Do smoke-free environment policies reduce smoking on hospital grounds? Evaluation of a smoke-free health service policy at two Sydney hospitals.

Objective: To evaluate the compliance of hospital staff, inpatients and visitors with Sydney South West Area Health Service's Smoke-free Environment Policy.

Methods: Six sites were observed at two Sydney hospitals 2 weeks before implementation of the policy and at 2 weeks, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months and 2 years after implementation.

Results: There was an overall significant 36% (P≤0.

Methamphetamine use, dependence and treatment access in rural and regional North Coast of New South Wales, Australia.

Introduction And Aims: To identify the sociodemographic, health, drug use patterns, treatment coverage and barriers to treatment among regular methamphetamine users in rural and regional North Coast of New South Wales.

Design And Methods: A structured questionnaire was used to measure sociodemographic factors, health and well-being, drug use patterns, methamphetamine dependence, engagement in methamphetamine treatment and barriers to treatment. Participants were 140 regular methamphetamine users.

Australia's national Q fever vaccination program.

A nationally funded Q fever vaccination program was introduced in Australia in 2002. The evaluation of this unique program included measures of program uptake, safety, and notification and hospitalisation rates for Q fever pre- and post-program implementation. Program uptake ranged from close to 100% amongst abattoir workers to 43% in farmers.

Lessons from a respiratory illness outbreak in an aged-care facility.

This report outlines practical lessons learnt from an influenza-like outbreak in an aged-care facility in NSW, which affected 26 residents, resulted in 14 hospital admissions and was associated with six deaths. No common causative agent was identified. Key recommendations include: encouraging aged-care facilities to establish mechanisms that improve the early identification of outbreaks and timely implementation of outbreak control strategies; identifying strategies to inform general practitioners of outbreaks if they have patients residing in aged-care facilities; and improving the vaccination coverage of the aged-care workforce.

The role of television advertising in increasing pneumococcal vaccination coverage among the elderly, North Coast, New South Wales, 2006.

North Coast Area Health Service (NCAHS) conducted a seven week television advertising campaign to raise community awareness of the availability of free adult pneumococcal vaccination and to increase coverage among North Coast residents in high risk groups. Effectiveness of the campaign was evaluated by examining vaccine ordering patterns of North Coast vaccination providers from 2005/2006 as a proxy for vaccination coverage. In the months during and immediately following (June-September 2006) the advertising campaign, a significantly higher proportion of vaccines were despatched to North Coast immunisation service providers.

Pregnant smokers are receptive to smoking cessation advice and use of nicotine replacement therapy.

Pregnant women who identified themselves as smokers were surveyed to ascertain their attitudes towards and likelihood of using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) if it were to be provided free of charge at antenatal clinics. Smokers were asked to participate in a brief anonymous survey to identify current levels of smoking, nicotine dependence, attitudes towards cessation, use of cessation aids and whether they would use free NRT if it were provided with support at antenatal clinics. The majority of women were supportive of NRT being offered to pregnant smokers (87%), and 64% reported they would be very likely to use NRT if it were offered free from the antenatal clinic.

Smoking patterns and outcomes in a population of pregnant women with other substance use disorders.

Using a retrospective cross-sectional study design, we examined smoking patterns and associated neonatal outcomes in infants born to women with a diagnosis of a substance use disorder in pregnancy. Antenatal and birth admissions were linked to midwives data on pregnancy care, services, and outcomes over a 5-year period (1998-2002). Birth admissions were flagged as positive for drug use where a birth admission or any pregnancy admission for that birth involved a cannabis-, opioid-, stimulant-, or alcohol-related ICD-10AM code.

Evaluation of a community-driven preventive youth initiative in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia.

Introduction And Aims: We evaluated a community-driven initiative established to prevent substance misuse and increase respect for culture and their elders among young people in a group of remote Aboriginal communities in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory (NT), Australia. The Youth Development Unit provided a range of training, recreational and cultural activities within a community development framework to all young people in the community.

Design And Methods: Methods of operation, community acceptability, perceived impact and likely ability to meet goals were assessed.

Bug breakfast in the bulletin: human papilloma virus.

The Bug Breakfast topic for October was Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). The presenters covered the epidemiology of HPV, the newly introduced HPV vaccine and social and psychological issues relating to HPV vaccination.

Assessment of alcohol consumption among hepatitis C-positive people receiving opioid maintenance treatment using direct ethanol metabolites and self-report: a pilot study.

This study was conducted to identify the alcohol consumption among hepatitis C-positive people receiving opioid maintenance therapy using self-report and biomarkers. A total of 49 people (28 male, 21 female) were hepatitis C virus (HCV) positive and were included. The alcohol use disorder identification test (AUDIT) and self-reported ethanol intake in the last 28 days were assessed.

Hazardous alcohol consumption and other barriers to antiviral treatment among hepatitis C positive people receiving opioid maintenance treatment.

Amongst people on opioid maintenance treatment (OMT), chronic hepatitis C (HCV) is common but infrequently treated. Numerous barriers, including misuse of alcohol may limit efforts at anti-viral treatment. The aim of this study was to define barriers, including alcohol misuse, to the effective treatment of HCV amongst OMT recipients.

Substance use, psychological distress and violence among pregnant and breastfeeding Australian women.

Objective: To identify the population prevalence and demographic characteristics of pregnant and/or breastfeeding Australian women who use licit and illicit substances and their experience of psychological distress and violence.

Methods: Data from the 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey were used to determine the prevalence of substance use, psychological distress and violence experienced by pregnant and/or breastfeeding women.

Results: A total of 976 pregnant and/or breastfeeding women were included.

Methadone in pregnancy: treatment retention and neonatal outcomes.

Aim: To examine the association between retention in methadone treatment during pregnancy and key neonatal outcomes.

Design: Client data from the New South Wales Pharmaceutical Drugs of Addiction System was linked to birth information from the NSW Midwives Data Collection and the NSW Inpatient Statistics Collection from 1992 to 2002.

Measurements: Obstetric and perinatal characteristics of women who were retained continuously on methadone maintenance throughout their pregnancy were compared to those who entered late in their pregnancies (less than 6 months prior to birth) and those whose last treatment episode ended at least 1 year prior to birth.

Effects of a web based decision aid on parental attitudes to MMR vaccination: a before and after study.

Objective: To determine whether an evidence based decision aid on the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine changed parents' attitudes towards vaccination.

Design: Before and after study.

Setting: Website promoted through search engines and online parenting and health websites.