Undergraduate student drinking and related harms at an Australian university: web-based survey of a large random sample

Background  

There is considerable interest in university student hazardous drinking among the media and policy makers. However there have been no population-based studies in Australia to date. We sought to estimate the prevalence and correlates of hazardous drinking and secondhand effects among undergraduates at a Western Australian university.     

Application of the i-PARIHS framework for enhancing understanding of interactive dissemination to achieve wide-scale improvement in Indigenous primary healthcare

Background

Participatory research approaches improve the use of evidence in policy, programmes and practice. Few studies have addressed ways to scale up participatory research for wider system improvement or the intensity of effort required. We used the integrated Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (i-PARIHS) framework to analyse implementation of an interactive dissemination process engaging stakeholders with continuous quality improvement (CQI) data from Australian Indigenous primary healthcare centres. This paper reports lessons learnt about scaling knowledge translation research, facilitating engagement at a system level and applying the i-PARIHS framework to a system-level intervention.

Methods

Drawing on a developmental evaluation of our dissemination process, we conducted a post-hoc analysis of data from project records and interviews with 30 stakeholders working in Indigenous health in different roles, organisation types and settings in one Australian jurisdiction and with national participants. Content-analysed data were mapped onto the i-PARIHS framework constructs to examine factors contributing to the success (or otherwise) of the process.

Results

The dissemination process achieved wide reach, with stakeholders using aggregated CQI data to identify system-wide priority evidence–practice gaps, barriers and strategies for improvement across the scope of care. Innovation characteristics influencing success were credible data, online dissemination and recruitment through established networks, research goals aligned with stakeholders’ interest in knowledge-sharing and motivation to improve care, and iterative phases of reporting and feedback. The policy environment and infrastructure for CQI, as well as manager support, influenced participation. Stakeholders who actively facilitated organisational- and local-level engagement were important for connecting others with the data and with the externally located research team. Developmental evaluation was facilitative in that it supported real-time adaptation and tailoring to stakeholders and context.

Conclusions

A participatory research process was successfully implemented at scale without intense facilitation efforts. These findings broaden the notion of facilitation and support the utility of the i-PARIHS framework for planning participatory knowledge translation research at a system level. Researchers planning similar interventions should work through established networks and identify organisational- or local-level facilitators within the research design. Further research exploring facilitation in system-level interventions and the use of interactive dissemination processes in other settings is needed.

     

Proportion of adults achieving sufficient physical activity increases in South Australia, 1998 – 2010

Background

The South Australian Department of Health has administered the Active Australia Survey triennially since 1998 to assess physical activity levels in the South Australian adult population. Survey findings may reflect the impact of health messages on the population and provide evidence to inform public health policy.This study analyzed the data from the South Australian Active Australia Surveys from 1998 to 2010 to quantify trends in the physical activity patterns of the total population and groups within the population over this period.

Methods

The study used a retrospective analysis of the SA Health Active Australia Surveys of 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007, and 2010. Data were age-adjusted to the Australian 2001 Population Census. Proportions reporting sufficient physical activity for health benefits (≥ 150 min/week) were calculated by year of survey, and according to the following variables: gender, age group, area, educational level, income bracket, and body mass index (BMI). Population proportions statistics were used to determine the significance of the changes in levels of physical activity between 1998 and 2010.

Results

The main finding was a significant increase in the overall proportion of the population reporting sufficient physical activity. However, the changes were not uniform across categories. Differences in proportions reporting sufficient physical activity appear to have narrowed within the categories of gender and BMI but have widened within the categories of educational level and income bracket. Changes were relatively consistent across age and geographic location.

Conclusions

The results suggest that government programs to increase engagement in regular physical activity have been effective in some groups within the total population. They provide strong evidence to support the need for better ways of increasing physical activity levels and thus improving health outcomes for disadvantaged groups in the South Australian population.

     

Developing a gender-based approach to chronic conditions and women’s health: a qualitative investigation of community-dwelling women and service provider perspectives

Background

Chronic conditions contribute to over 70 % of Australia’s total disease burden, and this is set to increase to 80 % by 2020. Women’s greater longevity means that they are more likely than men to live with disability and have unique health concerns related to their gender based roles in society. Cultural and social issues can impact on women's health and are important to consider in health services planning and research. In this study, we aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to providing a gender-based approach to chronic conditions and women's health in an eastern metropolitan region of Australia.

