Needing to connect : The effect of self and others on young people’s involvement with their mobile phones

The present research was a preliminary examination of young Australians’ mobile phone behaviour. The study explored the relationship between, and psychological predictors of, frequency of mobile phone use and mobile phone involvement conceptualised as people’s cognitive and behavioural interaction with their mobile phone. Participants were 946 Australian youth aged between 15 and 24 years. A descriptive measurement tool, the Mobile Phone Involvement Questionnaire (MPIQ), was developed. Self-identity and validation from others were explored as predictors of both types of mobile phone behaviour. A distinction was found between frequency of mobile phone use and mobile phone involvement. Only self-identity predicted frequency of use whereas both self-identity and validation from others predicted mobile phone involvement. These findings reveal the importance of distinguishing between frequency of use and people’s psychological relationship with their phone and that factors relating to one’s self-concept and approval from others both impact on young people’s mobile phone involvement.

Maternal feeding practices and feeding behaviors of Australian children aged 12 to 36 months

Objectives To explore parents' perceptions of the eating behaviors and related feeding practices of their young children. Methods Mothers (N=740) of children aged 12 to 36 months and born in South Australia were randomly selected by birth date in four 6-month age bands from a centralized statewide database and invited to complete a postal questionnaire. Results Valid completed questionnaires were returned for 374 children (51% response rate; 54% female). Although mothers generally reported being confident and happy in feeding their children, 23% often worried that they gave their child the right amount of food. Based on a checklist of 36 specified items, 15% of children consumed no vegetables in the previous 24 hours, 11% no fruit and for a further 8% juice was the only fruit. Of 12 specified high fat/sugar foods and drinks, 11% of children consumed none, 20% one, 26% two, and 43% three or more. Six of eight child-feeding practices that promote healthy eating behaviors were undertaken by 75% parents 'often' or 'all of the time'. However, 8 of 11 practices that do not promote healthy eating were undertaken by a third of mothers at least ‘sometimes’. Conclusions In this representative sample, dietary quality issues emerge early and inappropriate feeding practices are prevalent thus identifying the need for very early interventions that promote healthy food preferences and positive feeding practices. Such programs should focus not just on the 'what', but also the 'how' of early feeding, including the feeding relationship and processes appropriate to developmental stage. Key words: Maternal feeding practices, infants, obesity

Correlates of sitting time in working age Australian women : who should be targeted with interventions to decrease sitting time?

Background: While there is emerging evidence that sedentary behavior is negatively associated with health risk, research on the correlates of sitting time in adults is scarce. Methods: Self-report data from 7,724 women born between 1973-1978 and 8,198 women born between 1946-1951 were collected as part of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. Linear regression models were computed to examine whether demographic, family and caring duties, time use, health and health behavior variables were associated with weekday sitting time. Results: Mean sitting time (SD) was 6.60 (3.32) hours/day for the 1973-1978 cohort and 5.70 (3.04) hours/day for the 1946-1951 cohort. Indicators of socio-economic advantage, such as full11 time work and skilled occupations in both cohorts and university education in the mid-age cohort, were associated with high sitting time. A cluster of ‘healthy behaviours’ was associated with lower sitting time in the mid-aged women (moderate/high physical activity levels, non-smoking, non-drinking). For both cohorts, sitting time was highest in women in full-time work, in skilled occupations and in those who spent the most time in passive leisure. Conclusions: The results suggest that, in young and mid-aged women, interventions for reducing sitting time should focus on both occupational and leisure-time sitting.

Damaged goods: riskiness and LGBT young peoples’ interactions with police

For some time now, research has suggested lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people are ‘at-risk’ of victimisation and legally ‘risky’. Relatively few studies have examined how ‘risk factor’ research influences the everyday lives of LGBT young people. This paper reports how the experiences of police by 35 LGBT young people in Brisbane, Queensland reflected discourses about LGBT riskiness and how danger informed their interactions with police in public spaces. The participants specifically note how looking at-risk or looking risky affected their experiences of policing. The paper will conclude with recommendations for improved future policing practice.

Anxiety and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people

This chapter outlines issues of excessive anxiety in Indigenous youth. It describes what an anxiety disorder is and its consequences and how Indigenous youth seem to be at risk for developing such disorders. Issues concerning the delivery of traditional prevention and intervention programs are discussed and possible interventions are provided.

Who has rights to what? Inclusion in Australian early childhood programs

In early childhood settings prior to school and in the early years of primary school, debate continues over the meaning of inclusion and its scope in terms of the groups under consideration. The genealogies of early childhood education and care, early primary school, special education and cultural education were examined to identify recurring and emerging approaches to inclusion within Australian programs for children aged birth to eight years. Approaches to inclusion encompassing multiple forms of diversity co-exist in the Australian educational literature with targeted approaches focused on disabilities or risk. These differing approaches reflect underlying ideological divisions and varying assumptions about diversity. Multiple approaches, including the expansion of early childhood services, reflect tensions over children’s rights, conceptualisations of inclusion, expectations of teachers, system coordination, economic constraints and political pressure to cater for a complex range of young children in varied settings. The paper incorporates discussion on underlying philosophical tensions within the early childhood field.

When sparks fly : developing formal mentoring programs for the career development of young and emerging artists

Formal mentoring programs are accepted as a valuable strategy for developing young and emerging artists. This thesis presents the results of an evaluation of the SPARK National Young Artists Mentoring Program (SPARK). SPARK was a ten-month formal mentoring program managed by Youth Arts Queensland (YAQ) on behalf of the Australia Council for the Arts from 2003-2009. The program aimed to assist young and emerging Australian artists between the ages of 18-26 to establish a professional career in the arts. It was a highly successful formal arts mentoring program that facilitated 58 mentorships between young and emerging artists and professional artists from across Australia in five program rounds over its seven year lifespan. Interest from other cultural organisations looking to develop their own formal mentoring programs encouraged YAQ to commission this research to determine how the program works to achieve its effects. This study was conducted with young and emerging artists who participated in SPARK from 2003 to 2008. It took a theory-driven evaluation approach to examine SPARK as an example of what makes formal arts mentoring programs effective. It focused on understanding the program’s theory or how the program worked to achieve its desired outcomes. The program activities and assumed responses to program activities were mapped out in a theories of change model. This theoretical framework was then used to plan the points for data collection. Through the process of data collection, actual program developments were compared to the theoretical framework to see what occurred as expected and what did not. The findings were then generalised for knowledge and wider application. The findings demonstrated that SPARK was a successful and effective program and an exemplar model of a formal mentoring program preparing young and emerging artists for professional careers in the arts. They also indicate several ways in which this already strong program could be further improved, including: looking at the way mentoring relationships are set up and how the mentoring process is managed; considering the balance between artistic and professional development; developing career development competencies and networking skills; taking into account the needs of young and emerging artists to develop their professional identity and build confidence; and giving more thought to the desired program outcomes and considering the issue of timeliness and readiness for career transition. From these findings, together with principles outlined in the mentoring and career development literature, a number of necessary conditions have been identified for developing effective mentoring programs in the career development of young and emerging artists.

Attraction and image for the Australian rail industry

Despite the global financial downturn, the Australian rail industry is in a period of expansion. Reports indicate that the industry is not attracting sufficient entry level and mid-career engineers and skilled technicians from within the Australian labour market and is facing widespread retirements from an ageing workforce. This paper reports on a completed qualitative study that explores the perceptions of engineering students, their lecturers, careers advisors and recruitment consultants regarding rail as a brand and of careers in the rail industry. Findings are presented about career knowledge, job characteristic preferences, branding and image and indicate that rail as a brand has a dated image, that young people and their influencers have little knowledge of rail careers and that rail could better focus its image and recruitment strategies. Conclusions include suggestions for more effective attraction and image strategies for the industry and for further research.

Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) concentrations decrease with age : analysis of pooled human blood serum in the Australian population

Introduction Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are considered to be a cost effective and efficient way to reduce the possibility of product ignition and inhibit the spread of fire, thereby limiting harm caused by fires. PBDEs are incorporated into a wide variety of manufactured products and are now considered an ubiquitous contaminant found worldwide in biological and environmental samples1 . In comparison to “traditional” persistent organic pollutants (POPs), the exposure modes of PBDEs in humans are less well defined, although dietary sources, inhalation (air/particulate matter) and dust ingestion have been reported 2-4. Limited investigations of population specific factors such as age or gender and PBDE concentrations report: no conclusive correlation by age in adults; higher concentrations in children ; similar concentrations in maternal and cord blood; and no gender differences. After preliminary findings of higher PBDE concentrations in children than in adults in Australia11 we sought to investigate at what age the PBDE concentrations peaked in an effort to focus exposure studies. This investigation involved the collection of blood samples from young age groups and the development of a simple model to predict PBDE concentrations by age in Australia.

Policing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people : a gap in the research literature

This article argues for exploring lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) young people’s experiences with police. While research examines how factors such as indigeneity influence young peoples’ experiences with police, how sexuality and/or gender identity mediates these relationships remains largely unexplored. Key bodies of research suggest a need to explore this area further, including: literature documenting links between homophobic violence against LGBT young people and outcomes such as homelessness that fall within the gambit of policing work; research showing reluctance of LGBT communities to report crime to police; international research documenting homophobic police attitudes and Australian research demonstrating arguably homophobic court outcomes; and research outlining increasing police support of LGBT communities. Drawing on these bodies of literature, this article argues that LGBT young people experience policing warrants further research.

'Live your liberation - don't lobby for it' : Australian queer student activists' perspectives of same-sex marriage

One topic covered in Australian queer university student print media is the legalization of same-sex marriage. The legalization of same-sex marriage is currently generating much debate in Western queer communities. This paper explores Australian queer university student activists’ media representation of same-sex marriage, and the debates surrounding its legalization. It uses discourse analysis to examine a selection of queer student media from four metropolitan Australian universities, and the 2003 and 2004 editions of the national queer student publication Querelle. This paper thus contributes to the history of queer activism, documenting what one group of young people say about the legalization of same-sex marriage, and furthers research on queer perspectives of marriage and same-sex relationships.

The role of digressive learning and uniqueness on performance : longitudinal evidence from young firms

The ability to differentiate from competitors through the selection of unique offerings is an important cornerstone of competitive performance. Developing unique products and services to offer in the marketplace is not only important for established firms, but also an important strategic choice for young firms (Baum and Haveman, 1997). Unlike large and established firms, young firms tend to have less access to adequate resources, well-developed sources of information, contact networks, and considerable experience and management know-how. That is, these firms differ significantly in their attributes and performance from larger and well-established firms (c.f. Miller and Chen, 1994). Although young firms are disadvantaged by the paucity of resources in putting together its unique product offering(s), they develop different pathways in advancing their assortment of capabilities that enables them to stay ahead of competitors.

A national English curriculum far all Australian youth: Making it work for teacher and students everywhere

The authors draw on some powerful practitioner research they have been associated with recently to nvision ways in which a national curriculum might redress the inequities experienced by Australia's most disadvantaged young people.

Does pornography harm young people?

In recent debates about the regulation of technologies that deliver pornographic content, the greatest concerns have been about the increasing ease with which young people can access such material. Because of the ethical difficulties in researching this topic, little data has been available on the potential harm done to young people by exposure to pornography. This paper gathers a number of data sources that address this issue indirectly—including the results of our own survey of over 1000 consumers of pornography—to explore this issue. Research shows that healthy sexual development includes natural curiosity about sexuality. Retrospective studies show that accidental exposure to real-life scenes of sexuality does not harm children. Our survey shows that age of first exposure to pornography does not correlate with negative attitudes towards women. Studies with non-explicit representations of sexuality show that young people who seek out sexualised representations tend to be those with a pre-existing interest in sexuality. These studies also suggest that current generations of children are no more sexualised than previous generations, that they are not innocent about sexuality, and that a key negative effect of this knowledge is the requirement for them to feign ignorance in order to satisfy adults’ expectations of them. Research also suggests important differences between pre- and post-pubescent attitudes towards pornography, and that pornography is not addictive.