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Scholars in critical masculinities studies argue that we need men involved and engaged in gender equity movements for gender justice to be realised. Yet we need to know more about how different groups of men are understanding gender equity and what the barriers might be. Amidst significant media interest in elite private boys' schooling and its possible (re)production of sexist cultures, this paper explores how 13 men who attended such schools in Australia between the 1970s and the 2000s understand gender justice, revealing a diversity of positions and practices across the different generational groups. We argue the men's engagements with gender justice are shaped by a broad 'curriculum of privilege' including school and non-school based experiences that mediates their lives. Further research with both elite boys' schools and their alumni is needed to better understand generational change in their engagements with gender justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to first explore whether Australia and the main metropolitan areas demonstrate significant differences in tenure and property type between generational groups. Second, whether the millennial generation is more likely to rent rather than own. Third, if such variation in tenure and property type by millennials is one of individual choice and lifestyle or the impact of housing market inefficiencies. Design/methodology/approach: This paper employs a comparative research approach using secondary data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) to consider housing tenure and type distributions across generations as well as through cross-city analysis. Findings: The results show that home ownership is still the dominant tenure in Australia, but private rental is of increasing significance, becoming the tenure of choice for Millennials. Owner occupation is shown to remain and high and stable levels for older generations and while lower in percentage terms for Generation X; this generation exhibits the highest growth rate for ownership. Significant differences are shown in tenure patterns across Australia. Originality/value: The significance of this paper is the focus on the analysis of generational differences in housing tenure and type, initially for Australia and subsequently by major metropolitan areas over three inter-census periods (2006, 2011 and 2016). It enhances the understanding of how policies favouring ageing in place can contradict other policies on housing affordability with specific impact on Millennials as different generations are respectively unequally locked-out and locked-in to housing wealth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participation in electronic gaming machine (EGM) gambling has declined sharply in Australia over the last two decades. At the same time, there has been a gradual slowing and decline in revenue from this form of gambling. In this paper, we use data drawn from a series of population surveys in a single jurisdiction (South Australia) to gain insights into these changes. In particular, we examine whether changes in EGM participation have been reflected similarly in different demographic groups. The results indicate that there have been declines in every age group, in both men and women, and at different levels of household income. However, the decline has been greater in some groups than others, including for women, for middle aged groups (46–64 years), and for those living in the metropolitan area. The paper discusses some of the socio-demographic explanations for these changes. In particular, we highlight the role of population ageing and its potential implications for the long-term future for this form of gambling. EGM gamblers are now older and are not necessarily being replaced by a new generation of younger gamblers, which has implications for the industry and the State government finances as well as gambling-treatment services. At the same time, the evidence we present here does not, however, indicate a strong trend towards a concentration of EGM gambling in more vulnerable groups (e.g. disproportionately in lower income groups or the unemployed). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past research has stressed the role of age and generation in climate change discourse, worries, and willingness to act. Therefore, the present paper aimed to examine the role of chronological age (as an arbitrary factor, which represents ageism) in lay people's climate change-related attitudes, feelings, and behavioral intentions. Two experiments in different countries, Australia and Israel, were conducted for this purpose. The first study examined the impact of the age of the speaker, who provides information about the climate crisis and the second examined the impact of the age of the group being blamed for the situation. Outcome variables included perceived responsibility and motivation for the current climate situation in study 1 and perceived climate change-related attitudes, feelings, and behavioral intentions in study 2. In study 1 (n = 250, Australia), the age of the speaker, a climate activist, varied randomly to test the hypothesis that a younger activist would be more influential and increase motivation and responsibility to act compared to an older activist. In study 2 (n = 179, Israel), the age (young vs. old) of the group identified as being responsible for the climate crisis varied randomly, to test the hypothesis that people would be more willing to identify older people as being responsible for the current climate situation, and this would impact climate change-related attitudes, feelings, and behavioral intentions. Both studies resulted in null effects. Additionally, there was no