bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Massaging the Media: Australia Day and the Emergence of Public Relations
Authors: Crawford Robert , Macnamara Jim
Published: January 2017

The status of Australia Day has long generated mixed responses – from patriotic flag-waving, to apathy, to outright hostility. Proponents of 26 January consequently have engaged in various public relations activities in order to promote Australia Day and to establish its credentials as the national day. From the early nineteenth century through to the present, local media outlets have had a dynamic relationship with Australia Day. Yet while they have been active proponents of Australia Day, their support was not unconditional. The emergence of various bodies with the specific aim of promoting Australia Day would alter this relationship, with the media becoming a potential adversary. As such, media relations assumed a more central function in the promotion of Australia Day. By charting the growth and development of media relations that have accompanied Australia Day celebrations, this study not only documents the evolution of media relations practice, but also reveals the extended history of public relations in Australia and its presence in everyday Australian life.
The Politics of Reporting Climate Change at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Authors: Chubb Philip , Nash Chris
Published: January 2017

This article examines a particular moment in journalism at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, with the aim of elucidating the link between public-sector journalism and political controversy in the recent Australian response to climate change. The particular moment in question involved the reporting of visits to Australia in early 2010 by two international commentators on anthropogenic climate change, Christopher Monckton and James Hansen, and an unprecedented attack by the chairman of the ABC on the professional performance of ABC journalists in reporting on this issue. We use this case study to canvass the explanatory merits of several scholarly perspectives on journalistic bias: the well-known ‘balance as bias’ argument by the Boykoffs (2004), the less well-known but incisive ‘independence/ impartiality couplet’ argument by Stuart Hall (1976) and Bourdieusian field analysis.
Journalists and Twitter: How Australian News Organisations Adapt to a New Medium
Authors: Bruns Axel
Published: January 2017

Twitter has developed an increasingly visible presence in Australian journalism, and in the discussion of news. This article examines the positioning of journalists as ‘personal brands’ on Twitter by documenting the visibility of leading personal and institutional accounts during two major political events in Australia: the Rudd/Gillard leadership spill on 23 June 2010, and the day of the subsequent federal election on 21 August 2010. It highlights the fact that in third-party networks such as Twitter, journalists and news organisations no longer operate solely on their own terms, as they do on their own websites, but gain and maintain prominence in the network and reach for their messages only in concert with other users. It places these observations in a wider context of journalist–audience relations a decade after the emergence of the first citizen journalism websites.
Dirtgirlworld: Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethical Consumption in the World of Children's Television Programming
Authors: Ward Sue
Published: January 2017

Discussions in the field of ethical consumption usually refer to the mainstreaming of ethical and environmental concerns that impact on consumer behaviour in the consumption of food and material goods, and in some cases to television programs (especially lifestyle and makeover programs) that acknowledge the environmentally concerned viewer by encouraging the consumption of goods and services that minimise environmental impact. These studies recognise the field of commodity consumption as an important site for thinking about practices of identity-formation and the construction of the self as a responsible, environmentally and ethically concerned citizen who makes politically based decisions in everyday practice. But rarely is a TV program itself presented as a green commodity produced with the intention to be ecologically and ethically sound in its branded identity. This article showcases the production and distribution of the preschool television program dirtgirlworld as a response by ecologically minded individuals to engage with the challenges of today's environmental crises. This is a case study that connects ethical consumption and corporate social responsibility with screen production and distribution. The central thrust of this article is to posit the example of dirtgirlworld as part of a global social movement towards a more ecologically sustainable existence. However, the suggestion here is that this case study also lends itself to much-needed conversation about how media studies can engage with our current ecological crises beyond the practice of eco-criticsm.
Orientalising the Emerging Media Capitals: the Age on Indian Tv's ‘Hysteria’
Authors: Khorana Sukhmani
Published: January 2017

This article foregrounds the manifestation of a contemporary Orientalist discourse in the global media sphere by reading the increasingly robust non-Western ‘other’ that is the Indian TV media through its remediation in the Melbourne-based paper, The Age. The particular institutions have been chosen due to the ‘quality journalism’ reputation of the latter outlet, and the frequency of references to the Indian media – particularly its numerous news television channels – during the spate of allegedly racist attacks on Indian students in Melbourne in 2009–10. Feature articles, news items and opinion pieces appearing in the paper on this issue from May 2009 to June 2010 are examined for mentions of, and comments on, the Indian TV media. Conclusions are then drawn about how the remediation of India and its media offered by The Age effectively redraws a nation previously receiving limited coverage (literally and discursively) in Australia. What is significant here is not the resurgent Indian as reflected in the coverage of the Indian media, but its specific television might remediated by The Age as powerful yet Bollywood-esque in its drama and spectacle.
Normativity and Materiality: A View from Digital Anthropology
Authors: Horst Heather , Miller Daniel
Published: January 2017

