摘要:

AbstractAustralians born in Italy, Greece and East and South East Asia all have substantially lower mortality levels than those born in Australia, the British Isles or Holland and Germany. Using data from the 1984 Household Expenditure Survey, the health‐related consumption expenditure of these six groups was compared (excluding expenditure on medical care). The heterogeneity of household types was largely removed by confining attention to married couple households with dependent children.The two groups with mortality levels comparable to those of the Australian‐born (British Isles and Holland/Germany) also shared a similar pattern of consumption expenditures. There was a tendency (not always fully consistent), for the low mortality groups to spend more on fruits, vegetables, cereal products and fish and substantially less on alcohol. Patterns that might be ‘unexpected’ in low mortality groups are the (presumptively) substantial expenditures on tobacco among males (especially in the Greek group) and the substantial expenditures on red meat in all three groups.Analysis of available data sets such as this can provide useful descriptions of the distribution of health‐influencing behaviour in our p

ISSN:0314-9021    

DOI:10.1111/j.1753-6405.1990.tb00014.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1990

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractPrivate medical care costs and service use in Australia from 1976 to 1986 are compared. In each of these years Australia had a compulsory, universal, fee‐for‐service, national health insurance scheme ‐ Medibank in 1976 and Medicare in 1986.Over the period of 1976 to 1986, the number of private medical services per capita, in the 6 month period 1 April to 30 September, increased from 2.79 to 3.95, an increase of 3.54 per cent per year. The cost of services per capita, adjusted for increases in schedule fees for each item‐group of services (the ‘fee‐adjusted cost’), grew at a rate of 3.91 per cent per year.The results are reported by subsets of age, sex and item‐group of service. It is found that very little of the large increases in use and cost of services can be attributed to demographic changes or population growth. Rather, they represent rapid increases in age and sex‐specific rates of use, primarily among the very young, the very old and, for some types of service, women of child‐bearing age. The most dramatic increases in service use are found in pathology, radiotherapy and misce

ISSN:0314-9021    

DOI:10.1111/j.1753-6405.1990.tb00015.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1990

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractAlthough sentiments about the positive health benefits of regular exercise have been expressed for many centuries, it is only in the past three decades that epidemiologic evidence has provided scientific support for the health benefits of being physically active. The evidence for the protective effect of physical activity is particularly strong with reference to cardiovascular disease, with the relative risk of being “inactive” compared to ‘active’ estimated to typically lie between 1.5 and 2.0. Despite the popular view that exercise participation has increased in recent years, estimates of trends in physical activity in Australian (and other) populations have been difficult to interpret because of the different measurements and surveys used. We examined data from population surveys using well validated, standardised methods to assess exercise participation, through National surveys between 1984 and 1987 conducted by the Commonwealth Department of the Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism and Territories (DASETT). Over the period in which the surveys were conducted, there appears to have been a slight increase in the proportion of Australians who participated in regular physical activity. There was a significant decline in the proportion who reported being totally sedentary ‐ from 32.9 per cent in 1984 to 25.4 per cent in 1987. The data from all of the surveys were then pooled to give an overall sample size of 17053, and socio‐demographic variables were examined in relation to exercise participation. Women, older people, the less well educated, and those on lower incomes were less likely to perform regular physical activity. Inequalities in the social distribution of exercise participation parallel those found for other health risk factors. Preventive health campaigns and programs should be planned and implemented with reference to the social and economic determinants of physical activity participation. Further research using population samples should examine in more detail the demographic, social and personal factors which influence peoples’ decisions to take par

ISSN:0314-9021    

DOI:10.1111/j.1753-6405.1990.tb00016.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1990

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractA lifestyle and health risk survey was conducted in two socially disadvantaged Collector's Districts, as the basis for a health promotion intervention in one of the Districts. After community input into the planning, and local advance publicity, 395 people responded to the survey (a response rate of 39%).Three sources of community feedback were used: (i) reasons for refusal to participate; (ii) written comments solicited at a two‐month follow‐up; (iii) later, in‐depth interviews with a subset of respondents. The data from this feedback related both to the process and outcomes of the survey; the latter included increased personal and community awareness of health, as well as lifestyle changes.The data are discussed in terms of their representativeness and the factors influencing participation, the implications of the low response rate, the stages of health behaviour change, and the potential conflict between scientific and human value‐systems in community r

