Farming fit? Dispelling the Australian agrarian myth

Background: Rural Australians face a higher mental health and lifestyle disease burden (obesity, diabetes andcardiovascular disease) than their urban counterparts. Our ongoing research reveals that the Australian farmingcommunity has even poorer physical and mental health outcomes than rural averages. In particular, farm men andwomen have high rates of overweightness, obesity, abdominal adiposity, high blood pressure and psychologicaldistress when compared against Australian averages. Within our farming cohort we observed a significantassociation between psychological distress and obesity, abdominal adiposity and body fat percentage in thefarming population.Presentation of hypothesis: This paper presents a hypothesis based on preliminary data obtained from anongoing study that could potentially explain the complex correlation between obesity, psychological distress andphysical activity among a farming population. We posit that spasmodic physical activity, changing farm practicesand climate variability induce prolonged stress in farmers. This increases systemic cortisol that, in turn, promotesabdominal adiposity and weight gain.Testing the hypothesis: The hypothesis will be tested by anthropometric, biochemical and psychological analysismatched against systemic cortisol levels and the physical activity of the subjects.Implications of the hypothesis tested: Previous studies indicate that farming populations have elevated rates ofpsychological distress and high rates of suicide. Australian farmers have recently experienced challenging climaticconditions including prolonged drought, floods and cyclones. Through our interactions and through the media it isnot uncommon for farmers to describe the effect of this long-term stress with feelings of &lsquo;defeat&rsquo;. By gaining agreater understanding of the role cortisol and physical activity have on mental and physical health we maypositively impact the current rates of psychological distress in farmers.<br /

The effect of physical activity on psychological distress, cortisol and obesity: results of the farming fit intervention program

Background:Rural and regional Australians have a higher likelihood of mental illness throughout their lifetime than people living in major cities, although the underlying reasons are not yet well defined. Additionally, rural populations experience more lifestyle associated co-morbidities including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Research conducted by the National Centre for Farmer Health between 2004 and 2009 revealed a positive correlation between obesity and psychological distress among the farming community. Chronic stress is known to overstimulate the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and cortisol secretion which are associated with abdominal adiposity. Increasing physical activity may normalise cortisol secretion and thereby positively impact both physical and mental health. This paper assesses the effects of increasing physical activity on obesity, health behaviors and mental health in Victorian farming men and women.Methods:Farming Fit was a six month quasi-experimental (convenience sample) longitudinal design control-intervention study. Overweight or obese (BMI ?25?kg/m2) farm men (n?=?43) and women (n?=?29) were recruited with demographic, health behaviors, anthropometric, blood pressure and biochemistry data collected at baseline and at a six months. Salivary cortisol and depression anxiety stress scale results were collected at baseline, three and six months. The intervention group (n?=?37) received a personalized exercise program and regular phone coaching to promote physical activity.Results:The intervention group showed significant reductions in body weight and waist circumference. Results indicated that following the six month exercise program, the intervention group were 2.64???0.65?kg lighter (p?&lt;?0.001), had reduced waist circumference by 2.01???0.86?cm (p?=?0.02) and BMI by 0.97???0.22?kg/m2 (p?&lt;?0.001) relative to the control group.Conclusion:Increasing physical activity altered measures of obesity in farm men and women but did not affect mental health measures or cortisol secretion levels

Expenditure Reform in Industrialised Countries: A Case Study Approach

This study examines reforms of public expenditure in industrialised countries over the past two decades. We distinguish ambitious and timid reformers and analyse in detail reform experiences in eight case studies of ambitious reform episodes. We find that ambitious reform countries reduce spending on transfers, subsidies and public consumption while largely sparing education spending. Such expenditure retrenchment is also typically part of a comprehensive reform package that includes improvements in fiscal institutions as well as structural and other macroeconomic reforms. The study finds that ambitious expenditure retrenchment and reform coincides with large improvements in fiscal and economic growth indicators

Communicating Phylogeny: Evolutionary Tree Diagrams in Museums

Tree of life diagrams are graphic representations of phylogeny—the evolutionary history and relationships of lineages—and as such these graphics have the potential to convey key evolutionary ideas and principles to a variety of audiences. Museums play a significant role in teaching about evolution to the public, and tree graphics form a common element in many exhibits even though little is known about their impact on visitor understanding. How phylogenies are depicted and used in informal science settings impacts their accessibility and effectiveness in communicating about evolution to visitors. In this paper, we summarize the analysis of 185 tree of life graphics collected from museum exhibits at 52 institutions and highlight some potential implications of how trees are presented that may support or hinder visitors’ understanding about evolution. While further work is needed, existing learning research suggests that common elements among the diversity of museum trees such as the inclusion of anagenesis and absence of time and shared characters might represent potential barriers to visitor understanding

Inpatient Physiotherapy Management of Orthopaedic Surgery

This book will provide all junior physiotherapists with the skills necessary to begin their clinical work with patients who have just undergone orthopaedic surgery. This book: is thoroughly researched and well referenced providing you with all the evidence upon which to build your treatments and protocols; is very practical and has a step-by-step approach showing you how to plan your treatment regimes for your patients; will show you how to select the best treatment options; is well illustrated with clear diagrams and pictures explaining the points made in the text; will assist you and help you to develop your practical skills in addition to your clinical reasoning skills and your orthopaedic knowledge base. It is an essential text for those just beginning their clinical experience whether a student or newly qualified physiotherapist

Initial destination hospital of paediatric prehospital patients in rural Victoria.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this present study was to describe the initial destination hospital of paediatric patients transported by Ambulance Victoria paramedics within the South Western area of Victoria to determine the proportion of patients that bypassed their closest hospital. METHODS: All Ambulance Victoria primary ambulance transports for paediatric patients aged 1 month to 14 years in the Barwon South West region between 1 April 2008 and 28 February 2011 were reviewed. Each case was examined to determine the destination hospital location relative to the case scene location, and the overall nature of each case was grouped into one of seven categories (medical respiratory, medical cardiac, medical neurological, medical other, trauma time critical, and trauma non-time critical). RESULTS: There were 1191 cases identified, with 978 (82%) being taken to the closest hospital and 213 (18%) to a more distant facility. The average distance travelled from the scene to the destination hospital was 15.2 km, and almost 90% of patients transported to the nearest hospital were within 15 km of that hospital. Time critical trauma cases and respiratory-related medical cases had higher rates of transport to more distant hospitals as their initial destination (26% to non-closest and 23% to non-closest, respectively). CONCLUSION: The patient\u27s condition and their location relative to the larger medical facilities appear to influence the decision of destination hospital. Uncertainty regarding the availability of 24 h hospital services and staffing details may contribute to longer transfers