A preliminary investigation of the relationship between parental empathy and social anxiety and children's social anxiety

This study investigated the association between parents' social anxiety and empathy, and their children's social anxiety, Twenty-one mothers, 12 fathers and 24 children aged between 7 and 12 years were recruited from state primary schools in the eastern metropolitan region of Melbourne, Australia. Parents completed self-report questionnaires assessing their parental empathy and level of social anxiety. Children completed a modified version of the social anxiety questionnaire. All parent variables, except for maternal anxiety, were related to children's social anxiety. Overall, parental empathy was found to have a considerable association with child social anxiety, which is consistent with arguments that micro-level family mechanisms are important influences on child social anxiety. Future studies of parental empathy with clinical populations and data collection from multiple sources are recommended.

Providing health services to migrants and refugees settling in Victoria, Australia: an analysis of the complexity, cost and policy implications for public health

The aim of the research was to identify factors related to the increased costs of providing health services to clients from a non-English speaking background (NESB), using a cross-sectional analysis of the administrative records of clients using community health services in the Northern Metropolitan region of Melbourne for the 2001/2002 financial year. The higher cost of providing services to NESB clients was influenced by four factors: increased consultation time, group attendance to an appointment, increased interpreting costs and the type of service provider. Family members and multilingual staff play a significant role in providing informal interpreting services or low-cost support for NESB consultants, and these activities should receive appropriate support. Additional funding is needed to support interpreting requirements when dealing with the health needs of NESB clients.

Teacher professional growth : a study of primary teachers involved in mathematics professional development

The overall purpose of this study was to examine whether professional development programs can act as appropriate vehicles for the professional growth of teachers of primary mathematics. A longitudinal study was conducted of primary teachers involved in a Victorian mathematics professional development program — Exploring Mathematics In Classrooms (EMIC). The professional growth of six teacher participants in one EMIC course was examined over a period of 18 months. The teachers selected were from four different schools located in the southern metropolitan region of Melbourne. The central interest of this study was in teacher professional growth and accordingly the perspective sought was predominantly that of the teacher. A case study research approach was adopted and data were gathered through observations, interviews, questionnaire, and the collection of teacher work documents. A theoretical model of teacher professional growth was used to represent the teachers' growth. The study generated data on the nature of teacher professional growth and the features of professional development programs likely to influence teacher professional growth. All of the teachers reported and demonstrated growth with respect to their mathematics teaching, in areas associated with their: Classroom Practice, Knowledge and Beliefs, and Professional Attributes. The teachers' growth was highly individualistic, with no two teachers demonstrating exactly the same professional growth outcomes, or the same growth processes. The data provided evidence to confirm that teacher growth is a complex and gradual learning process. For each of the teachers several different routes to change and growth were evident, drawing attention to the non-linear nature of growth. The teachers' responses to the professional development program were influenced by various contextual and personal factors. The data provided evidence of a strong link between the content and outcomes of professional development programs — the outcomes reported and demonstrated by the teachers reflected the content of the EMIC program. Key factors associated with mathematics professional development programs perceived as influencing growth were: program content; program structure; and program presentation. A significant finding was the strong influence on teacher growth of the presenters of professional development programs—some data suggested that the 'quality' of the program presenter is fundamental to the success of any professional development program. The study provided insight into the processes involved in teacher professional growth and factors associated with the way in which professional development programs influence growth. The theoretical model of teacher professional growth used in this study has been elaborated and recommendations which might inform the design and implementation of future professional development programs have been made.

Diet high in monounsaturated fat does not have a different effect on arterial elasticity than a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet

Objective : To compare the effects of a modified-fat diet high in monounsaturated fat, and a low-fat/high-carbohydrate diet on arterial elasticity.
Design : Randomized crossover design; each diet period was 1 month and a 2-week wash out period occurred in between.
Subjects/setting : Thirty healthy, free-living, nonsmoking men and women were recruited from the Melbourne, Australia, metropolitan region of Australia. Men were aged 35 to 55 years and postmenopausal women were aged 50 to 60 years and were not taking hormone replacement therapy. Twenty-eight subjects completed the study.
Intervention : Two diets of equal energy value: a modified-fat diet and a low-fat/high-carbohydrate diet; the modified-fat diet had 3 times more energy from monounsaturated fat.
Main outcome measures : Arterial elasticity and serum lipoprotein concentrations.
Statistical analysis : The general linear model was used to investigate overall effect and any carryover or order effects. Paired t test and the general linear model were used to compare the results from the 2 diet periods.
Results : High-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration was significantly higher on the modified-fat diet than on the low-fat/low-carbohydrate diet. Arterial elasticity and concentrations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides were not significantly different on the 2 diets.
Applications/conclusions : There is no evidence to favor a diet high in monounsaturated fat over a low-fat/high-carbohydrate diet because of an effect on arterial elasticity. Other changes in diet may be needed to cause a beneficial effect on arterial elasticity.

The road map to building new dreams : raising a child with developmental delay or disability

Research on early childhood education emphasises the importance of quality in early childhood intervention. This study examines the quality of Early Childhood Intervention Services based on parents’ experiences raising a child with developmental delay or disability. The study builds on the philosophy of Family-Centred Practice and professionals’ experiences with family-centred interventions. A qualitative case study approach was adopted to gain insight about families who are raising a child with additional needs. Nine in-depth parent-interviews and three focus groups with professionals were conducted in the first two terms of 2010. The case explicates the experiences of parents and professionals who were associated with Specialist Children’s Services in a metropolitan region of Victoria. The research concentrated on the first point of entry to early intervention, the referrals process and the waiting list. It also addressed parents' experiences, priorities and expectations. As a small-scale study, it examined parents’ and children’s needs as well as children’s access to therapy in early intervention. It also investigated community support and parent-professional relationships in the context of early childhood intervention services. The study found that family-centred intervention is beneficial to both parents and children with developmental delay or disability. However, to implement an effective family-centred approach, practitioner support in the form of professional development, supervision and peer mentorship is required to develop professionals’ reflexivity and self-efficacy in family-centred interventions. The study also identified strategies to promote effective practice, gaps in universal and specialised services, and implications for policy.

A longitudinal study of the effect of psychosocial factors on exclusive breastfeeding duration

Objective
to examine the effect of psychosocial factors on exclusive breastfeeding duration to six months postpartum

Design
longitudinal, prospective questionnaire based study.

Setting
participants were recruited from a publically funded antenatal clinic located in the western metropolitan region of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and asked to complete questionnaires at three time points; 32 weeks pregnancy, two months postpartum and six months postpartum.

Participants
the participants were 125 pregnant women aged 22–44 years.

Measurements and findings
psychosocial variables such as breastfeeding self-efficacy, body attitude, psychological adjustment, attitude towards pregnancy, intention, confidence and motivation to exclusively breastfeed and importance of exclusive breastfeeding were assessed using a range of psychometrically validated tools. Exclusive breastfeeding behaviour up to six months postpartum was also measured. At 32 weeks gestation a woman׳s confidence to achieve exclusive breastfeeding was a direct predictor of exclusive breastfeeding duration to six months postpartum. At two months postpartum, psychological adjustment and breastfeeding self-efficacy were predictive of exclusive breastfeeding duration. Finally, at six months postpartum, psychological adjustment, breastfeeding self-efficacy, confidence to maintain and feeling fat were directly predictive of exclusive breastfeeding duration.

Evaluating a school-based alcohol program: the WARP experience

The Western Alcohol Reduction Program (WARP) is a community designed and lead, secondary school-based, program that seeks to address issues related to alcohol use by young people in the Melbourne western metropolitan region. Taking a whole-of community approach, the program consisted of six programs for a class of 20 students from schools in western Melbourne. The program sought to highlight negative influences of alcohol on life outcomes, and addresses the issues of alcohol-related behaviour in assaults, injuries and preventable consequences of risk-taking behaviour. The findings of this evaluation suggest that students have modified some of their drinking behaviours over the program, have modified some of their risky behaviours and have increased their knowledge in some areas. This program, designed specifically to meet the needs of the local school and students, has the potential to increase the alcohol- and drug-related knowledge of students, while also having a positive impact on alcohol-related behaviours.

Methods for a population-based study of eye disease: the Melbourne Visual Impairment Project

The methodology of the Melbourne Visual Impairment Project, a major population-based survey of eye disease on 3,500 randomly selected individuals aged 40 years of age and over in the Melbourne metropolitan region, is presented. The aims of the study are to determine the distribution and determinants of eye disease in an urban population; the impact of eye disease on visual function and the activities of daily living; and the accessibility of eye health care services in the community. All procedures are conducted according to a standardised protocol to allow for comparison with other population-based studies, both in Australia and overseas. Information collected from this study will be employed in the development of recommendations related to eye health care service delivery and establishment of priorities for future public education programmes and health research.

The challenges of addressing an Aboriginal responsibility for Country in land-use and national park planning: a South East Queensland case study

This paper presents research insights on the challenges that Australian Aboriginal communities living within the South East Queensland (SEQ) metropolitan region face in seeking to exercise their contemporary responsibilities to care for Country in land-use and national park planning. A case study design was adopted to analyse the incorporation of two Aboriginal communities connections to Country in state-based planning systems, and to explore the responsibilities Aboriginal communities ethically seek to adhere to in maintaining Country from their own understandings.
Country, from an Aboriginal understanding, involves a deep ecological, cultural, economic and social comprehension of ‘law’ guided by a responsibility for Country. Otherwise known as customary law and custom, Country is that which both Aboriginals and their communities are intrinsically connected to. Country is the moral value that guides Aboriginal obligation to care and this obligation could well conflict
with mainstream contemporary Western management policy and legislation.
This research draws on insights from Quandamooka Country (North Stradbroke Island) and Jagera Country (Brisbane City and Ipswich), located within the Brisbane metropolitan region in South East Queensland of Australia. During this research, it was concluded that, in both Quandamooka Country and Jagera Country, the respective Owners are operating within a sphere of increasingly complex challenges that impact upon their ability to conserve and have recognized the values of their obligations to Country care in planning. Common themes occurring on Country identified in this research included issues relating to a neglect of care to maintain Country by planners and government officials, and interactions that prevent Traditional Owners from having their obligation of caring for Country on their terms expressed through land-use planning legislation. Political agendas of the Queensland State that influences the interactions of planners and government with Traditional Owners were also concluded to be detrimental, and to damaging trust, ongoing discussions and understandings. These insights indicate that Aboriginal communities are facing an increasing conflicting range of perceptions and comprehensions that are hindering the expression and execution of their moral responsibility embodied in their deep ecological law to care for Country in Western planning legislative obligations. It illustrates that the responsibilities given to practicing planners and government officials to care for Country under Western law are commonly not adhered to It concludes with the suggestion that for some progress to recognize an Aboriginal responsibility to Country in planning, state-Traditional Owner relations and collaboration is now needed to help transcend the legislative challenges underpinning Western planning law.

An Aboriginal obligation to Country: challenging the status quo

Australian Aboriginal Traditional Owner ancestral responsibilities to Country involves listening and exercising vested responsibilities and duties of care, passed down from generation to generation through clan and familial connections. Traditional Owners is a term used to describe today’s descendants of the original Aboriginal inhabitants and have ongoing cultural and spiritual connections to land and water where their ancestors lived. The incorporation of Traditional Owner relationships to Country and the need to engage with Traditional Owners in Western planning regimes are often expressed positively; that Aboriginal needs and aspirations need to be recognized in the urban landscape. However in practice, decisions involving the address of Aboriginal aspirations are usually made in a generic context rather than a Country and knowledge specific context. This can have adverse effects on obligations to Country stewardship, and Custodial perceptions are being ignored and negated. Improving our understanding of how Traditional ancestral obligations to Country are expressed and embodied within the context of generic Western planning instruments, is critical as cities expand and increase the pressures and threats on Traditional Owners Country, their resources, their cultural heritage, their knowledge and their histories. This paper contributes to this understanding by focusing upon Traditional Owner communities in the Brisbane metropolitan region who are attempting to address their responsibility to Country through Western State and local planning instruments. This paper draws on empirical data collected through interviews and observations between 2013-2015 with the Quandamooka communities and a content analysis of current planning instruments. The paper reports on their obligations of and to Country and the consequences that engagement within Western planning instruments has had upon their Traditional Ownership well-being and landscape health. Lessons learned from this case study are discussed to offer future planning policy initiatives that could better meet the needs of Traditional Owners in Australian cities.

Experiences of regional and rural people with cancer being treated with radiotherapy in a metropolitan centre

This paper explores the issues related to rural people with cancer whose choice of radiotherapy treatment necessitated travel and accommodation in a metropolitan centre. Semi-structured interviews with 46 participants, from the Toowoomba and Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, were conducted and the data thematically analysed. The specific themes identified were: being away from loved ones, maintaining responsibilities whilst undergoing treatment, emotional stress, burden on significant others, choice about radiotherapy as a treatment, travel and accommodation, and financial burden. This study supports the need for a radiotherapy centre in the location of Toowoomba as a way of providing some equity and access to such treatment for the rural people of Queensland.

eCommerce and the region : not necessarily an unequivocal good

eCommerce is generally assumed to be an unequivocal benefit for regional areas. Drawing upon the globalisation literature and the experience in Australia as a case study, this paper questions whether eCommerce is an unequivocal benefit and suggests that at least in some cases eCommerce may lead to the increased import of goods and service into non-metropolitan regions and the domination of these regions by large businesses based in urban areas. The impact of eCommerce in non-metropolitan areas needs to be systematically studied and a number of research avenues are suggested.

A comparison of Australian rural and metropolitan cardiovascular risk and mortality: the Greater Green Triangle and North West Adelaide population surveys

Objectives:
Cardiovascular (CVD) mortality disparities between rural/regional and urban-dwelling residents of Australia are persistent. Unavailability of biomedical CVD risk factor data has, until now, limited efforts to understand the causes of the disparity. This study aimed to further investigate such disparities.

Modelling urban growth futures within inner metropolitan Melbourne

In the light of the Victorian State Government's move towards the development of 'Plan Melbourne' - a new metropolitan planning strategy currently being prepared to take Melbourne forward to 2050 - the following paper attempts to address the issue of how an inner city target of 90,000 new dwellings (Inner Metropolitan Action Plan - IMAP Strategy 5) will impact on existing inner Melbourne activity centres. Working with the prospect of establishing a more compact city within the inner Melbourne region, the paper will focus on key suburbs within the Port Phillip area. Working with a 'Housing Variance Model' based on household structure and dwelling type, the paper will attempt to assess the impact on urban morphology as capacity is progressively altered through a range of built form permutations.