Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Comparative Critique Of The Performance Evaluation Methods In The Australian Energy Industry, Feng Li, George M. Mickhail

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficiency of business evaluation methods in the Australian energy industry during the periods from 1989 to 2007. The six commonly used business evaluation methods (CAPM, WACC, EVA, P/E ratio, DCF and MetaCapitalism) were selected and compared with the share price in the whole market, listed market and delisted market, to explore which valuation methods were better for evaluating business performance in the Australian energy sector over the long-term. An empirical analysis using linear regression, we find evidence that CAPM is a much better method for listed companies to measure the rate …

Australian Adolescents' Compliance With Sun Protection Behaviours During Summer: The Importance Of The School Context, Melinda Williams, Sandra C. Jones, Peter Caputi, Donald Iverson

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Adolescents exhibit significantly lower sun protection behaviours than adults in Australia. While many studies have assessed the sun protection behaviours of adolescents during summer, few studies have explored the differences in sun protection behaviours of adolescents across key contexts relevant to adolescents during summer—notably school time, weekends and school holidays. Greater understanding of differences in behaviours across these contexts provides more detailed explanations of the nature of adolescent ultraviolet exposure and thereby facilitates improved targeting of interventions for this segment whose behaviour is considered hard to change. In this study, we explore the differences in self-reported, habitual, sun protection behaviours …

A Hangover And A One-Night Stand: Alcohol And Risky Sexual Behaviour Among Female Students At An Australian University, Heidi Gilchrist, Kylie Smith, Christopher A. Magee, Sandra Jones

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There is a growing body of research in Australia exploring the alcohol consumption behaviours of young people and the attendant health and social risks associated with excessive use of alcohol (Chikritzhs et al. 2003; Mancina-Pena & Tyson 2007). A number of studies from countries such as the United States and New Zealand indicate that university students tend to drink at riskier levels than the broader population (see for example Wechsler et al. 1994; Kypri, Stephenson & Langley 2005; Wechsler & Nelson 2008). Data from Australia are limited, although the few studies that have been conducted suggest that Australian university students …

The Impact Of Complex Survey Design On Prevalence Estimates Of Intakes Of Food Groups In The Australian National Children's Nutrition And Physical Activity Survey, Sandy Burden, Yasmine Probst, David G. Steel, Linda C. Tapsell

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Poor Food And Nutrient Intake Among Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Rural Australian Children, Josephine D. Gwynn, Victoria M. Flood, Catherine A. D'Este, John R. Attia, Nicole Turner, Janine Cochrane, Jimmy Chun Yu Louie, John H. Wiggers

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to describe the food and nutrient intake of a population of rural Australian children particularly Indigenous children. Participants were aged 10 to 12 years, and living in areas of relative socio-economic disadvantage on the north coast of New South Wales. METHODS: In this descriptive cross-sectional study 215 children with a mean age of 11.30 (SD 0.04) years (including 82 Indigenous children and 93 boys) completed three 24-hour food recalls (including 1 weekend day), over an average of two weeks in the Australian summer of late 2005. RESULTS: A high proportion of children consumed …

Why (Not) Alcohol Energy Drinks? A Qualitative Study With Australian University Students, Sandra C. Jones, Lance R. Barrie, Nina J. Berry

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Introduction and Aims. Alcohol energy drinks (AEDs) are a recent entry to the ready-to-drink market, but there is an absence of research into the reasons young people consume these products and their consumption-related experiences.The aim of the current study was to investigate university students’ perceptions of, and experiences with, pre-mixed AEDs.

Design and Methods. Four focus groups with undergraduate university students in a large regional city in New South Wales; with transcripts coded for key themes.

