Factors Associated with Adults’ Perceptions of Nicotine and Nicotine e-Liquid Harm to Young Children and Associations with Nicotine Handling Behaviors in the Home

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use has grown rapidly over the past decade. ENDS-specific harms have emerged among children (particularly those \u3c 6 years), related to exposures to nicotine e-liquids (NEL) used in ENDS. Children have been identified as a priority population in terms of the potential and actual NEL-caused harm in the United States (US). Evidence is lacking examining contextual factors such as adults’ risk perceptions related to child NEL exposures and how these materials are handled in homes where children are present. Guided by the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), this dissertation focuses on adults’ risk perceptions of children’s exposure to nicotine and NEL handling practices in the home. Study 1 examined risk perceptions related to children’s (\u3c 13 years) exposure to nicotine generally (not product-specific) among a representative sample of US adults, and found that current tobacco product users, males, and persons from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds were significantly less likely to perceive nicotine as harmful to children. Study 2 examined risk perceptions related to children’s (\u3c 6 years) exposure to NEL in two dose-levels by five exposure modes, among adults who lived with at least one child (\u3c 6 years) and were ENDS users, non-users living with a user, or never-users in never using homes. Study 2 found that ENDS-users were significantly less likely (versus never users from never-user homes) to perceive NEL exposure as moderately or very dangerous in 7/10 of dose/mode dyads examined. Study 3 examined relationships between perceptions of NEL-related risk to children and NEL handling practices among adult ENDS-users and non-users living in ENDS using homes who also had a child (\u3c 6 years). This study found that being a non-user was significantly associated with not knowing about the NEL handling practices in their home, and perceiving child NEL exposure as very dangerous was significantly associated with always using childproof caps. These findings highlight the need to educate adults about nicotine’s harmfulness to children and to develop measures to protect children from nicotine and NEL exposures. Opportunities to improve all adults’ NEL-related knowledge to improve safety for children are also discussed

Diversifying assessment across the ‘Two Cultures’: student-produced podcasts in Geography

Since 2008, following growing collective interest in learning technologies and pedagogy, Geography and History departments at Northumbria and Newcastle Universities have successfully incorporated student-generated podcasting into a mixture of science, humanities and social science modules across all undergraduate levels. This paper presents a number of innovative examples using this approach, with the aim of promoting student creativity and analytical skills in ways different from traditional report- or essay-based assessments. It goes on to consider some of the advantages and challenges of this alternative assessment mode, from both student and tutor perspectives, across the science-humanities divide

The role and nature of universal health services for pregnant women, children and families in Australia

INTRODUCTION Recent reports indicate that social policy in developed countries has seen positive results in well - child health and safety, child material security, education and socialisation (UNICEF, 2007) . In countries where child health is supported by policy, children have relatively high levels of well - being as measured by material well - being, health and safety, educational well - being, family and peer relationships, behaviours, risks and subjective well - being (UNICEF, 2007) . In Australia, the overall health, development and well - being of children is high on many indicators. Childhood mortality rates have halved over the last two decades, the incidence of vaccin e - preventable diseases has been reduced since the introduction of immunisation (92% of two - year - olds being fully vaccinated in 2004) and the proportion of households with young children in which a household member smoked inside the house has decreased over the past decade (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2005) . However, concerns are emerging related to rapid social change and the associated new morbidities such as increasing levels of behaviou ral, developmental, mental health and social problems. This has resulted in early childhood becoming a priority for Australian government and non - government organizations (Australian Institute of Health a nd Welfare, 2005) . Health indicators also continue to show significant disparities between Indigenous and non - Indigenous children. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Infant mortality is three times the rate of non - Indigenous Australians and more th an 50 per cent higher than Indigenous children in the USA and New Zealand (National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation & Oxfam Australia, 2007) , and Indigenous babies are more than twice as likely to be born with low birth weight or premature, wi th a negative impact on their growth and development (Australian medical Association report care series, 2005

Preparing Australian Special Educators: Courses and Content

: The characteristics and content of post-graduate courses in special and/or inclusive teacher education in Australian universities were examined using publicly available material on university websites. Content analysis was guided by a set of content area elements covering desirable skills and knowledge for special educators that were identified in the Australian literature. The presence or absence of these content elements in each course and in core or elective units was coded for 28 courses from 21 universities. All or most courses covered generic content such as teaching strategies and evaluating and using research. However, more specialist content, such as explicit teaching strategies and instruction in literacy and numeracy, was absent from over half the courses. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of the limitations necessarily imposed by the inclusion of only publicly available online information

Child relationships in the middle grades

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Interpreter use in sustained nurse home visiting : interpreter experience and support

Background: The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of healthcare interpreters working with child and family health nurses (CFHNs) in providing child and family health nursing (CFHN) services and sustained nurse home visiting (SNHV) programs to culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) families with limited English proficiency. Methods: A mixed methods longitudinal research design was conducted to develop, implement and evaluate a training and practice support model for healthcare interpreters working with nurses and CALD families in providing CFHN services and SNHV programs in three major local health services in Sydney, Australia. One pre-training survey with 24 healthcare interpreters was conducted; field notes were recorded during training and implementation; and a post-implementation focus group with six healthcare interpreters was conducted. Quantitative survey data were analysed descriptively using Alchemer. The focus group was audio-recorded for transcription purposes, and this and the field notes were thematically analysed applying a socioecological framework. Results: Three themes were identified from the initial, pre-training survey: facilitate communication and delivery accurately; a bridge linking the clients and the healthcare practitioners; and make everybody feel comfortable. Practice support implementation was negatively impact by system and COVID-19 related barriers. Four themes were developed from evaluative phase of the study including: system-related issues; interpreters’ challenges; working with nurses; and client session related issues. Conclusion: Quality interpreting was favourably influenced by adequate time for interpreting the session including a pre- and post-briefing session with CFHNs, an appropriate mode of interpretation, allocation of female interpreters and the same interpreters with CALD mothers and clarity about interpreter role and cultural comfort. These strategies support the quality of communication and relationships in delivery of CFHN services and SNHV programs to CALD mothers with limited English proficiency

Defective Mitochondrial Function In Vivo in Skeletal Muscle in Adults with Down's Syndrome: A P-31-MRS Study

Down’s syndrome (DS) is a developmental disorder associated with intellectual disability (ID). We have previously shown that people with DS engage in very low levels of exercise compared to people with ID not due to DS. Many aspects of the DS phenotype, such as dementia, low activity levels and poor muscle tone, are shared with disorders of mitochondrial origin, and mitochondrial dysfunction has been demonstrated in cultured DS tissue. We undertook a phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((31)P-MRS) study in the quadriceps muscle of 14 people with DS and 11 non-DS ID controls to investigate the post-exercise resynthesis kinetics of phosphocreatine (PCr), which relies on mitochondrial respiratory function and yields a measure of muscle mitochondrial function in vivo. We found that the PCr recovery rate constant was significantly decreased in adults with DS compared to non-DS ID controls (1.7±0.1 min(−1) vs 2.1±0.1 min(−1) respectively) who were matched for physical activity levels, indicating that muscle mitochondrial function in vivo is impaired in DS. This is the first study to investigate mitochondrial function in vivo in DS using (31)P-MRS. Our study is consistent with previous in vitro studies, supporting a theory of a global mitochondrial defect in DS

A short-form version of the Australian English Communicative Development Inventory

Published online: 06 Oct 2021.Purpose: The Australian English Communicative Development Inventory (OZI) is a 558-item parent report tool for assessing language development at 12–30 months. Here, we introduce the short form (OZI-SF), a 100-item, picture-supported, online instrument with substantially lower time and literacy demands. Method: In tool development (Study 1), 95 items were drawn from the OZI to match its item distribution by age of acquisition and semantic categories. Five items were added from four other semantic categories, plus 12 gestures and six games/routines. Simulations computed OZI-SF scores from existing long-form OZI norm data, and OZI and projected OZI-SF scores were correlated. In an independent norming sample (Study 2), parents (n¼230) completed the OZI-SF for their children aged 12–30 months. Child scores were analysed by age and sex. Result: OZI-SF and OZI scores correlate highly across age and language development levels. Vocabulary scores (receptive, expressive) correlate with age and the median for girls is higher until 24 months. By 24 months, 50% of the sample combine words “often”. The median time to OZI-SF completion was 12 minutes. Conclusion: Fitted percentiles permit working guidelines for typical (median) performance and lower cut-offs for children who may be behind on age-based expectations and/or at risk for a communication difficulty. The OZI-SF is a short-form of the OZI that has promise for research and clinical/educational use with Australian families.This work was supported by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language (ARC CoEDL, CE140100041)