ORCID Profile
0000-0002-1270-6823
Current Organisation
Flinders University
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Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Public Health and Health Services | Health Policy | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health | Public Health and Health Services not elsewhere classified | Historical Studies | Other Education | Labour Economics | Health and Community Services | Australian History (excl. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History) | Public Policy | Social Policy | Public Health And Health Services Not Elsewhere Classified | Policy and Administration | Community Child Health | Mental Health | Health Promotion | Sociological Methodology And Research Methods | Psychological Methodology, Design and Analysis | Urban And Regional Studies
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Social Structure and Health | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health - Determinants of Health | Changing work patterns | Public Health (excl. Specific Population Health) not elsewhere classified | Understanding Australia's Past | Mental Health | Child health | School/Institution Community and Environment | Youth/child development and welfare | Education policy | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health - Health System Performance (incl. Effectiveness of Interventions) | Child Health | Health Education and Promotion | Health Status (e.g. Indicators of Well-Being) | Social Class and Inequalities | Social structure and health | Health Inequalities | Regional planning | Health Policy Evaluation | Rural Health |
Related Links
Publications
Do area-based interventions to reduce health inequalities work? A systematic review of evidence
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-2007
Public testimony as a source of naturally occurring data: An ethical and rigorous approach to investigating resilience in the face of a natural disaster
Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
Date: 2017
Extending new paradigm childhood research: meeting the challenge of including younger children
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 08-2005
Conducting a rapid health promotion audit in suburban Adelaide, South Australia: Can it contribute to revitalising health promotion?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-07-2022
DOI: 10.1002/HPJA.517
Abstract: How health promotion is implemented varies and it is often not clear what activities are in place in a region. Understanding the extent of health promotion activities helps planning activities. This research involved a rapid audit of the types of health promotion activities in a suburban region of South Australia. This analysis was guided by the WHO Ottawa Charter's principles. To better understand population needs and which health promoting activities may help, an epidemiological, demographic and social determinants of health profile of southern Adelaide described disease patterns and health inequities. While there was evidence of a range of health promoting activities, most concerned in idual or behavioural services. A key finding was the small number of activities that the state health department and local health system were responsible for. Alongside local government, NGOs provided the bulk of health promotion activities. In addition, there were no overarching health promotion strategies or coordinating bodies to evaluate the activities. The epidemiological, demographic and social determinants of health profile found persistent health and social inequities. This rapid audit of health promotion in a region enabled a quick assessment of the current health promotion situation and provided evidence of gaps and areas where policy change should be advocated. SO WHAT?: The key findings distilled from this research were designed to inform policy priorities to shift health promotion in southern Adelaide onto a trajectory consistent with the Ottawa Charter and prevent further focus on in idualised behaviour change strategies known as 'lifestyle drift'.
Australian children's accounts of the closure of a car factory: global restructuring and local impacts
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 05-2009
“Never mind the logic, give me the numbers”: Former Australian health ministers' perspectives on the social determinants of health
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-0007
DOI: 10.1016/J.SOCSCIMED.2013.03.033
Abstract: The articulation of strong evidence and moral arguments about the importance of social determinants of health (SDH) and health equity has not led to commensurate action to address them. Policy windows open when, simultaneously, an issue is recognised as a problem, policy formulation and refinement happens and the political will for action is present. We report on qualitative interviews with 20 former Australian Federal, State or Territory health ministers conducted between September 2011 and January 2012 concerning their views about how and why the windows of policy opportunity on the SDH did or did not open during their tenure. Almost all ex-health ministers were aware of the existence of health inequalities and SDH but their complexity meant that this awareness rarely crystalised into a clear problem other than as a focus on high needs groups, especially Aboriginal people. Formulation of policies about SDH was assisted by cross-portfolio structures, policy entrepreneurs, and evidence from reviews and reports. It was hindered by the complexity of SDH policy, the dominance of medical power and paradigms and the weakness of the policy community advocating for SDH. The political stream was enabling when the general ideological climate was supportive of redistributive policies, the health care sector was not perceived to be in crisis, there was support for action from the head of government and cabinet colleagues, and no opposition from powerful lobby groups. There have been instances of Australian health policy which addressed the SDH over the past twenty five years but they are rare and the windows of opportunity that made them possible did not stay open for long.
Rescuing sustainability from corporate colonisation: A discussion about a sustaining environment or an ecologically sustainable human society
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2014
Understanding Australian policies on public health using social and political science theories: reflections from an Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Workshop
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 19-04-2018
Abstract: There is strong, and growing, evidence documenting health inequities across the world. However, most governments do not prioritize policies to encourage action on the social determinants of health and health equity. Furthermore, despite evidence concerning the benefits of joined-up, intersectoral policy to promote health and health equity, it is rare for such policy approaches to be applied systematically. To examine the usefulness of political and social science theory in understanding the reasons for this disjuncture between evidence and practice, researchers and public servants gathered in Adelaide for an Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) Workshop. This paper draws together the learnings that emerged from the Workshop, including key messages about the usefulness of various theories as well as insights drawn from policy practice. Discussions during the Workshop highlighted that applying multiple theories is particularly helpful in directing attention to, and understanding, the influence of all stages of the policy process from the construction and framing of policy problems, to the implementation of policy and evaluation of outcomes, including those outcomes that may be unintended. In addition, the Workshop emphasized the value of collaborations among public health researchers, political and social scientists and public servants to open up critical discussion about the intersections between theory, research evidence and practice. Such critique is vital to render visible the processes through which particular sources of knowledge may be privileged over others and to examine how political and bureaucratic environments shape policy proposals and implementation action.
Intersectoral action on SDH and equity in Australian health policy
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 07-05-2016
Abstract: Intersectoral action between public agencies across policy sectors, and between levels of government, is seen as essential for effective action by governments to address social determinants of health (SDH) and to reduce health inequities. The health sector has been identified as having a crucial stewardship role, to engage other policy sectors in action to address the impacts of their policies on health. This article reports on research to investigate intersectoral action on SDH and health inequities in Australian health policy. We gathered and in idually analysed 266 policy documents, being all of the published, strategic health policies of the national Australian government and eight State/Territory governments, current at the time of s ling in late 2012-early 2013. Our analysis showed that strategies for intersectoral action were common in Australian health policy, but predominantly concerned with extending access to in idualized medical or behavioural interventions to client groups in other policy sectors. Where intersectoral strategies did propose action on SDH (other than access to health-care), they were mostly limited to addressing proximal factors, rather than policy settings affecting the distribution of socioeconomic resources. There was little evidence of engagement between the health sector and those policy sectors most able to influence systemic socioeconomic inequalities in Australia.
