Showing papers by "Deakin University published in 2000"
TL;DR: Identifying predictors of physical activity in older populations, particularly social support, facility access, and neighbourhood safety, can inform the development of policy and intervention strategies to promote the health of older people.
801 citations
TL;DR: MultiBoosting is an extension to the highly successful AdaBoost technique for forming decision committees that is able to harness both AdaBoost's high bias and variance reduction with wagging's superior variance reduction.
Abstract: MultiBoosting is an extension to the highly successful AdaBoost technique for forming decision committees. MultiBoosting can be viewed as combining AdaBoost with wagging. It is able to harness both AdaBoost's high bias and variance reduction with wagging's superior variance reduction. Using C4.5 as the base learning algorithm, MultiBoosting is demonstrated to produce decision committees with lower error than either AdaBoost or wagging significantly more often than the reverse over a large representative cross-section of UCI data sets. It offers the further advantage over AdaBoost of suiting parallel execution.
729 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the relationship between objective and subjective quality of life indicators is discussed and it is shown that the interaction of these variables occurs within a system that homeostatically maintains subjective QOL within a narrow range.
Abstract: This paper reviews the relationship between objective and subjective quality of life indicators. It proposes that the interaction of these variables occurs within a system that homeostatically maintains subjective quality of life within a narrow range. Due to the capacity of this system to adapt to varying environmental circumstances, the objective and subjective indicators are normally poorly correlated. However, it is also proposed that very poor objective conditions can defeat homeostasis and, once this occurs, the objective and subjective indicators display stronger covariation. Empirical data are provided to support this model and the implications for understanding the QOL construct are discussed.
625 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the causes and costs of rework in two construction projects were analyzed and discussed, and it was shown that the cost of the rework for the case study projects was 3.15% and 2.2% respectively.
Abstract: Very few construction companies and consulting firms in Australia measure their costs of quality. Consequently, it is difficult for them to prove that systems for preventing quality failures are cost-effective. Although the direct costs of a quality system can be quantified with some accuracy (salaries, costs of documentation, audits, etc.), the corresponding benefits are far more difficult to assess. Indeed quality failures have become an endemic feature of the procurement process in construction and invariably lead to time and cost overruns in projects. Thus, in order to improve the performance of projects it is necessary to identify the causes and costs rework. The research presented in this paper quantifies the causes, magnitude and costs of rework experienced in two construction projects that were procured using different contractual arrangements. The causes and costs of rework projects are analysed and discussed. The findings reveal that the cost of rework for the case study projects was 3.15% and 2...
445 citations
TL;DR: The authors brings together leading experts from the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand to critically evaluate the current debates on workplace learning and propose directions for future developments in both research and practice.
Abstract: This volume brings together leading experts from the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand to critically evaluate the current debates on workplace learning and propose directions for future developments in both research and practice. Topics covered include: expectations about learning at work into the twenty-first century; learning theories, practice and performance implications; the relationship between workplace learning and other forms of lifelong learning; the international developments in competency-based approaches to learning and assessment; the influence of language, power, culture and gender upon the 'construction' of learning. This volume contains the following chapters: Understandings of workplace learning / David Boud and John Garrick; The changing contexts of work / Catherine Casey; Learning to work and working to learn / Ronald Barnett; New dimensions in the dynamics of learning and knowledge / Judy Matthews and Phillip Candy; Finding a good theory of workplace learning / Paul Hager; Past the guru and up the garden path: the new organic management learning / David Beckett; Gender workers and gendered workplaces: implications for learning / Belinda Probert; Culture and difference in workplace learning / Nicky Solomon; Technologising equity: the politics and practices of work-related learning / Elaine Butler; Guided learning at work / Stephen Billet; Is learning transferable / Mark Tennant; Competency-based learning: a dubious past - an assured future? / Andrew Gonczi; Envisioning new organisations for learning / Victoria J. Marsick and Karen E. Watkins; and The dominant discourses of learning at work / John Garrick.
394 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors briefly explain some of the theoretical issues associated with life-cycle energy analysis and then uses an Australian-based case study to demonstrate the importance of both operational and embodied energy attributable to buildings over their lifetime.
