Nature of Association Between Rural Background and Practice Location

An article has recently been published in the journal BMC Health Services Research titled "Nature of association between rural background and practice location: a comparison of general practitioners and specialists". This paper aims to investigate in detail the nature of the association between rural background and practice location of Australian general practitioners (GPs) and specialists. It elucidates the association between rural background and rural practice for both GPs and specialists. It follows that increased take-up of rural practice by new graduates requires an increased selection of students with strong rural backgrounds. However, given the considerable under-representation of rural background students in medical schools and the reluctance of females to practise in rural areas, the selection of rural background students is only part of the solution to increasing the supply of rural doctors.

Chronic Kidney Disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People 2011

This report presents the first detailed analysis of chronic kidney disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and how it compares to non-Indigenous Australians. Indigenous Australians have a greater burden of disease for many health conditions, and chronic kidney disease is no exception. Indigenous Australians were found to be more likely to have end-stage kidney disease, and be hospitalised or die with chronic kidney disease than non-Indigenous Australians.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious and increasingly common health problem in Australia. People with CKD, particularly those with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), suffer poor health outcomes and a decreased quality of life. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, especially those who live in remote communities, are at a greater risk of developing CKD, and have substantially poorer health outcomes than other Australians.

NSW Health and Medical Research Strategic Review: Issues Paper

This Issues Paper presents a preliminary framework for a 10-year health and medical research strategy for NSW. It identifies a series of options to address the issues facing health and medical research in NSW. The purpose of presenting options at this early stage in the strategy development process is to allow stakeholders an opportunity to critique the emerging ideas, identify areas for further analysis and provide additional information to support this analysis, thus contributing to the development of robust, evidence-based recommendations for implementation.

The Issues Paper presents:■ the background to the NSW Health and Medical Research Strategic Review■ an overview of NSW’s current performance in health and medical research■ emergent themes from the extensive consultations undertaken to date■ a preliminary strategy framework for health and medical research in NSW■ a series of options for action and potential outcomes for health and medical research in NSW. The Draft Interim Report will be released on 24 October 2011 - With further Stakeholder Group submissions from 24 October - 14 November

A Prospective Study of Diet Quality and Mental Health in Adolescents

An unhealthy diet can be the cause of mental health problems in adolescents, a new study has found. The results of this study have been published in the PLoS. Three quarters of lifetime psychiatric disorders will emerge in adolescence or early adulthood. The National Comorbidity Survey Replication recently reported that more than 22% of adolescents aged 13 to 18 yrs had already experienced a clinically significant mental health problem, with ages of onset ranging from 6 yrs for anxiety disorders, to 13 years for mood disorders. In the last 18 months there have been a number of published studies identifying an inverse associations between diet quality and the common mental disorders, depression and anxiety, in adults and two prospective studies suggesting that diet quality influences the risk for depressive illness in adults over time.

While two recent studies have also demonstrated cross-sectional associations between diet quality and emotional and behavioural problems and depression in adolescents, there are no existing studies that examine this association in adolescents prospectively, limiting inferences regarding possible causal relationships. In this study the authors aimed to investigate relationships between measures of diet quality and adolescent mental health, both cross-sectionally and prospectively, and to examine the temporal relationships between diet quality and mental health and the associations between change in diet quality and change in psychological symptoms. (The Authors are: Felice N. Jacka, Peter J. Kremer, Michael Beark, Andrea M. de Silva-Sanigorski, Marjoire Moodie, Eva R. Leslie, Julie A. Pasco, Boyd A. Swinburn)

Motivations, Attitudes, Perceptions and Skills

The main aim of the Motivations, Attitudes, Perceptions and Skills (MAPS) project was to collect information on the drivers of work health and safety behaviour and provide findings which will encourage policy discussion and inform the development and implementation of work health and safety policies and procedures. To help achieve this aim, data were collected in 2009-10 from Australians aged 18 and over who worked in the five industry groups at high risk of occupational injuries: Agriculture forestry and fishing; Construction; Health and community services; Manufacturing; and, Transport and storage.

This report, "Motivations, attitudes, perceptions and skills - What they said about work health and safety in 2010", includes an overview of the survey findings and outlines some of the basic descriptive statistics obtained from the survey data. For example, it includes information on the demographic composition of the survey respondents, a brief summary of the information collected in the survey, respondents’ views on the importance of work health and safety, their main sources of work health and safety information, how safe they think their workplace is and their perceptions of common causes of workplace injury and illness.

HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmissible Infections in Australia - Annual Surveillance Report 2011

This report , prepared by the Kirby Institute of the University of New South Wales, is the fifteenth annual review of available surveillance data pertaining to the occurrence of HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections in Australia. It is intended to be a reference document for organisations and individuals interested in the occurrence of these infectious diseases in Australia, drawing together relevant data from many sources into a single comprehensive report.

The main findings of the report are presented as text, supported by figures. The underlying data are presented as tables and follow the main report. The tables are provided with no commentary, except for brief explanatory footnotes. A methodological summary follows the tables, along with references to other documents and reports which provide further information.
The accompanying report Bloodborne viral and sexually transmitted infections in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: Surveillance and Evaluation Report 2011 presents a detailed analysis of the occurrence of bloodborne viral and sexually transmitted infections in a format designed to be accessible for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services and communities.

Bloodborne Viral and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

This surveillance report, "Bloodborne viral and sexually transmitted infections in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: surveillance and evaluation report 2011", prepared by the Kirby Institute of the University of New South Wales, provides information on the occurrence of bloodborne viral and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people in Australia. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people continue to be overrepresented in STIs and BBV notification data despite limitations related to data quality.
Some points:
* Chlamydia and gonorrhoea continue to be reported at disproportionately high rates among ATSI people
* The elimination of donovanosis from Australia continues - 1 notification in Australia during 2010
* Diagnoses of infectious syphilis remained stable in ATSI communities in 2010
* Remote and very remote ATSI communities continue to experience significantly higher rates of chlamydia, gonorrhoea and infectious syphilis compared with regional and urban centres in Australia
* HIV infection continues to be diagnosed at a similar rate to that in the non‑Indigenous non‑high HIV prevalence country of birth population although there are substantial differences in the distributions of exposure to HIV
* Hepatitis C and B are reported at disproportionately high rates among ATSI communities

Major Depressive Disorder Topic Resource Center

The Major Depressive Disorder Topic Resource Center was created to help physicians gain greater understanding of major depressive disorders and improve diagnosis and management of patients with this condition.

Better care for women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

The evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome developed by the Jean Hailes Foundation for Women’s Health on behalf of the Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Australian Alliance has been released. This guideline is available from the NHMRC Clinical Practice Guidelines Portal, ref. no 1966, or click here.

Guidelines for the ethical management of people with advanced chronic or terminal conditions in the final months of life

Many people of all ages are diagnosed with chronic or terminal conditions every year. Health professionals, and consumers with advanced chronic or terminal conditions who are making the transition to palliative care, now have access to NHMRC’s new ethical guidelines and consumer information, to ensure they are fully informed about their care choices. Available from the NHMRC website. (free to download)

Lower rectal cancer survival rates for Australians living far from treatment centres

Survival rates for rectal cancer may be lower for people living in areas furthest from critical cancer treatment facilities, according to research published in the latest Medical Journal of Australia. In Australia, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most commonly diagnosed invasive cancer, and CRC incidence rates are among the highest in the world. Significant geographical variation in survival after CRC diagnosis has been reported across Australia, with lower survival estimates for people living outside major cities. The reasons for these rural inequalities are complex and multifaceted. Although cancer stage explains much of the variation in survival outcomes, urban–rural differences in survival remain after adjusting for cancer stage. Therefore, additional factors, including access to treatment, may have an independent association with survival after CRC diagnosis.
Read the full article in the Medical Journal of Australia. (MJA 2011; 195 (6): 350-354). Contact your library if you cannot access the full text.

Australia’s New Health Crisis – Too Many Doctors

It is taken as given within Australia's health bureacracy there there is a shortage of General Practitioners (GPs). According to a new report from the Monash Centre for Population and Urban Research, this view is incorrect. As a result of measures to encourage the employment of Intermational Medical Graduates (IMGs) and to expand the number of domestic medical graduates, Australia is now awash with doctors. This shows up in statistics indicating a sharp improvement in the ratio of doctors to population throughout Australia and record high levels of bulk billing for GP services. Click here to download the report, Australia's New Health Crisis - Too Many Doctors

Working Life and Mental Illness

Most Australians with a mental illness receive little support or understanding at work – yet having a ‘mentally healthy workplace’ with positive, supportive attitudes to mental illness is the most important factor in successfully keeping a job and contributing to the workforce.

