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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Earth Is (Mostly) Flat: Apportionment Of The Flux Of Continental Sediment Over Millennial Time Scales, Jane K. Willenbring, Alexandru T. Codilean, Brandon Mcelroy Dec 2012

Earth Is (Mostly) Flat: Apportionment Of The Flux Of Continental Sediment Over Millennial Time Scales, Jane K. Willenbring, Alexandru T. Codilean, Brandon Mcelroy

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

We use a new compilation of global denudation estimates from cosmogenic nuclides to calculate the apportionment and the sum of all sediment produced on Earth by extrapolation of a statistically significant correlation between denudation rates and basin slopes to watersheds without denudation rate data. This robust relationship can explain approximately half of the variance in denudation from quartz-bearing topography drained by rivers using only mean slopes as the predictive tool and matches a similar fit for large river basins. At slopes >200 m/km, topography controls denudation rates. Controls on denudation in landscapes where average slopes are 10 mm/k.y. We use …


High Muscle Mitochondrial Volume And Aerobic Capacity In A Small Marsupial (Sminthopsis Crassicaudata) Reveals Flexible Links Between Energy-Use Levels In Mammals, Terence Dawson, Koa Webster, Enhua Lee, William A. Buttemer Dec 2012

High Muscle Mitochondrial Volume And Aerobic Capacity In A Small Marsupial (Sminthopsis Crassicaudata) Reveals Flexible Links Between Energy-Use Levels In Mammals, Terence Dawson, Koa Webster, Enhua Lee, William A. Buttemer

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

We investigated the muscle structure–function relationships that underlie the aerobic capacity of an insectivorous, small (~15 g) marsupial, Sminthopsis crassicaudata (Family: Dasyuridae), to obtain further insight into energy use patterns in marsupials relative to those in placentals, their sister clade within the Theria (advanced mammals). Disparate hopping marsupials (Suborder Macropodiformes), a kangaroo (Macropus rufus) and a rat-kangaroo (Bettongia penicillata), show aerobic capabilities as high as those of ‘athletic’ placentals. Equivalent muscle mitochondrial volumes and cardiovascular features support these capabilities. We examined S. crassicaudata to determine whether highly developed aerobic capabilities occur elsewhere in marsupials, rather than being restricted to the …


2-Cyanoethyl N,N,N',N'-Tetraisopropylphosphorodiamidite, Jichao Zhang Dec 2012

2-Cyanoethyl N,N,N',N'-Tetraisopropylphosphorodiamidite, Jichao Zhang

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

2-Cyanoethyl N,N,N′,N′-tetraisopropylphosphorodiamidite is a colorless viscous liquid, which is soluble in most organic solvents. It is a widely used phosphitylating reagent for the preparation of various phosphorylated biomolecules, such as nucleoside carbohydrate conjugates, phospholipids and glycopeptides. In particular, this reagent is highly effective for automated solid-phase DNA/RNA oligonucleotide synthesis. 2-Cyanoethyl N,N,N′,N′-tetraisopropylphosphorodiamidite has shown great utility in the coupling of nucleobases or carbohydrates via their phosphotriesters in the presence of activators such as 1H-tetrazole, in moderate yields under mild conditions. Additionally, 2-cyanoethyl N,N,N′,N′-tetraisopropylphosphorodiamidite is cheaper and more stable than 2- cyanoethyl N,N-diisopropylchlorophosphorodiamidite, the other commonly used phosphinylating reagent. 2-Cyanoethyl N,N,N′,N′-tetraisopropylphosphorodiamidite is …


Automated Surface Sampling Of Lipids From Worn Contact Lenses Coupled With Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Simon H. Brown, Liam H. Huxtable, Mark D. P Willcox, Stephen J. Blanksby, Todd W. Mitchell Nov 2012

Automated Surface Sampling Of Lipids From Worn Contact Lenses Coupled With Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Simon H. Brown, Liam H. Huxtable, Mark D. P Willcox, Stephen J. Blanksby, Todd W. Mitchell

