Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Appeal To Nature Implicit In Certain Restrictions On Public Funding For Assisted Reproductive Technology, Drew Carter, Annette J. Braunack-Mayer

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Certain restrictions on public funding for assisted reproductive technology (ART) are articulated and defended by recourse to a distinction between medical infertility and social infertility. We propose that underlying the prioritization of medical infertility is a vision of medicine whose proper role is to restore but not to improve upon nature. We go on to mark moral responses that speak of investments many continue to make in nature as properly an object of reverence and gratitude and therein (sometimes) a source of moral guidance. We draw on the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein in arguing for the plausibility of an appeal …

Understanding Corporate Responsibility: Culture And Complicity, Christopher J. Degeling, Cynthia Townley, Wendy Rogers

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Kipnis's fictional account of the televised treatment of Elaine Robbins clearly shows the surgeon's negligence (Kipnis 2011). The problems with Anodyne's support for the telesurgery breakfast are harder to discern, but show up clearly when we take into consideration how surgical evidence is generated, evaluated, and used by surgeons. Current evidentiary practices in surgery have two major weaknesses, related to the epistemic culture of surgery and to practices of knowledge transmission. We argue that this is a systemic problem, which companies such as Anodyne both contribute to and benefit from. Thus, while we agree with Kipnis's claim that Anodyne is …

Anatomy Of An Occupation: The Indonesian Military In West Papua, Jim Elmslie, Camellia B. Webb-Gannon, Peter King

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This report deals with a series of Indonesian military documents that were passed to the West Papua Project (WPP) in early 2011. The documents provide remarkable insights into how the Indonesian military (Tentara Nasional Indonesia - TNI), operates within the disputed territory of West Papua (disputed, that is, between the vast majority of Papuans and the Indonesian government), and how they view West Papuan civil society. The documents reveal the names and activities of Indonesian intelligence agents; describe how traditional Papuan communities are monitored; and include a detailed analysis of both the West Papuan armed guerrilla groups and the non-violent …

Getting Evidence Into Policy: The Need For Deliberative Strategies?, Kathy Flitcroft, James Gillespie, Glenn P. Salkeld, Stacy Carter, Lyndal Trevena

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Getting evidence into policy is notoriously difficult. In this empirical case study we used document analysis and key informant interviews to explore the Australian federal government's policy to implement a national bowel cancer screening programme, and the role of evidence in this policy. Our analysis revealed a range of institutional limitations at three levels of national government: within the health department, between government departments, and across the whole of government. These limitations were amplified by the pressures of the 2004 Australian federal election campaign. Traditional knowledge utilisation approaches, which rely principally on voluntarist strategies and focus on the individual, rather …

Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Cost Recovery, Glenn P. Salkeld

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Since the beginning of 2010 the Australian Government has applied cost recovery to the listing process of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Drug companies seeking to list their drugs on the PBS or vaccines on the National Immunisation Program pay a fee at two key points - upon lodgement of the application and at the pricing stage. The lodgement fee relates to the evaluation work of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) and all of its supporting administrative functions. The pricing fee relates to the pricing work of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Pricing Authority and its supporting functions. Companies that want …

A Comparative Case Study Of Bowel Cancer Screening In The Uk And Australia: Evidence Lost In Translation?, Kathy Flitcroft, D J. St John, Kirsten Howard, Stacy Carter, Michael P. Pignone, Glenn P. Salkeld, Lyndal Trevena

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objectives (i) To document the current state of the English, Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish and Australian bowel cancer screening programmes, according to seven key characteristics, and (ii) to explore the policy trade-offs resulting from inadequate funding. Setting United Kingdom and Australia. Methods A comparative case study design using document and key informant interview analysis. Data were collated for each national jurisdiction on seven key programme characteristics: screening frequency, population coverage, quality of test, programme model, quality of follow-up, quality of colonoscopy and quality of data collection. A list of optimal features for each of the seven characteristics was compiled, based …

Evaluation Of Physical Activity Programmes For The Elderly - Exploring The Lessons From Other Sectors And Examining The General Characteristics Of The Programmes, Ana I. Marques, Pedro Soares, Luisa Soares-Miranda, Carla Moreira, Antonio Oliveira-Tavares, Paula Clara-Santos, Susana Vale, Rute Santos, Joana Carvalho

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background

In Portugal, there are several physical activity (PA) programmes for elderly people developed by the local government. The importance of these programmes has been increasing since the evidence has shown that this type of health promotion interventions may reduce the deleterious effects of the ageing process. However, no study has already identified the general characteristics of these programmes nor if they use any scheme to assess the quality of the service provided. A widely-used scheme is the EFQM Excellence Model, which will be in the core of our present work. Thus, the main aims of this preliminary study were …