Health Service Variability as Determinants of Achievement of Performance Indicators and Outcome
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2010
Ethical Negotiations: Committees, Methods and Research with Children
Publisher: Brill
Date: 2012
Abstract: This paper reflects on the ethical procedures encountered, and methodological strategies adopted, in order to develop and conduct qualitative research with children to explore their relationship to, and through, information and communication technologies (ICT). The study was conducted in Australia, which like many other nations, adopted a formal, mandatory institutional ethics framework historically formed in response to real and potential unethical and harmful research. This is now associated with a broader agenda of of risk-management and protection in universities which must be managed to enable the right of children to participate fully in research that affects them. Since calls for more multi-dimensional research with children and ICT have been made (Livingstone and Helsper, 2007 Livingstone, 2010), few academic studies have delved into the ethical processes and negotiations involved in such research, especially within academic institutions that are bounded by strict ethical and risk-management processes. This paper contributes to the growing field of appropriate research methods and methodologies, and their circumspection, for study with ICT connected-children, and adds to the growing debates around ethically including children in academic research.
Children and young people's wellbeing post-disaster: Safety and stability are critical
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2015
Mental Health Following Separation in a Disaster: The Role of Attachment
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-01-2016
DOI: 10.1002/JTS.22071
Abstract: Short-term separation from close family members during a disaster is a highly salient event for those involved. Yet, its subsequent impact on mental health has received little empirical attention. One relevant factor may be attachment style, which influences patterns of support-seeking under threatening conditions. In iduals (N = 914) affected by the 2009 Victorian bushfires in southeastern Australia were assessed for disaster experiences, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and attachment style 3-4 years after the fires. Using multigroup structural equation modelling, in iduals who reported separation from close family members during the bushfires (n = 471) were compared to those who reported no separation (n = 443). Cross-sectional results indicated that separated in iduals had higher levels of PTSD symptoms. Furthermore, attachment anxiety was more strongly positively associated with depression among separated (b = 0.62) versus not separated in iduals (b = 0.32). Unexpectedly, among separated in iduals, attachment avoidance had a statistically weaker association with depression (b = 0.17 vs. b = 0.35) and with PTSD symptoms (b = 0.06 vs. b = 0.22). These results suggest that attachment anxiety lifies a negative reaction to separation meanwhile, for avoidant in iduals, separation in times of danger may facilitate defensive cognitive processes.
Ideas, actors and institutions: lessons from South Australian Health in All Policies on what encourages other sectors’ involvement
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-10-2017
Longitudinal study of changing psychological outcomes following the Victorian Black Saturday bushfires
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 12-06-2017
Abstract: To map the changing prevalence and predictors of psychological outcomes in affected communities 5 years following the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria. Follow-up assessment of longitudinal cohort study in high, medium and non-affected communities in Victoria, Australia. Participants included 1017 respondents (Wave 1) interviewed via telephone and web-based survey between December 2011 and January 2013, and 735 (76.1%) eligible participants were retested between July and November 2014 (Wave 2). The survey included measures of fire-related and subsequent stressful events, probable posttraumatic stress disorder, major depressive episode, alcohol use and severe distress. There were reduced rates of fire-related posttraumatic stress disorder (8.7% vs 12.1%), general posttraumatic stress disorder (14.7% vs 18.2%), major depressive episode (9.0% vs 10.9%) and serious mental illness (5.4% vs 7.8%). Rates of resilience increased over time (81.8% vs 77.1%), and problem alcohol use remained high across Wave 1 (22.1%) and Wave 2 (21.4%). The most robust predictor of later development of fire-related posttraumatic stress disorder (odds ratio: 2.11 95% confidence interval: [1.22, 3.65]), general posttraumatic stress disorder (odds ratio: 3.15 95% confidence interval: [1.98, 5.02]), major depressive episode (odds ratio: 2.86 95% confidence interval: [1.74, 4.70]), serious mental illness (odds ratio: 2.67 95% confidence interval: [0.57, 1.72]) or diminished resilience (odds ratio: 2.01 95% confidence interval: [1.32, 3.05]) was extent of recent life stressors. Although rates of mental health problems diminished over time, they remained higher than national levels. Findings suggest that policy-makers need to recognize that the mental health consequences of disasters can persist for many years after the event and need to allocate resources towards those who are most at risk as a result of substantive losses and ongoing life stressors.
New norms new policies: Did the Adelaide Thinkers in Residence scheme encourage new thinking about promoting well-being and Health in All Policies?
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.SOCSCIMED.2015.10.031
Abstract: Health systems have long been criticised for focussing on curing rather than preventing disease. This paper examines to what extent the Adelaide Thinkers in Residence (ATiR) scheme contributed to the change in norms whereby promoting well-being and a strategy to achieve this - Health in All Policies (HiAP)--was adopted by the South Australian (SA) State Government from 2007. The data presented in this paper are drawn from a five year (2012-2016) detailed mixed methods case study of the SA HiAP initiative which involved document analysis, interviews and workshops with public servants and political actors. We adapt the framework used by Finnemore and Sikkink (1998) which explains how norm changes can lead to political changes in international affairs. We also use Kingdon's concept of policy entrepreneurs to determine whether these ideas moved to an implementable initiative with the help of both a specific ATiR program on HiAP and the broader TiR scheme which promoted a series of innovations relevant to health. The process involved the ATiR reinforcing the work of local norm entrepreneurs with that of powerful external policy entrepreneurs, adapting the discourse about the value of prevention and promoting well-being so that it fitted with the dominant economic one. The powerful organisational platform of the ATiR, which was under the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and linked to the South Australian Strategic Plan (SASP) was used to advance these ideas. The case study offers important lessons for other jurisdictions on how to shift policy to encourage intersectoral approaches to health.
