Age-specific trends in cardiovascular mortality rates in Australia between 1980 and 2005

Aim: Recent analyses suggest the decline in coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality rates is slowing in younger age groups in countries such as the UK and US. We aimed to assess recent mortality rate trends in all circulatory disease and its subtypes in Australia.

Methods: Annual all circulatory, CHD, and cerebrovascular disease mortality rates between 1980 and 2005 for Australia were analysed. Data were stratified by sex and ten-year age group (age 35 to 85+). The annual rate of change and significant changes in trends were identified using joinpoint Poisson regression.

Results: Age standardised all circulatory disease mortality rates continue to decline in Australia, falling from 441 per 100,000 in 1980 to 145 per 100,000 in 2005 for males and from 264 per 100,000 to 96 per 100,000 for females. The rate of decline from both CHD and cerebrovascular disease appears to be stable or accelerating for individuals aged 55 years and over. However, the decline in young men and women aged 35-54 years is slowing for CHD and cerebrovascular disease mortality alike (except cerebrovascular disease mortality in males aged 35-44). For females aged 35-44 and 45-54 there has been no change in the cerebrovascular mortality rate since 1993 and 1999, respectively.

Conclusions: In Australia, whilst in older adults the decline in cardiovascular mortality rates is generally accelerating, in younger adults it appears to be slowing. It will be important to identify the causes of these trends.

Variations, trends and patterns of fish landings in large tropical reservoirs

Temporal variations of fish yields in four major reservoirs in Thailand (Ubolratana; Sirindhorn; Srinakarin; Vajiralongkorn) were investigated with the use of long-term fish landing data (≥20years). The long-term variations in fish yield, measured as the coefficient of variation of yearly yield, ranged mostly between 50% and 100%. For short-term variations, the means of the relative variation (85%) were larger than the absolute variation (63%). This finding indicates that short-term variations were inversely related to fish yield and that a higher uncertainty occurs when fish catches are low. The stocked exotic species exhibited higher variations than the indigenous species. The trend analyses indicated some species had sharply declined fish landings, while some species were quite stable (i.e. reservoir-adapted species). Stocked species tended to increase in relatively shallow reservoirs, compared to the deep reservoir. Fish landing data for each reservoir were patternized, using the self-organizing map, indicating temporal trends of chronological order. The differences among clusters in each reservoir were with respect to the weight of each species in the fish landings in each year, and temporal changes in species composition in the reservoirs, which would primarily be attributed to the environmental changes followed by anthropogenic pressures. The mean trophic level (τ) fluctuated, resulting from changes in species composition and weight of fish landing, as well as fish stocking programmes.

Age-specific trends in cardiovascular mortality rates in the Netherlands between 1980 and 2009

Recent analyses suggest the decline in coronary heart disease mortality rates is slowing in younger age groups in countries such as the US and the UK. This work aimed to analyse recent trends in cardiovascular mortality rates in the Netherlands. Analysis was of annual all circulatory, ischaemic heart disease (IHD), and cerebrovascular disease mortality rates between 1980 and 2009 for the Netherlands. Data were stratified by sex and 10-year age group (age 35–85+). The annual rate of change and significant changes in the trend were identified using joinpoint Poisson regression. For almost all age and sex groups examined the rate of IHD and cerebrovascular disease mortality in the Netherlands has more than halved between 1980 and 2009. The decline in mortality from both IHD and cerebrovascular disease is continuing for all ages and sex groups, with anacceleration in the decline apparent from the late 1990s/early 2000s. The decline in age-specific all circulatory, coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease mortality rates continues for all age and sex groups in the Netherlands.

Shifting curves? Trends in thinness and obesity among Australian youth, 1985 to 2010

Objective To describe 25-year trends in the prevalence of ≤Grade 2 thinness and obesity among Australian children by sex, age and socioeconomic (SES) background.

Methods Cross-sectional surveys of New South Wales school-aged children aged 6.0–16.9 years conducted in 1985–1997–2004–2010 (n = 19 434). Height/weight were measured, and thinness and obesity were defined by international standards. SES was derived from children's residential postcode using the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantage, most proximal to the survey year.

Results Since 1985, the prevalence of thinness has not varied by survey year. Age was not associated with thinness; however, thinness was lower among middle SES boys, compared with high SES (OR: 0.45, 95%CI: 0.21, 0.97). The prevalence of obesity trebled between 1985 and 1997 (1.7% vs. 5.1% P = 0.000); however, since 1997, obesity prevalence has not significantly changed. Since 1997, obesity was higher among younger compared with older girls (OR: 2.11, 95%CI: 1.48, 3.00) and SES was inversely associated with obesity in boys (OR: 2.05, 95%CI: 1.44, 2.92) and girls (OR: 1.86, 95%CI: 1.27, 2.74).

