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BackgroundEmerging evidence demonstrates that obesity is associated with a higher risk of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Excessive alcohol consumption and “comfort eating” as coping mechanisms during times of high stress have been shown to further exacerbate mental and physical ill-health. Global examples suggest that unhealthy food and alcohol brands and companies are using the COVID-19 pandemic to further market their products. However, there has been no systematic, in-depth analysis of how “Big Food” and “Big Alcohol” are capitalizing on the COVID-19 pandemic to market their products and brands. ObjectiveWe aimed to quantify the extent and nature of online marketing by alcohol and unhealthy food and beverage companies during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. MethodsWe conducted a content analysis of all COVID-19-related social media posts made by leading alcohol and unhealthy food and beverage brands (n=42) and their parent companies (n=12) over a 4-month period (February to May 2020) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. ResultsNearly 80% of included brands and all parent companies posted content related to COVID-19 during the 4-month period. Quick service restaurants (QSRs), food and alcohol delivery companies, alcohol brands, and bottle shops were the most active in posting COVID-19-related content. The most common themes for COVID-19-related marketing were isolation activities and community support. Promotion of hygiene and home delivery was also common, particularly for QSRs and alcohol and food delivery companies. Parent companies were more likely to post about corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, such as donations of money and products, and to offer health advice. ConclusionsThis is the first study to show that Big Food and Big Alcohol are incessantly marketing their products and brands on social media platforms using themes related to COVID-19, such as isolation activities and community support. Parent companies are frequently posting about CSR initiatives, such as donations of money and products, thereby creating a fertile environment to loosen current regulation or resist further industry regulation. “COVID-washing” by large alcohol brands, food and beverage brands, and their parent companies is both common and concerning. The need for comprehensive regulations to restrict unhealthy food and alcohol marketing, as recommended by the World Health Organization, is particularly acute in the COVID-19 context and is urgently required to “build back better” in a post-COVID-19 world.

This article explored prior research to understand how race and ethnicity impact community college students' developmental education course placement, and the lasting stigma associated with developmental course placement through the student academic journey. Further, the experiences of students of color in the developmental course classroom will be examined toward a better understanding of the mission challenge community colleges face in providing student access and equity through the current developmental education models.

: Objective: To report the prevalence of healthy weight and related behaviours among Victorian Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal children and explore associations between these factors and health‐related quality of life (HRQoL). Methods: Analysis of cross‐sectional data from two cluster randomised controlled trials using logistic and linear mixed models. The sample included Aboriginal (n=303) and non‐Aboriginal (n=3,026) children aged 8–13 years. Results: More than two‐thirds of Aboriginal children met guidelines for fruit (75.9%), sweetened drinks (66.7%), sleep (73.1%), screen time (67.7%) and objectively measured physical activity (83.6%); and 79.1% reported consuming take‐away foods less than once per week. Aboriginal children were more likely to meet vegetable consumption guidelines (OR=1.42, 95%CI: 1.05, 1.93), but less likely to have a healthy weight (OR=0.66, 95%CI: 0.52, 0.85) than non‐Aboriginal children. Mean HRQoL scores were significantly higher among non‐Aboriginal children and both Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal children meeting health guidelines. Conclusions: Most Aboriginal children in this study met guidelines for fruit, physical activity, screen time and sleep, and those meeting these guidelines had significantly higher HRQoL. Implications for public health: Promoting nutrition, physical activity and sleep is likely to benefit all children. Aboriginal community‐controlled organisations can use these data to design culturally‐specific programs that may improve disparities in healthy weight and HRQoL., Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have lived on the lands, now known as Australia, for over 65,000 years, and are one of the world's oldest continuous populations.[sup.1] Compared to [...]

: Objective: To test the hypothesis that a culturally tailored sugar‐sweetened beverage (SSB) campaign designed specifically for the Victorian Aboriginal community will not only be valuable for Aboriginal Victorians but will also have cross‐over benefits for non‐Aboriginal Victorians. Methods: An online survey was completed by 155 Victorians (78 Aboriginal, 77 non‐Aboriginal) four months after the Aboriginal Rethink Sugary Drink (RSD) advertisement was launched. Differences between Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal respondents were assessed using χ2 and Wilcoxon rank‐sum tests. Results: Seventy‐six per cent of Aboriginal respondents recalled seeing the advertisement compared to 56% of non‐Aboriginal respondents (p Conclusion: Notwithstanding the small sample size, the Aboriginal advertisement appeared to engage both Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal Victorians and promote SSB knowledge and motivation to improve health, particularly among Aboriginal Victorians, who were the target population. Public health campaigns should be designed with Aboriginal Australians to ensure equitable reach and impacts across the whole population. Implications for public health: Aboriginal‐led health promotion campaigns may be beneficial for both Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal audiences., Before colonisation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples successfully managed their food supply in a complex and integrated relationship with the land and waterways of Australia for more than 50,000 [...]