Writing a new story for Australia's children
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2014
Developing a Framework for a Program Theory-Based Approach to Evaluating Policy Processes and Outcomes: Health in All Policies in South Australia
Publisher: Maad Rayan Publishing Company
Date: 22-10-2018
The role of anger and ongoing stressors in mental health following a natural disaster
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 13-01-2015
Abstract: Research has established the mental health sequelae following disaster, with studies now focused on understanding factors that mediate these outcomes. This study focused on anger, alcohol, subsequent life stressors and traumatic events as mediators in the development of mental health disorders following the 2009 Black Saturday Bushfires, Australia’s worst natural disaster in over 100 years. This study examined data from 1017 (M = 404, F = 613) adult residents across 25 communities differentially affected by the fires and participating in the Beyond Bushfires research study. Data included measures of fire exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, alcohol abuse, anger and subsequent major life stressors and traumatic events. Structural equation modeling assessed the influence of factors mediating the effects of fire exposure on mental health outcomes. Three mediation models were tested. The final model recorded excellent fit and observed a direct relationship between disaster exposure and mental health outcomes (b = .192, p .001) and mediating relationships via Anger (b = .102, p .001) and Major Life Stressors (b = .128, p .001). Each gender was compared with multiple group analyses and while the mediation relationships were still significant for both genders, the direct relationship between exposure and outcome was no longer significant for men ( p = .069), but remained significant (b = .234, p .001) for women. Importantly, anger and major life stressors mediate the relationship between disaster exposure and development of mental health problems. The findings have significant implications for the assessment of anger post disaster, the provision of targeted anger-focused interventions and delivery of government and community assistance and support in addressing ongoing stressors in the post-disaster context to minimize subsequent mental health consequences.
Behavior Modification and Coaching: Principles, Procedures and ResearchMartin Garry L. and Hrycaiko Dennis (Eds.). Springfield, Illinois. Charles C. Thomas. 1983. xvi + 404. US $29.50, Cloth.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 06-1986
How the Social Determinants of Indigenous Health became Policy Reality for Australia's National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 28-05-2018
DOI: 10.1017/S0047279418000338
Abstract: The paper analyses the policy process which enabled the successful adoption of Australia's National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013–2023 (NATSIHP), which is grounded in an understanding of the Social Determinants of Indigenous Health (SDIH). Ten interviews were conducted with key policy actors directly involved in its development. The theories we used to analyse qualitative data were the Advocacy Coalition Framework, the Multiple Streams Approach, policy framing and critical constructionism. We used a complementary approach to policy analysis. The NATSIHP acknowledges the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (hereafter, Aboriginal) culture and the health effects of racism, and explicitly adopts a human-rights-based approach. This was enabled by a coalition c aigning to ‘Close the Gap’ (CTG) in health status between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. The CTG c aign, and key Aboriginal health networks associated with it, operated as an effective advocacy coalition, and policy entrepreneurs emerged to lead the policy agenda. Thus, Aboriginal health networks were able to successfully contest conventional problem conceptions and policy framings offered by government policy actors and drive a paradigm shift for Aboriginal health to place SDIH at the centre of the NATSIHP policy. Implications of this research for policy theory and for other policy environments are considered along with suggestions for future research.
The early intervention message: perspectives of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-11-2017
DOI: 10.1111/CCH.12428
Abstract: There is strong evidence that early intervention (EI) can improve outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and consequently, the importance of EI has been widely promoted to families of children with ASD. However, the perspectives of parents of children with ASD regarding the EI message have not been widely examined. This study used qualitative methods to explore parental perspectives on the EI message. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 14 participants from 12 family units to explore the perspectives of parents of children with ASD on the EI message. Thematic analysis was undertaken on the data. Three central themes were constructed following data analysis: (i) parents' initial perceptions of EI following their child's diagnosis with ASD (ii) the consequences (both positive and negative) of the EI message and (iii) parents' perspectives on life after EI. The results of this study indicated that parents were acutely aware of the importance of EI, and although this provided parents with hope immediately post-diagnosis, it also placed pressure on parental decision-making regarding which intervention approaches to access for their children with ASD. The results of this study highlight the importance of carefully considering how health messages, specifically the importance of EI, are communicated to families of children with ASD. Furthermore, the findings of this study also highlight the need for allied health professionals to communicate openly with parents about the anticipated outcomes of EI programmes.
Preschool aged children’s experiences of integrated early years services in Australia
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 22-06-2022
Increasing school playground physical activity: A mixed methods study combining environmental measures and children's perspectives
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2010
DOI: 10.1016/J.JSAMS.2009.02.011
Abstract: Schools are integral settings in which children can participate in moderate and vigorous physical activity. This study reports on the relationship between playground characteristics and child activity levels using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. The aim of the study is to increase understanding of how children respond to their school playground environments. Twenty-three primary schools located in a predominantly low socio-economic area of Melbourne, Australia were involved. SOPLAY (System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth) was administered in all 23 schools to measure the levels of student physical activity and playground environmental factors such as equipment provision. In 12 of the 23 schools, a s le of 9-11-year-old students participated in focus group discussions exploring perceptions of their school playgrounds using a photo ordering technique. A larger proportion of students participated in VPA when loose equipment (60% vs. 52% p<0.001) and teacher supervision (62% vs. 52% p<0.001) were present in activity settings, compared to when they were unavailable. Fixed play equipment and bitumen with court lay-line markings were seen by children as settings inviting active play but only had the greatest impact on moderate activity (fixed play equipment: 35% vs. 20%, p<0.001 court markings/goals: 62% vs. 52%, p<0.001 play-line markings: 25% vs. 20%, p=0.04). The mixed method design provided a greater understanding of the potential influence of environmental characteristics on children's lunch time activity levels and their perceptions of play areas. The findings indicate that relatively simple changes such as the provision of loose equipment, painting of court and play-line markings, and increased teacher presence on the playground, are likely to provide opportunities for increased physical activity.
Where do we start? A proposed post-disaster intervention framework for children and young people
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-01-2014
Conceptualising Post-Disaster Recovery: Incorporating Grief Experiences
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 12-2015
DOI: 10.1093/BJSW/BCV122
Supportive environments for physical activity and the local government agenda: a South Australian example
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2002
DOI: 10.1071/AH020175
Abstract: In the promotion of moderate physical activity it is increasingly argued that a supportive physical environment is a key factor, and that local government is ideally placed to play an important role. This study reports on the factors that led one local government to take such a leading role. A semi-structured interview was conducted to find out why a chief executive officer of a local government decided that the creation of supportive environments for physical activity was the core business of council. The results show that key ingredients were that local government should take a strategic rather than an operational focus on the issue, that there should be open organisational structures to allow the various functions of local government to work together, and that there must be appropriate leadership. The findings suggest ways for engaging local government as a key partner in promoting supportive environments that are consistent withliterature on policy, organisational structure and leadership theory.
