins, Shona Erskine, Danica Hendry, Raewyn Hill, Richard Longbottom

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Dancers dedicate their lives to their art. The lucky few dancers who reach professional careers, must navigate a casualised industry, balance financial pressures and maintain performance fitness. This research aimed to provide practical considerations for dancers to support their health and wellbeing through independent, professional dance careers. Dancers from Australian contemporary dance company Co3 participated in a training program involving psychological and physiotherapy assessments and fitness training in conjunction with a major performance season. Focus groups with company dancers and staff investigated the perceived efficacy of the training program within the company schedule and in supporting dancer wellbeing. Dancers were …

A Sensorimotor Control Framework For Understanding Emotional Communication And Regulation, Justin H.G. Williams, Charlotte F. Huggins, Barbra Zupan, Megan Willis, Tamsyn E. Van Rheenen, Wataru Sato, Romina Palermo, Catherine Ortner, Martin Krippl, Mariska Kret, Joanne M. Dickson, Chiang-Shan R. Li, Leroy Lowe

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Our research team was asked to consider the relationship of the neuroscience of sensorimotor control to the language of emotions and feelings. Actions are the principal means for the communication of emotions and feelings in both humans and other animals, and the allostatic mechanisms controlling action also apply to the regulation of emotional states by the self and others. We consider how motor control of hierarchically organised, feedback-based, goal-directed action has evolved in humans, within a context of consciousness, appraisal and cultural learning, to serve emotions and feelings. In our linguistic analysis, we found that many emotion and feelings words …

Development Of A Human Activity Recognition System For Ballet Tasks, Danica Hendry, Kevin Chai, Amity Campbell, Luke Hopper, Peter O'Sullivan, Leon Straker

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background Accurate and detailed measurement of a dancer’s training volume is a key requirement to understanding the relationship between a dancer’s pain and training volume. Currently, no system capable of quantifying a dancer’s training volume, with respect to specific movement activities, exists. The application of machine learning models to wearable sensor data for human activity recognition in sport has previously been applied to cricket, tennis and rugby. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop a human activity recognition system using wearable sensor data to accurately identify key ballet movements (jumping and lifting the leg). Our primary objective was …

Barriers To Ghanaian Midwives’ Ability To Provide Quality Care: A Glaserian Grounded Theory Study, Yakubu Ismaila

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The midwifery model of care that promotes the employment of trained and regulated midwives for the provision of maternal and neonatal care has been found to be beneficial, especially in Low and Middle-Income Countries that have high maternal and neonatal mortalities. Midwives in those setting are however, facing a myriad of barriers which negatively affect their ability to provide optimal care. Although Ghana is implementing the midwifery model of care, maternal and neonatal mortality remains high in the country. Little is known from the point of view of midwives, who are the primary providers of maternal and neonatal care, about …

Finding Your Balance: An Investigation Of Recovery–Stress Balance In Vocational Dance Training, Peta Blevins, Shona Erskine, Luke Hopper, Gene Moyle

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Professional dance careers require years of intensive training. Stress experienced during training must be balanced with adequate recovery to prevent overtraining and burnout. Little is known, however, about how dancers achieve recovery–stress balance. This study examined dancers’ recollection of stress and recovery during their vocational dance training to identify potential stressors and recovery behaviors in vocational dance training. Twelve current and ex-professional ballet (n=4) and contemporary dancers (n=8) participated in the study. Four general dimensions, based on the extant overtraining literature in athletes, were identified: dance culture, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and situational factors. Cultural norms, health factors related to injury and …

Social Impacts Of Climate Change And Occupational Heat Stress And Adaptation Strategies Of Mining Workers In Ghana, Victor Fannam Nunfam

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Excessive heat exposure due to rising temperatures associated with climate change adversely affects workers’ health, safety, productivity, and psychosocial well-being in occupational settings. In the hot and tropical regions of developing countries, long hours of physically demanding work, coupled with inadequate adaptation policies to climate change, increases the occurrence of heat-related illnesses and injuries, and contributes to the loss of productive capacity, poor decision making, and other negative effects on the social well-being of workers.

Based on the theories of social impact assessment, risk assessment, adaptation and resilience planning, this study assesses the social impacts of climate change and occupational …

Kinematic Repeatability Analyses Of Multi-Segment Foot Motion In University-Level Ballet Dancers, Sarah Carter, Nahoko Sato, Luke Hopper

ECU Posters

Background:

Dancers are susceptible to overuse foot and ankle injuries, however there is a lack biomechanical studies examining foot mechanics to explain the causality of these injuries. The purpose of this study was to determine the intra and inter-assessor repeatability of a modified Rizzoli Foot Model (RFM) for ballet dancers.

