			Home About us Contact

Metropolitan Melbourne (metropolitan + melbourne)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	60%

Selected Abstracts

Early intervention with difficult to engage, ,high-risk' youth: evaluating an intensive outreach approach in youth mental health

EARLY INTERVENTION IN PSYCHIATRY, Issue 3 2008
Carsten Schley
Abstract Background: Although intensive outreach (IO) models such as assertive community treatment and intensive case management have a strong evidence base in adult psychiatry, their effectiveness in the early intervention sector is unknown. Aim: To explore client characteristics and treatment effects in a group of difficult to engage, ,high-risk' young people, seen by the Intensive Mobile Youth Outreach Service (IMYOS, ORYGEN Youth Heath) in Western Metropolitan Melbourne. Methods: The clinical files of 47 clients were audited, targeting demographic and treatment outcome data prior to and during IMYOS involvement. Results: Clients typically presented with traumatic childhoods, disrupted education, repeated treatment dropout, poor mental health and ,high-risk' behaviours. Results showed a significant reduction in risk to self and others between referral and discharge, and significantly lower admissions rates and inpatient days compared with the 9 months prior to referral. Conclusions: IO might be an effective early intervention strategy to minimize risk of harm and decrease hospitalization in young people. However, conclusions are provisional as there was no control group included in this study. Further study is required, perhaps with a waiting list control. [source]

Catchment urbanisation and increased benthic algal biomass in streams: linking mechanisms to management

FRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2004
Sally L. Taylor
Summary 1. Urbanisation is an important cause of eutrophication in waters draining urban areas. We determined whether benthic algal biomass in small streams draining urban areas was explained primarily by small-scale factors (benthic light, substratum type and nutrient concentrations) within a stream, or by catchment-scale variables that incorporate the interacting multiple impacts of urbanisation (i.e. variables that describe urban density and the intensity of drainage or septic tank systems). 2. Benthic algal biomass was assessed as chlorophyll a density (chl a) in 16 streams spanning a rural,urban gradient, with both a wide range of urban density and of piped stormwater infrastructure intensity on the eastern fringe of metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. The gradient of urban density among streams was broadly correlated with catchment imperviousness, drainage connection (proportion of impervious areas connected to streams by stormwater pipes), altitude, longitude and median phosphorus concentration. Catchment area, septic tank density, median nitrogen concentration, benthic light (photosynthetically active radiation) and substratum type were not strongly correlated with the urban gradient. 3. Variation in benthic light and substratum type within streams explained a relatively small amount of variation in log chl a (3,11 and 1,13%, respectively) compared with between-site variation (39,54%). 4. Median chl a was positively correlated with catchment urbanisation, with a large proportion of variance explained jointly (as determined by hierarchical partitioning) by those variables correlated with urban density. Independent of this correlation, the contributions of drainage connection and altitude to the explained variance in chl a were significant. 5. The direct connection of impervious surfaces to streams by stormwater pipes is hypothesised as the main determinant of algal biomass in these streams through its effect on the supply of phosphorus, possibly in interaction with stormwater-related impacts on grazing fauna. Management of benthic algal biomass in streams of urbanised catchments is likely to be most effective through the application of stormwater management approaches that reduce drainage connection. [source]

Clubs, Spades, Diamonds and Disadvantage: the Geography of Electronic Gaming Machines in Melbourne

GEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2001
D.C. Marshall
Opportunities to gamble, particularly on electronic gaming machines (EGMs) have been rapidly increasing in Australia during the 1990s. The increase in expenditure on gambling and the related problems have subsequently become a growing concern, particularly in relation to disadvantaged sectors of the population. Given this, the development of a geography of gambling is an important step in understanding the implications of this rapidly expanding industry. This paper addresses this issue at two distinct geographical scales in metropolitan Melbourne and considers the distribution of EGMs in relation to levels of economic well-being. Findings suggest that patterns evident at the wider Melbourne scale of greater concentration of EGMs in less advantaged regions are also reflected at a local level. These findings are related to the wider issues of accessibility to gambling facilities and problem gambling. [source]

A lower than expected adult Victorian community attack rate for pandemic (H1N1) 2009

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 3 2010
Nathan Grills
Abstract Objectives: To determine the community seropositivity of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza in order to estimate immunity and the community attack rate. Methods: Selected clusters of participants (n=706) in the ,Victorian Health Monitor' (VHM), from whom blood samples were taken between August and October 2009, were tested opportunistically for antibodies to pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus. A titre of ,1:40 was chosen as the cut-off for recording seropositivity. The proportion (95% CI) of seropositive participants, aged 18 to <65 years of age, were computed for groups of census collection districts (CDs) across metropolitan Melbourne. Results: The observed pandemic (H1N1) 2009 seropositivity rates for all CDs tested in metropolitan Melbourne was 16.0% (95% CI:12.9-19.1%); in northern Melbourne subset was 14.4% (95% CI:12.4-16.3%); and in eastern subset was 16.2% (95% CI:9.7-22.6%). The pre-pandemic (H1N1) 2009 positivity rate was estimated at 6%. Conclusion: Given this study's estimate of 16.0% seropositivity in adults in metropolitan Melbourne, and given the WHO laboratory's estimate of 6% pre-pandemic positivity, the estimated adult community attack rate was 10% for metropolitan Melbourne. Implications: This community attack rate is lower than anticipated and suggests that levels of immunity to Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 might be lower than anticipated. Although limited by a low response rate of 34%, this study suggests low adult seropositivity, which may be useful for public health professionals when encouraging the community to get vaccinated. [source]

An accelerated hepatitis B vaccination schedule for young drug users

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 4 2005
Nich Rogers
Objective: Jo determine completion rates for an accelerated hepatitis B vaccine (HBV) program among a population of young drug users. Design: Between January 2001 and May 2002, a three-dose course of HBV vaccine (0, 7 and 21 days) was offered free to all drug users (aged 22 years or younger) accessing two outreach sites of a youth-focused support and drug treatment service in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. Clients were offered vaccination in any safe environment of their choice. An audit was conducted on the health records of participating clients. Main outcome measures: Number of completed vaccinations; settings in which vaccinations were completed. Results: Ninety young people accepted vaccination, with 71% completing the full course. The majority preferred to receive vaccination at drug treatment outreach sites (53%). Conclusions: An accelerated vaccination schedule appears acceptable to young drug users, suggesting that vaccination programs can be successful when barriers to immunisation are appropriately identified and addressed. [source]