Health in all policies in south Australia—did it promote and enact an equity perspective?
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 25-10-2017
Mass drug administration and the sustainable control of schistosomiasis: Community health workers are vital for global elimination efforts
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.IJID.2017.10.023
Abstract: Schistosomiasis control is centred on preventive chemotherapy through mass drug administration (MDA). However, endemic countries continue to struggle to attain target coverage rates and patient compliance. In the Philippines, barangay health workers (BHWs) play a vital role in the coordination of MDA, acting as advocates, implementers, and educators. The aim of this study was to determine whether BHW knowledge and attitudes towards schistosomiasis and MDA is sufficient and correlated with resident knowledge and drug compliance. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2015 among 2186 residents and 224 BHWs in the province of Northern Samar, the Philippines using a structured survey questionnaire. BHWs showed good familiarity on how schistosomiasis is acquired and diagnosed. Nevertheless, both BHWs and residents had poor awareness of the signs and symptoms of schistosomiasis, disease prevention, and treatment options. There was no correlation between the knowledge scores of the BHWs and the residents (r=0.080, p=0.722). Kruskal-Wallis analysis revealed significant differences in BHW knowledge scores between the low (3.29, 95% confidence interval 3.16-3.36), moderate (3.61, 95% confidence interval 3.49-3.69), and high (4.05, 95% confidence interval 3.77-4.13) compliance village groups (p=0.002), with the high compliance areas having the highest mean knowledge scores. This study highlights the importance of community health workers in obtaining the World Health Organization drug coverage rate of 75% and improving compliance with MDA in the community. Investing in the education of community health workers with appropriate disease-specific training is crucial if disease elimination is ultimately to be achieved.
From ‘Parent’ to ‘Expert’: How Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Make Decisions About Which Intervention Approaches to Access
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-02-2018
DOI: 10.1007/S10803-018-3473-5
Abstract: Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder are responsible for deciding which interventions to implement with their child. There is limited research examining parental decision-making with regards to intervention approaches. A constructivist grounded theory methodology was implemented in this study. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 14 participants from 12 family units. Data collection and analysis occurred concurrently, allowing a grounded theory to be constructed. Parental decision-making was influenced by many factors, arranged into seven core categories (values, experience, information, motivation, understanding, needs and logistics). Decision-making evolved over time, as parents transformed from 'parent' to 'expert'. The results of this study provide an insight into parental decision-making, which has implications for the support provided to parents by health professionals.
Distress and satisfaction with research participation: Impact on retention in longitudinal disaster research
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2018
Development of an ethical methodology for post-bushfire research with children
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 06-2013
Ethical Use and Impact of Participatory Approaches to Research in Post-Disaster Environments: An Australian Bushfire Case Study
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 11-06-2018
DOI: 10.1155/2018/5621609
Abstract: This paper presents a case study of Beyond Bushfires, a large, multisite, mixed method study of the psychosocial impacts of major bushfires in Victoria, Australia. A participatory approach was employed throughout the study which was led by a team of academic investigators in partnership with service providers and government representatives and used on-site visits and multiple methods of communication with communities across the state to inform decision-making throughout the study. The ethics and impacts of conducting and adapting the approach within a post-disaster context will be discussed in reference to theories and models of participatory health research. The challenges of balancing local interests with state-wide implications will also be explored in the description of the methods of engagement and the study processes and outcomes. Beyond Bushfires demonstrates the feasibility of incorporating participatory methods in large, post-disaster research studies and achieving rigorous findings and multilevel impacts, while recognising the potential for some of the empowering aspects of the participatory experience to be reduced by the scaled-up approach.
Editorial
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-01-2014
Differing Levels of Social Capital and Mental Health in Suburban Communities in Australia: Did Social Planning Contribute to the Difference?
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 18-02-2011
Stressors and Supports in Postdisaster Recovery: Experiences After the Black Saturday Bushfires
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 14-03-2021
Young children's health and wellbeing across the transition to school: A critical interpretive synthesis
Publisher: The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare
Date: 29-04-2016
DOI: 10.1017/CHA.2016.4
Abstract: This paper reports on the systematic search and review of the literature relating to the health and wellbeing of young children across the transition to school. It identified 56 papers (including empirical studies, reviews, commentaries, and reports) relevant to the research questions and completed an interpretive systematic review to ascertain the current state of the literature. The review employed the Critical Interpretive Synthesis (CIS) method to allow for a rigorous and systematic review of a disparate literature which stretches across several disciplines. The findings are presented in seven thematic categories: current conceptualisations of health and wellbeing, assessment and measurement, ‘school readiness’, service integration, transition actors, ‘at risk’ children, and child voice. These findings illustrate the ways in which concepts have been constructed, identified, and operationalised in early years research, practice, and policy. Moreover, it highlights that ‘what is known’ can be used to inform the review or implementation of services, practices, and partnerships that support child health and wellbeing during the transition to school.
Evaluation of Health in All Policies: concept, theory and application
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 06-2014
Abstract: This article describes some of the crucial theoretical, methodological and practical issues that need to be considered when evaluating Health in All Policies (HiAP) initiatives. The approaches that have been applied to evaluate HiAP in South Australia are drawn upon as case studies, and early findings from this evaluative research are provided. The South Australian evaluation of HiAP is based on a close partnership between researchers and public servants. The article describes the South Australian HiAP research partnership and considers its benefits and drawbacks in terms of the impact on the scope of the research, the types of evidence that can be collected and the implications for knowledge transfer. This partnership evolved from the conduct of process evaluations and is continuing to develop through joint collaboration on an Australian National Health & Medical Research Council grant. The South Australian research is not seeking to establish causality through statistical tests of correlations, but instead by creating a 'burden of evidence' which supports logically coherent chains of relations. These chains emerge through contrasting and comparing findings from many relevant and extant forms of evidence. As such, program logic is being used to attribute policy change to eventual health outcomes. The article presents the preliminary program logic model and describes the early work of applying the program logic approach to HiAP. The article concludes with an assessment of factors that have accounted for HiAP being sustained in South Australia from 2008 to 2013.