As with all material culture, the digital is a constitutive part of what makes us human. Social order is itself premised on a material order, making it impossible to become human other than through socialising within a material world of cultural artefacts, and includes the order, agency and relationships between things, and not just their relationship to persons. This article considers the consequences of the digital culture for our understanding of what it is to be human. Drawing upon recent debates concerning materiality in the sub-field of digital anthropology, we focus upon four forms of materiality – the materiality of digital infrastructure and technology; the materiality of mediation; the materiality of digital content; and the materiality of digital contexts – to make the case that digital media and technology are far more than mere expressions of human intention. Rather than rendering us less human, less authentic or more mediated, we argue that attention should turn to the human capacity to create or impose normativity in the face of constant change. We believe these debates around materiality and normativity, while rooted in the discipline of anthropology, have broader implications for understanding everyday practices in the digital age.
Emplaced Cartographies: Reconceptualising Camera Phone Practices in an Age of Locative Media
Authors: Pink Sarah , Hjorth Larissa
Published: January 2017

In the context of the increased use of high-quality camera phones, along with the growth in distribution services via social and locative media, we are witnessing new forms of visuality emerging. These new types of ‘co-present’ visuality overlay and interweave online and offline cartographies in different ways – maps that require a revision of ethnography. In this article, we frame this phenomenon as a shift from networked visuality to emplaced visuality and sociality. That is, we reflect upon previous models deployed in mobile communication and depart from them to consider how a phenomenological approach – rooted in visual and multisensorial ethnography – might help provide insight into this dynamic media cartography and the socialities associated with it.
Celebrating the Undiscipline of Cultural Studies
Authors: Lovink Geert , Turner Graeme
Published: January 2017

This article is based on an email exchange between media theorist and critic Geert Lovink and former Director of the Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies at the University of Queensland, Professor Graeme Turner. It explores the field of television studies internationally, focusing on the ‘nihilist turn’. In the Netherlands, right-wing populist websites and TV shows have been able to set the racist, anti-migration agenda, while in the United States and Australia, this agenda has been set by talkback radio. The issue of how we can distinguish between the popular and the populist is examined, and some more general cultural studies issues are discussed.
You've Been Pranked: Reality Tv, National Identity and the Privileged Status of Australian Children's Drama
Authors: Potter Anna
Published: January 2017

Australian children have always been considered a special television audience. In November 2009, Australia's public service broadcaster the ABC launched Australia's first dedicated free-to-air children's channel. Within a year of its launch, ABC3's most popular program was a local version of the transnational reality format, Prank Patrol. The popularity of reality television with children challenges policy settings, including the Children's Television Standards (CTS), that privilege drama in the expression of the goals of cultural nationalism. While public service broadcasting ideology is expressed and applied to Australian commercial free-to-air channels through the CTS, public service media compete with pay TV channels for the child audience using a range of genres. Thus contemporary Australian children's television is characterised by an abundance of supply, pan-platform delivery and a policy regime that has remained largely unchanged since the late 1970s.
Revisiting the Greening of Prime-Time Television Soap Operas
Authors: van Vuuren Kitty , Ward Susan , Coyle Rebecca
Published: January 2017

In 1990, Christopher Rissel and William Douglas commenced a study of the depiction of environmental issues and behaviours on Australian prime-time television drama series. Their findings were discussed in an issue of Media International Australia in 1993. This article reports on a 2011–12 study that replicated key aspects of Rissel and Douglas's research. A collaborative research team focused on two long-running and high-rating Australian soap operas – Neighbours and Home and Away – recorded from June to August 2011. Using content analysis, the researchers investigated the frequency, attitudes to and role models for the representation of environmental issues and behaviours. This article discusses the findings in terms of contemporary television practices and industry, as well as the study's methodology.
Moulding Industry's Image: Journalism Education's Impact on Students' Professional Views
Authors: Hanusch Folker
Published: January 2017

Long-running debates over the value of university-based journalism education have suffered from a lack of empirical foundation, leading to a wide range of assertions from both those who see journalism education playing a crucial role in moulding future journalists and those who do not. Based on a survey of 320 Australian journalism students from six universities across the country, this study provides an account of the professional views held by these future journalists. Findings show that students hold broadly similar priorities in their role perceptions – albeit to different intensities from working journalists. The results point to a relationship between journalism education and the way in which students' views of journalism's watchdog role and its market orientation change over the course of their degree – to the extent that, once they are near completion, students have been moulded in the image of industry professionals.
Between ‘Me-Time’ and Household Duty: Male and Female Home Internet Use
Authors: Ahrens Julia
Published: January 2017