Methods

Focus groups were used to engage both community-dwelling women who had chronic conditions and relevant professional stakeholders in the target area. Recorded proceedings underwent thematic analysis.

Results

Five focus groups were conducted with professional stakeholders and women community members in February and March 2014. Resultant themes included: women’s disempowerment through interactions with health systems; social and economic constraints and caregiving roles act to exclude women from participating in self-care and society; and empowerment can be achieved through integrated models of care that facilitate voice and enable communication and engagement.

Conclusions

This study underscores the importance of including perspectives of sex and gender in health care services planning. Tailoring services to socio-demographic and cultural groups is critical in promoting access to health care services. Unique epidemiological trends, particularly the ageing of women and new migrant groups, require particular attention.

     

Minimum reporting standards for process and outcomes assessments for private practice dietitians working in Australian primary care: The Thought Leader Consensus study

Aim

To identify minimum reporting standards for assessing the processes and outcomes of Australian primary care dietetics practice.

Methods

A sequential, mixed-method, exploratory process with peer-nominated Australian ‘thought leaders’. A literature review was undertaken to identify possible standards, followed by semi-structured qualitative interviews with thought leaders. Content analysis was used to identify a comprehensive group of items that could inform evidence-based reporting standards. Two rounds of a modified Delphi survey were conducted with the same thought leaders to seek consensus on the most relevant items. Individual items were analysed for content validity, and those with a rating of excellent item-content validity (index >0.78) were included as evidenced-based standards for primary care practice.

Results

Twenty-six thought leaders (response rate: 87%) from all mainland Australian states completed a qualitative interview and two rounds of modified-Delphi consensus surveys. Items were identified and categorised into three domains: business, clinical, and implementation. Content analysis identified 216 items published or used in practice by the thought leaders. After two rounds of consensus review, 97 items (45 business, 33 clinical, and 19 implementation) achieved excellent consensus ratings. Combining these items into a standardised tool, the scale-content validity index average was >0.90, which is considered excellent content validity.

Conclusions

This study has identified minimum reporting standards for evidence-based process and outcome assessments in primary care dietetics practice in Australia. Incorporating such standards into a standardised tool could enable benchmarking across the dietetics workforce and contribute to a broader understanding of the dietetic impact on public health.     

Who cares for the carer? Codesigning a carer health and wellbeing clinic for older care partners of older people in Australia

Introduction

Older carers or ‘care partners’ of older people experiencing care needs often provide essential support, at times while neglecting their own health and well-being. This is an increasingly frequent scenario due to both demographic changes and policy shifts towards ageing in place. Multiple community stakeholders within the care and support ecosystem hold valuable expertise about the needs of older care partners, and the programme and policy responses that may better support their health and well-being. The aim of this study was to identify the perspectives of stakeholders obtained through the codesign phase of a multicomponent research project investigating new models of care and support for older care partners suitable for the Australian context.

Methods

Principles of codesign were used to engage a purposeful sample of older care partners, health professionals, researchers, policy makers and health service administrators. Participants took part in a series of three codesign workshops conducted remotely via video conferencing. The workshops were supported with briefing material and generated consensus-based summaries, arriving at a preferred service model.

Findings

This paper reports the research design and structure of the codesign panels, the range of findings identified as important to support the health and well-being of older carers of older people, and the resulting service model principles. The codesigned and preferred model of care is currently being prepared for implementation and evaluation in Australia.

Public Contribution

This study was conducted using codesign methodology, whereby stakeholders including older care partners and others involved in supporting older carers, were integrally involved with design, development, results and conclusions.     

Suicide Coverage in the Digital Press Media: Adherence to World Health Organization Guidelines and Effectiveness of Different Interventions Aimed at Media Professionals

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated the characteristics of suicide news articles in the digital press, their adherence to World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations, and the effectiveness of interventions. We assessed adherence, avoidability, frequency and typology of suicide news over a six-month period in the four main digital media outlets of the Canary Islands (Spain). A brief training and information package intervention to the Canary Islands media outlets was carried out. We compared the quality of media reporting at both the pre-intervention and post-intervention timepoints, and compared the quality of reporting at the post-intervention timepoint in Victoria (Australia), where media interventions have been well-resourced and running for several years. We evaluated 339 suicide news articles: 38 from the pre-intervention period, 64 from the post-intervention period, and 237 from Victoria. News articles showed a very low degree of adherence to WHO recommendations, especially to those recommendations thought to have a protective effect. Post-intervention news articles showed better adherence than pre-intervention ones, but lower than those of Victoria, where constant interventions have been developed for years. We conclude that adherence to WHO recommendations is low. Simple interventions aimed at media professionals can improve adherence. However, constant and complex interventions seem to be more effective.     

