Food allergy knowledge, attitudes and beliefs among Australian parents

Childhood food allergies are increasingly prevalent with Australia having one of the highest rates in the world. Approximately 1 in 20 children exhibit allergic reactions to egg, cow’s milk, peanut, tree nuts, seafood, sesame, soy, fish and/or wheat. This study aimed to investigate food allergy knowledge, attitudes and beliefs in Australian parents of children with and without food allergy. This study also aimed to conduct a cross-cultural comparison between parents from Australia, the United States, and the Netherlands. Furthermore, predictors of overall Australian knowledge scores were investigated. The Chicago Food Allergy Research Surveys for parents of children with food allergy and the general public were administered to 463 parents of children aged 0-18 years with (n=274) and without (n=189) food allergies. Results indicated that there is no significant difference in food allergy knowledge between Australian parents of children with (M=15.26, SD=2.81) and without food allergy (M=17.61, SD=2.90). Attitudes and beliefs of Australian parents were varied with most acknowledging the severity and implications for the food allergic child. Overall Australian knowledge scores were greater than those obtained from the United States and the Netherlands. Parents’ exposure to food allergy awareness or training at work, but not child allergy status, parent, partner or spouse history of allergy or parents education level, was found to predict food allergy knowledge. Findings suggest Australians have a strong food allergy knowledge base with some misconceptions. Education is vital to ensure the safety of the food allergic child

Effect of Different Types of Physical Activity on Activities of Daily Living in Older Adults : Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Peer reviewedPostprin

Non-stochastic lattice structures for novel filter applications fabricated via additive manufacturing

Non-stochastic lattice structures are widely used in a variety of applications such as biomedical implants and heat exchangers. However, the utilisation of these structures for filtration applications is rather new. Additive manufacturing techniques such as selective laser melting allows lattice structures to be bespoke depending on the type of filter and its intended function. This study considers the flow characteristics and structural strength of a disc filter with a layer of repeated 1.8 mm lattice unit cell as the filter mesh. Computational fluid dynamics simulation is used to analyse the pressure and flow velocity across the filter, while finite element analysis is utilised to analyse the structural characteristics of the lattice mesh under fluid load. The results show a minimal decrease in pressure and small increases in velocity, with the mesh capable of withstanding higher loads. The ultimate failure load of the structure is also determined. These findings indicate that more layers of lattice structures could be used as filter mesh and the flexibility of AM allows the filter properties to be tailored as required for a given application

Integrated health and social care; exploring of the needs and experiences of service users and their families.

Protocol for a review, aiming to address the following questions: 1) What are the perceptions of service users and their families in relation to their health and wellbeing needs? 2) What are the experiences of service users and their families who access integrated health and social care to meet their health and wellbeing needs? 3) What is the relationship between the service users (and their families) experiences of integrated health and social care, and their perceived health and wellbeing needs

Exploring the health and wellbeing needs and experiences of people who use and deliver integrated health and social care in the community: a multi-case study.

Safe, people-centred, effective, affordable, and coordinated health and social support systems are a global priority. Current research in the field focuses on evaluation of services and models of integrated health and social care (IHSC). This qualitative multi-case study was designed with key stakeholders to explore the experiences and needs of people who use and deliver IHSC at home, in a regional area of Scotland (UK)