interaction between the age of the respondent and the age of the source of the message or the age group being blamed by the message. The present study has failed to show that strategies that emphasize intergenerational conflict and ageism impact people's attitudes, feelings, and behavioral intentions towards the current climate situation. This possibly can serve as an instigator for strategies that emphasize intergenerational solidarity, rather than conflict, as a guiding principle in future campaigns that advocate climate change adaptation and mitigation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research to date has failed to generate a comprehensive understanding of the source of the gender gap in financial literacy in adulthood. Using microdata from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey and an analysis covering four age groups (15–19, 20–24, 25–29 and 30–34), this paper suggests that the gender gap starts young and well before individuals enter adulthood. The analysis also suggests that that raw (unadjusted) gender gap likely underestimates the underlying gap. It is important to establish whether the gap begins before or after children enter school, since policy aimed at addressing it would be very different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issues Addressed: Well‐being intervention frameworks may help improve well‐being. The Wheel of Well‐being (WoW) is designed to empower individuals to understand and use the WoW framework for themselves, their communities and in workplaces. This paper evaluates the well‐being impacts on participants of a well‐being capacity building programme using WoW, in Australia. Methods: The programme collected quantitative data from participants at two time points, once at the beginning of the programme (Time 1) and on the final session (Time 2). Surveys assessed well‐being outcomes as well as life satisfaction, knowledge and understanding of well‐being and behavioural changes. Results: Results of a total of 162 participants were included in this evaluation of the programme across nine cohorts. Between Time 1 and Time 2 the participants saw a small, but significant increase in well‐being scores, with no difference between age groups. The number of participants regarded as having a "High" well‐being score increased from 11% to 24%. Increases in knowledge, understanding and the implementation of actions and behaviours to improve well‐being were also observed. Conclusion: This evaluation provides evidence that participation in a short, intensive WoW programme can positively impact well‐being, behaviour and knowledge and understanding regarding well‐being. This suggests WoW may be an effective framework around which individuals can improve their well‐being. So What?: Consideration should be given to the implementation of comprehensive health promotion frameworks, including WoW, to improve the well‐being of individuals. Further evaluation is needed to see if improved well‐being is maintained over longer time periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International students in the secondary school sector are a particularly vulnerable group due to their age and status as unaccompanied minors. The establishment of friendships is an important component of the adjustment for these students as they transition into their new school environments. This paper presents issues related to friendships, investigated as part of a larger study examining the motivations, expectations and experiences of international students from the People's Republic of China studying in Australian secondary schools. Data were collected in two phases from 116 international students and 10 teachers using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, and descriptive analyses employed. Because there is a paucity of information about the experiences of international secondary school students, this was an exploratory study that has contributed understanding of the lived experiences of a small group of international students from mainland China. The study identified that expectations regarding the establishment of friendships are not being met, and that international students from China are seeking more opportunities to form relationships with Australian peers. To reduce dissonance between expectations and experiences of studying in Australia, it is recommended that Australian schools work with both international and domestic students to provide authentic opportunities to build peer relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods for calculating health indicators profoundly influence understanding of and action on population health and inequities. Age-standardization can be useful and is commonly applied to account for differences in age structures when comparing health indicators across groups. Age-standardized rates have well-acknowledged limitations, including that they are relative indices for comparison, and not accurate measures of actual rates where the age structures of groups diverge. This paper explores these limitations, and demonstrates alternative approaches through a case study quantifying mortality rates within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) population of Australia and inequities compared with the non-Indigenous population, over 2001-16. Applying the Australian Standard Population, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander age-standardized mortality rate was more than double the crude mortality rate in 2001 and 2016, inflated through high weighting of older age groups. Despite divergent population age structures, age-standardized mortality rates remain a key policy metric for measuring progress in reducing Indigenous-non-Indigenous inequities in Australia. Focusing on outcomes