1,101 research outputs found

    Evaluation of the 2012 family violence amendments: synthesis report

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    This report sets out the overall findings of the evaluation of the 2012 family violence amendments. The evaluation examined the effects of amendments to the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth)  that were intended to improve the family law system’s responses to matters involving family violence and safety concerns. Key messages Most separated parents don’t use family dispute resolution, lawyers or courts to resolve parenting matters after they separate Those parents who do use family law systems tend to be those affected by complex issues including family violence, mental ill-health, substance abuse and safety concerns for themselves and/or their children There has been an increased emphasis on identifying families with concerns about family violence and child abuse, however 29% of parents using family law system services reported never being asked about family violence or safety concerns Family law professionals indicated that better screening tools and approaches are required The reforms have supported sorting out parenting arrangements by agreement. This is likely to be due to a change in 2012 that means advisors tell parents that parenting arrangements should be in a child’s best interests Subtle changes in parenting arrangements are evident such as more parents with safety concerns reporting a shift away from overnight stays with fathers The proportion of children with court orders for shared care, where allegations of both family violence or child safety had been raised, fell after the reforms (from 19% to 11%) The proportion of court orders for shared care where neither family violence nor child safety was raised remained stable (22%): no significant change showed where only one issue was raised (17% pre-reform, 15% post-reform). Overall the main findings of the evaluation indicate that the 2012 family violence amendments are a step in the right direction in a reform agenda intended to improve the system’s response to family violence and child abuse concerns in post-separation parenting arrangements. See related content for seperate reports.   &nbsp

    A bi-directional relationship between obesity and health-related quality of life : evidence from the longitudinal AusDiab study

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    Objective: To assess the prospective relationship between obesity and health-related quality of life, including a novel assessment of the impact of health-related quality of life on weight gain.Design and setting: Longitudinal, national, population-based Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle (AusDiab) study, with surveys conducted in 1999/2000 and 2004/2005.Participants: A total of 5985 men and women aged 25 years at study entry.Main outcome measure(s): At both time points, height, weight and waist circumference were measured and self-report data on health-related quality of life from the SF-36 questionnaire were obtained. Cross-sectional and bi-directional, prospective associations between obesity categories and health-related quality of life were assessed.Results: Higher body mass index (BMI) at baseline was associated with deterioration in health-related quality of life over 5 years for seven of the eight health-related quality of life domains in women (all P0.01, with the exception of mental health, P&gt;0.05), and six out of eight in men (all P&lt;0.05, with the exception of role-emotional, P=0.055, and mental health, P&gt;0.05). Each of the quality-of-life domains related to mental health as well as the mental component summary were inversely associated with BMI change (all P&lt;0.0001 for women and P0.01 for men), with the exception of vitality, which was significant in women only (P=0.008). For the physical domains, change in BMI was inversely associated with baseline general health in women only (P=0.023).Conclusions: Obesity was associated with a deterioration in health-related quality of life (including both physical and mental health domains) in this cohort of Australian adults followed over 5 years. Health-related quality of life was also a predictor of weight gain over 5 years, indicating a bi-directional association between obesity and health-related quality of life. The identification of those with poor health-related quality of life may be important in assessing the risk of future weight gain, and a focus on health-related quality of life may be beneficial in weight management strategies.<br /

    BUROCRACIA E DESBUROCRATIZAÇÃO: : BREVE ANÁLISE DAS REFORMAS ADMINISTRATIVAS REALIZADAS NO BRASIL.

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    A administração pública brasileira apresenta déficits muito evidenciados na prestação de serviços públicos e na elaboração de políticas públicas de qualidade. A despeito de ter sido objeto de inúmeras tentativas de reforma, a performance da máquina pública no Brasil ainda é insuficiente para atender às necessidades e demandas de uma sociedade cada vez mais dinâmica e complexa. Diante desse impasse, este trabalho se propõe a analisar a formação e evolução da Administração Pública no Brasil e refletir sobre a influência das reformas administrativas. Para isso, foram analisados os principais marcos reformistas ocorridos no país, avaliando-se suas características e peculiaridades, identificando quais foram os impactos gerados na Administração. A conclusão foi no sentido de que as reformas administrativas empreendidas careceram, principalmente, de envolvimento social, transversalidade e força política