A qualitative study of the background and in-hospital medicolegal response to female burn injuries in India

Background

Most burns happen in low- and middle-income countries. In India, deaths related to burns are more common in women than in men and occur against a complex background in which the cause – accidental or non-accidental, suicidal or homicidal – is often unclear. Our study aimed to understand the antecedents to burns and the problem of ascribing cause, the sequence of medicolegal events after a woman was admitted to hospital, and potential opportunities for improvement.

Methods

We conducted semi-structured interviews with 33 women admitted to two major burns units, their families, and 26 key informant doctors, nurses, and police officers. We used framework analysis to examine the context in which burns occurred and the sequence of medicolegal action after admission to hospital.

Results

Interviewees described accidents, attempted suicide, and attempted homicide. Distinguishing between these was difficult because the underlying combination of poverty and cultural precedent was common to all and action was contingent on potentially conflicting narratives. Space constraint, problems with cooking equipment, and inflammable clothing increased the risk of accidental burns, but coexisted with household conflict, gender-based violence, and alcohol use. Most burns were initially ascribed to accidents. Clinicians adhered to medicolegal procedures, the police carried out their investigative requirements relatively rapidly, but both groups felt vulnerable in the face of the legal process. Women’s understandable reticence to describe burns as non-accidental, the contested nature of statements, their perceived history of changeability, the limited quality and validity of forensic evidence, and the requirement for resilience on the part of clients underlay a general pessimism.

Conclusions

The similarities between accident and intention cluster so tightly as to make them challenging to distinguish, especially given women’s understandable reticence to describe burns as non-accidental. The contested status of forensic evidence and a reliance on testimony means that only a minority of cases lead to conviction. The emphasis should be on improving documentation, communication between service providers, and public understanding of the risks of burns.

     

A cross-sectional survey of prevalence and correlates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among prisoners in New South Wales,Australia

Background  

We aimed to estimate the prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempt among prisoners in New South Wales, Australia; and, among prisoners reporting suicidal ideation, to identify factors associated with suicide attempt.     

Evaluation of pseudoephedrine pharmacy sales before and after mandatory recording requirements in Western Australia: a case study

Background

A community pharmacy real-time electronic recording program, ProjectSTOP, enables Australian community pharmacists to verify pseudoephedrine requests. In Western Australia the program was available for voluntary use from April 2007 and became mandatory November 2010. This case study explores the effectiveness of the program by reviewing the total requests for pseudoephedrine products, and the proportion of requests which were classified as ‘denied sales’ before and after mandatory implementation. Seasonal and annual trends in these measures are also evaluated.

Methods

ProjectSTOP data recordings for Western Australia pharmacies between 1 December 2007 and 28 February 2014 were analysed. Data included a de-identified pharmacy number and date of each pseudoephedrine product request. The total number of requests and sale classification (allowed, denied, safety, or not recorded) were calculated for each month/pharmacy. The potential influence of mandatory reporting using ProjectSTOP was investigated using a Regression Discontinuity Design. Correlations between sales from the same pharmacy were taken into account by classifying the pharmacy number as a random effect. The main effects of year (continuous variable), and season (categorical variable) were also included in the model.

Results

There was a small but steady decline in the total requests for pseudoephedrine per month per 100,000 population (per pharmacy) from the time of mandatory reporting. The number of denied sales showed a steady increase up until mandatory reporting, after which it showed a significant decline over time. Total sales were heavily influenced by season, as expected (highest in winter, least in summer). The seasonal pattern was less pronounced for denied sales, which were highest in winter and similar across other seasons. The pattern over time for safety sales was similar to that for denied sales, with a clear change occurring around the time of mandatory reporting.

