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Living Alone in Australia Project (LAAP). This study investigates one aspect of the changing nature of Australia's social fabric. It asks whether the sharp rise in living alone reflects a breakdown in Australia's social fabric or simply marks a change in the way in which the fabric is woven. Living alone has important implications for social policy, service provision and housing. But before these implications are identified we need a much better understanding of who lives alone and what living ....Living Alone in Australia Project (LAAP). This study investigates one aspect of the changing nature of Australia's social fabric. It asks whether the sharp rise in living alone reflects a breakdown in Australia's social fabric or simply marks a change in the way in which the fabric is woven. Living alone has important implications for social policy, service provision and housing. But before these implications are identified we need a much better understanding of who lives alone and what living alone means for people in terms of their social ties. By understanding the causes and consequences of the increasing popularity of living alone the study will help identify those who are at ?risk? and thus assist with effective targeting of supports and interventions.Read moreRead less
Housing affordability: the use and misuse of reverse mortgages by older households. Many retirees are without compulsory superannuation although daily living costs have risen substantially. As additional workers in the 'baby boom' generation retire and less tax will be paid to the government, it appears there will be increasing pressure placed on the pension system. A large proportion of the population may struggle to enjoy a fulfilling retirement and be drawn towards a reverse mortgage, which ....Housing affordability: the use and misuse of reverse mortgages by older households. Many retirees are without compulsory superannuation although daily living costs have risen substantially. As additional workers in the 'baby boom' generation retire and less tax will be paid to the government, it appears there will be increasing pressure placed on the pension system. A large proportion of the population may struggle to enjoy a fulfilling retirement and be drawn towards a reverse mortgage, which in turn may be misunderstood. With an increasing proportion of older residents leaving the workforce, the community would be adversely affected if this cohort required government financial assistance due to the misuse of home equity loans.Read moreRead less
Impact of parents' employment on children's well-being: The influence of employment quality, time and activities with children, and parenting practices. Most Australian children now grow-up in families where both their mother and their father are employed. Using a new national dataset, this research examines how parents' working conditions are related to children's well-being. It is proposed that parents' availability, resources, and family functioning mediate between parental employment and chi ....Impact of parents' employment on children's well-being: The influence of employment quality, time and activities with children, and parenting practices. Most Australian children now grow-up in families where both their mother and their father are employed. Using a new national dataset, this research examines how parents' working conditions are related to children's well-being. It is proposed that parents' availability, resources, and family functioning mediate between parental employment and child outcomes. The Growing-Up in Australia study (available in 2005) surveys 10,000 children, combining measures of child well-being, existing validated measures of work conditions and family functioning, with a new child-focused diary that measures time and activities undertaken with children. New knowledge generated will inform future policy development.Read moreRead less
Job quality and the mental health and well-being of working parents and their children. Maximizing workforce participation is a national priority, essential to support an ageing population. Also critical is the full development of children's capabilities; part of a healthy start to life. Jobs, parents, children and family life lie at the centre of these priorities. Although employment supports families financially, this may come at a cost if aspects of the job affect parent well-being, or strain ....Job quality and the mental health and well-being of working parents and their children. Maximizing workforce participation is a national priority, essential to support an ageing population. Also critical is the full development of children's capabilities; part of a healthy start to life. Jobs, parents, children and family life lie at the centre of these priorities. Although employment supports families financially, this may come at a cost if aspects of the job affect parent well-being, or strains family relationships, which are critical to children's development and well-being. As well as informing industrial relations changes, this project will benefit the twin economic and social policy goals of workforce participation while at the same time supporting the health and well-being of parents and their children.Read moreRead less
Respectability and health: private life and the health transition in two capital cities, London and Melbourne, 1850?1980. This study will explore the relationship between the dramatic normative changes that occurred in working-class private life after 1850 and the health transition. Using grass-roots case studies and databases of both London and Melbourne, it will analyse the changing mortality experience of the poor?as infants, young, and older adults?in relation to changes in self-care, self- ....Respectability and health: private life and the health transition in two capital cities, London and Melbourne, 1850?1980. This study will explore the relationship between the dramatic normative changes that occurred in working-class private life after 1850 and the health transition. Using grass-roots case studies and databases of both London and Melbourne, it will analyse the changing mortality experience of the poor?as infants, young, and older adults?in relation to changes in self-care, self-image and family life made possible by the transition in these two mercantilist cities from casualised to regular labour markets. It will then endeavour to relate these findings about life chances among the most disadvantaged to health and social policy for the future.Read moreRead less
