Smoking prevalence among lesbian, bisexual and queer women in Sydney remains high: analysis of trends and correlates

Introduction and Aims: To investigate smoking prevalence trends and correlates among lesbian, bisexual and queer-identifying (LBQ) women in Sydney, Australia. Design and Methods – Data from 5007 respondents to a repeated cross-sectional community survey were used to examine smoking trends between 2004 and 2014. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine smoking correlates. Results – 30% of respondents were current smokers including 48% of 16-24 year olds. A slight decrease in all-ages smoking over time was not reflected in the youngest age group. LBQ women who smoke have fewer economic, social and psychological resources than both women who never smoke and ex-smokers. High levels of alcohol and illicit drug use are also correlated with current smoking. Discussion and conclusions – Population-wide interventions have failed to address the persistently high prevalence of smoking among this sample of LBQ women. Tailored interventions may find utility focusing on personal resilience to deal with general and sexuality-specific stressors, as well as attending to poly-substance use. Acknowledgment of LBQ women as a priority group for tobacco reduction is urgently needed. We call on tobacco control agencies to consider sexuality and gender orientation in policy and partner with LGBT community organisations to develop culturally appropriate interventions.SWASH has run since 1996 with no direct government funding through community enthusiasm, the goodwill of volunteers, in-kind support from the University of Sydney and University of New South Wales and limited financial from the National Centre in HIV Social Research and the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales. SWASH owes a deep debt of gratitude to ACON Health, particularly the CEOs and staff, for continued practical support. While several researchers have been part of the SWASH journey, Juliet Richters and Garrett Prestage demand specific acknowledgment for their initial efforts to SWASH set up and commitment to keep it running (until handing it to the authors in 2009). This unique community-based project could not have happened without the commitment, enthusiasm and networks of all involved

Training as a social purpose: are economic and social benefits delivered?

This paper reports original research which measures the social and economic impact of training and skills development on individuals who participated in training provided by social purpose, nonprofit organizations. An implicit policy assumption is that such organizations contribute to social and economic regeneration. Examining the costs and benefits of training to trainees, an adapted Return on Investment methodology measures any economic benefit, while an Index of Social Benefit measures changes in individual well-being. The results demonstrate that while changes to both the economic and social wellbeing of trainees occur, it does not necessarily relate solely to the training they received. Instead, changes reflect other, often complex, aspects of trainees’ lives, although training may facilitate change. Furthermore, social purpose, nonprofit organizations need to evince the socioeconomic benefits of their training programmes to secure future funding, public or private, but proving their successful delivery may be difficult to determine

An evaluation of the effectiveness of a community mentoring service for socially isolated older people: a controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Social isolation affects a significant proportion of older people and is associated with poor health outcomes. The current evidence base regarding the effectiveness of interventions targeting social isolation is poor, and the potential utility of mentoring for this purpose has not previously been rigorously evaluated. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a community-based mentoring service for improving mental health, social engagement and physical health for socially isolated older people.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This prospective controlled trial compared a sample of mentoring service clients (intervention group) with a matched control group recruited through general practice. One hundred and ninety five participants from each group were matched on mental wellbeing and social activity scores. Assessments were conducted at baseline and at six month follow-up. The primary outcome was the Short Form Health Survey v2 (SF-12) mental health component score (MCS). Secondary outcomes included the SF-12 physical health component score (PCS), EuroQol EQ-5D, Geriatric Depression Score (GDS-10), social activity, social support and morbidities.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found no evidence that mentoring was beneficial across a wide range of participant outcomes measuring health status, social activity and depression. No statistically significant between-group differences were observed at follow-up in the primary outcome (p = 0.48) and in most secondary outcomes. Identifying suitable matched pairs of intervention and control group participants proved challenging.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results of this trial provide no substantial evidence supporting the use of community mentoring as an effective means of alleviating social isolation in older people. Further evidence is needed on the effectiveness of community-based interventions targeting social isolation. When using non-randomised designs, there are considerable challenges in the recruitment of suitable matches from a community sample.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>SCIE Research Register for Social Care 105923</p

Life cycle impact comparison of different concrete floor slabs considering uncertainty and sensitivity analysis

The traditional construction industry is characterized as a labor-intensive, wasteful, and inefficient sector. Currently, prefabrication has become a common practice in residential development and has reduced energy consumption and waste generation compared to traditional on-site practices. This study investigates the differences in life cycle environmental impacts among three different floor systems (precast slab, composite slab (semi-precast slab) and cast-in-situ slab) based on two functional units (delivering the same carrying capacity and maintaining consistent floor depth) using both LCA midpoint and endpoint methods using the software tool SimaPro. This study sets a calculation boundary for the construction process: raw material production, slab production, transportation, construction activities on-site, demolition and recycling of buildings at the end-of-life stage. Moreover, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis are carried out to help decision-makers identify major environmental impact factors and develop eco-friendly plans to facilitate housing industrialization. The results indicate that (1) the environmental impact of precast slab outperforms those of cast-in-situ and composite floors regardless of different design functional units and evaluation methods. (2) While under different functional units, the environmental performance of composite and cast-in-situ floors varies considerably. (3) From the perspective of life cycle stages, the transportation sector and its supply chain make up a significant portion of the final environmental impact and are responsible for 45.2%, 50.1% and 53.6% of the total impact for the precast, composite and cast-in-situ slabs, respectively. Slab production of precast slab (it is raw material production of cast-in-situ and composite slabs) is the second largest contributor to the environmental impact

Annual survey of settlement pattern 1979

SIGLELD:1534.9316(1979) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Nature conservation in Devon An introduction to the conservation of wildlife and wildplaces of the County

0.40SIGLELD:83/02220(Nature) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Slapton study Opportunities for enhancing the landscaps and wildlife quality of the Slapton area

0.25SIGLELD:f81/3029. / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo