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1
Hickie, Ian B., Ian B. Hickie, Helen Christensen, Tracey A. Davenport, and Georgina M. Luscombe. "Can We Track the Impact of Australian Mental Health Research?" Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 39, no. 7 (July 2005): 591–99. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/j.1440-1614.2005.01631.x.
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Objective: Arguments are being made to increase research and development funding for mental health research in Australia. Consequently, the methods used to measure the results of increased investment require review. This study aimed to describe the status of Australian mental health research and to propose potential methods for tracking changes in research output. Specifically, we describe the research output of nations, Australian states, Australian and New Zealand institutions and Australian and New Zealand researchers using citation rates. Method: Information on research output was sourced from two international databases (Institute for scientific information [ISI] Essential Science Indicators and ISI Web of Science) and the ISI list of Highly Cited Researchers. Results: In an international setting, Australia does not perform as well as other comparable countries such as New Zealand or Canada in terms of research output. Within Australia, the scientific performance of institutions apparently relates to the strength of some individual researchers or consolidated research groups. Highly cited papers are evident in the fields of syndrome definition, epidemiology and epidemiological methods, cognitive science and prognostic or longitudinal studies. Conclusions: Australian researchers need to consider the success of New Zealand and Canadian researchers, particularly given the relatively low investment in health and medical research in New Zealand. Although citation analyses are fraught with difficulties, they can be effectively complemented by other measures of responsiveness to clinical or population needs and community expectations and should be conducted regularly and independently to monitor the status of Australian mental health research.
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Courtney, Mary, Maria T. O'Reilly, Helen Edwards, and Stacey Hassall. "Benchmarking clinical indicators of quality for Australian residential aged care facilities." Australian Health Review 34, no. 1 (2010): 93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah09663.
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To undertake exploratory benchmarking of a set of clinical indicators of quality care in residential care in Australia, data were collected from 107 residents within four medium-sized facilities (40–80 beds) in Brisbane, Australia. The proportion of residents in each sample facility with a particular clinical problem was compared with US Minimum Data Set quality indicator thresholds. Results demonstrated variability within and between clinical indicators, suggesting breadth of assessment using various clinical indicators of quality is an important factor when monitoring quality of care. More comprehensive and objective measures of quality of care would be of great assistance in determining and monitoring the effectiveness of residential aged care provision in Australia, particularly as demands for accountability by consumers and their families increase. What is known about the topic?The key to quality improvement is effective quality assessment, and one means of evaluating quality of care is through clinical outcomes. The Minimum Data Set quality indicators have been credited with improving quality in United States nursing homes. What does this paper add?The Clinical Care Indicators Tool was used to collect data on clinical outcomes, enabling comparison of data from a small Australian sample with American quality benchmarks to illustrate the utility of providing guidelines for interpretation. What are the implications for practitioners?Collecting and comparing clinical outcome data would enable practitioners to better understand the quality of care being provided and whether practices required review. The Clinical Care Indicator Tool could provide a comprehensive and systematic means of doing this, thus filling a gap in quality monitoring within Australian residential aged care.
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Schwenke, G. D., D. J. Reuter, R. W. Fitzpatrick, J. Walker, and P. O'Callaghan. "Soil and catchment health indicators of sustainability: case studies from southern Australia and possibilities for the northern grains region of Australia." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 43, no. 3 (2003): 205. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea01012.
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During the last decade, a range of indicators has been advocated for assessing soil, farm and catchment health. This paper assembles some recent experiences of the authors in developing and using indicators from paddock to national scales. Indicators are merely a subset of the attributes that are used to quantify aspects of catchment or farm health. Their selection and use in the past has led to criticism of indicators, but, given an explicit approach, most of the criticisms can be overcome. Reliable indicators provide positive and negative signals about the current status of natural resources and how these properties have changed over time. They are used both to identify potential risks and to confirm that current farming practices and systems of land use are effective in maintaining the resource base or economic status. They should be precursors for change and future on-ground investments when problems are observed or identified.A structured approach is needed to ensure indicators are selected and used efficiently. This approach involves: deciding local issues and selecting the most appropriate indicators to reflect those issues; interpreting both positive and negative signals from the monitoring process; taking appropriate action to resolve problems; and, using indicators to monitor the outcomes from the action taken.Finally, we have drawn on these and other experiences to compile a list of indicators that may be used to address sustainability issues associated with farm productivity, soil health and catchment health identified in recent strategic plans developed for the northern grains region of Australia, the focus of this special journal issue.
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Watkins, RE, AJ Plant, D. Sang, TF O'Rourke, AA Eltom, J. Streeton, and B. Gushulak. "The Association between Subjective and Clinical Indicators of Health in Prospective Vietnamese Migrants." Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health 17, no. 1 (January 2005): 46–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/101053950501700111.
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We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1669 prospective Vietnamese migrants who had applied to migrate to Australia to describe the association between self-reported health status and several commonly used clinical indicators of health among prospective Vietnamese migrants. Participants were recruited from the International Organization for Migration's standardised medical screening program.' We found that clinical indicators of health are related to self-reported health status among prospective Vietnamese migrants. Self-reported health status, which was assessed using a modified version of the Short Form-36 health survey, was significantly associated with clinical indicators of health, including the number of body system abnormalities identified during medical screening, evidence of tuberculosis on chest radiograph, and self-reported weight loss over the previous six months. These findings support the validity of self-reported health status assessment among prospective migrants, although the assessment of subjective indicators of health during compulsory medical screening may be limited by reporting bias. Asia Pac J Public Health 2005: 17(1): 46-50.
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Daniels, La, Ra Gibson, and Kn Simmer. "Indicators of selenium status in Australian infants." Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 36, no. 4 (August 2000): 370–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1754.2000.00519.x.
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Clark, Antony, David B. Preen, Jonathon Q. Ng, James B. Semmens, and C. D'Arcy J. Holman. "Is Western Australia representative of other Australian States and Territories in terms of key socio-demographic and health economic indicators?" Australian Health Review 34, no. 2 (2010): 210. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah09805.
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Objective.To evaluate the extent to which Western Australian (WA) represents the broader Australian population in terms of key socio-demographic and health economic indicators. Methods.We compared key demographic, social and health economic indicators across all Australian States and Territories from Australian government publications in the census years 1991–2006. Jurisdictional averages (JAs) were calculated as the mean (±s.d.) or median (±range). Observed jurisdiction indicators were compared with the JA and ranked according its representativeness of the JA. Results.WA was among the three closest jurisdictions to the national JA for all socio-demographic and health economic indicators examined, with the exception of uptake of private health insurance (ranked 6th) and per-capita health expenditure (ranked 5th). The Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory were least representative for the majority of indicators. Excluding the proportions of people living in rural or remote areas (0–100%) and of indigenous origin (0.4–28.8%), variations in the indicators across the jurisdictions were relatively small. Conclusions.Population differences between Australia’s States were small, whereas Australia’s Territories were least representative of the JA. WA was the most representative population of Australia’s eight jurisdictions and continues to be in a strong position to contribute to knowledge of the Australian health system that is applicable Australia-wide. What is known about the topic?The Western Australian Data Linkage system (WADLS) is a highly successful and productive research tool that facilitates population-based health research. A potential criticism and concern of this research surrounds the representativeness of the WA population to other Australian States and Territories. Anecdotally, there is a perception that WA’s isolation from other Australian populations may lead to systematic socio-demographic and socioeconomic differences; thus limiting the generalisability of research findings. What does this paper add?This paper compares Australia’s State and Territory population profiles and allows researchers to determine the extent to which contextual issues concerning key socio-demographic and health economic indicators may affect the external validity of population-based research arising from any one jurisdiction. What are the implications to practitioners?In the absence of previous evaluations in this area and with the continued emergence of new data linkage systems around the country, this information is important for health researchers and policy makers who may wish to draw conclusions and make policy decisions that rely upon extrapolating findings from population-based studies.
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Lorig, Kate, Philip L. Ritter, Kathryn Plant, Diana D. Laurent, Pauline Kelly, and Sally Rowe. "The South Australia Health Chronic Disease Self-Management Internet Trial." Health Education & Behavior 40, no. 1 (April 4, 2012): 67–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1090198112436969.
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Objectives. To evaluate the effectiveness of an online chronic disease self-management program for South Australia residents. Method. Data were collected online at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. The intervention was an asynchronous 6-week chronic disease self-management program offered online. The authors measured eight health status measures, seven behaviors, and four utilization measures; self-efficacy; and health care satisfaction. Results. Two hundred fifty-four South Australian adults with one or more chronic conditions completed baseline data. One hundred forty-four completed 6 months and 194 completed 1 year. Significant improvements ( p < .05) were found at 6 months for four health status measures, six health behaviors, self-efficacy, and visits to emergency departments. At 12 months, five health status indicators, six health behaviors, self-efficacy, and visits to emergency departments remained significant. Satisfaction with health care trended toward significance. Discussion. The peer-led online program was both acceptable and useful for this population. It appeared to decrease symptoms, improve health behaviors, self-efficacy, and reduce health care utilization up to 1 year. This intervention also has large potential implications for the use of a public health education model for reaching large numbers of people. It demonstrates that an Internet self-management program, which includes social media, can reach rural and underserved people as well as be effective and reduce health care costs. If this intervention can be brought to scale, it has the potential for improving the lives of large numbers of people with chronic illness. It represents a way the medical care and public health sectors can interact.
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Zhou, Y., B. D. Hambly, D. Simmons, and C. S. McLachlan. "Sex-specific educational attainment is associated with telomere length in an Australian rural population." QJM: An International Journal of Medicine 113, no. 7 (February 19, 2020): 469–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcaa031.
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Abstract Background There is limited understanding on whether and how socioeconomic status (SES), particularly educational attainment and household income, impacts on telomere length in an Australian rural context. Additionally, it is unknown whether access to health services via the Australian public or private health system influences telomere length. Aim This study investigates whether there is a relationship between telomere length and SES indicators (income, education) as well as health insurance status in a rural Australian population. Methods Samples were drawn from the Australian Rural Victoria cross-sectional Crossroads Study. Leucocyte telomere length (LTL) was measured using a multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction method. Results Among 1424 participants, we did not find a significant main effect association with LTL across education, income level and health insurance. An exploratory finding was sex may influence the relationship between educational attainment and LTL (P = 0.021). In males, but not females, higher education was associated with longer LTL by 0.033 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.002–0.063, P = 0.035]; in those with low education attainment, male participants had shorter LTL by 0.058 (95% CI −0.086 to −0.029) than female participants (P < 0.0001). Conclusion Being male and having lower education attainment was associated with shorter telomere length in our rural population. Evidence from our study supports the importance of education on LTL in males in rural Australia. Our studies also support previous findings that LTL in later life may not be closely associated with indicators of SES.
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Lawson, James S., and Deborah Black. "Socioeconomic status: the prime indicator of premature death in Australia." Journal of Biosocial Science 25, no. 4 (October 1993): 539–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s002193200002191x.
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SummaryThe link between socioeconomic status and health has long been recognised. This study of deaths among Australian men aged 15–59 years demonstrates that during the 20-year period, 1966–86 the number of premature deaths was dramatically reduced among all socioeconomic groups, primarily as a result of falls in death rates due to heart disease, stroke and trauma. However, the marked differences in death rates according to social class remain, to the extent that if men of all social classes had the same mortality experiences as professional and technical workers the overall death rates for Australian men would be reduced by 60%. Socioeconomic status is the most important indicator of health status among Australians.
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Nghiem, Son, Viet-Ngu Hoang, Xuan-Binh Vu, and Clevo Wilson. "THE DYNAMIC INTER-RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OBESITY AND SCHOOL PERFORMANCE: NEW EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM AUSTRALIA." Journal of Biosocial Science 50, no. 5 (December 4, 2017): 683–705. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0021932017000608.
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SummaryThis paper proposes a new empirical model for examining the relationship between obesity and school performance using the simultaneous equation modelling approach. The lagged effects of both learning and health outcomes were included to capture both the dynamic and inter-relational aspects of the relationship between obesity and school performance. The empirical application of this study used comprehensive data from the first five waves of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), which commenced in 2004 (wave 1) and was repeated every two years until 2018. The study sample included 10,000 children, equally divided between two cohorts (infants and children) across Australia. The empirical results show that past learning and obesity status are strongly associated with most indicators of school outcomes, including reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy national tests, and scores from the internationally standardized Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and the Matrix Reasoning Test. The main findings of this study are robust due to the choice of obesity indicator and estimation methods.
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Comino, Elizabeth J., Mark F. Harris, Elizabeth Harris, Gawaine Powell Davies, Tien Chey, and Stephen Lillioja. "The National Health Survey 2001: usefulness to inform a discussion on access to and use of quality primary health care using type 2 diabetes mellitus as an example." Australian Health Review 30, no. 4 (2006): 496. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah060496.
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Introduction: This paper explores the usefulness of the 2001 Australian Bureau of Statistics National Health Survey (2001 NHS) for examining access to and use of quality primary health care (PHC) in Australia, using diabetes as an example. Methods: Potential indicators of access to and use of quality diabetes care were investigated (diagnosis, preventive pharmacotherapy, complication screening, multidisciplinary care and hospitalisation), and their association with various factors including socioeconomic and diabetesrelated health status was assessed. Results: Older Australian-born females were more likely to receive preventive pharmacotherapy, whereas complication screening was associated with duration of disease. Multidisciplinary care was associated with recent hospitalisation and not health need assessed by presence of comorbidity. Conclusions: This novel use of the 2001 NHS provided information on patterns of access to and use of diabetes-related PHC that were consistent with previous research. It suggests a new role for survey data in monitoring access to and use of PHC over time and complementing other population health data collections in this area.
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Khalatbari-Soltani, Saman, Fiona Stanaway, Cathie Sherrington, Fiona M. Blyth, Vasi Naganathan, David J. Handelsman, Markus J. Seibel, Louise M. Waite, David G. Le Couteur, and Robert G. Cumming. "The Prospective Association Between Socioeconomic Status and Falls Among Community-Dwelling Older Men." Journals of Gerontology: Series A 76, no. 10 (February 4, 2021): 1821–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glab038.
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Abstract Background Socioeconomic status (SES) has been suggested as a risk factor for falls but the few prospective studies to test this have had mixed results. We evaluated the prospective association between SES and falls in the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project (CHAMP). Methods CHAMP is a population-based prospective cohort study of men aged ≥70 years in Sydney, Australia. Incident falls were ascertained by triannual telephone calls for up to 4 years. SES was assessed with 4 indicators (education, occupation, source of income, home ownership) and cumulative SES score. We tested for interaction between SES indicators and country of birth and conducted stratified analyses. Results We evaluated 1624 men (mean age: 77.3 ± 5.4 years). During a mean ± SD follow-up of 42.6 ± 8.7 months, 766 (47%) participants reported ≥1 incident falls. In nonstratified analyses, there were no associations between SES indicators and falls. In stratified analyses, falls rates were higher among Australian-born men with less formal education (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.66, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16–2.37, compared with those with more education) and those with low occupational position (1.45; 1.09–1.93). However, among men born in non-main English-speaking countries the rate of falls was lower among those with low educational level and no associations were evident for occupational position. Conclusions Lower educational level and occupational position predicted a higher falls rate in Australian-born men; the opposite relationship was evident for educational level among migrants born in non-main English-speaking countries. Further studies should test these relationships in different populations and settings and evaluate targeted interventions.
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Azam, Hashim, Niesha Agilan, Pulina Pitigala, Anjaneya Gupta, Julian Fung, Catherine M. Miller, Oyelola Adegboye, and Dileep Sharma. "Impact of COVID-19 on Patients’ Attitudes and Perceptions of Dental Health Services: A Questionnaire Based Study in an Australian University Dental Clinic." Healthcare 10, no. 9 (September 12, 2022): 1747. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10091747.
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COVID-19, the global pandemic, has significantly interrupted the provision of oral health care to many individuals. This study aims to evaluate patients’ attitudes to and perceptions of dental visits in the COVID-19 pandemic and assess if socio-economic status influences their perception of risk associated with dental visits. Patients attending the dental clinic were invited to participate in this study by completing a questionnaire administered in August 2021. Composite indicators for access, attitude, perception and socio-economic status were created based on subsets of questions. A total of 247 completed questionnaires were obtained. Analysis was performed with the perception, attitude and access indicators against the socio-economic status indicator. This study found that there is a statistically significant difference between socio-economic groups and their attitudes and perceptions around dental health care services in the current COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals from lower socio-economic status groups were less influenced by the pandemic. Participants from higher socio-economic status groups were found to be more cautious around COVID-19 and its risks.
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Lucke, Jayne C., Wendy Brown, Leigh Tooth, Deborah Loxton, Julie Byles, Melanie Spallek, Jennifer Powers, Richard Hockey, Nancy A. Pachana, and Annette Dobson. "Health Across Generations: Findings From the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health." Biological Research For Nursing 12, no. 2 (August 26, 2010): 162–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1099800410373804.
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Interpretation of changes in health and health care utilization patterns across the life span depends on an understanding of the effects of age, period, and cohort. The purpose of this article is to illustrate differences among three generations of women in demographic factors, health risk factors, and health status indicators from 1996 to 2008. The article examines data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, a broad-ranging project funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) and involving three age groups of women (born in the periods 1973—1978, 1946—1951, and 1921—1926) who were first surveyed in 1996 and will be surveyed every 3 years until at least 2015. Patterns in selected demographic factors (marital status and level of educational qualification), health risk factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and body mass index [BMI]), and health status indicators (asthma, hypertension, diabetes and depression; physical functioning and mental health scores from the SF-36) were examined to illustrate examples of biological age, generational differences, or period effects that affect all age groups and generations simultaneously. The results can be used to inform the development of responsive and effective models for both prevention and management of chronic disease, including health and aged-care systems that will meet the needs of different generations of women across their life span.
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Quine, Susan. "Social class as a risk factor for infant mortality in an Australian population." Journal of Biosocial Science 23, no. 1 (January 1991): 65–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0021932000019088.
