Estimated Prevalence and Living Circumstances of Parents with Intellectual Disability In Australia from Selected National Surveys

Analysis of SDAC 2009 data identified an estimated 0.41% of Australian parents had intellectual disability. This equates to an estimated 17,000 parents with intellectual disability residing in private dwellings in Australia. Analysis of GSS 2010 data revealed that, compared with non-disabled parents and also compared with parents with other disabilities, parents with intellectual disability were significantly more likely to: -be in a jobless household -be in households in the lowest three deciles of equivalised weekly income -be on government pensions as the main source of personal income -have ever been without a permanent place to live -have ever stayed in a shelter, squatted in an abandoned building and/or slept rough -have less frequent contact with family and friends -have negative or mixed feelings about life -have poorer self-assessed healthCentre for Disability Research and Polic

The genetic architecture of type 2 diabetes

The genetic architecture of common traits, including the number, frequency, and effect sizes of inherited variants that contribute to individual risk, has been long debated. Genome-wide association studies have identified scores of common variants associated with type 2 diabetes, but in aggregate, these explain only a fraction of heritability. To test the hypothesis that lower-frequency variants explain much of the remainder, the GoT2D and T2D-GENES consortia performed whole genome sequencing in 2,657 Europeans with and without diabetes, and exome sequencing in a total of 12,940 subjects from five ancestral groups. To increase statistical power, we expanded sample size via genotyping and imputation in a further 111,548 subjects. Variants associated with type 2 diabetes after sequencing were overwhelmingly common and most fell within regions previously identified by genome-wide association studies. Comprehensive enumeration of sequence variation is necessary to identify functional alleles that provide important clues to disease pathophysiology, but large-scale sequencing does not support a major role for lower-frequency variants in predisposition to type 2 diabetes

Technical Report 2, 2014: The Number and Characteristics of Parents with Intellectual Disability from Centrelink Income Support Administrative Data

This report reports the situation of parents with intellectual disability compared to parents with other disabilities and non-disabled parents in a national administrative data set. Compared with other Australian parents, parents with intellectual disability were more likely to be caring for a child with disability, more likely to be in public housing and more likely to live in the Northern Territory.This investigation is part of a larger project funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services (DSS) as part of Healthy Start. A national strategy for children of parents with learning difficulties (www.healthystart.net.au)Centre for Disability Research and Polic

Technical Report 2, 2014: The Number and Characteristics of Parents with Intellectual Disability from Centrelink Income Support Administrative Data

This report reports the situation of parents with intellectual disability compared to parents with other disabilities and non-disabled parents in a national administrative data set. Compared with other Australian parents, parents with intellectual disability were more likely to be caring for a child with disability, more likely to be in public housing and more likely to live in the Northern Territory.This investigation is part of a larger project funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services (DSS) as part of Healthy Start. A national strategy for children of parents with learning difficulties (www.healthystart.net.au)Centre for Disability Research and Polic

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disability prevalence: making sense of multiple estimates and definitions

Abstract Objective: To analyse the multiple sources of statistics on prevalence of disability among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) people in Australia to provide reliable headline estimates. Methods: Survey documentation and statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) were collated and comparatively analysed. Results: Two separate concepts are defined by the ABS: ‘Disability’ and ‘Disability and restrictive health conditions’. The former is used in the Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC), the recommended source of disability prevalence estimates. The second is used in surveys to compare people with disability to those without. The 2014–15 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Survey (NATSISS) used a mix of these definitions, which led to differing prevalence estimates from SDAC estimates. Further, there is confusion in the NATSISS results, with ‘disability’ frequently replacing ‘disability and restrictive health condition’. Discussion: The SDAC should be used for prevalence statistics on disability in the Indigenous population. The ABS should act to clarify or withdraw confusing results from the 2014–15 NATSISS survey. Implications for public health: Official statistics are used to allocate resources; in particular, to and within the National Disability Insurance Scheme. These need to be accurate to ensure Indigenous people’s health needs are met

Anal sex, vaginal sex and HIV risk among female sex workers in Papua New Guinea

Female sex workers (FSW) are considered one of the key affected populations in Papua New Guinea at risk of acquiring HIV. An integrated bio-behavioral survey of sex workers in Port Moresby was conducted to determine the nature and extent of this risk. About half (51.1 %) of the 411 FSW who reported having any sexual intercourse with clients had engaged in both anal and vaginal intercourse with clients in the last 6 months. In spite of having poorer HIV knowledge (OR95 % CI = 0.14-0.34), FSW who had anal intercourse with clients were significantly more likely to have used a condom at the last vaginal intercourse with a client (OR95 % CI = 1.04-2.87). Similarly, FSW who had anal intercourse with regular and casual partners were significantly more likely to have used a condom at the last vaginal intercourse. Those who engaged in both anal and vaginal intercourse with clients had similar condom use for both vaginal and anal intercourse, with the majority (78.1 %) using a condom at the last occasion for both vaginal and anal intercourse. These FSW may have different risk and protective factors that affect their use of condom during sexual intercourse. Further research is needed to investigate this difference between those who practice anal intercourse and those who do not in order to provide evidence for better programming.10 page(s

Sexual risk behaviour, marriage and ART : a study of HIV-positive people in Papua New Guinea

Background: The prevention of intimate partner transmission of HIV remains an important component of comprehensive HIV prevention strategies. In this paper we examine the sexual practices of people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Method: In 2008, a total of 374 HIV-positive people over the age of 16 and on ART for more than two weeks were recruited using a non-probability, convenience sampling methodology. This accounted for around 18% of adults on ART at the time. A further 36 people participated in semi-structured interviews. All interviews were thematically analysed using NVivo qualitative data analysis software. Results: Less than forty per cent (38%) of participants reported having had sexual intercourse in the six months prior to the survey. Marital status was by far the most important factor in determining sexual activity, but consistent condom use during vaginal intercourse with a regular partner was low. Only 46% reported consistent condom use during vaginal intercourse with a regular partner in the last six months, despite 77% of all participants reporting that consistent condom use can prevent HIV transmission. Consistent condom use was lowest amongst married couples and those in seroconcordant relationships. The vast majority (91.8%) of all participants with a regular heterosexual partner had disclosed their status to their partner. Qualitative data reinforced low rates of sexual activity and provided important insights into sexual abstinence and condom use. Conclusions: Considering the importance of intimate partner transmission of HIV, these results on the sexual practices of people with HIV on ART in PNG suggest that one-dimensional HIV prevention messages focussing solely on condom use fail to account for the current practices and needs of HIV-positive people, especially those who are married and know their partners' HIV status.12 page(s