Contact lens prescribing in the Australian states and territories 2001

Background: This study was conducted to ascertain current preferences for contact lens prescribing in the Australian states and territories.

Methods: One thousand questionnaires were randomly distributed to proportionate samples of optometrists in each state of Australia. We requested details of the first 10 patients fitted with contact lenses after receipt of the questionnaire.

Results: One hundred and seventy-eight completed questionnaires were returned, detailing contact lens fits to 1,611 patients. The mean age of the patient group was 32.1 $pL 13.0 yrs (65 per cent female). For Australia as a whole: 53 per cent of patients were existing wearers, the remainder were new fits; 93 per cent of new fits were with soft lenses, of which seven per cent were for extended wear. Of the refits, 89 per cent were soft lenses and 18 per cent for extended wear. The lens material of first choice was mid-water-content (62 per cent of all soft lens fits). Only eight per cent of all soft fits were for lenses that were not replaced on a planned basis, with two weeks being the replacement interval of choice in all states and territories. The majority of rigid lenses were prescribed using mid-Dk materials (50 per cent). Analysis of solution prescribing indicates that multi-purpose products were the most common regimens for planned replacement soft lenses. The percentage of hydrogen peroxide prescribed increased as lens replacement became less frequent. By state or territory: practitioners in Tasmania prescribed more extended wear than those in any other state (p = 0.007) and practitioners in Queensland prescribed more daily disposable contact lenses than those in any other state (p = 0.009).

Conclusions: Non-planned replacement lenses are now rarely prescribed to patients. Extended-wear lenses and rigid lenses continue to be prescribed more to existing contact lens wearers than to new patients. The impact of soft multifocal lens designs on contact lens prescribing is very small, ranging from 2.6 per cent in Queensland to 4.7 per cent in Victoria, despite 20 per cent of patients being more than 45 years of age.

Trends in Australian contact lenses prescribing 2000

Background:This study was conducted to ascertain current modes of contact lens prescribing in Australia.

Methods:One thousand questionnaires were randomly distributed to proportionate samples of optometrists in each state of Australia. The profession fits the majority of contact lenses in Australia and the sample represents 55 per cent of all optometrists. We requested details of the first 10 patients fitted with contact lenses after receipt of the questionnaire.

Results:We received 224 completed questionnaires, detailing contact lens fits to 2,230 patients. The mean age of the patient group was 32.3 ± 12.9 years and 65 per cent of these were female. Sixty per cent of patients were existing wearers, the remainder being new fits. The data indicated that 94 per cent of new fits were with soft lenses, of which six per cent were for extended wear. For refits 83 per cent were soft lenses and 24 per cent were extended wear. It was clear that the lens of first choice was mid-water-content (52 per cent of all soft lens fits). Only nine per cent of all soft fits were for lenses which were not replaced on a planned basis. The majority of rigid lenses were prescribed using mid-Dk materials (71 per cent). Analysis of solution prescribing indicates that multipurpose products were the most common regimens for planned replacement soft lenses. The percentage of hydrogen peroxide prescribed increased as lens replacement became less frequent.

Conclusions:Non-planned replacement lenses are now rarely prescribed to patients. Extended wear lenses and rigid lenses are prescribed more to existing contact lens wearers. The impact of multifocal lens designs on contact lens prescribing is very small, namely, five per cent of soft contact lenses and eight per cent of rigid lenses, despite 20 per cent of patients being over 45 years of age.

Cultural barriers for female jockeys – the biggest hurdle

This thesis argues that inclusion of women jockeys at the elite level was enabled by the equal opportunity legislation when it was first enacted but the legislation has failed to live up to its' initial promise. Cultural barriers continue to inform and authorise unfair work practices.

The life conditions of Australian ex-prisoners : an analysis of intrapersonal, subsistence, and support conditions

Successful reintegration of ex-prisoners into the community is multifaceted. The life conditions of 36 adult Australian ex-prisoners (20 male and 16 female) were examined via a questionnaire administered at 1 to 4 weeks post release, and a subset of 19 of the original respondents were interviewed again at 3 to 4 months post release. Interviews focused on intrapersonal conditions (physical and psychological health and substance use), subsistence conditions (housing, employment, and finance), and support conditions (social support, support services/program participation, and criminal justice support). The majority of ex-prisoners self-reported chronic physical and mental health problems as well as a history of substance use and/or current substance use. Although the housing conditions of ex-prisoners were largely favourable and constant, the employment and financial conditions of this group were generally unfavourable. Level of social support was variable. Theoretical implications and practical applications of the present investigation for reintegration theory are discussed.

