University of the Sunshine Coast
USC Research Bank - University of the Sunshine CoastNot a member yet
28663 research outputs found
Sort by
Cohort profile: the Brain and Mind Centre Optymise cohort: tracking multidimensional outcomes in young people presenting for mental healthcare
No full textPurpose The Brain and Mind Centre (BMC) Optymise cohort assesses multiple clinical and functional domains longitudinally in young people presenting for mental health care and treatment. Longitudinal tracking of this cohort will allow investigation of the relationships between multiple outcome domains across the course of care. Subsets of Optymise have completed detailed neuropsychological and neurobiological assessments, permitting investigation of associations between these measures and longitudinal course.
Participants Young people (aged 12–30) presenting to clinics coordinated by the BMC were recruited to a research register (n=6743) progressively between June 2008 and July 2018. To date, 2767 individuals have been included in Optymise based on the availability of at least one detailed clinical assessment.
Measures Trained researchers use a clinical research proforma to extract key data from clinical files to detail social and occupational functioning, clinical presentation, self-harm and suicidal thoughts and behaviours, alcohol and other substance use, physical health comorbidities, personal and family history of mental illness, and treatment utilisation at the following time points: baseline, 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months, and time last seen.
Findings to date There is moderate to substantial agreement between raters for data collected via the proforma. While wide variations in individual illness course are clear, social and occupational outcomes suggest that the majority of cohort members show no improvement in functioning over time. Differential rates of longitudinal transition are reported between early and late stages of illness, with a number of baseline factors associated with these transitions. Furthermore, there are longitudinal associations between prior suicide attempts and inferior clinical and functional outcomes.
Future plans Future reports will detail the longitudinal course of each outcome domain and examine multidirectional relationships between these domains both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, and explore in subsets the associations between detailed neurobiological measures and clinical, social and functional outcomes
Reasoned and implicit processes in heavy episodic drinking: An integrated dual-process model
No full textObjectives University students commonly engage in heavy episodic drinking (HED), which contributes to injury risk, deleterious educational outcomes, and economic costs. Identification of the determinants of this risky behaviour may provide formative evidence on which to base effective interventions to curb HED in this population. Drawing from theories of social cognition and dual-process models, this study tested key hypotheses relating to reasoned and implicit pathways to action for HED in a sample of Australian university students who drink alcohol. Design A two-wave correlational design was adopted. Methods Students (N = 204) completed self-reported constructs from social cognition theories with respect to HED at an initial time point (T1): attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, intentions, habit, past behaviour, and implicit alcohol identity. Four weeks later (T2), students self-reported their HED behaviour and habit. Results An initial path model indicated attitude and subjective norm predicted intentions, and intentions and implicit alcohol identity predicted HED. Inclusion of past behaviour and habit revealed direct effects of these on HED. Effects of T1 habit on HED were indirect through T2 habit, and there were indirect effects of past behaviour on HED through habit at both time points and the social cognition constructs. Direct effects of intentions and implicit alcohol identity, and indirect effects of attitude and subjective norm, on HED, were attenuated by the inclusion of past behaviour and habit. Conclusion Results indicate that university students’ HED tends to be governed by non-conscious, automatic processes than conscious, intentional processes. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Social cognitive factors are associated with risky alcohol consumption behaviours. Dual-process models are being used to explain health behaviours, such as heavy episodic drinking (HED). What does this study add? Past HED behaviour and HED habits have direct and indirect effects on students’ HED behaviour. Past behaviour and habit attenuate the effects of intentions and implicit alcohol identity on HED. © 2019 The British Psychological Societ
What they know and who they are telling: Concussion knowledge and disclosure behaviour in New Zealand adolescent rugby union players