This study draws from principles of the domestication concept to assess the ways in which heterosexual couples (N=48) utilise internet technology in their homes in Australia and Germany. A qualitative research design was employed to examine the integration of the internet into the household. The results focus on the time and content integration of the internet. Differences were found between the genders regarding internet use in that the interviewed women – particularly mothers – tended to use the internet more for work, household and children's activity organisation while men tended to use it to obtain solitude. In particular, German women were more interested in trying out new online activities. Also, some interviewed men use the internet to exhibit their technological prowess. It seems that a reproduction of traditional gender roles is still apparent in the context of household internet usage, especially for parents.
Investigating Public Service Media as Hybrid Arrangements
Authors: Burns Maureen , Hawkins Gay
Published: January 2017

This theme issue of Media International Australia explores public service media as increasingly organised via hybrid arrangements that function at any given time according to diverse technologies, politics, people and economies, with the aim of understanding how these hybrid arrangements work and their consequences for the organisation of public media. The articles offer particular examples of hybrid arrangements at work in public service media institutions, and explore a range of questions relating to such arrangements. They also examine diverse examples of hybridity that arise when public service media strive to retain their heritage brand values while responding to new regulatory and economic environments.
Public Service Media Utilities: Rethinking Search Engines and Social Networking as Public Goods
Authors: Andrejevic Mark
Published: January 2017

Far from being relegated to history's dustbin by technological developments, a public service rationale is as pertinent as ever in the digital era, the capabilities of which lend themselves to the development of public service media. This article explores calls to regulate digital media platforms like Facebook and Google as public utilities, but concludes that, with the exception of regulations to facilitate user mobility and platform/network neutrality, it makes more sense to focus on the development of a robust public service media sector for the digital era. Such a sector would broaden the scope of public service beyond content production and distribution to include social media, search and other information-sorting and communication utilities. The article considers the rationale and scope for such a program, arguing that an era of information glut poses challenges that are distinct from those associated with the broadcast era of relative content scarcity.
By accident and by design: Composing affective atmospheres in an urban art intervention
Authors: Michels Christoph , Steyaert Chris
Published: January 2017

This article argues that the notion of affective atmosphere provides a privileged access to the study of organizational affect as it relates to a spatial ontology of ‘being-together-in-a-sphere’. Drawing on the study of affective atmospheres in philosophy and cultural geography, we develop a conceptual positioning from which to analyze a musical intervention in the streets and squares of Berlin. The study traces the preparation and enactment of a 2-day music event that breaks with the emotional experience of a ‘mainstream’ classical concert, and instead intervenes in urban atmospheres by mingling music performances with everyday urban life in an attempt to affect chance spectators. Tracing how the concert’s atmospheres emerged through a series of encounters between various bodies and their specific affective capacities, the analysis emphasizes the tension between the possibility of designing and crafting atmospheres and its emergence in erratic, ephemeral, and excessive ways. Therefore, we propose that affective atmospheres make perceptible the potentialities of organizational space and give scope to our feelings as we experience their spatial recomposition. In the conclusion, we emphasize affective atmospheres as a key concept for the critical study of affect, as it advances a politics that attends to new possibilities of feeling and acting collectively in spaces of organizing.
Affective politics in gendered organizations: Affirmative notes on becoming-woman
Authors: Pullen Alison , Rhodes Carl , Thanem Torkild
Published: January 2017

