Sexual health for all 2000: Identifying key obstacles to sexual health for lesbians, gay and bisexual people

Duration: March 2000 - May 2000 This was a short, joint investigation between the National AIDS Trust, The Lesbian and Gay Foundation (formerly Healthy Gay Manchester and Manchester Lesbian & Gay Switchboard) and Sigma Research. It was intended to inform the development of the English National Sexual Health Strategy (prior to its merger with the National HIV Strategy) by the Department of Health. The Department of Health commissioned this research on the sexual health needs of Gay men and Lesbians, and identified access to services and health promotion as two areas of special interest. A survey was developed to elicit the views of Lesbians, Gay men and Bisexuals on what the forthcoming strategy (a) should be trying to achieve and (b) how to achieve it. A short, self-completion questionnaire was used (two sides of a single sheet of A4), with a Freepost return facility. The questions covered: demographics; health concerns; obstacles to sexual health; and experiences of sexual health service. Respondents were recruited from Gay and Lesbian community groups, Lesbian & Gay pubs and bookstores in London and Manchester. Respondents were included if they were 16 years or older and resident in England and either: (i) homosexually active in last five year, and / or (ii) Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual identity. The final sample included 497 women and 417 men. The report to the Department of Health included twenty specific recommendations intended to inform the National Strategy

Tonebridge-Frankland area land resources survey

This report presents the results from soil and landform mapping at a scale of 1:100,000 in the Tonebridge-Frankland area of Western Australia. One map representing the Tonebridge (2229) and Frankland (2329) map sheet areas, covering approximately 511,000 hectares accompanies the report on a CD-ROM. The Tonebridge-Frankland survey area covers major parts of the Warren-Tone and Frankland-Gordon River catchments. It also covers the upper catchments of the Kent and Deep Rivers, a small part of the Blackwood River catchment in the north western corner, as well as the Lake Muir-Unicup sub-catchments. The Tonebridge-Frankland survey falls within the Manjimup, Katanning and Albany advisory districts for the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia. The land resource information has been collected to help improve the decisions made by planners, researchers and land managers. The information can be used from regional scale, to catchment scale to farm level. By improving knowledge of the land resources, more sustainable land uses can be developed within the Tonebridge-Frankland region. Sixteen soil-landscape systems were identified during the survey. These systems were further divided into subsystems. The accompanying CD-ROM provides details of the main soils, landforms, geology, land use and native vegetation for each system. Also within each subsystem, the proportion of unmapped units (land units) is also indicated. The report includes a summary of the main soils recognised within the area. The major land degradation hazards identified during the survey are also outlined. This assessment is designed to give a broad overview of the limitations of the soils in the area. For specific land capability assessment it is recommended that the Department of Agriculture’s dynamic Map Unit Database be consulted to get the most current assessments of land qualities and land capabilities for specific land uses. Information on land use history, geology and physiography, climate, native vegetation and previous soil surveys are included in the report. These sections provide additional background material about the land resources within the Tonebridge-Frankland survey

Corrigin area land resources survey

This land resource survey of the Corrigin area covers some 1.8 million hectares of the central wheatbelt over the shires of Beverley, Brookton, Bruce Rock, Corrigin, Cuballing, Cunderdin, Dumbleyung, Kellerberrin, Kondinin, Kulin, Lake Grace, Merredin, Narembeen, Narrogin, Pingelly, Quairading, Tammin, Wandering and Wickepin. The survey is part of a regional scale soil-landscape mapping program designed to deliver seamless soil information for the agricultural area of south western Australia. The information provided will assist planners, researchers and land managers make decisions affecting sustainable land use and is designed for use at regional and catchment scales. This report and accompanying CD-ROM summarizes primary and interpreted information on the soil-landscapes of the Corrigin area. The report outlines the main degradation issues and supplies background information on climate, native vegetation and geology. An important additional outcome of the survey is a new theory on soil formation that has wide-ranging ramifications for agriculture, soil science, botany and geomorphology. Thirty-six soil-landscape systems, together with their component sub-systems and phases were recognised, mapped and described during the survey. This information, together with unmapped soil types and land qualities, is provided in the CD-ROM. The CD also showcases the main soils, provides geo-referenced soil pit and auger descriptions, maps of soil-landscapes and maps of selected degradation hazards

The health impact of nature exposure and green exercise across the life course: a pilot study

Background: Both nature exposure and green exercise (GE) provide numerous health benefits. However, there are no studies examining the impact of childhood GE on adult health. Methods: 45 healthy adults (aged 69.8 ± 8.4 years) took part in the study, wearing a Firstbeat heart rate variability (HRV) monitor for 24 hours. Participants also completed questionnaires assessing childhood and adulthood nature exposure and GE, as well as current connectedness to nature (CN), perceived stress and well-being. Pearson’s correlations and linear regression were used to examine relationships between variables. Results: Childhood nature exposure and GE significantly predicted adult nature exposure and GE (β .317, p < 0.05) as well as CN (β = .831, p < 0.01). After controlling for childhood nature exposure and GE, CN was negatively associated with the percentage of stress over the 24-hour period (r = −.363; p < 0.05) and positively associated with HRV during sleep (r = .415; p < 0.05). Conclusions: CN is important for adult health; however childhood nature exposure and GE are essential to developing this connection

Nyabing-Kukerin area land resources survey

This report presents the results from soil and landform mapping at a scale of 1:500,000 in the Kukerin, Lake Grace and Nyabing areas of Western Australia. This land resource information has been collected to help improve the decisions made by planners, researchers and land managers. The information can be used at the regional scale, catchment scale and farm level. By improving knowledge of our land resources, more sustainable land uses can be developed within the region. The soil-landscape map of the area covers approximately 515,000 hectares and is included on the accompanying interactive CD-ROM. The map extends from Lake Grace in the north-east through Nyabing to Gnowangerup in the south-west. It includes the towns of Kukerin and Ongerup. The western portion of the survey area falls within the Blackwood River catchment and the eastern portion within the Avon catchment. In the southern portion of the survey area, the Pallinup River drains to the south coast of Western Australia. The Nyabing-Kukerin survey area occurs in the Lake Grace, Narrogin and Katanning advisory districts of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia. Twelve soil-landscape systems have been identified and are represented on the soil-landscape map. Most of these systems have been divided further into subsystems. Descriptions of the main soils, landforms, geology land use and native vegetation of each system are provided on the accompanying CD-ROM. The proportions of main soils and land units occurring within each subsystem are also presented. More than eighty soils are identified in this report with detailed descriptions available on the accompanying CD-ROM. These descriptions include a representative soil profile with chemical and physical analyses where available. The main land management characteristics and the native vegetation are also listed for each soil. The report discusses the soil properties and land degradation hazards associated with each main soil. This gives a broad overview of the capability of the soils. More comprehensive ratings of land qualities, as well as specific land capability assessments and maps are included on the accompanying CD-ROM. Information on land use history, geology and physiography, climate, native vegetation and previous soil surveys are included in the report. These sections provide additional background material about the land resources within the survey area