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SummaryStudies in other countries have identified social class as a risk factor for infant mortality. In Australia there is no systematic collection of population data by social class, partly due to the absence of a recognized measure. The use of occupational prestige as an indicator of social class is discussed and Australian prestige scales reviewed. In a population based study, logistic regression analysis of infant mortality in an Australian (NSW) population shows the effects of social class on infant mortality which remain when maternal age, marital status and parity are controlled.
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McConchie, Steven, Jennie Shepheard, Simon Waters, Alison J. McMillan, and Vijaya Sundararajan. "The AusPSIs: the Australian version of the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality patient safety indicators." Australian Health Review 33, no. 2 (2009): 334. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah090334.
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Many countries are seeking ways to measure the safety and performance of their health systems. The ability to track improvement and monitor safety event rates at a population level is provided by routinely collected administrative data in conjunction with a set of well-developed indicators such as the patient safety indicators from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in the United States of America. These indicators are currently in the International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) whereas Australia has coded its data in ICD-10-Australian Modification (ICD-10- AM) since 1998. We describe the process recently undertaken to translate and revise the patient safety indicators (PSIs) so they can be of use with ICD-10-AM. The initial translation (electronic mapping, review and revision by expert coder, programming of codes and testing on data from 1996?1998 [ICD 9-CM] to 1998?2006 [ICD-10-AM, through 4 editions]) found that differences between ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-AM datasets presented some challenges. After this phase, which was faithful to AHRQ?s case definitions, the indicators were refined for use with the condition onset flag, resulting in the AusPSIs.
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Thornton, Lukar E., Jamie R. Pearce, and Kylie Ball. "Sociodemographic factors associated with healthy eating and food security in socio-economically disadvantaged groups in the UK and Victoria, Australia." Public Health Nutrition 17, no. 1 (February 28, 2013): 20–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1368980013000347.
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AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the associations between sociodemographic factors and both diet indicators and food security among socio-economically disadvantaged populations in two different (national) contextual settings.DesignLogistic regression was used to determine cross-sectional associations between nationality, marital status, presence of children in the household, education, employment status and household income (four low income categories) with daily fruit and vegetable consumption, low-fat milk consumption and food security.SettingSocio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods in the UK and Australia.SubjectsTwo samples of low-income women from disadvantaged neighbourhoods: (i) in the UK, the 2003–05 Low Income Diet and Nutrition Survey (LIDNS; n 643); and (ii) in Australia, the 2007–08 Resilience for Eating and Activity Despite Inequality (READI; n 1340).ResultsThe influence of nationality, marital status and children in the household on the dietary outcomes varied between the two nations. Obtaining greater education qualifications was the most telling factor associated with healthier dietary behaviours. Being employed was positively associated with low-fat milk consumption in both nations and with fruit consumption in the UK, while income was not associated with dietary behaviours in either nation. In Australia, the likelihood of being food secure was higher among those who were born outside Australia, married, employed or had a greater income, while higher income was the only significant factor in the UK.ConclusionsThe identification of factors that differently influence dietary behaviours and food security in socio-economically disadvantaged populations in the UK and Australia suggests continued efforts need to be made to ensure that interventions and policy responses are informed by the best available local evidence.
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Chikritzhs, Tanya. "Tools for Policy and Prevention: The Australian National Alcohol Indicators Project." Contemporary Drug Problems 36, no. 3-4 (September 2009): 607–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/009145090903600315.
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Alcohol is a leading cause of preventable death, disease, and disability in Australia. The National Alcohol Indicators Project (NAIP) is funded by the Commonwealth Government of Australia to monitor and report on trends in alcohol consumption and related harms across states and communities with special emphasis on the wide dissemination of information and evaluation of policy change. Using aetiologic fraction and surrogate methods, the NAIP has established a minimum set of reliable indictors of alcohol-related harms for monitoring and evaluation purposes, including: alcohol-attributable deaths and hospitalizations; police-reported road crash and violent offences related to alcohol intoxication; alcohol sales data, and national alcohol consumption surveys. The NAIP uses a range of strategies for maintaining policy-relevant outputs that are both scientifically rigorous and readily accessible by non-researchers, including: a range of dissemination modes which potentially appeal to diverse audiences (e.g. bulletins, submissions, journal articles); proactive communication of outputs to potential audiences; timely response to key stake-holder information needs; and a strong commitment to capitalizing on opportunities for alcohol policy evaluation at local, state, and national levels.
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Rouch, Duncan A., Tania Mondal, Sneha Pai, Florian Glauche, Vennessa A. Fleming, Nerida Thurbon, Judy Blackbeard, Stephen R. Smith, and Margaret Deighton. "Microbial safety of air-dried and rewetted biosolids." Journal of Water and Health 9, no. 2 (April 18, 2011): 403–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wh.2011.134.
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To assess microbial safety of treated sewage sludge (biosolids), we examined the inactivation of microbial indicators for potential bacterial, viral and protozoan pathogens. The levels of indicators were determined throughout the air-drying and storage phases of anaerobically digested sewage sludge. Samples were collected from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Victoria, Australia. Established methods were applied for analysis of bacteria and coliphages, based on membrane filtration and layered plates, respectively. In the pan drying phase, the prevalence of Escherichia coli was reduced by >5 log10 compared with sludge entering the pan. Thus, after pan drying of 8-11 months at WWTP A and 15 months at WWTP B, the numbers of E. coli were reduced to below 102 cfu/g dry solids (DS). This level is acceptable for unrestricted use in agriculture in Australia (P1 treatment grade), the UK (enhanced treatment status) and the USA (Class A pathogen reduction). Coliphage numbers also decreased substantially during the air-drying phase, indicating that enteric viruses are also likely to be destroyed during this phase. Clostridium perfringens appeared to be an overly conservative indicator. Survival, but not regrowth, of E. coli or Salmonella was observed in rewetted biosolids (15–20% moisture content), after being seeded with these species, indicating a degree of safety of stored biosolids upon rewetting by rain.
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Jorm, Anthony F., Stephen J. Rosenman, and Patricia A. Jacomb. "Inequalities in the Regional Distribution of Private Psychiatric Services Provided under Medicare." Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 27, no. 4 (December 1993): 630–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/00048679309075826.
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An analysis was carried out on Medicare data to find out if there are inequalities in the geographical distribution of private psychiatric services in Australia. The number of psychiatric services and persons becoming patients per 100,000 population was calculated for each federal electorate for the year 1985/86 and related to social indicators derived from the 1986 census. As a comparison, services provided by consultant physicians were analyzed as well. The data were based on the electorate of the patient rather than the electorate of the practitioner. Consultant psychiatrist services were found to be received more often in high socio-economic status electorates and those with older populations, and less often in rural areas. A similar pattern was found for consultant physician services, although the relationship with socio-economic status was not as strong. Frequent psychiatric consultations of longer duration, which are an indicator of insight psychotherapy, were more common in higher socioeconomic status electorates. A limitation of the Medicare data is that they cover only private services. To overcome this limitation, a supplementary analysis was carried out on the distribution of consultations for mental disorders using data from the National Health Survey. These data confirmed that individuals of high socio-economic status with a mental disorder are more likely to receive specialist treatment.
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Harvey, Peter W., John Petkov, Inge Kowanko, Yvonne Helps, and Malcolm Battersby. "Chronic condition management and self-management in Aboriginal communities in South Australia: outcomes of a longitudinal study." Australian Health Review 37, no. 2 (2013): 246. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah12165.
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Objectives. This paper describes the longitudinal component of a larger mixed methods study into the processes and outcomes of chronic condition management and self-management strategies implemented in three Aboriginal communities in South Australia. The study was designed to document the connection between the application of structured systems of care for Aboriginal people and their longer-term health status. Methods. The study concentrated on three diverse Aboriginal communities in South Australia; the Port Lincoln Aboriginal Health Service, the Riverland community, and Nunkuwarrin Yunti Aboriginal Health Service in the Adelaide metropolitan area. Repeated-measure clinical data were collected for individual participants using a range of clinical indicators for diabetes (type 1 and 2) and related chronic conditions. Clinical data were analysed using random effects modelling techniques with changes in key clinical indicators being modelled at both the individual and group levels. Results. Where care planning has been in place longer than in other sites overall improvements were noted in BMI, cholesterol (high density and low density lipids) and HbA1c. These results indicate that for Aboriginal patients with complex chronic conditions, participation in and adherence to structured care planning and self-management strategies can contribute to improved overall health status and health outcomes. Conclusions. The outcomes reported here represent an initial and important step in quantifying the health benefits that can accrue for Aboriginal people living with complex chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and respiratory disease. The study highlights the benefits of developing long-term working relationships with Aboriginal communities as a basis for conducting effective collaborative health research programs. What is known about the topic? Chronic condition management and self-management programs have been available to Aboriginal people in a range of forms for some time. We know that some groups of patients are keen to engage with care planning and self-management protocols and we have anecdotal evidence of this engagement leading to improved quality of life and health outcomes for Aboriginal people. What does this paper add? This paper provides early evidence of sustained improvement over time for a cohort of Aboriginal people who are learning to deal with a range of chronic illnesses through accessing structured systems of support and care. What are the implications for practitioners? This longitudinal evidence of improved outcomes for Aboriginal people is encouraging and should lead on to more definitive studies of outcomes accruing for people engaged in structured systems of care. Not only does this finding have implications for the overall management of chronic illness in Aboriginal communities, but it points the way to how health services might best invest their resources and efforts to improve the health status of people with chronic conditions and, in the process, close the gap between the life expectancy of Aboriginal people and that of other community groups in Australia.