Current approaches to the study of affective relations are over-determined in a way that ignores their radicality, yet abstracted to such an extent that the corporeality and differentially lived experience of power and resistance is neglected. To radicalize the potential of everyday affects, this article calls for an intensification of corporeality in affect research. We do this by exploring the affective trajectory of ‘becoming-woman’ introduced by Deleuze and Guattari. Becoming-woman is a process of gendered deterritorialization and a specific variation on becoming-minoritarian. Rather than a reference to empirical women, becoming-woman is a necessary force of critique against the phallogocentric powers that shape and constrain working lives in gendered organizations. While extant research on gendered organizations tends to focus on the overwhelming power of oppressive gender structures, engaging with becoming-woman releases affective flows and possibilities that contest and transgress the increasingly subtle and confusing ways in which gendered organization affects people at work. Through becoming-woman, an affective and affirmative politics capable of resisting the effects of gendered organization becomes possible. This serves to further challenge gendered oppression in organizations and to affirm a life beyond the harsh limits that gender can impose.
Environmental modifiable risk factors for multiple sclerosis: Report from the 2016 ECTRIMS focused workshop
Authors: Amato Maria Pia , Derfuss Tobias , Hemmer Bernard , Liblau Roland , Montalban Xavier , Soelberg Sørensen Per , Miller David H ,   For the 2016 ECTRIMS Focused Workshop Group, Alfredsson Lars , Aloisi Francesca , Amato Maria Pia , Ascherio Alberto , Baldin Elisa , Bjørnevik Kjetil , Comabella Manuel , Correale Jorge , Cortese Marianna , Derfuss Tobias , D’Hooghe Marie , Ghezzi Angelo , Gold Julian , Hellwig Kerstin , Hemmer Bernhard , Koch-Henricksen Nils , Langer Gould Annette , Liblau Roland , Linker Ralf , Lolli Francesco , Lucas Robyn , Lünemann Jan , Magyari Melinda , Massacesi Luca , Miller Ariel , Miller David H , Montalban Xavier , Monteyne Philippe , Mowry Ellen , Münz Christian , Nielsen Nete M , Olsson Tomas , Oreja-Guevara Celia , Otero Susana , Pugliatti Maura , Reingold Stephen , Riise Trond , Robertson Neil , Salvetti Marco , Sidhom Youssef , Smolders Joost , Soelberg Sørensen Per , Sollid Ludvig , Steiner Israel , Stenager Egon , Sundstrom Peter , Taylor Bruce V , Tremlett Helen , Trojano Maria , Uccelli Antonio , Waubant Emmanuelle , Wekerle Hartmut
Published: January 2017

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory and neurodegenerative demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS), most likely autoimmune in origin, usually beginning in early adulthood. The aetiology of the disease is not well understood; it is viewed currently as a multifactorial disease which results from complex interactions between genetic predisposition and environmental factors, of which a few are potentially modifiable. Improving our understanding of these factors can lead to new and more effective approaches to patient counselling and, possibly, prevention and management of the disease. The 2016 focused workshop of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) addressed the topic of environmental, modifiable risk factors for MS, gathering experts from around the world, to collate experimental and clinical research into environmental factors that have been associated with the disease onset and, in a few cases, disease activity and progression. A number of factors, including infections, vitamin D deficiency, diet and lifestyle factors, stress and comorbidities, were discussed. The meeting provided a forum to analyse available evidence, to identify inconsistencies and gaps in current knowledge and to suggest avenues for future research.
Physical activity and perceptions of stress during the menopause transition: A longitudinal study
Authors: Guérin Eva , Biagé Alyssa , Goldfield Gary , Prud’homme Denis
Published: January 2017

The transition to menopause is a critical period of significant biopsychosocial change. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of the transition to menopause and volume of physical activity on levels of perceived stress over five years in 102 healthy middle-aged women. Questionnaire and accelerometer data were analyzed using linear mixed models. Adjusting for age and body mass index, there were no significant effects of menopause status or time on perceived stress. Independent of menopause status, minutes per week of vigorous activity was associated with lower perceived stress in years 1 and 2 of the study.
Relationship between sleep quality and mental health according to demographics of 850 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Eslaminejad Alireza , Safa Mitra , Ghassem Boroujerdi Fatemeh , Hajizadeh Farzaneh , Pashm Foroush Maryam
Published: January 2017

We aimed to study sleep problems in hospitalized chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients and assess the relationship of sleep quality with mental health and demographics of patients. Our study sample consisted of 850 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients hospitalized in Masih Daneshvari Hospital. Demographic data were collected and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality and mental health questionnaires were filled out for patients. The results showed that 5.9 percent were suffering from severe sleep problems, while 4.7 percent had severe mental problems. A strong positive correlation was found between the total scores of mental health and sleep quality ( p < 0.01). The prevalence of sleep and mental health problems was higher in females compared to males. Mental health and sleep quality play important roles in quality of life of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.
Reliability and validity of the Perceived Stress Scale-10 in Hispanic Americans with English or Spanish language preference
Authors: Baik Sharon H , Fox Rina S , Mills Sarah D , Roesch Scott C , Sadler Georgia Robins , Klonoff Elizabeth A , Malcarne Vanessa L
Published: January 2017

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Perceived Stress Scale-10 among 436 community-dwelling Hispanic Americans with English or Spanish language preference. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis examined the factorial invariance of the Perceived Stress Scale-10 across language groups. Results supported a two-factor model (negative, positive) with equivalent response patterns and item intercepts but different factor covariances across languages. Internal consistency reliability of the Perceived Stress Scale-10 total and subscale scores was good in both language groups. Convergent validity was supported by expected relationships of Perceived Stress Scale-10 scores to measures of anxiety and depression. These results support the use of the Perceived Stress Scale-10 among Hispanic Americans.
Museum object handling: A health-promoting community-based activity for dementia care
Authors: Camic Paul M , Hulbert Sabina , Kimmel Jeremy
Published: January 2017

In a quasi-experimental design ( N = 80), this study examined the wellbeing impact of handling museum artefacts, by testing for differences across domain, time, gender and stages of dementia. The results indicated that people with early and moderate impairment showed positive increases in wellbeing, regardless of the type of dementia but those with early stage dementia showed larger positive increases in wellbeing. We can feel confident that for most people with early- to middle-stage dementia, handling museum objects in a supportive group environment increases subjective wellbeing and should be considered part of a health promotion strategy in dementia care.
The nature of juridical proof
Authors: Allen Ronald J.
Published: January 2017

The different contexts of forensic science and juridical decision making are explored to identify the nature of juridical proof, the role of formalized probability theory in it, and how factual inquiry proceeds in the differing domains.
Legal control of expert witness bias
Authors: Du Mingxiao
Published: January 2017

Impartiality of expert witnesses means that such experts operate within scientific principles and legal procedures. By doing so, they assist the trier of fact. There are two aspects to the requirements for the impartiality of expert witnesses: the individual perspective and the industry perspective. Each expert witness must follow individual standards, including avoiding irrelevant information affecting his or her opinions; applying reliable methods; employing reasonable analysis; and providing the findings in comprehensive reports (including a precise description of personal background and expert activity). They must also follow industry standards of forensic science regarding objective technical accessible demands, laboratory management and career management. Biased expert witnesses, however, will damage impartiality and impede the goal of assisting the trier of fact. Based on psychological theories such as dual process theory, authoritarian personality and intergroup threat, this paper classifies expert witness bias into four categories: (1) cognitive bias; (2) bias in the analytic process; (3) bias resulting from the position of the expert witness at trial; and (4) the social bias arising from social pressure or economic pressure. Because bias influences the relevance, credibility and impartiality of experts, steps should be taken to restrict certain categories of bias, which can be and must be controlled. Reflecting the differences between the Anglo-American legal system and the Chinese legal system, in China the bias of expert witnesses should be controlled in terms of actions, occupational management and independence of laboratories.
Witness assistance and familiarisation in England and Wales
Authors: Wheatcroft Jacqueline M.
Published: January 2017

Since the 1700s, lawyers have controlled interactions with witnesses in court. In England and Wales, witness familiarisation, endorsed in R v Momodou [2005], 1 aimed to demystify the process and through practical guidance assist witnesses to give their best evidence in legal proceedings, with the result that they are less likely to be confused, misled or unduly influenced by the process of cross-examination. This paper outlines empirical research which indicates that familiarisation can be helpful; though it argues that justice systems should develop best practices for the elicitation of accurate evidence and not leave it to witnesses to combat the system’s shortcomings. Given that this is particularly acute for vulnerable witnesses (and familiarising witnesses to cross-examination is in its infancy), the paper draws attention to R v Lubemba [2014], 2 which suggests that there is no right to put a case to a witness in child cases. The article also discusses witness approaches in the context of the right to challenge concept.
An investigation into translation criterion and strategies——based on the English translation of ‘物证 (Wu Zheng)’
Authors: Li Meng , Luping Zhang
Published: January 2017

Through analysis of Deborah Cao’s ‘translation proficiency’, the criteria and strategies for translating legal terms are proposed and then applied in translating the legal term ‘物证(Wu Zheng)’, having reference to law dictionaries and common usage in America, the UK, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Changes in Age and Need for Care among Patients in a Geriatric Institution during a Two-Year Period
Authors: Mackeprang Bent , Brauer Erik
Published: January 2017

Two cross-sectional studies, carried out at an interval of exactly 2 years at a geriatric institution accommodating about 1400 residents, show an increase in the age of the patients and in the need for care after the 2 years. An analysis of the conditions shows that the changes are due to the surviving patients becoming older and in need of more care, without adequate compensation for this trend having been taken into account when admitting new patients. The admittance and staff aspects connected with these changes are discussed.
Medical Ethics and Child Abuse
Authors: Tangen Ottar
Published: January 2017

The practice of good medical ethics is of particular importance in cases of juvenile maltreatment. In a number of court cases concerning battered children doctors' statements have been presented to the effect that maltreatment has not taken place. In twelve cases reported during the period 1971–75 the doctors' statement was misleading. In each of twelve cases it should have been the doctor's duty to record in his statement that this was a case of child abuse and/or neglect. It appears that as far as the individual doctor was concerned, he often stated “these things should be dealt with by the child welfare authorities”, who in their turn merely referred to the doctor's statement. “It is unlikely that this is maltreatment”, the child welfare officer will reiterate. In six cases this statement was used in court before any evaluation had been made on the basis of the sequence of events. In all twelve cases the doctor had failed to make an adequate examination of the symptoms. It seems as if the doctor was not sufficiently interested in providing evidence of assault. In some cases, even, pathognomonic findings must have been kept secret. Psychological or emotional maltreatment need to be evaluated by a child psychologist who is a practical diagnostician. Injuries arising from physical abuse are most successfully diagnosed on surgical and casualty wards. Pediatricians must be cautious about dismissing diagnoses of maltreatment that have been established by other specialists, especially child psychologists.
Drug Poisoning Mortality Trends in the Scandinavian Countries 1961–1973
Authors: Poikolainen Kari
Published: January 2017

Poisoning mortality rates have increased considerably in Denmark and Sweden, slightly in Norway, and remained essentially the same in Finland, during the period 1961 to 1973. In the present study, fatal poisoning included cases of intoxication by solid or liquid substances classified as suicidal, accidental (alcohol poisonings excepted) or of undetermined intent. From 1961 to 1973 poisoning mortality rates increased in Sweden by about 200%, in Denmark by about 100%, and in Norway by about 50%. In males, the age-standardized mortality rates were: in Denmark and Sweden, about 130; in Finland, about 70, and in Norway, about 30 cases per one million of population in 1972. The corresponding figures for females were 125, 75, 40 and 20. Despite this overall rise, rates of suicidal poisoning mortality and mortality from accidental poisoning have decreased in Sweden since 1969. From this year onwards, the classification category ‘undetermined poisoning’ has been used and the decreases in other categories are compensated by an increase in this group. On the basis of the scanty data available, the substances most frequently responsible for fatal poisoning are drugs (in particular barbiturates), other soporifics, and tranquillizers. There is some evidence that poisoning mortality is correlated with the prevalence of drug use and could consequently be reduced by drug control.
Phenytoin, Phenobarbitone and Serum Cholesterol
Authors: Lindén V. , Brevik J. I. , Hansen T.
Published: January 2017

Epileptics receiving phenytoin and/or phenobarbitone medication are observed to have an exceedingly low incidence of myocardial infarction. Serum cholesterol samples from 96 epileptics treated with these anticonvulsant drugs have been measured and found not to deviate from values found in a mass screening carried out in the same geographical area. Since medication with phenytoin/phenobarbitone reduces vitamin D levels in serum and intake of this vitamin is positively correlated to myocardial infarction, we suggest that vitamin D might be a factor to be considered.
Effects of a Health Screening on Mortality and Causes of Death in Middle-Aged Men
Authors: Lannerstad Olof , Sternby Nils-Herman , Isacsson Sven-Olof , Lindgren Gunnar , Lindell Sven-Eric
Published: January 2017

All men born in even-numbered months in 1914 and domiciled in Malmö were invited in 1969 to participate in an investigation regarding risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Individuals with a blood pressure of 165/110 and over were treated and a sub-sample of heavy smokers were later invited to take part in a quit-smoking project. During the following five year period total and cause-specific mortality in the examined group was compared with corresponding data for men born in uneven months in 1914. Mortality in the examined cohort was lower than among controls and differed significantly from that in the control group with regard to cardiovascular mortality.
Hypertension Control in North Karelia before the Intervention of the North Karelia Project
Authors: Tuomilehto Jaakko , Puska Pekka , Virtamo Jarmo , Nissinen Aulikki
Published: January 2017

The baseline survey of the North Karelia Project was carried out to measure the level of cardiovascular risk factors in the target population. These data on the prevalence, detection and treatment of hypertension obtained in the survey were utilized in planning the main programme. The survey was carried out in 1972 and 4 275 persons aged from 25 to 59 (6.5 % random sample) were examined. The prevalence of hypertension was high—21 % of women and 15 % of men were judged as being in need of treatment for hypertension. The blood pressure level of men was higher than that of women below 45 years of age, but in all age groups women were more often undergoing treatment. Although majority of people had had their blood pressure checked recently, only half of those who were aware of hypertension had ever been under treatment, and at the time of examination only 13% of those men and 10% of those women had restored normotension. Only one-fifth and one-third of the women who had used drugs had been under treatment for more than 5 years. Thus, the need to provide a systematic hypertension control scheme in North Karelia was urgent, as described in many other communities in the developed world. The main reason for this lies in the inability of the health care system which has not been able to maintain patients on long-term follow-up and treatment.
Morbidity Related to Smoking and other Risk Factors
Authors: Lannerstad Olof
Published: January 2017

