Publications by authors named "Mary-Anne Measey"
Household income and caregiver mental health are important drivers of children's health and development. The COVID-19 pandemic created huge economic and mental health disruptions. This study examines financial hardship and its relationship with caregiver and child mental health using Australia's only representative data spanning three years of the pandemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdowns (stay-at-home orders) had significant mental health consequences in 2020 to 2021 for caregivers and children. Little is known about "postlockdown" periods in 2022 to 2023. We investigated the mental health experiences of Australian families throughout the 3 years of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2023), by demographic characteristics and lockdown length.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSepsis awareness and understanding in Australian parents: A National Child Health Poll survey.
J Paediatr Child Health
September 2023
Aim: The primary aim of the study was to assess parental awareness and understanding of childhood sepsis. Secondary aims included parental knowledge of the signs and symptoms of sepsis, and what parents would do if they suspected sepsis in their own child.
Methods: An online questionnaire was administered as part of The Royal Children's Hospital National Child Health Poll.
Article Synopsis
- During Victoria's ongoing lockdown, there was a notable increase in job/income loss (11%) and poor mental health among caregivers (6%), with perceived negative impacts on both caregiver and child mental health increasing by 14% and 12%, respectively.
- The study found that female caregivers, metropolitan families, and families with younger children were most adversely affected, highlighting the need for targeted financial and mental health support in future lockdowns.
Effects of varying pandemic restrictions on the health-related behaviours of Australian children.
J Paediatr Child Health
January 2023
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how varying COVID-19 restrictions affected health-related behaviors in Australian children aged 5-17 during the pandemic.
- Data from a survey of 1,222 caregivers showed that children in Victoria, with stricter restrictions, had increased screen time and decreased physical activity, outdoor activity, and social connectedness compared to those in NSW and other areas with less severe restrictions.
- The findings suggest that longer and tougher restrictions correlate with negative changes in children's health behaviors, highlighting the need for policies to address these issues.
Background: There are calls for research into the mental health consequences of living through the COVID-19 pandemic. Australia's initial, effective suppression of COVID-19 offers insights into these indirect impacts in the relative absence of the disease. We aimed to describe the mental health experiences of Australian caregivers and children over 12 months, reporting differences related to demographic, socioeconomic and lockdown characteristics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: To understand parental awareness and appetite for virtual health modalities, including asynchronous communication and remote monitoring. To understand which socio-demographic characteristics are associated with greater awareness and appetite for virtual health.
Methods: Nationally representative survey of Australian parents, recruited via an online panel in February 2021 as part of the Royal Children's Hospital National Child Health Poll.
Dental visits in early life: patterns and barriers among Australian children.
Aust N Z J Public Health
June 2022
Objectives: To determine the early dental service utilisation patterns among Australian children and investigate barriers to care.
Method: Randomly selected adults aged 18 years and older who were parents or caregivers of children under 18 years of age completed an online nationally representative cross-sectional survey which was then analysed using descriptive statistics.
Results: A total 2,048 parents of 3,660 children, including 1,179 aged between one and six years, completed the survey.
Background: Antimicrobial resistance is increasing globally, largely due to high rates of antibiotic use and misuse. Factors that influence frequent antibiotic use in children are poorly understood.
Objectives: This study describes rates of antibiotic use in Australian children and investigates parental factors including knowledge, attitudes and behaviours that influence antibiotic use.
Unexplained fetal death: are women with a history of fetal loss at higher risk?
Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol
April 2009
Aims: To identify factors, including the loss of a previous pregnancy before 20 weeks gestation, which are associated with increased risk of singleton antepartum unexplained fetal death (UFD) in Western Australia (WA) using information recorded in routine data collections.
Methods: All fetal deaths in WA from 1990 to 1999 that underwent thorough post-mortem investigations were classified using the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand Perinatal Death Classification System. All UFDs were selected as cases and unmatched controls were randomly drawn from all live births in WA occurring during the study period.
Objective: To describe the rate of and demographic factors associated with fetal postmortem investigation and to classify the cause of all fetal deaths that underwent postmortem investigation. To compare the proportion of deaths remaining unexplained after postmortem investigation with estimates derived from death certificates.
Method: All fetal deaths in Western Australia (WA) from 1990 to 1999 were identified.