age-standardized to the total population can obscure inequities, and denies Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities valid, actionable information about their health and well-being. Age-specific statistics convey the true magnitude of health risks and highlight high-risk subgroups. When requiring standardization, standardizing to a population-specific standard (here, an Indigenous standard) generates metrics centred around and reflective of reality for the population of focus, supporting communities' self-determination to identify priorities and informing resource allocation and service delivery. The principles outlined here apply across populations, including Indigenous and other populations internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Economic evaluation of healthcare typically assumes that an identical health gain to different patients has the same social value. There is some evidence that the public may give greater value to gains for children and young people, although this evidence is not always consistent. We present a mixed methods study protocol where we aim to explore public preferences regarding health gains to children and young people relative to adults, in an Australian setting. Methods: This study is a Person Trade Off (PTO) choice experiment that incorporates qualitative components. Within the PTO questions, respondents will be asked to choose between treating different groups of patients that may differ in terms of patient characteristics and group size. PTO questions will be included in an online survey to explore respondent views on the relative value of health gains to different age groups in terms of extending life and improving different aspects of quality of life. The survey will also contain attitudinal questions to help understand the impact of question style upon reported preferences. Additionally, the study will test the impact of forcing respondents to express a preference between two groups compared with allowing them to report that the two groups are equivalent. One-to-one 'think aloud', semi-structured interviews will be conducted to explore a sub-sample of respondents' motivations and views in more detail. Focus groups will be conducted with members of the public to discuss the study findings and explore their views on the role of public preferences in health care prioritisation based on patient age. Discussion: Our planned study will provide valuable information to healthcare decision makers in Australia who may need to decide whether to pay more for health gains for children and young people compared with adults. Additionally, the methodological test of forcing respondent choice or allowing them to express equivalence will contribute towards developing best practice methods in PTO studies. The rationale for and advantages of the study approach and potential limitations are discussed in the protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: In a high-income country, Australia, it is unclear how raised systolic blood pressure (SBP) ranks among other risk factors regarding the overall and cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden, and whether the situation has changed over time. Methods: We analysed the 2019 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) data, with focus on Australia. We assessed ten leading risk factors for all-cause and CVD deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) and compared findings with the Australian Burden of Diseases Study. Results: From 1990 to 2019, raised SBP remained the leading risk factor for attributable all-cause deaths (followed by dietary risks and tobacco use), accounting for 29,056/75,235 (95% Uncertainty Interval (UI) [24,863 to 32,915]) deaths in 1990; 21,845/76,893 [17,678 to 26,044] in 2010; and 25,498/90,393 [20,152 to 30,851] in 2019. Contributions of raised SBP to cardiovascular deaths for both sexes were 54.0% [45.8 to 61.5] in 1990, 44.0% [36.7 to 51.3] in 2010 and 43.7% [36.2 to 51.6] in 2019, respectively. The contribution of raised SBP to cardiovascular deaths declined between 1990 and 2010 but exhibited an increase in males from 2010 onwards, with figures of 52.6% [44.7 to 60.0] in 1990, 43.1% [36.0 to 50.5] in 2010 and 43.5% [35.7 to 51.4] in 2019. The contribution of raised SBP to stroke deaths and DALYs in males aged 25–49 years were higher than other age groups, in excess of 60% and increasing steeply between 2010 and 2019. Conclusion: Raised SBP continues to be the leading risk factor for all-cause and cardiovascular deaths in Australia. We urge cross-disciplinary stakeholder engagement to implement effective strategies to detect, treat and control raised blood pressure as a central priority to mitigate the CVD burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Having a strong connection to culture and Country is fundamental to the health and wellbeing of Australian Aboriginal children. The aim of the research was to evaluate the feasibility of study methods and programme implementation of a co-created afterschool cultural programme, and identify areas for improvement. Methods: Aboriginal Relational Research Methodology and mixed methods were applied to evaluate the feasibility of the implementation of the programme and study methods using a non-randomised single-group study design. Australian Aboriginal children and their siblings aged 5–13 years were recruited within regional New South Wales, Australia. The primary outcomes for feasibility included recruitment rates of children and Aboriginal programme mentors, compliance rates of outcome data collection and of the planned programme activities, programme attendance, retention rates and mean enjoyment scores. Follow-up yarning circles were conducted with the