Markers of inflammation in South Asian and European infants from birth to 2 years in Manchester, UK

Inflammatory markers, including serum C-reactive protein (CRP), are predictors of coronary heart disease (CHD) in adults. South Asians in the UK have higher rates of CHD in adulthood than national rates.We tested the hypotheses that South Asian infants would have higher serum concentrations of CRP and homocysteine than European infants up to 2 years of age and that higher infant weight is associated with elevation of inflammatory markers. Infants of South Asian and European origin were investigated in a mixed cross sectional-longitudinal cohort study. Mothers were recruited ante-natally from St Mary’s Hospital,Manchester by postal invitation and telephone call to non-responders. Infants with metabolic or congenital abnormalities, known syndromes or pre-maturity were excluded. Measurements were collected at birth and either 3, 6, 12 or 24 months. High sensitivity CRP and homocysteine were measured by an immulite immunoassay. We used mixed linear modelling to assess whether infant weight, ethnicity, length of follow-up or their interaction were associated with inflammatory makers in infants during follow-up. Data are presented on 306 infants (109 South Asian and 197 European). We found that European infants had higher serum CRP than South Asian infants during follow-up which was of borderline significance.There was no difference in serum homocysteine between ethnic groups during followup and no significant interaction between ethnicity and follow-up. Infant weight was significantly associated with CRP but not homocysteine. In this ongoing longitudinal study,we found little difference in inflammatory markers in infants from birth to 2 years despite markedly higher rates of CHD in South Asian than European adults. Life course exposure to risk factors may play a more dominant role in the development of CHD.

The early postnatal period : exploring women's views, expectations and experiences of care using focus groups in Victoria, Australia

Background: There is growing evidence from Australia and overseas that the care provided in hospital in the early postnatal period is less than ideal for both women and care providers. Many health services face increasing pressure on hospital beds and have limited physical space available to care for mothers and their babies. We aimed to gain a more in-depth understanding of women's views, expectations and experiences of early postnatal care.

Methods: We conducted focus groups in rural and metropolitan Victoria, Australia in 2006. Fifty-two people participated in eight focus groups and four interviews. Participants included eight pregnant women, of whom seven were pregnant with their first baby; 42 women who were in the postpartum period (some up to twelve months after the birth of their baby); and two partners. All participants were fluent in English. Focus group guides were developed specifically for the study and explored participants' experiences and/or expectations of early postnatal care in hospital and at home, with an emphasis on length of hospital stay, professional and social support, continuity of care, and rest. Discussions were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. A thematic network was constructed to describe and connect categories with emerging basic, organizing, and global themes.

Results: Global themes that emerged were: anxiety and/or fear; and the transition to motherhood and parenting. The needs of first time mothers were considered to be different to the needs of women who had already experienced motherhood. The women in this study were generally concerned about the safety of their new baby, and lacked confidence in themselves as new mothers regarding their ability to care for their baby. There was a consistent view that the physical presence and availability of professional support helped alleviate these concerns, and this was especially the case for women having a first baby.

Conclusion: Women have anxieties and fears around early parenting and their changing role, and may consider that the physical availability of professional care providers will help during this time. Care providers should be cognisant of these potential issues. It is crucial that women's concerns and needs be considered when service delivery changes are planned. If anxiety around new parenting is a predominant view then care providers need to recognise this and ensure care is individualised to address each woman's/families particular concerns.

A culturally appropriate diet and lifestyle intervention can successfully treat the components of metabolic syndrome in female Pakistani immigrants residing in Melbourne, Australia

This study was designed to test the effectiveness of a culturally appropriate diet and lifestyle intervention to treat metabolic syndrome in female Pakistani immigrants residing in Melbourne, Australia. Forty Pakistani women with metabolic syndrome (aged 20-50 years) completed a 12-week culturally appropriate diet and exercise program. Results indicate that, before intervention, participants were sedentary, taking 4000 ± 22.6 steps per day, and had an obese-classified body mass index (BMI) of 29.2 ± 0.46 kg/m2 (BMI was categorized in accordance with guidelines specifically designed for Asians) and high waist circumference of 132 ± 25.95 cm. Participants were hypertensive (systolic, 135 ± 1.3 mm Hg; diastolic, 86 ± 0.68 mm Hg), were dyslipidemic (total cholesterol, 6.8 ± 0.15 mmol/L; triglycerides, 2.9 ± 0.09 mmol/L), and had elevated blood glucose (6.4 ± 0.33 mmol/L) and fasting blood insulin (45 ± 6.3 μU/mL) levels. After the 12-week culturally appropriate intervention, activity increased (8600 ± 596.7 steps per day, P < .05); and BMI (27.8 ± 0.45 kg/m2), blood pressure (systolic, 125 ± 1.4 mm Hg; diastolic, 80 ± 0.6 mm Hg), cholesterol (5.5 ± 0.1 mmol/L), blood glucose (5.9 ± 0.33 mmol/L), and blood insulin (24.14 ± 1.8 μU/mL) levels were all significantly reduced (P < .05). This study revealed that the Pakistani female migrants who had metabolic syndrome and its components can successfully be treated via a culturally appropriate diet and lifestyle intervention. The success of the current program raises the possibility that other high-risk ethnic groups can also be treated with a culturally appropriate program.

