bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
State Welfare Reform and Political Partisanship, 1992–1996
Authors: McGeever Patrick J.
Published: August 2010

Eighty‐six requests to the federal government for waivers to existing welfare law, made by forty‐three states between 1992 and 1996, are examined and grouped into twenty distinct types. The political party of the governor in the requesting state is used as the independent variable. Hypotheses are formulated based on received notions of the major parties' orientation toward welfare programs, alleging that Democrats would be more likely than Republicans to maintain or expand existing benefits or to offer new benefits, while Republicans would be more likely than Democrats to reduce their states' responsibilities toward the poor, to impose new behavioral requirements on recipients, and to seek waivers that might result in increased competition for low‐end jobs. The last of these hypotheses proves to be the most robust, while others are rejected entirely. It is concluded that statehouse Democrats may be abandoning the working poor, but their Republican counterparts are sedulously serving the needs of their business constituency.
The Politics of Trash: Solid Waste Disposal, the Interstate Commerce Clause, and Congress
Authors: McDowell James L.
Published: August 2010

The generation of increasing amounts of solid waste and the resulting interstate shipment of refuse to other parts of the nation for disposal have become not only a major environmental concern but also a serious political issue that remains unresolved. This paper examines the public policy process which has produced only “nondecisions.” It surveys efforts of various states to resist becoming dumping grounds for other states' garbage and reviews the position of the national courts that individual states cannot ban out‐of‐state trash in violation of the dormant Commerce Clause, in effect erecting barriers to the effective functioning of a national economy. Finally, the study considers reasons why attempts in the Congress to regulate the interstate shipment of solid waste have thus far proved unsuccessful.
Europeanization and the Communist Successor Parties in Post‐Communist Politics
Authors: Ishiyama John
Published: August 2010

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the domestic political consequences of “Europeanization.” This article seeks to focus on developing a framework by which the effects of Europeanization on the communist successor parties might be investigated and to initially examine that framework in light of the evidence presented by four “critical cases”—the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM), the Party of Social Democrats of Romania (PDSR/PSD), and the Party of the Democratic Left in Slovakia (SDL). Using textual analysis of party programs to ascertain the identity of the parties, and examining their organizational structures, this article finds that Europeanization itself does not explain the evolution of political parties in post‐communist politics. Rather, domestic political considerations play a more important role in shaping these parties.
Can the BBC Compete to Deliver “More Than Just What Consumers Want”?1
Authors: Mena‐Aleman David
Published: August 2010

This article comments on how the British Broadcasting Corporation sought to create interest in, provide information of, and encourage public debate on, the issues of the 2005 British General Election in its terrestrial television programs. I argue that delivering high quality news programs is a key democratic purpose and seek to highlight that election programs are a key component of a sophisticated package of guarantees for a safe, intelligent, and meaningful participation within the democratic process. Such guarantees are, however, threatened by the conditions of a multichannel/multimedia environment. My aim is to provide some initial reflections on, and generate further discussion concerning, how the BBC could provide better election programs. In doing so, I hope to highlight the importance of its election campaign provision within a multichannel/multimedia environment.
Form of Government and Community Values: The Case of Tuskegee, Alabama
Authors: Watson Douglas J. , Hassett Wendy L. , Caver Floun’say R.
Published: August 2010

Each year, dozens of U.S. communities change or attempt to change their forms of government. The authors argue that the two primary forms of local government are based on different values, identified as paradigms, and that there are groups in most communities that favor one paradigm over the other. When there is enough dissatisfaction in the way the existing form of government is performing, the group that favors the alternate paradigm proposes substantial changes to the existing form or replacement of it by the other form. To illustrate the community dynamics involved in a change of governmental form, the authors present a case study of Tuskegee, Alabama.
The Missing Link: Regionalism as a First Step Toward Globalizing U.S. Environmental Security Policy
Authors: Below Amy
Published: August 2010

Especially since September 11, 2001, national security has been a high policy priority for the United States. Unfortunately, this has come at the detriment of other policies and relationships with foreign nations, including its fellow North American neighbors, Canada, and Mexico. What the current U.S. administration has overlooked in its reprioritization of policy goals is the close relationship between security and environmental protection. This article discusses the need to more closely incorporate environmental and/or ecological security into a traditional notion of national security and it highlights the specific link between traditional conceptions of security and global climate change. The study additionally debates the question of U.S. participation in a North American environmental security agenda, namely one that coordinates efforts to address global warming.
Touching the Third Rail: Explaining the Failure of Bush's Social Security Initiative
Authors: Weiner Terry
Published: August 2010

