School of Population Health Publications - UQ eSpace

A baseline study of importance of bovines for human Schistosoma Japonicum infections around Poyang Lake, China: Villages studied and snail sampling strategy

2007-08-15T00:00:00Z

An epidemiologic survey among four administrative villages around Poyang Lake, in Jiangxi Province, China (two experimental and two controls) is being conducted to determine if bovine infections are responsible for the persistence of human schistosomiasis transmission on Yangtze River marshlands. A previously published paper presented the experimental design and baseline data for humans and bovines. This paper presents basic data for the four villages using remote sensing, and baseline data for snails that includes geographic information systems and remote sensing technology to classify the areas of bovine grazing ranges and habitats suitable for snails. A new method for sampling Oncomelania snails in China is used to determine the distribution, density, and infection rates of snails throughout the grazing ranges from season to season over a four-year period. Hypothetically, treating bovines should reduce infection rates in snails to below the critical number necessary to maintain infections in man and bovines.

A baseline study on the importance of bovines for human Schistosoma japonicum infection around Poyang Lake, China

2008-08-28T00:00:00Z

We hypothesize that bovine infections are responsible for the persistence of human schistosomiasis transmission in the Yangtze marshlands of China. To test this hypothesis, we are carrying out a comparative intervention among four administrative villages in the Poyang Lake region, Jiangxi Province, two of which are experimental and two are control. The primary design involves treating, at the onset of the study, all the inhabitants in all four villages with praziquantel and all the bovines in two villages (the experimental or intervention villages). Following treatment, rates of reinfection in people of all villages, and in bovines in the experimental villages, will be assessed as will the ongoing prevalence of infection in bovines in the control villages. Before treatment, the prevalence and intensity of infection among humans and bovines was ascertained in the four villages. Our study design and baseline information are presented here, along with a description of the ecology of the study villages.

A Bayesian approach to estimate the age-specific prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni and implications for schistosomiasis control

2008-02-18T00:00:00Z

Models that accurately estimate the age-specific infection prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni can be useful for schistosomiasis control programmes, particularly with regard to whether mass drug administration or selected treatment should be employed. We developed a Bayesian formulation of an immigration-death model that has been previously proposed, which used maximum likelihood inference for estimating the age-specific S. mansoni prevalence in a dataset from Egypt. For comparative purposes, we first applied the Bayesian formulation of the immigration-death model to the dataset from Egypt. We further analysed data obtained from a cross-sectional parasitological survey that determined the infection prevalence of S. mansoni among 447 individuals in a village in Cote d'Ivoire. Three consecutive stool samples were collected from each participant and analysed by the Kato-Katz technique. In the Cote d'Ivoire study, the observed S. mansoni infection prevalence was 41.6% and varied with age. The immigration-death model was able to correctly predict 50% of the observed age group-specific point prevalences. The model presented here can be utilized to estimate S. mansoni community infection prevalences, which in turn helps in the strategic planning of schistosomiasis control. (c) 2007 Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Bayesian solution to reconstructing centrally censored distributions

2009-12-22T00:00:00Z

Bayesian methods are investigated for the reconstruction of mixtures in the case of central censoring. Earlier literature suggested that when the relationship between a continuous and a categorical variable is of interest, a cost-efficient strategy may be to measure the categorical variable only in the tails of the continuous distribution. Such samples occur in population epidemiology and gene mapping. Because central observations are not classified, the mixture component to which each observation belongs is not known. Three cases of censoring, which correspond to differing amounts of available information, are compared. Closed form solutions are not available and so Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques are employed to estimate posterior densities. Evidence for a mixture of two populations is assessed via Bayes factors calculated using a Laplace–Metropolis estimator. Although parameter estimates appear to be satisfactory in most situations, evidence of two populations is only found when the component populations are well separated, tail sizes are not too small, or typing information is available. Extension of these methods to incorporate fixed effects is illustrated by application to a cattle breeding experiment.

