Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Work Change In Multiple Sclerosis As Motivated By The Pursuit Of Illness-Work-Life Balance: A Qualitative Study, Lavanya Vijayasingham, Uma Jogulu, Pascale Allotey

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Individuals with multiple sclerosis have a tendency to make early decisions for work change, even in reversible, episodic, or mild disease stages. To better understand how a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis influences perceptions of work and motivations for work changes, we conducted a hermeneutic phenomenology study to explore the work lives of ten individuals with MS in Malaysia. The interpretive analysis and cumulative narratives depict an overarching change in their concept of ideal work and life aspirations and how participants make preemptive work changes to manage illness-work-life futures in subjectively meaningful ways. Discussions on their integrated pursuit of finding dynamic …

"Active Team" A Social And Gamified App-Based Physical Activity Intervention: Randomised Controlled Trial Study Protocol, Sarah Edney, Ronald Plotnikoff, Corneel Vandelanotte, Tim Olds, Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij, Jillian Ryan, Carol Maher

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

Physical inactivity is a leading preventable cause of chronic disease and premature death globally, yet over half of the adult Australian population is inactive. To address this, web-based physical activity interventions, which have the potential to reach large numbers of users at low costs, have received considerable attention. To fully realise the potential of such interventions, there is a need to further increase their appeal to boost engagement and retention, and sustain intervention effects over longer periods of time. This randomised controlled trial aims to evaluate the efficacy of a gamified physical activity intervention that connects users to each …

“Looking Over The Backyard Fence”: Householders And Mosquito Control, Samir Mainali, Ram Sharan Lamichhane, Kim Clark, Shelley Beatty, Maria Fatouros, Peter Neville, Jacques Oosthuizen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background:

Vector-borne diseases are a significant public health problem in Western Australia. Mosquitoes are responsible for the transmission of a number of pathogens and may pose a serious nuisance problem. Prevention efforts in the State are multi-faceted and include physical, chemical, and cultural control methods for restricting mosquito breeding. This is less complex where breeding areas are located within public open spaces. In Australia’s developed urban areas, breeding sites are, however, frequently located within private residential landholdings, where the scope of public health officials to act is constrained by law and practicality. Consequently, mosquito prevention in these locations is …

High Prevalence Of Toxigenic Clostridium Difficile In Public Space Lawns In Western Australia, Peter Moono, Su Chen Lim, Thomas V. Riley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Clostridium difficile is a well-established hospital pathogen. Recently, it has been detected increasingly in patients without hospital contact. Given this rise in community associated infections with C. difficile, we hypothesized that the environment could play an important role in transmission of spores outside the hospital. Lawn samples (311) collected in public spaces in the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia, from February to June 2016 were cultured for C. difficile. C. difficile was isolated from the samples by direct and enrichment culture, and characterized by standard molecular methods using toxin gene PCR and ribotyping. The overall prevalence of …

Ethnographic Insights Into Safety Communication For Frontline Workers, Kelly Jaunzems, Lelia Green, David Leith, Christine Teague

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Recent calls for organisation studies to embrace ‘the practice turn’ (Whittington, 2011) have expanded into an understanding of the potential for ethnographic research in occupational health and safety (OHS) research (Pink et al., 2016). The ethnographic project described here, with fieldwork conducted between 2008 and 2010, is one element of this growing appreciation of the potential for qualitative research in industrial settings. Ethnographies have not often been used in OHS settings, and ‘much practicebased knowledge remains undocumented, informal, unspoken and thus unaccounted for’ (Pink et al., 2016, p. 27). This study was motivated by an aim to make explicit the …

Health-Care Workers’ Occupational Exposures To Body Fluids In 21 Countries In Africa: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Asa Auta, Emmanuel O. Adewuyi, Amom Tor-Anyiin, David Aziz, Esther Ogbole, Brian O. Ogbonna, Davies Adeloye

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objective

To estimate the lifetime and 12-month prevalence of occupational exposure to body fluids among health-care workers in Africa.

Methods

Embase®, PubMed® and CINAHL databases were systematically searched for studies published between January 2000 and August 2017 that reported the prevalence of occupational exposure to blood or other body fluids among health-care workers in Africa. The continent-wide prevalence of exposure was estimated using random-effects meta-analysis.

Findings

Of the 904 articles identified, 65 studies from 21 African countries were included. The estimated pooled lifetime and 12-month prevalence of occupational exposure to body fluids were 65.7% (95% confidence interval, CI: 59.7–71.6) and …

The Physical Health Dilemmas Facing Custodial Grandparent Caregivers: Policy Considerations, Myra F. Taylor, Ruth Marquis, David A. Coall, Rachel Batten, Jenni Werner

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objective:

This study sought to determine what impact the task of raising grandchildren is having on custodial grandparents’ physical health.

Design and Methods:

Thematic analysis was conducted on interview data collected from 49 custodial grandparents.

