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Articles 1 - 24 of 24

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Depression And Quality Of Life In Cancer Survivors: Is There A Relationship With Physical Activity?, Nancy Humpel, Donald Iverson Jun 2012

Depression And Quality Of Life In Cancer Survivors: Is There A Relationship With Physical Activity?, Nancy Humpel, Donald Iverson

Don C. Iverson

Background Evidence is growing on the benefit of physical activity to improve well-being following a cancer diagnosis. This study examined changes in physical activity from pre to post diagnosis and explored this relationship with quality of life and depression. Methods Participants were recruited by posters and by letter of invitation. The questionnaire was completed by 59 prostate and 32 breast cancer survivors. Results Physical activity decreased by 72 minutes per week from pre to post diagnosis, although 20.9% reported having increased activity post diagnosis. Over 30% were considered depressed. Breast cancer participants who increased physical activity post diagnosis reported higher …


Do Australian Primary School Environments Affect Children's Playground Physical Activity Levels?, Anne-Maree Parrish, Donald Iverson, Kenneth Russell, Heather Yeatman Jun 2012

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.


Is Sleep Duration Associated With Obesity In Older Australian Adults?, Christopher A. Magee, Peter Caputi, Don C. Iverson Jun 2012

Is Sleep Duration Associated With Obesity In Older Australian Adults?, Christopher A. Magee, Peter Caputi, Don C. Iverson

Don C. Iverson

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between sleep duration and obesity in older Australian adults. Method: Self-reported health data were collected through the 45 and Up Study. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to test the relationship between sleep duration and body mass index, controlling for a range of demographic and health-related variables. Results: The sample included 45,325 Australian adults aged 55 to 95 years. The regression models demonstrated that short and long sleep were associated with obesity in 55- to 64-year-olds but not in those aged 65 years and above. Discussion: The present results suggest that the relationships between sleep …


A Study Of Headache In North American Primary Care: Report For The Ambulatory Sentinel Practice Network, L A. Becker, Donald C. Iverson, F M. Read, N Calogne, R S. Miller, W L. Freeman Jun 2012

A Study Of Headache In North American Primary Care: Report For The Ambulatory Sentinel Practice Network, L A. Becker, Donald C. Iverson, F M. Read, N Calogne, R S. Miller, W L. Freeman

Don C. Iverson

Headache is a common symptom in primary care about which surprisingly little is known. Over a 14-month period 3847 patients making 4940 consecutive visits for headache to 38 primary care practices in the USA and Canada were studied. The clinical characteristics of patients, as well as the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies employed by their doctors, were examined. Visits for headache represented 1.5% of all visits during this period. Most patients (72.0%) made only one visit, and nearly half of the headaches reported were new. Only a small number of patients (3.0%) received a computerized tomographic scan; other investigations were used …


Occupational Factors And Sick Leave In Australian Employees, Christopher Magee, Natalie Stefanic, Peter Caputi, Don Iverson Jun 2012

Occupational Factors And Sick Leave In Australian Employees, Christopher Magee, Natalie Stefanic, Peter Caputi, Don Iverson

Don C. Iverson

Objectives: To investigate occupational factors associated with sick leave over a 4-year period in Australian employees. Methods: Longitudinal data (self-report) from 2861 Australian full-time employees (69.4% male) were used. Occupational factors and relevant covariates were assessed at baseline with sick leave assessed yearly over a 4-year period. The data were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression models. Results: Job strain and longer commuting time were associated with long sick leave, whereas long work hours were inversely associated with long sick leave. Conclusions: These results provide further evidence that certain aspects of work are associated with sick leave, whereas other work aspects …


Dementia And Driving Retirement: Making Decisions, Catherine Andrew, Victoria Traynor, Donald Iverson Jun 2012

Dementia And Driving Retirement: Making Decisions, Catherine Andrew, Victoria Traynor, Donald Iverson

Don C. Iverson

To identify appropriate elements to include in a decisional support resource which may enhance acceptance of potential driving retirement for drivers with dementia.


Sleep Duration And Obesity In Middle-Aged Australian Adults, Christopher A. Magee, Donald C. Iverson, Peter Caputi Jun 2012

Sleep Duration And Obesity In Middle-Aged Australian Adults, Christopher A. Magee, Donald C. Iverson, Peter Caputi

Don C. Iverson

The present study examined the association between sleep duration and obesity in 40,834 middle-aged Australian adults. Multinomial logistic regression was used to test the relationship between sleep duration and obesity while controlling for important demographic and health covariates; separate models were tested for males and females. Short sleep (i.e., <7 h a night) was found to be independently associated with obesity in males and females. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report an association between short sleep and obesity in Australian adults. Although more research is required, interventions targeting short sleep could aid obesity treatment and prevention.