Sexual practices and the duration of last heterosexual encounter : findings from the Australian longitudinal study of health and relationships

This study investigated the association between sexual practices and duration of a sexual encounter. Using data from a population-based computer-assisted telephone survey of 8,656 Australians aged 16 to 64 years, four distinct patterns of sexual practices among respondents were found: “basic sexual encounter” (involving mainly kissing, cuddling, stroking one's partner and being stroked, and vaginal intercourse), “basic sexual encounter plus oral sex,” “all assessed sexual practices” (all sexual behaviors included in the survey), and “mainly vaginal intercourse” (characterized by lower levels of kissing, cuddling, and stroking). For both men and women, respondents classified in the basic sexual encounter plus oral sex, and all assessed sexual practices clusters reported significantly longer durations than those in the basic sexual encounter group, whereas respondents in the mainly vaginal intercourse cluster reported shorter durations. These differences were found even after allowing for demographic differences in sexual duration—specifically, age and partner type of the most recent opposite-sex partner. These findings add to the understanding of what typically happens in a sexual encounter. Overall, longer sexual encounters appear to be associated with the inclusion of the least common sexual practices—namely, oral sex and self-stimulation.

Alcohol sponsorship of community football clubs : the current situation

Issue addressed: There is accumulating evidence supporting a link between alcohol industry sponsorship and alcohol-related problems in both community and elite-level sports. Little is known, however, about the current status of such sponsorship, particularly of community sport. This study aimed to assess associations between alcohol industry sponsorship and different community football clubs in Australia.

Methods: The study involved 101 community football clubs across New South Wales, Australia. One representative from each club took part in a cross-sectional telephone survey designed to assess club (football code, number of players, socioeconomic and geographic descriptors) and alcohol industry sponsorship (money, equipment, free alcohol or discounted alcohol) characteristics. Chi-square analysis was used to test associations between club characteristics, and: i) any alcohol industry sponsorship; and ii) type of sponsorship.

Results: Eighty-eight per cent of clubs reported receiving sponsorship from the alcohol industry, and most clubs (82%) were sponsored by a licensed premises. There were no significant associations between club characteristics and source of alcohol industry sponsorship. However, small clubs were found to be significantly more likely to receive free or discounted alcohol sponsorship than larger clubs (p=0.05).

Conclusions: This exploratory study suggests a significant presence of alcohol industry sponsorship among community football clubs in Australia.

Treatment and outcomes of an Australian cohort of outpatients with bipolar 1 or schizoaffective disorder over twenty-four months : implications for clinical practice

Background The Bipolar Comprehensive Outcomes Study (BCOS) is a 2-year, prospective, non-interventional, observational study designed to explore the clinical and functional outcomes associated with ‘real-world’ treatment of participants with bipolar I or schizoaffective disorder. All participants received treatment as usual. There was no study medication.

Methods Participants prescribed either conventional mood stabilizers (CMS; n = 155) alone, or olanzapine with, or without, CMS (olanzapine ± CMS; n = 84) were assessed every 3 months using several measures, including the Young Mania Rating Scale, 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Clinical Global Impressions Scale – Bipolar Version, and the EuroQol Instrument. This paper reports 24-month longitudinal clinical, pharmacological, functional, and socioeconomic data.

Results On average, participants were 42 (range 18 to 79) years of age, 58%; were female, and 73%; had a diagnosis of bipolar I. Polypharmacy was the usual approach to pharmacological treatment; participants took a median of 5 different psychotropic medications over the course of the study, and spent a median proportion of time of 100%; of the study on mood stabilizers, 90%; on antipsychotics, 9%; on antidepressants, and 5%; on benzodiazepines/hypnotics. By 24 months, the majority of participants had achieved both symptomatic and syndromal remission of both mania and depression. Symptomatic relapse rates were similar for both the CMS alone (65%;) and the olanzapine ± CMS (61%;) cohorts.

Conclusions Participants with bipolar I or schizoaffective disorder in this study were receiving complex medication treatments that were often discordant with recommendations made in contemporary major treatment guidelines. The majority of study participants demonstrated some clinical and functional improvements, but not all achieved remission of symptoms or syndrome.

Female physical educators in all boys' schools - opportunities for enhancing social interactions?

The significance of physical education (PE) and sport in a boys’ school has long been highlighted as a device for the privileging of hyper-masculine identities (tough, stoic & assertive) at the expense of marginalised masculinities and femininities. The propensity for some “members of male sporting clique’s to engage in practices of bullying, shaming, violating and excluding” (Hickey, 2008, p. 148) raises important questions about how the practice of boys’ PE and sport can sometimes lead to unhealthy and damaging social interactions between different types of boys. In response to this rhetoric, some boys’ schools have acted to employ female PE teachers to disrupt “concern about the codes of unity, entitlement and privilege that can be forged among groups of boys whose identities are strongly aligned with sporting forms of hyper-masculinity” (Hickey, 2008, p. 148). Given this potential, we suggest that there is something unique or different about working in spaces or contexts around boys’ physicality. More specifically this paper raises questions about the particular implications for a PE teacher’s professional work, particularly as a female PE teacher.

In current educational climates the performance of boys in social and educational contexts attracts considerable concern. Better understanding the contributions and capacities of female PE teachers in all boys’ schools, (as localised social and political environments in which gendered identities are formed) is warranted. Professional identities and “the meaning of gender is negotiated in everyday interactions” (Priola, 2007, p. 23) implicating the culture of all boys’ schools as significant in the development of ideas around effective, gender inclusive, pedagogical practices. Drawing on case study data, this paper seeks to explore how notions of effectiveness about boys’ PE are formed, with intent to make visible the extent to which female PE teachers influence dominant gendered practices of social interaction in all boys’ PE settings.

Negotiating gender boundaries : tensions in developing a professional identity as a female physical educator in boys' schools

Historically, gendered boundaries and their impacts on education have been widely contested. The global gender policy debate over the last sixty years has significantly vacillated between prioritising issues of educational and social practice that appear to privilege one gender over another (Lingard, Martino & Mills, 2009). The very nature of the title ‘Boys’ school’ conveys a hard gendered boundarying. In a socio-political climate where boys’ supposed underachievement has been attributed to the presumed “feminisation of teaching” (Hoff Sommers, 2000) it is not surprising that the rhetoric around the purpose and intent of boys’ education privileges masculinist discourses and practices. Physical Education (PE) and sport is often implicated as prominent curriculum spaces where the tensions produced through gendered discourse-power relations are played out, often at the expense of marginalised others.

The effects of training on performance and performance-related states in individual elite athletes : a dynamic approach

There are difficulties undertaking controlled training studies with elite athletes. Thus, data from non-elite performers are often presented in scientific journals and subsequently used to guide general training principles. This information may not be transferable or specific enough to inform training practices in an individual elite athlete. However, the nature of athletic participation at elite levels provides the opportunity to collect training data, performance-related variables, and performance data of elite athletes over long periods. In this paper, we describe how dynamic linear models provide an opportunity to use these data to inform training. Data from an elite female triathlete collected over a 111-day training period were used to model the relationship between training and self-reported fatigue. The dynamic linear model analysis showed the independent effects of the three modes of triathlon training on fatigue, how these can change across time, and the possible influence of other unmeasured variables. This paper shows the potential for the use of dynamic linear models as an aid to planning training in elite athletes.

Dietary sources and meal distribution of sodium and potassium in a sample of Australian adults

Aim
Reducing dietary sodium and increasing dietary potassium are recommended to reduce blood pressure. This study aimed to determine the main foods sources of sodium and potassium.

Methods
Participants were recruited via advertisements or blood pressure screening sessions. Food sources of sodium and potassium were assessed via 24-hour dietary records in 299 free-living Australian adults (141 male, 158 female; age 54.6(9.5)years; BMI 29.4(3.9)kg/m2).

