The Supplemental security income program for the aged, blind, and disabled.

Mode of access: Internet.

Hormone replacement therapy and everyday memory in mid-aged New Zealand women

While empirical research to date has generally supported positive effects of estrogen on verbal memory performance in women, the literature examining specific effects of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) on cognitive functioning in mid-life women is more equivocal. The Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test-Extended Version (RBMT-E), a measure of everyday memory functioning in adults within an average range of cognitive functioning, was administered to a sample of 104 New Zealand women aged 40 to 60 years who had self-selected to either use or not use HRT (53 HRT users and 51 non-users). Self-report. measures of mood, stress, general health and menopausal symptoms were also administered. These variables, along with age and education level, were used in analyses of group differences on the everyday memory measures. Results showed significant differences between the groups for three sub-tests of the RBMT-E:'Story Immediate', 'Story Delayed', and 'Message Delayed'. Women who use HRT scored higher on these subtests than those who do not use HRT. After calculation of a total profile score (adjusting for age and IQ), HRT users score higher than HRT non-users on the RBMT-E overall measure of Everyday Memory. These pilot results suggest that HRT use in this sample-is related to enhanced verbal memory in everyday memory tasks and that the RBMT-E may be a useful tool for further work in this area of research.

Trusting technology: Women aged 40-49 years participating in screening for breast cancer - an exploratory study

Objective: This paper reports key findings from an exploratory study of factors associated with women's decision to participate in mass mammography screening in Tasmania. In particular, we explored factors that contribute to the choice to participate in screening by women who are outside the primary target group, and for whom the evidence of benefit remains contentious. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a small sample of women aged between 40 and 49 years in rural Tasmania who had participated in mammography screening. Results: Key ideas that appeared to shape participation included the fear of breast cancer, trust in technology, and taking responsibility for health. Information provision is also an important factor in shaping participation patterns. Conclusions and implications: In order to facilitate informed consent, information provision in this area should take account of the dominant ideas that shape the decision to participate in breast cancer screening.

Corrosion resistance of aged die cast magnesium alloy AZ91D

The corrosion behaviour of die cast magnesium alloy AZ91D aged at 160degreesC was investigated. The corrosion rate of the alloy decreases with ageing time in the initial stages and then increases again at ageing times greater than 45 h. The dependence of the corrosion rate on ageing time can be related to the changes in microstructure and local composition during ageing. Precipitation of the beta phase (Mg17Al12) occurs exclusively along the grain boundaries during ageing. The beta phase acts as a barrier, resulting in a decreasing corrosion rate in the initial stages of ageing. In the later stages, the decreasing aluminium content of alpha grains makes the alpha matrix more active, causing an increase in the corrosion rate. Electrochemical testing results also confirm the combined effects of the changes in alpha and beta phases on the corrosion resistance of the aged die cast AZ91D alloy. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sexual abuse, antisocial behaviour and substance use: gender differences in young community adolescents

Objective: To investigate gender-specific relationships between self-reported sexual abuse, antisocial behaviour and substance use in a large community sample of adolescents. Method: A cross-sectional study of students aged, on average, 13 (n = 2596), 14 (n = 2475) and 15 years (n = 2290), from 27 schools in South Australia with a questionnaire including sexual abuse, frequency and severity of substance use, depressive symptomatology (CES-D), family functioning (McMaster Family Assessment Device), and antisocial behaviour (an adapted 22-item Self-Report Delinquency Scale). Logistic regression analyses using HLM V5.05 with a population-average model were conducted. Results: In the model considered, reported sexual abuse is significantly independently associated with antisocial behaviour, controlling for confounding factors of depressive symptomatology and family dysfunction, with increased risks of three- to eightfold for sexually abused boys, and two- to threefold for sexually abused girls, compared to nonabused. Increased risks of extreme substance use in sexually abused girls (age 13) and boys (ages 13-15) are more than fourfold, compared to nonabused. Age differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Childhood sexual abuse is a risk factor for the development of antisocial behaviour and substance use in young adolescents. Clinicians should be aware of gender differences.