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Fernando, S., S. K. Tadakamadla, M. Bakr, P. A. Scuffham, and N. W. Johnson. "Indicators of Risk for Dental Caries in Children: A Holistic Approach." JDR Clinical & Translational Research 4, no. 4 (April 30, 2019): 333–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2380084419834236.
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Background Dental caries in children is a major public health problem worldwide, with a multitude of determinants acting upon children to different degrees in different communities. The objective of this study was to determine maternal, environmental, and intraoral indicators of dental caries experience in a sample of 6- to 7-y-old children in South East Queensland, Australia. Methods: A total of 174 mother-child dyads were recruited for this cross-sectional study from the Griffith University Environments for Healthy Living birth cohort study. Maternal education, employment status, and prepregnancy body mass index were maternal indicators, and annual household income was taken as a proxy for environmental indicators. These were collected as baseline data of the study. Clinical data on children’s dental caries experience, saliva characteristics of buffering capacity, stimulated flow rate, and colony-forming units per milliliter of salivary mutans streptococci were collected for the oral health substudy. Univariate analysis was performed with 1-way analysis of variance and chi-square tests. Caries experience was the outcome, which was classified into 4 categories based on the number of carious tooth surfaces. Ordinal logistic regression was used to explore the association of risk indicators with caries experience. Results: Age ( P = 0.021), low salivary buffering capacity ( P = 0.001), reduced levels of salivary flow rate ( P = 0.011), past caries experience ( P = 0.001), low annual household income; <$30,000 (P = 0.050) and <$60,000 (P = 0.033) and maternal employment status ( P = 0.043) were associated with high levels of dental caries. Conclusion These data support the evidence of associations between maternal, environmental, and children’s intraoral characteristics and caries experience among children in a typical Western industrialized country. All of these need to be considered in preventative strategies within families and communities. Knowledge Transfer Statement: The results of this study can be used by clinicians, epidemiologists, and policy makers to identify children who are at risk of developing dental caries. With consideration of costs for treatment for the disease, this information could be used to plan cost-effective and patient-centered preventive care.
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Cadilhac, Dominique A., Nadine E. Andrew, Monique F. Kilkenny, Kelvin Hill, Brenda Grabsch, Natasha A. Lannin, Amanda G. Thrift, et al. "Improving quality and outcomes of stroke care in hospitals: Protocol and statistical analysis plan for the Stroke123 implementation study." International Journal of Stroke 13, no. 1 (September 15, 2017): 96–106. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1747493017730741.
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Rationale The effectiveness of clinician-focused interventions to improve stroke care is uncertain. Aims To determine whether an organizational intervention can improve the quality of stroke care over usual care. Sample size estimates To detect an absolute 10% difference in overall performance (composite outcome), a minimum of 21 hospitals and 843 patients per group was determined. Methods and design Before and after controlled design in hospitals in Queensland, Australia. Intervention Externally facilitated program (StrokeLink) using outreach workshops incorporating clinical performance feedback, patient outcomes (survival, quality of life at 90–180 days), local barrier assessments to best practice care, action planning, and ongoing support. Descriptive and multivariable analyses adjusted for patient correlations by hospital (intention-to-treat method). Context Concurrent implementation of financial incentives to increase stroke unit access and use of the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry for performance monitoring. Study outcome(s) Primary outcome: net change in composite score (i.e. total number of process indicators achieved divided by the sum of eligible indicators for each cohort). Secondary outcomes: change in individual indicators, change in composite score comparing hospitals that did or did not develop action plans (per-protocol analysis), impact on 90–180-day health outcomes. Sensitivity analyses: hospital self-rated status, alternate cross-sectional audit data (Stroke Foundation). To account for temporal effects, comparison of Queensland hospital performance relative to other Australian hospitals will also be undertaken. Discussion Twenty-one hospitals were recruited; however, one was unable to participate within the study time frame. Workshops were held between 11 March 2014 and 7 November 2014. Data are ready for analysis.
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Davies, P. E., J. H. Harris, T. J. Hillman, and K. F. Walker. "The Sustainable Rivers Audit: assessing river ecosystem health in the Murray - Darling Basin, Australia." Marine and Freshwater Research 61, no. 7 (2010): 764. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf09043.
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The Sustainable Rivers Audit (SRA) is a systematic assessment of the health of river ecosystems in the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB), Australia. It has similarities to the United States’ Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program, the European Water Framework Directive and the South African River Health Program, but is designed expressly to represent functional and structural links between ecosystem components, biophysical condition and human interventions in the MDB. Environmental metrics derived from field samples and/or modelling are combined as indicators of condition in five themes (Hydrology, Fish, Macroinvertebrates, Vegetation and Physical Form). Condition indicator ratings are combined using expert-system rules to indicate ecosystem health, underpinned by conceptual models. Reference condition, an estimate of condition had there been no significant human intervention in the landscape, provides a benchmark for comparisons. To illustrate, a synopsis is included of health assessments in 2004–2007. This first audit completed assessments of condition and ecosystem health at the valley scale and in altitudinal zones, and future reports will include trend assessments. SRA river-health assessments are expected to play a key role in future water and catchment management through integration in a Basin Plan being developed by the Murray–Darling Basin Authority for implementation after 2011. For example, there could be links to facilitate monitoring against environmental targets.
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Moretto, Nicole, Michelle Stute, Sonia Sam, Marita Bhagwat, Maree Raymer, Peter Buttrum, Merrilyn Banks, and Tracy A. Comans. "A uniform data set for determining outcomes in allied health primary contact services in Australia." Australian Journal of Primary Health 26, no. 1 (2020): 58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/py18104.
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The project aim was to develop and implement a set of metrics to capture and demonstrate the performance of newly established allied health primary contact services. Selection of the metrics and performance indicators was guided by an existing state-wide data collection system and from a review of the published literature. The metrics were refined after consultation with a working group of health service managers and clinicians. The data collection and reporting framework were developed for use in allied health primary contact services and implemented at public health facilities in Queensland, Australia. The set of metrics consists of 18 process and outcome measures. Patient-reported metrics include the global rating of change scale and patient satisfaction. Service metrics include wait times; referral source; triage category; diagnosis; occasions of service; referrals and investigations initiated; effects; care duration; discharge status; waitlist reinstatement reasons; treatment non-completion reasons; and expedited care. Safety, patient demographics and service improvement metrics were included. The metrics will enable analysis of the effectiveness of allied health primary contact services and will facilitate reporting, advocacy, service improvement, service continuity and research. The metrics are suitable for use by all providers of allied health primary contact services in hospital and primary care settings.
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Doery, Elizabeth, Lata Satyen, Yin Paradies, Bosco Rowland, Jennifer A. Bailey, Jessica A. Heerde, Heidi Renner, Rachel Smith, and John W. Toumbourou. "Young Adult Development Indicators for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous People: A Cross-National Longitudinal Study." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 24 (December 19, 2022): 17084. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192417084.
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Worldwide, Indigenous youth face ongoing challenges and inequalities. Increasing our understanding of life course patterns in Indigenous youth will assist the design of strategies and interventions that encourage positive development. This study aimed to increase understanding of resilience and positive development in Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth across Australia and the United States of America. The Australian sample comprised 9680 non-Indigenous and 176 Pacific Islander and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The USA sample comprised 2258 non-Indigenous and 220 Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian and Native American/American Indian peoples. Data were used to examine how Indigenous background, volunteering, and community involvement at average age 15 years (Grade 9) predicted five young adult positive development indicators: Year 12 (Grade 12) school completion, tertiary education participation, independent income, paid employment, and intimate relationship formation from age 18 to 28 years. Multilevel regression analyses revealed that while Indigenous youth showed slower increases in positive young adult development over time, when adjusting for socioeconomic disadvantage, there was a reduction in this difference. Moreover, we found that Grade 9 community involvement and volunteering were positively associated with young adult development for Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth. Findings indicate the importance of addressing structural inequalities and increasing adolescent opportunities as feasible strategies to improve positive outcomes for young Indigenous adults.
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Krasta, Ingrida, Aldis Vidzis, Anda Brinkmane, and Ingrida Cema. "Evaluation of Oral Therapeuthical and Surgical Treatment Needs among Retirement Age Population in Different Countries." Acta Chirurgica Latviensis 11, no. 1 (January 1, 2011): 139–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/v10163-012-0027-3.
