Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Do We Have The Reliable Data? An Exploration Of Data Quality For Aids Information System In China, Hong Chen, Ping Yu, Ning Wang

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

A national AIDS program evaluation system has been applied to the ranking of the performance of involved public health organizations in China since 2007. The system provides quantitative performance comparison information based on automatic mining of the data stored in a unified web-based national information system, China AIDS Comprehensive Response Information Management System (the CRIMS). Hence, the quality of the AIDS program evaluation system is directly related to the data quality in the CRIMS. This study aims to evaluate the performance of the AIDS program evaluation system. The research method is qualitative interview of public health practitioners in Jiangxi Province. …

How Do Dentists Understand Evidence And Adopt It In Practice?, Alexandra Sbaraini, Stacy M. Carter, R Wendell Evans

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Although there is now a large evidence-based dentistry literature, previous investigators have shown that dentists often consider research evidence irrelevant to their practice. To understand why this is the case, we conducted a qualitative study. Objective: Our aim was to identify how dentists define evidence and how they adopt it in practice. Methods: A qualitative study using grounded theory methodology was conducted. Ten dentists working in eight dental practices were interviewed about their experience and work processes while adopting evidence-based preventive care. Analysis involved transcript coding, detailed memo writing, and data interpretation. Results: Findings revealed that dentists' direct observations - …

Experiences Of Dental Care: What Do Patients Value?, Alexandra Sbaraini, Stacy M. Carter, R Wendell Evans, Anthony Blinkhorn

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background Dentistry in Australia combines business and health care service, that is, the majority of patients pay money for tangible dental procedures such as fluoride applications, dental radiographs, dental fillings, crowns, and dentures among others. There is evidence that patients question dentists' behaviours and attitudes during a dental visit when those highly technical procedures are performed. However, little is known about how patients' experience dental care as a whole. This paper illustrates the findings from a qualitative study recently undertaken in general dental practice in Australia. It focuses on patients' experiences of dental care, particularly on the relationship between patients …

Do We Provide Meaningful Guidance For Healthy Eating? An Investigation Into Consumers' Interpretation Of Frequency Consumption Terms, Lesley King, Wendy L. Watson, Kathy Chapman, Bridget Kelly, Jimmy Chun Yu Louie, Clare Hughes, Jennifer Crawford, Timothy P. Gill

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

OBJECTIVE: To investigate consumers' understanding of terms commonly used to provide guidance about frequency and quantity of food consumption. METHODS: A survey of 405 shoppers explored how frequently consumers thought food labeled with the terms "eat often," "eat moderately," "eat occasionally," "a sometimes food," and "an extra food" should be eaten. In a separate phase, 30 grocery buyers responded to open-ended questions about their interpretation of these terms. RESULTS: Responses indicated significant differences in meaning between the terms. However, the specific interpretation of each term varied considerably across respondents. The qualitative research found the terms to be highly subjective, and …

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, …

What I Say Isn't Always What I Do: Investigating Differences In Children's Reported And Actual Snack Food Preferences, Sandra C. Jones, Lisa Kervin, Samantha Reis, Parri Gregory

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The current study sought to explore discrepancies between children's stated snack food motivations and actual food choices, using the Implicit Association Test (IAT) as a measure of implicit attitudes towards 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' foods. Participants were children aged 6-12 years (n=118), from two primary schools on the South Coast of NSW, Australia - a public school in a semi-rural suburb south of a sea-side city and a public school in a largely residential northern suburb of the same city. The children completed a questionnaire about motivations for snack choices, participated in an activity, completed two further questionnaires, selected snack foods …

Why Do Some Business Relationships Persist Despite Dissatisfaction? A Social Exchange Review, Venkata K. Yanamandram, Lesley White

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper reviews the relevant theories and marketing literature to develop a theoretical foundation for understanding the process and outcome of struggling business-to-business (B2B) customer relationships. Specifically, the paper provides a social exchange perspective of the factors that influence the likelihood of dissatisfied customers remaining in a present relationship by serving as deterrents to discontinuing the relationship. In doing so, the paper identifies the common features of, noteworthy differences among, and gaps in these theories. The paper also connects determinant factors to an outcome variable in order to explain what drives a customer in managing an unsatisfying business relationship, and …

Do Neighbourhoods Have Effects On Wages? A Study Of Migrant Workers In Urban China, Zhiming Cheng, Haining Wang

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Rural-to-urban migrant workers have contributed enormously to the Chinese economy and society in the past three decades. Many of them have concentrated in disadvantaged neighbourhoods and physically and socially suffered from poor residential environment. However it is unclear how the neighbourhoods-as the provision of shelter, social and public service, and community organizing-influence migrant workers' labour market outcomes. To fill this gap, this paper researches the way in which urban neighbourhoods have affected migrant workers' wages. Factors such as housing quality, social interaction and trust, and neighbourhood organization and participation were examined. Results show that five of eight neighbourhood characteristics had …

Suppression Of Dissent: What It Is And What To Do About It, Brian Martin

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

Suppression of dissent is defined; reasons for it are described; examples are given; responses are outlined.