children, their parents/caregivers, programme mentors and teachers to explore aspects of feasibility, and areas for improvement. Results: A total of 90 caregivers consented to their children (n = 111) being part of the research. Sixteen Aboriginal mentors were recruited to deliver the programmes across the communities. Overall, 74.4% of all health outcome measures were completed across baseline (86.5%) and follow-up (55.9%). Only 61.0% of the programme activities were delivered as originally planned. The average programme attendance rate was 70.0% with a 92.0% retention rate. Eighty-nine percent of children reported a high level of enjoyment with the programmes. Follow-up yarning identified the importance of relational methodologies and flexibility within the programme design and implementation to ensure programmes were adapted to the local community, conditions and differing age groups. Considerations for future programmes included the timing of the programme and identifying health outcome assessment tools and methods that acknowledge cultural protocols and experiences. Conclusions: Engaging the communities in the development, implementation and evaluation of the programmes were key to community support of the programme and conducting the feasibility study. Future programmes and evaluations need to be built on strong partnerships and embrace flexible and culturally embedded methodologies in order to be adaptive and responsive to research approaches, communities and to Country. Trial registration: ACTRN12619001224112. Retrospectively registered on 05 September 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unhealthy diet is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, there are no studies reporting the impact and trends of dietary risk factors on CVD in Australia. This study aimed to determine the burden of CVDs attributable to dietary risk factors in Australia between 1990 and 2019. We used data from the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) study and quantified the rate (per 100,000) of deaths, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), years lived with a disability (YLDs), and years of life lost (YLLs) for 21 CVDs attributable to 13 dietary risk factors (eight food groups and five nutrients) in Australia by sex and age groups (≥25 years and over). In 2019, the age-standardised rates of deaths, YLDs, YLLs, and DALYs attributable to dietary risk factors attributable to CVDs in the Australian population were 26.5, 60.8, 349.9, and 410.8 per 100,000 in women and 46.1, 62.6, 807.0, and 869.6 in men. Between 1990 and 2019, YLLs consistently contributed more towards the rates of DALYs than YLDs. Over the 30-year period, CVD deaths, YLLs, and DALYs attributable to dietary risk factors declined in both women and men. The leading dietary risk factors for CVD deaths and DALYs were a diet high in red meat (6.1 deaths per 100,000 [3.6, 8.7] and 115.6 DALYs per 100,000 [79.7, 151.6]) in women and a diet low in wholegrains (11.3 deaths [4.4, 15.1] and 220.3 DALYs [86.4, 291.8]) in men. Sex differences were observed in the contribution of dietary risk factors to CVD over time such that the lowest rate of decrease in deaths and DALYs occurred with diets high in sodium in women and diets high in processed meat in men. Although the burden of diet-related CVD has decreased significantly in the Australian population over the past 30 years, diets low in wholegrains and high in red meat continue to contribute significantly to the overall CVD burden. Future nutrition programs and policies should target these dietary risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is a follow-up study of Shin and Jung's (2016, 2018) research that has examined language shift and maintenance of the Korean community in Australia reflected in the previous Australian Censuses from 2006 to 2016. The present study analysed the 2021 Census and updated the Korean community's language shift and maintenance with the latest census data. It examined the community's language shift by various sociodemographic factors such as generation, age, gender, education, and religion and compared the results of the analyses with the previous studies' findings. The results of this study revealed that in the 2021 Census, the shift to English in the first generation increased from the 2016 Census, possibly due to the restricted migration of Koreans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results confirmed that the inter-generational language shift (i.e., the increase in language shift by generation) is taking place in the Korean community in Australia, and that it is progressing further. The results showed similar patterns and trends in the extent of language shift by different sociodemographic factors and variable that had been observed in the previous censuses. Language shift was higher in females than in males in the first generation, but the pattern was reverse in age groups younger than 35 years old. Those with certain educational qualifications (e.g., a graduate diploma or certificate) had a higher shift rate. On the other hand, lower shift was observed among those affiliated with the religions/denominations with a strong presence of Korean immigrants in the community. These findings provide valuable insights to the community's language shift to English and its maintenance of the Korean language regarding its unique temporal and locational circumstances such as the temporary stop of the influx of South Koreans in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic and its language practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health service utilisation changes across the life-course and may be influenced by contextual factors at different times. There is some evidence that men