Is a healthy diet affordable and accessible in the city of Yarra, Victoria Australia? An analysis of cost disparity and nutritional choices

This study aimed to examine cost disparity and nutritional choices within the
City of Yarra (Yarra), targeting three suburbs that have low- and high-rise
estates: Richmond, Fitzroy, and Collingwood. The healthy food basket
(HFB) was modeled on the Queensland Healthy Food Access Basket for a
six-person family for a fortnight and was constructed to include food items
that are common to ethnic groups living in Yarra. The HFB food item costs
were sampled across 29 food outlets in Yarra. The average cost of HFB per fortnight
for a family of six was significantly lower in Richmond (Mean = $419.26)
than in Collingwood (Mean = $519.28) and in Fitzroy (Mean = $433.98). While
costs for cereal groups, dairy, meats and alternatives, and non-core were
comparable across the suburbs, significant differences were noticed for fruit,
legumes and vegetables. Geographic location alone explained 54% of the
variance in HFB price (F_2,26 = 15.23, p < 0.001) and 32.7% in the variance of
fruit, vegetable and legumes (F_2,26 = 7.72, p < 0.001). The effect of geographic
location remained consistent after controlling for the type of food
outlets. The type of food outlets had a non-significant effect on the variance
of prices. Richmond had a greater number variety of fruit, vegetables, and
legumes (F_{2, 26} = 5.7, p < 0.01) and an overall lower number of missing items
(F_{2, 26} = 3.9, p < 0.05) than Collingwood and Fitzroy. The diversity of food
available in the three suburbs was more likely to reflect the Vietnamese,
Chinese and East-Timorese shopping pattern than the rest of other ethnic

Experienced teachers' perspectives on cultural and social class diversity : which differences matter?

This article reports on a pilot study that investigated the beliefs, values, and pedagogies of experienced high school teachers who worked with student populations of non-English speaking and economically disadvantaged immigrants or refugees in Australia. Qualitative research methods, including focus groups and in-depth individual interviews with teachers, produced data that were examined using Critical Discourse Analysis. Close reading of the teachers' comments suggests that there are a number of key discourses that teachers use to make sense of differences among culturally diverse and economically disadvantaged groups of students. Specifically, teachers distinguish between cultural groups on the basis of students' life experiences prior to arrival in Australia; students' collective and individual educational experiences; and the different social class positioning of students within the same ethnic group. In their comments, teachers at times categorised students in generalised and stereotypical ways but also were able to critique and reflect on their personal assumptions. An analysis of the teachers' reflections provides insights into how they made sense of “diversity” and how, as teachers, they try to work productively with ethnically diverse and economically disadvantaged students.

Role of age, sex, and obesity in the higher prevalence of arthritis among lower socioeconomic groups: a population-based survey

Objective: To compare the prevalence of arthritis among population groups based on demographic, socioeconomic, and body mass index (BMI) characteristics; to investigate the combined influence of these factors on arthritis; and to assess the relationship between self-reported health and psychological distress and arthritis.

Methods: Data from the Victorian Population Health Survey (n = 7,500) were used in the study. Psychological distress was assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress scale, and self-reported health was assessed by a single item. Multiple logistic regression was used to investigate the combined influence of demographic and socioeconomic factors and BMI on arthritis.

Results: Overall, 23% of Victorian adults (20% men and 26% women) reported having arthritis. The presence of arthritis was associated with high psychological distress (odds ratio [OR] 1.2; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.1-1.4) and poor self-reported health (OR 1.9; 95% CI 1.7-2.1). Increased prevalence of arthritis was found in older age groups, lower education and income groups, and in people who were overweight or obese. Women had higher risk of arthritis, even after adjustment for age, residence, education, occupation, income, and BMI. Age and BMI independently predicted arthritis for men and women. For men, higher risk of arthritis was also associated with lower income.

Conclusion: Arthritis is a highly prevalent condition associated with poor health and high psychological distress. Prevalence of arthritis is disproportionately high among women and individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. As the prevalence of arthritis is predicted to increase, careful consideration of causal factors, and setting priorities for resource allocation for the treatment and prevention of arthritis are required.

