Tempus: Barriers, Borders, Boundaries: Proceedings of the 2001 Australian Archaeological Association Annual Conference

The conference aimed to provide a forum for the exploration of barriers, borders and boundaries in Australian archaeological methods and practice, frameworks of interpretation and epistemological structures. Sessions were designed to have broad appeal to a range of archaeological stakeholders including academics, consultants, Indigenous peoples, students, cultural heritage managers and policy formulators.

Snoring and its association with asthma in Indigenous children living in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area

Objective: Respiratory health of Indigenous and minority ethnic groups in affluent countries is poorer than their non-minority counterparts and sleep disorders are no exception. In children, obstructive sleep apnoea has the potential to result in serious long-term consequences. In 1999, we studied 1650 children and adolescents living in the Torres Strait and the Northern Peninsula Area, Australia. Here we report prevalence of snoring in these communities and relate its association with asthma symptoms. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the Torres Strait region. Five indigenous communities were randomly selected and information was collected using a structured face-to-face interview based on a standardized questionnaire. There was a 98% response rate, and 1650 children, 0-17 years of age, were included in the study. Results: Overall, the prevalence of snoring was 14.2% (95% CI 12.5-15.9); 3.6% (95% CI 2.7-4.6) reported snorting, and 6% (95% CI 4.9-7.2) reported restless sleep. The prevalence of snoring was significantly higher among males (17.1% for males and 10.8 for females, P = 0.005). Children were five times more likely to have experienced snoring and snorting if they reported wheezing in the last 12 months. Conclusion: We conclude that the prevalence of symptoms suggestive of obstructive sleep problems is relatively high in children of this region. This highlights the need for awareness among the community patients and physicians about the problem of obstructive sleep-disordered breathing, especially in children with asthma, and for the need for further studies to measure prevalence of sleep breathing disorders among Indigenous Australians.

Burden of disease and injury in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations in the Northern Territory

Objective: To quantify the burden of disease and injury for the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations in the Northern Territory. Design and setting: Analysis of Northern Territory data for 1 January 1994 to 30 December 1998 from multiple sources. Main outcome measures: Disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), by age, sex, cause and Aboriginality. Results: Cardiovascular disease was the leading contributor (14.9%) to the total burden of disease and injury in the NT, followed by mental disorders (14.5%) and malignant neoplasms (11.2%). There was also a substantial contribution from unintentional injury (10.4%) and intentional injury (4.9%). Overall, the NT Aboriginal population had a rate of burden of disease 2.5 times higher than the non-Aboriginal population; in the 35-54-year age group their DALY rate was 4.1 times higher. The leading causes of disease burden were cardiovascular disease for both Aboriginal men (19.1%) and women (15.7%) and mental disorders for both non-Aboriginal men (16.7%) and women (22.3%). Conclusions: A comprehensive assessment of fatal and non-fatal conditions is important in describing differentials in health status of the NT population. Our study provides comparative data to identify health priorities and facilitate a more equitable distribution of health funding.

Urinary excretion of cadmium among Torres Strait Islanders (Australia) at risk of elevated dietary exposure through traditional foods

This study explored urinary cadmium levels among Torres Strait Islanders in response to concerns about potential health impact of high levels of cadmium in some traditional seafood (dugong and turtle liver and kidney). Cadmium levels were measured by inductively coupled mass spectrometry in de-identified urine samples collected during general screening programs in 1996 in two communities with varying dugong and turtle catch statistics. Statistical analysis was performed to identify links between cadmium levels and demographic and background health information. Geometric mean cadmium level among the sample group was 0.83 mu g/g creatinine with 12% containing over 2 mu g/g creatinine. Cadmium level was most strongly associated with age (46% of variation), followed by sex (females > males, 7%) and current smoking status (smokers > non-smokers, 4.7%). Adjusting model conditions suggested further positive associations between cadmium level and diabetes (p = 0.05) and residence in the predicted higher exposure community (p = 0.07). Positive correlations between cadmium and body fat in bivariate analysis were eliminated by control for age and sex. This study found only suggestive differences in cadmium levels between two communities with predicted variation in exposure from traditional foods. However, the data indicate that factors linked with higher cadmium accumulation overlap with those of renal disease risk (i.e. older, females, smokers, diabetes) and suggest that levels may be sufficient to contribute to renal pathology. More direct assessment of exposure and health risks of cadmium to Torres Strait Islanders is needed given the disproportionate level of diet-related disease and the cultural importance of dugong and turtle. This study highlights the need to consider social and cultural variation in exposure and to de. ne "safe'' cadmium levels during diabetes given its rising global prevalence.