bernadette ward

Introduction. Environmental and societal factors are significant determinants of children's initiation to and use of alcohol. Schools are important settings for promoting well-being and substantial resources have been devoted to curriculum-based alcohol programs, but the effects of these in reducing the misuse of alcohol have been modest.Adults can and do consume alcohol at school events when students are present, but there is a dearth of evidence about parents' level of support for the practice. The aim of this study was to examine parents' level of support for the purchase and consumption of alcohol at primary school fundraising events when children are present. Methods. Four hundred seventy-nine Australian parents of children aged 0–12 years participated in an online survey. Logistic regression was used to assess the impact of parent characteristics on the level of agreement with parental purchase and consumption of alcohol at school fundraising events when children are present. Results. The majority of parents (60%) disagreed/strongly disagreed with the practice of adults being able to purchase and consume alcohol at school fundraising events when children were present.The 21% of parents who supported the practice were more likely to be daily smokers and/or have higher (>6) Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test—alcohol consumption scores. Conclusions. Despite the fact that the majority of parents disagree with this practice, published reports suggest that adults' use of alcohol at primary school events is an emerging issue. It is important that school decision-makers are mindful of the financial and educational value of fundraising activities. [Ward B, Kippen R, Buykx P, Gilligan C, Chapman K. Parents' level of support for adults' purchase and consumption of alcohol at primary school events when children are present. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015;34:202–6]

Background: Several options are advocated by policy experts to mitigate alcohol-related harms, although the most effective strategies often have the least public support. While knowledge of tobacco-related health risks predicts support for relevant public health measures, it is not known whether knowledge of alcohol health risks is similarly associated with the acceptability of policies intended to reduce alcohol consumption and related harms. This study aims to gauge public support for a range of alcohol policies and to determine whether or not support is associated with knowledge of a long-term health risk of alcohol consumption, specifically cancer. Methods: 2482 adults in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, participated in an online survey. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between demographic data, alcohol consumption , smoking status, knowledge of alcohol as a risk factor for cancer and support for alcohol-related policies. Results: Most participants were supportive of health warnings, restricting access to internet alcohol advertising to young people, and requiring information on national drinking guidelines on alcohol containers. Almost half of participants supported a ban on sport sponsorship, while less than 41% supported price increases, volumetric taxation, or reducing the number of retail outlets. Only 47% of participants identified drinking too much alcohol as a risk factor for cancer. Knowledge of alcohol as a risk factor for cancer was a significant predictor of support for all policies, while level of alcohol consumption had a significant inverse relationship with policy support. Conclusion: The finding that support for alcohol management policies is associated with awareness that drinking too much alcohol may contribute to cancer could assist in the planning of future public health interventions. Improving awareness of the long term health risks of alcohol consumption may be one avenue to increasing public support for effective alcohol harm-reduction policies.

Objective. Access to primary healthcare (PHC) services is key to improving health outcomes in rural areas. Unfortunately, little is known about which aspect of access is most important. The objective of this study was to determine the relative importance of different dimensions of access in the decisions of rural Australians to utilise PHC provided by general practitioners (GP). Methods. Data were collected from residents of five communities located in 'closely' settled and 'sparsely' settled rural regions. A paired-comparison methodology was used to quantify the relative importance of availability, distance, affordability (cost) and acceptability (preference) in relation to respondents' decisions to utilise a GP service for non-emergency care. Results. Consumers reported that preference for a GP and GP availability are far more important than distance to and cost of the service when deciding to visit a GP for non-emergency care. Important differences in rankings emerged by geographic context, gender and age. Conclusions. Understanding how different dimensions of access influence the utilisation of PHC services is critical in planning the provision of PHC services. This study reports how consumers 'trade-off' the different dimensions of access when accessing GP care in rural Australia. The results show that ensuring 'good' access requires that policymakers and planners should consider other dimensions of access to services besides geography. What is known about the topic? Research indicates that poorer 'access' to GPs, an impediment to seeking primary care at times of need, is the most important factor distinguishing rural from urban health service utilisation behaviour, which undoubtedly contributes to the poorer health outcomes characterising rural and remote populations. Much of the policy on access to date has focussed on increasing the number of GP located in rural and remote areas that are characterised by acute medical workforce shortages. What does this paper add? This study provides empirical data to show how different dimensions of access influence rural Australians' decisions to utilise a GP service. Overall, rural Australians rank preference for a GP as the most important factor in their decision to visit a doctor for a non-emergency consultation. Important differences in rankings emerged by geographic context, gender and age. Distance to a GP service ranks consistently as the third most important access factor and cost is rated the least important aspect of access. What are the implications for practitioners? Although current rural health policies and incentives should continue to target the need to increase the availability of GP in non-metropolitan areas, this alone may not be sufficient to improve GP service utilisation. Other dimensions of access, particularly consumer preference, which are amenable to interventions both nationally and locally, are equally important.

Abstract: There is a dearth of research on the undergraduate research training provided to pharmacy students. We aimed to identify and provide examples of effective pedagogy in teaching research and evidence-based practice (EBP) to undergraduate pharmacy ...

Background: Schools provide opportunities for parents and the wider community to connect and support the physical and emotional wellbeing of their children. Schools therefore have the potential to play a role in the socialisation of alcohol use through school policies and practices regarding consumption of alcohol by adults at school events in the presence of children. Methods: This survey was undertaken to a) compare the extent to which alcohol is used at secondary school events, when children are present, in the states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria (VIC), Australia; b) describe principals' level of agreement with these practices; c) their awareness of state policies on this issue; and d) the predictors of such events. A random sample of secondary schools, stratified to represent metropolitan and non-metropolitan schools were invited to participate. Bivariate and multivariate analysis were conducted with p values < 0.05 considered significant. Results: A total of 241 (43 %) schools consented to participate in the study. Fifteen percent of participating NSW schools and 57 % of VIC schools held at least one event in which alcohol was consumed by adults in the presence of children in the year before the survey. Of the 100 reported events, 78 % were Year 12 graduation dinners, and 18 % were debutante balls. Compared to NSW principals, VIC principals were significantly more likely to agree with the use of alcohol at these events; significantly less likely to be aware of their state education department policy on this issue; have a policy at their own school or support policy that prohibits alcohol use at such events; and less likely to report having enough information to make decisions about this.

