Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

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

Professor David Steel

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

Jimmy Chun Yu Louie

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 …

Developing A Space For Children: An Internship With The Mullumbimby Community Garden, Eden Olsen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper aims to demonstrate my independent study project internship at the Mullumbimby Community Garden (MCG), an interactive learning site for the citizens of Byron Shire. As an intern I spent 152.5 hours from October 29^th to November 23^rd planting, planning projects, attending meetings, and helping to educate about the importance of sustainable food production. More specifically, I focused on the development of the Children’s Garden, building vertical garden beds, planting the sensory garden, attending meetings, and helping to design and analyze costs for new structures to be implemented in the near future.

This study reaches further than …

Utility Of Virtual Communities For `Carers Of Children And Disabilities', Rodney J. Clarke, Elias Kyriazis, Gary I. Noble, Jennifer Ann Algie

Gary Noble

A pilot study of services for children with disabilities conducted in the Illawarra (Noble et al.2005) identified a basic lack of awareness on the part of parents and carers about available services. In particular, there was a lack of awareness of the availability of different support services, application processes to acquire assistance, information about specific disabilities,and the location of various support services. The study indicated that there was no centralsource of information for parents and carers of children with a disability in the Illawarra. Instead, parents and carers had to learn about these issues by `word of mouth', raising issues …

Utility Of Virtual Communities For `Carers Of Children And Disabilities', Rodney J. Clarke, Elias Kyriazis, Gary I. Noble, Jennifer Ann Algie

Elias Kyriazis

A pilot study of services for children with disabilities conducted in the Illawarra (Noble et al.2005) identified a basic lack of awareness on the part of parents and carers about available services. In particular, there was a lack of awareness of the availability of different support services, application processes to acquire assistance, information about specific disabilities,and the location of various support services. The study indicated that there was no centralsource of information for parents and carers of children with a disability in the Illawarra. Instead, parents and carers had to learn about these issues by `word of mouth', raising issues …

Relationship Between Plantar Pressures, Physical Activity And Sedentariness Among Preschool Children, Karen J. Mickle, Dylan P. Cliff, Bridget J. Munro, Anthony D. Okely, Julie R. Steele

A. D. Okely

It has been speculated that high plantar pressures might cause foot pain and discomfort which, in turn, may discourage children from being physically active and result in them spending more time in sedentary activities. The purpose of this study was to determine whether plantar pressure distributions generated by preschool children were correlated with objectively measured time spent in physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Dynamic plantar pressures were measured for 33 preschool children (age = 4.3±0.6 years; height = 1.06±0.1 m; mass = 18.4±2.9 kg; 17 boys) as they walked across an emed AT-4 pressure platform. Physical activity was objectively assessed …

Do Australian Primary School Environments Affect Children's Playground Physical Activity Levels?, Anne-Maree Parrish, Donald Iverson, Kenneth Russell, Heather Yeatman

Don C. Iverson

No abstract provided.

Using Interviews And Peer Pairs To Better Understand How School Environments Affect Young Children's Playground Physical Activity Levels: A Qualitative Study, Anne-Maree Parrish, Heather Yeatman, Donald Iverson, Ken Russell

Don C. Iverson

School break times provide a daily opportunity for children to be active; however, research indicates this time is underutilized. Reasons for low children’s playground activity levels have primarily focused on physical barriers. This research aimed to contribute to physical environmental findings affecting children’s playground physical activity levels by identifying additional variables through the interview process. Thirteen public schools were included in the sample (total 2946 children). Physical activity and environmental data were collected over 3 days. Environmental variables were manually assessed at each of the 13 schools. Observational data were used to determine which three schools were the most and …

Dolphin-Assisted Therapy: Claims Versus Evidence, Britta L. Fiksdal, Daniel Houlihan, Aaron C. Barnes

