Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Factors Associated With Under-Five Mortality In Bhutan: An Analysis Of The Bhutan National Health Survey 2012, Tashi Dendup, Yun Zhao, Deki Dema

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: As an important marker for health equity and access, under-five mortality (UFM) is a primary measure for socioeconomic development. The importance of reducing UFM has been further emphasized in an ambitious target under Sustainable Development Goals. The factors influencing UFM are not adequately understood in Bhutan. Methods: The most recent dataset of the Bhutan National Health Survey (BNHS) 2012 was used in this study. Multiple logistic regression analysis using a backwards elimination approach was performed to identify significant factors influencing UFM. All statistical analyses were adjusted for the complex study design due to the multistage stratified cluster sampling used …

Overdiagnosis, Ethics, And Trolley Problems: Why Factors Other Than Outcomes Matter-An Essay, Stacy M. Carter

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In February 2014, the non-governmental Swiss Medical Board recommended that mammography programmes in Switzerland may eventually be closed down because they might not deliver more benefits than harms. In the resulting uproar the board was accused of being "unethical." Controversy about mammography has persisted in the UK, US, Canada, and elsewhere, and disputes about overdiagnosis exist in prostate cancer, chronic kidney disease, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and many other conditions. People concerned about overdiagnosis are compelled by evidence of harms outweighing benefits. But not everyone is equally compelled. This may be because of disagreements over the evidence, conflicts of interest, or …

What Factors Contribute To The Continued Low Rates Of Indigenous Status Identification In Urban General Practice? - A Mixed-Methods Multiple Site Case Study, Heike Schutze, Lisa Jackson Pulver, Mark Fort Harris

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background Indigenous peoples experience worse health and die at younger ages than their non-indigenous counterparts. Ethnicity data enables health services to identify inequalities experienced by minority populations and to implement and monitor services specifically targeting them. Despite significant Government intervention, Australia's Indigenous peoples, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, continue to be under identified in data sets. We explored the barriers to Indigenous status identification in urban general practice in two areas in Sydney. Methods A mixed-methods multiple-site case study was used, set in urban general practice. Data collection included semi-structured interviews and self-complete questionnaires with 31 general practice …

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 …

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 …

Factors Associated With The Development Of Depression In Chronic Non-Cancer Pain Patients Following The Onset Of Opioid Treatment For Pain, Kimberley Smith, Richard P. Mattick, Raimondo Bruno, Suzanne Nielsen, Milton Cohen, Gabrielle Campbell, Briony K. Larance, Michael P. Farrell, Louisa Degenhardt

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background and aims Pharmaceutical opioid prescription rates are increasing globally, however knowledge of their long-term effects on mental health, in particular depression remains limited. This study aimed to identify factors associated with the onset of depression post-opioid use that differ to factors associated with depression post-pain. Method Participants (N=1 418) were a national sample prescribed opioids for chronic non-cancer pain. Age at onset of depression, pain and commencement of opioid medications were collected via structured interview. Results Six in 10 (61%) reported lifetime depression; of those, almost half developed depression after pain and after they started opioid medications (48%). Variables …

Catching Fish And Avoiding Sharks: Investigating Factors That Influence Developmentally Appropriate Measurement Of Preschoolers' Inhibitory Control, Steven J. Howard, Anthony D. Okely

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Although researchers agree that the first 5 years of life are critical for children's developing executive functions (EFs), further advances are hindered by a lack of consensus on the design and selection of developmentally appropriate EF tasks for young children. Given this debate, well-established adult measures of EF routinely have been adapted for young children. Given young children's comparatively limited cognitive capacities, however, such adaptations do not guarantee that the task's critical EF demands are retained. To investigate this possibility, the current study examined the characteristics that optimize measurement of young children's EFs-specifically, their inhibitory control-using the go/no-go (GNG) task …

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 …

Efficacy Of Nutrition As Medication In Malnourished Hospitalised Patients Is Strongly Influenced By Environmental Factors, Kelly Lambert, Jan Potter, Maureen Lonergan, Linda Tapsell, Karen Charlton