In 1969 a cohort of 703 men born in 1914 was screened to determine the prevalence of cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases among middle-aged men. Smoking habits and other cardiovascular risk factors were registered. Hypertension was treated. The disability pension rate among non-smokers was considerably lower than that for smokers. Also the proportion of individuals who had been admitted to hospital and the proportion of individuals who had reported sick was lower in non-smokers than in smokers. The ex-smokers showed an intermediate position both in terms of disability pension rate and in proportion of individuals admitted to hospital. High systolic blood pressure, high cholesterol level and high triglyceride values in 1969 were not associated with increased disability pension rate, hospitalization rate or with increased sick leave.
Retirement and Mortality
Authors: Niemi Timo
Published: January 2017

The present study investigated the effects of retirement on the mortality of the retired. The basis of retirement for the present subjects was in all cases age, not sickness. The subjects were 1 176 men retired on old age pension. In the present study, retirement could not be shown to have any long-term or short-term effects on mortality pointing to retirement not being such a stress situation as to result in an increase in mortality.
A Comparison between Finnish Immigrants and Native Swedes in the Greater Stockholm Region—Social and Medical Risk Indicators of Ischemic Heart Disease
Authors: Theorell Töres , Vigborg Agneta , Kallner Anders , Dahlén Gösta , Wålinder Olov
Published: January 2017

A random sample of 105 Finnish 35–59-year-old male immigrants in the catchment area of Huddinge hospital was drawn and 105 age- and sex-matched native Swedes living in the same area. From the Finnish 71 participated and from the Swedes, 77. Most immigrants had been residing in the region for many years. Many had grown up in medium-sized municipalities in Finland, particularly in the province of Karelia. They differed from the native Swedes with regard to many social variables. Thus, the immigrants had lower incomes, were more frequently exposed to noise at work and reported more sickness absenteeism during the year preceding the study. The immigrants had significantly more often than the native Swedes at least one conventional risk indicator of ischemic heart disease. They were also demonstrated to have abnormally low high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels significantly more frequently than native Swedes. Several of the variables studied did not differentiate the groups from one another. Thus, there was no indication of any difference in total alcohol ingestion or in type A behaviour prevalence.
Occurrence of Atopic Diseases in Three Generations
Authors: Luoma Reijo , Koivikko Antti
Published: January 2017

The incidence of asthma, hay fever and atopic dermatitis was assessed in three generations in 2820 families by a questionnaire. 35% of the families were atopic when the histories of parents and grandparents were included. 64% of atopic children had atopy in probands and the corresponding figure for non-atopic individuals was 31%. The highest prevalence of atopy was found in the parents' generation (13.5%) but it did not differ significantly from that of the children (10.8%) when compared with grandparents (7.6%). The results suggested an increasing prevalence of children's atopic dermatitis in Finland since the 1950s. The influence of heredity was apparent. Few geographical differences were observed.
Does Unemployment Challenge Public Health?
Authors: Lahelma Eero
Published: January 2017

We have asked Lahelma to start a discussion on unemployment and ill health and scientists working with this problem are herewith invited to contribute. Unemployment should not be medicalized, he argues, but it has a public health dimension irrespective of the causal relation between unemployment and disease. He wants to put greater emphasis on the effects of unemployment on family and society at large.
Dental Health and Perceived Treatment Needs of Finnish Immigrants in Sweden
Authors: Widstrøm Eeva , Nilsson Bo
Published: January 2017

The purpose of this study was to analyse the dental health and perceived treatment needs of Finnish immigrants in Sweden, using a representative sample and questionnaire technique. The material consisted of a random sample of 1332 persons aged 20–59 years, resident in a Stockholm suburb. The response rate was 80%. Validity of the questionnaire was tested in a subgroup by comparing the number of teeth reported present in the questionnaire with the number observed clinically. Correlation coefficient (r) was 0.98. Compared with a study of Swedes, the mean number of remaining teeth was found to be lower and the proportion of edentulous persons higher in this study. The mean number of teeth was, however, higher than that found in a clinical study of Finnish immigrants 5 years previously, indicating a possible slight improvement in the dental health of Finnish immigrants. Almost 70% of the younger and about 45% of the older respondents had a perceived treatment need, primarily for fillings and scaling, older respondents also requiring prostheses. The real treatment need was probably greater than the study indicated. The study shows that Finnish immigrants to Sweden, as a social group, are in great need of dental treatment.
Is Primary Health Care Progressing in Europe?
Authors: Salmela Reijo K.
Published: January 2017