Circumventing The Who Code? An Observational Study, Nina J. Berry, Sandra C. Jones, Donald C. Iverson Jun 2012

Circumventing The Who Code? An Observational Study, Nina J. Berry, Sandra C. Jones, Donald C. Iverson

Don C. Iverson

Background This study compares the formula milk advertisements that appeared in parenting magazines published in two countries that have enacted measures to restrict the advertising of infant formula products in response to the international code with two that have not. Methods Content analysis was used to compare the type and frequency of formula milk advertisements that appeared in parenting magazines collected from the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia during 2007, and to examine whether there was a relationship between these frequencies and advertising regulations. Findings Advertisements that promoted formula products or brands occurred in all of the magazines sampled …


Dementia And Retirement From Driving: People With Dementia And Their Carers Critique Available Tools, Catherine Andrew, Victoria Traynor, Donald Iverson Jun 2012

Dementia And Retirement From Driving: People With Dementia And Their Carers Critique Available Tools, Catherine Andrew, Victoria Traynor, Donald Iverson

Don C. Iverson

Introduction: - Discuss current thinking about the role of practitioners in supporting a person with dementia to consider retirement from driving - Highlight findings from a research project involving drivers over 55 and people with dementia about what support they consider helpful in considering retirement from driving


Industry Partnerships For Health Nonprofits And Disease Awareness Advertising, Danika Hall, Sandra C. Jones, Donald C. Iverson Jun 2012

Industry Partnerships For Health Nonprofits And Disease Awareness Advertising, Danika Hall, Sandra C. Jones, Donald C. Iverson

Don C. Iverson

Marketing partnerships between non-profit organisations (NPOs) and industry generally bring favourable results for both parties (Brønn and Vrioni 2001; Varadarajan and Menon 1988). However, there is some scepticism about corporate exploitation of such arrangements and growing concern in Australia and elsewhere about partnerships between the pharmaceutical industry and NPOs (Angell 2006; Moynihan and Cassels 2005) and the co-sponsorship of Disease Awareness Advertising (DAA). This paper reports the findings from a study of how Australian women respond to DAA with differing sponsors including their ability to identify, and their attitude toward, the sponsor. The results are of importance for health NPOs …


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 Jun 2012

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 …


Disease Awareness Advertisements In Australian Magazines: An Analysis Of Content And Compliance, Danika Hall, Sandra C. Jones, Donald C. Iverson Jun 2012

Disease Awareness Advertisements In Australian Magazines: An Analysis Of Content And Compliance, Danika Hall, Sandra C. Jones, Donald C. Iverson

Don C. Iverson

In Australia, Direct to Consumer Advertising (DTCA) of prescription medicine is prohibited; however pharmaceutical companies can communicate directly with consumers via Disease Awareness Advertising (DAA). DAA can contain information about a disease including treatment information, but cannot mention the name of a particular product or brand. DAA is currently regulated by the industry body Medicines Australia (MA). In the current study, content analysis methodology was used to determine the extent and nature of DAA in popular Australian women’s magazines which were monitored for 12 months. Findings relating to the use of visual appeals in the imagery and rational appeals in …


Disease Awareness Advertising: Women's Intentions Following Exposure, Danika Hall, Sandra C. Jones, Donald C. Iverson Jun 2012

Disease Awareness Advertising: Women's Intentions Following Exposure, Danika Hall, Sandra C. Jones, Donald C. Iverson

Don C. Iverson

Background: In Australia, where direct to consumer advertising of prescription medicines is prohibited, pharmaceutical companies can sponsor disease awareness advertising targeting consumers. This study examined the impact of disease awareness advertising exposure on older women's reported behavioural intentions. Method: Women were approached in a shopping centre and randomly assigned mock advertisements for two health conditions. Disease information and sponsors were manipulated. Results: Two hundred and forty-one women responded to 466 advertisements. Almost half reported an intention to ask their doctor for a prescription or referral as a result of seeing the advertisement, but more reported they would talk to their …


The Older Patient, The Doctor And The Trainee: Patients' Attitudes And Implications For Models Of Care, Andrew Bonney, Sandra Jones, Donald Iverson Jun 2012

The Older Patient, The Doctor And The Trainee: Patients' Attitudes And Implications For Models Of Care, Andrew Bonney, Sandra Jones, Donald Iverson

