Trans-adaption of successful cigarette smoking intervention to randomised school-based cannabis intervention trial

Despite the emergence of cannabis use as a public health issue of significance in the 21st Century, no school-based interventions specifically addressing cannabis use have been reported in the literature. The prevalence of adolescent cannabis use has risen during the 1990s while the age of onset has decreased. This three-year trial seeks to trans-adapt a successful school-based cigarette smoking program underpinned by harm minimisation (HM) theory (including abstinence messages), into a school-based cannabis intervention trial. This innovative intervention will be compared to the largely abstinence-based drug use prevention activities currently used in W A. The first and second years of the project have been successful in establishing and conducting this school-based cluster randomised control trial. In summary, under the direction of an experienced management team, the project has recruited 24 Perth metropolitan high schools - the required number to provide sufficient power to detect hypothesised differences between intervention and comparison students. Within these schools, active parental consent to participate in data collection for the project was obtained from over 3,300 students after the initial letter and two reminders to parents (69% consent rate). Baseline data were collected from nearly 3,100 students (93% of those eligible), 2953 students at post-test 1 and 2701 students at the end of the second year of intervention (Post-test 2). In addition, data were collected at each of these time points from English and Health Education teachers, and school principals

Reducing the effects of bullying among Aboriginal children living in rural Western Australia: annual report

It is unknown how Aboriginal children and adults conceptualize childhood bullying and what school/community intervention programs are appropriate. The Solid Kids, Solid Schools project will use a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods to develop culturally informed and determined understandings of bullying among Aboriginal children. These understandings can then be used to formatively develop a sustainable school and community-based bullying prevention and reduction program with strategies identified by Aboriginal people for use in schools in the Yamaji region or Midwest, Murchison Education District of Western Australia. According to the funding proposal a Steering Committee was established to provide project guidance and feedback for the duration of the Project. In depth community consultation highlighted the need for modifications to the Project study design. The recommended methodological changes allow the Project to collect seeping data that will contextualise bullying experiences among Aboriginal children attending primary schools and high schools throughout the Mid West Murchison District, or Yamaji region. Collection of seeping data will be conducted in six schools and three community groups and commenced in November 2006

Breastfeeding and weaning practices among Hong Kong mothers: a prospective study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Breastfeeding provides optimal and complete nutrition for newborn babies. Although new mothers in Hong Kong are increasingly choosing to breastfeed their babies, rates of exclusive breastfeeding are low and duration remains short. The purpose of this study was to describe the breastfeeding and weaning practices of Hong Kong mothers over the infant's first year of life to determine the factors associated with early cessation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cohort of 1417 mother-infant pairs was recruited from the obstetric units of four public hospitals in Hong Kong in the immediate post-partum period and followed prospectively for 12 months or until weaned. We used descriptive statistics to describe breastfeeding and weaning practices and multiple logistic regression to investigate the relationship between maternal characteristics and breastfeeding cessation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months only 63%, 37.3%, 26.9%, and 12.5% of the infants respectively, were still receiving any breast milk; approximately one-half of breastfeeding mothers were exclusively breastfeeding. Younger mothers, those with a longer duration of residence in Hong Kong, and those returning to work postpartum were more likely to wean before 1 month. Mothers with higher education, previous breastfeeding experience, who were breastfed themselves and those who were planning to exclusively breastfeed and whose husbands preferred breastfeeding were more likely to continue breastfeeding beyond 1 month. The introduction of infant formula before 1 month and returning to work postpartum were predictive of weaning before 3 months.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Breastfeeding promotion programs have been successful in achieving high rates of breastfeeding initiation but the focus must now shift to helping new mothers exclusively breastfeed and sustain breastfeeding for longer.</p

Health promotion in the workplace, NSW, 1991

The aim of this study was to provide the NSW Health Department with baseline information on the extent to which employers in NSW formally support or organise health-promoting policies or activities for their employees. (Formal policies or activities were defined as those which are supported by management.) Telephone interviews to NSW organisations were used to determine the presence of an occupational health and saftey officer in the organisation, health and saftey improvement policies held by the organisation, and health-promoting services provided by the organisation. The geographical location of the organisation and proportion of white-collar and blue-collar workers employed by the organisation were also recorded

Optimising school nurse involvement in youth based tobacco control programs: presented to the Western Australian Health Promotion Foundation

A significant proportion of youth smoke regularly, placing them at risk of addiction to cigarette smoking. It is known that adolescence is a critical period for the establishment of adult drug use behaviours. The key focus for this research program is the investigation of interventions addressing adolescent smoking cessation, with a particular emphasis on School Nurse involvement. The research program aims to provide capacity building benefits at three levels: to secondary school nurses, to two post-graduate students, as well as school health promotion /smoking prevention/cessation practitioners and researchers. Ultimately this project may add previously underused but well trained, highly credible resources to efforts to decrease the use of and harm associated with tobacco amongst Western Australian youth

Beyond the pamphlet: an overview of evidence for health promotion initiatives to address four risk factors

The tables that comprise the body of this report summarise selected reviews of studies that evaluate the effectiveness of health promotion interventions to promote behaviour change in 4 main areas: alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, physical activity, and depression. These were 4 areas selected as main modifiable risk factors that influence the major Burden of Disease for the NT, namely cardiovascular disease and mental disorders. Reviews were studied in a search for evidence that indicates effective interventions across the life course, looking at early years, adolescence, family years and granny years. The reviews on which this overview is based were selected though advice provided by program managers in the relevant areas. The findings present interventions that have been demonstrated to be effective in achieving behaviour change in settings where they were evaluated. The information provided in this report is offered for consideration, alongside local knowledge of existing programs and contexts

Food &amp; babies Pregnancy and the first year of life

Rev. ed.SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:OP-IRE/548 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo