Paternal and joint parental occupational pesticide exposure and spina bifida in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, 1997 to 2002.

Background: Because of persistent concerns over the association between pesticides and spina bifida, we examined the role of paternal and combined parental occupational pesticide exposures in spina bifida in offspring using data from a large population-based study of birth defects.

Methods: Occupational information from fathers of 291 spina bifida cases and 2745 unaffected live born control infants with estimated dates of delivery from 1997 to 2002 were collected by means of maternal report. Two expert industrial hygienists estimated exposure intensity and frequency to insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides.

Investigating Single- Versus Multiple-Source Approaches to Communicating Health Messages Via an Online Simulation.

Purpose: To assess whether exposing drinkers to information about the alcohol-cancer link via multiple and diverse sources in an online simulation produces larger improvements in attitudes and intentions relative to exposure to a single source of information.

Design: Experimental; unequal randomization with respondents allocated to either the single-source (20%) or multiple-source condition (80%). Alcohol-related behavioral intentions were assessed preexposure and postexposure.

A Systematic Review of the Impact of Exposure to Internet-Based Alcohol-Related Content on Young People's Alcohol Use Behaviours.

Aims: To conduct a systematic review of studies exploring the relationship between exposure to Internet-based alcohol-related content and alcohol use among young people.

Methods: Searches of electronic databases and reference lists of relevant articles were conducted to retrieve studies of relevance up until December 2015. Full texts of the studies that met the inclusion criteria were read, appraised for quality using the Kmet forms and guidelines, and included in this review.

An investigation of young girls' responses to sexualized images.

Evidence suggests that the sexualization of girls has increased and become more explicit in recent years. However, most of the research conducted to date has focused on sexualization in adults. To address this research gap, this study explored how young Australian girls respond to and describe sexualized and non-sexualized depictions of their peers.

Whetting disadvantaged adults' appetite for nutrition education.

Objective: To identify the features of a nutrition education programme for disadvantaged adults deemed most attractive and useful by participants.

Design: A two-year, multi-method, qualitative evaluation of pre and post data collected from programme participants. Data were imported into NVivo10 for coding to facilitate a thematic analysis.

Motivators and Barriers for Older People Participating in Resistance Training: A Systematic Review.

Regular participation in resistance training is important for older people to maintain their health and independence, yet participation rates are low. The study aimed to identify motivators and barriers to older people participating in resistance training. A systematic review was conducted including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method studies.

Identifying motivators and barriers to older community-dwelling people participating in resistance training: A cross-sectional study.

Participation rates of older people in resistance training (RT) are low despite increasing research showing many health benefits. To increase the number of older people participating in RT it is important to know what would motivate people to become involved, what motivates those who participate to continue, and the factors preventing many older people from commencing participation. To investigate these issues, a questionnaire was mailed to three groups of older people: (1) those receiving home care services, (2) members of a peak non-government seniors' organisation and (3) those participating in a specific gym-based RT programme.

Trends in Australian adolescents' sun-protection behaviours: implications for health campaigns.

Objective: Protecting the skin from ultraviolet (UV) radiation is critical during adolescence to reduce the risk of developing skin cancer later in life, but adolescents tend to be less likely to engage in sun-protective behaviours than adults. The present study examined changes and trends (2001/02-2011/12) in sun-protection behaviours among adolescents living in Western Australia - a region with high levels of UV radiation.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted during 10 summers between 2001/02 and 2011/12 to investigate how often adolescents engaged in various sun-protection behaviours, including outdoor protective measures (wearing a hat, wearing protective clothing, using sunscreen, wearing sunglasses, seeking shade) and avoidance of UV radiation by staying inside.

Anticipating and addressing event-specific alcohol consumption among adolescents.

Background: Various specific events and celebrations are associated with excessive alcohol consumption and related harms. End-of-school celebrations such as Schoolies in Australia are of particular concern given high levels of documented harm among underage and young drinkers. The present study investigated high school students' expectations of their Schoolies celebrations to inform future interventions to reduce adverse outcomes among members of this vulnerable group and other young people involved in similar rites of passage.

Predictors and outcomes of drinkers' use of protective behavioral strategies.

While protective behavioral strategies (PBSs) have the potential to reduce alcohol-related harm, there is a lack of understanding of the factors influencing adults' use of these strategies. The present study assessed the frequency of enactment of a range of PBSs among Australian adults and identified factors associated with their use and the implications for alcohol harm minimization. A sample of 2,168 Australian drinkers (1,095 males and 1,073 females) recruited via a web panel provider completed an online survey that included items relating to quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption, beliefs about the health consequences of alcohol consumption, use of 5 specific PBSs (e.

Predictors of sun protection behaviours and sunburn among Australian adolescents.

Background: Excessive sun exposure and sunburn increase individuals' risk of skin cancer. It is especially important to prevent sunburn in childhood due to the higher relative risk of skin cancer across the life span compared to risk associated with sunburn episodes experienced later in life. This study examined demographic and attitudinal factors associated with engagement in a range of sun protection behaviours (wearing a hat, wearing protective clothing, staying in the shade, and staying indoors during the middle of the day) and the frequency of sunburn among Western Australian adolescents to provide insights of relevance for future sun protection campaigns.

A Comparison of Alcohol Consumption Intentions Among Pregnant Drinkers and Their Nonpregnant Peers of Child-Bearing Age.

Objective: To investigate alcohol consumption intentions among Australian women of childbearing age by pregnancy status.

Methods: Three national online surveys were conducted with adult drinkers who consume an alcoholic beverage at least two days per month. Data from female respondents of childbearing age were analyzed according to pregnancy status: pregnant (n = 101), possibly pregnant (n = 178), and not pregnant (n = 1,957).

Reverse engineering a 'responsible drinking' campaign to assess strategic intent.

Background And Aims: The alcohol industry produces 'responsible drinking' advertising campaigns. There is concern that these may promote drinking while persuading governments and the general public that the industry is acting responsibly. This paper examined young people's thoughts and feelings in response to one of these campaigns in Australia.

Factors associated with parents' attitudes to unhealthy foods and beverages.

Aim: Previous research has identified convenience, enjoyment, value for money and perceived goodness as primary dimensions of parents' attitudes to foods and beverages. The aim of the present study was to examine the factors associated with parents' scores on each of these attitudinal dimensions to identify key issues for future interventions designed to improve parents' food provision behaviours and children's diets.

Methods: A sample of 1302 Australian parents of children aged 8 to 14 years completed an online survey relating to their food-related beliefs.

Assessing the potential to combine attitude tracking and health campaign evaluation surveys.

Online surveys are becoming increasingly popular in health research because of the low cost and fast completion time. A large proportion of online survey costs are allocated to setup and administration expenses, which suggests that conducting fewer, longer surveys would be a cost-effective approach. The current study assessed whether the incorporation of a health campaign evaluation survey within a longitudinal attitudes and behaviours tracking survey produced different outcomes compared with the separate administration of the evaluation survey.

Tick tock: time for a change?

New developments in front-of-pack nutrition labelling are substantially improving the nutrition information available at the point of purchase. This has led to a need to reconsider the role of health logos such as the National Heart Foundation's 'Tick'. Using a qualitative, exploratory approach involving 10 focus groups with adults and children, this study investigated consumers' attitudes to the Tick and its relevance to their purchase decisions.

Consumers' responses to front-of-pack labels that vary by interpretive content.

Previous research has shown that front-of-pack labels (FoPLs) can assist people to make healthier food choices if they are easy to understand and people are motivated to use them. There is some evidence that FoPLs providing an assessment of a food's health value (evaluative FoPLs) are easier to use than those providing only numerical information on nutrients (reductive FoPLs). Recently, a new evaluative FoPL (the Health Star Rating (HSR)) has been introduced to Australia and New Zealand.

Comparing online and telephone survey results in the context of a skin cancer prevention campaign evaluation.

Background: A large proportion of health promotion campaign evaluation research has historically been conducted via telephone surveys. However, there are concerns about the continued viability of this form of surveying in providing relevant and representative data. Online surveys are an increasingly popular alternative, and as such there is a need to assess the comparability between data collected using the two different methods to determine the implications for longitudinal comparisons.

Comment on "Estimating the reproducibility of psychological science".

A paper from the Open Science Collaboration (Research Articles, 28 August 2015, aac4716) attempting to replicate 100 published studies suggests that the reproducibility of psychological science is surprisingly low. We show that this article contains three statistical errors and provides no support for such a conclusion. Indeed, the data are consistent with the opposite conclusion, namely, that the reproducibility of psychological science is quite high.

Sunscreen Increasingly Overshadows Alternative Sun-Protection Strategies.

The present study assessed perceptions of effective sun-protection strategies among the general public and whether these perceptions have changed in recent years. During five summers from 2007/2008 to 2011/2012, 4217 adolescents and adults living in a region with very high levels of solar UV radiation participated in annual, cross-sectional telephone surveys. Respondents' perceptions of the most effective sun-protection strategy were measured with a single open-ended question.

The effect of cancer warning statements on alcohol consumption intentions.

In response to increasing calls to introduce warning labels on alcoholic beverages, this study investigated the potential effectiveness of alcohol warning statements designed to increase awareness of the alcohol-cancer link. A national online survey was administered to a diverse sample of Australian adult drinkers (n = 1,680). Along with attitudinal, intentions and demographic items, the survey included an online simulation that exposed respondents to one of six cancer warning statements delivered across a range of situational contexts.

Issues in the implementation and evolution of the commercial recreational cannabis market in Colorado.

Background: For almost a century, the cultivation, sale and use of recreational cannabis has been prohibited by law in most countries. Recently, however, under ballot initiatives four states in the US have legalised commercial, non-medical (recreational) cannabis markets. Several other states will initiate similar ballot measures attached to the 2016 election that will also appoint a new President.