Results
The mean sodium intake was 118(51)mmol/d (2725(1176)mg/d) and the mean potassium intake was 91(28)mmol/d (3550(1098)mg/d). Breads and cereals provided the majority (38%) of sodium with bread contributing 20%. Vegetable products/dishes contributed most potassium (23%) with potatoes providing 9%. Main meals provided 89% of sodium and 85% of potassium. Lunch and dinner provided similar sodium proportions (34% and 38%, respectively) but more energy was consumed at dinner (26% vs 40%, respectively). Lunch had the highest sodium density of all meals (420 mg/MJ).

Conclusion
A reduction in the salt content of processed foods, particularly bread, is recommended to decrease sodium intake. This reduction in salt content combined with meal specific education focusing on choosing lower sodium foods at lunch in particular, as well as incorporating more fruits and vegetables, could effectively reduce dietary sodium and increase potassium.

From little things, big things grow: trends and fads in 110 years of Australian ornithology

Publishing histories can reveal changes in ornithological effort, focus or direction through time. This study presents a bibliometric content analysis of Emu (1901–2011) which revealed 115 trends (long-term changes in publication over time) and 18 fads (temporary increases in publication activity) from the classification of 9,039 articles using 128 codes organised into eight categories (author gender, author affiliation, article type, subject, main focus, main method, geographical scale and geographical location). Across 110 years, private authorship declined, while publications involving universities and multiple institutions increased; from 1960, female authorship increased. Over time, question-driven studies and incidental observations increased and decreased in frequency, respectively. Single species and ‘taxonomic group’ subjects increased while studies of birds at specific places decreased. The focus of articles shifted from species distribution and activities of the host organisation to breeding, foraging and other biological/ecological topics. Site- and Australian-continental-scales slightly decreased over time; non-Australian studies increased from the 1970s. A wide variety of fads occurred (e.g. articles on bird distribution, 1942–1951, and using museum specimens, 1906–1913) though the occurrence of fads decreased over time. Changes over time are correlated with technological, theoretical, social and institutional changes, and suggest ornithological priorities, like those of other scientific disciplines, are temporally labile

Metaphoric re-description of organisational culture for mid-career female academics: monkeys, raccoon, bees and horses

The paper explores how metaphors can be used to analyse the experiences of women working in higher education. The paper discusses research on women working in higher education across three Australian Universities and the implications of their metaphorical uses to theorize about women in higher education. 

Phryssonotus novaehollandiae Silvestri, 1923 : the sole Australian representative of the millipede Family Synxenidae

Examination of synxenid millipedes from a number of collections confirms that Phryssonotus novaehollandiae is the sole representative of the genus and family in Australia. P. novaehollandiae was found to have the most widespread distribution of any native Australian millipede species. It occurs in a range of well-drained habitats including heathlands, woodlands and coastal scrub. Several thelytokous (female only) populations were found in coastal areas of south eastern Australia.

Longitudinal predictors of frequent vegetable and fruit consumption among socio-economically disadvantaged Australian adolescents

Adequate vegetable and fruit consumption is necessary for preventing nutrition-related diseases. Socio-economically disadvantaged adolescents tend to consume relatively few vegetables and fruits. However, despite nutritional challenges associated with socio-economic disadvantage, a minority of adolescents manage to eat vegetables and fruit in quantities that are more in line with dietary recommendations. This investigation aimed to identify predictors of more frequent intakes of fruits and vegetables among adolescents over a 2-year follow-up period. Data were drawn from 521 socio-economically disadvantaged (maternal education ≤Year 10 of secondary school) Australian adolescents aged 12–15 years. Participants were recruited from 37 secondary schools and were asked to complete online surveys in 2004/2005 (baseline) and 2006/2007 (follow-up). Surveys comprised a 38-item FFQ and questions based on Social Ecological models examining intrapersonal, social and environmental influences on diet. At baseline and follow-up, respectively, 29% and 24% of adolescents frequently consumed vegetables (≥2 times/day); 33% and 36% frequently consumed fruit (≥1 time/day). In multivariable logistic regressions, baseline consumption strongly predicted consumption at follow-up. Frequently being served vegetables at dinner predicted frequent vegetable consumption. Female sex, rarely purchasing food or drink from school vending machines, and usually being expected to eat all foods served predicted frequent fruit consumption. Findings suggest nutrition promotion initiatives aimed at improving eating behaviours among this at-risk population and should focus on younger adolescents, particularly boys; improving adolescent eating behaviours at school; and encouraging families to increase home availability of healthy foods and to implement meal time rules.