Results from Australia's 2014 report card on physical activity for children and youth

Background: 

Laughter and humor therapy in dialysis

Laughter and humor therapy have been used in health care to achieve physiological and psychological health-related benefits. The application of these therapies to the dialysis context remains unclear. This paper reviews the evidence related to laughter and humor therapy as a medical therapy relevant to the dialysis patient population. Studies from other groups such as children, the elderly, and persons with mental health, cancer, and other chronic conditions are included to inform potential applications of laughter therapy to the dialysis population. Therapeutic interventions could range from humorous videos, stories, laughter clowns through to raucous simulated laughter and Laughter Yoga. The effect of laughter and humor on depression, anxiety, pain, immunity, fatigue, sleep quality, respiratory function and blood glucose may have applications to the dialysis context and require further research.

Interrater reliability assessment using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2

Objectives: The aim was to examine interrater reliability of the object control subtest from the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 by live observation in a school field setting. Design:: Reliability Study - cross sectional. Methods: Raters were rated on their ability to agree on (1) the raw total for the six object control skills; (2) each skill performance and (3) the skill components. Agreement for the object control subtest and the individual skills was assessed by an intraclass correlation (ICC) and a kappa statistic assessed for skill component agreement. Results: A total of 37 children (65% girls) aged 4-8 years (M= 6.2, SD=0.8) were assessed in six skills by two raters; equating to 222 skill tests. Interrater reliability was excellent for the object control subset (ICC= 0.93), and for individual skills, highest for the dribble (ICC= 0.94) followed by strike (ICC= 0.85), overhand throw (ICC= 0.84), underhand roll (ICC= 0.82), kick (ICC= 0.80) and the catch (ICC= 0.71). The strike and the throw had more components with less agreement. Conclusions: Even though the overall subtest score and individual skill agreement was good, some skill components had lower agreement, suggesting these may be more problematic to assess. This may mean some skill components need to be specified differently in order to improve component reliability.

The happiness and subjective well-being of people on haemodialysis

Happiness is a construct that has been gaining more prominence in both social and health research. The measure of happiness, subjective well-being, has not been rigorously explored in the end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) population.

The subjective well-being of paralympic athletes

 Paralympic athletes represent a very high functioning group within the population. They not only report high levels of SWB but also have robust psychological resources that support adaptation to environmental challenges and athletic success. This would suggest that important lessons in resilience could be learned from this high profile group.

When good dictators go bad: examining the 'transformation' of Colonel Gaddafi

On October 20, 2011, the 42 year rule of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi came to a violent end after months ofintense and brutal fighting. The violence in which Gaddafi died and the ensuing abuse of his dead body by his killers wascaptured on film and broadcast around the world. This gruesome end was the antithesis to his rise to power in 1969,where he was welcomed as a savior and a hero. Until his death, Gaddafi was the longest-serving non-monarchical Headof State and was considered by most scholars more likely to die of natural causes than be overthrown by his people. Sowhat happened in those 42 years that caused Gaddafi to go from beloved liberator to hated oppressor? And what is hislasting legacy for the country he ruled for over four decades?

Game of Tropes: the Orientalist tradition in the Works of G.R.R. Martin

George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels (and their television adaption, Game of Thrones) have become arguably the most well known fantasy epic of the last decade. However, the world of A Song of Ice and Fire conforms to many of the same Orientalist tropes that have dominated Western literature since the popularisation of the 'Arabian fantasy' in the 18th and 19th centuries and its subsequent perpetuation in film and television. Derivative imaginings of the real world Middle East are commonly reflected in non-Earthly fantasy worlds and Martin's work incorporates this standard vision of the Eastern Other. Owing to its popularity, the A Song of Ice and Fire series represents a significant reinforcement of Orientalist stereotypes and proves that fantasy locations have significant power to cement these ideas in the popular imagination. Moreover, the negative portyal of the East in these works supports Said's argument that the Orient is an invention of the West, and that our depiction of the Other is a means of framing our own cultural superiority.

Problematic eating and food-related behaviours and excessive weight gain : why children in out-of-home care are at risk

Emerging evidence suggests that abuse and neglect in childhood may play a role in subsequent development of obesity. One population group particularly at risk is children and young people living in out-of-home care (OOHC). Given this population is already a vulnerable group, identifying potential mechanisms by which childhood abuse and neglect increases risk for obesity is essential. A possible explanation is that problematic eating and food-related behaviours (i.e., emotional eating, compulsive eating, overeating, binge eating, stealing or hoarding food) might mediate the association between adverse childhood experiences and obesity. Hence, the overall goal of this paper was to provide a narrative review of eating and food-related difficulties for children in care and their possible association with unhealthy and excessive weight gain. This review revealed a shortage of existing empirical papers and signalled particular need for further examination of the mediating effects of problematic eating.