Craft groups : sites of friendship, empowerment, belonging and learning for older women

This article reports on a qualitative research project conducted in Victoria, Australia, with nine older women. The purpose of the research was to explore the women's experience of involvement in craft groups, and specifically, the impact of this involvement on their sense of well-being. Traditionally the health of older people has been examined in relation to medical markers of physical well-being, and often, decline. We were interested to widen this perspective to understand the impact of social connection, belonging and ongoing learning and development on the ageing experience. While the focus of the groups was on domestic craftwork, the process of coming together as a collective appeared to have significant bearing on the holistic health of the women involved. Consistent with feminist groupwork literature, the findings indicated that the women we interviewed experienced the group setting as affirming and generative in a number of ways. These include providing an avenue for mutual aid, addressing isolation, affirming individual and collective strength and wisdom, while acquiring new skills, and normalising concerns regarding health and family.

Communicating entrepreneurship and ethnicity in New Zealand

In this paper, we compare entrepreneurship practice of the Maori culture with that of the other five ethnic groups or cultures in New Zealand including European New Zealanders, Europeans, Chinese, Indians and Pacific Islanders. One of the most reported findings in previous GEM reports was that Maori are every bit as entrepreneurial as other ethnicities. Some commentators were surprised by this finding, since Maori collect more than their proportionate share of benefit entitlements. But we have shown that Maori have a history of entrepreneurship and enterprise upon which to draw (Frederick and Henry, 2004). The Maori economy, though small, is "robust and poised for continued expansion", says a recent report by the Institute of Economic Research (NZIER, 2003).

1948 and 1968 Czech refugee settlers in Australia : a comparison of the settlement and integration processes among two waves of settlers

Nearly eighteen years ago when I first became interested in the history and sociology of Australian immigration, I was particularly attracted by the fact and opportunity to incorporate immigration settlement, experience and accomplishments in my history teaching in secondary school. In particular it was the area of the settlement of Australia that needed a fuller understanding in the teaching of Australian history. By that I mean it was needed to show that there were many other ethnic groups besides the Anglo-Saxon group which had participated in the development of Australia since 1788. Since the end of World War II, the Australian population has doubled, the population structure and characteristics have changed and knowledge about the diverse groups forming the Australian nation is now sought. Sane ethnic groups, mainly the numerically large, have been studied and numerous reports are available. But many of the smaller groups have attracted little interest among Australian scholars. This was one of the reasons that I decided to research the behaviour of one of the smaller groups - the Czechs - to find out about their immigration history to Australia; their immigration processes such as re-settlement and re-establishment; and their community life since World War II. Because of the scarcity of written materials on Czechs in Australia, I had to rely on interviews, personal reminiscenses, letters and documents translated from the Czech language. I should like to express my gratitude to all people and officials of Czech ethnic organisations and clubs in Australia, who agreed to be interviewed and who provided me with documentary material so important for my work. Respecting the wishes of my interviewees their anonymity had to be preserved. In the course of my research, I have received substantial help and the encouragement from the Editor of the now extinct Czech language paper Newspaper Hlas domova, Mr. F.V., whose co-operation is gratefully recognised. I am also grateful to Associate Professor William D. Rubinstein for his help and encouragement in all stages of my work. The introductory part of the study is covered in Chapter One. She reasons for the need to increase Australia's population after World War II and an analysis of the development of settlement in Australia between 1947 and 1984 are discussed. The emigration of Czechs into Australia and their place in the post-war immigration scheme is introduced. To obtain an overview of how Czechs have emigrated around the world, the literature describing their settlement is compared. Also discussed in the literature on Czech settlement in Australia from an historical point of view. The studies on the concept of ethnicity and settlement in Australia are used to document the theoretical issues for an understanding of Australian society. This chapter also contains aspects of sources and research, shewing the processes of documentary research, interviews and related matters. In Chapter Two the history of Czech emigration is discussed, covering the period from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. The first contacts with Australia are highlighted, continuing into the inter-war period and finally the re-settlement of Czechs after World War II. To understand why Czechs left their ancestral country after World War II, the political situation in Czechoslovakia is analysed. The third chapter concentrates mainly in the 1948 wave of settlers, who left Czechoslovakia after the communist take-over in 1948. Their means of departure from their homeland, selection of Australia as a new homeland and their re-settlement and re-establishment are discussed. Their attitudes after their arrival and their later stages of their settlement are analysed. The formation of numerous Czech ethnic organisations which mushroomed between 1950 and 1954 led to an active community life which began to change about five years after their arrival. These charges led to disorganisation of Czech community's life. The causes of these changes which were influential for the failure of the 1948 group to establish a viable community in Australia are analysed. In Chapter Four the wave of 1968 is viewed, their arrival and settling is covered. The study of their group attitudes and formation of group institutions is the main part of this section. A comparison of my data of the two waves, 1948 and 1968, reveals the information that these two groups did not develop the harmonious relationship expected of them as members of the one ethnic group. Chapter Five discusses immigration typologies and concentrates on the differences between legal and illegal emigrants from the Czechoslovak point of view. The integration processes of Czechs and their incorporation into Australian society are discussed. The sixth chapter sums up the findings of this disertation and states the influences which were responsible for the divisions in Czech ethnic life in Australia in the 1980s.