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Aim To evaluate the use of Nutrition as Medication (NAM) as a dietary intervention strategy in a sample of malnourished renal and geriatric hospital inpatients. Methods In the study period of 1 July to 30 August 2009, patients admitted to the acute renal or geriatric wards of a large general hospital and assessed as malnourished or at risk of malnutrition and suitable to commence NAM were eligible for inclusion in this pilot clinical cohort study. Medication charts of the study patients were audited and opportunistic observations of patients receiving NAM were conducted. Comparisons of receival and refusal rates of NAM …

Individual And Contextual Factors Shaping Teachers' Attitudes And Responses To Bullying Among Young Children: Is Education Important?, Philippa Small, Cathrine Marguerite Neilsen-Hewett, Naomi Sweller

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study examined how pre- and post-service early childhood teachers' beliefs and responses to bullying among young children differ by level of qualification, type of bullying and whether or not it was witnessed. Results showed 1st and 4th-year student- and diploma-qualified teachers perceived acts of physical bullying to be more serious than verbal or relational bullying to a greater extent than did degree-qualified teachers. Degree-qualified teachers were less susceptible to bullying type and indicated they would be more likely to intervene than the other three groups. Results are discussed in relation to their implication for teaching practice and the content …

Factors Underlying Cognitive Giftedness: Mental Versus Perceptual Attention, Steven J. Howard, Janice Johnson, Juan Pascual-Leone

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Children identified as cognitively gifted, in comparison with age-matched mainstream samples, are advantaged in numerous areas, including mathematics, speed and efficiency in cognitive processing, and resistance to interfering stimuli. Although working memory (WM) has been implicated as a factor mediating these advantages, evidence suggests that gifted children may not be advantaged in all aspects of WM function. We hypothesized that this difference is related to the contrast between mental (related to prefrontal dopamine circuits) and perceptual attention (likely related to prefrontal acetylcholine circuits). Specifically, it was expected that cognitively gifted children would excel in WM tasks taxing mental but not …

Factors That Influence Consumption Of Fish And Omega-3 Enriched Foods: A Survey Of Australian Families With Young Children, Setyaningrum Rahmawaty, Karen Charlton, Philippa Lyons-Wall, Barbara J. Meyer

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Aim: The present study aimed to identify factors that influence the consumption of fish and foods that are enriched with omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA), in order to inform the development of effective nutrition education strategies. Methods: A cross-sectional, 10-item self-administered survey was conducted to 262 parents of children aged 9-13 years from a regional centre in New South Wales. Parents were asked questions related to frequency of consumption, and to identify factors that either encouraged or prevented the provision of fish/seafood and/or n-3 LCPUFAenriched foods for their families. Results: Salmon, canned tuna, prawn and take-away fish were …

A Qualitative Exploration Of The "Critical Window": Factors Affecting Australian Children's After-School Physical Activity, Rebecca M. Stanley, Kobie Boshoff, James Dollman

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: The after-school period is potentially a "critical window" for promoting physical activity in children. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore children's perceptions of the factors influencing their engagement in physical activity during the after-school period as the first phase in the development of a questionnaire. Methods: Fifty-four South Australian children age 10-13 years participated in same gender focus groups. Transcripts, field notes, and activity documents were analyzed using content analysis. Through an inductive thematic approach, data were coded and categorized into perceived barriers and facilitators according to a social ecological model. Results: Children identified a number …

Metabolic Risk Factors, Physical Activity And Physical Fitness In Azorean Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study, Carla Moreira, Rute Santos, Jose Cazuza De Farias Junior, Susana Vale, Paula Clara Santos, Luisa Soares-Miranda, Ana I. Marques, Jorge Mota

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome has increased over the last few decades in adolescents and has become an important health challenge worldwide. This study analyzed the relationships between metabolic risk factors (MRF) and physical activity (PA) and physical fitness (PF) in a sample of Azorean adolescents.