With one in five Australians experiencing some form of mental illness every year, they – and their families who provide support – form a significant part of the country’s workforce. They receive far less understanding and support than they need, however – resulting all too often in stress, conflict, resignation or even dismissal. Yet better understanding and support for employees affected by mental illness not only helps them stay in work, it also contributes to more effective management of staff and resources for the employer. This Research Bulletin from SANE Australia asks about the experience of work by Australians living with mental illness, and what would help them to maintain successful employment.

Disability Care and Support: Inquiry Report

The current disability support system is underfunded, unfair, fragmented, and inefficient. It gives people with a disability little choice, no certainty of access to appropriate supports and little scope to participate in the community. People with disabilities, their carers, service providers, workers in the industry and governments all want change. The Australian Government asked the Productivity Commission to look at the costs, cost effectiveness, benefits and feasibility of replacing the current arrangements with a properly funded and managed long-term disability scheme. This report outlines the Commission’s ideas for a new way of meeting the care and support needs of people with a disability.

The bottom line of this report is that a new national scheme for disability — like Medicare — is feasible, that it would produce very large benefits for Australians and that a realistic and clear implementation pathway is available. The Commission also recommends the establishment of a National Injury Insurance Scheme — run at the state and territory level — that would provide lifetime support for people acquiring a catastrophic injury from an accident. It would draw on existing arrangements in some states.

National Drowning Report 2011

The 'National drowning report 2011' has been released by the Royal Life Saving Society of Australia. 315 people drowned in Australian waterways between 1st July 2010 and 30th June 2011. Drowning deaths across Australia have increased for the third year in a row and have jumped 11% on the 5 year average.

Key facts: 315 people drowned in Australia between 1 July 2010 and 30 June 2011; 241 (77%) were male and 71 (23%) female. Sex was unknown in three cases; 107 (34%) drowning deaths occurred in NSW, 93 (30%) in Queensland; 38 (12%) people drowned in the Queensland floods throughout December and January; 114 (36%) drowning deaths occurred in River / Creek / Stream locations; 16% (50) of drowning deaths occurred while Swimming and Recreating in water; 15% (47) of drowning deaths occurred as a result of Falling or Wandering into water. Drowning deaths occurred all year round with 129 (41%) occurring in Summer. There were 2 cases where season of drowning death was unknown.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People and Disability

This report, from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 'Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability: wellbeing, participation and support' explores the experience of Indigenous people with disability compared with Indigenous people without disability and all Australians with similar severity of disability.

It addresses how they are faring in terms of five key areas reflecting aspects of participation in the context of prevalence rates. Indigenous people in Australia have rates of ill-health and disability substantially higher than other Australians. Census 2006 data suggest that Indigenous people are 2-3 times more likely to need assistance with the core activities of daily living (self-care, communication and mobility) than non-Indigenous people.

Mental Health Discrimination and Insurance

Mental Health, Discrimination and Insurance: A Survey of Consumer Experiences 2011 details the results of a survey which captures the experiences of Australians living with mental illness when accessing insurance products and making claims against their policies. This survey builds on the work of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the mental health, insurance and financial services sectors, which aims to improve life insurance and income protection outcomes for Australians experiencing mental illness.

This survey revealed the substantial difficulties Australians with experience of mental illness face when seeking insurance products that are otherwise readily available to people without a history of mental illness. Given that one in five Australians will be affected by mental illness in any twelve month period, and one in two will be affected across a lifetime, it is of great concern that Australians living with mental illness are still not able to access or maintain insurance policies at the same rate as other Australians. (Mental Health Council of Australia)

Shaping Up : Trends and Statistics in Funding Health and Medical Research

Research Australian has released a report 'Shaping up: trends and statistics in funding health and medical research'. This analysis of the available economic data shows that health research activity is steadily growing, investment in universities, research institutes and hospitals is increasing, and activity within the biotechnology and medical devices industries continues to grow.

Despite this, health research, with its continued reliance on government funding for basic and applied science, and industry or venture capital funding for trialling, testing and commercialisation of new discoveries, is not immune from shifts in economic activity (such as the global financial crisis), social change (i.e. the ageing of the population) and changes in government policy settings. Its future, therefore, is far from guaranteed.