Strategies to enhance resilience post-natural disaster: a qualitative study of experiences with Australian floods and fires
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 08-2014
Abstract: Disasters have a significant impact on mental health that may be mitigated by promoting resilience. This study explores the lay perspective on public health interventions that have the potential to facilitate resilience of adults who experience a natural disaster. Semi-structured interviews were conducted 6 months post-disaster between June 2011 and January 2012 with 19 people who experienced the 2010/11 Victorian floods. Twenty lay witness statements from people who presented to the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission were also selected for analysis. Transcripts were analysed using an interpretive and comparative content analysis to develop an understanding of disaster resilience interventions in an ecological framework. The participants identified resilience focused interventions such as information that help in iduals manage emotions and make effective decisions and plans, or enable access to resources face-to-face communication strategies such as public events that restore or create new social connections rebuilding of community capacity through coordination of volunteers and donations and policies that manage disaster risk. Disaster recovery interventions designed within an ecological model can promote a comprehensive integrated systems approach to support resilience in affected populations.
Children and Digital Wellbeing in Australia: Online Regulation, Conduct and Competence
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 05-2012
A qualitative methodological framework to assess uptake of evidence on social determinants of health in health policy
Publisher: Bristol University Press
Date: 11-2014
DOI: 10.1332/174426414X14170264741073
Abstract: Despite abundant evidence on social determinants of health (SDH) and health inequities, effective uptake of the evidence in health policies of high-income countries has been limited. Health policies might acknowledge evidence on SDH but still direct most strategies towards biomedical and behavioural interventions. This article reports on a framework developed for qualitative analysis of health policy documents to assess how and to what extent policies address health inequities and SDH outside health care services. This framework provides an effective way to interrogate health policies on key points raised in recent literature about the translation of evidence on SDH into policy.
Dyadic effects of attachment on mental health: Couples in a postdisaster context.
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Date: 03-2017
DOI: 10.1037/FAM0000256
Abstract: Research on mental health following disasters has led to the identification of many in idual protective and risk factors for postdisaster mental health. However, there is little understanding of the exact influence that disasters have on the functioning of intimate relationships. Especially relevant are attachment styles, which are likely to play an important role in the provision and perception of social support between partners, and subsequent mental health outcomes. Heterosexual couples (N = 127) affected by the 2009 Victorian "Black Saturday" Bushfires in southeastern Australia were surveyed for disaster experiences, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depression, and attachment style between May 2012 and January 2013, approximately 3 years after the disaster. Using actor-partner interdependence models (APIM), we examined both intrapersonal and interpersonal associations of attachment anxiety and avoidance with depression and PTSD, in combination with shared disaster exposure. Male partners' attachment avoidance was associated with depression and PTSD in both partners. By contrast, a female partner's attachment avoidance was associated with greater depression and PTSD in herself, but fewer PTSD symptoms in a male partner. Amid the chronic stressors of a postdisaster setting, the attachment avoidance of the male partner may play a particularly negative role, with his tendency toward isolation and denial becoming especially maladaptive for the couple as a whole. The female partner's attachment avoidance is likewise an important factor, but its associations with negative social support and relationship breakup must be clarified to understand its impact on partnership functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record
What are our boundaries and where can we play? Perspectives from eight-to-ten-year-old Australian metropolitan and rural children
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-2009
Planning and recruiting the sample for focus groups and in-depth interviews
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 2001
DOI: 10.1177/104973201129118975
Abstract: In this article, the authors address the importance of s ling and recruiting for focus groups and in-depth interviews. They draw on a synthesis of the literature and their research experience and propose a three-stage checklist summarizing strategies that worked for them and addressed some of the problems described in the literature. The strategies proposed involve the three stages of prepare, contact, and follow-up. The prepare stage involves finding information sources and key contacts or ch ions, discovering related projects, and drafting alternative s les. The contact stage involves negotiation with key contacts and potential participants, confirmation, and plans for continued involvement. The follow-up stage involves feedback and continuing links in public events, action, and advocacy resulting from the research. The preparation and follow-up stages can require considerable time and resources, which, if not available within grants, can be provided through partnerships with community agencies or by seeking supplementary resources.
Collecting parent reports of behaviour: A clinical note
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 03-1992
DOI: 10.1017/S0813483900006562
Abstract: The aim of this clinical note is to describe a cost effective method of collecting parent reports of their children's behaviour, and to stimulate research and discussion about its application. The method was developed in a community based children's mental health clinic which saw many parents who sought help to improve the noncompliant behaviour of their children. Behavioural methods were used extensively because they often lead to lasting changes, are cost effective, and are accepted by parents. An 8-week group program taught parents to observe and record their children's behaviour, and to use these records with behaviour management skills and problem-solving techniques to develop their own approach to discipline. Behaviour management skills included reinforcement, time-out, extinction, effective use of commands, house rules, and contracts. Therapists wanted to collect data frequently to assess problems, tailor an intervention program for the family's needs, and to evaluate the extent and maintenance of change. In addition, therapists wished to monitor the client's progress and involvement with the program and take early steps to correct any problems. The research component required regular data to evaluate the overall outcome and to analyse the effect of particular components of the program. Unfortunately, the methodological standard of using independent observers to rate changes in the behaviour of families was judged to be inappropriate in the clinic. With a small number of staff facing a high demand for services, it was argued that the expense of independent observers was difficult to justify. Staff favouring nonbehavioural approaches and those less enthusiastic about research perceived the use of independent observers as intrusive and unwieldy. There was no easy access to researchers, grant funds, or tertiary institutions who could assist.