ABC of smoking cessation - Policy priorities for tobacco control

Jamrozik, Konrad — 2007-08-13T00:00:00Z

ABC of smoking cessation - Population strategies to prevent smoking

Jamrozik, Konrad — 2007-08-13T00:00:00Z

Abdominal obesity, TV-viewing time and prospective declines in physical activity

2011-12-18T00:00:00Z

Abdominal sacral colpopexy or vaginal sacrospinous colpopexy for vaginal vault prolapse: A prospective randomized study

2007-08-15T00:00:00Z

A better way to manage development

Burgess, Peter — 2008-08-28T00:00:00Z

I worked for the first time on a development project in 1978—a multistate agricultural project in India. After travelling around rural India for two months I came to realise how much poor people were able to do with very little. But the project also raised the question of what it was that kept people so poor. A shortage of resources was part of the problem—but only part.

Abhangigkeit

Swift, W. og Hall, W. D. — 2008-08-28T00:00:00Z

Ablation of the thyroid remnant and I-131 dose in differentiated thyroid cancer

Doi, SAR og Woodhouse, NJY — 2010-07-07T10:16:42Z

A bleach program for inmates in NSW: an HIV prevention strategy

2007-08-13T00:00:00Z

Syringe cleaning guidelines for injecting drug users (IDUs) were revised in 1993. This paper examines efforts by IDUs in NSW prisons to adopt the revised guidelines in 1994. Consecutive inmates (229) nearing release were visited and asked to call a toll free number for an interview once released. Respondents (102) did not differ from non-respondents (127). Many respondents (64%) reported ever injecting and many of these reported injecting (58%), sharing (48%) and syringe cleaning (46%) when last in prison. Some (23%) respondents reported adopting the revised syringe cleaning guidelines. Tattooing (38%) was reported more often than sexual activity in prison (4%). A new methodology for prison research was found to be feasible in this study. The potential for HIV to spread in prison still poses major public health challenges.

Abnormal Glucose Metabolism: Does Diet Interact with Sedentary Behaviour? The AusDiab Study

2008-03-28T16:21:06Z

We investigated the interaction between dietary quality and television viewing time with abnormal glucose metabolism (AGM; impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance or newly diagnosed diabetes). Data were from a population-based cross-sectional study (AusDiab) including 4,754 men and 5,849 women ≥25 years without diagnosed diabetes. Diet was measured by food frequency questionnaire, scored using the Diet Quality Index-Revised, and categorised as high, medium or low. Television time was categorised as low (≤14 hours/week) or high (>14 hours/week). Logistic regression models adjusting for known confounding variables, including physical activity and waist circumference, were constructed separately for men and women. For men and women, the odds of having AGM was 1.32 (95% CI 1.03–1.64, p = 0.030) in those with low diet quality compared to those with high diet quality. The interaction between television viewing time and diet quality was significant only for women. In women, relative to those with low television time and high diet quality, the odds ratio of having AGM was 1.74 (95% CI 1.20–2.51, p = 0.004) in those with low television time and low diet quality, 1.40 (95% CI 1.07–1.84, p = 0.015) in those with high television time and moderate diet quality and 2.52 (95% CI 1.62–3.92, p < 0.001) in those with high television time and low diet quality. The odds ratios for low television time and moderate diet quality (1.11, 95% CI 0.79–1.54) and high television time and high diet quality (1.07, 95% CI 0.77–1.48) were not significant. High diet quality, together with reduced sedentary time, is important for reducing the risk of AGM.

Abnormalities in cardiac baroreceptor sensitivity in acute ischaemic stroke patients are related to aortic stiffness

2010-01-07T09:37:51Z

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research and the conduct of longitudinal studies: issues for debate

2007-08-15T00:00:00Z

The National Health and Medical Research Council, Research Agenda Working Group (RAWG), and the literature on Indigenous health have identified the need to fill gaps in descriptive data on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and noted both the lack of research with urban populations and the need for longitudinal studies. This paper presents some of the broad ethical and methodological challenges associated with longitudinal research in Indigenous health and focuses particularly on national studies and studies in urban areas. Our goal is to advance debate in the public health arena about the application of ethical guidelines and the conduct of longitudinal studies in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We encourage others to offer their experiences in this field.

