http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/services/Feed ${session.getAttribute("locale")} 5 http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:7924 Pet ownership is an occupation that has benefits for human health and wellbeing. However, research on pet ownership mainly addresses the benefits of interactive pets, such as dogs and cats. Some individuals are unable to participate in the occupation of interactive pet ownership and, therefore, may be deprived of the benefits that pets can bring to their lives. This research used a qualitative, phenomenological methodology to explore the ownership of fish as pets. Data were collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews and were analysed inductively. Nine participants were interviewed and the following themes were identified from the data collected: the reasons for owning fish as pets; the fish environment; caring for fish; and the benefits of owning fish as pets. It was discovered that pet fish ownership is a meaningful occupation that provides purpose and enjoyment in life. The findings of this study suggest that pet fish may be an alternative to interactive pets, and one that therapists can recommend to clients who wish to own a pet. 2012-05-28T23:09:05.275Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10670 Objective: This study investigates the relationship between levels of mental health and well-being (in terms of self-reported levels of distress) with employment and occupational status of rural residents, to better inform the provision of mental health services to those in greatest need in rural communities. Method: A stratified random sample of community residents in rural and remote New South Wales with oversampling of remote areas as first stage of a cohort study. Psychological distress was measured using Kessler-10, inclusive of additional items addressing functional impairment (days out of role). Occupational data were classified using Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations categories. Results: A total of 2639 adults participated in this baseline phase. Among them, 57% were in paid employment, 30% had retired from the workforce, 6% were permanently unable to work and 2% were unemployed. The highest levels of distress and functional impairment were reported in those permanently unable to work and the unemployed group with rates of ‘caseness’ (likely mental health disorder) varying from 57% to 69%, compared with 34% of farmers and farm managers and 29% of health workers (P < 0.01). Conclusion: The rural unemployed suffer considerable psychological distress and ‘disability’, yet they are not the target of specific mental health promotion and prevention programs, which are often occasioned by rural adversity, such as drought, and delivered through workbased pathways. Policy-makers and health service providers need to consider the needs of the rural unemployed and those permanently unable to work and how they might be addressed. 2012-04-18T05:36:57.262Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:10445 Dementia typically occurs in older people. This syndrome can be described as progressing through particular stages and may be related to the presence of specific disorders. There are particular behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) that typically accompany a diagnosis of dementia. These symptoms appear to be a result of both cognitive decline and environmental factors. They disrupt the occupational engagement and functioning of both the person with dementia and the carer(s). They appear to arise from negative engagement with the environment and may exist for up to 20 years. Education of the carer(s), whether family members or paid aged-care workers, is essential for the management and reduction of the incidence of BPSD. An occupation analysis of a person with dementia assists in establishing the past and present interests and abilities of the person and the possible effects of the environment on the person. It also enables appropriate development of relevant interventions. 2012-03-19T23:10:02.271Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:6865 The association between farming risks and Q fever is not well documented in Australia. In a review of New South Wales notifications, data were analysed using 3-year study periods from 1993 to 2007 to investigate possible trends and explore reported risk exposures. A retrospective case series was also conducted using acute Q fever cases notified during 2007 from a rural area of New South Wales. Occupation was recorded for less than 50% of Q fever notifications in New South Wales during the study period. A significant decline in the proportion of notifications occurred in the occupational group reported as ‘Abattoir/Meat’ worker and a significant increase occurred in the ‘Farmer/Livestock’ category. The case series found that in the month prior to illness onset 78% (42/54) reported direct contact with animals. In the month prior to becoming ill with Q fever 71% (31/51) of employed cases had contact with newly introduced livestock in their workplace. As a result of their Q fever illness 93% of cases required time off work or school, with a median of 21 days. At the time of the structured interviews 63% had not fully recovered. The epidemiology of Q fever disease in New South Wales has changed and amongst notified cases the relative importance of non-abattoir contact with livestock, wildlife or feral animals appears to be increasing. The surveillance field ‘Occupation’ no longer alone adequately describes risk exposure for many of the people notified with Q fever and a new field that better describes risk exposures is required. This may allow more finely tuned vaccination policy. 2012-03-12T06:47:50.949Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:1952 As is well known, Indonesians experienced a catastrophic lowering of living standards during the war. It is also well known that this was in large part due to the greed and cruelty of the Japanese army. Though further studies are warranted, a continuous search for crimes may not lead to a qualitative improvement in our knowledge. Monocausal explanations have long blinded us to other important factors; living standards during the War cannot be explained solely in terms of exploitation. 2011-12-05T05:33:34.766Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:6272 In the historiography of Indonesia, World War II is normally equated with the period of Japanese occupation from March 9, 1942 (following two months of fighting against the Dutch colonial army) until August 75, 7945. Before the Japanese invasion, however, the daily lives of Indonesians had already been gravely affected by warfare. When lapan attacked and occupied the southern coastal cities of China in 1937-1938, trading between China and Indonesia plummeted. When war broke out in Europe late in 1939, the Dutch authorities in Jakarta also began preparing to be attacked. The Japanese surrender in 1945, moreover, was merely the prelude to even greater violence. On August 17, 1945, Indonesia declared its independence, and as the Dutch returned to reinstate their control, a brutal war erupted which was to last until the end of 1949. Thus while this chapter focuses primarily on Indonesian society under ]apanese occupation, it is necessary to place events in their historical context by going beyond the usual time frame and looking at trends from around the outbreak of World War II in Europe to the end of Indonesia's war of independence. In understanding something as broad as a society at war, it is also necessary to consider various perspectives. Modern Indonesian history often depicts the Japanese occupation as one of its darkest periods: Before 1942, daily life for many was a struggle for survival; during the occupation, many lost that struggle. 