engage less with preventive health services, including attending doctors' clinics, however the extent to which this varies temporally and across different age groups is unclear. This study aimed to describe age or cohort effects on engagement with GPs among employed mothers and fathers in Australia, and differences in these trends between men and women. Methods: We linked data from the 'Growing up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children' with administrative health service records from Medicare. We used a small-domain estimation Age-Period-Cohort method to describe patterns in health service use among working-age male and female parents in Australia while adjusting for employment status and controlling for time-invariant factors. Our small-domain method assumes a smooth response surface of Age, Period and Cohort. Results: Male parents have lower health service engagement than women of the same age at the same time period. Men's pattern of health service use across time is likely explained entirely by ageing. That is, we find that patterns in health service utilisation among men are largely driven by age effects, with no evidence of periods or cohort effects in health service engagement for men between 2002 and 2016. Conclusions: Differences in health service utilisation between male and female parents at all age-period-cohort combinations highlight a need for more research to examine the extent to which this level of health service use among Australian men meets men's health needs, as well as barriers and enablers of health service engagement for men. Absence of evidence for period effects suggests that there is little shift in gendered patterns of health service utilisation during the observed period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Equine strongyles encompass more than 64 species of nematode worms that are responsible for growth retardation and the death of animals. The factors underpinning variation in the structure of the equine strongyle community remain unknown. Methods: Using horse-based strongyle community data collected after horse deworming (48 horses in Poland, 197 horses in Ukraine), we regressed species richness and the Gini-Simpson index upon the horse's age, faecal egg count, sex and operation of origin. Using the Ukrainian observations, we applied a hierarchical diversity partitioning framework to estimate how communities were remodelled across operations, age groups and horses. Lastly, strongyle species counts collected after necropsy (46 horses in France, 150 in Australia) were considered for analysis of their co-occurrences across intestinal compartments using a joint species distribution modelling approach. Results: First, inter-operation variation accounted for > 45% of the variance in species richness or the Gini-Simpson index (which relates to species dominance in communities). Species richness decreased with horse's age (P = 0.01) and showed a mild increase with parasite egg excretion (P < 0.1), but the Gini-Simpson index was neither associated with parasite egg excretion (P = 0.8) nor with horse age (P = 0.37). Second, within-host diversity represented half of the overall diversity across Ukrainian operations. While this is expected to erase species diversity across communities, community dissimilarity between horse age classes was the second most important contributor to overall diversity (25.8%). Third, analysis of species abundance data quantified at necropsy defined a network of positive co-occurrences between the four most prevalent strongyle genera. This pattern was common to necropsies performed in France and Australia. Conclusions: Taken together, these results show a pattern of β-diversity maintenance across age classes combined with positive co-occurrences that might be grounded by priority effects between the major species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: People with mental illness are a vulnerable and stigmatised group with poor health outcomes including greater premature mortality. This study aimed to investigate trends and rates of change in unintentional drug-related deaths for people with mental illness, describe types of medicines involved, and identify populations at risk in a cohort from New South Wales, Australia. Methods: Features of unintentional drug-related deaths for people with mental illness between 2012 and 2016 were identified in a retrospective review of data from the National Coronial Information System. Results: A total of 495 unintentional drug-related deaths were identified (1.6 deaths/100,000 population), showing an upward trend (p < 0.01). The most common substance involved was diazepam in both genders (males 135/319, 42%, female 76/176, 43%) and more than one contributory drug was included in 80% of cases. Between 2012 and 2016, amphetamine-related deaths showed the highest increase (3.2-fold), followed by codeine (2.5-fold) and quetiapine (2.5-fold). Males (RR 1.8, 95% CI 1.5–2.2) and people aged 35–44 (RR 1.7, CI 1.3–2.2) were more likely to die from unintentional drug-related deaths compared with the reference (females and people aged 25–34). Conclusion: This study found that the drugs commonly involved in deaths are also the drugs commonly used by and prescribed to people with mental illness. There were also significant differences between gender, age group, and marital status in the trend and rate of unintentional drug-related deaths for people with mental illness. A multifaceted approach encompassing both pharmaceutical prescribing and targeted public health messaging is required to inform intervention and prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective : Children and adolescents in care experience higher rates of mental illness. No studies have