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Evaluation of Oral Therapeuthical and Surgical Treatment Needs among Retirement Age Population in Different Countries Oral health in connection with quality of life is affected by such functional factors as dental decay and its complications, untreated tooth roots, oral mucosal diseases and inflammations, precancerous diseases, cancers, pain in temporomandibular joints, xerostomia and partially or fully edentulous jaws. It has been noted in literature that among retirement age population the number of remaining teeth has increased and the number of untreated decayed teeth in developed countries for the last 20 years has decreased. Despite this fact the need to improve measures of oral health remains actual in this age group due to increasing prevalence of diagnosed oral diseases and number of extracted teeth and roots. Oral health indicators among retirement age population living in nursing homes in such countries as Canada, USA, UK, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Turkey, Brazil, Australia and Lithuania differ from the same age group indicators among self-dependent old people able to take care of themself. Oral health indicators of nursing homes residents in many countries are significantly worse than oral health indicators of the corresponding age group population. The proposed evaluation data of oral hygiene, periodontal status, DMF-T index, quality of existing and needs of new prosthodontics as well as oral mucosal disorders among retirement age population provides an important insight into therapeutic and surgical treatment provision in different countries.
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Venn, Danielle, Jane Dixon, Cathy Banwell, and Lyndall Strazdins. "Social determinants of household food expenditure in Australia: the role of education, income, geography and time." Public Health Nutrition 21, no. 5 (December 18, 2017): 902–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1368980017003342.
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AbstractObjectiveTo examine socio-economic status (SES) and time-related factors associated with less healthy food purchases in Australia.DesignData were from the 2009/10 Household Expenditure Survey (HES) conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Regression analysis was used to examine the associations between the proportion of the household food budget spent on various food types (processed and unprocessed foods, foods purchased from takeaways and restaurants) and SES and time constraint variables.SettingAustralia, 2009–2010.SubjectsNationally representative sample of Australian households.ResultsHousehold income seems to be the most important correlate with food expenditure patterns once other SES indicators are controlled for. Time constraints appear to explain some, but not all, of the adjusted SES gradients in food expenditure. Comparing home food consumption categories (processed and unprocessed foods) with foods purchased away from home (takeaway and restaurant foods) shows that wealthier, more highly educated and least disadvantaged households spend relatively less of their total food budget on processed and unprocessed foods prepared at home and more on foods purchased away from home at restaurants.ConclusionsSimple SES gradients in dietary behaviour are influenced by correlations between different SES indicators and between SES and time constraints. Examining these factors separately obscures some of the possible causal effects of disadvantage on healthy eating. When formulating policy responses to unhealthy diets, policy makers should consider alternative sources of disadvantage, including time pressure.
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Schoknecht, Noel. "Report card on sustainable natural-resource use in the agricultural regions of Western Australia." Soil Research 53, no. 6 (2015): 695. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sr14267.
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A ‘Report Card’, which summarises the current knowledge of the status and trend in land condition in the agricultural areas of the south-west of Western Australia, was published in 2013 by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia. The Report Card draws on best available evidence from government and industry on the current condition and trend of 10 soil- and water-related natural resource themes relevant to agriculture, and discusses the implications of these results for the agricultural industries. The report also discusses the three main factors driving the performance of the land, namely climate, land characteristics and land management. The first two factors are largely out of the control of land managers, but in a drying and warming climate of the agricultural areas of Western Australia, land-management practices need to be able to respond to these changing conditions. The paper briefly explains the methodologies used to assess the seven soil-related themes in the Report Card and summarises the major findings. The results indicate that, for soils, the situation and outlook for our natural resources is mixed. Although there has been progress in some areas, such as managing wind and water erosion, the status and trend in many indicators of resource condition, such as soil acidity, soil compaction and water repellence, are adverse. The predicted growth in global demand for food and fibre brings many opportunities to the Western Australian agri-food sector but also challenges, especially in light of the Report Card findings. One of these challenges is our need to achieve agricultural productivity growth while ensuring our natural resources are healthy and resilient.
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CHOWELL, G., M. A. MILLER, and C. VIBOUD. "Seasonal influenza in the United States, France, and Australia: transmission and prospects for control." Epidemiology and Infection 136, no. 6 (July 18, 2007): 852–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0950268807009144.
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SUMMARYRecurrent epidemics of influenza are observed seasonally around the world with considerable health and economic consequences. A key quantity for the control of infectious diseases is the reproduction number, which measures the transmissibility of a pathogen and determines the magnitude of public health interventions necessary to control epidemics. Here we applied a simple epidemic model to weekly indicators of influenza mortality to estimate the reproduction numbers of seasonal influenza epidemics spanning three decades in the United States, France, and Australia. We found similar distributions of reproduction number estimates in the three countries, with mean value 1·3 and important year-to-year variability (range 0·9–2·1). Estimates derived from two different mortality indicators (pneumonia and influenza excess deaths and influenza-specific deaths) were in close agreement for the United States (correlation=0·61, P<0·001) and France (correlation=0·79, P<0·001), but not Australia. Interestingly, high prevalence of A/H3N2 influenza viruses was associated with high transmission seasons (P=0·006), while B viruses were more prevalent in low transmission seasons (P=0·004). The current vaccination strategy targeted at people at highest risk of severe disease outcome is suboptimal because current vaccines are poorly immunogenic in these population groups. Our results suggest that interrupting transmission of seasonal influenza would require a relatively high vaccination coverage (>60%) in healthy individuals who respond well to vaccine, in addition to periodic re-vaccination due to evolving viral antigens and waning population immunity.
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Charest, A. J., J. D. Plummer, S. C. Long, A. Carducci, M. Verani, and J. P. S. Sidhu. "Global occurrence of Torque teno virus in water systems." Journal of Water and Health 13, no. 3 (March 5, 2015): 777–89. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wh.2015.254.
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Bacterial indicator organisms are used globally to assess the microbiological safety of waters. However, waterborne viral outbreaks have occurred in drinking water systems despite negative bacterial results. Using viral markers may therefore provide more accurate health risk assessment data. In this study, fecal, wastewater, stormwater, surface water (fresh and salt), groundwater, and drinking water samples were analyzed for the presence or concentration of traditional indicators, innovative indicators and viral markers. Samples were obtained in the United States, Italy, and Australia and results compared to those reported for studies conducted in Asia and South America as well. Indicators included total coliforms, Escherichia coli, enterococci, male-specific coliphages, somatic coliphages and microviradae. Viral markers included adenovirus, polyomavirus, and a potential new surrogate, Torque teno virus (TTV). TTV was more frequently found in wastewaters (38–100%) and waters influenced by waste discharges (25%) than in surface waters used as drinking water sources (5%). TTV was also specific to human rather than animal feces. While TTV numbers were strongly correlated to other viral markers in wastewaters, suggesting its utility as a fecal contamination marker, data limitations and TTV presence in treated drinking waters demonstrates that additional research is needed on this potential viral indicator.
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Enticott, Joanne C., Graham N. Meadows, Frances Shawyer, Brett Inder, and Scott Patten. "Mental disorders and distress: Associations with demographics, remoteness and socioeconomic deprivation of area of residence across Australia." Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 50, no. 12 (November 11, 2015): 1169–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0004867415615948.
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Objectives: Australian policy-making needs better information on socio-geographical associations with needs for mental health care. We explored two national surveys for information on disparities in rates of mental disorders and psychological distress. Methods: Secondary data analysis using the 2011/2012 National Health Survey and 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Key data were the Kessler 10 scores in adults in the National Health Survey ( n = 12,332) and the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing ( n = 6558) and interview-assessed disorder rates in the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Estimation of prevalence of distress and disorders for sub-populations defined by geographic and socioeconomic status of area was followed by investigation of area effects adjusting for age and gender. Results: Overall, approximately one person in 10 reported recent psychological distress at high/very-high level, this finding varying more than twofold depending on socioeconomic status of area with 16.1%, 13.3%, 12.0%, 8.4% and 6.9% affected in the most to least disadvantaged quintiles, respectively, across Australia in 2011/2012. In the most disadvantaged quintile, the percentage (24.4%) with mental disorders was 50% higher than that in the least disadvantaged quintile (16.9%) in 2007, so this trend was less strong than for Kessler10 distress. Conclusion: These results suggest that disparities in mental health status in Australia based on socioeconomic characteristics of area are substantial and persisting. Whether considering 1-year mental disorders or 30-day psychological distress, these occur more commonly in areas with socioeconomic disadvantage. The association is stronger for Kessler10 scores suggesting that Kessler10 scores behaved more like a complex composite indicator of the presence of mental and subthreshold disorders, inadequate treatment and other responses to stressors linked to socioeconomic disadvantage. To reduce the observed disparities, what might be characterised as a ‘Whole of Government’ approach is needed, addressing elements of socioeconomic disadvantage and the demonstrable and significant inequities in treatment provision.
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Ros, Albert F. H., David Nusbaumer, Zegni Triki, Alexandra S. Grutter, and Redouan Bshary. "The impact of long-term reduced access to cleaner fish on health indicators of resident client fish." Journal of Experimental Biology 223, no. 24 (November 13, 2020): jeb231613. http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.231613.
