”Public Health Protection through Air Quality Controls”

Health is an important aspect of everybody’s life. Today, there is an increasing recognition and commitment to the pursuit of health both within government and beyond. Any attempt on the part of the " State to protect and promote people’s health, in turn, must be accompanied by effective controls on air quality, as air constitutes ‘ one of the important elements of man’s life and the consequences of air pollution covers a very wide spectrum ranging from material ---damage to personal discomfort and illness. The broad social and economic objectives adumbrated in the Directive Principles of State Policy including the commitment to improve public health underlying in Article 47 and the obligation to preserve and protect-the natural environment cast under Article 48A of the Constitution are being used as versatile weapons by the State to regulate the public health scenario. Preservation and maintenance of air quality is a significant area within the sphere of public health, where the regulatory arm of the law is not adequately touched and in this arena urgent State intervention through legislative and administrative action is called for in the well-being of the society. Judiciary also plays a pivotal role in this arena in the larger interest of the society and for the benefit of the present and future generations. The research study is an attempt to analyze how far the existing legal system, for maintaining air quality and in controlling air pollution, is effective in protecting public health. The study also analyzes the limitations of the control mechanisms. The study focuses on industrial air pollution, indoor and personal air pollution, vehicular pollution and noise pollution which are today appearing as the major public health hazards affecting the air quality. However, this is not to overlook the importance of controls required under other areas of public health.

Evidence-based nutrition and cardiovascular disease in the Asia-Pacific region

The Asia-Pacific region is undergoing a major change in both food and health patterns, with a connection between the two more than likely. Evidence for certain traditional Asia-Pacific foods as protective agents against chronic non-communicable disease and cardiovascular disease (CVD), in particular, is growing at a time when their usage diminishes. The nature of the evidence to establish relevant Asia-Pacific food-health linkages will include randomised placebo-controlled clinical trials, but is much more extensive and meaningful. Okinawans have probably achieved one of the most successful food cultures from a health point of view and serve as a reference point for the Asia-Pacific region. The expert working party has produced, in November 2000, the 'Okinawan Recommendations on Nutrition and CVD in the Asia-Pacific region'.

Investigating health, economic and socio-political factors that need consideration when establishing Victorian Aboriginal land management projects

This article focuses on three Victorian Aboriginal¹ groups (Bangerang, Boonwurrung and Yorta Yorta) to explore elements that provide or discourage development of land management projects. Results from this small qualitative study show that a number of distinct health, socio-political and economic factors need to be considered when developing Aboriginal land management projects. This study indicates that a greater involvement in Aboriginal land management projects -- critical to Aboriginal peoples' health, economic and social structures - will only occur through increased community consultation, respect, training, consistency between all stakeholders involved, resources and the provision of employment opportunities. Further research is required to strengthen this evidence, allowing policy-makers to be progressive when developing land management projects for Aboriginal Victorian people as a health promoting tool.

Culture, identity, health : Australian South Sea Islanders in Mackay

This research concerns the descendants of 19th century Kanaka labourers. Through innovative methodology, it examines their culture, identity and health. It has contributed to the official recognition of Australian South Sea Islanders, with significant implications for policies and services provided by State and Federal Governments, especially in health care.

Fuzzy well-being in Pacific Asia

This paper develops a framework that uses fuzzy-set theory to measure human well-being. Fuzzy sets allow for gradual transition from one state to another while also allowing one to incorporate rules and goals, and hence are more appropriate for measuring outcomes that are ambiguous. Such ambiguity is an inherent characteristic of cross-country achieved well-being assessments. This framework is used to provide a fuzzy representation of the well known Human Development Index (HDI) and its three components. Fuzzy HDI estimates for 14 Pacific Asian countries are provided and compared with non-fuzzy estimates. Quite large differences in rankings emerge. The paper concludes by suggesting that fuzzy measures should be used more widely to measure achieved well-being outcomes.

Guiding policy change to reduce diet-related disease in the Pacific

Research was undertaken in Fiji and Tonga to identify the most promising policy interventions to improve diets and non-communicable diseases. The participatory approach combined with modelling enabled evidence-informed decision-making by stakeholders. The framework developed is practical and systematic and is recommended for use in other countries in the region.