    Burocracia e desburocratização : reformas administrativas no Brasil

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    Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso (graduação)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Direito, 2018.Este trabalho tem o objetivo de estudar as reformas administrativas empreendidas no Brasil até o início deste século e compreender a importância dessas iniciativas para a Administração Pública atual. Diante do contexto em que a Administração brasileira tem se apresentado incapaz de atender adequadamente às demandas da sociedade, evidencia-se importante a compreensão acerca do que pode ter falhado em seu processo de formação. É essencial, para que se possa formular futuras iniciativas desburocratizantes, diagnosticar equívocos e acertos dos empreendimentos reformistas já realizados.This research aims to study the administrative reforms undertaken in Brazil up to the beginning of this century and to understand the importance of these iniciatives for the current administrative structure. Given the context in which the brazilian administration has been unable to adequaly meet the demands of Society, it is important to understand what may have failed in its formation process. In order to formulate future administrative reforms, it is indispensable to diagnose mistakes and accomplishments already made by previous reforms

    The impact of height-adjustable desks and classroom prompts on classroom sitting time, social, and motivational factors among adolescents

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    Purpose: This quasi-experimental study examined the impact of height-adjustable desks in combination with prompts to break up prolonged sitting time during class time and identified social and motivational factors associated with breaking up sitting time among adolescents. Teachers’ perceptions of strategies were also examined. Methods: Over 17 weeks, 1 classroom in a government secondary school in Melbourne, Australia, was equipped with 27 height-adjustable desks and prompts (posters and desk stickers) to break up classroom sitting time. Teachers received professional development in the use of the desks and prompts. One group of adolescents (n = 55) had 2–5 lessons/week using the height-adjustable desks in an intervention classroom, and a comparison group matched by year level and subject (n = 50) was taught in traditional “seated” classrooms. Adolescents wore an activPAL monitor at baseline (T0), 4 weeks (T1), and 17 weeks (T2) and completed a survey at T0 and T2. Six teachers participated in interviews at T2. Effect sizes were calculated (d). Results: Linear mixed models found that, compared to the traditional “seated” classrooms, the adolescents in the intervention classroom had significantly lower sitting time (T1: –9.7 min/lesson, d = –0.96; T2: –6.7 min/lesson, d = –0.70) and time spent in sitting bouts >15 min (T2: –11.2 min/lesson, d = –0.62), and had significantly higher standing time (T1: 7.3 min/lesson, d = 0.84; T2: 5.8 min/lesson, d = 0.91), number of breaks from sitting (T1: 1.3 breaks/lesson, d = 0.49; T2: 1.8 breaks/lesson, d = 0.67), and stepping time (T1: 2.5 min/lesson, d = 0.66). Intervention classroom adolescents reported greater habit strength (d = 0.58), self-efficacy for breaking up sitting time (d = 0.75), and indicated that having a teacher/classmate remind them to stand as helpful (d = 0.50). Conclusion: This intervention shows promise for targeting sitting behaviors in the classroom and indicates that incorporating social and motivational strategies may further enhance outcomes

    The Australian diabetes, obesity and lifestyle study (AusDiab)- methods and response rates

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    The Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab) addresses the urgent need for data on diabetes prevalence, risk factors and associated conditions in Australia. Here we describe the methods used and the response rates obtained. AusDiab was a population-based cross-sectional survey of national diabetes mellitus prevalence and associated risk factors in people aged ⩾25 years, conducted between May 1999 and December 2000 in the six states and the Northern Territory of Australia. The study involved an initial household interview, followed by a biomedical examination that included an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), standard anthropometric tests, blood pressure measurements and the administration of questionnaires. Of the 20 347 eligible people (aged ⩾25 years and resident at the address for ⩾6 months) who completed a household interview, 11 247 (55.3%) attended for the biomedical examination. Of those who completed the biomedical examination 55.1% were female. Comparisons with the 1998 Australian population estimates showed that younger age responders were under-represented at the biomedical examination, while the middle-aged and older age groups were over-represented. Weighting of the AusDiab data for age and gender have corrected for this bias. AusDiab, which is the largest national diabetes prevalence study undertaken in a developed nation to have used an OGTT, provides a valuable national resource for the study of the prevalence and possible causes of diabetes, as well as identifying possible risk factors that may lead to diabetes. Furthermore, it generates the baseline data for a prospective 5-year cohort study. The data will be important for national and regional public health and lifestyle education and health promotion programs

    "It's not an Obvious Issue is it?" Office-Based Employees' Perceptions of Prolonged Sitting at Work: A Qualitative Study.