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ABSTRACTIn many mutualisms, benefits in the form of food are exchanged for services such as transport or protection. In the marine cleaning mutualism, a variety of ‘client’ reef fishes offer ‘cleaner’ fish Labroides dimidiatus access to food in the form of their ectoparasites, where parasite removal supposedly protects the clients. Yet, the health benefits individual clients obtain in the long term from repeated ectoparasite removal remain relatively unknown. Here, we tested whether long-term reduced access to cleaning services alters indicators of health status such as body condition, immunity and the steroids cortisol and testosterone in four client damselfish species Pomacentrus amboinensis, Amblyglyphidodon curacao, Acanthochromis polyacanthus and Dischistodus perspicillatus. To do so, we took advantage of a long-term experimental project in which several small reefs around Lizard Island (Great Barrier Reef, Australia) have been maintained cleaner-free since the year 2000, while control reefs had their cleaner presence continuously monitored. We found that the four damselfish species from reef sites without cleaners for 13 years had lower body condition than fish from reefs with cleaners. However, immunity measurements and cortisol and testosterone levels did not differ between experimental groups. Our findings suggest that clients use the energetic benefits derived from long-term access to cleaning services to selectively increase body condition, rather than altering hormonal or immune system functions.
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Katzenellenbogen, Judith M., Daniela Bond-Smith, Anna P. Ralph, Mathilda Wilmot, Julie Marsh, Ross Bailie, and Veronica Matthews. "Priorities for improved management of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease: analysis of cross-sectional continuous quality improvement data in Aboriginal primary healthcare centres in Australia." Australian Health Review 44, no. 2 (2020): 212. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah19132.
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ObjectiveThis study investigated the delivery of guideline-recommended services for the management of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in Australian primary healthcare centres participating in the Audit and Best Practice for Chronic Disease (ABCD) National Research Partnership project. MethodsARF and RHD clinical audit data were collected from 63 Aboriginal centres in four Australian jurisdictions using the ABCD ARF/RHD audit tool. Records of up to 30 patients treated for ARF and/or RHD were analysed per centre from the most recent audit conducted between 2009 and 2014. The main outcome measure was a quality of ARF and RHD care composite indicator consisting of nine best-practice service items. ResultsOf 1081 patients, most were Indigenous (96%), female (61%), from the Northern Territory and Queensland (97%) and <25 years of age (49%). The composite indicator was highest in the 0–14 year age group (77% vs 65–67% in other age groups). Timely injections and provision of client education are important specific areas for improvement. Multiple regression showed age >15 years to be a significant negative factor for several care indicators, particularly for the delivery of long-acting antibiotic injections and specialist services in the 15–24 year age group. ConclusionsThe results suggest that timely injection and patient education are priorities for managing ARF and RHD, particularly focusing on child-to-adult transition care. What is known about the topic?The burden of rheumatic fever and RHD in some Aboriginal communities is among the highest documented globally. Guideline-adherent RHD prevention and management in primary health care (PHC) settings are critically important to reduce this burden. Continuous quality improvement (CQI) is a proven strategy to improve guideline adherence, using audit cycles and proactive engagement of PHC end users with their own data. Previously, such CQI strategies using a systems approach were shown to improve delivery of ARF and RHD care in six Aboriginal health services (three government and three community controlled). What does this paper add?This paper focuses on the variation across age groups in the quality of ARF and/or RHD care according to nine quality of care indicators across 63 PHC centres serving the Aboriginal population in the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. These new findings provide insight into difference in quality of care by life stage, indicating particular areas for improvement of the management of ARF and RHD at the PHC level, and can act as a baseline for monitoring of care quality for ARF and RHD into the future. What are the implications for practitioners?Management plans and innovative strategies or systems for improving adherence need to be developed as a matter of urgency. PHC professionals need to closely monitor adherence to secondary prophylaxis at both the clinic and individual level. RHD priority status needs to be assigned and recorded as a tool to guide management. Systems strengthening needs to particularly target child-to-adult transition care. Practitioners are urged to keep a quick link to the RHDAustralia website to access resources and guidelines pertaining to ARF and RHD (https://www.rhdaustralia.org.au/arf-rhd-guideline, accessed 3 October 2019). CQI strategies can assist PHC centres to improve the care they provide to patients.
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Ammenwerth, Elske, Georg Duftschmid, Zaid Al-Hamdan, Hala Bawadi, Ngai T. Cheung, Kyung-Hee Cho, Guillermo Goldfarb, et al. "International Comparison of Six Basic eHealth Indicators Across 14 Countries: An eHealth Benchmarking Study." Methods of Information in Medicine 59, S 02 (November 18, 2020): e46-e63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0040-1715796.
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Abstract Background Many countries adopt eHealth applications to support patient-centered care. Through information exchange, these eHealth applications may overcome institutional data silos and support holistic and ubiquitous (regional or national) information logistics. Available eHealth indicators mostly describe usage and acceptance of eHealth in a country. The eHealth indicators focusing on the cross-institutional availability of patient-related information for health care professionals, patients, and care givers are rare. Objectives This study aims to present eHealth indicators on cross-institutional availability of relevant patient data for health care professionals, as well as for patients and their caregivers across 14 countries (Argentina, Australia, Austria, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong as a special administrative region of China, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Sweden, Turkey, and the United States) to compare our indicators and the resulting data for the examined countries with other eHealth benchmarks and to extend and explore changes to a comparable survey in 2017. We defined “availability of patient data” as the ability to access data in and to add data to the patient record in the respective country. Methods The invited experts from each of the 14 countries provided the indicator data for their country to reflect the situation on August 1, 2019, as date of reference. Overall, 60 items were aggregated to six eHealth indicators. Results Availability of patient-related information varies strongly by country. Health care professionals can access patients' most relevant cross-institutional health record data fully in only four countries. Patients and their caregivers can access their health record data fully in only two countries. Patients are able to fully add relevant data only in one country. Finland showed the best outcome of all eHealth indicators, followed by South Korea, Japan, and Sweden. Conclusion Advancement in eHealth depends on contextual factors such as health care organization, national health politics, privacy laws, and health care financing. Improvements in eHealth indicators are thus often slow. However, our survey shows that some countries were able to improve on at least some indicators between 2017 and 2019. We anticipate further improvements in the future.
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TAYLOR, ANNE W., RHIANNON PILKINGTON, ELEONORA DAL GRANDE, CONSTANCE KOURBELIS, and HELEN BARRY. "Health and welfare profile of Australian baby boomers who live in rented accommodation – implications for the future." Ageing and Society 39, no. 4 (October 26, 2017): 685–702. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0144686x17001088.
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ABSTRACTBaby boomers who rent are often overlooked as an important sub-group. We aimed to assess the chronic conditions, risk factors, socio-economic factors and other health-related factors associated with renting in private or public housing. Data from telephone interviews conducted each month in South Australia between 2010 and 2015 were combined. Prevalence estimates were assessed for each risk factor and chronic condition by housing status. The association between housing status and variables of interest were analysed using logistic regression models adjusting for multiple covariates (age, gender, income, smoking, physical activity, area and year of data collection). Overall, 17.4 per cent of the 16,687 baby boomers interviewed were renting, either privately or using government-subsided housing. The health profile of renters (both private and public) was poorer overall, with renters more likely to have all of the chronic conditions and ten risk factors assessed. For public renters the relationships were maintained even after controlling for socio-economic and risk factor variables for all chronic diseases except osteoporosis. This research has provided empirical evidence of the considerable differences in health, socio-economic indicators and risk factors between baby boomers who rent and those who own, or are buying, their own homes.
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Green, Janette, James Dawber, Malcolm Masso, and Kathy Eagar. "Emergency department waiting times: do the raw data tell the whole story?" Australian Health Review 38, no. 1 (2014): 65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah13065.
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Objective To determine whether there are real differences in emergency department (ED) performance between Australian states and territories. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of 2009−10 attendances at an ED contributing to the Australian non-admitted patient ED care database. The main outcome measure was difference in waiting time across triage categories. Results There were more than 5.8 million ED attendances. Raw ED waiting times varied by a range of factors including jurisdiction, triage category, geographic location and hospital peer group. All variables were significant in a model designed to test the effect of jurisdiction on ED waiting times, including triage category, hospital peer group, patient socioeconomic status and patient remoteness. When the interaction between triage category and jurisdiction entered the model, it was found to have a significant effect on ED waiting times (P < 0.001) and triage was also significant (P < 0.001). Jurisdiction was no longer statistically significant (P = 0.248 using all triage categories and 0.063 using only Australian Triage Scale 2 and 3). Conclusions Although the Council of Australian Governments has adopted raw measures for its key ED performance indicators, raw waiting time statistics are misleading. There are no consistent differences in ED waiting times between states and territories after other factors are accounted for. What is known about the topic? The length of time patients wait to be treated after presenting at an ED is routinely used to measure ED performance. In national health agreements with the federal government, each state and territory in Australia is expected to meet waiting time performance targets for the five ED triage categories. The raw data indicate differences in performance between states and territories. What does this paper add? Measuring ED performance using raw data gives misleading results. There are no consistent differences in ED waiting times between the states and territories after other factors are taken into account. What are the implications for practitioners? Judgements regarding differences in performance across states and territories for triage waiting times need to take into account the mix of patients and the mix of hospitals.
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Bruyn, Lisa Alexandra Lobry de. "The status of soil macrofauna as indicators of soil health to monitor the sustainability of Australian agricultural soils." Ecological Economics 23, no. 2 (November 1997): 167–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0921-8009(97)00052-9.
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Kim, Hee Jin, and Han-Young Mi. "A Comparative Study of ECEC Evaluation Indicators for Health, Nutrition and Safety: Focusing on Korea, Australia, and United States." Journal of Educational Studies 53, no. 3 (September 30, 2022): 327–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.15854/jes.2022.09.53.3.327.