Results.Participants reported a number of benefits of AED consumption,many of which were similar to other ready-to-drinks, such as taste and image. However, the primary …

What Influences Australian Women To Not Drink During Pregnancy?, Sandra C. Jones, Joanne Telenta

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There is a strong social norm against consuming alcohol during pregnancy. However, many women do not realise they are pregnant until the sixth week and are not provided with information about the risks of consuming alcohol until they visit a health professional in the second trimester. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 midwives and 12 pregnant women from two regions inNSWin 2008–09 to explore attitudes towards alcohol consumption during pregnancy, and the factors that may encourage or inhibit women from following the recommendation to abstain from drinking while pregnant. Both groups noted the social issues around pregnant women consuming alcohol …

Predicting Dropout In The First 3 Months Of 12-Step Residential Drug And Alcohol Treatment In An Australian Sample, Frank P. Deane, David J. Wootton, Ching-I Hsu, Peter J. Kelly

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: Premature termination from treatment is a major factor associated with poorer drug and alcohol treatment outcomes. The present study investigated client-related baseline predictors of dropout at 3 months from a faith-based 12-step residential drug treatment program. Method: Data were collected over a period of 14 months from eight residential drug and alcohol treatment programs run by The Australian Salvation Army. The final sample consisted of 618 participants, including 524 men (84.8%) and 94 women (15.2%). Predictor variables of interest were age, gender, primary drug of concern, criminal involvement, psychological distress, drug cravings, self-efficacy to abstain, spirituality, forgiveness of self …

Swings And Roundabouts: Changes In Language Offerings At Australian Universities 2005-2011, Kerry S. Dunne, Marko Pavlyshyn

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

In this study we report on changes in language offerings in Australian universities for the period 2005–2011, focusing on languages with small enrolments. We also give a progress report on collaborative arrangements that were introduced to ensure wider availability of language programs. These programs were surveyed most recently in the 2009 DASSH project on collaborative models for the provision of languages in Australian universities (Winter 2009). We find that there has been an increase in the number of less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) offered across the tertiary sector. However, it is not the case that all of these languages are …

Larval Tolerance To Salinity In Three Species Of Australian Anuran: An Indication Of Saline Specialisation In Litoria Aurea, Brian D. Kearney, Phillip G. Byrne, Richard D. Reina

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Recent anthropogenic influences on freshwater habitats are forcing anuran populations to rapidly adapt to high magnitude changes in environmental conditions or face local extinction. We examined the effects of ecologically relevant elevated salinity levels on larval growth, metamorphosis and survival of three species of Australian anuran; the spotted marsh frog (Limnodynastes tasmaniensis), the painted burrowing frog (Neobatrachus sudelli) and the green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea), in order to better understand the responses of these animals to environmental change. Elevated salinity (16% seawater) negatively impacted on the survival of L. tasmaniensis (35% survival) …

The Relationship Between Particulate Pollution Levels In Australian Cities, Meteorology, And Landscape Fire Activity Detected From Modis Hotspots, Owen F. Price, Grant J. Williamson, Sarah B. Henderson, Fay Johnston, David M. J. S Bowman

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Generally, sigmoid curves are used to describe the growth of animals over their lifetime. However, because growth rates often differ over an animal's lifetime a single curve may not accurately capture the growth. Broken-stick models constrained to pass through a common point have been proposed to describe the different growth phases, but these are often unsatisfactory because essentially there are still two functions that describe the lifetime growth. To provide a single, converged model to age animals with disparate growth phases we developed a smoothly joining two-phase nonlinear function (SJ2P), tailored to provide a more accurate description of lifetime growth …

Translation Of Tobacco Policy Into Practice In Disadvantaged And Marginalized Subpopulations: A Study Of Challenges And Opportunities In Remote Australian Indigenous Communities, Jan A. Robertson, Katherine M. Conigrave, Rowena Ivers, Kim Usher, Alan R. Clough

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: In Australia generally, smoking prevalence more than halved after 1980 and recently commenced to decline among Australia's disadvantaged Indigenous peoples. However, in some remote Indigenous Australian communities in the Northern Territory (NT), extremely high rates of up to 83% have not changed over the past 25 years. The World Health Organisation has called for public health and political leadership to address a global tobacco epidemic. For Indigenous Australians, unprecedented policies aim to overcome disadvantage and close the 'health gap' with reducing tobacco use the top priority. This study identifies challenges and opportunities to implementing these important new tobacco initiatives …

Dairy Consumption And Diet Quality In A Sample Of Australian Children, Anna M. Rangan, Victoria M. Flood, Gareth Denyer, Karen Webb, Guy B. Marks, Timothy P. Gill