Mental Health and Social Networks After Disaster
Publisher: American Psychiatric Association Publishing
Date: 03-2017
DOI: 10.1176/APPI.AJP.2016.15111403
Abstract: Although disasters are a major cause of mental health problems and typically affect large numbers of people and communities, little is known about how social structures affect mental health after a disaster. The authors assessed the extent to which mental health outcomes after disaster are associated with social network structures. In a community-based cohort study of survivors of a major bushfire disaster, participants (N=558) were assessed for probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and probable depression. Social networks were assessed by asking participants to nominate people with whom they felt personally close. These nominations were used to construct a social network map that showed each participant's ties to other participants they nominated and also to other participants who nominated them. This map was then analyzed for prevailing patterns of mental health outcomes. Depression risk was higher for participants who reported fewer social connections, were connected to other depressed people, or were connected to people who had left their community. PTSD risk was higher if fewer people reported being connected with the participant, if those who felt close to the participant had higher levels of property loss, or if the participant was linked to others who were themselves not interconnected. Interestingly, being connected to other people who in turn were reciprocally close to each other was associated with a lower risk of PTSD. These findings provide the first evidence of disorder-specific patterns in relation to one's social connections after disaster. Depression appears to co-occur in linked in iduals, whereas PTSD risk is increased with social fragmentation. These patterns underscore the need to adopt a sociocentric perspective of postdisaster mental health in order to better understand the potential for societal interventions in the wake of disaster.
Dear Health Minister: Tend the garden but make sure you fence the crocodiles
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 02-01-2014
Abstract: This paper offers lessons to in-coming health ministers on how they can act to reduce inequities and take action on social determinants. It draws on an interview study of twenty former Australian State, Territory and Federal health ministers about the extent to which they were able to do these things during their tenure. In order to take effective health equity action the health ministers advised: ensure evidence is used to develop a strong party policy platform for health equity install policy entrepreneurs for health equity and social determinants in the health ministry build popular constituencies through processes of deliberative democracy establish context appropriate cross-department mechanisms to co-ordinate action on social determinants and be elected in the context of a political party which values social justice and redistribution.
The devil's advocate: A strategy to avoid groupthink and stimulate discussion in focus groups
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 11-1997
DOI: 10.1177/104973239700700407
Abstract: The focus group is an increasingly popular qualitative research method in health research to gain insight into complex problems. Concerns have been expressed about how best to stimulate free and open discussion especially on controversial issues and/or when the group comprises people with different power and status. A potential pitfall of the focus group technique is group-think: the impact of censoring and conforming as described by such social psychologists as Irving Janis. The article describes an evaluation of a method to reduce groupthink and stimulate creativity and controversy in focus groups that analyzed consultation between an Australian federal government department and its communities. The article recommends to researchers using focus groups the selective use of devil's advocates to reflect different perspectives to groups, to ask questions in a different way, to introduce new questions, and to avoid groups arriving at premature solutions.
Alcohol consumption change of English, French and Chinese speaking immigrants in Ottawa and Gatineau, Canada
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-04-2015
Political reflexivity in post-bushfire research
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 04-11-2014
Abstract: – Post-disaster research presents particular challenges for the qualitative researcher due to the wider contextual demands of media attention, public debates and intense scrutiny of policy and service delivery. It highlights the importance of reflexive practice to identify and address any unintended influences on the research processes and outcomes. The paper aims to discuss these issues. – In this paper the authors present three case studies of post-bushfire research to demonstrate how the authors adopted a reflexive approach to address external pressures on the conduct and presentation of the research. – There are various types of reflexivity identified in the literature to identify influences on the research participant and the research findings arising, for ex le, from the way the researcher shapes the research findings (personal reflexivity), and the influence of the research process (epistemological reflexivity). In this paper the authors argue for a different reflexivity: one that is political and has a direct influence on the researcher. – Adoption of political reflexivity is an important tool in post-disaster research to ensure that external influences do not undermine the integrity of the research processes, findings and dissemination. – The importance of reflexivity in research is well recognized as a means of addressing power and unintended influences on research participants and research processes. The authors introduce the notion of political reflexivity to this debate in recognition of the need to address the potential for research findings and reports to be compromised by political agendas.
Participatory action research
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 10-2006
How can health bureaucracies consult effectively about their policies and practices?: Some lessons from an Australian study
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 12-1997
Health Impact Assessment in New South Wales & Health in All Policies in South Australia: differences, similarities and connections
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-07-2014
Lost in Translation: Health Resource Variability in the Achievement of Optimal Performance and Clinical Outcome
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 09-2011
DOI: 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.110.960229
Abstract: An evidence-practice gap in acute coronary syndromes (ACS) is commonly recognized. System, provider, and patient factors can influence guideline adherence. Through using guideline facilitators in the clinical setting, the uptake of evidence-based recommendations may be increased. We hypothesized that facilitators of guideline recommendations (systems, tools, and workforce) in acute cardiac care were associated with increased guideline adherence and decreased adverse outcome. A cross-sectional evaluation of guideline facilitators was conducted in Australian hospitals. The population was derived from the Acute Coronary Syndrome Prospective Audit (ACACIA) and assessed performance, death, and recurrent myocardial infarction (death/re-MI) at 30 days and 12 months. Thirty-five hospitals and 2392 patients participated. Significant associations with decreased death/re-MI were observed with hospital strategies to facilitate primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-elevation MI patients (38/428 [8.9%] versus 30/154 [19.5%], P .001) and after adjustment (odds ratio [OR], 0.47 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.24 to 0.90], P .023), electronic discharge checklists (none: 233/1956 [11.9%], integrated 43/251[17.1%], P =0.069, electronic 6/124 [4.8%], P .001) and after adjustment (integrated versus none: OR, 1.66 [95% CI, 0.98 to 2.80], P =0.057 and electronic versus none: OR, 0.49 [95% CI, 0.35 to 0.68], P .001), and intensive cardiac care unit (ICCU) staff-to-patient ratios (neither: 200/1257 (15.9%), CCU: 135/1051 (12.8%), ICCU: 8/84 (9.5%), P =0.049 and after adjustment (CCU versus neither: OR, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.47 to 1.14], P =0.172 and ICCU versus neither: OR, 0.55 [95% CI, 0.38 to 0.81] P =0.003). Facilitating uptake of evidence in clinical practice may need to consider quality improvement systems, tools and workforce to achieve optimal ACS outcomes.