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Farquharson, R. J., G. D. Schwenke, and J. D. Mullen. "Should we manage soil organic carbon in Vertosols in the northern grains region of Australia?" Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 43, no. 3 (2003): 261. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea00163.
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Two issues prompted this paper. The first was the measured soil organic carbon decline in fertile northern Australian soils under continual cropping using traditional management practices. We wanted to see whether it was theoretically possible to maintain or improve soil organic carbon concentrations with modern management recommendations. The second was the debate about use of sustainability indicators for on-farm management, so we looked at soil organic carbon as a potential indicator of soil health and investigated whether it was useful in making on-farm crop decisions. The analytical results indicated first that theoretically the observed decline in soil organic carbon concentrations in some northern cracking clay soils can be halted and reversed under continuous cropping sequences by using best practice management. Second, the results and associated discussion give some support to the use of soil organic carbon as a sustainability indicator for soil health. There was a consistent correlation between crop input decisions (fertilisation, stubble management, tillage), outputs (yield and profits) and outcomes (change in soil organic carbon content) in the short and longer term. And this relationship depended to some extent on whether the existing soil organic carbon status was low, medium or high. A stock dynamics relationship is one where the change in a stock (such as soil organic carbon) through time is related not only to the management decisions made and other random influences (such as climatic effects), but also to the concentration or level of the stock itself in a previous time period. Against such a requirement, soil organic carbon was found to be a reasonable measure. However, the inaccuracy in measuring soil organic carbon in the paddock mitigates the potential benefit shown in this analysis of using soil organic carbon as a sustainability indicator.These results are based on a simulation model (APSIM) calibrated for a cracking clay (Vertosol) soil typical of much of the intensively-cropped slopes and plains region of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland, and need to be interpreted in this light. There are large areas of such soils in north-western New South Wales; however, many of these experience lower rainfalls and plant-available soil water capacities than in this case, and the importance of these characteristics must also be considered.
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Ahsan, Shamir, M. Ariful Islam, and Md Taohidul Islam. "On-farm welfare assessment of dairy cattle by animal-linked parameters in Bangladesh." Research in Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries 3, no. 3 (December 18, 2016): 417–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ralf.v3i3.30733.
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The present study was conducted in 33 dairy farms to evaluate the welfare quality of Australian-zebu cross bred cows through some animal-based welfare indicators. The main aims of this research were to identify welfare issues facing dairy cows and investigate whether indicators are associated with measures of welfare and performance efficiency. The assessment of animal welfare was performed (330 animals) Australian-cross breed in family dairy farms at Sirajganj district of Bangladesh. Data were collected through face-to-face interview with farmers, followed by an inspection and observation of dairy cows. A total 330 females (43 heifers and 287 cows) were included in this study. Body condition, body cleanliness, injury, lameness, health status and milk yield were assessed. Among studied animals, body condition score 2 about (65.5%), hock joint injury (83.6%), knee injury (48.8%), and a pronounced state of poor cleanliness on: dirty udder (55.9%), flank (55.0%) and hind limbs (96.4%) were observed. Health status including diarrhea, respiratory distress, coughing, nasal and ocular discharge were present in some animals. The results indicate that very good BCS and mastitis free cows are related to higher milk yields. Results of this study may indicate the some indicators that influence the animal welfare and productivity in selected farms. As this work was a preliminary study, so the comprehensive research is needed to further develop the prototype protocol.Res. Agric., Livest. Fish.3(3): 417-424, December 2016
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Belackova, Vendula, Edmund Silins, Allison M. Salmon, Marianne Jauncey, and Carolyn A. Day. "“Beyond Safer Injecting”—Health and Social Needs and Acceptance of Support among Clients of a Supervised Injecting Facility." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16, no. 11 (June 7, 2019): 2032. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16112032.
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Health and social issues in aging populations of people who inject drugs (PWID) tend to aggregate, despite risky injecting practices decreasing with age. Identifying needs and avenues of support is becoming increasingly important. We described the health and social situation among clients of a long-running supervised injecting facility (SIF) in Sydney, Australia. An interviewer-administered survey (n = 182) assessed current housing status, employment, physical and mental health, incarceration history, drug use, engagement in drug treatment, health service utilization, and willingness to accept support. Results were compared to the information provided at initial visit. Up to half of the participants transitioned between lower- and higher-risk health and social indicators over time. Willingness to accept support was greatest amongst those with higher self-perceived need. Support for mental health was a low priority, despite the high self-reporting of mental health issues. SIF clients are open to support for health and social issues, despite ongoing active drug use. Lower-threshold services such as SIFs are well-positioned to recognize and respond to deteriorating health and social issues for PWID. Facilitating care and treatment remains a challenge when the services to which people are being referred are higher-threshold with a more rigid approach.
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Wilson, Tom, and Fiona Shalley. "Estimates of Australia’s non-heterosexual population." Australian Population Studies 2, no. 1 (May 26, 2018): 26–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.37970/aps.v2i1.23.
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Background Demographers have studied minority populations for many years, but relatively little attention has been paid to sexual minority groups. Population estimates for sexual minorities would be useful as denominators for a range of health and socioeconomic indicators, to monitor representation in employment, assist budget planning and inform the marketing of goods and services. Aim The aim of this paper is to present some approximate estimates of the non-heterosexual adult population of Australia in mid-2016 by sex, broad age group and state and territory. Data and methods Data on sexual identity were sourced from three nationally representative surveys: the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey, the second Australian Study of Health and Relationships and the ABS General Social Survey. Use was made also of 2016 ABS Census of Population and Housing (Census) data and Estimated Resident Populations. Prevalence rates of the non-heterosexual population aged 18+ were averaged over the three surveys and multiplied by ERP to obtain national population estimates. Census data on same-sex couples were used to distribute the national estimates by state and territory. Results Australia’s non-heterosexual population aged 18+ in 2016 is estimated to have been 592,000, representing about 3.2% of the adult population. New South Wales is home to the largest non-heterosexual population (about 204,000) and the Northern Territory the smallest (4,700), while the highest prevalence is in the Australian Capital Territory (5.1%). Conclusions Australia’s non-heterosexual population is a relatively small population, but its prevalence varies considerably by age and sex and between states and territories. Estimates of this population should prove useful for monitoring health and wellbeing and for a variety of planning and policy purposes.
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A. B. Attanayake, H. M. Dumidu, Adrian Barnett, Nicola W. Burton, Wendy J. Brown, and Susanna M. Cramb. "Diabetes and physical activity: A prospective cohort study." PLOS ONE 17, no. 10 (October 26, 2022): e0276761. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276761.
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Diabetes is on the rise as the worldwide population ages. While physical activity can help protect against diabetes, ageing is commonly associated with reduced physical activity. This study aimed to examine if physical activity differs by diabetes status in mid-aged adults, how this association changes over time, and whether physical activity-related sociodemographic factors and health indicators differ in those with and without diabetes. Data came from four waves of the How Areas in Brisbane Influence HealTh and AcTivity (HABITAT), a longitudinal study of mid-age adults living in Brisbane, Australia. Random effects/Expectation-maximisation (RE-EM) regression trees were used to identify factors affecting physical activity among those with and without diabetes, both separately and combined. At study entry, those with diabetes had a higher median age of 58 years (95% CI: 57–60) and a lower median physical activity of 699 MET.min/week (95% CI: 599–799) than people without diabetes (53 years (95% CI: 53–53) and 849 MET.min/week (95% CI: 799–899)). However, the strongest factors influencing physical activity were BMI and gender, not diabetes status. It is vital to promote physical activity among adults, in particular among those with high BMI and women, as well as those with and at high risk of diseases like diabetes.
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Oftedal, Stina, Corneel Vandelanotte, and Mitch J. Duncan. "Patterns of Diet, Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep Are Associated with Socio-Demographic, Behavioural, and Health-Risk Indicators in Adults." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16, no. 13 (July 4, 2019): 2375. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16132375.
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Our understanding of how multiple health-behaviours co-occur is in its infancy. This study aimed to: (1) identify patterns of physical activity, diet, sitting, and sleep; and (2) examine the association between sociodemographic and health-risk indicators. Pooled data from annual cross-sectional telephone surveys of Australian adults (2015–2017, n = 3374, 51.4% women) were used. Participants self-reported physical activity, diet, sitting-time, sleep/rest insufficiency, sociodemographic characteristics, smoking, alcohol use, height and weight to calculate body mass index (BMI), and mental distress frequency. Latent class analysis identified health-behaviour classes. Latent class regression determined the associations between health-behaviour patterns, sociodemographic, and health-risk indicators. Three latent classes were identified. Relative to a ‘moderate lifestyle’ pattern (men: 43.2%, women: 38.1%), a ‘poor lifestyle’ pattern (men: 19.9%, women: 30.5%) was associated with increased odds of a younger age, smoking, BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m2, frequent mental distress (men and women), non-partnered status (men only), a lower Socioeconomic Index for Areas centile, primary/secondary education only, and BMI = 25.0–29.9 kg/m2 (women only). An ‘active poor sleeper’ pattern (men: 37.0%, women: 31.4%) was associated with increased odds of a younger age (men and women), working and frequent mental distress (women only), relative to a ‘moderate lifestyle’ pattern. Better understanding of how health-behaviour patterns influence future health status is needed. Targeted interventions jointly addressing these behaviours are a public health priority.