looked at differences in treatment effect amongst age groups for children/young people in care accessing mental health services. This study aims to determine if age is associated with outcomes for children and adolescents in care receiving treatment from a specialist mental health service in Queensland, Australia. Method : This 5-year retrospective cohort study consisted of a sample of 1338 children and adolescents in care aged 0–17 with pre- and post-treatment data. The Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) and the Health of the Nations Outcome Scale for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA) were used to assess functioning and mental health outcomes. Results : Data analysis revealed significant differences between the age groups. Age 0–4 also showed significantly greater improvement on a number of domains when compared with older age groups, including overactivity and attention, scholastic and language skills, emotional symptoms, peer relationships, and family life and relationships. Conclusion : This study demonstrated positive outcomes for all ages, yet better outcomes for the younger age groups in a cohort of children and adolescents in care attending a specialist mental health service. It highlights the importance of providing mental health interventions to children/young people in care, particularly age 0–4. Further, it calls for validated measures for young children to be utilised across mental health services to aid research in this area and optimise outcomes for this vulnerable population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we contrast the digital kinning and digital homing practices of PRC Chinese transnational grandparents in Australia from two migration cohorts. Our case studies demonstrate that these digital practices form an integral part of the ability to anticipate aging futures. This "digital anticipation" not only helps to safeguard and affirm social and cultural identities that are often at risk as people age in migrant settings, but also provides the potential to imagine either a future return to China that involves physical separation from children and grandchildren, or, conversely, a future lived in Australia while still maintaining connection and participating digitally in affective economies that extend beyond the nuclear family to encompass siblings, friends, and lifelong workmates. Here the role of facilitated digital access is highlighted as a form of care that can be provided by younger generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The objective of this study was to apply a strength-based approach to examine the relation of cultural and social determinants to high family functioning for Aboriginal people in Central Australia. Design Cross-sectional study involving a quantitative analysis of survey data. Prevalence rate ratios (PRs) and 95% CIs were calculated from binomial regressions, adjusted for gender and age. Qualitative data from workshops with Aboriginal leaders in Central Australia supported the interpretation of the research findings. Participants The study involved 639 Aboriginal people in Central Australia who participated in the Mayi Kuwayu Study. Result Overall, 57.9% (370/639) of participants reported high/very high family functioning, 16.9% (108/639) reported moderate and 13.3% (85/639) reported low. The adjusted prevalence of family functioning was similar across gender, age groups and household sizes. Family functioning was associated with lower family financial status (aPR=0.74, 95% CI=0.60 to 0.91) and receiving welfare (0.88, 0.77 to 1.00). Family functioning was greater with high community cohesion (2.72, 1.68 to 4.39), high individual agency in community (2.15, 1.63 to 2.85); having an Aboriginal language as a first language (1.20, 1.04 to 1.37); speaking your Aboriginal language a lot (1.37, 1.12 to 1.68); high exposure to cultural practice and knowledge (1.45, 1.28 to 1.65); and multigenerational or extended family households (1.19, 1.02 to 1.38). Conclusion High family functioning is a strength in Central Australia and is intrinsically connected with culture. Healthcare providers and programmes that build on the foundations of culture and family are an important approach to improving wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is associated with increased myocarditis incidence. Constantly evolving evidence regarding incidence and case fatality of COVID-19 and myocarditis related to infection or vaccination, creates challenges for risk-benefit analysis of vaccination. Challenges are complicated further by emerging evidence of waning vaccine effectiveness, and variable effectiveness against variants. Here, we build on previous work on the COVID-19 Risk Calculator (CoRiCal) by integrating Australian and international data to inform a Bayesian network that calculates probabilities of outcomes for the delta variant under different scenarios of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine coverage, age groups (≥12 years), sex, community transmission intensity and vaccine effectiveness. The model estimates that in a population where 5% were unvaccinated, 5% had one dose, 60% had two doses and 30% had three doses, there was a substantially greater probability of developing (239–5847 times) and dying (1430–384,684 times) from COVID-19-related than vaccine-associated myocarditis (depending on age and sex). For one million people with this vaccine coverage, where transmission intensity was equivalent to 10% chance of infection over 2 months, 68,813 symptomatic COVID-19 cases and 981 deaths would be prevented, with 42 and 16 expected cases of vaccine-associated myocarditis in males and females, respectively. These results justify vaccination in all age groups as vaccine-associated myocarditis is generally mild in the young, and there is unequivocal evidence for reduced mortality from COVID-19 in older individuals. The model may be updated to include emerging best evidence, data pertinent to different countries or vaccines and other outcomes such as long COVID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the demographic concepts of a country's growth rates and drivers of growth. Topics discussed including the cause of growth in the developing world which is solely due to increasing child survivorship; population is expected to peak at approximately 10 billion around the end of the present century, then commence a decline; and the subtle age-related movements and their interactions, which are not yet well studied at subnational level.