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

Objective: To examine the association between intake of dairy products and indicators of diet quality among a sample of Australian children. Methods: Three 24-hour recalls were collected from 222 children aged 8–10 years living in western Sydney. Analysis of covariance was used to examine differences in mean intakes of foods and nutrients among 3 dairy consumption groups (<1 serve, 1–2 serves, ≥2 serves per day). The percentage of children meeting healthy eating guidelines for foods and estimated average requirements (EAR) for nutrients was also assessed. Results: Higher dairy consumption was associated with higher intakes of energy, protein, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, zinc, vitamin A, riboflavin, and niacin as well as foods from the bread and cereal group but lower intakes of mono- and polyunsaturated fats, foods from the meat and alternatives group, and energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods. Children who consumed ≥2 serves of dairy products per day (38%) were more likely to meet food and nutrient recommendations. Body mass index z-score and waist circumference were not associated with dairy consumption. Milk intake was inversely associated with the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, and children who did not meet their minimum dairy serve recommendations consumed higher quantities of sugar-sweetened beverages than milk. Conclusions: Adequate dairy consumption was associated with diets of higher nutritional quality but also higher intakes of energy, suggesting a potential benefit from shifting consumption from regular-fat to reduced-fat dairy products in line with current national recommendations.

Comparison Of Assessment Performance Of Rural And Regional Students In A Unique Australian Graduate-Entry Medical Program, David L. Garne, J Bushnell, A Lethbridge, J Douglas

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

The Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Wollongong is one of Australia's newest medical schools, with a regional/rural focus and a distributed campus, and students are all expected to spend a significant proportion of their training in a rural setting. Due to the diverse learning environments that students are exposed to, we sought to determine by phase if there was any difference in examination results between groups who were located in rural settings and those in regional settings.

Consumer Understandings And Attitudes Towards Local Food: An Exploration Of Australian Consumers' Perspectives, Ellena Rebbeck, Deanne Condon-Paoloni, Heather Yeatman

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

Concerns exist about the sustainability of current globalised food systems, and have led to increased interest in alternative food systems. It has been argued that local food will reduce environmental impacts, provide consumer benefits of connection and health, and support local economies.

Future Fire Regimes Of Australian Ecosystems: New Perspectives On Enduring Questions Of Management, Ross A. Bradstock, Richard J. Williams, A Malcolm Gill

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

This book provides a contemporary overview of the state of knowledge of fire as a shaper of biodiversity and ecosystems in Australia, along with insights into the way in which a 'flammable Australia' may fare under future climate change. It comes at the end of a decade (2000 to 2010) of extraordinary fire activity in Australia, matched by heightened public interest in fire and debate about its management. The decade commenced with major fire activity between 2000 and 2002 in the central and north western deserts (Nano et al. 2012, Chapter 9), at scales not seen in decades. In the …

Fire Regimes And Carbon In Australian Vegetation, Richard J. Williams, Ross A. Bradstock, Damian Barrett, Jason Beringer, Mathias M. Boer, Geoffrey J. Cary, Garry D. Cook, A Malcolm Gill, Lindsay B. Hutley, Heather Keith, Stefan W. Maier, Cp (Mick) Meyer, Owen Price, Stephen H. Roxburgh, Jeremy Russell-Smith

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

Fires regularly affect many of the world's terrestrial ecosystems, and, as a result, fires mediate the exchange of greenhouse gases (GHG) between the land and the atmosphere at a global scale and affect the capacity of terrestrial ecosystems to store carbon (Bowman et al. 2009). Variations in fire -regimes can therefore potentially affect the global, regional and local carbon balance and, potentially, climate change itself (Bonan 2008). Here we examine how variation in fire regimes (Gill 1975; Bradstock et al. 2002) will potentially affect carbon in fire-prone Australian ecosystems via interactions with the stocks and transfers of carbon that are …

Practice Nurses Experiences Of Mentoring Undergraduate Nursing Students In Australian General Practice, Elizabeth J. Halcomb, Kathleen Peters, Susan Mcinnes

