Search

Background: Over one-third of cancer cases are attributable to modifiable risk factors. Because health-related behaviors are often established at adolescence, it is important that adolescents understand the risks and lifestyle decisions that may reduce their chances of developing cancer. This study aims to identify the levels of cancer awareness of adolescents in Australia. Methods: Paper questionnaires were used to collect information about baseline levels of cancer awareness. These questionnaires included socio-demographic questions and the Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM) with slight modifications to ensure their suitability for the Australian adolescent population. Students aged 11 to 19 years were recruited from 13 Australian high schools between 2016 and 2019. Results: A total of 766 adolescents (58% female, mean age = 14.5 years) completed the questionnaires. Adolescents' cancer awareness was low. Adolescents who knew someone with cancer recognized significantly more cancer risk factors and cancer warning signs than those who did not know someone with cancer (t (756) = 2.35, p =.019; t (747) = 5.57, p =.001). Those from high Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) schools significantly recognized more cancer risk factors than those from low ICSEA schools (t (764) = 2.42, p =.016). Females recognized significantly more warning signs than males (t (583) = 3.11, p =.002) and students from senior high school grades recognized more warning signs than those from junior grades (t (754) = 2.24, p =.02). Most adolescents (78%) were aware of skin cancer as one of the most common cancers in Australia, however half or less were aware of other common cancers. Although most adolescents would seek medical help in the presence of possible cancer symptoms as soon as possible, approximately 20% of them would not see a doctor promptly. Emotional barriers were the most common reasons to delay seeing a doctor (56%), for example "being worried about hearing bad news" (27%). Conclusions: Australian adolescents show poor awareness of cancer risk factors and cancer warning signs. A number of demographic and experience factors were found to be related to lower cancer awareness. Education is essential to raise cancer awareness, promote healthy lifestyles from adolescence and avoid a preventable cancer diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue is part of a shift in social science and humanities thinking and in public awareness towards planetary water concerns. As societal and scholarly attention to the wet element – and its political import and its cultural constitution – is growing, we ask, how can we rethink our relationships with water in Australia now and into the future? The collection of papers in this issue shows that water responds to human practices which in turn are grounded in cultural imaginaries. Water is thus real in diverse ways, and makes possible diverse material, political and cultural relationships. Taking our lead from the ideas that contributors have developed from this and other questions posed for the issue, our introductory discussion considers three themes that are key to the understanding of water futures in Australia: materialities, temporalities and imaginaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) police liaison programs were established around Australia from the late 1980s onwards to ameliorate discriminatory relationships between LGBTIQ people and police. With specialized training to better understand LGBTIQ issues, police liaison officers can provide support to LGBTIQ people as victims, offenders, or witnesses. Interestingly, very few LGBTIQ people seek support from these officers, even though many know they exist. This paper reports the results of a survey of a sample of LGBTIQ community members across two Australian states (Queensland and New South Wales) that explored why LGBTIQ people seek support from LGBTI police liaison officers. An online questionnaire asked LGBTIQ people about their perceptions of, and experiences with, police generally, and LGBTI police liaison officers specifically. Similar to past research, our analysis primarily found high levels of awareness of liaison officers, but very few participants accessed them. Further, and concerningly, the participants were generally reluctant to seek them out for support. Key implications of our findings for policy and practice development in police and LGBTIQ community services are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of gender in global cross-generational consciousness must be urgently addressed. Gender equality (Sustainable Development Goal 5 or SDG5) should be the responsibility of all countries around the world. As a result, this study intends to draw a map of knowledge on gender issues in consciousness across generations to investigate the state of research and future possibilities. This study aims to build a knowledge map that provides a comprehensive understanding of gender issues in awareness across generations. Vosviewer was used to perform bibliometric techniques on 370 English articles from Scopus on cross-generational awareness and gender equality themes. The study emphasizes the continued focus and upward trend of publications after cluster analysis and time series analysis and outlines the important authors, and research countries on the issue. The US has made significant contributions and influenced the UK and Australia. Gender, generation, gender equality, awareness, generational differences, gender issues, culture, education, gender inequality, feminism, health equity, diversity, social psychology, policy, and sustainable development are some of the groups of terms generated by the author's collaboration. As a result, the conclusions propose that research on gender issues could be expanded to include more authors, fields, subjects, and other diverse cooperative sectors. The implications of this knowledge mapping go beyond academia, holding practical and policy relevance, especially regarding gender equality and cross-generational awareness. This study is critical to inform future policies and practices aimed at fostering inclusivity and equality across generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, contributing to approximately 20 000 deaths in 2021 in Australia. Importantly, progression of CKD can be substantially reduced if it is detected and treated early. Here we present the perspectives of a general practitioner (primary care physician), a nephrologist and a patient advocate on how the diagnosis and management of CKD in primary care could be improved. Early detection and treatment of CKD are impeded by limited patient awareness and knowledge, communication challenges between patients and doctors, and psychosocial issues, with these factors also interacting with, and exacerbating, each other. We make the following recommendations to help improve outcomes in patients with CKD: (1) identifying people at increased risk of CKD and ensuring they have a complete kidney health check (including estimated glomerular filtration rate, urine albumin-creatinine ratio and a blood pressure check) every 1−2 years; (2) using simple, nonconfrontational language and supportive