Contributing to health reform : urban Aboriginal women speak out

In this thesis, the researcher shares their own personal journey as an Aboriginal researcher walking the borderlands between academic and Indigenous worldviews.  Indigenous Methodologies and Talking Circles provided a culturally safe environment for urban Aboriginal women to collectively develop and share their strategies to enable health care providers, educators, and policy makers to provide respectful non-racist, non-disciminatory health care.

Developing an exploratory framework linking Australian Aboriginal peoples' connection to country and concepts of wellbeing

Aboriginal people across Australia suffer significant health inequalities compared with the non-Indigenous population. Evidence indicates that inroads can be made to reduce these inequalities by better understanding social and cultural determinants of health, applying holistic notions of health and developing less rigid definitions of wellbeing. The following article draws on qualitative research on Victorian Aboriginal peoples' relationship to their traditional land (known as Country) and its link to wellbeing, in an attempt to tackle this. Concepts of wellbeing, Country and nature have also been reviewed to gain an understanding of this relationship. An exploratory framework has been developed to understand this phenomenon focusing on positive (e.g., ancestry and partnerships) and negative (e.g., destruction of Country and racism) factors contributing to Aboriginal peoples' health. The outcome is an explanation of how Country is a fundamental component of Aboriginal Victorian peoples' wellbeing and the framework articulates the forces that impact positively and negatively on this duality. This review is critical to improving not only Aboriginal peoples' health but also the capacity of all humanity to deal with environmental issues like disconnection from nature and urbanisation.

Health literacy builds resilience among individuals and communities

Health is created in the context of everyday life, and health literacy originates in and helps shape the sociocultural context in which people live. Empowerment, equity, co-production and cultural capital have been shown to be positively associated with people’s health.

Modeling the impact of social discrimination on the physical and mental health of portuguese gay, lesbian and bisexual people

Background: Despite growing acceptance of same-sex sexuality in Portugal, identity development of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals is still restricted by negative societal attitudes, which maintain the experience of stigmatization and discrimination. The purpose of this study is to document the frequency of discriminatory events experienced by sexual minorities and their association with indicators of physical and mental health in Portugal. Methods: A total of 610 LGB participants completed an online survey (mean age = 34.48, SD = 11.54). Most participants were single and self-identified as gay (73.8%). The survey included five categories of survey items: demographic information, social support, physical health, mental health, and discrimination experiences. Results: Physical and mental health results revealed that bisexual people were more likely to report higher levels of psychological distress than gay men. Overall, between one-fifth and one-fourth of the participants in this sample frequently felt the need to hide their sexual orientation to prevent discrimination experiences across the different settings. Regarding actual discrimination experiences, close to 20% reported having suffered from verbal abuse, followed by close to 10% who suffered from written threats, harassment, and physical threats. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to assess the effects of anticipated and actual discrimination on mental health. Possible confounding variables were added in the first block – age, sexual orientation, being in a relationship, body mass index, and HIV status. Anticipated and actual discrimination experiences were added in the second block. The first block of the analysis explained 6% of the overall variance, while the second block – discrimination experiences – explained an additional 17%. Conclusion: Portuguese culture and stigma/discrimination create discriminatory experiences which impact LGB people’s health. Unless policies are changed to allow for the acceptance of LGB people, they will continue to experience violence and discrimination as a result of homophobia.

Comparison of two modes of delivery of an exercise prescription scheme

AIM: Green Prescription (GRx) referrals from health professionals have been shown to be effective for increasing the physical activity levels of patients. Little is known about which methods of delivering the programme represents the best value for money. The purpose of this paper was to compare the cost and outcomes of two modes of delivery of a GRx programme. One mode offered phone support involving monthly telephone calls over a 3-4 month period to encourage physical activity participation. A second mode offered community support via weekly face-to-face support group meetings in which physical activities were offered. METHODS: The evaluation involved staff interviews, patient interviews and analysis of GRx records for the 2007 calendar year. RESULTS: There was a large rate of drop-out (68%) from GRx referral to registration. For those who registered, there was a clear preference for community support, and engagement of Maori and Pacific peoples was higher in this mode of delivery. The proportion (but not absolute number) of people who successfully completed their mode of delivery was higher with phone support. However, participants in community support self-reported a significantly greater number of days of exercise per week than those in phone support. The total expected cost per person for phone support was $102.07 and $108.15 for community support. A greater proportion of participants in community support were very satisfied overall with their mode of delivery. CONCLUSION: The two modes were comparable in cost and outcomes, though there was greater penetration of target ethnic populations in community support. Providing a choice of GRx mode of delivery allows participants to choose based on their personal and cultural needs.