Activity Counts From Accelerometers Do Not Add Value To Energy Expenditure Predictions In Sedentary Overweight Individuals During Weight Loss Interventions, Sze Yen Tan, Marijka Batterham, Linda C. Tapsell

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Knowing the total energy expenditure (TEE) of overweight adults is important for prescribing weight loss interventions. However, objective measurements of TEE may not always be readily available and can be expensive. This study aimed to investigate the validity of RT3 accelerometers in predicting the TEE of sedentary overweight adults, and to identify any sensitivity to anthropometric changes. Methods: The analysis used data from a 12-week weight loss study. At baseline and 12-week, TEE was predicted using RT3 accelerometers during whole room calorimeter stays. Bias between 2 methods was compared at and between the baseline and 12-week measurement points. Multiple …

Do Therapeutic Homework Assignments Address Areas Of Need For Individuals With Severe Mental Illness?, Peter Kelly, Frank P. Deane

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The current study explores the types of homework assignments used in a recovery orientated case management approach. It also examines the relationship between the types of homework used and the clients’ area of need as rated on the CANSAS. There were 129 client and mental health case manager dyads that participated in the study. Written copies of all homework assignments administered during the 12-month research period were collected (N = 1,054). The homework assignments were categorised according to the ‘type’ and the ‘need domain addressed by the task’. The majority of these tasks were behavioural in nature. On a group …

Do Australian Adolescent Female Fake Tan (Sunless Tan) Users Practice Better Sun-Protection Behaviors Than Non-Users?, Melinda Williams, Sandra C. Jones, Peter Caputi, Donald C. Iverson

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: To determine differences in sun-protection behaviours, and incidence of sunburn, between Australian adolescent female fake tan users and non-users. Design: Cross sectional survey. Method: 398 adolescent females aged 12 to 18 years participated in a survey at public venues, schools, and online. The main outcome measures were self-reported fake tan usage in the past 12 months, frequency of sunburns and habitual sun-protection behaviours. Setting: Surveys were completed in New South Wales, Australia. Results: The prevalence of self-reported use of fake tanning products in the past 12 months among Australian adolescent females was 34.5%. Female fake tan users were significantly …

Who Do Parents Perceive Is Pressuring Them To Buy Unhealthy (And Healthy) Foods?, Sandra C. Jones, Laura Robinson, Lisa Kervin

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Increasingly, academic and lay discussion of children’s nutrition has focused on the role of the media, and marketing more generally, in influencing children’s food choices. While numerous studies have focused on the direct effects of chidlren’s exposure to advertisng on their food preferences and choices, there have been fewer studies on the role of marketing in influencing parent’s decisions about what foods they give to their child. We surveyed parents about their children’s food requests and the perceived influences on their food choices; and found that parents experience, or perceive, a number of external pressures on them in making food …

Why Do Medical Students Volunteer To Train Simulated Patients? A Qualitative Evaluation Of Motivations And Incentives, E Ashcroft, I Potter, J Bushnell

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

The willingness to actively volunteer is an expected trait of medical students. Their compliance to participate in teaching and learning interventions is well described in the medical education literature The purpose of this investigation is to determine whether medical students' motivations to volunteer are congruent with motivational drives of other community members. We recruited eighteen (18) medical students, who contributed to the 2010 patient volunteer training as interview partners. One focus of their involvement was to develop feedback skills in newly recruited simulated patients. Ten (10) of these students participated in our audio-recorded focus group interviews. A thematic analysis of …

Understanding The Behaviour Of The Target Market: What Do Adolescents Think About When Asked Questions About Their Behaviour In The Sun?, Melinda Williams, Sandra C. Jones, Peter Caputi, Donald C. Iverson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

We undertook a project to develop a psychometrically sound instrument measuring adolescent sun-related behavior for use in the evaluation of a social marketing program. During the preliminary stages, we conducted a pilot study to test the face validity of the instrument with adolescents. Think-aloud sessions were completed with 24 adolescents. Results identified gaps in our understanding of adolescent sun-related behavior. Adolescents interpreted 'tanning' as specifically lying at the beach in the sun, however also reported behaviours to 'get a bit of sun', suggesting adolescents and researchers have different interpretations of key terms. The study highlights that use of the think-aloud …