Conclusion

Results indicate a decrease in pseudoephedrine product requests in Western Australia community pharmacies. Findings suggest ProjectSTOP has been successful in addressing suspicious sales and potential diversion however ongoing data review is recommended.

     

Strategies and tensions in communicating research on sexual and reproductive health,HIV and AIDS: a qualitative study of the experiences of researchers and communications staff

Background

Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and HIV issues are often controversial and neglected, leading to challenges with engaging policy actors. Research evidence is complex, posing further challenges for ensuring that policy and practice are evidence-based. Many health researchers are adopting innovative approaches to engaging stakeholders in their research, yet these experiences are not often shared. This qualitative study focuses on the research communication and policy influencing objectives, strategies and experiences of four research consortia working on SRH, HIV and AIDS.

Methods

We carried out 22 in-depth interviews with researchers and communications specialists (research actors) from the four consortia and their partners, working in nine countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Using the ‘framework’ approach to qualitative data analysis, we identified factors that affect the interaction of research evidence with policy and practice. We used the ODI RAPID analytical framework to present these results, adapting this tool by incorporating the actions, strategies and positionality of research actors.

Results

The characteristics of researchers and their institutions, policy context, the multiplicity of actors, and the nature of the research evidence all play a role in policy influencing processes. Research actors perceived a trend towards increasingly intensive and varied communication approaches. Effective influencing strategies include making strategic alliances and coalitions and framing research evidence in ways that are most attractive to particular policy audiences. Tensions include the need to identify and avoid unnecessary communication or unintended impacts, challenges in assessing and attributing impact and the need for adequate resources and skills for communications work.

Conclusions

We contend that the adapted RAPID framework can serve as a tool for research actors to use in resolving these tensions, through facilitating a reflexive approach to considering their own combination of attributes, skills, networks and objectives and the ways these relate to policy contexts, actors and processes.

     

A mixed-methods assessment of off-duty police shootings in a media-curated database

Objective

The aim of this study was to examine rates of killings perpetrated by off-duty police and news coverage of those killings, by victim race and gender, and to qualitatively evaluate the contexts in which those killings occur.

Data Sources and Study Setting

We used the Mapping Police Violence database to curate a dataset of killings perpetrated by off-duty police (2013–2021, N = 242). We obtained data from Media Cloud to assess news coverage of each off-duty police-perpetrated killing.

Study Design

Our study used a convergent mixed-methods design. We examined off-duty police-perpetrated killings by victim race and gender, comparing absolute rates and rates relative to total police-perpetrated killings. [Correction added on 26 June 2023, after first online publication: ‘policy-perpetrated’ has been changed to ‘police-perpetrated’ in the preceding sentence.] We also conducted race-gender comparisons of the frequency of news media reporting of these killings, and whether reporting identified the perpetrator as an off-duty officer. We conducted thematic analysis of the narrative free-text field that accompanied quantitative data using grounded theory.

Principal Findings

Black men were the most frequent victims killed by off-duty police (39.3%) followed by white men (25.2%), Hispanic men (11.2%), white women (9.1%), men of unknown race (9.1%), and Black women (4.1%). Black women had the highest rate of off-duty/total police-perpetrated killings relative to white men (rate = 12.82%, RR = 8.32, 95% CI: 4.43–15.63). There were threefold higher odds of news reporting of a police-perpetrated killing and the off-duty status of the officer for incidents with Black and Hispanic victims. Qualitative analysis revealed that off-duty officers intervened violently within their own social networks; their presence escalated situations; they intentionally obscured information about their lethal violence; they intervened while impaired; their victims were often in crisis; and their intervention posed harm and potential secondary traumatization to witnesses.

Conclusions

Police perpetrate lethal violence while off duty, compromising public health and safety. Additionally, off-duty police-perpetrated killings are reported differentially by the news media depending on the race of the victim.     

Productivity loss resulting from coronary heart disease in Australia

Background

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the largest single cause of death in Australia. It places a heavy financial burden on the country’s health system. To date, no study has systematically assessed CHD-related productivity loss in Australia.

Objective

To quantify CHD-related productivity loss in Australia using both the human capital method and the friction method.

Methods

Mathematical models adjusting for economic activity, unemployment and the elasticity of productivity loss of labour reduction were proposed for the quantification. Where Australian data were unavailable, parameters were estimated using data from studies in European countries. Sensitivity analysis was conducted around uncertain parameters.