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

The deposition of biological material (biofouling) onto polymeric contact lenses is thought to be a major contributor to lens discomfort and hence discontinuation of wear. We describe a method to characterize lipid deposits directly from worn contact lenses utilizing liquid extraction surface analysis coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LESA-MS/MS). This technique effected facile and reproducible extraction of lipids from the contact lens surfaces and identified lipid molecular species representing all major classes present in human tear film. Our data show that LESA-MS/MS is a rapid and comprehensive technique for the characterization of lipid-related biofouling on polymer surfaces.


"It Could Probably Help Someone Else But Not Me": A Feasibility Study Of A Snack Programme Offered To Meals On Wheels Clients, K E. Charlton, K Walton, L Moon, K Smith, A T. Mcmahon, F Ralph, M Stuckey, F Manning, J Krassie Nov 2012

"It Could Probably Help Someone Else But Not Me": A Feasibility Study Of A Snack Programme Offered To Meals On Wheels Clients, K E. Charlton, K Walton, L Moon, K Smith, A T. Mcmahon, F Ralph, M Stuckey, F Manning, J Krassie

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

Objectives Community-based services, such as Meals on Wheels (MOW), allow older adults to remain in their homes for as long as possible. Many MOW recipients experience decreased appetite that limits intake at mealtimes. This pilot study aimed to determine the feasibility of providing high protein high energy snacks to improve nutrient intakes of MOW clients in a regional centre of New South Wales, Australia.

Participants A convenience sample of 12 MOW clients.

Intervention Participants received snacks five times a week, in addition to their usual MOW order, for four weeks.

Measurements Nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment …


Mechanism Of Secondary Currents In Open Channel Flows, Shu-Qing Yang, Soon Keat Tan, Xi-Kun Wang Oct 2012

Mechanism Of Secondary Currents In Open Channel Flows, Shu-Qing Yang, Soon Keat Tan, Xi-Kun Wang

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

This paper describes the conditions for initiation and maintenance of secondary currents in open channel flows. By analyzing the Reynolds equation in the wall-normal and wall-tangent directions, this study reveals that, like other types of vortices, the secondary currents are originated in the near-boundary region, and the magnitude (or strength) of secondary flow is proportional to the lateral gradient of near-wall velocity. The near-wall secondary flow always moves from the region with lower velocity (or lower boundary shear stress) to the location with higher velocity (or higher boundary shear stress). Subsequently, the near-boundary secondary flow creeps into the main flow …


Dietary Intake Of Fish And Pufa, And Clinical Depressive And Anxiety Disorders In Women, Felice N. Jacka, Julie A. Pascoe, Lana J. Williams, Barbara J. Meyer, Rebecca Digger, Michael Berk Oct 2012

Dietary Intake Of Fish And Pufa, And Clinical Depressive And Anxiety Disorders In Women, Felice N. Jacka, Julie A. Pascoe, Lana J. Williams, Barbara J. Meyer, Rebecca Digger, Michael Berk

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

Fish and PUFA consumption are thought to play a role in mental health; however, many studies do not take into account multiple sources of PUFA. The present study analysed data from a sample of 935 randomly selected, population-based women aged 20-93 years. A validated and comprehensive dietary questionnaire ascertained the consumption of n-3 and n-6 PUFA. Another assessed fish and energy intake and provided data for a dietary quality score. The General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) measured psychological symptoms and a clinical interview (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Research Version, Non-patient edition) assessed depressive and anxiety disorders. Median dietary intakes of …


The Small Heat-Shock Protein Αb-Crystallin Uses Different Mechanisms Of Chaperone Action To Prevent The Amorphous Versus Fibrillar Aggregation Of Α-Lactalbumin, Melissa Kulig, Heath Ecroyd Sep 2012