Although President George W. Bush mentioned Social Security and the need to “modernize” the popular social insurance program in his first and reelection campaigns for the presidency, many were surprised that it featured as one of his most important goals just two days after the election. Given that most reporters and congressional leaders recognized the “risks” and were circumspect about his chances of success, this article examines Bush's decision to make Social Security “privatization” a major legislative initiative in his second term. Using the garbage can model of agenda setting as proposed by Kingdon, the study looks at why the president decided to move this issue, long known as the “third rail” of U.S. politics, to the top of his agenda. It also questions why—if he indeed had new political capital to spend—he spent it on Social Security and why the effort for reform was virtually dead just ten months later.
Changing Public Opinion on Same‐Sex Marriage: The Case of California
Authors: Lewis Gregory B. , Gossett Charles W.
Published: August 2010

Though public opposition to same‐sex marriage seems reasonably stable nationally, support in California has grown substantially in the past two decades. Using data from six Field Polls of Californians since 1985, we explore the roots of that growth in individual attitude change and population changes. Cohort replacement can explain half the growth. Although all groups of Californians say that they have become more accepting of homosexual relations since they turned 18, the pattern is strongest for liberals, Democrats, and the less religious. These groups have also become much more supportive of same‐sex marriage, while conservatives, Republicans, Protestants, and African‐Americans appear at least as opposed today as they were two decades ago.
Explaining Post‐9/11 North American Regionalism: Of Clutter, Constraints, and Chaos
Authors: Hussain Imtiaz
Published: August 2010

How do we explain North American regionalism theoretically after 9/11 rudely interrupted escalating integrative efforts? This article evaluates how accurately several competing theoretical models in international relations continue to explain post‐9/11 developments in the region. Assessing the basic tenets of neofunctionalism, security community, interdependence, neorealism, and certain intelligence‐based paradigms, the study argues that many expectations raised by these theories concerning the government, culture, and economy of the region have not been met. Furthermore, a host of phenomena now developing in the region is neither explained by, nor has been predicted by, any of these competing approaches. The article's main findings are that, first, this paradigm irrelevance/irreverence is confirmed by increasingly incompatible policies across the region; second, retreating integration and constrained security interests have produced imperfect interdependence in North America; and third, widening gaps between public preferences and policy outcomes are becoming clearly visible.
Community knowledge, attitudes and media recall about AIDS, Sydney 1988 and 1989
Authors: Bray Fiona , Chapman Simon
Published: August 2010

Abstract: A randomised telephone survey of Sydney residents aged 16–50 was conducted in 1988 (n = 651) and repeated in 1989 (n = 701) to assess changes in AIDS‐related knowledge and attitudes and opinions about AIDS policies. The mean number of correct answers to 21 questions about AIDS was 18.6 (1988) and 18.1 (1989). Almost all respondents gave correct answers to fundamental questions about AIDS transmission and prevention. No statistically significant changes in AIDS knowledge were found between the two survey periods. There was widespread anxiety about AIDS: just over half the population was personally afraid of getting AIDS, 80 per cent had considered being tested for human immunodeficiency virus and over half supported ‘compulsory testing’ for all the population. Mass media messages about AIDS were almost universally recalled, with the Grim Reaper and news stories centring on particular individuals ranking highest. AIDS policy makers in public education should consider the wisdom of continuing to target messages to low‐risk populations. These messages have raised fundamental knowledge about AIDS but may be unintentionally causing social divisiveness and widespread unnecessary anxiety.
Solar protection issues for schools: policy, practice and recommendations
Authors: Schofield Margot J. , Tripodi D. Anthony , Girgis Afaf , Sanson‐Fisher Rob W.
Published: August 2010

Abstract: This study presents findings on solar protection policies and practices in primary and secondary schools in New South Wales, Australia. The findings suggest that policies have been more fully articulated in primary schools than in secondary schools and that there is wide scope for further public health initiatives to protect children from the risk of skin cancer. Little attention has been given to the potential benefits of timetable changes and provision of shade in school environments, although school principals considered the latter would be a successful means of increasing protection. The level of solar education provided in the schools surveyed in our study was minimal, suggesting that urgent attention should be given to incorporating these issues in the school curriculum. Observations of school children's solar protection behaviours suggest that the majority of children used some form of protection in the middle of the day, but the form of protection changed with age. Consideration of more structural and environmental changes is needed to maximise the opportunities for solar protection in schools.
Overweight and television watching
Authors: Rissel Christopher E.
Published: August 2010