resources to communicate with patients about kidney health; (3) implementing early treatment to slow the progression of CKD and avoid adverse cardiovascular disease outcomes; and (4) asking patient-orientated questions to support shared decision-making and empower patients to be active partners in their healthcare. We acknowledge that limited time is a major barrier to implementing these recommendations in primary care. Utilizing the expertise of the whole practice team, and adopting supportive technology to introduce efficiencies, are likely to be of benefit. By adopting these recommendations, we believe general practitioners have the opportunity to drive improved outcomes and quality of life for people living with CKD in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the uniquely Australian leisure activity of calisthenics. The term 'calisthenics' has multiple applications; initially, it described a variety of exercise prescribed for physical and mental health. Australian calisthenics defies easy definition, representing a confluence of sport, music and dance; it is a highly structured competitive activity, affording the opportunity for a study of bodies, spaces and places. Individuals' movements are nestled within the framework of the team, and the synchronous corporeality that is a feature of each calisthenics discipline serves as a stimulus for spatial awareness and the construction of a shared physicality. Calisthenics provides an ideal exemplar of various kinds of leisure work, including somatic, emotional, cultural and community-building labour. Competitions underpin the activity, producing aesthetic strictures and perpetuating the requirement for considerable economic investment. Thus, the article represents a multi-faceted analysis of an important aspect of Australia's leisure and social histories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In September 2003, we released the first results of a national community attitude tracking study about child abuse and child protection. At that time, we concluded that as a community, violence against children was tolerated. The community did not understand or appreciate the seriousness, size and cost of child abuse in Australia. There was evidence that child abuse was not viewed as an important challenge facing children in Australia. A second study conducted in 2006 found that nothing much had changed, indeed community engagement with the issue of child abuse may have even deteriorated. A third study in 2010 found that the community actively avoids the problem of child abuse rating it less concerning than high petrol prices. In 2021, 18 years after the first report was published, we have concluded again that child abuse remains out of sight and out of mind as a community concern. This article describes the findings of this fourth iteration of our survey and analyses the implications for ensuring that individuals are more engaged and committed to taking action to preventing child abuse and/or protecting children from violation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Erosive tooth wear has significant impacts on oral and general health. This study aimed to measure the awareness of dental erosion to establish the relationships among sociodemographic factors, awareness and knowledge of dental erosion, and beverage consumption behaviours, in a sample of university students in Australia. Methods: All undergraduate students enrolled in the targeted programs at an Australian University were invited. A total of 418 students consented to participate. Each was assessed with an online questionnaire. Results: The awareness rate of dental erosion was 92.1%. Soft drinks and fruit juice were most often perceived as acidic beverages by the respondents. The students of greater age, and studying pharmacy, paramedicine, physiotherapy or science, were less likely to be aware of dental erosion. Those students that were aware of dental erosion also had better knowledge of dental erosion, which was associated with a reduced quantity of daily acidic beverage consumption as well. The students that predominantly resided overseas had less knowledge of dental erosion. The students that were of greater age, that were studying clinical science, pharmacy, medical science, paramedicine, or science, and that correctly identified more types of acidic beverages, more often consumed acidic beverages in high-risk patterns. Conclusions: Erosive tooth wear is a relevant matter in dentistry, nutrition and public health. Within a university setting, the effect of education on oral health literacy and beverage consumption behaviour is confirmed. Dental and health professionals should actively educate the individuals and communities about dental erosion and motivate them to change acidic beverage consumption behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The My Baby's Movements (MBM) trial aimed to evaluate the impact on stillbirth rates of a multifaceted awareness package (the MBM intervention). Design: Stepped‐wedge cluster‐randomised controlled trial. Setting: Twenty‐seven maternity hospitals in Australia and New Zealand. Population: Women with a singleton pregnancy without major fetal anomaly at ≥28 weeks of gestation from August 2016 to May 2019. Methods: The MBM intervention was implemented at randomly assigned time points, with the sequential introduction of eight groups of between three and five hospitals at 4‐monthly intervals. Using generalised linear mixed models, the stillbirth rate was compared in the control and the intervention periods, adjusting for calendar time, study population characteristics and hospital effects. Main outcome measures: Stillbirth at ≥28 weeks of gestation. Results: There were 304 850 births with 290 105 births meeting the inclusion criteria: 150 053 in the control and 140 052 in the intervention periods. The stillbirth rate was lower (although not statistically significantly so) during the intervention compared with the control period (2.2/1000 versus 2.4/1000 births; aOR 1.18, 95% CI 0.93–1.50; P = 0.18). The decrease in stillbirth rate was greater across calendar time: 2.7/1000 in the first versus 2.0/1000 in the last 18 months. No increase in secondary outcomes, including obstetric intervention or adverse neonatal outcome, was evident. Conclusions: The MBM intervention did not reduce stillbirths beyond the downward trend over time. As a result of low uptake, the role of the intervention remains unclear, although the downward trend across time suggests some benefit in lowering the stillbirth rate. In this study setting, an awareness of the importance of fetal movements may have reached pregnant women and clinicians prior to the implementation of the intervention. The My Baby's Movements intervention to raise awareness of decreased fetal movement did not significantly reduce stillbirth rates. The My Baby's Movements intervention to raise awareness of decreased fetal movement did not significantly reduce stillbirth rates. Linked article This article is commented on by Alexander E. P. Heazell, p. 42 in this issue. To view this mini commentary visit https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.16954. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]