Aboriginal child mortality in Australia: Recent levels and covariates

Kinfu, Yohannes — 2010-04-09T00:00:00Z

Aboriginality as a variable in epidemiology

Coory, M. og Saul, A. — 2007-09-21T00:00:00Z

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander health managers: Their recruitment, retention & professional development. Tactics at the interface

2008-06-06T00:00:00Z

Abortion in Asia: An overview

Whittaker, Andrea — 2011-03-16T00:00:00Z

Abortion in Asia: Local Dilemmas, Global Politics

2011-03-15T00:00:00Z

A brief measure of vocational activity and community participation: Development and reliability of the Activity and Participation Questionnaire

2010-03-14T00:07:25Z

Absolute requirement for an active immune response involvingb B cells and TH cells in immunity to plasmodium yoelii passively acquired with antibodies to the 19-KDA carboxyl-terminal fragment of merozoite surface protein-1

2008-06-10T00:00:00Z

Absolute risk charts for death within 10 years for Australian in their 70'S by behavioural risk factors

2011-09-18T00:00:00Z

Absolute risk of breast cancer for Australian women with a family history

Taylor, R og Boyages, J — 2007-08-13T00:00:00Z

Background: The purpose of the present paper was to estimate the absolute risk of breast cancer over the remainder of a lifetime in Australian women with different categories of family history. Methods: Age-specific breast cancer incidence rates were adjusted for screening effects, and rates in those with no family history were estimated using the attributable fraction (AF). Relative risks from a published meta-analysis were applied to obtain incidence rates for different categories of family history, and age-specific incidence was converted to cumulative risk of breast cancer. The risk estimates were based upon Australian population statistics and published relative risks. Breast cancer incidence was from New South Wales women for 1996. The AF was calculated using prevalence of a family history of breast cancer from data on Queensland women. The cumulative absolute risk of breast cancer was calculated from decade and mid-decade ages to age 79 years, not adjusted for competing causes of death. Results: Lifetime risk is approximately 8.6% (1 in 12) for the general population and 7.8% (1 in 13) for those without a family history. Women with one relative affected have lifetime risks of 1 in 6-8 and those with two relatives affected have lifetime risks of 1 in 4-6. The cumulative residual lifetime risk decreases with advancing age; by age 60 years all groups with only one relative affected have well above a 90% probability of not developing breast cancer to age 79 years. Conclusions: These Australian risk statistics are useful for public information and in the clinical setting. Risks given here apply to women with average breast cancer risk from other risk factors.

Abundance and prevalence of Aedes aegypti immatures and relationships with household water storage in rural areas in southern Viet Nam

2011-09-06T00:00:00Z

Abundance and spatial distribution of mosquitoes at Lake Bullawarra, Queensland (Diptera: Culicidae)

2008-08-28T00:00:00Z

A Capacity-building approach to health literacy through the use of information communication technologies

2009-01-16T00:00:00Z

A cardiovascular life history: A life course analysis of the original Framingham Heart Study cohort

2007-10-17T10:37:24Z

A Case-Case Approach to the Study of Cutaneous Melanoma

Kvaskoff, M og Pandeya, N og Whiteman, DC — 2011-10-29T00:00:00Z

A case for whole-parasite malaria vaccines

Wykes, Michelle og Good, Michael F. — 2011-10-25T00:00:00Z

Malaria causes morbidity in 300–500 million people each year and claims 2–3 millions lives annually, mostly children in sub-Saharan Africa. In 1983, the cloning of malaria antigens offered great promise for developing a viable subunit vaccine. However, an efficacious human vaccine is still not available. Immunological studies on how the host’s immune system interacts with the parasite and studies on the pathogenic aspect of Plasmodium have found that several factors can impede protection by current vaccines. These findings suggest a novel approach needs to be considered.