The Small Heat-Shock Protein Αb-Crystallin Uses Different Mechanisms Of Chaperone Action To Prevent The Amorphous Versus Fibrillar Aggregation Of Α-Lactalbumin, Melissa Kulig, Heath Ecroyd

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

Stress conditions can destabilize proteins, promoting them to unfold and adopt intermediately folded states. Partially folded protein intermediates are unstable and prone to aggregation down off-folding pathways leading to the formation of either amorphous or amyloid fibril aggregates. The sHsp (small heat-shock protein) αB-crystallin acts as a molecular chaperone to prevent both amorphous and fibrillar protein aggregation; however, the precise molecular mechanisms behind its chaperone action are incompletely understood. To investigate whether the chaperone activity of αB-crystallin is dependent upon the form of aggregation (amorphous compared with fibrillar), bovine α-lactalbumin was developed as a model target protein that could be …


Earthly Indifference And Human Difference - Book Review, Lesley Head Sep 2012

Earthly Indifference And Human Difference - Book Review, Lesley Head

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

Inspired by, but also in reaction to the flattened topologies of Latourian relationality, Clark puts forward the notion of radical asymmetry. 'This is the bottom line of human being: we are utterly dependent on an earth and a cosmos that is, to a large degree, indifferent to us' (p. 50). With their disciplinary connection to the physical and natural sciences, geographers arguably need this lesson less than other social scientists. We should have learned it well from geologists who, spending their working lives in deepest time, tend to have a less anthropocentric perspective than others (perhaps accounting for their disproportionate …


Translocation Of The Eastern Bristlebird 2: Applying Principles To Two Case Studies, Jack Baker, David Bain, Jean Clarke, Kris French May 2012

Translocation Of The Eastern Bristlebird 2: Applying Principles To Two Case Studies, Jack Baker, David Bain, Jean Clarke, Kris French

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

The Eastern Bristlebird (Dasyornis brachypterus) is an endangered endemic passerine of south-eastern Australia. The re-establishment of extirpated populations through translocation was identified as a key action in New South Wales to address the threats to this species associated with habitat fragmentation and widespread and frequent fire. At Jervis Bay during 2003-2005, 50 birds were translocated from Bherwerre Peninsula to Beecroft Peninsula. In the Illawarra in 2008, 50 birds were translocated from Barren Grounds Nature Reserve to Cataract. At Jervis Bay, monitoring indicated that after 7 years, (i) there was no detectable impact on the source population from the removal of …


Simulation Study Of Ion Pairing In Concentrated Aqueous Salt Solutions With A Polarizable Force Field, Yun Luo, Wei Jiang, Haibo Yu, Alexander D. Mackerrell, Benoit Roux May 2012

Simulation Study Of Ion Pairing In Concentrated Aqueous Salt Solutions With A Polarizable Force Field, Yun Luo, Wei Jiang, Haibo Yu, Alexander D. Mackerrell, Benoit Roux

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

The accuracy of empirical force fields is critical for meaningful molecular dynamics simulations of concentrated ionic solutions. Current models are typically developed on the basis of single ion properties such as the monohydrate energy in the gas phase, or the absolute hydration free energy at infinite dilution. However, the failure of these models to represent accurately the properties of concentrated solutions cannot be excluded. Here, these issues are illustrated for a polarizable potential based on classical Drude oscillators. To model accurately concentrated ionic solutions, the parameters of the potential functions are optimized to reproduce osmotic pressure data. The sodium-chloride potential …


Polymorphic Male Color Morphs Visualized With Steroids In Monomorphic Females: A Tool For Designing Analysis Of Sex-Limited Trait Inheritance, Mats M. Olsson, Mo Healey, Mark Wilson, Michael Tobler Feb 2012

Polymorphic Male Color Morphs Visualized With Steroids In Monomorphic Females: A Tool For Designing Analysis Of Sex-Limited Trait Inheritance, Mats M. Olsson, Mo Healey, Mark Wilson, Michael Tobler