Results

The annual potential CHD-related productivity loss was estimated to be Australian dollars ($A)1.79 billion in 2004 using the human capital method. The potential loss was considerably higher than the actual loss, estimated to be $A25.02 million using the friction method.

Conclusions

CHD results in significant productivity loss in Australia. A valid economic evaluation of the full scale of the impact of CHD should consider the potential and actual productivity loss as well as the direct healthcare costs incurred by the disease.     

Diabetes in young adult men: social and health-related correlates

Background

Diabetes is a global public health issue. It is associated with significant disability, morbidity and mortality risks and substantial healthcare costs. Of great concern is the fact that its prevalence is rising, particularly amongst the young, while epidemiological data regarding the incidence, prevalence and complications of early-onset type 2 diabetes is noted to be sparse.

Methods

We used data from the baseline wave of Ten to Men, a national cohort study of Australian males, to investigate the social and health-related correlates of Australian males aged 18–49 years reporting being diagnosed with diabetes.

Results

The estimated prevalence of a self-reported diabetes diagnosis amongst Australian males aged 18–49 years was 2.95 % (95 % CI: 2.54–3.43 %). Within this age group, approximately 75 % of those diagnosed with diabetes are expected to be living with a known diagnosis of type 2 diabetes; the remainder are expected to be living with type 1 diabetes. Of the 20 social and health-related factors considered, we found evidence to support the association of eighteen factors after adjusting for age and body mass index. The strongest correlates of reporting a diabetes diagnosis, associated with a ≥2-fold increase in the odds of reporting diabetes were being aged 35–49 years, being unemployed, being obese, seeing a doctor for a check-up more frequently, reporting comorbid high blood pressure or physical or mental health comorbidities and worse self-rated and physical health status.

Conclusion

Australian males aged 18–49 years who are living with a known diagnosis of diabetes are more likely to be socio-economically disadvantaged and suffer substantially worse health status than Australian males aged 18–49 years living without a diabetes diagnosis. Based on the associations detected in this study, older, single males living in regional areas who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, obese and/or who have other comorbidities may be an important subgroup to target for diabetes screening, disease management and prevention efforts.

     

What does it cost to feed aged care residents in Australia?

Aim

Funding cuts to the aged care industry impact catering budgets and aged care staffing levels, which may in turn affect the nutritional status of aged care residents. This paper reports average food expenditure and trends in Australian residential aged care facilities (RACFs).

Methods

This is a retrospective study collecting RACFs’ economic outlay data through a quarterly online survey conducted over the 2015 and 2016 financial years.

Results

Data were compiled from 817 RACFs, representing 64 256 residential beds and 23 million bed‐days Australia‐wide. The average total spend in Australian Dollars (AUD) on catering consumables (including cutlery/crockery, supplements, paper goods) was $8.00 per resident per day (prpd) and $6.08 prpd when looking at the raw food and ingredients budget alone. Additional data from over half the RACFs (n = 456, 56%) indicate a 5% decrease in food cost ($0.31 prpd) in the last year, particularly in fresh produce, with a simultaneous 128% ($0.50 prpd) increase in cost for supplements and food replacements. Current figures are comparatively less than aged care food budgets internationally (US, UK and Canada), less than community‐dwelling older adults ($17.25 prpd) and 136% less than Australian corrective services ($8.25 prpd).

Conclusions

The current spend on food in RACFs has decreased compared with previous years, reflecting an increasing reliance on supplements, and is significantly less than current community food spend.     

What needs to change to increase chlamydia screening in general practice in Australia? The views of general practitioners

Background  

Australia is considering implementing a chlamydia screening program in general practice. The views of general practitioners (GPs) are necessary to inform the design of the program. This paper aimed to investigate Australian GPs' views on how chlamydia screening could work in the Australian context.     

Surveillance for congenital rubella in Australia since 1993: Cases reported between 2004 and 2013

Objective

To describe the epidemiology of congenital rubella infections notified to the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) from 2004 to 2013 and compare that with previously published APSU data for 1993–2003.

Methods

Active national surveillance for congenital rubella infection has been conducted through the APSU since 1993. Monthly reporting by child health clinicians according to pre-defined case criteria triggers requests for clinicians to provide de-identified clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory information. Data were extracted for cases reported between January 2004 and December 2013 and compared with previous years.

