Melbourne School of Population and Global Health - Research Publications
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ItemNo Preview AvailablePerceptions of sex-role stereotypes, self-concept, and nursing role ideal in Chinese nursing students(BLACKWELL PUBLISHING LTD, 2002-02)AIM: This study examined the relationship between sex-role stereotypes, self-concept and the requisite personality characteristics of an ideal nurse in a cohort of Hong Kong nursing students. METHODS: To rate these concepts a measure of eight comprehensive dimensions of personality perception was administered to 177 nursing students, studying on preregistration and postregistration programs at a Hong Kong tertiary institution. Both male and female nursing students perceived an ideal nurse to possess a profile of traits including being high on the dimensions of emotional stability, application, intellect, helpfulness and restraint. RESULTS: No significant difference between the self-ratings of the male and female students was found, indicating that male students had undergone a highly self-selective process when choosing nursing education under the influence of Chinese cultural stereotypical attitudes towards nursing. A typical Chinese nurse was rated as similar to the typical female in Chinese society by both male and female nursing students. A typical Chinese nurse was rated relatively low on the masculine dimensions of openness, extroversion and assertiveness. The self-ratings of male nursing students more closely approximated the ideal nurse than did the self-ratings of female nursing students. CONCLUSION: The conclusions highlight implications for the recruitment and education of both male and female nursing students in Hong Kong society.
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ItemTeacher-Mediated Interventions to Support Child Mental Health Following a Disaster: A Systematic Review.(Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2015-12-08)OBJECTIVES: This review sought to identify, describe and assess the effectiveness of teacher-mediated interventions that aim to support child and adolescent recovery after a natural or man-made disaster. We also aimed to assess intervention applicability to rural and remote Australian school settings. METHOD: A systematic search of the academic literature was undertaken utilising six electronic databases (EBSCO, Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, ERIC and CINAHL) using terms that relate to: teacher-mediated and school-based interventions; children and adolescents; mental health and wellbeing; natural disasters and man-made disasters. This was supplemented by a grey literature search. RESULTS: A total of 20 articles reporting on 18 separate interventions were identified. Nine separate interventions had been evaluated using methodologically adequate research designs, with findings suggesting at least short-term improvement in student wellbeing outcomes and academic performance. CONCLUSIONS: Although none of the identified studies reported on Australian-based interventions, international interventions could be adapted to the Australian rural and remote context using existing psychosocial programs and resources available online to Australian schools. Future research should investigate the acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of implementing interventions modelled on the identified studies in Australian schools settings.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableBayesian Validation of the Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay and Its Superiority to the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay and the Complement Fixation Test for Detecting Antibodies against Coxiella burnetii in Goat Serum(AMER SOC MICROBIOLOGY, 2016-06)Although many studies have reported the indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) to be more sensitive in detection of antibodies to Coxiella burnetii than the complement fixation test (CFT), the diagnostic sensitivity (DSe) and diagnostic specificity (DSp) of the assay have not been previously established for use in ruminants. This study aimed to validate the IFA by describing the optimization, selection of cutoff titers, repeatability, and reliability as well as the DSe and DSp of the assay. Bayesian latent class analysis was used to estimate diagnostic specifications in comparison with the CFT and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The optimal cutoff dilution for screening for IgG and IgM antibodies in goat serum using the IFA was estimated to be 1:160. The IFA had good repeatability (>96.9% for IgG, >78.0% for IgM), and there was almost perfect agreement (Cohen's kappa > 0.80 for IgG) between the readings reported by two technicians for samples tested for IgG antibodies. The IFA had a higher DSe (94.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 80.3, 99.6) for the detection of IgG antibodies against C. burnetii than the ELISA (70.1%; 95% CI, 52.7, 91.0) and the CFT (29.8%; 95% CI, 17.0, 44.8). All three tests were highly specific for goat IgG antibodies. The IFA also had a higher DSe (88.8%; 95% CI, 58.2, 99.5) for detection of IgM antibodies than the ELISA (71.7%; 95% CI, 46.3, 92.8). These results underscore the better suitability of the IFA than of the CFT and ELISA for detection of IgG and IgM antibodies in goat serum and possibly in serum from other ruminants.
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ItemHealth services : knowledge, use and satisfaction of Afghan, Iranian and Iraqi settlers in Australia(Radcliffe Publishing, 2007)This paper reports the findings of a study examining the knowledge of, use of and satisfaction with local primary healthcare services reported by new arrivals to Australia from Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. The study sample consisted of a purposive sample of 98 new settlers from the selected countries and used a semi-structured questionnaire and focus groups to attain information. Key findings were that friends and family were the greatest sources of health provider information and there was a lack of both more general health information and understanding of the health system. While study participants were able to access primary healthcare services and were generally satisfied, several major operational deficiencies were reported. General practitioners (GPs) were the major health providers for these groups. Health-seeking behaviours were strongly influenced by the country of birth in comparison with the other examined factors, and experiences of health service encounters also varied greatly between countries of birth. The facility’s proximity to the participant’s home was a strong influence in the selection of health services. The researchers recommend that a network of appropriately supported and staffed community health centres and/ or GP clinics is needed in areas where there are high concentrations of refugees and immigrants.
