Children\u27s after-school activity : associations with weight status and family circumstance

This study investigated children\u27s after-school activity and associations with body mass index (BMI) and family circumstance. One thousand two hundred thirty-four parents and 854 children (age 8-13 years) completed activity diaries for the 2 hours after school. Parents reported children as more active than children reported themselves. Boys were reported to be more active than girls. Activity levels were generally not associated with BMI or family circumstance with the exception of cultural background. Parent-reported mean child METs were higher for mothers born in Australia (3.3 vs. 3.0; p = .02). Child-reported mean METs were higher for fathers born in Australia (2.9 vs. 2.6; p = .04) and where English was their main language (2.9 vs. 2.3, p = .003).<br /

Sports consumption behaviour among generation Y in mainland China

The Chinese Government has relaxed its tight control over sport (Stensholt 2004), the country is set to host the 2008 Olympic Games and every major sport franchise in the world is making plans for a full assault on the Chinese market. The game is on in mainland China, however despite the excitement about the market there is little understanding of sport consumption in China or the attitudes and behaviours of potential sport consumers. The bulk of the literature in consumer behaviour within sports relates specifically to developed industrialised nations, specifically USA, Canada, Europe and Australia. Of particular interest to academics and practitioners alike should be the potential of the huge generation Y market in China. Generation Y (those born after 1978) represent not only a current lucrative market but also represent the future development of sport and sport consumption in China. This exploratory study has revealed that generation Y consumers in China exhibit sports consumption behaviours which differ in numerous respects from their counterparts in the USA and deserve deeper study

Local Government-Citizen Relationships: Using the coorientation approach to analyze relationship effectivness

One of the current debates in public relations scholarship surrounds how to evaluate and measure the effectiveness of public relations practitioners and programs and the value they add to an organization. Known as the ROI, or return on investment, in public relations, this concept is often hard to define. However, as management demands become stronger for more accountability from public relations departments, the need to effectively address this concern continues to grow. Previous research has shown that a strong indicator of the effectiveness of public relations is the relationship that exists between an organization and its publics. This study details the relationship between local governments and the citizens they serve. Specifically, it analyzes the different aspects of the relationship and the public relations activities and tactics used to promote and foster relationship development. The research method utilized included the perspectives of both the organization and the public in assessing the organization-public relationship by combining the coorientational approach advocated by Broom (1977) and Broom and Dozier (1990) with the relationship measures proposed by Hon and Grunig (1999) and the tenets of the J.Grunig’s (1989) situational theory of publics. Using online survey data collected from more than 300 local government officials from municipalities across the United States and more than 300 citizens with various demographic and geographic backgrounds, this research examined the relationship dimensions of control mutuality, trust commitment, and satisfaction. In addition, the study evaluated the communication behaviors of citizens to obtain information to guide local government communicators in message development and strategy and also to determine the issues and tactics that will be most effective. Results indicate that citizens have a neutral view of the local government-citizen relationship, and local government officials view it more favorably. Furthermore, higher problem recognition, lower constraint recognition, and higher levels of involvement were positively associated with more active communication behaviors of citizens. Findings from the coorientation analysis illustrate that the two groups are in disagreement about the relationship. Dissensus exists between local government officials and citizens; that is, local government officials and citizens are in disagreement, and both parties know they are in disagreement

What\u27s \u27childless\u27 got to do with it?

Childlessness is increasing in Australia and has resulted in an upsurge of media commentary on the lives of childless women, This paper investigates the use of the label \u27childless\u27 in the Australian print media by drawing meaning and understanding from these representations within the context of pronatalist ideologies. Our analysis suggests that childless(ness) is used as an irrelevant descriptor and as a discreditable attribute, which fudher serves to perpetuate negative othering stereotypes of childless women. This is particularly exemplified through the representation of Australia\u27s Prime Minister Julia Gillard by the print media. This analysis highlights the continued positioning of women in regards to their reproductive status.<br /

Surviving Oncology: Living With Cancer in the Wake of Integrative Care

This dissertation analyzes the emerging medical field of integrative oncology, attending to how this approach to cancer treatment unsettles and reconfigures existing biomedical ideas about bodies and cancer. Informed by twelve months of multi-sited ethnographic study conducted in the state of California, it examines the attempts made by integrative practitioners to provide whole patient care by incorporating complementary medicines such as Ayurveda and Chinese medicine into conventional oncology. I suggest that this approach enacts a kind of sensitivity for how cancer is lived as a disease conditioned by emotional, psychological, social, and environmental factors, requiring treatments attentive to these dimensions. Throughout this study I grapple with the intentions of integrative oncologists and the realities of the political economy of medicine and insurance in the United States that leaves integrative care out of the reach of most people, producing a situation where many are strained to imagine different ways of surviving oncology. At the core of this project is a concern for what it means and what it takes to live well with cancer in biomedicine

Swift-LSST Synergies

Invited talk at the "Time Domain Astrophysics with Swift III" meeting in Clemson SC, Oct 2-3 2018

Stability of television viewing and electronic game/computer use in a prospective cohort study of Australian children: relationship with body mass index

BackgroundWhile much cross-sectional data is available, there have been few longitudinal investigations of patterns of electronic media use in children. Further, the possibility of a bi-directional relationship between electronic media use and body mass index in children has not been considered. This study aimed to describe longitudinal patterns of television viewing and electronic game/computer use, and investigate relationships with body mass index (BMI).MethodsThis prospective cohort study was conducted in elementary schools in Victoria, Australia. 1278 children aged 5&ndash;10 years at baseline and 8&ndash;13 years at follow-up had their BMI calculated, from measured height and weight, and transformed to z-scores based on US 2000 growth data. Weight status (non-overweight, overweight and obese) was based on international BMI cut-off points. Weekly television viewing and electronic game/computer use were reported by parents, these were summed to generate total weekly screen time. Children were classified as meeting electronic media use guidelines if their total screen time was &le;14 hrs/wk.ResultsElectronic media use increased over the course of the study; 40% met guidelines at baseline but only 18% three years later. Television viewing and electronic game/computer use tracked moderately and total screen time was positively associated with adiposity cross-sectionally. While weaker relationships with adiposity were observed longitudinally, baseline z-BMI and weight status were positively associated with follow-up screen time and baseline screen time was positively associated with z-BMI and weight status at follow-up. Children who did not meet guidelines at baseline had significantly higher z-BMI and were more likely to be classified as overweight/obese at follow-up.ConclusionElectronic media use in Australian elementary school children is high, increases with age and tracks over time. There appears to be a bi-directional association suggesting that interventions targeting reductions in either screen time or adiposity may have a positive effect on both screen time and adiposity.<br /