Results

Five cases of confirmed congenital rubella infection were identified during the reporting period. All five infants had defects consistent with congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). Four of the infants were born in Australia during the study period, and all were born to mothers born overseas. Three of the five mothers had not had rubella vaccination, and in two vaccination status was unknown, although both were from countries without routine rubella immunization programmes. Since 1993, there have been 57 notifications of congenital rubella infection to the APSU; 40 of these infants were born between January 1993 and December 2013, of whom 34 had confirmed CRS.

Conclusions

Congenital rubella infection in Australia is predominantly among children born to unimmunized immigrant mothers. Migrant women born in rubella endemic countries without routine immunization remain an important group to target for vaccination. Rubella-susceptible women, especially those in the early stages of pregnancy, should also carefully consider the risks of travelling to rubella endemic countries.     

The tip of the iceberg. Incidence of disclosed cases of child sexual abuse in Switzerland: results from a nationwide agency survey

Objectives

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is considered a major risk factor for a variety of health problems both in childhood and in later adult life. While population-based surveys aim to establish the real incidence rates of CSA by interviewing potential (past) victims, agency surveys focus on the rates of CSA reported to the authorities.

Methods

We conducted a nationwide agency survey of CSA in Switzerland. Data were collected from 350 agencies through an anonymous online form during a 6-month period. For data collection, we used a modified version of the case reporting form translated from the American National Incidence Study (NIS-4).

Results

About 2.68 cases of CSA per 1,000 children per year are disclosed to agencies (1.11 in males, 4.33 in females). This is roughly twice the average incidence rate reported in methodologically similar studies from Canada, the US, and Australia.

Conclusions

In Switzerland, the majority of disclosed cases of CSA are handled by specialized yet semi-public agencies instead of public child welfare agencies or penal authorities. This fact might explain the higher disclosure rates.     

Capacity building and social marketing promotes healthy lifestyle behaviour in an Australian Aboriginal community

Objective

We explored the effectiveness of a project targeting an Australian Aboriginal community.

Design

A collaborative approach included stakeholder interviews, an intercept survey, observations and Facebook insights.

Setting

Gippsland encompasses 41 557 km² of Victoria and has an Aboriginal population of around 4000.

Participants

Five stakeholders from local Aboriginal health/sports organisations were interviewed at 6 and 18 months. A total of 49 Aboriginal persons aged 16 years or more, who lived in Gippsland, were surveyed at a community event. Facebook engagement involved 933 people over a 4‐week period.

Main outcome measures

Reach was assessed at 6 and 18 months using Facebook likes and video views. Survey measures addressed campaign awareness, recall and attitudinal and behavioural change.

Results

The project provides organisations with skills development, social media production and online resources promoting sports and community events. Stakeholders and survey respondents valued local content, positive stories and awareness‐raising elements. Two campaigns developed by state and regional organisations were adapted using locally developed social media with campaign messages. After 18 months, there were 2592 video views and 1738 likes. Forty‐seven (69%) of the eligible attendees at the community event completed the survey. Thirty‐three (70%) had seen the campaign; 20 (61%) subsequently thought about changing their behaviour and 13 (39%) changed their behaviour.

Conclusion

The model was mutually beneficial. Partner organisations enabled project access to local events and project staff supported organisational development and event promotion. Social marketing engaged the community and prompted positive behaviour change. Formative work that is undertaken centrally might be useful for organisations to adapt for local campaigns.

     

BEING FEMALE: THE PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN'S HEALTH IN PRINT MEDIA

In this article, we examine the portrayal of women's health issues in two of Melbourne's print media: The Age and the Herald Sun . In particular, we aim to examine the patterns of coverage of women's health and the underlying message in articles on women's health issues. We employed an unobtrusive method, and the study was conducted over a three-month period: May to July 1998. We found that many of the articles and public reactions centred on women and reproduction. This implies that women are still seen in relation to their reproductive role in Australian society. In addition, there are many issues regarding women and their health missing from the media's publication during the research period. The message emerging from the analysis implies that if women do not fit into the "ideal women" framework of the society, their health needs are given little attention by the print media and, therefore, their health is likely to suffer. This can be interpreted as one form of women's oppression in Australian society.