Psychology Department Publications

The purpose of this paper is to review and critique studies that have been conducted on dolphin-assisted therapy for children with various disorders. Studies have been released claiming swimming with dolphins is therapeutic and beneficial for children with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, physical disabilities, and other psychological disorders. The majority of the studies conducted supporting the effectiveness of dolphin-assisted therapy have been found to have major methodological concerns making it impossible to draw valid conclusions. Readers will be informed of the history of, theory behind, and variations of dolphin-assisted therapy along with a review and critique of studies published …

Online Advertising: Examining The Content And Messages Within Websites Targeted At Children, Lisa Kervin, Sandra C. Jones, Jessica Mantei

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

It is recognised that from a young age children spend considerable portions of their leisure time on the Internet. In Australia a number of child-targeted magazines have associated websites, which have high and ever-increasing readership. We do not yet know the impact of this medium upon children. Overt advertising is evident on webpages, but so too are hidden advertisements in the written text, images and games. This material usually does not comply with existing broadcasting codes of practice for mainstream advertising. This article examines the instances of overt and covert advertisements for food within three websites monitored over a 12-month …

Using Interviews And Peer Pairs To Better Understand How School Environments Affect Young Children's Playground Physical Activity Levels: A Qualitative Study, Anne-Maree Parrish, Heather Yeatman, Donald Iverson, Ken Russell

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

School break times provide a daily opportunity for children to be active; however, research indicates this time is underutilized. Reasons for low children’s playground activity levels have primarily focused on physical barriers. This research aimed to contribute to physical environmental findings affecting children’s playground physical activity levels by identifying additional variables through the interview process. Thirteen public schools were included in the sample (total 2946 children). Physical activity and environmental data were collected over 3 days. Environmental variables were manually assessed at each of the 13 schools. Observational data were used to determine which three schools were the most and …

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 …

Effectiveness Of Home Based Early Intervention On Children's Bmi At Age 2: Randomised Controlled Trial, Li Ming Wen, Louise A. Baur, Judy M. Simpson, Chris Rissel, Karen Wardle, Victoria M. Flood

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of a home-based early intervention on children’s BMI at age two. Design: Randomised controlled trial Setting: The Healthy Beginnings Trial was conducted in socially and economically disadvantaged areas of Sydney, Australia during 2007-2010. Participants: A total of 667 first-time mothers and their infants. Intervention: The intervention consisted of eight home visits from specially trained community nurses delivering a staged home-based intervention, one in the antenatal period, and seven at 1, 3, 5, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months after birth. Timing of the visits was designed to coincide with early childhood developmental milestones. …

Branded Food References In Children's Magazines: 'Advertisements' Are The Tip Of The Iceberg, Sandra C. Jones, Parri Gregory, Lisa K. Kervin

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: While children's magazines 'blur the lines' between editorial content and advertising, this medium has escaped the calls for government restrictions that are currently associated with food advertisements aired during children's television programming. The aim of this study was to address significant gaps in the evidence base in relation to commercial food messages in children's magazines by systematically investigating the nature and extent of food advertising and promotions over a 12-month period. Method: All issues of Australian children's magazines published in the calendar year 2009 were examined for references to foods or beverages. Results: Approximately 16% of the 1678 food …

Relationship Between Breast-Feeding And Adiposity In Infants And Pre-School Children, Bamini Gopinath, Indhu Subramanian, Victoria M. Flood, Louise A. Baur, Natalie Pfund, George Burlutsky, Paul Mitchell

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objectives: We aimed to establish associations of duration of breast-feeding with mean BMI and waist circumference, as well as the likelihood of being overweight/ obese, during early childhood. Design: Cross-sectional, population-based study. Height, weight and waist circumference were measured and BMI calculated. Interviewer-administered questionnaire determined whether the child was ever breast-fed and the duration of breast-feeding. Setting: Sydney, Australia. Subjects: Infants and pre-school children (n 2092) aged 1-6 years were examined in the Sydney Paediatric Eye Disease Study during 2007-2009. Results: Of the children aged 1-6 years, 1270 had been breast-fed compared with 822 who were never breast-fed. After multivariable …