Results:

The task of raising grandchildren on a fixed-income is difficult for grandparents with limited respite-care options. Hence, they periodically face the dilemma of deciding whether to defer or not defer their own health needs so they can continue to care for their grandchildren. Grandparents are also wary of asking for health-related respite-care assistance: (i) in case their asking is perceived as an admission they …

Users' Experiences Of Wearable Activity Trackers: A Cross-Sectional Study, Carol Maher, Jillian Ryan, Christina Ambrosi, Sarah Edney

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

Wearable activity trackers offer considerable promise for helping users to adopt healthier lifestyles. This study aimed to explore users’ experience of activity trackers, including usage patterns, sharing of data to social media, perceived behaviour change (physical activity, diet and sleep), and technical issues/barriers to use.

Methods

A cross-sectional online survey was developed and administered to Australian adults who were current or former activity tracker users. Results were analysed descriptively, with differences between current and former users and wearable brands explored using independent samples t-tests, Mann-Whitney, and chi square tests.

Results

Participants included 200 current and 37 former activity tracker …

Plain Language Review Of Diabetes Among Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People, Kathy Ride

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This review provides an overview of key information on diabetes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. The review focuses mostly on type 2 diabetes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people because type 2 diabetes is responsible for the majority of cases of diabetes in this population. However, the review also refers to type 1 diabetes and gestational diabetes where information is available. It provides a historical, social and cultural background to the development of diabetes, and the behavioural and medical factors that contribute to diabetes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

It provides information on …

Over-Provision Of Discretionary Foods At Childcare Dilutes The Nutritional Quality Of Diets For Children, Ruth M. Wallace, Leesa N. Costello, Amanda Devine

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The childcare setting can significantly influence the lifelong eating habits and health outcomes of children.It is ideal for health-promoting interventions that optimise the provision of nutritious food and nutrition education. Unfortunately, these interventions are neither offered nor promoted in many childcare settings. Recent studies have indicated an increased risk of overweight/obesity with childcare attendance, which if present in early life is associated with increased risk of chronic disease and reduced psychological wellbeing.

Overview Of Australian Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Health Status 2016, Anomie, Michael Adams, Trish Amaranti, Jane Burns, Samantha Burrow, Neil Drew, Michelle Elwell, Jesse John Fleay, Caitlin Gray, Millie Harford-Mills, Joanne Hoareau, Renee Lynch, Andrea Macrae, Juliette Mundy, Christine Potter, Miranda Poynton, Kathy Ride, Avinna Trzesinski, Library Services, Graham Barker, Lawrence Rutherford

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This report provides a comprehensive overview of the most recent indicators of the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Information focuses on:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations
• the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
• various measures of population health status
• selected health conditions
• health risk and protective factors.

The Overview shows that the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continues to improve slowly and there has been a decline in the death rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and also a significant closing of the gap in death rates …

Prevalence And Molecular Epidemiology Of Clostridium Difficile Infection In Indonesia, Deirdre Collins, M. H. Gasem, T. H. Habibie, I. G. Arinton, P. Hendriyanto, A. P. Hartana, T. V. Riley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Clostridium difficile has not been studied in detail in Asia, particularly Southeast Asia. We thus performed a prevalence study across four hospitals in Central Java province, Indonesia. Stool samples were collected from patients with diarrhoea and tested by enzyme immunoassay for glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and toxin A/B (C DIFF QUIK CHEK COMPLETE, TechLab). Specimens were cultured and molecular typing was performed. In total, 340 samples were tested, of which 70 (20.6%) were GDH positive, with toxin detected in 19 (5.6%). Toxigenic C. difficile was isolated from 37 specimens (10.9%), while a further 36 (10.6%) nontoxigenic isolates were identified. The most …

Impact Of Family-Friendly Prison Policies On Health, Justice And Child Protection Outcomes For Incarcerated Mothers And Their Dependent Children: A Cohort Study Protocol, Helen Myers, Leonie Segal, Derek Lopez, Ian W. Li, David B. Preen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction

Female imprisonment has numerous health and social sequelae for both women prisoners and their children. Examples of comprehensive family-friendly prison policies that seek to improve the health and social functioning of women prisoners and their children exist but have not been evaluated. This study will determine the impact of exposure to a family-friendly prison environment on health, child protection and justice outcomes for incarcerated mothers and their dependent children.

Methods and analysis

A longitudinal retrospective cohort design will be used to compare outcomes for mothers incarcerated at Boronia Pre-release Centre, a women’s prison with a dedicated family-friendly environment, and …

Prevalence Of Epilepsy In China Between 1990 And 2015: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Peige Song, Yezhou Liu, Xinwei Yu, Jingjing Wu, Adrienne N. Poon, Alessandro R. Demaio, Wei Wang, Igor D. Rudan, Kityee Chan

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Epilepsy is a major neurological disorder that affects approximately 65 million people worldwide. Globally, the burden of epilepsy is not evenly distributed, with more than 80% of sufferers residing in low- and middle-income countries. This study estimates the burden of epilepsy in mainland China from 1990 to 2015 and explores the variations of burden by age and gender.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature from 1990 to 2015 using Chinese and English academic databases (CNKI, WanFang, VIP and PubMed) to identify population- based prospective studies on the prevalence of epilepsy in mainland Chinese. Multilevel mixed-effects …