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

In diploid animals, males and females share most of the genome (except sex-specific elements, such as sex chromosome genes), yet despite sharing the underlying genes that hard-wire traits, males and females may differ in their phenotypes when traits are controlled by proximate mechanisms, such as hormones. In color polymorphic species where coloration is only expressed in one sex, the design of studies of the inheritance of color and coevolved morph-specific traits (e.g. territorial vs sneaker strategies, skewed energetic investment in territorial defense vs sperm production, etc.) is compromised as the expression of morph-coding genes is only visualized in one sex. …


Evaluation Of The Evidence Between Consumption Of Refined Grains And Health Outcomes, Peter G. Williams Feb 2012

Evaluation Of The Evidence Between Consumption Of Refined Grains And Health Outcomes, Peter G. Williams

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This review evaluates the available evidence on the relationship between consumption of refined grains and health outcomes. A total of 135 relevant articles were identified from database searches of studies published between 2000 and 2010. The great majority found no associations between the intake of refined grain foods and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, weight gain or overall mortality. A few studies found that very high intakes might be associated with some types of cancers, but at moderate levels of consumption the risks were not significant. The totality of evidence shows that consumption of up to 50% of all grain foods as …


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

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 …


Fish Consumption And Chd Mortality: An Updated Meta-Analysis Of Seventeen Cohort Studies, Jusheng Zheng, Tao Huang, Yinghua Yu, Xiaojie Hu, Bin Yang, Duo Li Jan 2012

Fish Consumption And Chd Mortality: An Updated Meta-Analysis Of Seventeen Cohort Studies, Jusheng Zheng, Tao Huang, Yinghua Yu, Xiaojie Hu, Bin Yang, Duo Li

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective Results of studies on fish consumption and CHD mortality are inconsistent. The present updated meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the up-to-date pooling effects. Design A random-effects model was used to pool the risk estimates. Generalized least-squares regression and restricted cubic splines were used to assess the possible dose–response relationship. Subgroup analyses were conducted to examine the sources of heterogeneity. Setting PubMed and ISI Web of Science databases up to September 2010 were searched and secondary referencing qualified for inclusion in the study. Subjects Seventeen cohorts with 315 812 participants and average follow-up period of 15·9 years were identified. Results …


Reflection Impulsivity In Adolescent Cannabis Users: A Comparison With Alcohol-Using And Non-Substance-Using Adolescents, Nadia Solowij, Katy A. Jones, Megan E. Rozman, Sasha M. Davis, Joseph Ciarrochi, Patrick C. L Heaven, Nicole Pesa, Dan I. Lubman, Murat Yucel Jan 2012

Reflection Impulsivity In Adolescent Cannabis Users: A Comparison With Alcohol-Using And Non-Substance-Using Adolescents, Nadia Solowij, Katy A. Jones, Megan E. Rozman, Sasha M. Davis, Joseph Ciarrochi, Patrick C. L Heaven, Nicole Pesa, Dan I. Lubman, Murat Yucel

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Rationale Reflection impulsivity-a failure to gather and evaluate information before making a decision-is a critical component of risk-taking and substance use behaviours, which are highly prevalent during adolescence. Objectives and methods The Information Sampling Test was used to assess reflection impulsivity in 175 adolescents (mean age 18.3, range 16.5-20; 55% female)-48 cannabis users (2.3 years use, 10.8 days/month), 65 alcohol users, and 62 non-substance-using controls-recruited from a longitudinal cohort and from the general community and matched for education and IQ. Cannabis and alcohol users were matched on levels of alcohol consumption. Results Cannabis users sampled to the lowest degree of …


Online Advertising: Examining The Content And Messages Within Websites Targeted At Children, Lisa Kervin, Sandra C. Jones, Jessica Mantei Jan 2012

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 Jan 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

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 Association Between Job Demands/Control And Health In Employed Parents: The Mediating Role Of Work-To-Family Interference And Enhancement, Christopher A. Magee, Natalie Stefanic, Peter Caputi, Donald C. Iverson Jan 2012

