Research

Objective: To determine if the improvement in inpatient glycaemic control observed with basal–bolus insulin (BBI) over sliding-scale insulin (SSI) in the formal study setting translates to routine clinical conditions.Design, setting and patients: Cross-sectional study in which capillary blood glucose levels (BGLs) were prospectively measured four times daily for up to 8 days in 124 patients with type 2 diabetes admitted to a tertiary teaching hospital and treated with BBI between November 2008 and May 2010. Data from the BBI treatment group were compared with retrospective data from 96 patients treated with SSI between June 2001 and May 2006.Main outcome measures: Mean daily BGL; independent effect of insulin regimen on mean daily BGL.Results: Mean baseline BGL was not significantly different in patients receiving BBI and SSI (mean ± SD, 11.3 ± 4.1 v 10.6 ± 4.3 mmol/L; P = 0.23). After the first full day of therapy, mean daily BGL for patients receiving BBI was 1.6 ± 3.7 mmol/L lower than baseline BGL, and it remained 1.6–2.4 mmol/L lower than baseline throughout the study (P < 0.001). In contrast, there was no significant change in BGL for patients receiving SSI. Random effects regression analysis indicated that BBI was associated with a significantly lower mean daily BGL than SSI, independent of other variables (P < 0.001). The incidence of hypoglycaemia (BGL < 4 mmol/L) was significantly greater in patients receiving BBI than SSI (3.3% v 1.4%; P < 0.001), but there was no significant difference for severe hypoglycaemia (BGL < 2.8 mmol/L) (0.3 v 0.5%; P = 0.3).Conclusions: Under routine clinical conditions, BBI is effective and safe across a range of patients and appears to be superior to SSI. Clinical improvements reflected those seen in a strict formal study setting.

Greg W Roberts BPharm, FSHP · Norma Aguilar-Loza BN(Hon) · Adrian Esterman PhD · Morton G Burt MB ChB, PhD · Stephen N Stranks MB BS

Objective: To examine the differential in cancer survival between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Queensland in relation to time after diagnosis, remoteness and area-socioeconomic disadvantage.Design, setting and participants: Descriptive study of population-based data on all 150 059 Queensland residents of known Indigenous status aged 15 years and over who were diagnosed with a primary invasive cancer during 1997–2006.Main outcome measures: Hazard ratios for the categories of area-socioeconomic disadvantage, remoteness and Indigenous status, as well as conditional 5-year survival estimates.Results: Five-year survival was lower for Indigenous people diagnosed with cancer (50.3%; 95% CI, 47.8%–52.8%) compared with non-Indigenous people (61.9%; 95% CI, 61.7%–62.2%). There was no evidence that this differential varied by remoteness (P = 0.780) or area-socioeconomic disadvantage (P = 0.845). However, it did vary by time after diagnosis. In a time-varying survival model stratified by age, sex and cancer type, the 50% excess mortality in the first year (adjusted HR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.38–1.63) reduced to near unity at 2 years after diagnosis (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.78–1.35).Conclusions: After a wide disparity in cancer survival in the first 2 years after diagnosis, Indigenous patients with cancer who survive these 2 years have a similar outlook to non-Indigenous patients. Access to services and socioeconomic factors are unlikely to be the main causes of the early lower Indigenous survival, as patterns were similar across remoteness and area-socioeconomic disadvantage. There is an urgent need to identify the factors leading to poor outcomes early after diagnosis among Indigenous people with cancer.

Susanna M Cramb BAppSc(Med Sci), Grad Cert(Sc), MPH · Gail Garvey BEd, MEd · Patricia C Valery PhD, MD, MPH · John D Williamson BA(Hons), GradCert(PublicHlth), MEpi(Clin Epi) · Peter D Baade BSc, MMedSc, PhD

Objectives: To document temporal trends in maternal overweight and obesity in Australian women and to examine associations with pregnancy outcomes....

H David McIntyre MB BS, FRACP, MD · Kristen S Gibbons BMaths(Hons), BInfoTech · Vicki J Flenady MMedSc(ClinEpid) · Leonie K Callaway MB BS, PhD, FRACP

Objectives: To examine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Australian secondary school students and identify factors associated with excess adiposity....

on behalf of the NaSSDA Study Team*

Plotting the trajectory of some common artery conditions.

on behalf of the REACH Registry Investigators

Putting a team-based intervention approach to the test.