Methods

A cross-sectional school-based study was conducted on 417 adolescents (243 girls) aged 15-18 from the Azorean Islands, Portugal. Height, weight, waist circumference, fasting glucose, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure were measured. A sum of MRF was computed, and adolescents were classified into three groups: no MRF, one MRF and two or more …

Influence Of Muscle Fitness Test Performance On Metabolic Risk Factors Among Adolescent Girls, Jorge Mota, Susana Vale, Clarice Martins, Anelise Gaya, Carla Moreira, Rute Santos, Jose Ribeiro

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background The purpose of this study was to examine the association between muscular fitness (MF), assessed by 2 components of Fitnessgram test battery, the Curl-Up and Push-Ups tests and the metabolic risk score among adolescent girls. Methods A total of 229 girls (aged 12-15 years old) comprised the sample of this study. Anthropometric data (height, body mass, waist circumference) were collected. Body mass index (BMI) was also calculated. Muscular strength was assessed taking into account the tests that comprised the FITNESSGRAM test battery, i.e. the curl-up and the push-up. Participants were then categorized in one of 3 categories according the …

Early Coital Debut And Associated Hiv Risk Factors Among Young Women And Men In South Africa, Audrey Pettifor, Katie O'Brien, Catherine L. Mac Phail, William Miller, Helen Rees

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

CONTEXT Young people in South Africa are at high risk of HIV infection. Because first sexual experiences may influence a young person's HIV risk, a better understanding of coital debut is needed. METHODS Data from a nationally representative survey that included 7,692 sexually active South African youth aged 15-24 were used to assess characteristics related to sexual debut and to respondents' first sexual partner. Poisson regression analyses were conducted to identify relationships among these characteristics and partner age differences, early coital debut (i.e., before age 15), forced sex with one's first partner and nonuse of condoms at first sex. RESULTS …

Factors Influencing The Non-Use Of Respite Services By Caregivers Of People Living With Dementia Differ According To Respite Product And By Caregiver And Care Recipient Need, L Phillipson, S C. Jones

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the 8th National Conference of Emerging Researchers in Ageing, 23 Oct 2009, Melbourne, Australia

Factors Associated With Self-Efficacy For Condom Use And Sexual Negotiation Among South African Youth, Jennifer Sayles, Audrey Pettifor, Mitchell D. Wong, Catherine L. Mac Phail, Sung-Jae Lee, Ellen Hendriksen, Helen Rees, Thomas Coates

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objectives: To use logistic regression modeling to identify factors associated with high self-efficacy for sexual negotiation and condom use in a sample of South African youth. Methods: The Reproductive Health and HIV Research Unit (RHRU) National Youth Survey examined a nationally representative sample of 7409 sexually active South African youth aged 15 to 24 years. We used logistic regression modeling in this sample to identify factors associated with the main outcome of high self-efficacy. Results: Among female respondents (n = 3890), factors associated with high self-efficacy in the adjusted model were knowing how to avoid HIV (odds ratio [OR] = …

Interactions Between Genetic And Environmental Factors Determine Direction Of Population Lateralization, Chao Deng

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Direction of the embyro's head rotation is determined by asymmetrical expression of several genes (such as shh, nodal, lefty, and fgf8) in hensen's node. this genetically determined head-turning bias provides a base for light-aligned population lateralization in chicks, in which the direction of the lateralization is determined by genetic factors and the degree of the lateralization is determined by environmental factors.

Environmental Factors Associated With Adults' Participation In Physical Activity: A Review, Nancy Humpel, Neville Owen, Eva Leslie

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Promoting physical activity is a public health priority, and changes in the environmental contexts of adults’ activity choices are believed to be crucial. However, of the factors associated with physical activity, environmental influences are among the least understood. Method: Using journal scans and computerized literature database searches, we identified 19 quantitative studies that assessed the relationships with physical activity behavior of perceived and objectively determined physical environment attributes. Findings were categorized into those examining five categories: accessibility of facilities, opportunities for activity, weather, safety, and aesthetic attributes. Results: Accessibility, opportunities, and aesthetic attributes had significant associations with physical activity. …

Screening For Prostate Cancer: A Consideration Of Screening Factors In Comparison To Screening For Breast Cancer, S Jones

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Cancer is a leading cause of death in developed countries; 27 per cent of all Australian deaths are due to cancer, with 35,000 people dying annually. Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer amongst men in most Western countries. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women aged over 30 years, and causes the highest proportion of cancer deaths in women. At present in Australia there is a debate about the public health value of screening for prostate cancer. This paper examines the issues that must be weighed up in reaching a conclusion to this debate, by …