Research with, by, for and about Children: Lessons from Disaster Contexts
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 2013
DOI: 10.2304/GSCH.2013.3.2.129
Abstract: There is a need for critically informed studies that include children's perspectives on the role of children in disaster contexts, given the increased incidence of disasters resulting from the global forces of climate change. Three case studies are presented from two different disaster contexts in Australia and New Zealand, where the notion of child empowerment fits within the broader political culture of liberal democracy. Each of these case studies promotes children's right to participate, consistent with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). In attempting to provide opportunities for children to articulate their perspective on disaster, this study recognizes the manner in which the increased prevalence and scale of disasters may further complicate and distort possibilities for the actualization of children's participation rights. In doing so the authors recommend a theory-informed approach, including recognizing the complementarity of competing theories of childhood, and advocate for children's capacity and right to participate in decision-making which affects their lives. This article promotes these concepts while still recognizing their right to safety. It also demonstrates how the use of distancing and framing provides a safe space for child involvement within disaster-related research, and provides ex les of appropriate methodologies to engage children and provide opportunities for meaningful contributions. Finally, implementation partnerships are discussed as a means of embedding the research within existing supported environments.
To what extent do Australian child and youth health policies address the social determinants of health and health equity?: a document analysis study
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-06-2016
'You do the Math’: Mathletics and the Play of Online Learning
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 14-05-2012
Abstract: This article reports on a case study of the web-based educational maths application, Mathletics. The findings are drawn from an ethnographic study of children’s technology use in Melbourne, Australia. We explore the experience, governance and commerce of children’s Mathletics use, and offer insights into the developing possibilities and challenges emerging through the adoption of Web 2.0 applications for learning and education. In analyzing the interaction between students and this software, this article deploys two key concepts in technology studies – affordance and technicity – to develop a relational understanding of Mathletics play. This conceptualization of play, which accounts for the playability or give of a technology, helps to illuminate some ways in which the aesthetics, functionality, and materiality of this online application accommodate a number of – and often competing – uses, interests and values: parental anxieties, pedagogical concerns and corporate stakes.
Infant mental health promotion and the discourse of risk
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-11-2013
Abstract: The field of infant mental health promotion has rapidly developed in academia, health policy and practice. Although there are roots in earlier childhood health and welfare movements, recent developments in infant mental health promotion are distinct and different. This article examines the development and practice of infant mental health promotion in South Australia. A regional, intersectoral forum with a focus on families and young children was used as a case study. In-depth interviews with forum members were analysed using a governmentality lens. Participants identified a range of risks to the healthy development of the infant. The study suggests that the construction of risk acts as a technique of governing, providing the rationale for intervention for the child, the mother and the public's good. It places responsibility on parents to self-govern. Although the influence of broader social contexts is acknowledged, the problematisation of mothering as risk shifts the focus to in idual capacity, rather than encompassing the systems and social conditions that support healthy relationships. This research suggests that the representations of risk are a pervasive and potent influence that can act to undermine health promotion efforts that seek to empower and enable people to have more control over their own health.
Neighbourhood life and social capital: the implications for health
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2005
DOI: 10.1016/J.SOCSCIMED.2004.04.027
Abstract: Social capital has been linked to health outcomes, though there are some inconsistencies in the research and the link is dependent on the measures of social capital and health used. In this paper, we argue that social capital is multifaceted and its relationship with health is complex. We explore the relationship between a number of elements of neighbourhood life and neighbourhood-based social capital, and health, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The paper reports on a study of the Western suburbs of Adelaide and the analysis of 2400 questionnaires and 40 in-depth interviews. A partial least-square path analysis was undertaken with the questionnaire data. It considered the impact of perceptions of the physical environment, neighbourhood connections, neighbourhood trust, reciprocity, perceived safety and local civic action, and a number of demographic variables, on physical and mental health as measured by the SF-12. Of the neighbourhood-related variables, only perceived neighbourhood safety was related to physical health, with neighbourhood safety and neighbourhood connections related to mental health. Of the demographic variables, higher-income level and educational achievement were related to better physical and mental health. In addition, physical health was lower and mental health higher within older age groups. The inter-relationships between the neighbourhood variables and demographic differences in experience of neighbourhood were also examined. The thematic analysis of the interviews linked a number of social aspects of neighbourhood, the physical neighbourhood environment, perceptions of safety, civic activities and availability of local services, to health outcomes. The paper concludes that there is a need for more complex measures of social capital and that socio-economic factors are of relatively greater importance in determining health.
Resilience—Rhetoric to Reality: A Systematic Review of Intervention Studies After Disasters
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 10-2014
DOI: 10.1017/DMP.2014.104
Abstract: This report aimed to examine the literature regarding evidence about community-based interventions that use the concept of resilience to increase positive health outcomes after disaster. A search was conducted of databases gray literature, public health journals, and available key journals focused on disaster, emergency, and trauma from inception to December 2013. Excluded were non-English publications, only about children or adolescents, or a commentary or theoretical discussion on resilience. From a total of 1880 records, excluding duplicates, 8 studies were found. Exclusions included participants younger than age 18 years (n=74), non-English (n=40), nonempirical (n=265), not referring to disaster (n=188), not a public health intervention (n=319), and not related to an intervention targeting resilience (n=890). This systematic review highlighted a gap in the evidence relating to interventions targeting the resilience of adults who have experienced a disaster. The results were mixed in relation to information provision but promising for strategies that promote social interactions or develop community competence. Future studies could explore the ability of interventions to build the intrinsic capacity of a system, community, or society at risk of a disaster to adapt and survive. ( Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2014 :1-9)
Learning from differences between ordinary and expert theories of health and physical activity
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-2003
Children’s interdependent mobility: compositions, collaborations and compromises
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 20-02-2015
Participant-Guided Mobile Methods: Investigating Personal Experiences of Communities Following a Disaster
Publisher: SAGE Publications, Ltd.
Date: 2014
Multiple methods in qualitative research with children: more insight or just more?
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 11-2005
Abstract: This article explores the research implications of using multi-methods within a broad qualitative approach by drawing on the experience of conducting two childhood obesity-focused qualitative studies of Australian children’s perceptions and experiences of place, space and physical activity. Children described and depicted their physical activities and experiences: in focus group interviews, by mapping their local, social and recreational spaces and by photographing their meaningful places, spaces and activities using a Photovoice approach. The authors describe, reflect on and critique their chosen research approach, discussing the value, utility and pitfalls associated with using multiple methods with children. The article concludes that using multiple methods in researching children’s experiences is a valuable approach that does not merely duplicate data but also offers complementary insights and understandings that may be difficult to access through reliance on a single method of data collection.