Comparison of two modes of delivery of an exercise prescription scheme

SummaryGreen Prescription (GRx) is a referral from a health professional for a patient to become more physically active. In Auckland, GRx is delivered either on the telephone or face-to-face. A comparison of the two modes of delivery (telephone vs. face-to-face) was conducted. This evaluation involved staff interviews, patient interviews and analysis of GRx records for the 2007 calendar year. Results indicated that the modes of delivery were similar in terms of costs as well as outcomes. However, the face-to-face mode of delivery was more popular with Maori and Pacific peoples. Providing a choice of GRx mode of delivery allows participants to choose based on their personal and cultural needs.AbstractAimGreen Prescription (GRx) referrals from health professionals have been shown to be effective for increasing the physical activity levels of patients. Little is known about which methods of delivering the programme represents the best value for money. The purpose of this paper was to compare the cost and outcomes of two modes of delivery of a GRx programme. One mode offered phone support involving monthly telephone calls over a 3-4 month period to encourage physical activity participation. A second mode offered community support via weekly face-to-face support group meetings in which physical activities were offered.MethodThe evaluation involved staff interviews, patient interviews and analysis of GRx records for the 2007 calendar year.ResultsThere was a large rate of drop-out (68%) from GRx referral to registration. For those who registered, there was a clear preference for community support, and engagement of Māori and Pacific peoples was higher in this mode of delivery. The proportion (but not absolute number) of people who successfully completed their mode of delivery was higher with phone support. However, participants in community support self-reported a significantly greater number of days of exercise per week than those in phone support. The total expected cost per person for phone support was $102.07 and $108.15 for community support. A greater proportion of participants in community support were very satisfied overall with their mode of delivery.ConclusionThe two modes were comparable in cost and outcomes, though there was greater penetration of target ethnic populations in community support. Providing a choice of GRx mode of delivery allows participants to choose based on their personal and cultural needs.

A FR.E.S.H idea

This paper explores the possibility of including human factoring in a business process model. The importance of doing so is twofold: (1) The organization becomes transparent in its processes as all participants (human, activities and events) are identifiable. (2) Including human factoring allows organizations to hire accordingly to the process needs. (3) Human factoring alleviates the current work related stress that is being encountered. (4) Enable quicker transition for newer employees into job scope. This was made possible by including a human behaviour layer in between pools within a process to depict human behaviour and feeling. Future work includes having a human thought symbol and a human interaction symbol included into the Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN).

Internationalisation and international students : creating an internationalised learning context for international students’ study preparation via CMC

Australian universities have been phenomenally internationalised because of significant numbers of international students in their student cohorts. The international students make up 17.3 percent (OECD 2007) of all the university enrolment, and some universities have much more international student enrolments than the average. From a truly internationalisation perspective, however, there is far more demand of integration with Australian students and international students, the internationalising learning content and context. There have not been much discussion and effort of understanding and practicing of internationalising the learning context from international students’ cultural background and internationalised learning environment. There are many factors which interfere with internationalisation in the learning context such as English proficiency, culture difference and academic staff unawareness. This paper argues the concepts of cultural dimensions and the characteristics of CMC (Computer-Mediated Communication) in a multicultural learning context of Australian higher education. This paper aims to develop a framework of international students’ preparation program for their Western university study based on technology-driven learning models, especially targeting those students who have an Asian cultural background. The program is expected to help international students bridge the gap of cultural differences and better preparation for their active participation and engagement in a new learning environment in order to realise truly internationalisation in Australian higher education