Abstract: Recent work by several United States researchers has provided evidence of a direct correlation between obesity and hours of television viewing per day. This paper considers the association between obesity and hours of television viewing as well as the effect of various confounders on this association with an Australian population. A statistically significant association between amount of television viewing and overweight was found. However, the relatively small sample size and the subsequently wide confidence intervals preclude any firm conclusions. Health promotion efforts to encourage physical activity and to promote the prevention of ill health should be made in routine television programming.
Consumerism in the health care setting: an exploratory study of factors underlying the selection and evaluation of primary medical services
Authors: Lloyd Peter , Lupton Deborah , Donaldson Cam
Published: August 2010

Abstract: Recent policy initiatives in Australia have continued the debate concerning the appropriate model of health care for this country. A market economy model, predicated on the existence of true consumerism, has been promoted by influential organisations to replace the current system. To test the validity of this perception and to explore the level of consumerism which exists in the Australian health care setting, we undertook a cross‐sectional survey of general practitioner attenders in the outer western and northern suburbs of Sydney. Three hundred and thirty‐three patients from six general practices were polled over a two‐week period in March 1990. Far from demonstrating consumerist behaviour (especially the considered selection and evaluation of services), the survey population was strongly attracted to the traditional model of medical care, which is characterised by the trusting and dependent relationship of patients with their doctors.
Mortality in Pacific island countries around 1980: geopolitical, socioeconomic, demographic and health service factors
Authors: Taylor Richard , Lewis Nancy Davis , Sladden Tim
Published: August 2010

Abstract: Inhabitants of Pacific island countries experience a wide range of levels and cause structures of mortality. Data on socioeconomic, geopolitical and demographic variables have been analysed here to identify correlates and determinants of mortality in Pacific island countries circa 1980. The mortality data used in the study were the best available for the period and are reasonably accurate; descriptive data were derived from recognised sources.

Political status was a major correlate, with independence positively associated with mortality. However, the influence of political status was partly accounted for by economic and social variables. Economic indices, particularly imports per capita, were major inverse correlates of mortality. Disparities in life expectancy occurred between malarious and nonmalarious countries, and these were not explicable by other factors. Melanesians, especially women, experienced high mortality rates. Education and doctor availability were both associated with increased life expectancy. Intercorrelation and confounding need to be taken into account in the interpretation of this analysis. The results have ramifications for policy development in the Pacific island countries themselves, and for investment and aid programs from major donor nations and organisations.
Assessing the residential care needs of nursing home applicants
Authors: Quartararo Maria , O'Neill Thomas J. , Tang Cynthia , MacMaster Margi
Published: August 2010

Abstract: In a study of nursing home applicants, residential care decisions made by a multidisciplinary assessment team were examined. The team agreed that of the 296 applicants assessed, 54 per cent required the high level of physical and supportive care provided in a nursing home. Hostel care was recommended for 17 per cent, continuing care at home for 17 per cent, hospice care for 1 subject, and in 13 per cent of cases the team postponed their decision. A decision for nursing home care was associated with low Barthel Index of Activities of Daily Living scores, dementia, incontinence and the absence of a carer willing to continue care. A decision to delay was associated, in most cases, with a requirement for further in‐patient assessment and/or rehabilitation, and therefore with a potential for functional improvement. A decision for hostel care instead of home care was associated with a low level of informal support and the absence of a carer who was a spouse or daughter. The findings suggest that a program of geriatric assessment will accurately identify the differing care needs of nursing home applicants. The initial value of such an assessment program may be to contribute to the planning of residential and other long‐term care services rather than to reduce inappropriate nursing home admissions.
The Australian food and nutrition system: a basis for policy formulation and analysis
Authors: Heywood Peter , Lund‐Adams Margaret
Published: August 2010

Abstract: The Australian food and nutrition system can be seen as composed of four subsystems: production; processing and distribution; consumption; and nutrition. The production subsystem has a large number of producers and is largely export‐oriented. Processing is domestically focused, with a low level of innovation and a relatively high concentration of ownership. Export activity in this subsystem involves mostly low value‐added products. Ownership of food stores is highly concentrated and their influence on innovation in food processing is increasing. The food service industry has many outlets and is growing rapidly. Most food consumption and decisions about it are made in the context of households. Nutrition is now known to be a causal factor in a wide range of chronic degenerative diseases. Improved nutrition, an important avenue for improving the health of Australians, requires coordinated activities across a number of sectors and would be facilitated by a national food and nutrition policy. An understanding of the food and nutrition system will facilitate formulation and analysis of such a policy.
Nutritional surveillance in Australia: a case of groping in the dark?
Authors: Marks Geoffrey C.
Published: August 2010