A Proposed Adaptation Of The European Foundation For Quality Management Excellence Model To Physical Activity Programmes For The Elderly - Development Of A Quality Self-Assessment Tool Using A Modified Delphi Process, Ana I. Marques, Leonel Santos, Pedro Soares, Rute Santos, Antonio Oliveira-Tavares, Jorge Mota, Joana Carvalho

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background There has been a growing concern in designing physical activity (PA) programmes for elderly people, since evidence suggests that such health promotion interventions may reduce the deleterious effects of the ageing process. Complete programme evaluations are a necessary prerequisite to continuous quality improvements. Being able to refine, adapt and create tools that are suited to the realities and contexts of PA programmes for the elderly in order to support its continuous improvement is, therefore, crucial. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop a self-assessment tool for PA programmes for the elderly. Methods A 3-round Delphi process was …

Early Years Experience And Longer-Term Child Development: Research And Implications For Policymaking, Edward Melhuish

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Why should we focus on the early years? One reason is the accumulation of evidence that indicates that the child's experience in the early years has profound consequences for later life. There are now many studies that present a consistent picture indicating that adversity in early life, such as frequently accompanies child poverty, is linked to: poor adult mental and physical health , adult mortality, anti-social and criminal behaviour, substance abuse and poor literacy and academic achievement.

Performing Against The Odds: Developmental Trajectories Of Children In The Eppse 3 To 16 Study: Brief, Iram Siraj-Blatchford, Aziza Mayo, Edward Melhuish, Brenda Taggart, Pam Sammons, Kathy Sylva

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The Effective Provision of Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE 3-16) project is a large scale, longitudinal, mixed-method research study that has followed the progress of 3000+ children since 1997 from the age of 3 to 16 years. The EPPSE project uses a mixed-methods approach to investigate how child, family, pre-school and school characteristics interact and contribute to children's development up to early secondary age.

This research uses case studies to explore why and when certain children 'succeed against the odds' while others fall further behind, and also when and why some 'privileged' children fall behind despite their positive circumstances.

Adoption Of An Infection Prevention And Control Programme (Ipcp) In The Republic Of Kiribati: A Case Study In Diffusion Of Innovations Theory, Peta-Anne Zimmerman, Heather Yeatman, Michael Jones, Helen Murdoch

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the International Conference on Prevention & Infection Control (ICPIC 2011) Geneva, Switzerland. 29 June - 2 July 2011

Profiling The Silver Surfers: Which Older Australians Are Using The Internet?, Pippa Burns, Sandra C. Jones, Donald C. Iverson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the 10th national emerging researchers in ageing conference, 24-25 November 2011

The Impact Of Self-Efficacy On Asthma Management Amongst Older Australian Adults, Pippa Burns, Sandra C. Jones, Donald C. Iverson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Rationale: Australian asthma rates are high by international standards causing greatest mortality amongst older adults.

This paper looks at the relationships between perceived self-efficacy (belief in oneself) to manage the physical discomfort or pain caused by asthma and also the emotional distress caused by asthma and: reported health status; asthma quality of life for both mood and breathlessness; asthma management practices; and emergency health care use for asthma in adults aged 55 years and over.

Methods: A 20 page survey exploring the health beliefs, behaviours and attitudes of older Australians, was mailed to 9,000 people, (response rate = 46.8%). Participants …

Examining Brain-Cognition Effects Of Ginkgo Biloba Extract: Brain Activation In The Left Temporal And Left Prefrontal Cortex In An Object Working Memory Task, R B. Silberstein, A Pipingas, J Song, David Camfield, P J. Nathan, C Stough

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Ginkgo Biloba extract (GBE) is increasingly used to alleviate symptoms of age related cognitive impairment, with preclinical evidence pointing to a pro-cholinergic effect. While a number of behavioral studies have reported improvements to working memory (WM) associated with GBE, electrophysiological studies of GBE have typically been limited to recordings during a resting state. The current study investigated the chronic effects of GBE on steady state visually evoked potential (SSVEP) topography in nineteen healthy middle-aged (50-61 year old) male participants whilst completing an object WM task. A randomized double-blind crossover design was employed in which participants were allocated to receive 14 …

Neoliberalism And The Biophysical Environment 3: Putting Theory Into Practice, Noel Castree

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There now exists a significant body of theoretically informed empirical research into 'neoliberal environments'. It comprises numerous studies which together explore the connections between neoliberal principles and policies, on the one side, and the biophysical world on the other. However, making sense of them is by no means straightforward, despite their common focus on neoliberal environments. It is currently left to readers of these studies to synthesize them into a wider, joined-up account of neoliberal environments. This and two companion articles aim for precisely this sort of broad and coherent understanding. The contribution of this third instalment is twofold. First, …

