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Background: In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the first global movement guidelines for children that combined sleep, physical activity and screen time. Our previous research showed that adherence to age‐specific guidelines for screen time was challenging for families with children in different age groups. We aimed to determine whether families with children in different age‐based movement guideline categories have poorer adherence to the broader 24‐h movement guidelines than those with all children in the same age category. Methods: Data were from the 1973–1978 cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (seventh survey, 2015) and the women's three youngest children (aged ≤12) (Mothers and their Children's Health sub‐study, 2016/2017). The sample was 1787 women (families) with 4064 children (mean age 7.2 [SD 2.9]). Whether children in the family were in the same or different age‐based category was determined by matching children's ages in a family against age‐based guideline categories for the 24‐h movement behaviours. The association between children in the family being in the same or different age‐based guideline category on adherence to 24‐h movement guidelines, both collectively and individually, was analysed by adjusted logistic regression (binary and multinomial). Results: Families with children in the same age guideline categories had double the odds of having all children meet 24‐h movement guidelines (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.95 [95% confidence interval, CI: 1.32, 2.86]). Families with children in the same age categories on the screen guideline had higher odds of all children meeting (2.25 [1.73, 2.93]) and lower odds of some meeting/some failing the screen guideline (0.18 [0.14, 0.25]), than families with all children in different age categories. Families with children in the same age categories on the physical activity guideline had lower odds of all children meeting (0.57 [0.43, 0.75]) or some meeting/some failing the physical activity guideline (0.08 [0.06, 0.12]). No associations were found for sleep guidelines. Conclusions: Families with multiple children may need practical advice and strategies on how to adhere to guidelines when children span age categories. This could form part of public health strategies that raise awareness of the guidelines and may improve guideline adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted with the aim of evaluating whether a pre-procedural education and counseling program can improve knowledge and coronary risk factors in 130 patients four month after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). They study showed that knowledge and physical activity levels improved from pre-PTCA to the follow-up. It also showed favorable change in cholesterol level.

Abstract Background In Australia, Medicare, the national health insurance system which includes the Medical Benefits Scheme (MBS) and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), provides partial coverage for most medical services and pharmaceuticals. For war widows, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) covers almost the entire cost of their health care. The objective of this study was to test whether war widows have higher usage of medical services and pharmaceuticals. Methods Data were from 730 women aged 70–84 years (mostly World War II widows) participating in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health who consented to data linkage to Medicare Australia. The main outcome measures were PBS costs, claims, co-payments and scripts presented, and MBS total costs, claims and gap payments for medical services in 2005. Results There was no difference between the war widows and similarly aged widows in the Australian population without DVA support on use of medical services. While war widows had more pharmaceutical prescriptions filled they generated equivalent total costs, number of claims and co-payments for pharmaceuticals than widows without DVA support. Conclusions Older war widows are not using more medical services and pharmaceuticals than other older Australian women despite having financial incentives to do so.

This paper examines how the relationships between the factors (predisposing, enabling and illness) of the 1973 Andersen framework and service use are influenced by changes in the caring role in older women of the 1921–26 cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Outcome variables were the use of three formal community support services: (a) nursing or community health services, (b) home-making services and (c) home maintenance services. Predictor variables were survey wave and the following carer characteristics: level of education, country of birth, age, area of residence, ability to manage on income, need for care, sleep difficulty and changes in caring role. Carer changes were a significant predictor of formal service use. Their inclusion did not attenuate the relationship between the Andersen framework factors and service use, but instead provided a more complete representation of carers' situations. Women were more likely to have used support services if they had changed into or out of co-resident caring or continued to provide co-resident care for a frail, ill or disabled person, needed care themselves, and reported sleep difficulties compared with women who did not provide care. These findings are important because they indicate that support services are particularly relevant to women who are changing their caring role and who are themselves in need of care. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: This study measured reliability between stroke patients' and significant others' scores on items on the Reintegration to Normal Living (RNL) Index and whether there were any scoring biases., Method: The 11-item RNL Index was administered to 57 pairs of patients and significants six months after stroke rehabilitation. The index was scored using a 10-point visual analogue scale. Patient and significant other demographic information and data on patients' clinical, functional and cognitive status were collected. Reliability was measured using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and percent agreement., Results: Overall poor reliability was found for the RNL Index total score (ICC=.36, 95% CI .07 to .59) and the daily functioning subscale (ICC=.24, 95% Cl -.003 to .46) and moderate reliability was found for the perception of self subscale (ICC= .55, 95% Cl .28 to .73). There was a moderate bias for patients to rate themselves as achieving better reintegration than was indicated by significant others, although no demographic or clinical factors were associated with this bias. Exact match agreement was best for the subjective items and worse for items reflecting mobility around the community and participation in a work activity., Conclusions: Caution is needed when interpreting patient information reported by significant others on the RNL Index. The use of a shorter scale to rate the RNL Index requires investigation.