Abstract: Energy use is a widely used measure of the environmental impact of buildings. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of both the operational and embodied energy attributable to buildings over their lifetime. The method of assessing lifetime building energy is known as life-cycle energy analysis. With Kyoto target obligations necessitating the quantification of greenhouse gas emissions at the national level, it seems increasingly probable that analyses of this kind will increase in use. If conducted in primary energy terms, such analyses directly reflect greenhouse gas emissions, except for a few processes which involve significant non-energy related emissions such as cement manufacture. A Life-Cycle Assessment would include these issues, as well as other environmental parameters, though probably with a corresponding decrease in system boundary completeness. This paper briefly explains some of the theoretical issues associated with life-cycle energy analysis and then uses an Australian based case s...
385 citations
TL;DR: The behavioral epidemiology framework can be used to evaluate the status of research on health behaviors and to guide research policies.
Abstract: Although the term “behavioral epidemiology” has been used in the literature since the late 1970s, it has not been clearly defined. A behavioral epidemiology framework is proposed to specify a systematic sequence of studies on health-related behaviors, leading to evidence-based interventions directed at populations. The phases are: 1—establish links between behaviors and health; 2—develop measures of the behavior; 3—identify influences on the behavior; 4—evaluate interventions to change the behavior; 5—translate research into practice. Mature research areas are expected to have more studies in the latter phases. Recent volumes of four journals (Annals of Behavioral Medicine, Health Psychology, Journal of Nutrition Education, Tobacco Control) were audited, and empirical studies were classified into these phases. Phase 3 studies were common (identifying influences on behaviors; 27% to 50%), and Phase 2 studies were least common (measurement; 0% to 15%).Annals of Behavioral Medicine andHealth Psychology were low on Phase 4 (intervention studies; 9% and 11%, respectively). TheJournal of Nutrition Education was the only journal reviewed that had a substantial number (20%) of Phase 5 studies (translating research into practice). The behavioral epidemiology framework can be used to evaluate the status of research on health behaviors and to guide research policies.
383 citations
TL;DR: This paper present a methodological framework, structured-case, that assists IS researchers to undertake and assess theory building research within the interpretive paradigm, and explains its value in achieving convincing explanations that are strongly linked to both the research themes and data collected in the field.
Abstract: This paper presents a methodological framework, structured-case, that assists IS researchers to undertake and assess theory building research within the interpretive paradigm, and explains its value in achieving convincing explanations that are strongly linked to both the research themes and data collected in the field.
288 citations
TL;DR: This paper proposes the application of lazy learning techniques to Bayesian tree induction and presents the resulting lazy Bayesian rule learning algorithm, called LBR, which can be justified by a variant of Bayes theorem which supports a weaker conditional attribute independence assumption than is required by naive Bayes.
Abstract: The naive Bayesian classifier provides a simple and effective approach to classifier learning, but its attribute independence assumption is often violated in the real world. A number of approaches have sought to alleviate this problem. A Bayesian tree learning algorithm builds a decision tree, and generates a local naive Bayesian classifier at each leaf. The tests leading to a leaf can alleviate attribute inter-dependencies for the local naive Bayesian classifier. However, Bayesian tree learning still suffers from the small disjunct problem of tree learning. While inferred Bayesian trees demonstrate low average prediction error rates, there is reason to believe that error rates will be higher for those leaves with few training examples. This paper proposes the application of lazy learning techniques to Bayesian tree induction and presents the resulting lazy Bayesian rule learning algorithm, called LBR. This algorithm can be justified by a variant of Bayes theorem which supports a weaker conditional attribute independence assumption than is required by naive Bayes. For each test example, it builds a most appropriate rule with a local naive Bayesian classifier as its consequent. It is demonstrated that the computational requirements of LBR are reasonable in a wide cross-section of natural domains. Experiments with these domains show that, on average, this new algorithm obtains lower error rates significantly more often than the reverse in comparison to a naive Bayesian classifier, C4.5, a Bayesian tree learning algorithm, a constructive Bayesian classifier that eliminates attributes and constructs new attributes using Cartesian products of existing nominal attributes, and a lazy decision tree learning algorithm. It also outperforms, although the result is not statistically significant, a selective naive Bayesian classifier.
262 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined perceived family and peer influences on body dissatisfaction, weight loss, and binge eating behaviors in adolescents and found that parental and peer discussion and encouragement of weight loss predicted disordered eating behaviours in girls, while maternal and peer encouragement predicted binge eating and weight loss behaviors in boys.