ISSN:0314-9021    

DOI:10.1111/j.1753-6405.1990.tb00017.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1990

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractThis study investigates the responses of patients and their carers to the diagnosis of cancer. The reporting of stress by patients, using linear analogue scales, and their psychological distress, as measured by the General Health Questionnaire, indicated benefits for members of a community‐based cancer support group. The responses of carers revealed that the impact of the diagnosis was as great on them as on patients. Various mediators were considered and age was found to significantly influence the reporting of stress. The limitations and implications of the findings are discusse

ISSN:0314-9021    

DOI:10.1111/j.1753-6405.1990.tb00018.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1990

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractBirth centres in Australia provide an option for women and their professional advisors when choosing the setting for childbirth. It is important that empirical information about the risks is available to enable informed decisions to be made. The purpose of this study was to compare the obstetric outcomes for women admitted to the Birth Centre at Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney with outcomes for women admitted to the conventional labour ward, controlling for prenatal and intrapartum risk. The findings indicate that, with the existing back‐up provided by the conventional service, the outcomes for women admitted to the Birth Centre were at least as good as those of the other women. The study also shows that there are differences between the two settings in the management of the intrapartum period. The rate of intervention is substantially higher for women admitted to the Labour Ward, after risk is taken into consideration. The evaluation indicates that the Birth Centre offers a viable choice for women with relatively low obstetric ris

ISSN:0314-9021    

DOI:10.1111/j.1753-6405.1990.tb00019.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1990

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractIn a study of nursing home applicants in the Lower North Shore Area of Sydney, the assessed requirement for nursing home care is compared with the Department of Community Services and Health's NH5 approval rate. A multidisciplinary team decided that only 62.6 per cent of 246 nursing home applicants required nursing home admission whereas 98.4 per cent had their applications approved by the Department. The findings suggest that by providing multidisciplinary assessment for nursing home applicants, the previously high approval rates for nursing home admission can be lowered and thus may reduce the number of inappropriate admissions that occur. However, the extent to which this reduction can be maintained will depend on how effective the alternative care options are in preventing or delaying nursing home admission.

ISSN:0314-9021    

DOI:10.1111/j.1753-6405.1990.tb00020.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1990

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Abstract426 death certificates relating to testicular cancer in Victoria, from 1950 to 1977, were examined for inaccuracies in cause of death narrative and coding for cause of death statistics. The narrative was inaccurate in major diagnosis in 33 certificates (21 false positives and 12 false negatives) and 17 accurately written certificates were mis‐coded (12 false positives and 5 false negatives). Review of the pathological terms used revealed 10 lymphomas incorrectly ascribed to germ cell malignancy. The term “seminoma” seems to have been employed as a generic term for testis tumour, only 50 per cent of the tumours so designated being confirmed as seminoma. It is concluded that although Victorian figures relating to mortality from testis cancer are reasonably accurate (for 337 cases for which relevant records were available the detection rate was 95%, the confirmation rate 96% and concordance 91%), little reliance can be placed on the recorded pathological sub

ISSN:0314-9021    

DOI:10.1111/j.1753-6405.1990.tb00021.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1990

数据来源: WILEY

ISSN:0314-9021    

DOI:10.1111/j.1753-6405.1990.tb00022.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1990

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

AbstractThe health and safety of workers was not the only raison d'être for Worksafe Australia. To the Hawke Government, to the ACTU hierarchy and to the employers, a federal initiative in occupational health was a vital item in the ALP‐ACTU Accord which would lock the unions into wage restraint. To the already powerful Commonwealth Department of Employment and Industrial Relations the initiative was a golden opportunity to establish a new federal structure under its influence. Thus a bureaucracy, top‐heavy with administrators, came into being whilst established national occupational health activities ground to a halt. Plagued by dissent from within and criticism from without, the organisation was saved from extinction only by its importance to the Accord. In 1987 the Government appointed Mr. B. V. McKay to review Worksafe Australia, following which the activities of the organisation were streamlined, with due acknowledgement now given to the key role of the States in giving effect to nationally‐agreed policies and standards. However problems remain, and the future of Worksafe Australia is still unc

ISSN:0314-9021    

DOI:10.1111/j.1753-6405.1990.tb00023.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1990

数据来源: WILEY