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    OBJECTIVE: Current UK workplace health promotion guidance recommends that employers minimize sedentary behaviors, but understanding the issues relating to prolonged workplace sitting has received little empirical attention. This study aimed to explore employees' perceptions of sitting time. METHODS: Participants at a small to medium-sized UK company were invited to join one of five focus groups. A framework analysis approach was used. RESULTS: Self-reported mean estimate of occupational sitting time was 6.4 hours/day with a mean estimate of leisure time sitting 6.5 hours/nonwork days. The study highlighted employees' lack of appreciation of the health risks associated with sedentary behavior. CONCLUSION: This study has highlighted that in addition to personal determinants, the workplace environment and organizational culture have a key role in supporting employees' potential adoption of healthier sitting behavior in the workplace

    Combined effects of time spent in physical activity, sedentary behaviors and sleep on obesity and cardio-metabolic health markers: a novel compositional data analysis approach

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    <div><p>The associations between time spent in sleep, sedentary behaviors (SB) and physical activity with health are usually studied without taking into account that time is finite during the day, so time spent in each of these behaviors are codependent. Therefore, little is known about the combined effect of time spent in sleep, SB and physical activity, that together constitute a composite whole, on obesity and cardio-metabolic health markers. Cross-sectional analysis of NHANES 2005–6 cycle on N = 1937 adults, was undertaken using a compositional analysis paradigm, which accounts for this intrinsic codependence. Time spent in SB, light intensity (LIPA) and moderate to vigorous activity (MVPA) was determined from accelerometry and combined with self-reported sleep time to obtain the 24 hour time budget composition. The distribution of time spent in sleep, SB, LIPA and MVPA is significantly associated with BMI, waist circumference, triglycerides, plasma glucose, plasma insulin (all p<0.001), and systolic (p<0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (p<0.003), but not HDL or LDL. Within the composition, the strongest positive effect is found for the proportion of time spent in MVPA. Strikingly, the effects of MVPA replacing another behavior and of MVPA being displaced by another behavior are asymmetric. For example, re-allocating 10 minutes of SB to MVPA was associated with a lower waist circumference by 0.001% but if 10 minutes of MVPA is displaced by SB this was associated with a 0.84% higher waist circumference. The proportion of time spent in LIPA and SB were detrimentally associated with obesity and cardiovascular disease markers, but the association with SB was stronger. For diabetes risk markers, replacing SB with LIPA was associated with more favorable outcomes. Time spent in MVPA is an important target for intervention and preventing transfer of time from LIPA to SB might lessen the negative effects of physical inactivity.</p></div

    Nautilus at Risk – Estimating Population Size and Demography of Nautilus pompilius

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    The low fecundity, late maturity, long gestation and long life span of Nautilus suggest that this species is vulnerable to over-exploitation. Demand from the ornamental shell trade has contributed to their rapid decline in localized populations. More data from wild populations are needed to design management plans which ensure Nautilus persistence. We used a variety of techniques including capture-mark-recapture, baited remote underwater video systems, ultrasonic telemetry and remotely operated vehicles to estimate population size, growth rates, distribution and demographic characteristics of an unexploited Nautilus pompilius population at Osprey Reef (Coral Sea, Australia). We estimated a small and dispersed population of between 844 and 4467 individuals (14.6–77.4 km−2) dominated by males (83∶17 male∶female) and comprised of few juveniles (<10%).These results provide the first Nautilid population and density estimates which are essential elements for long-term management of populations via sustainable catch models. Results from baited remote underwater video systems provide confidence for their more widespread use to assess efficiently the size and density of exploited and unexploited Nautilus populations worldwide

    Processo De Obtenção De Catalisadores Da Conversão De Co A Co2 E Catalisadores Assim Obtidos

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    Novo processo de obtenção de catalisadores para conversão de CO em CO2 , e catalisadores assim obtidos, os quais são formados por carvão ativo impregnado com óxidos mistos de terras raras e metais de transição. De forma que, a presente patente tem por objetivo preparar novos materiais para uso como catalisador para a conversão do gás poluente CO em CO2 , proveniente do escapamento de veículos motorizados, que utilizam derivados do petróleo como combustíveis.BR0300184 (A)B01D53/94B01J37/04B01J37/08B01J37/04B01D53/94B01J37/08BR20030300184B01D53/94B01J37/04B01J37/08B01J37/04B01D53/94B01J37/0
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