Abstract: The present study examined perceived family and peer influences on body dissatisfaction, weight loss, and binge eating behaviors in adolescents. Three hundred and six girls aged 11 to 17 years (M = 13.66, SD = 1.12) and 297 boys aged 11 to 18 years (M = 13.89, SD = 1.13) completed a questionnaire that examined the direct influence and quality of family and peer relationships on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. Direct influences of family and peers, rather than the quality of these relationships, predicted body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in adolescent boys and girls. Interesting differences were found between girls and boys in the nature of the influences and in the way they were expressed. In particular, parental and peer discussion and encouragement of weight loss predicted disordered eating behaviors in girls, while maternal and peer encouragement predicted binge eating and weight loss behaviors in boys. Fathers played a salient role in the expression of more severe forms of eating problems, while siblings played a small yet significant role in cognitive restraint among girls. The findings highlight gender differences in the importance of significant others in the expression of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in adolescence.
261 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the role of leadership in managing the challenge of deliberate large-scale change and whether it is possible to pinpoint factors that are critical to leading change effectively.
Abstract: Against a backdrop of increasing globalisation, deregulation, and the rapid pace of technological innovation, the primary task of management today is the leadership of organisational change. Seeks to examine the role of leadership in managing the challenge of deliberate large‐scale change and whether it is possible to pinpoint factors that are critical to leading change effectively. Also investigates the view that effective change leadership involves instrumental and charismatic roles, integrating operational know‐how with strong interpersonal skills. Uses a qualitative, case study approach, involving three multinational companies operating in Australia. Cross‐case analysis indicates that effective change leaders recognise the importance of blending the charismatic and instrumental dimensions of change leadership. The ability to conciliate and balance the two roles depends primarily on whether a leader possesses certain qualities and attributes required for effective change leadership. Strong interpersonal skills permeate these key change leadership qualities and attributes and provide the nexus between the charismatic and instrumental roles.
TL;DR: Feedback from mothers and female friends were viewed as having a positive impact on boys' body image whereas feed-back from fathers and male friends was viewed as more important in influencing body change methods.
TL;DR: In this paper, the Lambert W is defined as a transcendental function defined by solutions of the equation W exp(W) = x, and a survey of the literature reveals that, in the case of the principal branch (W-0), the vast majority of W-function applications use, at any given time, only a portion of the branch viz.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a framework that can be used to identify critical success factors (CSFs) that contribute to the successful use of partnering in projects, including effective communication, conflict resolution, adequate resources, management support, mutual trust, long-term commitment, coordination and creativity.
Abstract: Research into the use of partnering in construction has become ubiquitous; however, a framework is needed that can be used to identify critical success factors (CSFs) that contribute to the successful use of partnering in projects. Based on a review of the partnering literature within the management discipline, a partnering framework has been developed to identify the CSFs for construction parties implementing partnering arrangements. The framework highlights the influence of contextual characteristics and management skills on partnering success. The CSFs identified and discussed in the framework are effective communication, conflict resolution, adequate resources, management support, mutual trust, long-term commitment, coordination, and creativity. The degree of success of partnering can be determined by subjective measures (e.g., perceived satisfaction of partners' expectations) and objective measures (e.g., cost variation and rejection of work). A case for initiating partnering is also presented, toget...
TL;DR: A descriptive study to determine nurses' perceptions of the nature and frequency of aggressive behaviours in general wards and high dependency areas and address the gap in the literature confirms that acts of aggression are experienced frequently in the general medical and surgical ward areas of the study hospital.
Abstract: Studies on aggression in healthcare settings have reported increased frequency of this behaviour in both psychiatric and accident and emergency areas; however, to date, very few studies have addressed this issue in general ward settings in Australia. This descriptive study was conducted to determine nurses' perceptions of the nature and frequency of aggressive behaviours in general wards and high dependency areas and thereby address the gap in the literature. Two hundred and nine nurses in one Australian hospital completed a 23-item questionnaire on aggression in the workplace. The findings revealed that the majority (89.5%) of nurses defined aggressive behaviour as including verbal aggression, physical aggression and intimidation. Ninety-five per cent of respondents had encountered at least several episodes of verbal aggression within the last 12 months. Patients were found to be the main perpetrators of aggressive acts, followed by relatives. After experiencing either verbal or physical aggression nurses most frequently reported feeling angry or emotionally hurt. These findings confirm that acts of aggression are experienced frequently in the general medical and surgical ward areas of the study hospital. Consequently, there is a need to provide staff with education and support in order to deal with this issue and minimize the impact of increasing levels of aggression in the workplace.