Methods: Six university-level ballet dancers performed the following trials in randomized order, natural stance, turnout plié and stance, and two dynamic trials; turnout rise and flex-point-flex movement. A twelve-camera motion capture system were used to track fourteen reflective markers and one triad on the following segments: shank, entire foot, hindfoot, …

Lower Leg And Foot Contributions To Turnout In University-Level Female Ballet Dancers: A Preliminary Investigation, Sarah Carter, Alan R. Bryant, Luke Hopper

ECU Posters

Functional turnout in ballet involves maximal external rotation through the lower limb kinetic chain. Hip external rotation, is considered the primary contributor of functional turnout. However, dancers will tend to increase their functional turnout angle through additional tibiofemoral external rotation and pronation of the foot/ankle complex. Hip external rotation measures in functional turnout has received extensive examination in dance science. However, the relationship between the ‘below the hip' assessments with functional turnout is poorly understood. We hypothesis that dancers with greater passive external tibiofemoral rotation (pTFR) and/or pronated stance will have a greater functional turnout angle.

Nineteen female university-level classical …

Comparison Of Body Composition, Neuromuscular Characteristics And Anaerobic Endurance Between Novice, Semi-Professional And Professional Ballet Dancers, Penelope Blanco Ochoa

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Study 1 Comparison of body composition, neuromuscular characteristics and anaerobic endurance between novice, semi-professional and professional ballet dancers.
The purpose of this study was to compare selected physiological fitness parameters including: body composition, neuromuscular characteristics and aerobic endurance were significantly different between novice, semi-professional and professional ballet dancers. The secondary purpose was to establish which parameters were best discriminators between these dancers. Thirty-five classical ballet dancers (male: n =11 and female: n =24) divided into three different groups according to their dance skill level: novice (n=12) (age: 16.6 ± 1.5 y; height: 1.7 ± 0.1 m; weight: 58.0 ± 13.0 …

De Concentv Amisso Qvaerendo: An Investigation Into The Relative Benefits Of Three Different Types Of Ambient Music On The Observed Agitated Behaviour And Quality Of Life Of Dementia Sufferers In Residential Aged Care Facilities, Peter Wilkinson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

There is an increasing body of research evidence to support the use of music as a therapeutic modality in reducing the agitated behaviour frequently associated with late-stage dementia. Although much of this evidence suggests that music interventions are most effective when they are “individualized”, this type of intervention is often difficult to implement in large, busy, aged care facilities where residents may be located together in communal areas during the day. The challenge therefore is to try and identify a particular musical genre which, when played as “ambient” or “background” music, demonstrates a consistent capacity to reduce agitated behaviour in …

Scripting Therapeutic Screen Stories : Animating The Healing Potential Of Film Narratives, Andrew Levett

Theses : Honours

Beyond entertainment, animated narratives can potentially induce psychological healing, termed “individuation.” Stories exist in many forms, like literature, film and conversation, as well as in the human mind, or “psyche.” These “self-narratives” use life experience to shape consciousness. Therefore, effective storytelling based on archetypal myths can restructure the psyche. Film narratives communicate meaning through symbols, termed “textual cues”, while screenwriters employ specific templates, which organise story information into familiar structures. These guide audiences towards predetermined meaning. Through bibliotherapy, which is the use of literature for therapeutic purposes, audiences project their unconscious content onto narrative components that resonate with it. Ego-consciousness …

Framing Anorexia : A Play Script And Multidimensional Investigation Of Anorexia : A Play And Critical Essay, Louise Helfgott

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis explores anorexia nervosa in young people. It comprises two components: a play script, "Frames", about 16-year-old Elizabeth who is combating the disorder, her troubled friend Ben, and their families, and a critical essay that reviews qualitative and quantitative literature about anorexia and contextualises the play in relation to selected narratives, plays and films. In my field research, I interviewed a number of professionals working in the field of anorexia and the essay also discusses their views and insights.

Few plays deal with anorexia in an in-depth manner to explore the onset and development of the illness. "Frames" addresses …

The Use Of Narrative Fiction To Spread Hiv Information In Papua New Guinea, Trevor Cullen, Ruth Callaghan

Research outputs pre 2011

The nature of media coverage of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) needs to vary in order to be sustained by newspapers—writing the same message, however worthy, loses impact over time. So an interesting innovation in the 2010 cover­age of HIV in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the publication of a serialised fiction story in the Post-Courier . It is the story of Vavine, a young girl infected with HIV , who is forced to leave her village after her parents' deaths from AIDS . She keeps her infection secret but because of her circumstances, she is forced to work in a …

Language, Meaning, Context, And Functional Communication, Elizabeth Armstrong, Alison Ferguson

Research outputs pre 2011

No abstract provided.

Spirituality And Organised Religion In Supporting Parents Of Children With Down Syndrome And Intellectual Disability, Divia Pillay

Theses : Honours

Background: Raising a child with an intellectual disability can present parents with many challenges. Factors that have been demonstrated to positively impact on the mental and physical health of parents of children with an intellectual disability include greater clinical, family and social supports. One avenue of support that has been rarely explored is the role of spirituality and organised religion in supporting parents of children with an intellectual disability. Aim: The aim of this literature review was to investigate the role of spirituality and organised religion in the lives of parents of children with intellectual disability, specifically Down syndrome. Methods: …