Conclusions The apparent plateau in child obesity is a welcome finding; however, the SES gradients are of concern. If the obesity stabilization is associated with the impact of multiple lifestyle behavioural interventions, the findings suggest obesity programmes have done ‘no harm’, but potentially the dose/delivery of interventions has not been sufficient or appropriate to reduce child obesity levels.

Trends in Australian contact lens prescribing during the first decade of the 21st century (2000–2009)

Purpose:  The aim was to document contact lens prescribing trends in Australia between 2000 and 2009.

Methods:  A survey of contact lens prescribing trends was conducted each year between 2000 and 2009. Australian optometrists were asked to provide information relating to 10 consecutive contact lens fittings between January and March each year.

Results:  Over the 10-year survey period, 1,462 practitioners returned survey forms representing a total of 13,721 contact lens fittings. The mean age (± SD) of lens wearers was 33.2 ± 13.6 years and 65 per cent were female. Between 2006 and 2009, rigid lens new fittings decreased from 18 to one per cent. Low water content lenses reduced from 11.5 to 3.2 per cent of soft lens fittings between 2000 and 2008. Between 2005 and 2009, toric lenses and multifocal lenses represented 26 and eight per cent, respectively, of all soft lenses fitted. Daily disposable, one- to two-week replacement and monthly replacement lenses accounted for 11.6, 30.0 and 46.5 per cent of all soft lens fittings over the survey period, respectively. The proportion of new soft fittings and refittings prescribed as extended wear has generally declined throughout the past decade. Multi-purpose lens care solutions dominate the market. Rigid lenses and monthly replacement soft lenses are predominantly worn on a full-time basis, whereas daily disposable soft lenses are mainly worn part-time.

Conclusions:  This survey indicates that technological advances, such as the development of new lens materials, manufacturing methods and lens designs, and the availability of various lens replacement options, have had a significant impact on the contact lens market during the first decade of the 21st Century.

Trends in Australian contact lenses prescribing 2000

Background:This study was conducted to ascertain current modes of contact lens prescribing in Australia.

Methods:One thousand questionnaires were randomly distributed to proportionate samples of optometrists in each state of Australia. The profession fits the majority of contact lenses in Australia and the sample represents 55 per cent of all optometrists. We requested details of the first 10 patients fitted with contact lenses after receipt of the questionnaire.

Results:We received 224 completed questionnaires, detailing contact lens fits to 2,230 patients. The mean age of the patient group was 32.3 ± 12.9 years and 65 per cent of these were female. Sixty per cent of patients were existing wearers, the remainder being new fits. The data indicated that 94 per cent of new fits were with soft lenses, of which six per cent were for extended wear. For refits 83 per cent were soft lenses and 24 per cent were extended wear. It was clear that the lens of first choice was mid-water-content (52 per cent of all soft lens fits). Only nine per cent of all soft fits were for lenses which were not replaced on a planned basis. The majority of rigid lenses were prescribed using mid-Dk materials (71 per cent). Analysis of solution prescribing indicates that multipurpose products were the most common regimens for planned replacement soft lenses. The percentage of hydrogen peroxide prescribed increased as lens replacement became less frequent.

Conclusions:Non-planned replacement lenses are now rarely prescribed to patients. Extended wear lenses and rigid lenses are prescribed more to existing contact lens wearers. The impact of multifocal lens designs on contact lens prescribing is very small, namely, five per cent of soft contact lenses and eight per cent of rigid lenses, despite 20 per cent of patients being over 45 years of age.

Foreign direct investment in the Asia-Pacific region : overview of recent trends and patterns

APEC represents the world's most powerful economies. Although much trade related research has been undertaken on APEC countries, investment in the region is still not well understood. This paper provides an overview of FDI of selected APEC economies. Three main themes emerge from this review. First, APEC economies have experienced phenomenal growth in FDI over the last twenty years although such growth is uneven among countries. Second, FDI appears to shift from the primary sector into the manufacturing and tertiary sectors of the economy as economies grow further. Thus, future FDI in APEC economies will likely be relatively higher in the tertiary sector as the poorer members of APEC continue to grow. Third, FDI is found to contribute positively to economic growth in all economies considered although results show that FDI in the tertiary sector generally leads to higher economic growth.