TL;DR: Results highlight the need to assess all forms of malt treatment when looking at relationships of maltreatment to adjustment and the importance of childhood familial environment for the long-term adjustment of adults.
Abstract: There are very few research studies that have evaluated the relationships between multiple forms of childhood maltreatment and psychological adjustment in adulthood. This study evaluates the interrelationships between five different types of child maltreatment (sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological maltreatment, neglect, witnessing family violence) in a community sample of women and men (N = 175). The relationships between the reported experience of these forms of maltreatment in childhood, family characteristics during childhood, and current psychological adjustment (trauma symptomatology and self-depreciation) were assessed. As hypothesized, family characteristics predicted maltreatment scores and adjustment, and maltreatment scores predicted adjustment after controlling for family environment. There were high correlations between scores on the five maltreatment scales. Results highlight the need to assess all forms of maltreatment when looking at relationships of maltreatment to adjustment and the importance of childhood familial environment for the long-term adjustment of adults.
01 Aug 2000
TL;DR: This paper argues that for some applications direct search for association rules can be more e cient than the tw o stage process of the Apriori algorithm, which can impose large computational overheads when the number of frequen titemsets is very large.
Abstract: This paper argues that for some applications direct search for association rules can be more e cient than the tw o stage process of the Apriori algorithm which rst nds large itemsets whic hare then used to iden tify associations. In particular, it is argued, Apriori can impose large computational overheads when the number of frequen titemsets is very large. This will often be the case when association rule analysis is performed on domains other than basket analysis or when it is performed for basket analysis with basket information augmented b y other customer information. An algorithm is presented that is computationally e cient for association rule analyses during which the n umber of rules to be found can be constrained and all data can be maintained in memory.
TL;DR: In this article, a new perturbation approach is presented to the problem that maintains the simplicity of the linearised one-dimensional Boussinesq model, which is applied to the propagation of spring-neap tides (a bichromatic tidal system with the fundamental frequencies wt and wt) in the aquifer.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compare the variability and consistency of the contingency estimates between non-ERA and ERA projects and show that the results show a highly significant difference in variation and consistency between these groups.
Abstract: A contingency allowance is an amount of money used to provide for uncertainties associated with a construction project. Traditionally, it is a percentage addition on top of the base estimate. Estimating using risk analysis (ERA) is a methodology that can be used to substantiate the contingency by identifying uncertainties and estimating their financial implications. A study of the effect of ERA was carried out to compare the variability and consistency of the contingency estimates between non-ERA and ERA projects. This paper presents results of a survey that compares a total of 287 non-ERA and 45 ERA projects. The results show a highly significant difference in variation and consistency between these groups. It indicates successful use of the ERA method for public works projects to reduce unnecessary and exaggerated allowance for risk. However, the contingency allowance for ERA projects was still considered high. Improvement and refinement of the ERA method as well as recommendations on capital budgeting policy are suggested.
TL;DR: In this article, a multiple regression analysis with transactions-based data, using weighted least square to determine the discrete estate-type induced price effect in the Hong Kong housing market, is presented.
Abstract: The elements of sales comparison for residential property depend on a package of inherent attributes that are valued by consumers. These attributes can be classified into the following categories: structural, physical, neighbourhood and environmental. A model that incorporates adjustments for floor area, age, views and amenities such as availability of recreational facilities is presented and discussed. A multiple regression analysis with transactions‐based data, using weighted least square to determine the discrete estate‐type induced price effect in the Hong Kong housing market, is also presented. The paper demonstrates how the view of negative housing attributes is capitalised into house prices. Specifically, it is shown that the residential property values are higher for estate‐type housing properties, and lower for dwelling units with a cemetery view.
TL;DR: It was concluded that unrealistic optimism is broader than perceived risk, being evident for all elements of the Health Belief Model, including risk and severity of prostate cancer and barriers to and benefits of screening.