Don C. Iverson

Aims & rationale/Objectives Population ageing poses major challenges for health systems. Additionally, training future general practitioners in the management of older and chronically ill patients is potentially hampered by the reluctance of these patients to consult trainees for chronic care. This paper reports a cross-sectional study investigating the attitudes of older patients to trainees, to inform strategies to improve older patient-trainee interaction. Methods The survey instrument was distributed to 1900 patients aged 60 and over from 38 training practices from five Australian states using a stratified, randomised cluster sampling process. Generalised estimating equation models were used for analysis. Principal findings …


Examining The Pathways Linking Chronic Sleep Restriction To Obesity, Christopher A. Magee, Xu-Feng Huang, Donald C. Iverson, Peter Caputi Jun 2012

Examining The Pathways Linking Chronic Sleep Restriction To Obesity, Christopher A. Magee, Xu-Feng Huang, Donald C. Iverson, Peter Caputi

Don C. Iverson

A growing number of studies have identified chronic sleep restriction as a potential risk factor for obesity. This could have important implications for how obesity is prevented and managed, but current understanding of the processes linking chronic sleep restriction to obesity is incomplete. In this paper, we examined some of the pathways that could underlie the relationship between chronic sleep restriction and obesity. This involved exploring some of the potential environmental, health, behavioral, and sociodemographic determinants of chronic sleep restriction, which require further investigation in this context. Three pathways that could potentially link chronic sleep restriction to obesity were then …


Increasing The Efficacy Of Breast Cancer Risk Communications: Contributiolns From Behavioural Science And Marketing, Sandra C. Jones, Donald C. Iverson Jun 2012

Increasing The Efficacy Of Breast Cancer Risk Communications: Contributiolns From Behavioural Science And Marketing, Sandra C. Jones, Donald C. Iverson

Don C. Iverson

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in Australia. Women are faced with numerous decisions in relation to breast cancer including: actions they can take to reduce their risk of developing breast cancer; whether to participate in screening programs; and selection of the most appropriate treatment option if diagnosed with breast cancer. This paper discusses ways in which theories and findings from two disciplines, behavioural science and marketing, can be used collaboratively to design effective communications to increase the uptake of health behaviours that have the potential of reducing morbidity and mortality from breast cancer. From marketing …


Australian Adolescents' Compliance With Sun Protection Behaviours During Summer: The Importance Of The School Context, Melinda Williams, Sandra C. Jones, Peter Caputi, Donald Iverson Jun 2012

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

Don C. Iverson

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 …


Process Evaluation Of An Innovative Sun Protection Intervention Targeting Adolescents, Sandra C. Jones, Keryn M. Johnson, Donald C. Iverson, Jeffrey Thom Jun 2012

Process Evaluation Of An Innovative Sun Protection Intervention Targeting Adolescents, Sandra C. Jones, Keryn M. Johnson, Donald C. Iverson, Jeffrey Thom

Don C. Iverson

The purpose of the current intervention was to target a defined segment of the adolescent population with a sun protection ‘offering’ that positioned sun protection as beneficial and addressed identified barriers (particularly inconvenience and image). A community intervention was conducted in one defined geographic region over the 2009/2010 Summer school holidays. Key elements of the intervention included the distribution of augmented products, promotional materials with a pre-tested impactful message, and partnerships with community and commercial organisations. The intervention was successful in creating interest and attention among adolescents. This paper reports on the process evaluations, focusing on barriers, facilitators and lessons …


Australian Women's Perceptions Of Breast Cancer Risk Factors And The Risk Of Developing Breast Cancer, Sandra C. Jones, Christopher A. Magee, Lance R. Barrie, Donald C. Iverson, Parri Gregory, Emma L. Hanks, Anne E. Nelson, Caroline L. Nehill, Helen M. Zorbas Jun 2012

Australian Women's Perceptions Of Breast Cancer Risk Factors And The Risk Of Developing Breast Cancer, Sandra C. Jones, Christopher A. Magee, Lance R. Barrie, Donald C. Iverson, Parri Gregory, Emma L. Hanks, Anne E. Nelson, Caroline L. Nehill, Helen M. Zorbas

Don C. Iverson

Background Numerous studies have shown that the majority of women overestimate both their own risk and the populations’ risk of developing breast cancer. A number of factors have been found to correlate with perceived risk. Methods This paper reports on a telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of approximately 3,000 Australian women aged 30 to 69 years, conducted in 2007, and compares the findings with those of a similar survey conducted in 2003. Results There was a clear tendency for respondents to overestimate the proportion of women who will develop breast cancer during their lifetime. Approximately half the respondents …


