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Government Areas (government + area)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	72%
Life Sciences	18%

Kinds of Government Areas

local government area

Selected Abstracts

Sources of stress in impoverished neighbourhoods: insights into links between neighbourhood environments and health

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 1 2009
Deborah Warr
Abstract Objective:This paper explores associations between residents' perceptions of social incivilities and physical disorders in local environments and self-reported health status. Method: Surveys were conducted with 4,029 residents from 13 Neighbourhood Renewal sites and 1,857 residents of corresponding Local Government Areas in Victoria. An open-ended question asked respondents to nominate the worst things about living in their neighbourhood and this qualitative data was analysed for the range of perceptions of incivilities. Quantitative data analysis considered associations between incivilities in neighbourhood environments and self-reported health status. Results: Issues conceptualised as social incivilities (drug and alcohol use, dangerous driving, the behaviour of other people, feeling unsafe, noise, racism) accounted for 58% of issues nominated. Quantitative analyses suggested that increased exposure to issues related to aspects of neighbourhood safety were associated with living in a disadvantaged neighbourhood. Perceptions of lower levels of neighbourhood safety were, in turn, associated with poorer health. Conclusions: Cumulative and compounding aspects of local environments that heighten feelings of insecurity and anxiety may be mechanisms through which places affect health. Implications: While the characteristics of populations are important determinants of health outcomes, the findings endorse the value of incorporating complementary place-based approaches for addressing mechanisms that contribute to health inequalities in local environments. [source]

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in Eti-Osa LGA, Lagos, Nigeria

OBESITY REVIEWS, Issue 6 2007
U. P. Ben-Bassey
Summary In many of the urban centres of the developing countries, a change in lifestyle due to increased affluence has been observed. It has been shown that change in lifestyle is an important factor in the global epidemic of overweight and obesity. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of lifestyle and socioeconomic class on the prevalence of overweight and obesity amongst adolescents from rural and urban centres in Lagos, Nigeria. This is a cross-sectional prospective survey carried out on a sample of 1504 randomly selected adolescents, aged between 10 and 19 years, from six public secondary schools located in urban and rural areas of the Eti-Osa local government area of Lagos State, Nigeria. A self-designed completed questionnaire was used to determine the participants' socio-demographic characteristics. Anthropometric measurements were taken to calculate their body mass index (BMI). The overall prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in the urban and rural areas, respectively, were 3.7% and 0.4%, and 3.0% and 0.0%. Socioeconomic class did not significantly affect the BMI values. Overweight is an evolving problem, while obesity is seemingly not a problem yet in adolescent school-aged children in Lagos State, Nigeria. [source]

Spatial distribution of vectors of Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus on Russell Island, Moreton Bay, Queensland

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 4 2002
Jason AL Jeffery
Abstract We used a network of 20 carbon dioxide- and octenol-supplemented light traps to sample adult mosquitoes throughout Russell Island in southern Moreton Bay, south-east Queensland. Between February and April 2001, an estimated 1365 564 adult female mosquitoes were collected. In contrast to an average catch of 9754 female mosquitoes per trap night on Russell Island, reference traps set on Macleay Island and on the mainland returned average catches of 3172 and 222, respectively. On Russell Island, Ochlerotatus vigilax (Skuse), Coquillettidia linealis (Skuse), Culex annulirostris Skuse and Verrallina funerea (Theobald), known or suspected vectors of Ross River (RR) and/or Barmah Forest (BF) viruses, comprised 89.6% of the 25 taxa collected. When the spatial distributions of the above species were mapped and analysed using local spatial statistics, all were found to be present in highest numbers towards the southern end of the island during most of the 7 weeks. This indicated the presence of more suitable adult harbourage sites and/or suboptimal larval control efficacy. As immature stages and the breeding habitat of Cq. linealis are as yet undescribed, this species in particular presents a considerable impediment to proposed development scenarios. The method presented here of mapping the numbers of mosquitoes throughout a local government area allows specific areas that have high vector numbers to be defined. [source]

Prevalence of depression among adults in Oyo State, Nigeria: A comparative study of rural and urban communities