Chief Student Affairs Officers (CSAOs) are senior-level student affairs personnel. In 2011, 33 CSAOs responded to a national survey and provided a professional perspective on field development, student services, as well as predicted five-year trends for student affairs. In 2013, 17 CSAOs responded to the same survey and provided further information on these topics. Results indicated that attitudes towards diversity and technology remained stable between 2011 and 2013. We established that CSAOs have less positive attitudes towards research, evaluation, and assessment than they do towards communication and leadership. Here, we discuss at length the implications of these finding, as well as the potential for research into student affairs. In addition, we examine the continued professionalization of the CSAO field and note that research into CSAOs should be proactive instead of reactive.

When health information technology (HIT) was introduced into the hospital setting there was an obvious disruption to nursing workflow. In many cases it took a nurse extra steps or extra time to complete processes such as clinical documentation and medication administration. In response to HIT problems, nurses developed workarounds. Research on nursing workarounds has been hindered by a lack of variable definitions, measures and research models. This paper offers the results of an exploratory mixed methods study that proposes definitions for workarounds and describes the variable relationships with turbulence and patient safety in critical care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on the evidence-policy nexus has been dominated in recent years by technocratic approaches such as 'knowledge translation'. Attention is beginning to return, however, to political science for its insights into the distribution of power, which are key to understanding how policy is made, particularly in the health sphere. Policy network theory, which suggests that policy outcomes are shaped by the interactions between actors in a network, points to the configuration of networks as an important focus of study. However, policy outcomes also depend on the agency of the actors themselves; actors who use language to frame issues in certain ways in order to create change. While 'policy networks' and 'policy frames' have each received attention, there is a need for analytical tools which allow us to examine the interaction between network structure and frames. The paper describes a novel approach to aligning network structure and frames, which we tested using a single policy case study analysing submissions to a specific policy process. Overlaying policy frames with a network map, we were able to identify 'boundary spanners' who could connect the agendas of different parts of the network. We explain our analytic approach and the technical tools available to support it, and encourage researchers interested in the interface between evidence and policy to build on this approach.

This article presents the findings of a case study undertaken with the year 5 girls in one school to investigate their experiences and understanding of covert intimidation, as well as the effects and impact of these practices in the school setting. The findings of the study were obtained from the analysis of interviews, researcher-generated documents (worksheets) and surveys. They suggest that covert intimidation does exist in the school setting, and more particularly that these practices are an integral part of relationships between girls, through which they resolve the anger and conflict that arise in their friendships. These practices are located in the heart of girls' relationships and operate beneath the surface of ordinary school life. The conclusion of the study is that the term relational aggression should be used as a descriptor to help bring the phenomenon of covert aggression into the open. Open acknowledgment of these practices will help address these behaviours between girls so that they can learn open and honest ways of relating to each other, particularly in the resolution of their conflicts. (Contains 1 table.)

This study aimed to examine the extent and nature of Australian news media coverage of commercial industry activities that explicitly speak to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander contexts. We undertook content and framing analysis of Australian newspaper and online media articles published between January 2018 and March 2022 that included terms related to 'Indigenous', 'commercial' and 'health'. Analysis focused on the nature of coverage, framing of responsibility, patterns over time and stakeholder representation. Forty-six media articles were included in the analysis. Half of these articles related to the actions of three companies (Woolworths, WAM Clothing and Rio Tinto). Most articles described negative health and well-being impacts of commercial activity, while four described positive impacts. The most common voice represented in media articles was from industry (n = 25). Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander voices were represented in 21 articles. This analysis highlights how commercial activities in Australia are reported to negatively influence Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and well-being, and that industry voices are more commonly represented in the media related to these issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (hereafter referred to as Aboriginal) women breastfeed at lower rates than non-Aboriginal women. Little is known about factors associated with breastfeeding specific to Aboriginal women and infants. Determine the protective and risk factors associated with breastfeeding for Aboriginal women in Australia. CINAHL, Medline, EMBASE, SCOPUS, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane library were searched for peer-reviewed literature published between 1995 and 2021. Quantitative studies written in English reporting protective and risk factors associated with breastfeeding for Aboriginal women or women having an Aboriginal infant were included. Ten percent of papers were co-screened, and two reviewers completed data extraction. Narrative data synthesis was used. The initial search identified 12,091 records, with 31 full text studies retrieved, and 17 reports from 14 studies met inclusion criteria. Protective factors included living in a remote area, attending an Aboriginal-specific service, attending a regional service, higher levels of education attainment, increased maternal age, living in larger households, being partnered, and having a higher reported number of stressful events and social health issues. The identified risk factors were smoking in pregnancy, admission to SCN or NICU, and being multiparous. This review identified factors associated with breastfeeding for Aboriginal women. Government focus, support, and consistent funding are required to plan and implement evidence-based interventions and services for Aboriginal women and infants in urban, rural, remote, and very remote locations. Rigorous research is required to understand the Aboriginal-specific factors associated with breastfeeding to improve rates and health outcomes for Aboriginal women and infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]