General Practice Registrars: Attitudes Of Older Patients, Andrew D. Bonney, Sandra C. Jones, Lyn Phillipson, Donald C. Iverson Jun 2012

General Practice Registrars: Attitudes Of Older Patients, Andrew D. Bonney, Sandra C. Jones, Lyn Phillipson, Donald C. Iverson

Don C. Iverson

Previous research indicates that older patients may be less willing to consult general practice registrars (GPRs), reducing training opportunities in chronic/complex care. This survey explores older patients’ attitudes in order to inform models of interaction that would be acceptable to patients. METHODS Ten training general practices distributed questionnaires for self completion to 50 patients aged 60 years and over. Chi-square, Spearman’s rho and logistic regression were used for analysis. RESULTS The response rate was 47%. Ninetysix percent wanted ongoing contact with their general practitioner if they saw a GPR. Twenty-four percent were comfortable with GPR chronic/complex care, increasing to 73% …


Content Analysis Of Disease Awareness Advertisements In Popular Australian Women's Magazines, Danika V. Hall, Sandra C. Jones, Donald C. Iverson Jun 2012

Content Analysis Of Disease Awareness Advertisements In Popular Australian Women's Magazines, Danika V. Hall, Sandra C. Jones, Donald C. Iverson

Don C. Iverson

Objective: To examine the nature of disease awareness advertising (DAA). Design: Therapeutic advertisements in six popular Australian women’s magazines were monitored between April 2006 and March 2007. A subset of advertisements was included in the study based on criteria derived from a definition of DAA. Unique advertisements were analysed by four independent coders. Main outcome measures: Types of advertisements and their sponsors, the types of disease information present, and the persuasive techniques utilised. Results: Of 711 advertisements identified, 60 met the inclusion criteria for DAA, and 30 of these were unique. Over one-third of the advertisements were classified as “unbranded …


Toddler Milk Advertising In Australia: The Infant Formula Ads We Have When We Don’T Have Infant Formula Ads, Nina J. Berry, Sandra Jones, Donald Iverson Jun 2012

Toddler Milk Advertising In Australia: The Infant Formula Ads We Have When We Don’T Have Infant Formula Ads, Nina J. Berry, Sandra Jones, Donald Iverson

Don C. Iverson

The Marketing in Australia of Infant Formula: Manufacturers’ and Importers’ Agreement (MAIF) prevents manufacturers and importers from advertising infant formula. However, toddler milks, which share brand identities with infant formula, are advertised freely; and recent research suggests consumers fail to distinguish between advertising for infant formula and for toddler milk. This study examined whether Australian parents recalled having seen advertisements for ‘formula’. Most respondents (66.8%) reported seeing an advertisement for infant formula, with those who had only seen non-retail advertising more than twice as likely to believe that they had seen such an advertisement as those who had only seen …


Case Study In Academic And Industry Collaboration: The Development Of An Adolescent Targeted Sun Protection Intervention In Nsw, Melinda Williams, Sandra Jones, Donald Iverson, Peter Caputi, Sofia Potente Jun 2012

Case Study In Academic And Industry Collaboration: The Development Of An Adolescent Targeted Sun Protection Intervention In Nsw, Melinda Williams, Sandra Jones, Donald Iverson, Peter Caputi, Sofia Potente

Don C. Iverson

Academic and industry collaboration is increasingly identified as a critical element in the future health of Australians through linking theory and practice, with the major priority for academic institutions being the identification of new knowledge and the transfer of this knowledge into changes in policy and health services. Collaborations between academia and industry are increasingly encouraged in Australia by research funding schemes such as ARCLinkage and, more recently, NHMRC Partnerships. While a recent US study suggests that such schemes have a moderate effect on academics’ propensity to work with industry (Bozeman and Gaughan, 2007), industry groups have recognised the value …


Preparing For An Ageing Population: A Survey Of Older Patients' Attitudes To General Practice Registrars, Andrew D. Bonney, Sandra C. Jones, Lyn Phillipson, Donald C. Iverson Jun 2012

Preparing For An Ageing Population: A Survey Of Older Patients' Attitudes To General Practice Registrars, Andrew D. Bonney, Sandra C. Jones, Lyn Phillipson, Donald C. Iverson

Don C. Iverson

The ageing population makes it imperative to provide appropriate training for general practice registrars (GPRs) in the community-based care of older patients. However, data suggest that older patients may be less willing to consult GPRs for chronic/complex care; adversely affecting training opportunities and potentially the satisfaction of older patients in training practices. This cross-sectional study was undertaken to investigate this concern in the Australian context and develop models of older patient-GPR interaction that are acceptable to patients.