A casemix classification for Psychogeriatric Care in the Aged Care and Mental Health Sectors

Eagar, K. og Green, J. og Burgess, P. — 2008-08-28T00:00:00Z

A case of hypocortisolemic clinical Cushing's syndrome

Al-Shoumer, KAS og Hafez, MF og Doi, SAR — 2010-07-07T00:00:00Z

A case study of young people in Christchurch: A three- year longitudinal study of young people in a co-educational secondary school

2009-03-19T00:00:00Z

A cautionary bibliometric tale of two cities

2010-06-27T00:01:36Z

A Cautious Case for Cannabis Depenalization

Hall, Wayne — 2008-03-28T00:00:00Z

Accelerometer-determined physical activity and blood glucose in Australian adults

2007-08-23T22:04:33Z

Accelerometers: The good, the bad and the frustrating: Measuring physical activity

Healy, G. N. — 2008-03-28T00:00:00Z

Acceptability and feasibility of a community-based screening programme for melanoma in Australia

2007-08-15T00:00:00Z

The evaluation of a community-based screening programme for melanoma (SkinWatch) in 18 regional communities (total adult population >30 years 63 035) in Queensland, Australia is described. The aim of the SkinWatch programme was to promote whole-body skin screening for melanoma by primary care physicians. The programme included community education, education and support for local medical practitioners and open-access skin screening clinics. Programme delivery was achieved through assistance of local volunteers. All programme activities and resources were recorded for process evaluation. A baseline telephone survey (n = 3110) and a telephone survey four months after programme launch (n = 680) assessed community awareness of the SkinWatch programme and, 37 face-to-face interviews with community members, doctors and community leaders were conducted to assess satisfaction with the programme. A sample of 1043 of 16 383 residents who attended the skin screening clinics provided as part of the programme were interviewed to assess reasons for attending, and positive and negative aspects of SkinWatch programme. Community awareness of the SkinWatch programme increased by over 30% (p < 0.001) within four months of the start of the programme. Interview participants described the SkinWatch programme as a useful service for the communities and 90% stated they would revisit the clinics. A total of 43% of all attendees were over 50 years old, and nearly 50% were men. These findings demonstrate the acceptability and feasibility of a community-based screening programme for melanoma in rural areas. Volunteers were instrumental in increasing community ownership of and involvement in the SkinWatch programme.

Acceptability and feasibility of a computer-tailored physical activity intervention using stages of change: project FAITH

Vandelanotte, Corneel og De Bourdeaudhuji, Ise — 2008-01-02T09:57:57Z

This study investigated the feasibility and acceptability of a new computer-tailored intervention promoting physical activity in a general population, and explored if there are differences in the reported feasibility and acceptability between stages of change, gender, age groups, education levels and familiarity with computer use. The computer-tailored intervention program consists of questionnaires concerning demographics, physical activity and psychosocial determinants, leading to a 'physical activity advice' and an 'action plan'. This feedback was constructed taking the stages of change into account, at content level as well as in the way participants were approached. One hundred and ninety-two participants, between 25 and 55 years of age, ran through the tailored materials, and completed an acceptability and feasibility questionnaire afterwards. This questionnaire contained feasibility and acceptability questions about all the intervention aspects: intervention questions, physical activity advice, action plan and computer use. High acceptability and feasibility scores were found for all intervention parts. Only a few significant differences in acceptability and feasibility scores between stages of change, gender, age groups, education levels and familiarity with computer use were found. These results suggest that this computer-tailored intervention is an acceptable and feasible tool for promoting physical activity for respondents having different stages of change, ages, gender, education levels and computer use.