No full textThe purpose of this study was to survey high school rugby players from a range of ethnic, geographic and socioeconomic backgrounds in New Zealand (NZ) to gain an understanding of concussion knowledge, awareness of NZ Rugby’s (NZR) guidelines and attitudes towards reporting behaviours. Male and female high school rugby players (n= 416) from across NZ were surveyed. The findings indicated that 69% of players had sustained a suspected concussion, and 31% had received a medical diagnosis of concussion. 63% of players indicated they were aware of NZR’s guidelines. Māori and Pasifika players were less likely to be aware of the guidelines compared to NZ European, Adjusted OR 0.5, p = 0.03. Guideline awareness was significantly higher for those from high decile schools when compared to low (Unadjusted OR 1.63, p = 0.04); however, when ethnicity and school locations were controlled for this became non-significant (Adjusted OR= 1.3, p=0.37). The coach was the key individual for the provision of concussion information and disclosure of symptoms for players. The findings of this study will inform the development and delivery of NZR’s community concussion initiative and how these examined factors influence a high school player’s concussion knowledge and reporting behaviour
Human Interactions with Seals, Sea Lions & Walruses. An Annotated Bibliography
No full textNo abstract available
Citizen science in Australia’s waterways: investigating linkages with catchment decision-making
No full textCitizen science can be a viable mechanism to foster productive linkages between community and government for sustainable water resource management. In Australia, this potential has longstanding policy support but research into program extent, characteristics or impact on decision-making processes has been lacking. This article draws on a temporal analysis of data records from two citizen science programs and a nationwide survey of 47 program coordinators representing 43 freshwater and estuarine citizen science programs to examine these knowledge shortfalls. Results indicate that program activity has contracted in Victoria but increased in the ACT, with additional evidence indicating a nationwide contraction. Survey results revealed programs operating nationwide and largely implemented as a community-government partnership, combining data and educative priorities. Despite 70 per cent of programs having goals to inform catchment decision-making, data use was verified for less than half of programs. Program coordinators reported several social, organisational and technical barriers that limit this uptake. In highlighting these issues, we make three recommendations for enhancing linkages between citizen science and catchment decision-making: (1) increasing institutional support; (2) improving coordination and embracing new possibilities for collaboration; and (3) demonstrating and communicating program achievements
Perspectives about the baby friendly hospital/health initiative in Australia: an online survey
No full textBackground: Evidence supports the health and economic benefits of breastfeeding, and the positive impact of the Baby Friendly Health Initiative (BFHI) on increasing breastfeeding rates and improving breastfeeding outcomes. The BFHI is a World Health Organization and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund initiative to promote, support and maintain breastfeeding. The BFHI was updated in 2018 and includes the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding (the Ten Steps 2018) and the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (the WHO Code). Despite policy and guideline support for breastfeeding and the BFHI, there are currently only 70 accredited hospitals, healthcare centres and regional clusters in Australia, accounting for 23% of maternity facilities. This research aimed to explore health professionals and other stakeholders’ perspectives on the uptake and implementation of the BFHI in Australia from an organisational change perspective. Methods: An online survey administered via relevant Australian-based professional associations was fully or partially completed by 332 participants who support mothers and newborns in their roles. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were used to analyse quantitative and qualitative data. Results: The majority of participants supported legislating the WHO Code, closely monitoring BFHI compliance, ensuring sufficient knowledge about breastfeeding and the BFHI among staff, improving care within maternity facilities, continuous support of mothers’ post-discharge, and improving social media support of breastfeeding. It was also perceived that an interdisciplinary team approach and multidisciplinary involvement were important requirements for successfully implementing the BFHI. There was no consensus among participants that Australian health policies support breastfeeding and the implementation of the BFHI. Conclusions: This study emphasised the significance of legislation around the Code, executive and leadership support and culture, and providing adequate resources concerning uptake and implementation of the BFHI. Considering that uptake of the BFHI has been limited and no formal government support has been provided to further develop the BFHI and support the Code in Australia, findings of this research may help with potential future actions to facilitate the BFHI uptake and Code implementation
The 2019 Mary Paton research award winner: Reducing sleep-related infant mortality through understanding factors associated with breastfeeding duration: A cross-sectional survey