Health-related beliefs, explanations and actions of older Anglo-Celtic-Australians

This thesis was an exploration of the health-related understandings and experiences of older Anglo-Celtic-Australians from a disadvantaged metropolitan locality. New insights were gained about the relationship between disadvantage and poor health outcomes; particularly the impact of limited self-care practices in combination with difficulties relating to the health care professionals.

Ethnonationalism : the challenge for twenty first century Asia

Most twenty-first century Asian states will continue to experience high levels of ethnonationalist activity because: they are actually multi-nation states rather than nation-states, dominant ethnic groups practice "majority ethnonationalism," most have unitary political models, most have experienced rapid mobilisation, and many ethnic minorities live on significant state border areas.

Prevention of alcohol and other drug problems in culturally and linguistically diverse communities

Australia has long been known as a multicultural society. In 2009 around one-quarter of Australia’s population was born overseas and immigrants come from more than 200 countries. While most of Australia’s migrants come from New Zealand, the United Kingdom, India or China, the fastest growing immigrant populations are from sub-Saharan and northern Africa, and the Middle East. Immigrants from a non-English speaking country, as well as their children and grandchildren, are commonly referred to as culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) as a way of acknowledging differences in ethnic identity and affiliation, as well as cultural and language practices and preferences. Culturally and linguistically diverse groups in Australia face many health challenges, one of which is a potential vulnerability to alcohol and other drug (AOD) use.

The primary aim of this paper is to identify and evaluate primary prevention programs and initiatives aimed at preventing AOD harms in CLD communities.

The use of table and cooking salt in a sample of Australian adults

Dietary sodium, the major source being salt, is associated with hypertension. Australian adults consume more than the recommended amount of salt and approximately 15% of dietary sodium comes from salt added at the table and during cooking. Objective: To determine the frequency of and the demographic characteristics associated with discretionary salt use. Design: A cross sectional survey conducted in shopping centres within Metropolitan Melbourne. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing discretionary salt use and attitudes to salt intake. Outcomes: Four hundred and seventy four surveys were collected (65% female, 77% Caucasian, 64% holding a university qualification). Eighty nine percent of respondents were classified as salt users and 11% as non-salt users. Of the salt users 52% reported that they always or sometimes add salt during cooking and at the table. Those of Asian descent and younger respondents aged 18-24 years were more likely to be salt users (chi2=12.3, df=2, p<0.001; chi2=19.2, df=5, p<0.01). Conclusion: Discretionary salt use remains high. To successfully reduce population dietary salt intake public health campaigns are urgently required and need to include consumer advice to reduce discretionary salt use, whilst reducing the salt added to processed foods. Such campaigns should include younger age groups and should be appropriate for all ethnic backgrounds to raise the awareness of the risks of a high salt diet on health.

Skin pedagogies and abject bodies

How does the beauty industry ‘narrate the skin’? What does it teach women from different cultural groups about the female body? How does skin function as a site where female subjection and abjection are produced and reproduced? In this paper we examine the skin industry pointing to its extreme commodification of the female body and to the inexcusable pressure this places on females of most age and cultural groups.We focus on two examples. Firstly, we show what the skin industry teaches girls and women about both their skin colour ‘problems’ and desirable practices of whitening and, secondarily, tanning. Secondly, we consider what the cosmetic surgery industry teaches us about female bodily ‘imperfections’ linked to certain ethnic and racial groups and the necessary ‘remedies’. Overall we show how the socio-cultural normalization of perfect skin is a product of a range of contemporary and enduring social and cultural forces overlain by complex pedagogies of power, expertise and affect.

Intercultural harmony and understanding in the city of Whittlesea

The City of Whittlesea is one of the most ethnically diverse urban areas in Melbourne that attracts settlers, often humanitarian migrants from countries in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. With settlers arriving from a broader range of countries than ever before, increasing ethnic as well as ethno-religious diversity presents opportunities for local government to address intercultural harmony and understanding but also significant challenges. This paper reports the findings of fieldwork conducted in 2009 among residents focusing on attitudes towards ethnic diversity and evaluations of the capacity of local government to promote intercultural harmony and understanding. The results suggest that if local government is to be inclusive and gain the confidence and trust of residents necessary to foster empowering partnerships, political spaces that facilitate interactions between long-term residents, new residents, elected leaders and council officers must be facilitated. Such initiatives will contribute to strengthening programs and policies being developed by local government that aim to address discrimination experienced by ethnic minorities and encourage greater acceptance of cultural diversity among the broader community in ways that move beyond measurable outcomes.