Abstract: Nutritional surveillance means to watch over nutrition in order to make decisions and take actions to improve nutrition in populations. The information obtained through the surveillance system can be used in at least four areas–policy analysis, planning, program management and research. However, in Australia the information currently available is less than adequate for many key questions in these areas. The present state of infrequent and irregular data collection and analysis handicaps our efforts to understand the nutrition situation and to implement effective strategies to improve the nutritional health of Australians.
Public attitudes towards alcohol control policies
Authors: Flaherty Bruce , Homel Peter , Hall Wayne
Published: August 2010

Abstract: In August 1989 we surveyed a household sample of 500 adults from 84 randomly selected census collector districts in metropolitan and rural New South Wales about their support for ‘alcohol control policies’ that aim to reduce the prevalence of alcohol‐related problems by lowering population alcohol consumption. There was very little support for policies which increased the price or reduced the availability of alcohol. There was moderate support for controls on alcohol advertising, and substantial opposition to policies that would reduce the price of alcohol or increase its availability. Approval for alcohol control policies was more likely to be expressed by women and by persons whose self‐reported alcohol consumption was low. If these findings from New South Wales are representative of Australian attitudes then proponents of alcohol control policies face a major task in persuading the public to support them.
Ear health of Aboriginal primary school children in the Eastern Goldfields Region of Western Australia
Authors: Watson David S. , Clapin Michele
Published: August 2010

Abstract: The ear health and state of hearing of 642 Aboriginal children living in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia in 1989 was assessed by audiometry, otoscopy and tympanometry in order to establish the efficacy of the existing ear health program. A heavy burden of ear disease and hearing loss is reported and the findings are compared with previous surveys. A conclusion is drawn that the ear health of this population has not improved in the last decade.
A five‐year study of residents of a special hostel for people with dementia
Authors: Lefroy Richard B. , Hobbs Michael S. T. , Hyndman Jilda
Published: August 2010

Abstract: In order to consider whether admission to a special hostel was a desirable policy in view of the likelihood of subsequent transfer to a nursing home, this study compared the time spent by residents in a special hostel with the period in a nursing home after they were transferred out of the hostel. We also estimated the number of nursing home places necessary for residents who were transferred and studied the reasons for transfer. The setting was a special hostel in Perth, Western Australia, for 36 people with moderate or severe dementia. The periods spent in the hostel or a nursing home were calculated for all residents admitted between 1985 and 1990. Forty‐two of the 84 residents admitted during the study period were transferred to nursing homes. About two thirds of the total time in the two institutions was spent in the hostel. The two principal reasons necessitating transfer to a nursing home were advancing dementia and the addition of a physical impairment. Because a major proportion of the care of selected people with dementia (who can no longer remain at home) can be undertaken in a special hostel, this facility should be included with standard hostel and nursing home in arrangements for institutional care. Between 20 and 25 nursing home places are necessary for residents transferred from a hostel of this size.
Dogma disputed: potential endemic heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus in Australia
Authors: Chapman Simon
Published: August 2010

Abstract: The concept of tertiary sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been central to government efforts to communicate notions of risk to heterosexuals in Australia. Data on heterosexually transmitted acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and HIV for Australia are reviewed with emphasis given to the probability of misclassification bias in the heterosexually acquired and ‘other/undetermined’ categories. Tertiary cases are almost certainly rare in Australia, with little evidence of any increase in their incidence since the first cases were recorded. Three factors (low probability of exposure, the infectivity of HIV and a comparatively low rate of sexual partner change) make it improbable that Australian heterosexuals with no risk factors will experience endemic HIV infection, with a caveat to this conclusion lying in the potential of Australian sex tourism to Southeast Asia for introducing HIV into the Australian heterosexual population.

Four hegemonic factors which have acted to suppress any serious debate of the notion that HIV in Australia is unlikely to become endemic among heterosexuals are discussed: the political ‘democratisation’ of risk inspired by concerns that gay men should not be further vilified as a victim group; the preventive imperative; a reluctance among health educators to question the very foundations of the message they are employed to deliver; and a reluctance to curtail ‘Trojan horse’ benefits to sexually transmissible disease prevention engendered by HIV education promoting safe sex messages.
Evaluation of a heart disease survey and education program for general practitioners
Authors: Chamberlain Anne , Shaw John , Walker Sheila , Frazer Wendy , Carter Barbara , Dumbrell Susan
Published: August 2010

Abstract: In 1989 we mailed a questionnaire to all 461 general practitioners (GPs) identified as currently practising in the Eastern Metropolitan Health Region of Sydney. This was the first phase of a program to assess, amplify and reassess GPs' knowledge of the risk factors for heart disease and measure their attitudes and beliefs about their role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. The second phase was an education program designed to meet the needs identified by the first questionnaire. Phase three was a postintervention questionnaire.

