Rise and demise: a case study of public health nutrition in Queensland, Australia, over three decades.

This case study describes the delivery and achievements of the public health nutrition programme in Queensland, Australia, over more than three decades. Analysis of publicly available documents related to statewide nutrition policy and programmes from 1983 to 2014 identified key inputs and programme impacts and outcomes, including an increase in fruit and vegetable intake by 1.1 serves per person per day and rates of exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months quadrupled.

The iron content of healthy diets for one day for breastfed babies and young children.

Aims: Early childhood anaemia due to iron deficiency is widespread in remote communities across northern Australia. Current recommendations for healthy food to complement breastfeeding at age 6 to 23 months include iron-rich and iron-enriched foods. An electronic nutrient analysis was undertaken to assess the iron content of hypothetical healthy diets for breastfed babies and young children aged 6 to 23 months in Australia, in comparison with their estimated requirements.

Early childhood anaemia more than doubles the risk of developmental vulnerability at school-age among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children of remote Far North Queensland: Findings of a retrospective cohort study.

Aims: Early childhood anaemia, usually attributed to iron deficiency, is associated with persistent detrimental effects on child development. This study investigates the association of anaemia between age six and 23 months with indicators of childhood development at school-age among children of remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities of Far North Queensland.

Methods: The triennial Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) encompasses five domains of early childhood development-physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills (school-based), communication skills and general knowledge.

Anaemia in early childhood among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children of Far North Queensland: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: Early childhood anaemia affects health and neurodevelopment. This study describes anaemia among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children of Far North Queensland.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used health information for children born between 2006 and 2010 and their mothers.

Healthy Choice Rewards: A Feasibility Trial of Incentives to Influence Consumer Food Choices in a Remote Australian Aboriginal Community.

Poor diet including inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption is a major contributor to the global burden of disease. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians experience a disproportionate level of preventable chronic disease and successful strategies to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in remote areas to consume more fruit and vegetables can help address health disadvantage. Healthy Choice Rewards was a mixed methods study to investigate the feasibility of a monetary incentive: store vouchers, to promote fruit and vegetable purchasing in a remote Australian Aboriginal community.

Anaemia in pregnancy among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women of Far North Queensland: A retrospective cohort study.

Aim: Anaemia during pregnancy is common worldwide. In Australia between 7.1% and 11% of mothers have been reported to have anaemia in pregnancy.

Linking 'data silos' to investigate anaemia among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers and children in Far North Queensland.

Objective: Data collection 'silos' can be linked for health research. Anaemia in early childhood is a long-recognised health issue in remote Aboriginal communities of the Northern Territory and Western Australia, but information is lacking for Queensland. The objective of this work was to compile existing information from health and education data collections to investigate anaemia among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers and their children in Far North Queensland.

Poor nutrition from first foods: A cross-sectional study of complementary feeding of infants and young children in six remote Aboriginal communities across northern Australia.

Aim: To describe the first foods of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants and young children who were recruited to a nutrition promotion and anaemia prevention program conducted from 2010 to 2012, in six remote communities across northern Australia.

Methods: Food records (24-hour diet history, food variety checklist) were completed on recruitment by interview with a parent or carer. Cross-sectional analysis assessed the proportion of participants consuming recommended and not-recommended foods and drinks and meeting recommendations for meal frequency and dietary diversity.

Low rates of predominant breastfeeding in hospital after gestational diabetes, particularly among Indigenous women in Australia.

Objectives: To investigate rates of 'any' and 'predominant' breastfeeding in hospital among Indigenous and non-Indigenous women with and without gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Methods: A retrospective study of singleton infants born from July 2007 to December 2010 at Cairns Hospital, Australia, following GDM pregnancy, using linked hospital and birth data (n=617 infants), with a subsample of medical record reviews (n=365 infants). Aggregate data were used to compare to breastfeeding rates among infants born following non-GDM pregnancy (n=7,894 infants).