Guidelines for the Prevention, Detection and Management of Chronic Heart Failure in Australia 2011

The Heart Foundation and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ) have released 'Guidelines for the prevention, detection and management of chronic heart failure in Australia. Updated July 2011'. The guidelines feature updated evidence related to:
* use of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), including plasma-BNP or N-terminal pro-BNP measurement
* physicial activity and rehabilitation
* pharmaco-therapy
* use of polyunsaturated fatty acids in treatment of systolic heart failure
* use of devices
* treatment of cardiac arrhythmias in patients
* multidisciplinary care and post-discharge management programs

Collaborating with Consumer and Community Representatives in Health and Medical Research in Australia: Results from an Evaluation

In health and medical research, consumer participation is considered morally and ethically correct practice . It supports the advancement of accountable, open and democratic involvement of citizens in publicly funded research. Consumers are reported to make an important contribution to the quality of health and medical research through their experiential expertise that complements the expertise of researchers, by providing unique and broader community perspectives, and drawing attention to issues of which researchers may not be aware.

In the practical undertaking of health and medical research, consumers may contribute to all aspects of research including recruitment of research participants, improving information that is provided to participants, aiding the dissemination and implementation of results, improving the uptake of research findings, providing legitimacy for research, and encouraging greater understanding of research in the community . Consumer participation in health and medical research is often a policy directive and a requirement of funding organisations but should not only be practised for these reasons. Rather, it is an essential component of good research practice. The authors of this paper are Janet M. Payne, Heather A. D'Antoine, Kathryn E. France, Anne E. McKenzie, Nadine Henley, Anne E. Bartu, Elizabeth J. Elliott and Carol Bower.

Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage

The fifth in the series of reports 'Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage : key indicators 2011' has been released by the Productivity Commission. Available data show improvement in outcomes in 13 of the 45 quantitative indicators in the report. These improvements are seen in employment, educational attainment and home ownership. There has been no significant improvement in 10 of the indicators - including many health and school education outcomes. While for another 7, including social indicators such as criminal justice, outcomes have actually deteriorated.

Emergency 2.0 Wiki Project

The Emergency 2.0 Wiki will be a new collaborative model for sharing and advancing knowledge on utilising web2.0 and social media in emergency management. Following the Queensland Floods and Cyclone Yasi of early 2011, the gov2qld group met to plan a crisis communications debriefing workshop to share learnings from the use of social media in these disasters. Project Leader, Eileen Culleton, presented to the group her idea of capturing and leveraging these learnings by creating an emergency 2.0 wiki to provide best practice advice on how to use social media and web 2.0 in all phases of emergency management. She shared her vision of an emergency 2.0 empowered community in which all sectors – emergency, government, not for profit, community, business, education and media and the public had the knowledge to use social media to better prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies. Her vision involved the wiki acting as a hub for collaboration and knowledge sharing across the community, locally and globally. Click this link to go to the website.

National Partnership Agreement on Essential Vaccines

This report, 'National partnership agreement on essential vaccines: performance report for April 2009 - March 2010', assesses the performance of all States and Territories against four benchmarks based on maintaining, and, where posssible, improving immunisation coverage rates. The COAG (Council of Australian Governments) Reform Council has the role of assessing States and Territories and publicly reporting their achievement of performance benchmarks before payments are made by the Commonwealth to reward maintaining and, where possible, improving immunisation coverage rates. This is the council’s first report on the National Partnership on Essential Vaccines.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework 2010

This is the third report against the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework (HPF). The first report, published in 2006, was developed under the auspice of the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council to provide the basis for measuring the impact of the National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (NSFATSIH). The HPF is designed to inform policy analysis, planning and program information to support the goal of the NSFATSIH which is to ensure ‘that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples enjoy a healthy life equal to that of the general population that is enriched by a strong living culture, dignity and justice.’ Results from this report can be used to review current commitments and guide further comprehensive and coordinated effort to close the gap in Indigenous disadvantage.

Mesothelioma in Australia

Safe Work Australia has released a report titled 'Mesothelioma in Australia: incidence 1982 to 2007; mortality 1997 to 2007'. The rate of deaths due to mesothelioma has remained relatively stable over the 10 years for which data are available. Data on the number of new cases of mesothelioma are collected nationally by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) in the National Cancer Statistics Clearing House, via the State Cancer Registries. Information on deaths from mesothelioma is also collected by the AIHW as part of the National Mortality Database. Data are available from 1982 to 2007 for the number of new cases, and from 1997 to 2007 for the number of deaths.

Towards a Fair Go: Design Challenges for an NDIS

This paper, Towards a Fair Go: design challenges for an NDIS, proposes a high-level outline for a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and improved coverage within existing accident insurance programs. It examines the barriers to the provision of adequate care and support to people with disabilities in Australia. The NDIS presented here would cover all Australians under 65 with permanent severe or profound disability and provide them with funding for timely access to care and support, therapy, equipment, home and vehicle alterations and periodic respite. It would be funded through a Disability Levy similar to the Medicare levy, with revenues hypothecated into a dedicated insurance pool. The NDIS would be a hybrid scheme, offering no-fault minimum coverage without diminution of common law rights. The annual net cost of this scheme would be around $6.6 billion. The scheme would involve a great deal of debate and political commitment to be implemented.

"A Whispered Sort of Stuff" a Community Report

"A whispered sort of stuff" a community report on research around Aboriginal people's beliefs about cancer and experiences of cancer care in Western Australia. This report details information about a research project conducted on Aboriginal people’s beliefs about cancer, and experiences of cancer care in Western Australia. The report includes information on what the research was about, how the research was conducted, what was found as a result of the research project and what recommendations have been made based on the research findings. The report also outlines how the research has been disseminated, and the associated outcomes that have been achieved since the project’s completion. The authors of the report are: Sandra C. Thompson, Shaouli Shahid, Heath S Greville, and Dawn Bessarab.

Diabetes in Australia: a Snapshot, 2007-08

The Australian Bureau of Statistics released the latest issue of its series Diabetes in Australia: a Snapshot, 2007-08 on 16 September 2011. Over 800,000 Australian have diabetes. This release includes information covering the following categories: Prevalence of diabetes; Variation in prevalence; Lifestyle risk factors for Type 2 diabetes; Managing the risks; Health of people with diabetes; Comorbidity; Use of health services; and, Deaths. Previous releases have been in 2001 and 2004-05.

Financial Incentives and the Health Workforce

Changes to the remuneration of medical practitioners are currently being considered in Australia and this paper discusses financial incentives in healthcare markets and their effects on health professionals' behaviour. After defining incentives, the paper focuses on the design of incentive schemes for the health workforce. It discusses several issues that should be considered when designing incentives, illustrated with some Australian examples. The set of principles proposed in the paper might be used to inform the current debate about revisions to the incentives that are faced by medical practitioners in Australia. The paper is published in the Australian Health Review Vol. 35 No. 3. Please contact your Library if this link to the paper does not give you access.

Pathways in aged care: do people follow recommendations?

The latest Bulletin from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare looks at pathways in aged care. Before people can access key aged care programs, they need to obtain approval for program eligibility from an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT). The assessment teams also make recommendations on the preferred setting for receiving care; that is, in the person’s home or in a residential care facility with either a low or high level of care. The purpose of this bulletin is to look at care pathways of older Australians through the aged care system for 2 years following their first assessment for such services. Care pathways are analysed according to the long-term care setting recommended by the ACAT.
The bulletin uses data from the Pathways in Aged Care project, which links 2003–04 ACAT data to data sets showing use of five main aged care programs and deaths.

Men and women are both living longer, and prospering

Women are still living longer than men, but men are closing the gap, according to a new publication released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Over the last ten years, life expectancy at birth has increased at a greater rate for men (by 3 years) than for women (by 2 years). However, women continue to have a higher life expectancy at birth (now 84 years for women and 79 years for men). The new publication, Gender Indicators, Australia, looks at the differences between males and females in the main areas of wellbeing such as economic security, education, work and family balance, health and safety and justice.

Let sleeping dogs lie? What men should know before getting tested for prostate cancer

Few issues have been as divisive as prostate cancer screening. While some prominent Australian urologists are very active in talking up the importance of prostate cancer screening, few Australians would be aware that no government anywhere in the world has a formal policy supporting prostate cancer screening. Nor would they be aware that aside from some professional urological societies, no reputable cancer control or expert prevention agency anywhere in the world currently recommends screening for the disease. Despite this international expert consensus, de facto screening of populations is well under way, being driven by well-meaning advice about the importance of men becoming more informed about their health. Medical science is today unable to predict with any precision which early discovered prostate cancers will turn out to be those that kill, and particularly which will kill men in middle age. The frontline diagnostic tool in efforts to screen for prostate cancer - the PSA test - is a tool which has very poor ability to find problematic cancers. It finds many benign cancers which could have been left alone. The aim of the book is to provide a detailed examination of the main questions that a man should be asking before deciding to get tested for prostate cancer. It will help men to make informed decisions that best fit their circumstances and temperament. Let sleeping dogs lie? is a 'must read' for all men who care about their health, and those who support them.