2011-12-05T00:00:03.565Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:9281 With Australia facing a looming shortage of heavy vehicle drivers the question is raised as to whether it is desirable or prudent to encourage older professional heavy vehicle drivers to remain in the transport sector for longer, particularly those of heavy vehicles or recruit drivers of a younger age. Aim: To review age-related safety and identify other factors that contribute to accidents experienced by heavy vehicle drivers. Methods: A search was conducted of national and international peer-reviewed literature in the following databases: MedLine, Embase, Cinahl, PsychInfo and the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety. A manual search was performed to obtain relevant articles within selected journals. Results: A limited number of studies reported age-specific accident rates for heavy vehicles for the spectrum of driver age that included drivers younger than 27 years and those over 60 years of age. Heavy vehicle drivers younger than 27 years of age demonstrated higher rates of accident/fatality involvement which decline and plateau until the age of 63 years where increased rates were again observed. Other contributing factors to heavy vehicle accidents include: long hours and subsequent sleepiness and fatigue, employer safety culture, vehicle configuration particularly multiple trailers, urbanisation and road classification. Conclusions: Drivers of heavy vehicles are over-involved until age 27 years however a characteristic ‘U’ shaped curve indicates a higher risk of accident involvement for both younger and older drivers. More detailed analyses of “at-fault” involvement and inability to avert an accident and other factors that contribute to accidents across the ages of heavy vehicle drivers may give further clarification to the degree of safety of both younger and older commercial heavy vehicle drivers. 2011-11-08T04:40:59.876Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2638 After occupying Java the Japanese military attempted to redirect the human and the natural resources of Java into their own war effort. In so doing, they heavily relied on the local administrative corps, the pangreh praja (literally: the rulers of the realm). Therefore the Japanese, the pangreh praja and the peasantry are arguably the most important groups that should be studied if we are to understand the Japanese occupation on Javanese society. 2010-04-27T06:44:50.246Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2418 2010-04-27T06:36:31.462Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2393 2010-04-27T06:20:12.141Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:4784 Aim: The aim of this study was to establish historical smoking prevalence rates among the working population of Australia. A clearer understanding of tobacco usage trends by occupation would be helpful to ensure the more effective targeting of tobacco control interventions in the workplace. Methods: Smoking data was extracted from the 1989-90, 1995 and 2001 National Health Surveys, which captured approximately 54 600, 53 800 and 26 900 Australians (response rates: 92% to 96%). Participants were limited to employed adults aged 18-64 years, with data stratified by job category and gender during the analysis. Results: Slightly less than one-third (31%) of Australian workers were smoking in 1989-90, a rate which declined to 25% in 1995 and then appeared to rise slightly to around 27% in 2001. A consistently higher proportion of males smoked tobacco when compared to females over all three surveys. By job category, tobacco use was most common among Labourers and Related Workers in 1989-90, Plant and Machine Operators and Drivers in 1995 and Intermediate Production and Transport Workers in 2001. The lowest smoking rates were consistently reported among Professionals. Conclusions: Overall, our study suggests that there were widespread variations in the smoking rates of working Australians between 1989 and 2001. Effective tobacco control strategies will clearly need to target blue collar employees, who continue to shoulder the main burden from tobacco-related disease. 2010-04-27T05:33:52.963Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:4372 Tobacco use represents a key issue in workplace health, and much can be learned from countries where occupational smoking data has been regularly collected on a national basis. This article reviews national smoking surveys previously conducted in Australia and the United States between 1970 and 2005, and examines their relevance to the field of occupational tobacco control. When the first preliminary research was undertaken over 35 years ago, tobacco smoking was a regular feature in the general population of both countries, albeit with higher rates often documented among blue collar workers. Recent national investigations however, suggest that certain historical differences in smoking prevalence rates by occupation are persisting as we enter the 21st century. Detailed examination also indicates that employee sub-groups, such as cleaners and construction workers, are now bearing much of the occupational smoking burden in Australia and the United States. As such, there is an urgent need for more aggressive and finely targeted tobacco control activities in the workplace, as well as increased cooperation between tobacco control organizations, labor unions and other stakeholders, so that they may more effectively combat this ongoing threat to workers’ health. 2010-04-27T05:01:48.869Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:5609 Background/aim: As the population ages, an increased number of older people are entering residential care. Moving into residential care is a challenging adjustment for older people, yet little is documented about the nature of this adjustment from the perspective of new residents. Methods: A qualitative study was undertaken using interviews conducted with 11 hostel residents. Inductive content analysis techniques were used to gain an in-depth understanding of the processes and perceptions that influenced adjustment to hostel living for participants. Results: Four themes emerged from the data: (i) accepting the decision, (ii) the importance of home, (iii) fitting in, and (iv) freedom to do the normal things in life. Engagement in meaningful occupations was vital to positive adjustment. Conclusions: Occupational therapy is well placed to facilitate the process of adjustment to residential care and take a more active role within the hostel system. 2010-04-27T04:39:07.909Z ]]>