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Bassett, David R., John Pucher, Ralph Buehler, Dixie L. Thompson, and Scott E. Crouter. "Walking, Cycling, and Obesity Rates in Europe, North America, and Australia." Journal of Physical Activity and Health 5, no. 6 (November 2008): 795–814. http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/jpah.5.6.795.
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Purpose:This study was designed to examine the relationship between active transportation (defined as the percentage of trips taken by walking, bicycling, and public transit) and obesity rates (BMI ≥ 30 kg · m−2) in different countries.Methods:National surveys of travel behavior and health indicators in Europe, North America, and Australia were used in this study; the surveys were conducted in 1994 to 2006. In some cases raw data were obtained from national or federal agencies and then analyzed, and in other cases summary data were obtained from published reports.Results:Countries with the highest levels of active transportation generally had the lowest obesity rates. Europeans walked more than United States residents (382 versus 140 km per person per year) and bicycled more (188 versus 40 km per person per year) in 2000.Discussion:Walking and bicycling are far more common in European countries than in the United States, Australia, and Canada. Active transportation is inversely related to obesity in these countries. Although the results do not prove causality, they suggest that active transportation could be one of the factors that explain international differences in obesity rates.
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Xiao, Guobei, Zhuoting Zhu, Xin Xiao, Zachary Tan, Ke Cao, Xianwen Shang, Karl D. Brown, Guofu Huang, Lei Zhang, and Mingguang He. "Geographical Inequality on Cataract Surgery Uptake in 200,000 Australians: Findings from the “45 and Up Study”." Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience 2022 (September 16, 2022): 1–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/9618912.
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Using a geographical information system (GIS), we investigated the spatiotemporal evolution of a cataract surgery service and its association with socioeconomic factors and private insurance, based on 10-year real-world medical claim data in an Australian population. The data collected cover a decade (2007–2016) from the “45 and Up Study”. A total of 234,201 participants within the cataract surgery service were grouped into 88 Statistical Area Level 3 (SA3s) according to their residential postcodes in New South Wales Australia. We analyzed the spatiotemporal variations and geographical distribution inequality in cataract surgery incidence and its respect to socioeconomic status (SES) and private health insurance coverage by Spearman correlation analysis and Moran’s I test. Then these variations were intuitive displayed by six-quartile maps and a local indicator of spatial association (LISA) maps based on GIS. The average cumulative age-gender-standardized of the incidence of cataract surgery (ICS) was 8.85% (95% CI, 5.33–15.6). Spatial variation was significant (univariate Moran’s I = 0.45, P = 0.001) with incidence gradually decreasing from the coastal regions to the north-western inland regions, suggesting inequality in the cataract surgery service across the state of New South Wales. Notably, clustering of the low incidence areas had gradually disappeared over the decade, suggesting that the cataract surgery service has improved over time. Low scores on the “index of socioeconomic disadvantages” (IRSD) and high private health insurance coverage were significantly associated with a higher incidence of cataract surgery (bivariate Moran’s I = −0.13 and 0.23, P < 0.01; Spearman correlation r = 0.25 and −0.25, P = 0.02), which is displayed on the map visually and obviously. Spatiotemporal variations in the incidence of cataract surgery are significant, but the low incidence area had gradually disappeared over time. High socioeconomic status and private insurance contribute to a higher incidence of cataract surgery in Australia.
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Toohill, Jocelyn, Emily Callander, Haylee Fox, Daniel Lindsay, Jenny Gamble, Debra Creedy, and Jennifer Fenwick. "Socioeconomic differences in access to care in Australia for women fearful of birth." Australian Health Review 43, no. 6 (2019): 639. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah17271.
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Objective Fear of childbirth is known to increase a woman’s likelihood of having a Caesarean section. Continuity of midwifery care is known to reduce this risk, but less than 8% of women have access to this relationship-based, primary care model. The aims of this study were to determine whether healthcare use and access to continuity models are equal across different indicators of socioeconomic status for women who are fearful of birth. Methods A secondary analysis was conducted of data obtained during a randomised controlled trial of a psychoeducation intervention by trained midwives to minimise childbirth fear (the Birth Emotions and Looking to Improve Expectant Fear (BELIEF) study). In all, 1410 women were screened, with 339 women reporting high levels of fear (Wijma-Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire ≥66). Demographic, obstetric information, birth preference and psychosocial measures were collected at recruitment and at 36 weeks gestation for the 339 fearful women, with the birth method and health service use returned by 183 women at 6 weeks after the birth. Results Univariate analysis revealed no significant difference in the number of general practitioner and midwife visits between women of high and low income and high and low education. However, women with higher levels of education had 2.51-fold greater odds of seeing the same midwife throughout their pregnancy than women with lower education (95% confidence interval 1.25–5.04), after adjusting for age, parity and hospital site. Conclusions Given the known positive outcomes of continuity of midwifery care for women fearful of birth, health policy makers need to provide equity in access to evidence-based models of midwifery care. What is known about this topic? Caseload midwifery care is considered the gold standard care due to the known positive outcomes it has for the mother and baby during the perinatal period. Pregnant women who receive caseload midwifery care are more likely to experience a normal vaginal birth. What does this paper add? There is unequal access to midwifery caseload care for women fearful of birth across socioeconomic boundaries. Midwifery caseload care is not used for all fearful mothers during the perinatal period. What are the implications for practitioners? Health policy makers seeking to provide equity in access to maternity care should be aware of these inequalities in use to target delivery of care at this specific cohort of mothers.
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Ford, Belinda, Lisa Keay, Blake Angell, Stephanie Hyams, Paul Mitchell, Gerald Liew, and Andrew White. "Quality and targeting of new referrals for ocular complications of diabetes from primary care to a public hospital ophthalmology service in Western Sydney, Australia." Australian Journal of Primary Health 26, no. 4 (2020): 293. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/py20084.
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Patients with diabetes require regular examination for eye disease, usually in primary care settings. Guidelines recommend patients with at least moderate non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) be referred to an ophthalmologist for treatment; however, poorly targeted referrals lead to access blocks. The quality of new referrals associated with diabetes to a public ophthalmology service in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, were assessed for referral completeness and targeting. A cross-sectional audit of medical records for new patients referred to Westmead Hospital Eye Clinic in 2016 was completed. Completeness of medical and ophthalmic information in referrals and subsequent patient diagnosis and management in 2016–17 was recorded. Sub-analyses were conducted by primary care referrer type (GP or optometrist). In total, 151 new retinopathy referrals were received; 12% were sent directly to a treatment clinic. Information was incomplete for diabetes status (>60%), medical (>50%) and ophthalmic indicators (>70%), including visual acuity (>60%). GP referrals better recorded medical, and optometrists (37%) ophthalmic information, but information was still largely incomplete. Imaging was rarely included (retinal photos <1%; optical coherence tomography <3%). Median appointment wait-time was 124 days; 21% of patients received treatment (laser or anti-vascular endothelial growth factor) at this or the following encounter. Targeting referrals for ocular complication of diabetes to public hospitals needs improvement. Education, feedback and collaborative care mechanisms should be considered to improve screening and referral in primary care.
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Kenyon-Smith, Timothy, Eric Nguyen, Tarandeep Oberai, and Ruurd Jarsma. "Early Mobilization Post–Hip Fracture Surgery." Geriatric Orthopaedic Surgery & Rehabilitation 10 (January 1, 2019): 215145931982643. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2151459319826431.
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Introduction: Early mobilization after hip fracture surgery is a widely practiced component of postoperative care. However, there is little evidence to suggest that early mobilization post–hip fracture surgery is beneficial in reducing postoperative complications. This study aims to investigate the effect of early mobilization following hip fracture surgery on postoperative complications. Materials and Methods: This study retrospectively included 240 patients (female = 165, male = 75, mean age: 82.2 years) admitted to a level 1 trauma center in Adelaide, Australia, for hip fracture surgery. The effect of early mobilization on postoperative complications was assessed along with premorbid status. Subgroup analysis of patients stratified by premorbid health was subsequently analyzed to reduce confounding. Results: The odds of developing a complication were 1.9 times higher if the patient remained bedbound compared to mobilizing. Early mobilization was favorable to delayed mobilization. On average, complication-free patients mobilized earlier (mean [M] = 29 hours) compared to patients who experienced complications (M = 38 hours). In particular, rates of delirium was significantly reduced in patients who mobilized compared to remaining bedbound. However, premorbid status varied greatly. Early mobilizers had significantly better premorbid health than patients who remained bedbound. Overall subgroup analysis of patients with similar premorbid health showed mobilization was not associated with a reduction in complications. With an exception of patients with poor premorbid health, who experienced a reduction in complications following early mobilization. Discussion: In general, early mobilization was associated with the same complication rates as delayed mobilization and remaining bedbound. Patients with poor premorbid health benefited most from early mobilization with reduced complication rates. Conclusion: Postoperative delirium and premorbid health were better indicators of postoperative outcomes than time to mobilization.