Normal values of balance tests in women aged 20-80

OBJECTIVES: To determine normal values for four commonly used clinical functional balance tests from community-dwelling women aged 20 to 80 and to identify any significant decline due to aging. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was undertaken to provide normative values for four clinical balance tests across 6 decade cohorts. SETTING: The Betty Byrne-Henderson Center for Women and Aging, Royal Womens' Hospital, Brisbane, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred fifty-six community-dwelling, independently ambulant women with no obvious neurological or musculoskeletal-related disability, aged 20 to 80, were randomly recruited from a large metropolitan region. MEASUREMENTS: The clinical balance measures/tests were the Timed Up and Go test, step test, Functional Reach test, and lateral reach test. Multivariate analysis was used to test the effect for age, height, and activity level. RESULTS: Normal data were produced for each test across each decade cohort. Gradual decline in balance performance was confirmed, with significant effect for age demonstrated. CONCLUSION: New normative data across the adult age decades are available for these clinical tests. Use of clinical balance tests could complement other balance tests and be used to screen women aged 40 to 60 whose performance is outside the normal values for age and to decrease later falls risk.

Sexual abuse and suicidality: gender differences in a large community sample of adolescents

Objective: A cross-sectional study of gender specific relationships between self-reported child sexual abuse and suicidality in a community sample of adolescents. Method: Students aged 14 years on average (N = 2,485) from 27 schools in South Australia completed a questionnaire including items on sexual abuse and suicidality, and measures of depression (Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale), hopelessness (Beck Hopelessness Scale), and family functioning (McMaster Family Assessment Device General Functioning Subscale). Data analysis included logistic regression. Results: In boys, self-report sexual abuse is strongly and independently associated with suicidal thoughts, plans, threats, deliberate self-injury, and suicide attempts, after controlling for current levels of depression, hopelessness, and family dysfunction. In girls, the relationship between sexual abuse and suicidality is mediated fully by depression, hopelessness, and family dysfunction. Girls who report current high distress about sexual abuse, however, have a threefold increased risk of suicidal thoughts and plans, compared to non-abused girls. Boys who report current high distress about sexual abuse have 10-fold increased risk for suicidal plans and threats, and 15-fold increased risk for suicide attempts, compared to non-abused boys. Fifty-five percent (n = 15) of sexually abused boys attempted suicide versus 29% (n = 17) girls. Conclusions: A history of sexual abuse should alert clinicians, professionals and caters in contact with adolescents, to greatly increased risks of suicidal behavior and attempts in boys, even in the absence of depression and hopelessness. Distress following sexual abuse, along with depression and hopelessness indicate increased risk of suicidal behavior in girls, as well as boys. (C) 2004 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Prospective study of physical activity and depressive symptoms in middle-aged women

Background: Although many studies support an inverse association between physical activity (PA) and depressive symptoms, prospective relationships between these variables have been confounded by pre-existing psychological and physical health problems. Methods: This study examined the dose-response relationships between self-reported PA and depressive symptoms, using cross-sectional and prospective data from a population-based cohort of middle-aged women who participated in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) between 1996 and 2001. Participants completed three mailed surveys (SI, 1996; S2, 1998; S3, 2001), which included questions about time spent in walking, moderate- and vigorous-intensity PA, and measures of psychological health (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale [CESD-10], and Mental health [MH] subscale of the Short Form 36 survey). Relationships between previous (SI, S2), current (S3), and habitual (S1, S2, S3) PA and depressive symptoms were examined, adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related variables (n = 9207). Results: Mean CESD-10 scores decreased, and MH scores increased with increasing levels of previous, current, and habitual activity. Odds ratios for CESD-10 scores >= 10 or MH scores = 60 minutes of moderate-intensity PA per week, compared with those who reported less PA than this. Women who were in the lowest PA category at SI, but who subsequently reported >= 240 metabolic equivalent minutes (MET.mins) per week had lower odds of CESD-10 scores of >= 10 or MH scores

The impact of breast cancer on the lives of middle-aged women: Results from the Australian longitudinal study of women's health

This article investigated the impact of breast cancer (BC) in middle-aged Australian women (45-50 years). Two waves of data collected 2 years apart from a longitudinal survey of 12,177 women identified 3 groups: (a) 11,933 (98%) who reported never having had BC, (b) 181 (1.5%) who reported a diagnosis of BC at Time 1, and (c) 63 (0.5%) who reported onset of BC between Time I and Time 2. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare the 3 groups. Women with recent onset of BC experienced significant changes across a range of functioning compared with the other 2 groups. Compared with women with no BC, women with longer established onset of BC had significantly worse health and social outcomes, but these were associated with small effect sizes. Both groups of women with BC reported less impact on mental and emotional health than on other areas of functioning.