Abstract: Why do people fail to engage in positive behaviors which will promote their health and well-being? Researchers addressing this question adopt primarily one of two perspectives, drawing either on theories of health behavior, such as the Health Belief Model (HBM), or on theories of risk perception, such as unrealistic optimism. To overcome this compartmentalization, two studies of cancer screening behavior assessed the extent to which unrealistic optimism occurred in relation to each of the elements of the HBM: severity and curability of cancer and the benefits of, and barriers to, having a screening test. Data were collected using telephone interviews, dialing numbers randomly selected from the telephone directory. In the first study 164 women aged 50 to 70 years responded to questions about breast cancer and screening mammography, while in the second study 200 men aged 45 to 60 years responded to questions about prostate cancer and screening using the prostate specific antigen test. Women had an optimistic bias in relation to breast cancer risk and severity and barriers to having a screening mammogram but not in relation to the benefits of screening. For prostate cancer, there was an optimistic bias for all HBM variables: risk and severity of prostate cancer and barriers to and benefits of screening. It was concluded that unrealistic optimism is broader than perceived risk, being evident for all elements of the HBM.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used a simple, tripartite model linking habitat specialization, density and mobility, three of the characteristics most widely mooted in the literature to influence vulnerability to habitat fragmentation, to predict local extinction of birds in the box-ironbark forests of central Victoria, Australia.
TL;DR: In this article, a review of the existing partnering literature is presented, concluding that there are four major themes of empirical studies, which were research on project partnering, examining a dual relationship, international partnering and a special application of partnering.
Abstract: Since the emergence of partnering in the construction industry in the late 1980s, it has received a great deal of attention from practitioners and researchers. The published research that is presented in the major journals typically advocates guidelines and models for implementing partnering. To date, however, no paper has attempted to summarize and present a critique of the existing partnering literature. This paper, therefore, reviews the partnering literature that has been published in four high quality rating journals, these being Construction Management and Economics. ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management and ASCE Journal of Management in Engineering. It is concluded that there were four major themes of empirical studies, which were research on project partnering, examining a dual relationship, international partnering and a special application of partnering. Moreover, nonempirical studies were classified as the types of partnering, partnering models, partnering processes and partnering structure. The review provided in this paper ‘polishes the signposts’ and offers new directions for partnering research and its application in construction. Future studies are recommended to emphasize on the identification of performance measures and critical success factors, development and test of partnering models and processes, and the formation and selection of partnering strategy.
TL;DR: The authors examined the contents of the codes of ethics of 83 of the top 500 companies operating in the private sector in Australia in an attempt to discover whether there are national characteristics that differentiate the codes used by companies operating operating in Australia from codes used in the American and Canadian systems.
Abstract: This paper examines the contents of the codes of ethics of 83 of the top 500 companies operating in the private sector in Australia in an attempt to discover whether there are national characteristics that differentiate the codes used by companies operating in Australia from codes used by companies operating in the American and Canadian systems. The studies that were used as a comparison were Mathews (1987) for the United States of America and Lefebvre and Singh (1992) for Canada. The major conclusion is that, whilst Australian codes do have some characteristics that differentiate them from the other two groups, it appears that companies in all three cultures are driven by the same motives to develop codes.
TL;DR: It is concluded that the stress attributed to any specific child may be an indicator of more general family stress and the strength of parental worry decreased from time 1 to 2, but the pattern of worries did not change over time, and nor did the specific foci of worry differentiate low-stressed from high-st stressed parents.
Abstract: In this longitudinal study, stress attributed by parents to their family member with intellectual disability was investigated over a period of seven years in relation to specific foci of parental worry, and also in relation to stress attributed to the youngest sibling without a disability. The stress parents attributed to their family member with a disability was about double that attributed to the youngest sibling without a disability. However, multiple regression analysis revealed that the stress attributed to the sibling without a disability actually accounted for most of the variance in explaining the stress attributed to the family member with a disability. It is concluded that the stress attributed to any specific child may be an indicator of more general family stress. It was also found that, while the strength of parental worry decreased from time 1 to 2, the pattern of worries did not change over time, and nor did the specific foci of worry differentiate low-stressed from high-stressed parents. I...
TL;DR: Results indicate a significant effect of leptin receptor on adiposity in middle-aged Caucasian males.