Fifty‐six per cent (260/461) responded to the first questionnaire. This follow‐up group were mailed the second questionnaire, to which 52 per cent (135/260) responded. Thirty per cent of the original sample (139/461) attended the education program and 30 per cent (79/260) of the follow‐up group did so.

At baseline, the respondents' level of risk factor knowledge was good, but after the education program there was still a large gap between what they said they knew and the amount of advice they said they would give to patients. The only significant increase in the amount of advice after the intervention was to ‘control blood pressure’. This applied whether the GP had participated in the intervention or not. When GPs were asked how often in the last month they had actually given advice to reduce cardiovascular disease risk, program attenders reported offering it more frequently than nonattenders.

We also attempted to determine whether any particular demographic characteristics could predict respondents to the questionnaires and/or the educational program.
Food in low‐income families
Authors: Crotty Patricia A. , Rutishauser Ingrid H. E. , Cahill Megan
Published: August 2010

Abstract: This descriptive study used both quantitative and qualitative research methods to examine the food and nutrient intake, food purchasing patterns and budgeting strategies of 29 sole‐parent low‐income families with dependent children living in Corio Shire, Victoria, in 1989–90. Expenditure on food and nonalcoholic beverages when compared with the average for all Australian households showed that the study families allocated a greater proportion, but similar amounts of money to cereals, dairy products, fruit and vegetables and miscellaneous foods, and less to meat, nonalcoholic beverages and food eaten away from home. Despite large differences in the amount of money spent in the first and second weeks of a social security payment period, the nutrient density of the parents' diets was maintained at a similar level in both weeks. The only exception was vitamin C, for which the median intake was significantly lower in the second week, consistent with reduced purchases of fruit and vegetables in the same period. In interviews with 13 of the parents a variety of purchasing and budgeting strategies were described, indicating common concerns with making the most of their limited resources. The data from this study support the notion that low‐income families give priority to food purchases above other expenses such as recreation. They also support the view that low‐income families are concerned about health and nutrition and manage to consume nutritionally sound diets under difficult circumstances. Nutrition education programs could support them in this endeavour.
Coffee shops and clinics: the give and take of doing HIV/AIDS research with injecting drug users
Authors: Marsh Alison , Loxley Wendy
Published: August 2010

Abstract: We discuss recruiting and interviewing injecting drug users and using research as health promotion in the context of collecting information related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) from a convenience sample of 200 injecting drug users, half in treatment and half not, in 1989 and 1990 in Perth, Western Australia. A variety of recruiting methods were used including advertising, referral by agency staff, ‘snowballing’ and approaches to personal contacts and others known to inject by the interviewer. Snowballing and personal contacts were the most successful means of recruiting those not in treatment, while advertising was comparatively unsuccessful with this group because of the importance of establishing the credibility of the study and the interviewer among injecting drug users before they will volunteer to be involved. The promotion of behavioural risk reduction among respondents during the interview is detailed. We argue that the traditionally rigid separation between research and intervention is inappropriate in the HIV/AIDS context. When lives are potentially at stake, any contact with injecting drug users, especially those not in treatment (where many receive HIV/AIDS education), must be used as an HIV/AIDS prevention opportunity, and the interview is an ideal opportunity. The employment of research as community intervention is also discussed
The family v. the Family Court: sterilisation issues
Authors: Petersen Kerry
Published: August 2010

Abstract: Parents as guardians of minor children have the right and duty to give and withhold consent to medical treatment when the treatment is neither routine nor urgent. Parental authority, however, is not absolute and dwindles as the child gradually matures. In general, teenagers can give consent to medical treatment if they understand the nature and consequences of the proposed treatment. The diminution of parental authority is based on the premise that the child will eventually become autonomous. In cases where a sterilisation or hysterectomy procedure is being considered for a severely intellectually disabled teenager the question of consent is most contentious. Should this power belong to parents or the state? This paper examines some recent Family Court cases concerning this issue and also addresses questions about human rights, medical autonomy and the role of the Family Court. Finally, a proposal for an alternative means of decision‐making in these cases is briefly outlined.
Estimates of the number of injecting drug users in a defined area
Authors: Kehoe Linda , Hall Wayne , Mant Andrea
Published: August 2010

Abstract: Three estimates of the number of injecting drug users residing within the Eastern Sydney Area Health Service (ESAHS) were obtained by applying the capture‐recapture technique to data from three reliable sources, specifically, Methadone Services, the Bourke Street Drug Advisory Service and the Albion Street Clinic. The obtained estimates were 3449, 3046 and 1103 respectively. Statewide methadone statistics were also used to obtain an estimate of 15 082 injecting drug users in New South Wales. This estimate was close to the linearly projected estimates (14 274 and 14 416) from two previous studies. Estimates based upon the methadone statistics indicate that approximately 23% of injecting drug users in New South Wales reside within the ESAHS. A sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the effects on the estimates of the likely violation of the closed population assumption.
Carbon monoxide exposure in blast furnace workers
Authors: Lewis Susan , Mason Chloë , Srna Jelena
Published: August 2010

Abstract: This study investigated the occupational exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) of a group of blast furnace workers from an integrated steelworks, compared to a control group having no significant occupational CO exposure from other areas in the same works. The study was undertaken in 1984 at Port Kembla, New South Wales. Carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb) levels before and after an eight‐hour work shift were measured in 98 male steelworkers: 52 from two CO‐exposed iron blast furnaces and 46 controls from production areas in the same steelworks. The sample was stratified by smoking habits. Environmental air CO levels had been found to be consistently higher on one furnace than on the other. Absorption of CO from the working environment occurred in workers on the blast furnace with higher CO levels, regardless of smoking habits. On this blast furnace, some readings of COHb levels after a workshift in nonsmokers approached the proposed Australian occupational limit of 5 per cent COHb saturation. Overall, workers with the highest occupational exposure who smoked most heavily had the highest absorption of CO over a work shift. Biological monitoring gives an accurate measure of individual worker ‘dose’ of CO from all sources. Both environmental monitoring and biological monitoring need to be included as part of a program for controlling occupational CO exposure.
Socioeconomic status and mortality revisited: an extension of the Brisbane area analysis
Authors: Siskind V. , Najman J. M. , Veitch C.
Published: August 2010

Abstract: Using the methodology of an earlier study of socioeconomic mortality gradients, we partitioned Brisbane City into five strata of equal size on the basis of suburb scores derived from aggregate socioeconomic census data. Numbers of deaths by stratum, age, sex and cause were obtained from mortality files. For almost all causes, mortality gradients had not changed between 1976–1979 and 1980–1987. A new category, medically‐preventable death under age 65, had lower rates in higher‐ranking suburbs. Potential years of life lost (PYLL) per unit of population, age‐standardised, were also computed by stratum and cause. External causes of death were the main contributors to PYLL among men, with a strong socioeconomic gradient, while neoplasms were most important among women, with little evidence of a social class effect. It is estimated that, in urban Australia, the annual number of additional deaths under age 65 due to socioeconomic circumstances is over 2000 for males and over 1000 for females. This study provides a baseline against which the programs of health advancement initiated in the mid‐1980s may be evaluated, or conversely, the effects of societal changes assessed.
Media sources of HIV/AIDS information in injecting drug users
Authors: Ross Michael W. , Chapman Simon , Wodak Alex , Miller Mel , Gold Julian
Published: August 2010

Abstract: We report on media habits of 797 members of a sample of 1245 injecting drug users interviewed in Sydney, Australia. While preferred hours of television viewing and radio listening were similar to those of the general population, the preferred channels and stations were different. These findings could assist in targeting injecting drug users with information about HIV/AIDS prevention. However as the self‐regulatory advertising process has constrained broadcast and publication of overt messages directed at homosexual and bisexual men, similar restrictions may prevent optimal mass media approaches to educating this other important group at risk of HIV infection.
Evaluating the petrol‐sniffing prevention programs of the Healthy Aboriginal Life Team (HALT)
Authors: Bryce Suzie , Rowse Tim , Scrimgeour David
Published: August 2010

Abstract: The evaluation of the Healthy Aboriginal Life Team's (HALT) petrol‐sniffing prevention programs at Yuendumu, Kintore and the Pitjantjatjara Lands first required a specification of program outcome—which was not changes in the enumerated prevalence of petrol sniffing, but alteration in parental perceptions of the relevance and effectiveness of families' nurturant authority over recalcitrant youngsters. The evaluation then proceeded by a series of interviews with resident or ex‐resident adults (Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal) of Yuendumu, Kintore, Kiwirrkurra, Ernabella, Indulkana and Fregon. Adults articulated their efficacy in different ways in each place. Some favoured the conclusion that HALT had helped them, others clearly identified HALT as an obstacle to or a distraction from the implementation of other preventive and curative community‐based action. We discerned a ferment of cultural adjustment in the distribution of authority over children among parents and welfare agencies. We caution against finding in HALT'S successes a model procedure for benign interventions into such cultural adjustment.
Sexual practices, sexually transmitted diseases and other risk factors for HIV among injecting drug users
Authors: Chetwynd Jane , Chambers Angus , Hughes Anthony
Published: August 2010

