School-based drug prevention programs: a review of what works

This article examines the effectiveness of school-based drug prevention programs in preventing illicit drug use. Our article reports the results of a systematic review of the evaluation literature to answer three fundamental questions: (1) do school-based drug prevention programs reduce rates of illicit drug use? (2) what features are characteristic of effective programs? and (3) do these effective program characteristics differ from those identified as effective in reviews of school-based drug prevention of licit substance use (such as alcohol and tobacco)? Using systematic review and meta-analytic techniques, we identify the characteristics of schoolbased drug prevention programs that have a significant and beneficial impact on ameliorating illicit substance use (i.e., narcotics) among young people. Successful intervention programs typically involve high levels of interactivity, time-intensity, and universal approaches that are delivered in the middle school years. These program characteristics aligned with many of the effective program elements found in previous reviews exploring the impact of school-based drug prevention on licit drug use. Contrary to these past reviews, however, our analysis suggests that the inclusion of booster sessions and multifaceted drug prevention programs have little impact on preventing illicit drug use among school-aged children. Limitations of the current review and policy implications are discussed.

Feasibility of using health data sources to inform product safety surveillance in Queensland : a report for the Queensland Injury Prevention Council

This report provides an evaluation of the current available evidence-base for identification and surveillance of product-related injuries in children in Queensland. While the focal population was children in Queensland, the identification of information needs and data sources for product safety surveillance has applicability nationally for all age groups. The report firstly summarises the data needs of product safety regulators regarding product-related injury in children, describing the current sources of information informing product safety policy and practice, and documenting the priority product surveillance areas affecting children which have been a focus over recent years in Queensland. Health data sources in Queensland which have the potential to inform product safety surveillance initiatives were evaluated in terms of their ability to address the information needs of product safety regulators. Patterns in product-related injuries in children were analysed using routinely available health data to identify areas for future intervention, and the patterns in product-related injuries in children identified in health data were compared to those identified by product safety regulators. Recommendations were made for information system improvements and improved access to and utilisation of health data for more proactive approaches to product safety surveillance in the future.

Preventing injuries on a state-wide basis : researchers and parliamentary committees are partners in turning injury prevention and safety research into practice and policy

Context: Parliamentary committees established in Westminster parliaments, such as Queensland, provide a cross-party structure that enables them to recommend policy and legislative changes that may otherwise be difficult for one party to recommend. The overall parliamentary committee process tends to be more cooperative and less adversarial than the main chamber of parliament and, as a result, this process permits parliamentary committees to make recommendations more on the available research evidence and less on political or party considerations. Objectives: This paper considers the contributions that parliamentary committees in Queensland have made in the past in the areas of road safety, drug use as well as organ and tissue donation. The paper also discusses the importance of researchers actively engaging with parliamentary committees to ensure the best evidence based policy outcomes. Key messages: In the past, parliamentary committees have successfully facilitated important safety changes with many committee recommendations based on research results. In order to maximise the benefits of the parliamentary committee process it is essential that researchers inform committees about their work and become key stakeholders in the inquiry process. Researchers can keep committees informed by making submissions to their inquiries, responding to requests for information and appearing as witnesses at public hearings. Researchers should emphasise the key findings and implications of their research as well as considering the jurisdictional implications and political consequences. It is important that researchers understand the differences between lobbying and providing informed recommendations when interacting with committees. Discussion and conclusions: Parliamentary committees in Queensland have successfully assisted in the introduction of evidence based policy and legislation. In order to present best practice recommendations, committees rely on the evidence presented to them including the results of researchers. Actively engaging with parliamentary committees will help researchers to turn their results into practice with a corresponding decrease in injuries and fatalities. Developing an understanding of parliamentary committees, and the typical inquiry process used by these committees, will help researchers to present their research results in a manner that will encourage the adoption of their ideas by parliamentary committees, the presentation of these results as recommendations within the report and the subsequent enactment of the committee’s recommendations by the government.