Intradialytic Laughter Yoga therapy for haemodialysis patients: a pre-post intervention feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: Laughter Yoga consists of physical exercise, relaxation techniques and simulated vigorous laughter. It has been associated with physical and psychological benefits for people in diverse clinical and non-clinical settings, but has not yet been tested in a haemodialysis setting. The study had three aims: 1) to examine the feasibility of conducting Laughter Yoga for patients with end stage kidney disease in a dialysis setting; 2) to explore the psychological and physiological impact of Laughter Yoga for these patients; and 3) to estimate the sample size required for future research. METHODS: Pre/post intervention feasibility study. Eighteen participants were recruited into the study and Laughter Yoga therapists provided a four week intradialytic program (30-min intervention three times per week). Primary outcomes were psychological items measured at the first and last Laughter Yoga session, including: quality of life; subjective wellbeing; mood; optimism; control; self-esteem; depression, anxiety and stress. Secondary outcomes were: blood pressure, intradialytic hypotensive episodes and lung function (forced expiratory volume). Dialysis nurses exposed to the intervention completed a Laughter Yoga attitudes and perceptions survey (n = 11). Data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics v22, including descriptive and inferential statistics, and sample size estimates were calculated using G*Power. RESULTS: One participant withdrew from the study for medical reasons that were unrelated to the study during the first week (94 % retention rate). There were non-significant increases in happiness, mood, and optimism and a decrease in stress. Episodes of intradialytic hypotension decreased from 19 pre and 19 during Laughter Yoga to 4 post Laughter Yoga. There was no change in lung function or blood pressure. All nurses agreed or strongly agreed that Laughter Yoga had a positive impact on patients' mood, it was a feasible intervention and they would recommend Laughter Yoga to their patients. Sample size calculations for future research indicated that a minimum of 207 participants would be required to provide sufficient power to detect change in key psychological variables. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that Laughter Yoga is a safe, low-intensity form of intradialytic physical activity that can be successfully implemented for patients in dialysis settings. Larger studies are required, however, to determine the effect of Laughter Yoga on key psychological variables. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry - ACTRN12614001130651 . Registered 23 October 2014.

Descriptive study of carers' support, encouragement and modelling of healthy lifestyle behaviours in residential out-of-home care

OBJECTIVE: Given the high prevalence of overweight/obesity among young people in residential out-of-home care (OOHC), and as their carers are in loco parentis, this research aimed: 1) to examine the healthy lifestyle cognitions and behaviours of residential carers; and 2) to describe resources needed to improve diet and/or physical activity outcomes for residents. METHODS: Cross-sectional data were collected from 243 residential carers. Measures included: demographics; knowledge of dietary/physical activity recommendations; self-reported encouragement/importance of health behaviours; physical activity/screen time (at work); unit 'healthiness'; and necessary resources for creating a healthy environment. RESULTS: Staff placed importance on the residents eating well and being physically active. However, examination of carer knowledge found significant gaps in staff education. Three key priority areas were identified to help build a healthy food and activity environment in residential OOHC: funding, professional development and policy. CONCLUSION: Carer knowledge of healthy lifestyles can be improved and they need to be well resourced to ensure children in public care settings live in a healthy environment. IMPLICATIONS: These findings may inform the development of ongoing professional development to improve carers' health literacy, as well as policy to support dietary/activity guidelines for the OOHC sector.

Climate change as an unexpected co-factor promoting coral eating seastar (Acanthaster planci) outbreaks

Coral reefs face a crisis due to local and global anthropogenic stressors. A large proportion of the ~50% coral loss on the Great Barrier Reef has been attributed to outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns-seastar (COTS). A widely assumed cause of primary COTS outbreaks is increased larval survivorship due to higher food availability, linked with anthropogenic runoff . Our experiment using a range of algal food concentrations at three temperatures representing present day average and predicted future increases, demonstrated a strong influence of food concentration on development is modulated by temperature. A 2°C increase in temperature led to a 4.2–4.9 times (at Day 10) or 1.2–1.8 times (Day 17) increase in late development larvae. A model indicated that food was the main driver, but that temperature was an important modulator of development. For instance, at 5000 cells ml−1 food, a 2°C increase may shorten developmental time by 30% and may increase the probability of survival by 240%. The main contribution of temperature is to ‘push’ well-fed larvae faster to settlement. We conclude that warmer sea temperature is an important co-factor promoting COTS outbreaks.

Bayesian hierarchical modeling of the temporal dynamics of subjective well-being: A 10 year longitudinal analysis

This study demonstrates, for the first time, how Bayesian hierarchical modeling can be applied to yield novel insights into the long-term temporal dynamics of subjective well-being (SWB). Several models were proposed and examined using Bayesian methods. The models were assessed using a sample of Australian adults (. n=. 1081) who provided annual SWB scores on between 5 and 10 occasions. The best fitting models involved a probit transformation, allowed error variance to vary across participants, and did not include a lag parameter. Including a random linear and quadratic effect resulted in only a small improvement over the intercept only model. Examination of individual-level fits suggested that most participants were stable with a small subset exhibiting patterns of systematic change.

The distribution of quality of life in Australia

 Australians enjoy a relatively high degree of life quality as judged by comparative international statistics. This chapter reviews the distribution of Quality of Life in Australia by considering both the objective and subjective wellbeing (SWB) of the Australian population. The review begins with an overview of objective circumstances, including income, social support, and life expectancy. It also considers the distribution of trust. Two extant measures of the subjective wellbeing of Australians are then reviewed, and it is revealed that SWB has demonstrated remarkably stable properties over the last 12 years. This chapter provides some insight into the properties of the measures and the theoretical construct of Subjective Wellbeing to explain fluctuations that occur for different components of SWB. Further, this chapter considers the demographic characteristics that are common to Australians with higher and lower SWB and offers a basis of research upon which future measures of population wellbeing can be founded