The emotional and social burden of caring for a young child with complex health needs. The National Agenda for Early Childhood and the Stronger Families and Community Strategy provide a framework for achieving efficient and effective outcomes in early childhood. This project will contribute to those strategies by gaining an understanding of the currently unknown issues faced by the group of families of young infants and children with complex health needs in a variety of geographic, community and ....The emotional and social burden of caring for a young child with complex health needs. The National Agenda for Early Childhood and the Stronger Families and Community Strategy provide a framework for achieving efficient and effective outcomes in early childhood. This project will contribute to those strategies by gaining an understanding of the currently unknown issues faced by the group of families of young infants and children with complex health needs in a variety of geographic, community and service settings, and the government supported services required. The identification of risk and resilience factors will enable the early detection of children at 'high-risk' and provide the opportunity to implement preventative and early intervention programs.Read moreRead less
Socio-economic determinants of future fertility trends in Australia and other developed countries. Future demographic trends will do much to determine Australia's future. Fertility levels will dominate in deciding population numbers, age structure, and the optimum balance between natural increase and immigration. Current ARC-supported research on the theory of demographic transition provides a paradigm for forecasting likely trends, especially when employed with an existing data bank of findings ....Socio-economic determinants of future fertility trends in Australia and other developed countries. Future demographic trends will do much to determine Australia's future. Fertility levels will dominate in deciding population numbers, age structure, and the optimum balance between natural increase and immigration. Current ARC-supported research on the theory of demographic transition provides a paradigm for forecasting likely trends, especially when employed with an existing data bank of findings on social and demographic interrelations. The research is of great national benefit because even small differences in age structure will impact significantly on the size of the labour force, health services, the support of the aged and taxation levels. Relevant policy decisions will need to be made in the near future.Read moreRead less
Improving safety and minimising risk: parent, carer and service provider perspectives of sociocultural influences for medication use in young children. Childhood unintentional poisoning ranks second to falls as an injury cause of hospitalisation in the 0-4 years age group. The aims of this study are to explore the sociocultural influences on medication use by parents and carers of young children and develop best practice guidelines for provision of medication information by health care providers ....Improving safety and minimising risk: parent, carer and service provider perspectives of sociocultural influences for medication use in young children. Childhood unintentional poisoning ranks second to falls as an injury cause of hospitalisation in the 0-4 years age group. The aims of this study are to explore the sociocultural influences on medication use by parents and carers of young children and develop best practice guidelines for provision of medication information by health care providers. A multimedia education program for health care providers and consumers will be integrated into existing health services. Results will aid in determining children at risk of medication mismanagement, and assist providers to implement a rigorous and sustainable approach to the provision of care to young children.Read moreRead less
Interactive Demographic Transition: Analysis and Theory. The demographic transition, or decline in mortality and fertility levels to produce the modern small family and normally long-lived individuals, may well be the most important social change of our time. It has occasioned much research but theory is still in disarray. This is at least partly explained by a disregard for feed-back mechanisms in the form of organized movements supporting and opposing such demographic change. My aim is to r ....Interactive Demographic Transition: Analysis and Theory. The demographic transition, or decline in mortality and fertility levels to produce the modern small family and normally long-lived individuals, may well be the most important social change of our time. It has occasioned much research but theory is still in disarray. This is at least partly explained by a disregard for feed-back mechanisms in the form of organized movements supporting and opposing such demographic change. My aim is to reanalyze data from my own and others? work, taking such interactions into account, to produce a demographic transition theory suited both to historical explanation and the guidance of contemporary policy.Read moreRead less
Reducing child deaths among the poor in Asian cities: the cultural, social and institutional determinants of child survival. The urban poor experience more, and more variable, child mortality than richer compatriots. Although there are many contributing factors including material poverty, insanitary housing, inaccessible health services, and parental ignorance of good childcare, these do not explain the full extent of the inequities. A key factor is the interest and ability of poor households to ....Reducing child deaths among the poor in Asian cities: the cultural, social and institutional determinants of child survival. The urban poor experience more, and more variable, child mortality than richer compatriots. Although there are many contributing factors including material poverty, insanitary housing, inaccessible health services, and parental ignorance of good childcare, these do not explain the full extent of the inequities. A key factor is the interest and ability of poor households to use their resources, and those of the health services to protect their children's health. This project will use an anthropological-demographic approach in Dhaka and Jakarta to investigate the cultural, social and institutional factors influencing health beliefs and hence treatment decisions at the household level.Read moreRead less