Acceptability and feasibility of an interactive computer-tailored fat intake intervention in Belgium

2007-10-17T13:14:42Z

In order to reduce the risk of chronic diseases health authorities recommend restricting fat intake to 30% of the total energy uptake. However, fat intake in Belgium is much higher warranting interventions aimed at reducing fat intake. Tailored interventions have shown to be promising; however, studies on effectiveness of interactive computer-tailored systems are needed. We investigated the acceptability and feasibility of a recently developed interactive computer-tailored fat reduction intervention. Differences in the reported acceptability and feasibility according to demographic and stages of change were explored. Participants (n = 220) completed a computerized questionnaire, and received a personal fat intake advice, which was almost immediately displayed on screen. They also completed an evaluation questionnaire, during and after they ran the tailored program, with questions on the quality, user-friendliness and applicability of the program. Participants rated the program positively on all aspects. No significant differences in acceptability and feasibility scores were found according to sex, education levels and computer literacy. Although several significant differences were found between age groups and stages of change (oldest group, contemplators and preparators were more positive about the program), the importance of these differences is probably not great, since acceptability and feasibility scores for the different age groups and stages of change were always very high. These results suggest that the computer-tailored intervention is an acceptable and feasible tool for reducing fat intake in a general population in Belgium.

Acceptability - A neglected dimension of access to health care: Findings from a study on childhood convulsions in rural Tanzania

2012-09-02T00:19:50Z

Acceptability, Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Computer-Tailored Physical Activity Intervention in Adolescents

2008-02-18T00:00:00Z

Objective: To evaluate acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of computer-tailored physical activity education among adolescents. Methods: Two classes of 7th graders from 10 randomly selected schools were assigned to the intervention (computer-tailored intervention, n = 139) or control (no-intervention, n = 142) condition. Questionnaires were completed I week before and 3 months after the intervention. The computer-tailored intervention was completed during classes. Results: Students had few problems with the diagnostic questions and with the use of a computer. About half of the students evaluated the advice as interesting and easy to understand and about 40% as personally relevant, easy to use and credible. Half of students evaluated the advice as too long and only 33% reported to have used the advice. The computer-tailored intervention was effective for increasing school related physical activity levels with on average 25 min per week (F = 3.4, P <.05), but not for increasing total physical activity or leisure time physical activity. Conclusions: A 1-h computer-tailored intervention offered during class-time has the potential to increase school related physical activity. Practice implications: Although favourable effects of large scale implementation may be expected, some adaptations that might increase effectiveness should be investigated in the future. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Access and equity in the provision of general practitioner services for women in Australia

2008-06-10T00:00:00Z

Objective: To assess geographical equity in the availability, accessibility and out-of-pocket costs of general practitioner (GP) services for women in Australia. Method: Data on general practice consultations during 1995 and 1996 for women aged 18-23 years (n=5,260), 45-50 years (n=7,898) and 70-75 years (n=6,542) in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health were obtained from the Health Insurance Commission. A sub-study of 4,577 participants provided data on access to health services. Results: Older women were more likely to have no out-of-pocket costs for their GP consultations, but in all age groups, the proportion was lower in rural areas than in urban areas (older age: 60% rural areas, 76% capital cities; mid-age: 24% rural areas, 40% capital cities; young age: 35% rural areas, 52% capital cities). Among mid-aged women, the median out-of-pocket cost per consultation ranged from $2.11 in capital cities to $6.48 in remote areas. Women living in rural and remote areas gave lower ratings for the availability, accessibility and affordability of health services than women living in urban areas. Conclusions This study has shown a striking gradient in financial and nonfinancial barriers to health care associated with area of residence. Implications: The geographical imbalance in the supply and distribution of GP services in Australia has long been recognised but inequities in the affordability of services must also be addressed. Longitudinal survey data and Health Insurance Commission data provide a means to evaluate policies designed to improve access to health services in rural and remote areas.

