Search results

The writing of this review has been complicated this year due to the fact that it has had to be prepared rather earlier than in the past, which has somewhat skewed the careful construction of statistical comparisons that have been developed over previous years. The problem is compounded by the fact that last year's review was, in turn, also prepared earlier than in previous years, leading to a backlog on 2005 theses to be reported. The change of schedule also means that the British and Irish thesis list, the Index of Theses located at http://www.theses.com/, has not yet reported on the 2006 theses, while the American Dissertations International located at http://wwwli.umi.com/ dissertations has reported many of the 2006 theses. Thus this review is a slightly mixed offering in that it features theses from both 2005 and 2006, but it is hoped that this problem will have been overcome by 2008. It was, however, not difficult to find theses which fit the liberal definition of urban history that has always underpinned this review. For the first time it was necessary to cull severely the identified theses to produce a reasonable coverage of topics and a manageable number of theses to review. This suggests that urban history continues to be a vibrant and productive discipline.

In keeping with past experiences, 2005 produced a rich range of 70 theses that address urban history topics. Equally, as in past years, the topics the theses address are marked by diversity that itself is reflective of the nature of the urban experience. As usual the theses reviewed here are drawn from the Index of Theses located at http://www.theses.com/, which now also features Irish theses, and Dissertations International located at http://wwwli.umi.com/dissertations. This year's crop of theses has proved somewhat easier to categorize than has been the case in previous years and has seen the emergence of some new topics. In particular there is a noticeable interest in what might be called the urban environment and its functioning, which leads to interest in the infrastructural aspects of the city. This is not a new agenda for urban historians but it does also reflect the growth of environmental history and seems to represent an intersection of the two areas. It is also a consequence of the dominance of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in urban history, which of itself tends to bring infrastructure to the historian's notice. Another interesting area of study that is emerging as the result of the opening of Soviet era archives is that of city planning, reconstruction and history in the former Soviet Union and eastern bloc countries. Theses from American universities continued to predominate with 68 per cent being drawn from their institutions. The proportion from Great Britain dropped to 21 per cent but the percentage from other countries, predominantly Canadian universities, increased to 11 per cent. The earlier production of this article may be the reason for the reduction in the British proportion rather than a real decline in numbers. There were noticeable clusters of theses coming from Stanford University (7.6 per cent of the total), with the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University each producing 6.1 per cent of the theses produced. In Britain there was a small cluster that emerged from the Open University and among the 'other' group, Toronto University was the only institution to produce more than one thesis.

Researching and producing this review of theses poses many challenges, the least of which is how to produce a meaningful summary of an abstract that already summarizes some 200–400 pages of detailed research, while avoiding sounding clichéd. However, undertaking this review for four years does give one the opportunity to consider the patterns and changes that have emerged. Thus this article will commence with a short review of the sources of theses, their numbers and the themes they had pursued.

Defining what constitutes urban history has always proved challenging; however, employing this review's usual wide definition has resulted in the identification of theses from a range of disciplines. This review covers theses produced in 2003 and drawn from the Index of Theses located at http://www.theses.com/ and Dissertations International located at http://wwwlib.umi.com/ dissertations. This year for the first time it has become necessary to limit coverage in the face of what can only be described as a boom in theses addressing aspects of urban life. This blossoming of interest should not be unexpected given the increasing urbanization of the world's population, leading to a curiosity about the origins and nature of urban life. Consequently this year's review again includes shorter summaries in an attempt to allow coverage of 53 theses.

As in previous years this review is based on a broadly based definition of what constitutes 'urban history' and consequently includes theses that have been drawn from a variety of disciplines and interpretative structures. Details of the theses have been drawn from the comprehensive material provided through the Index of Theses located at http://www.theses.com/ and Dissertations International located at http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations. This review covers a substantial number of theses, sixty in all, and as a result the summaries are rather briefer than in previous years.