... Authors: Hakim, Toufic; Demirkan, Ismail; Beketov, Aksar; Klepper, David; Yersel, Metin; Gad-El-Hak, Mohamed; Slabinski, Victor J.; Ward, Bernadette Waterman; Saxena, Anand; Tyagi, Rajiv; Hoodbhoy, Pervez. Publication: Physics Today, vol. 61, issue 1, p. 10. ...

Changes in the higher education sector over the past decade have led to increasing demands on academics and resulted in increasing workloads, longer work hours and increased workplace stress. Declining government commitment to university funding has placed increasing pressure on academics to attract research funding and to publish. In addition, an individual academic’s publication record is a core criterion for decisions regarding promotion and tenure at most universities. However, incentives to support and enable that writing to take place have been limited.A range of different interventions have been described in the literature to enhance research output and encourage academics to publish. However, many are expensive in terms of the financial and personal costs involved, when compared with the increased publication outputs.In this article the authors reflect on how their small university department facilitated on‐site writing retreats that increased publication output, with minimal disruption and limited costs. They provide a reflective account of two such retreats conducted over a twelve‐month period and make recommendations for other departments wishing to adopt a similar approach.

ABSTRACT Alcohol misuse in Australia society is a community issue that can be addressed successfully within a health promotion framework. It is important that strategies are not perceived as ‘quick fixes’ but work toward addressing some of the underlying structural factors that contribute to the problem. Objective The objective of this article is to demonstrate how nurses can use the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion framework in addressing alcohol misuse among young people. Primary argument The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (1986) provides a useful framework from which to view the health of whole populations over their life course and in doing so work toward strengthening peoples’ health potential (World Health Organization 2005). The relevance of the Charter lies not only in the influence it has on establishing health promotion practice, but also the influence it has on health policy development and health research (World Health Organization 2005). Conclusion Parents and c...

This paper provides a comprehensive review of the key dimensions of access and their significance for the provision of primary health care and a framework that assists policy-makers to evaluate how well policy targets the dimensions of access. Access to health care can be conceptualised as the potential ease with which consumers can obtain health care at times of need. Disaggregation of the concept of access into the dimensions of availability, geography, affordability, accommodation, timeliness, acceptability and awareness allows policy-makers to identify key questions which must be addressed to ensure reasonable primary health care access for rural and remote Australians. Evaluating how well national primary health care policies target these dimensions of access helps identify policy gaps and potential inequities in ensuring access to primary health care. Effective policies must incorporate the multiple dimensions of access if they are to comprehensively and effectively address unacceptable inequities in health status and access to basic health services experienced by rural and remote Australians.

Abstract: There is a dearth of research on the undergraduate research training provided to pharmacy students. We aimed to identify and provide examples of effective pedagogy in teaching research and evidence-based practice (EBP) to undergraduate pharmacy ...

Changes in the higher education sector over the past decade have led to increasing demands on academics and resulted in increasing workloads, longer work hours and increased workplace stress. Declining government commitment to university funding has placed increasing pressure on academics to attract research funding and to publish. In addition, an individual academic’s publication record is a core criterion for decisions regarding promotion and tenure at most universities. However, incentives to support and enable that writing to take place have been limited.A range of different interventions have been described in the literature to enhance research output and encourage academics to publish. However, many are expensive in terms of the financial and personal costs involved, when compared with the increased publication outputs.In this article the authors reflect on how their small university department facilitated on‐site writing retreats that increased publication output, with minimal disruption and limited costs. They provide a reflective account of two such retreats conducted over a twelve‐month period and make recommendations for other departments wishing to adopt a similar approach.

Issue addressed: The aim of this study was to investigate predictors of adults' perceived acceptability of introducing alcohol to children less than 18 years of age.
Methods: An online survey. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between demographic characteristics, alcohol consumption, and social norms and adults' own age of initiation.
Results: Alcohol consumption, age of initiation and perception of the acceptability of drunkenness were all correlated with the acceptability of introducing children to alcohol. The strongest predictor was adults' own age of initiation.
Conclusions: Adults who began drinking before the age of 18, and those who drink more heavily, are more likely to perceive the provision of alcohol to children as acceptable.
So what? Policy and research should continue to focus on and monitor efforts to delay adolescent alcohol initiation and reduce consumption levels among adults. A shift in awareness and perceptions about alcohol use among adults has the potential to influence initiation and heavy drinking among adolescents.

Background: Children's positive socialisation to alcohol is associated with early initiation of drinking and alcohol-related harm in adult life. Internationally, there have been reports of adults' alcohol consumption at school events in the presence of children. The aim of this research was to identify the conditions under which Australian schools are required to apply for a liquor licence and the associated prevalence of liquor licences for these events where children were likely to be present. Methods: A document review was conducted to examine temporary liquor licensing legislation. Quantitative analysis was used to examine relevant licensing data. Coding criteria was developed to determine school type, student year levels and the likely presence of children. Results: Four jurisdictions provided data on 1817 relevant licences. The average annual licences/100 schools was highest amongst Independent schools followed by Catholic and public (government) schools. The rates were highest in Queensland and Victoria where children were present at 61% and 32% of events respectively.