Primary health care (PHC) is the key to attaining the goal of health for all (HFA) by the year 2000. Also the European countries have accepted the declarations and WHO resolutions related to global and European HFA strategies. However, the implementation of regional and national strategies has met with many obstacles, caused by reluctant attitudes and poor planning and management systems. In this review the objective of PHC in industrialized countries, the evaluation process of HFA strategy, and progress in PHC in Europe in the 1980s are discussed. Lack of defined national objectives, and health information systems which are not adopted to purposes of monitoring progress in PHC are causing most of the problems in evaluation. There is a clear positive development in PHC resources and organization in the Nordic countries. Generally speaking PHC is progressing very slowly in Europe, if there is any progress at all. This can be said both about organization of health care, planning and management systems and about application of PHC principles like community participation and intersectoral collaboration. The national health information systems should be quickly revised to allow more exact monitoring of progress towards the 38 European targets and additional national targets.
Water Supply, Sanitation and Health Education Programmes in Developing Countries: Problems of Evaluation
Authors: Lindskog Ulla , Lindskog Per , Wall Stig
Published: January 2017

There are several methodological problems related to evaluating the impact that improved water supply, sanitation and health education projects have on public health. Fifteen studies of intervention programmes, one by the present authors, are discussed. Since non-intervention studies of water supply are difficult to assess, a valid study design must include an intervention programme, even though such studies are more costly and time-consuming. Detailed descriptions of programmes, study plans, and analytical methods are often lacking, and different studies reach greatly diverging conclusions. It may be proposed that studies based on “weak” methodology give a more positive impression of improved public health after improvement of water supply than do before–after studies using comparison groups.
Diabetes Mellitus: Prevalence and Local Risk Factors in a Primary Health Care District
Authors: Falkenberg Melcher G. K.
Published: January 2017

In the present comparative study of recent surveys the highest reported prevalence of diabetes mellitus in Sweden, 4.0% is found in the Kinda Primary Health Care District after age-standardization to that for the total Swedish population (3.3%). Even after critical evaluation of survey methods and diagnostic criteria, it appears that true regional differences in prevalence occur. Therapy traditions also differ, especially with elderly patients. No important local risk factor could be identified. A preventive programme is discussed. Any such programme must be based on current and future epidemiological data in a model comprising incidence, prevalence, mortality, and diabetic complications in order to be able to evaluate its effects.
Use of Social and Health Services by Elderly People during the Terminal 18 Months of Life
Authors: Hendriksen Carsten , Lund Ellinor , Strømgård Edith
Published: January 2017

In a randomised and controlled intervention study elderly people aged 75 or more were visited regularly in their own homes over a period of three years. An age and sex matched control group was not contacted until the conclusion of the study period. In the present study, the use of social and health services during the terminal 18 months of life was computed for each individual member of the study group. The categories of services included the bed usage in hospitals, the stays in nursing homes, the provisions of home help and home nursing care as well as contacts with general practitioners. No differences in the use of social and health services were found between the visited elderly ( n=25) and the control group ( n=46). About 50% of the elderly had a considerable use of public services during the months prior to death, and only 14% received no public support, disregarding the terminal phase. Among those elderly people belonging to the study group, and who died within the study period, an increased use of the above mentioned services was seen during all 18 months. However, an increased use of hospital beds was only computed during the terminal 6 months of life. 58% of the bed days were used for patients who died during the next few months.
Suicidal Attempts by Jumping from Heights
Authors: Böstman Ole M.
Published: January 2017

At the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, an acute accident unit with more than 3000 trauma admissions per year, a protocol was kept over the years 1982–84 of patients who were treated for injuries sustained from intentional falls from heights. The number of patients included in the series was 73. The mean age of the patients was 29.8 (range 15–65) years. The male:female ratio was 1.5:I. In 15 patients (21%) there was a previous history of recorded psychiatric disorder and in a further 11 patients (15%) chronic alcoholism. The 73 patients had a total of 164 serious individual injuries. Thirteen patients died, all except one within the first 24 hours. The median duration of the hospital stay at university department level was 49 days. In a follow-up survey one year after the fall, 19 (32% of the survivors) had returned to work, 29 (48%) were pensioned and 12 (20%) still needed institutional care. Eight had permanent complete paraplegia. The patients injured in suicidal falls amounted to 0.8% of all trauma admissions during the investigation period and to 3.3% of the nursing days. In the intensive care unit, however, these figures were 9.2% and 14.1% respectively, values high enough to warrant increasing attention to this kind of self-inflicted injuries.
Social Class and Sickness Absences
Authors: Söderfeldt Björn , Danermark Berth , Larsson Sven
Published: January 2017

Four different class measures (social groups, a socioeconomic classification, a measure by Erik Olin Wright, and a structural class concept) were applied on a gross material of 3252 persons registered by sickness insurance authorities. The measures were compared by description of absence days, average durations, sickness rates, and sex. No significant differences were found. By associating measures and absence days, differences were found only for doctor certified days, where the structural class concept diverged. Two conclusions are drawn: When dependent variables are of ideological character, practical considerations may decide choice of class measure. In other cases, caution is advised and further research needed.