Problems with a great idea : referral by prehospital emergency services to a community-based falls-prevention service

Background and aim Falls are the leading cause of injury in older adults. Identifying people at risk before they experience a serious fall requiring hospitalisation allows an opportunity to intervene earlier and potentially reduce further falls and subsequent healthcare costs. The purpose of this project was to develop a referral pathway to a community falls-prevention team for older people who had experienced a fall attended by a paramedic service and who were not transported to hospital. It was also hypothesised that providing intervention to this group of clients would reduce future falls-related ambulance call-outs, emergency department presentations and hospital admissions. Methods An education package, referral pathway and follow-up procedures were developed. Both services had regular meetings, and work shadowing with the paramedics was also trialled to encourage more referrals. A range of demographic and other outcome measures were collected to compare people referred through the paramedic pathway and through traditional pathways. Results Internal data from the Queensland Ambulance Service indicated that there were approximately six falls per week by community-dwelling older persons in the eligible service catchment area (south west Brisbane metropolitan area) who were attended to by Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics, but not transported to hospital during the 2-year study period (2008–2009). Of the potential 638 eligible patients, only 17 (2.6%) were referred for a falls assessment. Conclusion Although this pilot programme had support from all levels of management as well as from the service providers, it did not translate into actual referrals. Several explanations are provided for these preliminary findings.

Calcium ions promote osteogenic differentiation and mineralization of human dental pulp cells : implication for pulp capping materials

Calcium (Ca) is the main element of most pulp capping materials and plays an essential role in mineralization. Different pulp capping materials can release various concentrations of Ca ions leading to different clinical outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of various concentrations of Ca ions on the growth and osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp cells (hDPCs). Different concentrations of Ca ions were added to growth culture medium and osteogenic inductive culture medium. A Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to determine the proliferation of hDPCs in growth culture medium. Osteogenic differentiation and mineralization were measured by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay, Alizarin red S/von kossa staining, calcium content quantitative assay. The selected osteogenic differentiation markers were investigated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Within the range of 1.8–16.2 mM, increased concentrations of Ca ions had no effect on cell proliferation, but led to changes in osteogenic differentiation. It was noted that enhanced mineralized matrix nodule formation was found in higher Ca ions concentrations; however, ALP activity and gene expression were reduced. qRT-PCR results showed a trend towards down-regulated mRNA expression of type I collagen (COL1A2) and Runx2 at elevated concentrations of Ca ions, whereas osteopontin (OPN) and osteocalcin (OCN) mRNA expression was significantly up-regulated. Ca ions content in the culture media can significantly influence the osteogenic properties of hDPCs, indicating the importance of optimizing Ca ions release from dental pulp capping materials in order to achieve desirable clinical outcomes.

Community beliefs about intentional injury and responsibility for prevention

Community beliefs related to intentional injury inflicted by others were examined in a population-based telephone survey (n= 1032) in Queensland, Australia. Young adults 18-24 years were nominated as the most likely to be intentionally injured. 89.1% of respondents nominating this group believed that the injury incidents occur in alcohol environments. Though respondents from this age group also identified 18-24 yo as most likely to be intentionally injured, this was at a significantly lower level than did parents or 25-64 yo respondents. Responsibility for preventing injuries was placed on proprietors of licensed premises, schools and parents/family of the victim for alcohol, school and home environments respectively. Beliefs were aligned with prevalence data on intentional injury demonstrating a high level of awareness in the community about likely victims and situations where intentional injuries occur. Interventions could target families of young adults to capitalize on high levels of awareness about young adult vulnerability.

Associations between parenting behaviours and feeding beliefs of first-time Australian mothers in the NOURISH obesity prevention trial

Purpose: Parenting style and early feeding practices have been linked to child intake, eating behaviour and weight status. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between general maternal parenting behaviours and feeding beliefs in Australian mothers of 11-17 month-old children. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis included 223 first-time mothers and their children (49% male, mean age 14 [sd 1] months) enrolled in the control group of the NOURISH trial. Mothers self-reported their feeding beliefs and parenting behaviours (overprotection, irritability, warmth, autonomy-encouraging) using modified questions from the Infant Feeding Questionnaire (Baughcum, 2001) and the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Multiple regression analyses were conducted, using feeding beliefs (four factors) as dependent and parenting behaviours as independent variables while adjusting for child gender, age, weight-for-age z-score and maternal age, education level, feeding mode (breast vs. non-breast), and perception of own pre-pregnancy and child weight status. Results/Findings: Two of four parenting behaviours were significantly associated with feeding beliefs. Maternal warmth was inversely associated with concerns that the child would become underweight (β=-0.156, p=0.022) and positively associated with mothers’ awareness of child’s hunger/satiety cues (β=0.303, p<0.001). Mothers’ overprotection was positively associated with concerns that the child would become underweight (β=0.213, p=0.001); become overweight (β=0.174, p=0.005); and mother’s responsive feeding (β=0.135, p=0.057). Weight-for-age z-score, mothers’ perception of their child and own weight status, education, feeding mode, and child’s age were significant covariates. Conclusions: Feeding occurs within the broader parenting context. Improving early feeding beliefs and practices may require addressing mother’s approaches to parenting, especially warmth and overprotection.