The Association Between Job Demands/Control And Health In Employed Parents: The Mediating Role Of Work-To-Family Interference And Enhancement, Christopher A. Magee, Natalie Stefanic, Peter Caputi, Donald C. Iverson

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

"This paper examined whether work-to-family interference (WFI) and work-to-family enhancement (WFE) mediated the association between job demands/control and self-reported mental and physical health. Data were from the Household, Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia survey and included 1,404 Australian adults aged 18-64 years at baseline; 820 participants provided data at three time points (baseline, 12-month follow-up, and 24-month follow-up). Self-report questionnaires assessed mental and physical health, WFI and WFE, and job demands/control. Mediation analyzes performed on the longitudinal data indicated that WFI mediated the relationships between job demands/control and self-reported mental and physical health. The findings have implications for improving …


Food Toxicity And Safety, Peter Williams Jan 2012

Food Toxicity And Safety, Peter Williams

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Key Points

• Despite the many potential health risks associated with foods, in practice the degree of risk associated with the modern food supply is extremely low.

• By far the most important hazards of significance are those from biological agents: pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi and a few toxic seafoods.

• Trends to larger-scale production, longer distribution chains in the food supply, increased eating away from the home and the emergence of new pathogens means foodborne illness continues to be a significant public health issue.

• The assessment of the safety of food additives is led internationally by JECFA, but …


Noise , Beno Groothoff, Faioh Coh Jan 2012

Noise , Beno Groothoff, Faioh Coh

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.


Vection During Conflicting Multisensory Information About The Axis, Magnitude And Direction Of Self-Motion, April Ash, Stephen Palmisano Jan 2012

Vection During Conflicting Multisensory Information About The Axis, Magnitude And Direction Of Self-Motion, April Ash, Stephen Palmisano

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

We examined the vection induced by consistent and conflicting multisensory information about self-motion. Observers viewed displays simulating constant-velocity self-motion in depth while physically oscillating their heads left ^ right or back ^ forth in time with a metronome. Their tracked head movements were either ignored or incorporated directly into the self-motion display (as an added simulated self-acceleration). When this head oscillation was updated into displays, sensory conflict was generated by simulating oscillation along: (i) an orthogonal axis to the head movement; or (ii) the same axis, but in a non-ecological direction. Simulated head oscillation always produced stronger vection than `no …


Measuring Women's Beliefs About Glass Ceilings: Development Of The Career Pathways Survey, Paul Smith, Nadia Crittenden, Peter Caputi Jan 2012

Measuring Women's Beliefs About Glass Ceilings: Development Of The Career Pathways Survey, Paul Smith, Nadia Crittenden, Peter Caputi

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to develop a new measure called the Career Pathways Survey (CPS) which allows quantitative comparisons of women's beliefs about glass ceilings. Design/methodology/approach - A 34-item version of the CPS was completed by 243 women from all levels of management, mostly in Australia. An expanded 38-item CPS was administered to another sample of women (N = 307). Findings - Analyses of data from both studies yielded a four factor model of attitudes to glass ceilings: resilience, acceptance, resignation and denial. The factors demonstrated good internal consistency. Practical implications - The CPS allows a …


The Effect Of Dairy Consumption On Blood Pressure In Mid-Childhood: Caps Cohort Study, A M. Rangan, V L. Flood, G Denyer, J G. Ayer, K L. Webb, G B. Marks, D S. Celermajer, Tim Gill Jan 2012

The Effect Of Dairy Consumption On Blood Pressure In Mid-Childhood: Caps Cohort Study, A M. Rangan, V L. Flood, G Denyer, J G. Ayer, K L. Webb, G B. Marks, D S. Celermajer, Tim Gill

