Australian Catholic University

About: Australian Catholic University is a education organization based out in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 2721 authors who have published 10013 publications receiving 215248 citations. The organization is also known as: ACU & ACU National.

Inclusion of Children With Special Needs in Early Childhood Education What Teacher Characteristics Matter

Abstract: Whereas the inclusion of children with special needs in regular classrooms has gained increasing advocacy, teachers’ attitudes vary. Previous studies examining teacher attitudes have focused on primary and secondary schools in the Western world, and little is known about early childhood settings in Eastern countries. This study used MANOVA to examine preschool teachers’ attitudes in Hong Kong (N = 410). Teachers reported only modest support for inclusion. Teachers with training in special education were stronger advocates of inclusion, irrespective of their professional roles (administrator or class teacher), for children with intellectual disability, or visual, hearing, and speech and language impairments. However, neither teacher training nor professional role made a significance difference to teachers’ support of including children with physical disability, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), specific learning difficulty, and the gifted and talented. Implica...

Early Parental Responses to Sudden Infant Death, Stillbirth or Neonatal Death

Abstract: OBJECTIVE To examine the mental health of parents after stillbirth (SB), neonatal death (NND) or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). DESIGN The sampling frame from southeast Queensland was observed over 2.5 years. Control families were matched for birth date, sex of child, hospital and health insurance status. SETTING Home interviews, by specially trained social workers, took place two months after the death of the infant. PARTICIPANTS Results were based on 918 responses from 260 bereaved families (99 SB, 109 NND, 52 SIDS) and 252 control families, with a 63.6% overall participation rate. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Questionnaires included standardised measures of anxiety, depression, biographic and demographic data. It was hypothesised that subject families would show more symptoms of anxiety and depression than control families, with mothers and parents affected by SIDS having the highest levels. RESULTS Affected parents report significantly more psychological symptoms than controls, mothers more than fathers (P less than 0.001). Parents affected by SIDS showed more symptoms than other affected parents. High levels of anxiety were 14 times more likely in mothers affected by SIDS than controls (95% confidence interval, 5.4-36.6), with depression 12 times more likely (95% confidence interval, 3.8-43.5). Anxiety for groups affected by SB and NND were respectively 3.9 (2.1-10.5) and 6.5 (2.6-16.3) times more likely than for controls, and depression 6.9 (2.1-22.5) and 8.5 (2.7-26.7) times more likely. Differences were less marked for fathers, except for fathers affected by SIDS. CONCLUSIONS Parents affected by stillbirth, neonatal death or sudden infant death syndrome manifest high levels of anxiety and depression two months after the death. Mothers have more symptoms than fathers, and parents affected by SIDS have the most symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Knowledge and beliefs about antibiotics among people in Yogyakarta City Indonesia: a cross sectional population-based survey

Abstract: Background Misconceptions about antibiotic use among community members potentially lead to inappropriate use of antibiotics in the community. This population-based study was aimed at examining common knowledge and beliefs about antibiotic use of people in an urban area of Indonesia.

Estimating the current and future prevalence of atrial fibrillation in the Australian adult population

Abstract: Objective: To estimate the current and future prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in the Australian adult population according to age and sex.Design: Application of international AF prevalence statistics to Australian adult population data (for people ³ 55 years) to estimate population prevalence; use of population projections to estimate potential future prevalence of AF.Main outcome measures: Estimated prevalence of AF in 2014 and future prevalence projected to 2034.Results: We estimated that at 30 June 2014 there would be 328 562 cases of AF among people aged ³ 55 years (a prevalence of 5.35%; 95% CI, 3.79%–7.53%), comprising 174 986 men (prevalence, 5.97%; 95% CI, 4.11%–8.54%) and 153 576 women (prevalence, 4.79%; 95% CI, 3.50%–6.60%). Without significant changes to the natural history of AF, by 2034 this figure is projected to rise to over 600 000 (prevalence, 6.39%; 95% CI, 4.56%–8.90%), with a prevalence of 7.22% among men (95% CI, 4.99%–10.28%) and 5.64% (95% CI, 4.18%–7.64%) among women. The greatest projected regional increase in prevalence between 2014 and 2034 is expected in Queensland, with a likely twofold increase (from 61 613 cases to 123 142 cases), although New South Wales cases will remain predominant, with a 1.7-fold increase (from 110 892 to 191 578). We also predicted that between 2014 and 2034 the number of AF cases would double among older age groups (from 200 638 to 414 377 individuals aged ³ 75 years) and would increase 2.5-fold among men aged ³ 85 years (from 29 370 to 71 582).Conclusions: These data are indicative of a largely underappreciated AF prevalence in Australia. They mandate a more systematic effort to both understand and respond to an evolving AF burden.