The current study aims to expand the geographic breadth of co-offending research by providing one of the first examinations of co-offending within Australia. We find co-offending was more common for some crimes than others. Individuals arrested for homicide had some of the highest co-offending rates and were more frequently observed in the core of the co-offending network. Females had higher rates of co-offending than males, and differences between sexes were most pronounced for sexual assault. However, females were underrepresented in the core of the network as compared to males. Lastly, co-offending declined with age, with the exception of drug offences for which co-offending was slightly more common among older age groups. Despite declines in co-offending overall, all age groups were equally represented in the network's core. Results emphasise the importance of disaggregating co-offending by crime type and examining co-offending across international contexts to better inform theory and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Socioeconomic inequalities in mortality are evident in all high-income countries, and ongoing monitoring is recommended using linked census-mortality data. Using such data, we provide the first estimates of education-related inequalities in cause-specific mortality in Australia, suitable for international comparisons.Methods: We used Australian Census (2016) linked to 13 months of Death Registrations (2016-17). We estimated relative rates (RR) and rate differences (RD, per 100 000 person-years), comparing rates in low (no qualifications) and intermediate (secondary school) with high (tertiary) education for individual causes of death (among those aged 25-84 years) and grouped according to preventability (25-74 years), separately by sex and age group, adjusting for age, using negative binomial regression.Results: Among 13.9 M people contributing 14 452 732 person-years, 84 743 deaths occurred. All-cause mortality rates among men and women aged 25-84 years with low education were 2.76 [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.61-2.91] and 2.13 (2.01-2.26) times the rates of those with high education, respectively. We observed inequalities in most causes of death in each age-sex group. Among men aged 25-44 years, relative and absolute inequalities were largest for injuries, e.g. transport accidents [RR = 10.1 (5.4-18.7), RD = 21.2 (14.5-27.9)]). Among those aged 45-64 years, inequalities were greatest for chronic diseases, e.g. lung cancer [men RR = 6.6 (4.9-8.9), RD = 57.7 (49.7-65.8)] and ischaemic heart disease [women RR = 5.8 (3.7-9.1), RD = 20.2 (15.8-24.6)], with similar patterns for people aged 65-84 years. When grouped according to preventability, inequalities were large for causes amenable to behaviour change and medical intervention for all ages and causes amenable to injury prevention among young men.Conclusions: Australian education-related inequalities in mortality are substantial, generally higher than international estimates, and related to preventability. Findings highlight opportunities to reduce them and the potential to improve the health of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: MyLifeTracker is a session‐by‐session mental health outcome measure for young people aged 12 to 25 years. The aim of this study was to determine clinically significant change indexes for this measure that would identify developmentally appropriate thresholds. The study also aimed to determine expected change trajectories to enable clinicians to compare a client's progress against average rates of change. Methods: Participants comprised young people aged 12 to 25 years from both a clinical and a community sample from Australia. The clinical sample was 63 840 young people that attended a headspace centre. The non‐clinical group was an Australian representative community sample of 4034 young people. Results: Clinically significant change indexes were developed for MyLifeTracker specific for age and gender groups by comparing clinical and non‐clinical samples. Males and young people aged 12 to 14 years needed to reach higher scores to achieve clinically significant change compared to females and other age groups, respectively. MyLifeTracker expected change trajectories followed a cubic pattern for those with lower baseline scores of 0 to 50, whereas those with baseline scores of 51 and above had varying patterns. For those with lower baseline scores, expected change trajectories showed that stronger change was evident early in treatment, which then tapered off before accelerating again later in treatment. Conclusions: The development of MyLifeTracker benchmarks allows the measure to be used for Feedback Informed Treatment by supporting treatment planning and decision‐making. This information can help clinicians to identify clients who are not on track or deteriorating and identify when clients are improving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]