Abstract: Data were collected from 814 clients attending anonymously for counselling before tests for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection at the Burnett Clinic in Auckland. Just over 10 per cent of clients (n = 83) reported ever having injected drugs. This group was matched according to age, gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation with an equal sized control group drawn from clients who had not injected drugs. The groups were compared in terms of their sexual practices, sexual partnerships, other drug use, current and past health status and their perception of HIV risk. The injecting drug users reported more sex partners than the nonusers, they were less likely to be in a relationship and they were less likely to be monogamous. Vaginal and oral sex were the most common practices in both groups but anal sex was more common among users than the nonusers. Regular condom use was reported by less than a quarter of each group. The health status of drug users was generally poorer than that of the nonusers. They reported greater use of alcohol and other drugs, more mental health problems, and more symptoms of ill health. They also had experienced more sexually‐transmitted diseases. Only 1 per cent of users and 2 per cent of nonusers tested positively for HIV, although users saw themselves and their partners as at greater risk of HIV infection than the nonusers.
Social controls, harm minimisation and interactive outreach: the public health implications of an ethnography of drug use
Authors: Moore David
Published: August 2010

Abstract: This is a report on ethnographic research with the members of a social network of young, recreational, illicit drug users in Perth, Western Australia, with whom I maintained close social interaction for over twelve months. Following the work of Zinberg, the article outlines some of the main social controls employed by these young drug users to reduce drug‐related harm. These social controls are of two types: sanctions (the rules prescribing certain behaviours and proscribing others) and rituals (the stylised behaviour surrounding the use of drugs). There exists an ideology of harm minimisation amongst drug users which may provide the basis for innovative programs. The implications of these findings are discussed with reference to one particular public health strategy, outreach, and the possibility of a more active, reciprocal and beneficial engagement between drug users and researchers, health educators and policy makers is suggested.
Heart disease risk factors in the Vietnamese community of southwestern Sydney
Authors: Rissel Christopher , Russell Cathryn
Published: August 2010

Abstract: Despite low mortality from heart disease in the New South Wales Vietnamese community, the prevalence of risk factors for heart disease has been increasing. This study sought to identify the prevalence of heart disease risk factors in the Vietnamese community in southwestern Sydney. In 1991, 389 randomly selected Vietnamese‐born residents of southwestern Sydney (79.2 per cent response rate) were interviewed by telephone about their risk status. Sixty‐one per cent of this sample agreed to a second interview in their homes where physical measurements were taken. Smoking prevalence was high in males (53 per cent), whereas raised blood pressure (5.1 per cent), high blood cholesterol (21.1 per cent) and overweight (14.0 per cent) had a low prevalence compared to National Heart Foundation data for the general population. Interventions targeting males about smoking should be a health promotion priority, and the maintenance of the traditional Vietnamese diet should be encouraged.
Satisfaction of attenders during the establishment of an Australian mammography screening program
Authors: Cockburn Jill , Hill David , De Luise Trudy , Flint‐Richter Delia
Published: August 2010

Abstract: We aimed to examine the satisfaction and the predictors of reported satisfaction with the service offered by a pilot mammography screening service. Information was collected from 481 attenders at the screening clinic and from 318 consecutive attenders at the recall clinic using two different standard self‐administered questionnaires covering respectively six and five dimensions of satisfaction. For the screening clinic attenders, mean scores on most subscales indicated quite high levels of satisfaction. There were no significant differences among different samples over time for the perceptions of technical competence of the staff. Decreases in reported level of satisfaction were found for subscales measuring interpersonal skills, information giving, physical surroundings, convenience and accessibility, and general satisfaction. Waiting times, age and marital status were predictors in most satisfaction subscales. For those attending the recall clinic, mean satisfaction scores for most scales were high, except for the scale measuring satisfaction with the way the results were received. The median time between screening and recall visits for women in this study was 27 days (range 3 to 112 days). Attenders were most dissatisfied with the delay in getting results, an area where the service might improve.
Fracture prevalence in an Australian population
Authors: Prince Richard L. , Knuiman Matthew W. , Gulland Lindy
Published: August 2010