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ItemNo long-term evidence of hyporesponsiveness after use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in children previously immunized with pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine(Elsevier, 2016-06)Background: A randomized controlled trial in Fiji examined the immunogenicity and effect on nasopharyngeal carriage after 0, 1, 2, or 3 doses of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7; Prevnar) in infancy followed by 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (23vPPV; Pneumovax) at 12 months of age. At 18 months of age, children given 23vPPV exhibited immune hyporesponsiveness to a micro-23vPPV (20%) challenge dose in terms of serotype-specific IgG and opsonophagocytosis, while 23vPPV had no effect on vaccine-type carriage. Objective: This follow-up study examined the long-term effect of the 12-month 23vPPV dose by evaluating the immune response to 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) administration 4 to 5 years later. Methods: Blood samples from 194 children (now 5-7 years old) were taken before and 28 days after PCV13 booster immunization. Nasopharyngeal swabs were taken before PCV13 immunization. We measured levels of serotype-specific IgG to all 13 vaccine serotypes, opsonophagocytosis for 8 vaccine serotypes, and memory B-cell responses for 18 serotypes before and after PCV13 immunization. Results: Paired samples were obtained from 185 children. There were no significant differences in the serotype-specific IgG, opsonophagocytosis, or memory B-cell response at either time point between children who did or did not receive 23vPPV at 12 months of age. Nasopharyngeal carriage of PCV7 and 23vPPV serotypes was similar among the groups. Priming with 1, 2, or 3 PCV7 doses during infancy did not affect serotype-specific immunity or carriage. Conclusion: Immune hyporesponsiveness induced by 23vPPV in toddlers does not appear to be sustained among preschool children in this context and does not affect the pneumococcal carriage rate in this age group.
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ItemImmunogenicity of a locally produced hepatitis B vaccine with the birth dose stored outside the cold chain in rural Vietnam(AMER SOC TROP MED & HYGIENE, 2006-02)The heat stability of hepatitis B vaccine (HepB vaccine) should enable its storage outside the cold chain (OCC), increasing access to the birth dose in areas lacking refrigeration. We compared the immunogenicity of a locally produced vaccine among infants who received three doses stored within the cold chain (n = 358) or for whom the first dose was stored OCC for up to one month (n = 748). Serum was collected from these infants at age 9-18 months. The vaccine was protective in 80.3% of all infants. There were no differences in the prevalence of a protective level of antibody or antibody titer among groups of infants according to storage strategy. Differences in antibody titer between certain groups of infants could be explained by different vaccination schedules. Where birth dose coverage will be improved, HepB vaccine can be taken OCC for up to one month without affecting its immunogenicity.
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ItemSurvivor-led ethics in multi-agency work(DVRCV Advocate, 2015)
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ItemThe Importance of Regional Integration and Coordination in Practice within the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children(Parity, 2011)The National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children (the National Plan) presents an opportunity for state and territory governments to work collaboratively to address and reduce the incidence of women and children experiencing physical violence and sexual violence in Australia.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableAssessment of susceptibility of Plasmodium falciparum to chloroquine, quinine, mefloquine, sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and artemisinin in southern Viet Nam(ROYAL SOC TROPICAL MEDICINE, 2001)Resistance to antimalarial chemotherapy is a major concern for malaria control in Viet Nam. In this study undertaken in 1998, 65 patients with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria were monitored for 28 days after completion of a 5-day treatment course with artemisinin. Overall 36.9% (24/65) of patients had recurrent parasitaemia during the surveillance period. P. falciparum isolates were tested for sensitivity in vitro to chloroquine, mefloquine, quinine, sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and results were compared to those from a similar study in 1995. Increased parasite sensitivity to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, chloroquine and quinine was demonstrated, with significantly lower mean EC50 and EC99 values in 1998 compared to 1995. Parasite sensitivity to mefloquine did not differ significantly in the 2 surveys. Isolates were also tested for sensitivity in vitro to artemisinin in the 1998 survey. The mean EC50 was 0.03 mumol/L and the EC99 was 0.94 mumol/L. Parasite sensitivity to artemisinin will need to be monitored in view of its increasing use in Viet Nam.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableSchistosomiasis in Australian travellers to Africa(AUSTRALASIAN MED PUBL CO LTD, 1998-01-05)