The Hollow-Face Illusion In Infancy: Do Infants See A Screen Based Rotating Hollow Mask As Hollow?, Aki Tsuruhara, Emi Nakato, Yumiko Otsuka, So Kanazawa, Masami K. Yamaguchi, Harold Hill

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

We investigated whether infants experience the hollow-face illusion using a screen-based presentation of a rotating hollow mask. In experiment 1 we examined preferential looking between rotating convex and concave faces. Adults looked more at the concave—illusory convex—face which appears to counter rotate. Infants of 7- to 8-month-old infants preferred the convex face, and 5- to 6-month-olds showed no preference. While older infants discriminate, their preference differed from that of adults possibly because they don’t experience the illusion or counter rotation. In experiment 2 we tested preference in 7- to 8-month-olds for angled convex and concave static faces both before and …

How To Do A Grounded Theory Study: A Worked Example Of A Study Of Dental Practices, Alexandra Sbaraini, Stacy M. Carter, R Wendell Evans, Anthony Blinkhorn

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Qualitative methodologies are increasingly popular in medical research. Grounded theory is the methodology most-often cited by authors of qualitative studies in medicine, but it has been suggested that many 'grounded theory' studies are not concordant with the methodology. In this paper we provide a worked example of a grounded theory project. Our aim is to provide a model for practice, to connect medical researchers with a useful methodology, and to increase the quality of 'grounded theory' research published in the medical literature.

What Users Do: Sa&D With The Atsa Method, Robert B. K Brown, Ian C. Piper

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Incomplete or inefficient elicitation, comprehension and transmission of client requirements are all sources of information system (IS) failure rates. Requirements may be missed, misunderstood or miscommunicated for the lack of a single, consistent, informing theory. Structured requirements elicitations techniques impose time delays. Cursory techniques can fail to reach any mutual understanding with the stakeholder. Formal methods can fail to cope with non-functional requirements and coder-oriented methods can put the cart before the horse, delivering something other than required. Agile methods can deliver hasty product, cobbled to meet first-cut requirements, perhaps justified by a notion that users cannot reach stable conclusions.

Do Pregnant Women And Those At Risk Of Developing Post-Natal Depression Consume Lower Amounts Of Long Chain Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids?, Victoria F. Cosatto, Paul L. Else, Barbara J. Meyer

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The aims were to compare intakes of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC n-3 PUFA) in pregnant and non-pregnant women in Australia and to compare these intakes to the Australian National Nutrition Survey of 1995 (NNS95) [1] and to determine if the LC n-3 PUFA intakes differed in women who may be ‘at risk’ compared with women ‘not at risk’ of developing post-natal depression (PND). A validated LC n-3 PUFA food frequency questionnaire and pregnant women’s Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores were used. LC n-3 PUFA intakes were comparable to the NNS95 but did not differ due to …

Do Non-Cholinergic Efferent Pathways Have A Functional Relevance During The Thermal And Non-Thermal Stimulation Of Human Eccrine Sweat Glands?, Christiano A. Machado-Moreira, Peter L. Mclennan, Stephen Lillioja, W Van Dijk, Joanne N. Caldwell, Nigel A. S Taylor

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Do Clinical Outcome Measures Assess Consumer-Defined Recovery?, Retta Andresen, Peter Caputi, Lindsay G. Oades

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There is an international call for mental health services to become recovery-oriented, and also to use evidence based practices. Addressing this call requires recovery-oriented measurement of outcomes and service evaluation.Mental health consumers view recovery as leading as meaningful life, and have criticised traditional clinical measures for being too disability-oriented. This study compares three measures of consumer-defined recovery fromenduring mental illness: the Recovery Assessment Scale, the Mental Health Recovery Measure and the Self-Identified Stage of Recovery, with four conventional clinical measures. Correlational analyses supported the convergent validity of the recovery measures, although certain subscaleswere unrelated to each other. More importantly, little …

Do Health Beliefs And Behaviors Differ According To Severity Of Obesity? A Qualitative Study Of Australian Adults, Sophie Lewis, Samantha L. Thomas, R. Warwick Blood, Jim Hyde, David J. Castle, Paul A. Komesaroff

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Public responses to obesity have focused on providing standardized messages and supports to all obese individuals, but there is limited understanding of the impact of these messages on obese adults. This descriptive qualitative study using in-depth interviews and a thematic method of analysis, compares the health beliefs and behaviors of 141 Australian adults with mild to moderate (BMI 30−39.9) and severe (BMI ≥ 40) obesity. Mildly obese individuals felt little need to change their health behaviors or to lose weight for health reasons. Most believed they could “lose weight” if they needed to, distanced themselves from the word obesity, and …