This review is intended to provide a broadly based survey of doctoral theses in urban history completed at British and North American institutions. As in previous years the definition of 'urban history' has deliberately been given a wide interpretation that allows the inclusion both of theses that address the physical form of the city and those that address the diversity that emerges from urban life. It is the latter aspect that dominates the topics dealt with in this year's review. While this review provides a brief summary of theses, access to a comprehensive range is available electronically. The Index of Theses is located at http://www.theses.com/ and Dissertations Abstracts International at http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations.

Past Matters brings together a group of largely Australian and New Zealand academics who in a series of case studies consider how planning concepts were adopted, adjusted, adapted and extended in a Pacific Rim setting. The early chapters explore the interplay between British and American planning models and local circumstances in Australia, Japan, and New Zealand. The main body of chapters recount difficulties faced by indigenous peoples with respect to housing needs and more generally re-as

Abstract

Aims
To quantify the depictions of alcohol in the popular Australian reality TV show—Bachelor in Paradise (season 1: 2018).


Methods
All 16 episodes were coded in 1-min intervals for the presence of alcoholic beverage related content and non-alcoholic beverage content, and the categories of actual use, implied use and other references.


Results
Alcohol was highly prevalent in all episodes. Alcohol content occurred frequently, with 70.7% of intervals having any alcohol content. Actual alcohol use occurred in 31.9% of 1-min intervals, implied alcohol use occurred in 63.4% of intervals and other alcohol references occurred in 14.0% of intervals. Alcohol content was present in the first or second 1-min interval of all 16 episodes. Alcohol content was more than twice as prevalent as non-alcoholic content (34.0%).


Conclusions
The high volume of alcohol content depicted in the show is of concern, due to the important influence it may have on the audience. Vulnerable viewers, especially minors and young adults, are being exposed to ubiquitous alcohol references. This may influence their perceptions of normal alcohol use, their attitudes toward alcohol and their own consumption of alcohol. A stronger regulatory regime is required in Australia to protect young people more effectively from depictions in television programs.

Abstract

Aims
This study aimed to examine perceived social norms, the effect of parental drinking on these norms, alcohol use in front of children, and how norms and consumption vary based on child age and gender of the parent.


Methods
A cross-sectional online panel survey was undertaken with n = 1000 Australian adults (including 670 parents) aged 18–59 years. The survey assessed: alcohol consumption in front of children; normative attitudes towards drinking in the presence of children; and perceived social norms.


Results
Overall, 33.9% of parents reported drinking a glass of alcohol each day or a couple of times a week, 18.2% reported getting slightly drunk and 7.8% indicated getting visibly drunk each day or a couple of times a week with their children present. In total, 37.5% reported drinking in front of their children at least weekly. Fathers were more likely to drink in front of children than mothers. Most parents deemed drinking small amounts of alcohol in front of children as acceptable but did not accept drunkenness. Respondents were less concerned about a father drinking one or two drinks in front of their children than a mother. Social expectations were not related to child age, but norms related to others' perceived behaviour were.


Conclusions
Many parents, particularly fathers consume alcohol in front of their children. There is a need to target health promotion strategies to adults and parents consuming in excess of health guidelines, and to the many parents who are consuming alcohol at higher levels in front of their children.