Lack of folate improvement in high risk indigenous Australian adults over an average of 6.5 years: a cohort study.

Socioeconomically vulnerable groups in developed countries suffer excess chronic disease due in large part to an energy dense but nutrient poor diet. Low folate can be a marker of poor dietary quality and is also affected by smoking and chronic alcohol intake, all of which cluster in groups with a low socioeconomic position. A 4.

Folate status and health behaviours in two Australian Indigenous populations in north Queensland.

Objective: To assess nutritional status using red-cell folate (RCF) and associated health behaviours including fruit and vegetable intake, smoking, drinking and physical activity in two Indigenous populations living in remote northern Australia.

Design: A cross-sectional survey conducted during 1998-2000.

Setting: Twenty-six rural communities in north Queensland, Australia.

The increasing cost of healthy food.

Objective: To assess changes in the cost and availability of a standard basket of healthy food items (the Healthy Food Access Basket [HFAB]) in Queensland.

Methods: Analysis of five cross-sectional surveys (1998, 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2006) describes changes over time. Eighty-nine stores in five remoteness categories were surveyed during May 2006.

The increasing cost of the basic foods required to promote health in Queensland.

Objective: To assess changes in the cost and availability of a standard basket of healthy food items (the Healthy Food Access Basket [HFAB]) in Queensland over time.

Design And Participants: A series of four cross-sectional surveys (in 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2004) describing the cost and availability of foods in the HFAB over time. In the latest survey, 97 Queensland food stores across the five Australian Bureau of Statistics remoteness categories were compared.

Blood pressure and hypertension for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Background: Reliable, large-scale, population-based data on blood pressure for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations are limited. This present study aims to describe the blood pressure levels and to explore the clinical risk factors for hypertension among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Design: A cross-sectional population survey was conducted in isolated communities in northern and central Australia.

Diabetes mellitus and serum carotenoids: findings of a population-based study in Queensland, Australia.

Background: Epidemiologic evidence suggests that serum carotenoids are potent antioxidants and may play a protective role in the development of chronic diseases including cancers, cardiovascular disease, and inflammatory diseases. The role of these antioxidants in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus remains unclear.

Objective: This study examined data from a cross-sectional survey to investigate the association between serum carotenoids and type 2 diabetes.

Self-reported diabetes and health behaviors in remote indigenous communities in northern queensland, australia.

Objective: This study examines associations between self-reported diabetes and self-reported smoking, alcohol consumption, fruit consumption, and participation in adequate exercise in remote indigenous communities, using data from the Well Persons' Health Check (WPHC).

Research Design And Methods: The WPHC was a cross-sectional survey of 2,862 indigenous individuals (1,602 Aborigines, 1,074 Torres Strait Islanders, and 186 persons of joint descent) aged > or =15 years. The study was conducted in 26 remote communities in northern Queensland, Australia, between March 1998 and October 2000.

Food availability, cost disparity and improvement in relation to accessibility and remoteness in Queensland.

This study is the first to describe disparity and change in the food supply between metropolitan, rural and remote stores by Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) category. A total of 92 stores (97% response rate) within five aggregate ARIA categories participated throughout Queensland in 2000. There was a strong association between ARIA category and the cost of the basket of basic foods, with prices being significantly higher (20% and 31% respectively) in the 'remote' and 'very remote' categories than in the 'highly accessible' category.

Obesity, diabetes and associated cardiovascular risk factors among Torres Strait Islander people.

Objective: To describe the lifestyle-related chronic disease and risk factor prevalence among Torres Strait Islander people of the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area Health Service District and to compare this information with that available for the general Australian population.

Methods: Voluntary community-based screening for persons aged 15 years and older, including oral glucose tolerance test, anthropometry, health questionnaire, measurement of lipids and lipoprotein levels, blood pressure and urinary albumin to creatinine ratio.

Results: Nine communities participated in screening between 1993 and 1997.