Abstract: Linkage and association studies between three exonic polymorphisms in the leptin receptor gene and body composition variables in the HERITAGE Family Study were undertaken. Polymorphisms K109R, Q223R, and K656N have been analyzed with body mass index (BMI), sum of height skinfolds (SF8), fat mass (FM), percent body fat (%FAT), fat free mass, and plasma leptin level. Single-point linkage analysis and covariance analysis across genotypes were performed, by race, on phenotypes adjusted for age and sex. Blacks (88 parents; 231 adult offspring) from 115 nuclear families (72–119 sibpairs) and Caucasians (192 parents; 330 adult offspring) from 99 nuclear families (319–364 sibpairs) were used for these analyses. In Caucasians, BMI and FM showed suggestive linkages with K109R (P = 0.02 and P = 0.05, respectively) and associations with Q223R (P = 0.005 and P = 0.03, respectively). In blacks, no statistically significant linkage or association was observed. In Caucasians, associations with Q223R were observed in pare...
01 Jan 2000
TL;DR: In contrast to the arguments regarding fungibility in assessing aid, this paper presented scenarios where, even assuming that donors and recipients are agreed on how aid should be allocated to expenditure headings, apparent fungibility will arise, and suggested new directions for research on the impact of aid on the public sector in developing countries.
Abstract: Two findings have been common in the literature on the impact of foreign aid on public sector fiscal behaviour in developing countries. The first is that aid ‘sticks’ to higher levels of recipient government expenditure, with aggregate expenditure often rising by more than the value of the aid inflow. The second is that aid is often associated with declines in taxation revenue. This paper, using insights from public choice research on fiscal illusion, provides a number of theoretical scenarios in which the first of these outcomes arises, but which also allow for simultaneous reductions in taxation. In contrast to the arguments regarding fungibility in Assessing Aid we present scenarios where, even assuming that donors and recipients are agreed on how aid should be allocated to expenditure headings, apparent fungibility will arise. The paper concludes by suggesting new directions for research on the impact of aid on the public sector in developing countries. Outline
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used logistic regression analysis to determine whether onset seizures after subarachnoid hemorrhage carry independent prognostic information and to investigate the risk factors for late seizures after SAH.
Abstract: Objective: To determine whether onset seizures after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) carry independent prognostic information and to investigate the risk factors for late seizures after SAH. Background: Modern management of SAH, including early operation, has substantially reduced mortality. No study has adequately assessed the importance of onset seizures in a contemporary SAH cohort. Methods: The authors analyzed the records and initial CT scans of 412 consecutive patients with aneurysmal or nonaneurysmal SAH admitted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital from 1990 to 1996. Each patient with an onset seizure (n = 32, 7.8% of cohort) was age and sex matched to two nonseizure patients of the same cohort. Each patient with a late seizure (n = 17, 5.1% of cohort) was matched to five control subjects of the same cohort. Results: With use of logistic regression analysis, onset seizures correlated with the sum score of blood on initial CT scan (OR = 1.1, p = 0.05), but there was no significant correlation with duration of loss of consciousness at onset, Glasgow Coma Score (GCS), presence of aneurysm, or past history of hypertension or epilepsy. Disability 6 weeks after SAH according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale was independently predicted by initial GCS of p p = 0.04). Late seizures within the first 6 weeks were independently related to rebleeding (OR = 94, p p Conclusion: In this single-institution cohort of patients with SAH, onset seizures were an independent risk factor for late seizures and a predictor of poor outcome.
TL;DR: In this article, a learning framework is presented to foster successful co-operative strategic alliances between construction organizations, based on Rameses Associates and Lloyds TSB Insurance of the UK.
TL;DR: Main implications center around the need for a cross-culturally sensitive definition of eating disorders, the effect of level of ethnic identity on eating attitudes and body image, and the importance of developing culturally appropriate measures.
Abstract: Objective
The current study investigated the effect of culture on two factors implicated in the development of eating disorders, negative attitudes toward eating and dissatisfaction with body shape.
Method
Hong Kong-born and Australian-born women from two Australian universities were surveyed using the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) and the Figure Rating Scale (FRS).
Results
Results showed no difference between the groups in eating attitudes, but significant differences in body shape perceptions, with the Australian-born reporting greater dissatisfaction. Hong Kong-born subjects were separated into two groups based on their level of Chinese identity (Western acculturized and traditional). Their EAT and FRS scores were compared to the Australian-born, with Western acculturized Hong Kong-born subjects reporting significantly lower EAT and FRS scores than the Australian-born, whereas the more traditional Hong Kong-born subjects reported equivalent scores.
Discussion
Main implications center around the need for a cross-culturally sensitive definition of eating disorders, the effect of level of ethnic identity on eating attitudes and body image, and the importance of developing culturally appropriate measures. © 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 27: 83–89, 2000.