No full textReducing sleep-related infant mortality is a national and global health priority. The leading category of postneonatal mortality in Australia is sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI). Suboptimal breastfeeding practice is associated with increased risk of infants dying suddenly and unexpectedly. Human breastmilk is universally acknowledged to be the optimal form of nutrition, contributing to child survival and conferring immunologic advantage over formula-feeding. This paper presents an analysis of data from the 2017 Infant Caregiver Awareness and Routines Evaluation among Queenslanders (I-CARE Qld) Study to establish the maternal and infant characteristics, infant care practices and sleep-related factors that influence breastfeeding duration within a contemporary Australian cohort. A cross-sectional survey of 3341 Queensland caregivers with infants approximately 3 months old was conducted. Statistically significant predictors for breastfeeding cessation at 8 weeks were found using univariable and multivariable analyses. These include: young maternal age, single, less educated, smoker, public patient, higher pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), the birth of a male infant, delivery via caesarean section, in-hospital formula supplementation, admission to a neonatal nursery, dummy use and infant sleep location. Given the increased risk of sudden infant death related to suboptimal breastfeeding practices, further consideration and strategies targeting these potentially at-risk population groups are required
Mobile devices contribute to feedback processes
No full textThe use of mobile devices such as mobile phones and tablets in education is a problematic field of research that fits within the scope of assessment, mobile technologies, dialogic practices, and more broadly, feedback. This small pilot study investigated how supervising teachers incorporated a mobile device in the form of a video-enabled app into practicums to promote feedback in the form of dialogue and record achievements in alignment with requisite criteria. It further investigated the role of the app in the dialogic feedback process and the interactions between supervising teachers and preservice teachers when they undertake practical performance reviews. The findings showed that using mobile devices aids the dialogic practices of preservice teachers and leads to better outcomes. Despite the evidence, systemic organizational intent will be needed to reinforce the benefits and encourage adoption
Multimodal big data affective analytics: A comprehensive survey using text, audio, visual and physiological signals
No full textAffective computing is an emerging multidisciplinary research field that is increasingly drawing the attention of researchers and practitioners in various fields, including artificial intelligence, natural language processing, cognitive and social sciences. Research in affective computing includes areas such as sentiment, emotion, and opinion modelling. The internet is an excellent source of data required for sentiment analysis, such as customer reviews of products, social media, forums, blogs, etc. Most of these data, called big data, are unstructured and unorganized. Hence there is a strong demand for developing suitable data processing techniques to process these rich and valuable data to produce useful information. Early surveys on sentiment and emotion recognition in the literature have been limited to discussions using text, audio, and visual modalities. So far, to the author's knowledge, a comprehensive survey combining physiological modalities with these other modalities for affective computing has yet to be reported. The objective of this paper is to fill the gap in this surveyed area. The usage of physiological modalities for affective computing brings several benefits in that the signals can be used in different environmental conditions, more robust systems can be constructed in combination with other modalities, and it has increased anti-spoofing characteristics. The paper includes extensive reviews on different frameworks and categories for state-of-the-art techniques, critical analysis of their performances, and discussions of their applications, trends and future directions to serve as guidelines for readers towards this emerging research area
Perceptions of ‘normal’ climate in Queensland, Australia (1924–34)
No full textThe concept of ‘normal’ climatic conditions reflects the complexities of human understandings of the environment. Scholarship on settler societies has explored how culture, science and state imperatives combine to construct a notion of ‘normal’ climate. This study of the Callide Valley settlement (1924–34) in northern Australia, draws on government propaganda, farmers’ submissions to a 1934 government inquiry and meteorological data to reveal the discrepancy between rainfall reality and expectations. Promised fertile soil, plentiful water and an ideal climate by the government, new settlers flocked to the Callide Valley, many without farming experience or knowledge of the region’s subtropical climate. Drought and flood soon challenged the promises of a bountiful climate. These confused understandings of a normal climate continue today to shape agriculture in central Queensland