You can read the book online or download for free here.

Overcoming indigenous disadvantage: key indicators 2011

In 2002, Australian governments collectively made a renewed commitment to overcoming the disadvantage experienced by many Indigenous Australians. As part of this commitment, governments agreed to a regular public report on progress — the Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators report. This is the fifth edition of that report.
You can download all or part of the report here.

Rural and Remote Health Workforce Innovation and Reform Strategy

Health Workforce Australia consultations on the Rural and Remote Health Workforce begin this week. A Background Paper has been prepared by Health Workforce Australia (HWA) as the first step in a national consultation process. Development of the Rural and Remote Health Workforce Innovation and Reform Strategy is a crucial piece of work with potential to make a significant improvement in the health workforce in rural and remote areas . Rather than a comprehensive literature review, this Background Paper is intended to prompt discussion and consultation with key stakeholder groups in 2011, by providing a concise evidence base for strategy identification and development.

Mutation clue to disorders in older dads' offspring

Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) researchers have discovered a genetic mechanism that may explain why the children of older fathers are more likely to develop schizophrenia or autism. These results offered the first experimental demonstration that the offspring of older males have an increased risk of de novo (new) CNVs. QBI Professor John McGrath said “While we've known for some time that the children of older fathers are more likely to develop schizophrenia or autism, this study provides the first evidence of the biological mechanism that may be responsible. ” Compared to the offspring of fathers in their early twenties, the offspring of fathers aged 50 years or over have a two-fold increased risk of these neurodevelopmental disorders.

Free "Early Journal Content" from JSTOR

JSTOR (short for Journal Storage) is an online system for archiving academic journals, founded in 1995. It is a subscription service but JSTOR has now made freely available material prior to 1923. There are over 60 Health Science,Health Policy and Psychology journals on the database.

Climate change and infectious diseases

'Climate change and infectious diseases in Australia: future prospects, adaptation options, and research priorities' is an article by David Harley and others in the Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health recently. The current situation and potential future climate change impacts for respiratory, diarrheal, and vectorborne diseases in Australia are reviewed.

Projections have been made internationally and in Australia for climatic influences on infectious disease incidence. There are other factors involved as well, and the authors acknowledge that not all changes will necessarily be negative. "In this article, we present knowledge on the present and the future of infectious diseases in Australia, with emphasis on climate change impacts. On this basis we suggest responses by the health sector to manage changes in risk. We also suggest future directions for population health research in relation to climate change."

To see the full text of this article, contact your library with this citation: Asia Pac J Public Health March 2011 23: 54S-66S.

Australian national preventive health agency strategic plan 2011–2015

The establishment of the Australian National Preventive Health Agency (ANPHA) aims to drive change and innovation around health policies and programs that take prevention and health promotion reforms forward in a systematic and evidence-based way, and which accords with the national commitment to improving health outcomes for all.

ANPHA’s first strategic plan shapes this new organisation, while setting in place longer-term directions for an enduring institution that will play a significant role in making Australia a healthier country. This Plan sets out ANPHA’s vision, its mission, and the values and strategies that will underpin its work. To achieve its vision and mission ANPHA will collaborate with governments and with research, industry, media, non-government and community partners. ANPHA will work to enhance the exchange of knowledge, advice and support for prevention and health promotion efforts throughout Australia.

Family history of cancer

This week's Health Report on ABC Radio National included an interview with Dianne Finkelstein, principal investigator of the US Cancer Genetics Network.  Finkelstein and her fellow researchers have been studying a large group for several years assessing how their family history relates to their risk of cancer.  She stressed the importance of following family history over a period of time as a person's siblings and parents age and may contract cancer later in years, thus changing the family story.  For example, with breast cancer, for those screened for family history at age 30, only 7% were considered to be in a high risk group.  In that same group of people screened at age 50, 11% were revealed as being in a high risk group.  It's also important for screening and lifestyle choices to know where the primary cancer was in a family member, not where it may have spread or ended up.

You can read more about this study in the following articles in JAMA.  Contact your library if you have trouble locating the full text:
Ziogas A et al. Clinically Relevant Changes in Family History of Cancer Over Time. JAMA July 13, 2011;306;2: 172-178
Louise S. Acheson Recording, Interpreting, and Updating the Family History of Cancer - Implications for Cancer Prevention. (Editorial) JAMA July 13/2011;306;2:208-210