The Role of Nutrition and Other Lifestyle Patterns in Mortality Risk in Older Adults with Multimorbidity.

Limited research has examined how older adults' lifestyles intersect with multimorbidity to influence mortality risk. In this community-dwelling prospective cohort, the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study, principal component analysis was used to identify lifestyle patterns using baseline self-reported data on nutrition, lifestyle factors, and social engagement activities. Multimorbidity was defined by self-reported physician diagnoses.

Protective Factors Against e-Cigarette Use Among First Nations People Aged 16-24 in the Next Generation Youth Wellbeing Study.

Issue Addressed: Adolescent e-cigarette use is increasing and is associated with subsequent smoking. This study examines potential protective factors associated with not vaping among First Nations adolescents in Australia to inform community programs.

Methods: The 'Next Generation: Youth Wellbeing Study' is a cohort study of First Nations adolescents aged 10-24 years from urban, rural and remote communities in Central Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales.

Disaster planning in general practice.

Background: Climate change means that disasters such as bushfires, heatwaves, storms and floods are becoming more frequent and severe, and thus having greater impact on general practices and communities.  OBJECTIVE: To provide a concise introduction to disaster planning for those who are new to Australian general practice or to general practice ownership.

Discussion: The Standards for General Practice, published by The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), provide guidance on business continuity, including during disasters.

Fall rates in bifocal, trifocal, and progressive addition lens glasses wearers.

Purpose: There is evidence that wearing multifocal glasses increases the risk of falls in older people, especially when walking on stairs and in unfamiliar settings. However, it is not clear whether all types of multifocal glasses are equally associated with falls. This study comprised a secondary analysis of data from the VISIBLE randomized controlled trial to determine whether fall rates differ among older bifocal, trifocal, and progressive addition lens glasses wearers.

DREAM: an adaptive, randomised, placebo-controlled trial of duloxetine for reducing leg pain in people with chronic sciatica-trial protocol.

Introduction: Sciatica is a debilitating condition that often becomes chronic, and for which there are few effective treatment options. Treatments such as the anti-depressant duloxetine have shown promise, but the evidence is inconclusive. We are describing a high quality, definitive trial to investigate the efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of duloxetine in chronic sciatica.

Changes in child restraint practices in Shenzhen, China three years after the enactment of local legislation: two population-based cross-sectional surveys.

Background: The enactment of child restraint systems (CRSs) legislation is highly effective in increasing CRS practices. However, evidence from low- and middle-income countries is still lacking. This study aimed to assess the changes in CRS practices in Shenzhen, China following the implementation of CRS legislation.

Climate and health education in public health schools worldwide during 2023-24: a survey.

Background: Public health professionals are crucial in implementing health-promoting climate change adaptation and mitigation measures, yet climate education is inconsistently integrated into public health curricula worldwide. We aimed to assess the proportion of institutions that provided public health degrees with climate and health education, the annual number of students trained in climate and health, and the extent to which students had climate and health knowledge during 2023-24.

Methods: From Nov 1, 2023, to March 15, 2024, our online survey quantified climate and health education in public health schools that provide degrees across all WHO regions.

Blood pressure in young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: analysis of baseline data from a prospective cohort study.

Objective: To assess the distribution of blood pressure levels and the prevalence of hypertension and pre-hypertension in young Indigenous people (10-24 years of age).

Study Design: Prospective cohort survey study (Next Generation: Youth Wellbeing Study); baseline data analysis.

Setting, Participants: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 10-24 years living in regional, remote, and urban communities in Central Australia, Western Australia, and New South Wales; recruitment: March 2018 - March 2020.

Looking after patients with hip fracture in low- and middle-income countries.

In the UK, multidisciplinary teamwork for patients with hip fracture has been shown to reduce mortality and improves health-related quality of life for patients, while also reducing hospital bed days and associated healthcare costs. However, despite rapidly increasing numbers of fragility fractures, multidisciplinary shared care is rare in low- and middle-income countries around the world. The HIPCARE trial will test the introduction of multidisciplinary care pathways in five low- and middle-income countries in South and Southeast Asia, with the aim to improve patients' quality of life and reduce healthcare costs.

Supporting alcohol brief interventions and pharmacotherapy provision in Australian First Nations primary care: exploratory analysis of a cluster randomised trial.

Introduction: Primary care provides an important opportunity to detect unhealthy alcohol use and offer assistance but many barriers to this exist. In an Australian context, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) are community-led and run health services, which provide holistic primary care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. A recent cluster randomised trial conducted with ACCHS provided a service support model which showed a small but significant difference in provision of 'any treatment' for unhealthy alcohol use.

Administration of Burns First Aid Treatment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in community settings.

Objective: This paper investigates Burn First Aid Treatment (BFAT) provided to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Australia at the scene of injury using data from a population-based cohort study.