Psychological outcomes following the Victorian Black Saturday bushfires
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 22-05-2014
Abstract: We aimed to map the prevalence and predictors of psychological outcomes in affected communities 3–4 years after the Black Saturday bushfires in the state of Victoria, Australia. Baseline assessment of a longitudinal cohort study in high-, medium-, and low-affected communities in Victoria. Participants included 1017 residents of high-, medium-, and low-affected fire communities. Participants were surveyed by means of a telephone and web-based interview between December 2011 and January 2013. The survey included measures of fire-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and general PTSD from other traumatic events, major depressive episode, alcohol use, and general psychological distress. The majority of respondents in the high- (77.3%), medium- (81.3%), and low-affected (84.9%) communities reported no psychological distress on the K6 screening scale. More participants in the high-affected communities (15.6%) reported probable PTSD linked to the bushfires than medium- (7.2%) and low-affected (1.0%) communities (odds ratio (OR): 4.57, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.61–8.00, p = 0.000). Similar patterns were observed for depression (12.9%, 8.8%, 6.3%, respectively) (OR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.17–2.85, p = 0.008) and severe psychological distress (9.8%, 5.0%, 4.9%, respectively) (OR: 2.08, 95% CI: 1.23–3.55, p = 0.007). All communities reported elevated rates of heavy drinking (24.7%, 18.7%, 19.6%, respectively) however, these were higher in the high-affected communities (OR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.01–1.89, p = 0.04). Severe psychological distress was predicted by fear for one’s life in the bushfires, death of someone close to them in the bushfires, and subsequent stressors. One-third of those with severe psychological distress did not receive mental health assistance in the previous month. Several years following the Black Saturday bushfires the majority of affected people demonstrated resilience without indications of psychological distress. A significant minority of people in the high-affected communities reported persistent PTSD, depression, and psychological distress, indicating the need for promotion of the use of health and complementary services, community-based initiatives, and family and other informal supports, to target these persistent problems.
Exploring the use of emoji as a visual research method for eliciting young children’s voices in childhood research
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 17-08-2018
'There's nothing I can't do - I just put my mind to anything and I can do it': a qualitative analysis of how children with chronic disease and their parents account for and manage physical activity
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 2009
Abstract: This paper reports the findings of a South Australian qualitative, exploratory study of children and young people living with a chronic disease, and their perceptions and experiences of physical activity. The perceptions and experiences of their parents were also explored. The chronic diseases were type 1 diabetes, asthma and cystic fibrosis. Multiple qualitative data collection techniques were used to elicit the children and young people's perspectives and experiences of physical activity, including focus groups, maps, photos and 'traffic light posters'. The children's parents were interviewed separately to ascertain their views of their child's participation in physical activities. Children and young people described their active participation in a wide variety of physical activities including organised sports and play, but made very little mention of any negative influence or impact due to their disease. Their parents' stories described the diligent background planning and management undertaken to enable their child to participate in a wide range of physical activities. The results of this study suggest that for these children and young people, having a chronic disease was not perceived as a barrier to participation in organised sport and recreational activities. They were physically active and perceived themselves to be no different from their peers. Their positive beliefs were shared by their parents and the level of participation described was enabled by the high level of parental support and background planning involved in managing their child's health care needs.
Beyond Bushfires: Community, Resilience and Recovery - A longitudinal mixed method study of the medium to long term impacts of bushfires on mental health and social connectedness
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-11-2013
We have to live in the future
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 05-2004
Community-based preparedness programmes and the 2009 Australian bushfires: policy implications derived from applying theory
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-03-2014
DOI: 10.1111/DISA.12049
Abstract: The Victorian Country Fire Authority in Australia runs the Community Fireguard (CFG) programme to assist in iduals and communities in preparing for fire. The objective of this qualitative research was to understand the impact of CFG groups on their members' fire preparedness and response during the 2009 Australian bushfires. Social connectedness emerged as a strong theme, leading to an analysis of data using social capital theory. The main strength of the CFG programme was that it was driven by innovative community members however, concerns arose regarding the extent to which the programme covered all vulnerable areas, which led the research team to explore the theory of diffusion of innovation. The article concludes by stepping back from the evaluation and using both applied theories to reflect on broad options for community fire preparedness programmes in general. The exercise produced two contrasting options for principles underlying community fire preparedness programmes.
Cost and outcomes associated with participating in the Community Fireguard Program : Experiences from the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, Australia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2015
More than blowing bubbles: What parents want from therapists working with children with autism spectrum disorder
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 04-04-2016
DOI: 10.3109/17549507.2015.1112835
Abstract: Providing therapy to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often requires therapists to work closely with both the child with ASD and their family. Although there is evidence outlining best practice for therapists when working with families of children with disabilities, few studies have examined the parental perspective. This study investigated the qualities parents seek in therapists who work with their children with ASD. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 parents of children with ASD. Thematic analysis was undertaken to analyse the data, with emergence of two core themes Partnership and Effective Therapy. The parents of children with ASD interviewed for this study valued both working in partnership with therapists and therapists delivering effective therapy. Parents ultimately wanted therapists to produce positive outcomes for their children and were willing to sacrifice other desired qualities, as long as the therapy program was effective. While parents of children with ASD identified a range of qualities that they want in therapists, a therapist being able to produce positive outcomes for their child was considered most important. The implications of these findings are discussed both in terms of clinical implications for therapists and directions for future research.
To what extent do Australian health policy documents address social determinants of health and health equity?
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 07-01-2016
DOI: 10.1017/S0047279415000756
Abstract: Evidence on social determinants of health and health equity (SDH/HE) is abundant but often not translated into effective policy action by governments. Governments’ health policies have continued to privilege medical care and in idualised behaviour-change strategies. In the light of these limitations, the 2008 Commission on the Social Determinants of Health called on health agencies to adopt a stewardship role to take action themselves and engage other government sectors in addressing SDH/HE. This article reports on research using analysis of health policy documents – published by nine Australian national or regional governments – to examine the extent to which the Australian health sector has taken up such a role. We found policies across all jurisdictions commonly recognised evidence on SDH/HE and expressed goals to improve health equity. However, these goals were predominantly operationalised in health care and other in idualised strategies. Relatively few strategies addressed SDH/HE outside of access to health care, and often they were limited in scope. National policies on Aboriginal health did most to systemically address SDH/HE. We used Kingdon's (2011) multiple streams theory to examine how problems, policies and politics combine to enable, partially allow, or prevent action on SDH/HE in Australian health policy.
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