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

Internationally, the delivery of health services has shifted from secondary to primary care, necessitating an exponential growth of the nursing workforce and expansion of the nursing role in general practice. This growth, and the subsequent need to develop this workforce, has created a need to expose undergraduate nurses to general practice nursing as a viable career option. Concurrently, universities are struggling to find sufficient clinical places for their undergraduate students to gain clinical experience. It is logical, therefore, to increase the number of undergraduate nursing student placements in general practice. Through qualitative research methods, this paper seeks to explore the …

Short And Long Sleep Duration Are Associated With Prevalent Cardiovascular Disease In Australian Adults, Christopher A. Magee, Len Kritharides, John Attia, Patrick Mcelduff, Emily Banks

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

A growing number of studies from a range of different countries have observed an association between sleep duration and cardiovascular disease. The objective of this paper was to examine the associations between sleep duration and prevalent cardiovascular disease in a large sample of Australian adults, and identify the sociodemographic and health-related factors moderating these associations. Participants included 218 155 Australian adults aged 45 years and over. The results indicated that 6 h versus 7 h sleep was associated with increased odds of heart disease [odds ratio (OR) = 1.11 (1.06–1.17)], diabetes [OR = 1.15 (1.09–1.22)], stroke [OR = 1.25 (1.14–1.38)] …

Poor Knowledge And Practices Related To Iodine Nutrition During Pregnancy And Lactation In Australian Women: Pre-And Post-Iodine Fortification, Karen Charlton, Heather Yeatman, Catherine Lucas, Samantha Axford, Luke Gemming, Fiona Houweling, Alison Goodfellow, Gary Ma

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

A before-after review was undertaken to assess whether knowledge and practices related to iodine nutrition, supplementation and fortification has improved in Australian women since the introduction of mandatory iodine fortification in 2009. Surveys of pregnant (n = 139) and non-pregnant (n = 75) women in 2007-2008 are compared with surveys of pregnant (n = 147) and lactating women (n = 60) one to two years post-fortification in a regional area of New South Wales, Australia. A self-administered questionnaire was completed and dietary intake of iodine was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. A generally poor knowledge about the role …

A Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating The Effect Of Pycnogenol And Bacopa Cdri08 Herbal Medicines On Cognitive, Cardiovascular, And Biochemical Functioning In Cognitively Healthy Elderly People: The Australian Research Council Longevity Intervention (Arcli) Study Protocol (Anzctr12611000487910), Con K. Stough, Matthew P. Pase, Vanessa Cropley, Stephen P. Myers, Karen Nolidin, Rebecca King, David Camfield, Keith Wesnes, Andrew Pipingas, Kevin Croft, Dennis Chang, Andrew Scholey

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background One of the major challenges associated with our ageing population is the increasing incidence of age-associated cognitive decline, which has significant implications for an individual's ability to lead a productive and fulfilling life. In pure economic terms the costs of ageing reflects decreased productivity and engagement with the workforce. The maintenance of brain health underpinning intact cognition is a key factor to maintaining a positive, engaged, and productive lifestyle. In light of this, the role of diet, including supplementation with nutritional and even pharmacological interventions capable of ameliorating the neurocognitive changes that occur with age constitute vital areas of …

Does Targetted Assessment Of Function Influence Emergency Department Re-Poresentation In Older Adults: An Australian Insight, M Bissett, A Cusick

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the IFA 11th Global Conference on Ageing, 28 May-1 June 2012, Prague, Czech Republic

A Systematic Review To Update The Australian Physical Activity Guidelines For Children And Young People, Anthony D. Okely, Jo Salmon, Stewart Vella, Dylan Cliff, Anna Timperio, Mark Tremblay, Stewart Trost, Trevor Shilton, Trina Hinkley, Nicola Ridgers, Lyn Phillipson, Kylie Hesketh, Anne-Maree Parrish, Xanne Janssen, Mark Brown, Jeffrey Emmel, Nello Marino

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The objective of this review is to inform Australian Government policy on the relationship between physical activity (including the amount, frequency, intensity, duration, and type) and health outcome indicators, including the risk and prevention of chronic disease and unhealthy weight gain/obesity, and to provide information to guide evidence-based recommendations that can be used to encourage healthy, active living in apparently healthy children and young people aged 5-17 years, and as a basis for monitoring physical activity on a population level.

What Do Australian Consumers Think About Current Advertising Standards?, Sandra Carol Jones, Katherine Eagleton

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The concept of community standards is the cornerstone of advertising self-regulation in Australia. However, there is a dearth of research on current attitudes towards advertising and a virtual absence of such data in an Australian context. A questionnaire was developed to assess consumer attitudes towards advertising; respondents were 872 adults residing in New South Wales. We found high levels of concern regarding advertising standards in general and a consistent perception that advertising should not, for example, use coarse language or violent images, portray women or men as sex objects or show nudity, stereotype or make fun of groups of people, …

Knowledge About Language In The Australian Curriculum: English, Beverly Derewianka

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Somewhat surprisingly, an explicit knowledge about language has been often absent from English curricula. The new Australian Curriculum: English (ACARA, 2012) has taken a fairly radical step in placing knowledge about language at the core of classroom practice, thereby raising the issue of an appropriate model of language to inform the Language Strand of the Curriculum. This paper will outline the rationale behind the Language Strand, and will then make explicit its underlying model of language. The paper thus provides a context for the ensuing articles in this Special Focus Issue of AJLL, which take up various concerns in relation …

The Role Of School Counsellors In Fostering Giftedness: The Australian Experience., Wilma Vialle

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

An African proverb that resonates strongly with educators is that "it takes a whole village to raise a child". The proverb has been the inspiration for at least two books (Cowen-Fletcher 1994; Rodham Clinton, 1996) and countless t-shirt and greeting card designs, but, more importantly, its sentiment acknowledges the collective responsibility we bear for educating our children. Franz Monks has dedicated his long academic career to the field of gifted education and his wide-ranging contributions have epitomized this shared responsibility for ensuring that the gifts and talents of our young people are nurtured. Like many educators who have interacted with …

The Role Of Beyond Zero Emissions In The Australian Climate Debate, Adam Robert Lucas

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

Early in 2011, the Journal of Australian Political Economy (JAPE) published a special issue titled, ‘Challenging Climate Change’. It brought together a number of papers by climate change researchers and activists who had been invited during 2009 to contribute their perspectives to a one-day forum covering four different aspects of the climate change debate: carbon markets and the regulation of renewable energy; technological pathways toward sustainability versus a low-tech, ecosufficiency future; climate justice; and the experiences of a variety of environmental NGOs in campaigning for policy reform (Goodman & Rosewarne, 2011: 7). The aim of the forum and those who …

Interpodes: Poland, Tom Keneally And Australian Literary History, Paul Sharrad

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

This article is framed by a wider interest in how literary careers are made: what mechanisms other than the personal/biographical and the text-centred evaluations of scholars influence a writer’s choices in persisting in building a succession of works that are both varied and yet form a consistently recognizable “brand.”

Translation is one element in the wider network of “machinery” that makes modern literary publishing. It is a marker of success that might well keep authors going despite lack of sales or negative reviews at home. Translation rights can provide useful supplementary funds to sustain a writer’s output. Access to new …

Access To Same Day, Next Day And After-Hours Appointments: The Views Of Australian General Practitioners, Mark Fort Harris, Patrick Davies, Mahnaz Fanaian, Nicholas Zwar, Siaw-Teng Liaw

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

Objective. To evaluate factors associated with the availability of same or next day appointments and after-hours access reported by Australian general practitioners (GPs). Methods. Secondary analysis of a survey of primary care practitioners conducted by the Commonwealth Fund in 2009 in 11 countries. Analysis of factors likely to be associated with reported availability of same or next day appointments and after-hours access. Findings. Of 1016 Australian GPs, 78.8% reported that most patients in their practice had access to an appointment on the same or next day and 50% that their practice had arrangements for after-hours access. Access to same or …

Nutritional Quality Of Australian Breakfast Cereals - Are They Improving?, Elizabeth K. Dunford, Jimmy Chun Yu Louie, Karen Z. Walker, Timothy P. Gill

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

Abstract of paper that presented at The 16th International Congress of Dietetics, 5-8 Sep, 2012, Sydney.