Study Design: The participants were 208 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged < 16 years who sustained a burns injury between 2015-2018, and their carers. The primary outcome measure was gold standard BFAT, (defined as at least 20 min of cool, running water within 3 h of the injury); additional measures included type of first aid, length of first aid provided, and carer's knowledge of first aid.

Efficacy and safety of antidepressants for pain in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aims: In many countries, pain is the most common indication for use of antidepressants in older adults. We reviewed the evidence from randomized controlled trials on the efficacy and safety of antidepressants, compared to all alternatives for pain in older adults (aged ≥65 years).

Methods: Trials published from inception to 1 February 2024, were retrieved from 13 databases.

Australian medical practitioners: trends in demographics and regions of work 2013-2022.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine changes in the demographics and regions of work of Australian doctors over a period of 9years.MethodsA retrospective study of Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) registration data was performed. Data were sourced from the Health Workforce Dataset Online Data Tool which was derived from annual registration data from AHPRA for 2013-2022.

The Medicines Intelligence Data Platform: A Population-Based Data Resource From New South Wales, Australia.

Background: The Medicines Intelligence (MedIntel) Data Platform is an anonymised linked data resource designed to generate real-world evidence on prescribed medicine use, effectiveness, safety, costs and cost-effectiveness in Australia.

Results: The platform comprises Medicare-eligible people who are ≥18 years and residing in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, any time during 2005-2020, with linked administrative data on dispensed prescription medicines (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme), health service use (Medicare Benefits Schedule), emergency department visits (NSW Emergency Department Data Collection), hospitalisations (NSW Admitted Patient Data Collection) plus death (National Death Index) and cancer registrations (NSW Cancer Registry). Data are currently available to 2022, with approval to update the cohort and data collections annually.

The cost-effectiveness of a co-managed care model for elderly hip fracture patients in China: a modelling study.

Background: The clinical effectiveness of multidisciplinary co-managed care for hip fracture patients in China has been demonstrated in a multicenter non-randomized controlled study. This study aims to estimate the cost-effectiveness of the co-managed care.

Methods: The study is based on a multicenter clinical trial (n = 2071) in China.

Understanding burn injury among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children - results of a two-year cohort study.

Background: Despite known inequalities, little is understood about the burden and healthcare experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who sustain a burn injury and their families.

Methods: The Coolamon Study recruited parents and carers whose children (aged <16 years) were Aboriginal and / or Torres Strait Islander children and had presented to burn units across four Australian states, New South Wales (Sydney), Northern Territory (Darwin), Queensland (Brisbane, Townsville) and South Australia (Adelaide), between 2015 and 2018. Consent was obtained and carers completed baseline and subsequent interviews at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months.

No improvement in AUDIT-C screening and brief intervention rates among wait-list controls following support of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services: evidence from a cluster randomised trial.

Background: While Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are less likely to drink any alcohol than other Australians, those who drink are more likely to experience adverse alcohol-related health consequences. In a previous study, providing Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) with training and support increased the odds of clients receiving AUDIT-C alcohol screening. A follow-up study found that these results were maintained for at least two years, but there was large variability in the effectiveness of the intervention between services.

Interventions that address interpersonal violence experienced by adolescents globally: a systematic review of reviews.

Unlabelled: Globally, adolescents experience a significant burden of interpersonal violence, impacting their health, well-being and life trajectory. To address this, decision-makers need reliable evidence on effective interventions across various contexts.

Objectives: Synthesise the evidence for interventions addressing interpersonal violence experienced by adolescents aged 10-25 years.

Indigenous governance, ethics and data collection in Australian clinical registries.

Objectives: To examine Indigenous Governance of Data processes in Australian clinical registries.

Design, Setting, Participants: Audit (via desktop review and interviews) of registries in the Australian Register of Clinical Registries from 17 January 2022 to 30 April 2023.

Main Outcome Measures: The number of clinical registries collecting ethnicity data, reporting Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander representation on registry governance or steering committees, and reporting human research ethics committee approval.

A scoping review of national policies for child road injury in China.

Unlabelled: There has been limited examination of child road injury policies. This study aims to systematically characterize national policies relevant to child road safety in China over the past two decades and identify potential gaps based on the WHO child road safety framework. As a scoping review, this study searched for national policies for child road safety on the websites of government agencies.

Alcohol screening in 22 Australian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations: Clinical context and who is screened.

Introduction: Alcohol screening among Indigenous Australians is important to identify individuals needing support to reduce their drinking. Understanding clinical contexts in which clients are screened, and which clients are more or less likely to be screened, could help identify areas of services and communities that might benefit from increased screening.

Methods: We analysed routinely collected data from 22 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations Australia-wide.

The Australian health workforce: Disproportionate shortfalls in small rural towns.

Introduction: The distribution of health care workers differs greatly across Australia, which is likely to impact health delivery.

Objective: To examine demographic and workplace setting factors of doctors, nurses and midwives, and allied health professionals across Modified Monash Model (MMM) regions and identify factors associated with shortfalls in the health care workforce.

Design: Descriptive cross-sectional analysis.