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 3 2007
Olorunfemi Amoran
Abstract Objective:,This study was designed to assess the current prevalence of depression in Oyo State, Nigeria and the rural,urban variation in prevalence. Setting:,This is a two-phase community-based cross-sectional study. The urban areas selected for the study are the Ibadan North-West and Egbeda local government areas. The rural area selected was the Saki-East local government area. Participants:,A total of 1105 participants were recruited into the study. Multistage sampling technique was used to obtain a representative sample of the participants from the communities in Oyo State. The study was conducted using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire, and the general health questionnaire (GHQ 12) as a screening tool. The second phase of the interview was conducted only for those participants with a score of more than 3 using the GHQ 12. These participants were then clinically examined using the Structured Clinical Interview DSM IV for assessment of clinical depression. Main outcome measure:,Prevalence of depression. Results:,A total of 721 (65.2%) were from urban communities, while 384 (34.8%) were from the rural community. The overall prevalence of depression was found to be 5.2%. Depression was more prevalent among women than men (5.7% vs 4.8%, ,2 = 0.36 P = 0.55), and among adolescents (9.6%, P = 0.04). Furthermore, depression was more common in the rural areas than in the urban areas (7.3% vs 4.2%, ,2 = 4.94 P = 0.02). Conclusion:,Depression is more common in rural than urban areas in the Nigerian population. Mental health education for adolescents and secondary school students should be encouraged in rural communities. [source]

Prevalence of Parkinson's disease in Sydney

ACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 1 2005
D. K. Y. Chan
Objective,,, To examine the prevalence of Parkinson's disease (PD) in Bankstown, Sydney, using the same methodology as a previous study in Randwick, Sydney, Australia (1998,1999). Participants and methods,,, Twenty census districts (CDs) for the Bankstown local government area were randomly selected. Research personnel door-knocked every household within the CDs to locate people aged ,55 years. A structured questionnaire (containing four screening questions for PD) was administered to those agreeing to participate. Screened positive participants were invited to come for a clinical examination. This is a continuation of the previous study and data have been combined. Results,,, Combining data for Bankstown and Randwick gave 1028 participants; crude prevalence, 780 per 100,000 (CI: 546,1077). In Bankstown, there were 501 participants aged ,55 years (response rate 70%); 135 were screened positive with 101 (74.8%) agreeing to a clinical examination. The prevalence of PD in the Bankstown community was 3.4% (17 of 501) (95% CI: 1.98,5.43) for those aged ,55 years; crude prevalence 776 per 100,000 (CI: 452,1241). Conclusion,,, The combined results of two Sydney studies appear to indicate that Sydney has one of the highest prevalence estimates of PD in developed countries. [source]

The unmet treatment need of traumatized anterior teeth in selected secondary school children in Ibadan, Nigeria

DENTAL TRAUMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2010
Mojirade Deborah Ajayi
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of damage to permanent anterior teeth in school adolescents, the average duration of trauma and to ascertain the level of the unmet treatment need. A total of 1532 secondary school children between the ages 12 and 19 years participated in the study. They were randomly selected from public secondary schools in five local government areas in Ibadan using a multistage sampling method. Participants were examined with the aid of mouth mirrors and probes under natural light. Traumatic anterior dental injuries were recorded by the same investigator (DMA) according to WHO classification. One hundred and sixty-five participants sustained injuries to their anterior teeth. Their mean age was 15.47 ± 2.09 years, with a male to female ratio of 1.5:1. The commonest cause was fall (78.8%) with road traffic accident being the least (1.8%). The tooth most commonly injured is the upper left incisor (48.0%) closely followed by upper right central (43.1%). Enamel fracture was seen in 46.5% and enamel,dentine in 42.6% of the traumatized teeth. Most (79.4%) of the children sustained injury to one tooth only. Of the participants, only 30 (18.2%) had previous dental consultation while only nine (5.5%) consulted the dentist following the trauma; however, none of the teeth had any form of restoration. Average time elapsed between trauma and dental examination was about 3.5 years. Many participants had had injury for about 2 years before dental examination. In conclusion, there is a high unmet treatment need of traumatized anterior teeth in the study population. [source]

Rural Youth Migration Trends in Australia: an Overview of Recent Trends and Two Inland Case Studies

GEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2008
NEIL ARGENT
Abstract Much of what has been written on the topic of Australian rural youth migration trends and processes has often proceeded from data-free, or data-poor grounds. In this context, this paper analyses recent trends in youth (15 to 24 years of age) migration for a temporally-consistent set of Statistical Divisions (SDs) in inland rural Australia, and for local government areas within the Northern Tablelands and Slopes and Ranges of northern New South Wales and the Western Australian Central Wheatbelt. The paper finds that rates of youth loss from rural regions have increased over the past twenty years. Yet the patterns, processes, causes and impacts of rural youth migration are distributed in a spatially-uneven fashion. Some remote areas are receiving net migration gains while booming ,sea change' coastal regions have experienced heavy losses. While the ,flight to the bright city lights' syndrome is evident, relatively high proportions of young people in the Northern SD of NSW move within their immediate region. Nevertheless, some common understandings concerning youth mobility were also confirmed. Gender differentials in migration propensity between women and men are evident even at quite local scales. Young people are also more likely to search out capital cities than the rest of the population. Most inland areas still continue to experience heavy losses of local youth. A more precise understanding of rural youth migration trends is an important stepping stone in the establishment of a reinvigorated research effort into young rural people's perspectives of their changing life chances in their home communities. [source]

Variations in hospitalizations for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in rural and urban Victoria, Australia

RESPIROLOGY, Issue 6 2007
Zahid ANSARI
Background and objective: Effective and timely management of COPD should reduce the risk of hospitalization. The purpose of this study was to describe variations in COPD hospital admission rates as an indicator of the adequacy of primary care services. Methods: Age- and gender-standardized hospital admission rates of COPD (2003,04) were computed using the Victorian Admitted Episodes Dataset. Potential predictors of COPD admission rates were identified from various sources of data. These included degree of remoteness, socio-economic status, number of general practitioners per population, percentage of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, percentage of smokers, and co-morbidities. These data were aggregated at the primary care partnership level, which are voluntary alliances of one or more local government areas in Victoria. Weighted least squares regression was used to identify the predictors of COPD admission rates. Results: Hospital admission rates for COPD were higher in rural than in metropolitan areas of Victoria. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed significant associations between COPD admission rates and socio-economic status, smoking rates and remoteness of the area. Conclusions: Small-area analyses of COPD admission rates highlighted significant differences between urban and rural areas. The influence of socio-economic status and degree of remoteness on COPD admission rates highlights opportunities for policymakers to develop targeted public health and health service interventions. [source]

The response of herpetofauna to urbanization: Inferring patterns of persistence from wildlife databases

AUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2010
ANDREW J. HAMER
Abstract Urbanization involves the conversion of natural habitats into human-modified ecosystems and is known to reduce the diversity and abundance of indigenous plant and animal communities. Urbanization may lead to the extinction of indigenous species or facilitate the establishment of non-indigenous communities in cities and towns. We analysed sighting records held in wildlife databases to infer the probability of persistence of reptiles and amphibians (,herpetofauna') within Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Throughout greater Melbourne, 81% (13) of the 16 frog species recorded had ,95% probability of being extant in 2006, compared with 56% (22) of the 39 species of reptiles recorded. The number of frog species that had ,95% probability of being extant in inner local government areas (LGAs) within 10 km of the centre of Melbourne was higher (86%) than in the outer LGAs (69%). Conversely, only 46% of reptile species had ,95% probability of being extant in inner and outer LGAs. The proportion of reptile species with <50% probability of being extant in inner LGAs was higher than for frog species (25% and 7%, respectively), suggesting that reptiles have been negatively affected by urbanization to a much greater extent than frogs. Based on the probability of species being extant, frogs and reptiles exhibited variations in their response to urbanization between species that persisted (urban-adapters) and species that did not (urban-sensitive or urban-avoiders). These differences in response were likely related to individual species' life-history and their requirements for habitat, space and dispersal. To conserve herpetofauna in urban areas we need to maintain structural complexity in remnant habitat patches, and implement strategic policies and management actions that protect habitat remnants and habitat corridors. [source]

Avoidable mortality in Victoria between 1979 and 2001

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 1 2007
Leonard S. Piers
Objective:To describe trends in avoidable mortality (AM) in Victoria by sex, degree of socio-economic disadvantage and remoteness. Methods:The analysis is based on mortality and population data for 1979,2001 supplied by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) for Victoria. Total and disease-specific AM rates were age standardised using the direct method. For the period between 1997 and 2001, comparisons of total AM rates by sex were made between metropolitan and rural local government areas (LGAs), and between LGAs grouped into quintiles based on socio-economic disadvantage and categories of remoteness. Results:Total AM rates declined significantly (p<0.05) in both males and females between 1979 and 2001, but were significantly higher in males compared with females. Total AM rates were significantly higher in rural compared with metropolitan LGAs, from 1997 to 2001 in males and in 1998 in females. Total AM rates in the least disadvantaged quintile were significantly lower than those in the most disadvantaged quintile over the entire five-year period in males and in three years in females. Total AM rates were highest in remote LGAs and lowest in highly accessible LGAs. There were significant declines in ischaemic heart disease, stroke and road traffic accident AM rates among males. In females, IHD, stroke, breast and colon cancer AM rates declined significantly. Conclusions and Implications:Despite large declines in AM in Victoria, there are significant differences in rates between the sexes and in the population based on socio-economic status or remoteness. These results provide opportunities for policy makers to prioritise public health and health services interventions, targeting population groups and specific disease conditions to reduce health inequalities. [source]