Abstract: There is little published information on the epidemiology of fracture in Australia. We have therefore carried out a population‐based retrospective study of fracture in an Australian population covering 1 073 subjects, 60 per cent of the eligible population over the age of 65 resident in Busselton in the southwest of Western Australia. They completed a questionnaire on the number of fractures, the skeletal site and the degree of trauma that caused the fracture. In this population, 39 per cent had sustained a total of 620 fractures, and 22 per cent of women and 6 per cent of men had sustained osteoporotic fractures. Hip and spine fractures accounted for only 9 per cent of osteoporotic fractures in females whereas wrist fractures accounted for 27 per cent, other upper limb fractures for 19 per cent and other lower limb fractures for 11 per cent. These results suggest that emphasis on spinal and hip fractures as the only manifestations of osteoporosis is inappropriate.
Choosing alternative therapy: an exploratory study of sociodemographic characteristics and motives of patients resident in Sydney
Authors: Lloyd Peter , Lupton Deborah , Wiesner Diane , Hasleton Stefanie
Published: August 2010

Abstract: Disenchantment with allopathic medicine has coincided with an upsurge in recent years in Australians consulting alternative therapists about their health care needs. Two major government studies have provided valuable independent evidence about the sociodemographic characteristics of users of alternative therapies and about their attitudes to health and medical care. However, the focus of these inquiries was predominantly on the users of chiropractic and osteopathy, just two of the modalities which make up this diverse field. To investigate, among other things, who consults alternative practitioners, how they come to choose a particular therapist, and whether, and on what basis, they have abandoned cosmopolitan medical care or use a combination of alternative and allopathic medicine, we conducted a cross‐sectional survey of 289 patients of eight Sydney practices providing a range of alternative modalities. Findings indicate that far from being representative of the Australian community, the majority of our sample population came from a very select group, with a narrow range of socioeconomic backgrounds. The health risk behaviour of those surveyed was also significantly different from that exhibited by the population in general.
Sun‐related attitudes and beliefs among Queensland school children: the role of gender and age
Authors: Lowe John B. , Balanda Kevin P. , Gillespie Amaya M. , Del Mar Christopher B. , Gentle Alison F.
Published: August 2010

Abstract: A cross‐sectional study of the sun‐related attitudes and beliefs of 3 655 children in Grades 7 to 11 attending 55 representative Queensland schools was undertaken using a structured questionnaire administered at school. Factors derived from a series of focus groups were incorporated into the questionnaire. Knowledge about risk factors in the aetiology of skin cancer and the role of protective measures was high. Several potential barriers to the use of sun protection were identified, including the desire to be tanned, the perceived attitudes of the peer group to sun protection, and difficulties with the use of specific sun protection measures. In general, these barriers were significantly more prominent among boys and children from older grades than other students. These data will be used to design school‐based sun protection interventions which are sensitive to these age and sex differences.
The Good Heart, Good Life survey: self‐reported cardiovascular disease risk factors, health knowledge and attitudes among Greek‐Australians in Sydney
Authors: Wilson Andrew , Bekiaris Jenny , Gleeson Suzanne , Papasavva Chrissie , Wise Marilyn , Hawe Penelope
Published: August 2010

Abstract: This survey aimed to assess the prevalence and knowledge of coronary risk factors and self‐perceived coronary heart disease risk among Greek‐Australians in the Marrickville area of inner Sydney. A random sample of 834 household addresses was selected from the 2 403 households having Greek‐Australian surnames on the electoral roll. In each household, one individual aged 18 years or over was selected using a Kish grid, and a questionnaire was administered by a bilingual interviewer. Questions concerned knowledge of and self‐reported risk factors for coronary heart disease, and ratings of perceived stress, social support and networks. There was a response rate of 81 per cent of actual Greek‐Australian households, a total of 541 interviews (61 per cent women). Most of the sample (86 per cent) were born in Greece and 77 per cent of interviews were administered in Greek. The age‐adjusted male prevalences of self‐reported smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and body mass index over 26 kg/m2 were 44 per cent, 5 per cent, 14 per cent and 58 per cent, respectively. The age‐adjusted female prevalences of self‐reported smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and body mass index over 26 kg/m2 were 19 per cent, 8 per cent, 15 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively. Compared to the National Heart Foundation risk‐factor prevalence survey, the prevalence of self‐reported high blood pressure was lower, but obesity and, among males, smoking, were higher. Low levels of education and poor English‐language skills among older Greek‐Australians may be contributing to the problem. There is a need for linguistically and culturally appropriate health promotion programs for communities of non‐English‐speaking background.
History of hepatitis B vaccination in New Zealand: lessons for Australia?
Authors: Goldwater Paul N.
Published: August 2010

Abstract: Recognition of the high prevalence of and the problems caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the North Island of New Zealand is largely due to the observations and work of one man, Alexander Milne. This article outlines the history of the events that led up to the culmination of his team's work—a national hepatitis vaccination strategy for New Zealand children. The situation in Australia is reassessed in the light of the New Zealand example with data based on benefit‐cost analysis of various vaccination strategies.