Background: Measuring research impact is of critical interest to philanthropic and government funding agencies interested in ensuring that the research they fund is both scientifically excellent and has meaningful impact into health and other outcomes. The Beat Cancer Project (BCP) is a AUD $34 m cancer research funding scheme that commenced in 2011. It was initiated by an Australian charity (Cancer Council SA), and supported by the South Australian Government and the state's major universities. Methods: This study applied Buxton and Hanney's Payback Framework to assess research impact generated from the BCP after 3 years of funding. Data sources were an audit of peer-reviewed publications from January 2011 to September 2014 from Web of Knowledge and a self-report survey of investigators awarded BCP research funding during its first 3 years of implementation (2011–2013). Of the 104 surveys, 92 (88%) were completed. Results: The BCP performed well across all five categories of the Payback Framework. In terms of knowledge production, 1257 peer-reviewed publications were generated and the mean impact factor of publishing journals increased annually. There were many benefits to future research with 21 respondents (23%) reporting career advancement, and 110 higher degrees obtained or expected (including 84 PhDs). Overall, 52% of funded projects generated tools for future research. The funded research attracted substantial further income yielding a very high rate of leverage. For every AUD $1 that the cancer charity invested, the BCP gained an additional AUD $6.06. Five projects (5%) had informed policy and 5 (5%) informed product development, with an additional 31 (34%) and 35 (38%) projects, respectively, anticipating doing so. In terms of health and sector and broader economic benefits, 8 (9%) projects had influenced practice or behaviour of health staff and 32 (34%) would reportedly to do so in the future. Conclusions: Research impact was a priority of charity and government funders and led to a deliberate funding strategy. Emphasising research impact while maintaining rigorous, competitive processes can achieve the joint objectives of excellence in research, yielding good research impact and a high rate of leverage for philanthropic and public investment, as indicated by these early results.

OBJECTIVE: To assess public support for 10 potential policy initiatives to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption. DESIGN: A 2014 historical data set, which employed a face-to-face survey in one Australian state (study 1), provided the basis for comparison with our 2017 nationally representative, cross-sectional, computer-assisted telephone interviewing population survey (study 2). PARTICIPANTS: Study 1: South Australians, 15+ years (n=2732); study 2: Australians, 18+ years (n=3430). Primary outcome measures: levels of support for SSB-specific policy initiatives. For the 2017 national study (study 2), demographic characteristics, body mass index, knowledge of potential harms caused by consuming SSBs and SSB consumption were included in multivariable regression analyses. RESULTS: In 2017, all 10 potential policy initiatives received majority support (60%–88% either 'somewhat' or 'strongly' in favour). Initiatives with educative elements or focused on children received high support (>70%), with highest support observed for text warning labels on drink containers (88%) and government campaigns warning of adverse health effects (87%). Higher support was observed for SSB tax paired with using funds for obesity prevention (77%) than a stand-alone tax (60%). Support for policy initiatives was generally greater among those who believed SSB daily consumption could cause health problems in adults (4%–18% absolute difference) and/or in children (8%–26% absolute difference) and lower among SSB high consumers (7+ drinks per week; 9%–29% absolute difference). State-specific data comparison indicated increased support from 2014 to 2017 for taxation (42%vs55%; χ(2)=15.7, p<0.001) and graphic health warnings (52%vs68%; χ(2)=23.4. p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: There is strong public support for government action, particularly regulatory and educational interventions, to reduce SSB consumption, which appears to have increased since 2014. The findings suggest that framing policies as protecting children, presenting ...

OBJECTIVES: Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is reported to be disproportionally high compared with the general Australian population. This review aimed to scope the literature documenting SSB consumption and interventions to reduce SSB consumption among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Findings will inform strategies to address SSB consumption in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. METHODS: PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL, Informit, Joanna Briggs Institute EBP, Mura databases and grey literature were searched for articles published between January 1980 and June 2018. Studies were included if providing data specific to an Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander population's SSB consumption or an intervention that focused on reducing SSB consumption in this population. DESIGN: Systematic scoping review. RESULTS: 59 articles were included (1846 screened). While reported SSB consumption was high, there were age-related and community-related differences observed in some studies. Most studies were conducted in remote or rural settings. Implementation of nutrition interventions that included an SSB component has built progressively in remote communities since the 1980s with a growing focus on community-driven, culturally sensitive approaches. More recent studies have focused exclusively on SSB consumption. Key SSB-related intervention elements included incentivising healthier options; reducing availability of less-healthy options; nutrition education; multifaceted or policy implementation (store nutrition or government policy). CONCLUSIONS: There was a relatively large number of studies reporting data on SSB consumption and/or sales, predominantly from remote and rural settings. During analysis it was subjectively clear that the more impactful studies were those which were community driven or involved extensive community consultation and collaboration. Extracting additional SSB-specific consumption data from ...