Do Spirituality And Religiosity Help In The Management Of Cravings In Substance Abuse Treatment?, Sarah J. Mason, Frank P. Deane, Peter Kelly, Trevor P. Crowe

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of spirituality, religiosity and self-efficacy with drug and/or alcohol cravings. A cross-sectional survey was completed by 77 male participants at an Australian Salvation Army residential rehabilitation service in 2007. The survey included questions relating to the participants’ drug and/or alcohol use and also measures for spirituality, religiosity, cravings, and self-efficacy. The sample included participants aged between 19 and 74 years, with more than 57% reporting a diagnosis for a mental disorder and 78% reporting polysubstance misuse with alcohol most frequently endorsed as the primary drug of concern (71%). Seventy-five percent …

What Do Publics Want From The Planning System?, Kevin M. Dunn, Pauline M. Mcguirk, Awais Piracha, Danielle A. Pelleri, Paul J. Maginn, Michael W. Buxton, Peter J. Phibbs

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Reforms to planning processes in Australia have been prefaced by assertions about what 'the public' wants from a planning system. The reforms involve a familiar mix of streamlining privatism centralisation and curtailed public consultation. Despite a demonstrable lack of local government or public consultation on the reforms in New South Wales they were justified by the then Planning Minister Frank Sartor as enacting the broader community's desires about how the planning system should be reformed. In this paper claims about public opinion collected from media releases forums discussion papers ministerial documents and legislation are analysed. Seven sets of planning principles …

Do Organisational Characteristics Explain The Differences Between Drivers Of Ict Adoption In Rural And Urban General Practices In Australia, Robert C. Macgregor, Peter N. Hyland, Charles Harvie

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

A number of studies have compared general medical practices in rural locations with those in urban locations. Some of these studies have concentrated on the reasons why a GP might choose to work in a rural or urban setting. Others have examined the type of work required to be undertaken by medical professionals. Increasing use of information and communications technology (ICT) in medical practices has led to some studies examining their use in rural as well as urban settings. However, little if any research has examined whether ICT adoption drivers differ between rural and urban GPs based on their organisational …

You Have To Make Something Of All That Rubbish, Do You? An Empirical Investigation Of The Social Process Of Qualitative Research, Stacy M. Carter, Christopher F. Jordens, Catherine Mcgrath, Miles Little

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In this article, we examine participants' talk about qualitative research. We provide empirical support for post-structural theorizations of the interview and propose three distinct but related dimensions of qualitative research: emotional, purposive/relational, and epistemic/ontological. In this study, participants often became upset but constructed participation as enjoyable and cathartic. The purpose of participation was to assist the communities to which one belonged. Participation was an active, reflexive practice that reconstructed the self and changed knowledge about one's self. This latter epistemic/ontological dimension of participation appeared to be the most compelling for participants, but it is also the hardest to observe, with …

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

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Do Children's Food Preferences Align With Dietary Recommendations?, C G. Russell, Anthony Worsley

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objectives To examine how Australian children's reported everyday food preferences reflect dietary recommendations, and the impact of sociodemographic factors on these associations.

Design Cross-sectional survey.

Setting/subjects Three hundred and seventy-one parents of children aged 2–5 years, recruited from three socio-economic groups in two Australian cities, completed a survey on their child's liking for 176 foods and drinks on a 5-point Likert scale in addition to demographic descriptors. Preferences were compared with the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating.

Results Foods in the Extra Foods (non-nutritious foods) and …

Beyond The Rhetoric: What Do We Mean By A 'Model Of Care'?, Patricia Davidson, Elizabeth Halcomb, L Hickman, J Phillips, B Graham

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

Background: Contemporary health care systems are constantly challenged to revise traditional methods of health care delivery. These challenges are multifaceted and stem from: (1) novel pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments; (2) changes in consumer demands and expectations; (3) fiscal and resource constraints; (4) changes in societal demographics in particular the ageing of society; (5) an increasing burden of chronic disease; (6) documentation of limitations in traditional health care delivery; (7) increased emphasis on transparency, accountability, evidence-based practice (EBP) and clinical governance structures; and (8) the increasing cultural diversity of the community. These challenges provoke discussion of potential alternative models of care, …

Copper In Marine Waters: What Does It Do To Microalgae?, Brad Angel

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Coastal waters adjacent to industrialised catchments are likely to receive contaminants from urban run-off, storm water drains, and industrial effluent discharges. While routine monitoring may indicate that contaminant concentrations are below levels of regulatory concern, there is generally a poor understanding of the rate, concentration and consistency of contaminant inputs and the associated biological effects.