Access to health care in contexts of livelihood insecurity: A framework for analysis and action

2011-09-23T00:00:00Z

Access to health care is a major health and development issue. Most governments declare that their citizens should enjoy universal and equitable access to good quality care. However, even within the developed world, this goal is difficult to achieve, and there are no internationally recognized standards on how to define and measure “equitable access” [1]. Evidently, big disparities exist between the poor and the better off with respect to access to health care services and health status [2–4]. Gaps in child mortality between rich and poor countries are wide, as well as between the wealthy and the poor within most countries. Poor children are not only more likely than their better off peers to be exposed to health risks and have less resistance to disease, they also have less access to preventive and curative interventions. Even public subsidies for health frequently benefit rich people more than poor people. Clearly, more of the same is not enough [3]: To improve equitable access, innovative and community-based approaches are needed to better align health care services with poor people’s needs, expectations, and resources. This article presents a framework for analysis and action to explore and improve access to health care in resource-poor countries, especially in Africa. The framework links social science and public health research with broader development approaches to poverty alleviation. It was developed in the frame of the ACCESS Programme, which focuses on understanding and improving access to prompt and effective malaria treatment and care in rural Tanzania as an empirical case study [5,6]. The article first provides a brief outline of three approaches to investigating health care access, focusing either on health seeking, health services, or livelihoods. It then presents a framework that combines the three approaches, exemplified with research findings and interventions of the ACCESS Programme.

Access to health services and early age mortality in Ende, Indonesia

2012-03-06T11:17:56Z

Accuracy and interobserver reliability of three-dimensional rotational angiography versus mathematical models for volumetric measurement of intracranial aneurysms

2009-09-04T00:00:00Z

Accuracy of at-sea commercial size grading of tiger prawns (Penaeus esculentus and P-semisulcatus) in the Australian northern prawn fishery

2008-06-10T00:00:00Z

Accuracy of Mothers' Retrospective Reports of Smoking During Pregnancy: Comparison with Twin Sister Informant Ratings

2007-08-14T00:00:00Z

Retrospective assessment of maternal smoking or substance use during pregnancy is sometimes unavoidable. The unusually close relationship of twin sister pairs permits comparison of self-report data versus co-twin informant data on substance use during pregnancy. Information about smoking during pregnancy has been gathered from a series of mothers from an Australian volunteer twin panel (576 women reporting on 995 pregnancies), supplemented in many cases by independent ratings of their smoking by twin sister informants (821 pregnancies). Estimates of the proportion of women who had never smoked regularly (56-58%), who had smoked but did not smoke during a particular pregnancy (16-21%), or who smoked throughout the pregnancy (16-18%), were in good agreement whether based on self-report or twin sister informant data. However, informants underreported cases who smoked during the first trimester but then quit (1-3% versus 7-9% by self-report). Women who smoked throughout pregnancy (by informant report) rarely denied a history of regular smoking (<1%), although a small proportion of apparent false negative cases were identified where they either denied smoking during a pregnancy (9%) or denied smoking beyond the first trimester (10%). We conclude that retrospective smoking data can safely be used to identify potential associations of later child outcomes with maternal smoking during pregnancy.

Accuracy of the MedGemTM indirect calorimeter in cancer patients

2010-04-15T00:00:00Z

A central dilemma in the mental health sector: Structural imbalance

2009-03-17T00:00:00Z

Mental health services provision is persistently criticised regarding resource inadequacy. Services are also subject to another dilemma, “structural imbalance”. This study demonstrates the dimensions of structural imbalance in Australia's mental health sector by recourse to the 1997 Australian Bureau of Statistics national survey of mental health and wellbeing. This study also examines the concept by reference to the Australian Government's announced COAG initiatives (April 2006), and State government responses (July 2006). The two dimensions of structural imbalance are, first, that some people with no clinical mental illness consume mental health services and, second, that other people have clinical manifestations of mental illness and (for various reasons) do not consume mental health services; the present study shows how the situations coexist. “Throwing more money” at the pre-existing structures may do nothing to address the structural imbalance problem. Remedies are discussed by reference to the reforms undertaken in the British National Health Service in recent years.