The Sydney Playground Project: Popping The Bubblewrap - Unleashing The Power Of Play: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial Of A Primary School Playground-Based Intervention Aiming To Increase Children's Physical Activity And Social Skills, Anita C. Bundy, Geraldine A. Naughton, Paul Tranter, Shirley Wyver, Louise A. Baur, Wendy Schiller, Adrian E. Bauman, Lina Engelen, Jo Ragen, Tim Luckett, Anita Niehues, Gabrielle Stewart, Glenda Jessup, Jennie Brentnall

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background In the Westernised world, numerous children are overweight and have problems with bullying and mental health. One of the underlying causes for all three is postulated to be a decrease in outdoor free play. The aim of the Sydney Playground Project is to demonstrate the effectiveness of two simple interventions aimed to increase children's physical activity and social skills. Methods/Design This study protocol describes the design of a 3-year cluster randomised controlled trial (CRCT), in which schools are the clusters. The study consists of a 13-week intervention and 1 week each of pre-and post-testing. We are recruiting 12 schools …

What Knowledge Exists In Nsw Schools Of Students With Learning Difficulties Who Are Also Academically Gifted?, Catherine Wormald

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Little or no empirical research on students who are gifted with learning difficulties has been conducted in Australia. This research investigated the knowledge teachers in New South Wales, Australia had of these students. A mixed methods approach was adopted involving surveys and interviews of teachers from primary and secondary schools across all education sectors. The study focussed on two issues: the teachers' knowledge of, and attitudes towards these students; and, the educational programs they implemented for these students. Demographics from the survey highlighted the lack of post-graduate training by teachers in both gifted education and learning difficulties. The findings showed …

A Tale Of Two Countries: Rethinking Sexual Risk For Hiv Among Young People In South Africa And The United States, Audrey Pettifor, Brooke Levandowski, Catherine L. Mac Phail, William Miller, Joyce Tabor, Carol Ford, Cheryl Stein, Helen Rees, Myron Cohen

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Purpose

To compare the sexual behaviors of young people in South Africa (SA) and the United States (US) with the aim to better understand the potential role of sexual behavior in HIV transmission in these two countries that have strikingly different HIV epidemics.

Methods

Nationally representative, population-based surveys of young people aged 18–24 years from SA (n = 7,548) and the US (n = 13,451) were used for the present study.

Results

The prevalence of HIV was 10.2% in SA and <1% in the US. Young women and men in the US reported an earlier age of first sex than those in SA (mean age of coital debut for women: US [16.5], SA [17.4]; for men: US [16.4], SA [16.7]). The median number of lifetime partners is higher in the US than in SA: women: US (4), SA (2); men: US (4), SA (3). The use of condom at last sex is reported to be lower in the US than in SA: women: US (36.1%), SA (45.4%); men: US (48%), SA (58%). On average, young women in SA report greater age differences with their sex partners than young women in the US.

Conclusion

Young people in the US report riskier sexual behaviors than young people in SA, despite the much higher …

Continued High Risk Sexual Behavior Following Diagnosis With Acute Hiv Infection In South Africa And Malawi: Implications For Prevention, Audrey Pettifor, Catherine L. Mac Phail, Amy Corneli, Jabu Sibeko, Gift Kamanga, Nora Rosenberg, William Miller, Irving Hoffman, Helen Rees, Myron Cohen

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Understanding sexual behavior following diagnosis of acute HIV infection (AHI) is key to developing prevention programs targeting individuals diagnosed with AHI. We conducted separate qualitative and quantitative interviews with individuals newly diagnosed (n = 19) with AHI at 1-, 4- and 12-weeks post-diagnosis and one qualitative interview with individuals who had previously been diagnosed with AHI (n = 18) in Lilongwe, Malawi and Johannesburg, South Africa between October 2007 and June 2008. The majority of participants reported engaging in sexual activity following diagnosis with AHI with a significant minority reporting unprotected sex during this time. Most participants perceived to have …

Association Between Physical Activity And Motor Skills And Coordination In Portuguese Children, Luis Lopes, Vitor Pires Lopes, Rute Santos, Beatriz Pereira

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Nowadays, there is growing evidence in literature that Health benefits from regular physical activity (PA). The variance in PA among children is caused by a number of factors including their motor abilities and coordination. The aim of the study was to analyse the relation between usual PA and gross motor abilities and motor coordination in children aged 6 to 7 years. The sample comprised 21 children, aged in average 6,38±0,50 years. Physical activity was accessed by accelerometry, gross motor abilities by using the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2) and motor coordination by using the Körperkoordination Test für Kinder (KTK). …

Seasonal Differences In Physical Activity And Sedentary Patterns: The Relevance Of The Pa Context, Pedro Silva, Rute Santos, Gregory Welk, Jorge Mota

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The aim of this pilot study was to characterize seasonal variationin the moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentarybehavior of Portuguese school youth, and understand theinfluence of activity choices and settings. The participants inthis study were 24 students, aged 10-13 years. Accelerometersmeasured daily PA over 7 consecutive days, in different seasonsMay - June and January - February. In summer, boys accumulatedmore minutes in MVPA (928 minutes/week) than girls(793 minutes/week). In winter the pattern was reversed withgirls accumulating more activity than boys (736 minutes/weekvs. 598 minutes/week). The repeated measures ANOVA revealedsignificant effects for season (F = 5.98, p = 0.023) …

Parent-School Engagement: Exploring The Concept Of 'Invisible' Indigenous Parents In Three North Australian School Communities, Richard D. Chenhall, Catherine Holmes, Tess Lea, Kate Senior, Aggie Wegner

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This report explores school-­‐parent engagement in three town-­‐based schools in the Northern Territory of Australia. Undertaken over a three year period between 2008 and 2010, the research team worked in partnership with The Smith Family and participating schools— Karama Primary School in Darwin; Moulden Park Primary School in Palmerston; and MacFarlane Primary School in Katherine-to explore what parents have to say about the schools that their Indigenous children attend and about education more broadly.

The research applied an exploratory case study approach using a mix of ethnographic and interview techniques. We observed children, parents and school environments; interviewed parents, teachers, …

The Promise And Potential Of Botulinum Toxin-A: National Survey Of Therapy Practices, Bianca Kinnear, N Lannin, Anne Cusick

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract from the 22nd Stroke Society of Australasia Annual Scientific Meeting, 14-16 September 2011, Adelaide, Australia.

Research Round-Up 1981-2011, Anne Cusick

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Closing keynote address from the Occupational Therapy Australia 24th National Conference and Exhibition, 29 June - 1 July 2011, Gold Coast, Australia

Cold Pressor Stimulation Diminishes P50 Amplitude In Normal Subjects, Adam J. Woods, John W. Philbeck, Kenneth Chelette, Robert D. Skinner, Edgar Garcia-Rill, Mark Mennemeier

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The present study examined how cold pressor stimulation influences electrophysiological correlates of arousal. We measured the P50 auditory evoked response potential in two groups of subjects who immersed their foot in either cold (0-2 degreees Celsius) or room temperature (22-24 degreees Celsius) water for 50 seconds. The P50, which was recorded before and after stimulation, is sleep-state dependent and sensitive to states of arousal in clinical populations. We found a significant reduction in P50 amplitude after exposure to cold, but not room temperature water. In comparison with other studies, these results indicate that cold pressor stimulation in normal subjects may …

Phon: Free Software For Phonological Transcription And Analysis, Heather Buchan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Software review - Phon is an open-source program for the transcription and analysis of phonological and phonetic data. It was designed to help systematize research in children’s phonological development, but many functions in Phon, particularly the powerful search function, can be used for a wide range of investigations in phonetics and phonology. Phon is compatible with other language processing programs and is not just limited to English, making it a useful tool for documenting and analyzing the phonological system of any spoken language.

The Type And Prevalence Of Activities Performed By Australian Children During The Lunchtime And After School Periods, Rebecca M. Stanley, Kate Ridley, Timothy Olds

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify the most prevalent reported activities performed by Australian children during the lunchtime and after school periods; and estimate the mean duration of a typical bout of the most prevalent activities performed during the lunchtime and after school periods. Design: This study was a secondary data analysis of the 2007 Australian National Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey. Method: Use of time data were collected from Australian children aged 10.0-13.9 years (n = 794) using the Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adults (MARCA). The most prevalent self-reported activities for the lunchtime …

It’S Time For Ronald Mcdonald To Hang Up The Red Wig, Sandra C. Jones

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

More than 550 international health professionals and organisations have signed a letter to McDonald’s calling for the Ronald McDonald icon to be shelved.

A Climate Of Ill Health, Noel Castree

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Book review of: CHANGING PLANET, CHANGING HEALTH: How the Climate Crisis Threatens Our Health and What We Can Do about It. Paul R. Epstein and Dan Ferber. xii + 355 pp. University of California Press, 2011. $29.95.

Shared Health Governance: The Potential Danger Of Oppressive "Healthism", Stacy M. Carter, Vikki A. Entwistle, Kirsten Mccaffery, Lucie Rychetnik

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

We share an interest in public health and in the capabilities approach developed by Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum, and others (Comim, Qizilbash, and Alkire 2008; Sen 2009; Nussbaum 1999), so were curious to see how Jennifer Prah Ruger would apply her "health capability paradigm" to health governance. The resulting model-shared health governance (SHG)-has real potential to promote justice in health in some contexts. However, based on the description provided in this issue (Ruger 2011), aspects of SHG seem at odds with important features of the capabilities approach. We suggest that SHG will better safeguard the freedoms of individuals-including their health …