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background/objectives: It has been postulated that higher dairy consumption may affect blood pressure regulation. The aim of this study was to examine the association between dairy consumption and blood pressure in mid-childhood. Methods: Subjects (n=335) were participants of a birth cohort at high risk of asthma withinformation on diet at 18 months and blood pressure at 8 years. Multivariate analyses were used to assess the association of dairy consumption (serves) and micronutrient intakes (mg) at 18 m with blood pressure at 8 y. In a subgroup of children (n=201), dietary intake was measured at age 18 m and 9 y …


Comparing Attitudes To Fish Consumption Between Clinical Trial Participants And Non-Trial Individuals, Elizabeth P. Neale, Deborah Nolan-Clark, Yasmine C. Probst, Marijka J. Batterham, Linda C. Tapsell Jan 2012

Comparing Attitudes To Fish Consumption Between Clinical Trial Participants And Non-Trial Individuals, Elizabeth P. Neale, Deborah Nolan-Clark, Yasmine C. Probst, Marijka J. Batterham, Linda C. Tapsell

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Aim: The study aims to investigate attitudes and perceptions influencing fish consumption in a sample of clinical trial participants and compare these perceptions to those expressed by a sample of adults not involved in the trial. Methods: Six semi-structured focus groups were conducted; three with participants of a weight loss trial which incorporated specific and general fish consumption advice (n = 15) and three with nontrial participants from the same study population (n = 14). All data were recorded digitally and transcribed verbatim by the moderator. Data analysis was carried out using NVivo (QSR International Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia). …


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 Jan 2012

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. …


Measurung Plate Waste In Hospitals, Karen L. Walton, Jacquie Krassie Jan 2012

Measurung Plate Waste In Hospitals, Karen L. Walton, Jacquie Krassie

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

It has been suggested that the median plate wastage in hospitals is approximately 30% (range of 6–65%). The level of hospital food wastage is influenced by numerous parameters, including the menu, the setting, diet type, the type of food service distribution system used and its flexibility. Some food wastage is inevitable, as appetites are unpredictable. However, large amounts of food waste have a huge financial cost; and more importantly, it indicates that patients are not likely to be meeting their nutritional requirements. ‘Food is an integral and important part of a patient’s treatment but the food must be consumed if …


Are Parents' Working Patterns Associated With Their Child's Sleep? An Analysis Of Dual-Parent Families In Australia, Christopher A. Magee, Peter Caputi, Don C. Iverson Jan 2012

Are Parents' Working Patterns Associated With Their Child's Sleep? An Analysis Of Dual-Parent Families In Australia, Christopher A. Magee, Peter Caputi, Don C. Iverson

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Insufficient sleep in children predicts emotional and behavioral problems, poorer school performance, and health problems. Child sleep durations have declined in recent decades, suggesting a need to identify and understand predictors of short sleep. The present study investigated whether aspects of parental employment (i.e. parental work hours, and non-standard work hours) were associated with sleep in children. Data collected from 2477 children aged 6–7 years as part of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children were used in this paper. Child sleep duration, bedtimes, and wake times were determined from parent self-report using time-use diaries. Parents completed a survey assessing their …


What Influences Australian Women To Not Drink During Pregnancy?, Sandra C. Jones, Joanne Telenta Jan 2012

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 …


Dementia And Driving: An Approach For General Practice, John Carmody, Victoria Traynor, Donald C. Iverson Jan 2012

Dementia And Driving: An Approach For General Practice, John Carmody, Victoria Traynor, Donald C. Iverson

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background As our population ages, the proportion of drivers with dementia will continue to rise. Increasingly, health professionals are faced with the clinical dilemma of determining fitness to drive. Unfortunately, the management of drivers with dementia is fraught with hazards.

Objective This article attempts to provide an overview of the complex issue of driving and dementia as it relates to general practitioners in Australia. In addition, an evidence based management strategy is proposed.

Discussion When determining an individual’s fitness to drive, a clinician’s input may have legal, ethical, emotional and social ramifications. At present, a clear consistent national protocol detailing …