Sandy M Hopper FRACP, FACEM · Franz E Babl MD, FRACP, FACEP · Claire E Stewart PGDipENB, RN · Jia Wei Woo BSc, MB BS

Objective: To assess whether emergency department (ED) overcrowding was reduced after the introduction of the 4-hour rule in Western Australia and whether any changes in overcrowding were associated with significant changes in patient mortality rates.

Gary C Geelhoed FRACP, FACEM, MD · Nicholas H de Klerk BSc, MSc, PhD

The first report on the 4-hour rule needs fleshing out.

Drew B Richardson MB BS(Hons), FACEM, GradCertHE

Do demographic changes alone explain our busy EDs?

Judy A Lowthian MPH, BAppSc(SpPath), LMusA · Andrea J Curtis BSc(Hons), PhD · Damien J Jolley MSc(Epidemiology), MSc, AStat · Johannes U Stoelwinder MD, FRACMA, FACHSE · John J McNeil PhD, FRACP, FAFPHM · Peter A Cameron MBBS, MD, FACEM

Substance misuse and intellectual disability take their toll.

Ernest M Hunter FRANZCP · Bruce D Gynther FRANZCP · Carrick J Anderson MB BS · Leigh-ann L Onnis GradDipPH · Jeffrey R Nelson PhD · Wayne Hall PhD · Bernhard T Baune PhD, MD, FRANZCP · Aaron R Groves FRANZCP

Build youth-centric services and they will come.

Elizabeth M Scott BSc(Hons), MB BS, FRANZCP · Daniel F Hermens BSc, GDipSci, PhD · Nicholas Glozier MB BS, FRANZCP, PhD · Sharon L Naismith MCN, DCN, CCN · Adam J Guastella PhD · Ian B Hickie MD, FRANZCP, AM

Objectives: To determine the long-term mortality pattern of adults with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), and to identify the risk factors associated with death in this group.Design, patients and setting: Inception cohort study of 2545 adults consecutively discharged from one of three metropolitan tertiary, post-acute inpatient rehabilitation services of the New South Wales Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program from 1 January 1990 to 1 October 2007 after inpatient rehabilitation for primary TBI.Main outcome measure: Survival status at 1 October 2009.Results: 258 deaths were recorded in this sample, yielding a standardised mortality ratio of 3.19 (95% CI, 2.80–3.60). Risk of death remained elevated above societal norms for at least 8 years after discharge from rehabilitation. Mortality risk was increased by: functional dependence at discharge; age at injury; pre-injury drug and alcohol misuse; pre-injury epilepsy; and discharge to an aged care facility. The risk of death from external causes, and respiratory system and nervous system disorders was six to seven times higher, and the risk of death from disorders of the digestive system, and mental and behavioural disorders was five times higher in adults with severe TBI than in the general population.Conclusions: People who survive to discharge from inpatient rehabilitation following a severe TBI were found to have a sustained increase in risk of death for eight years post discharge. Various demographic and injury-related variables selectively increase mortality risk and may be modifiable in order to reduce the observed increase in mortality.

Ian J Baguley MB BS, FAFRM, PhD · Melissa T Nott BAppSc(Hons), PhD · Alison A Howle BSpPath · Grahame K Simpson BSocStud, MA, PhD · Stuart Browne MB BS, MD, FAFRM · A Clayton King MB BS, MD, FAFRM · Rachel E Cotter BA(Hons) · Adeline Hodgkinson MB BS, FAFRM

Objectives: To describe the epidemiology and toxicity of caffeinated energy drink exposures in Australia.Design, setting and subjects: Retrospective observational study analysing data from calls regarding energy drink exposures recorded in the database of an Australian poisons information centre over 7 years to 2010.Main outcome measures: Type of exposure; co-ingestants; symptoms reported; and reported hospitalisations.Results: Callers reported 297 exposures to energy drinks, which showed an increasing annual trend from 12 in 2004 to 65 in 2010. Median age for the 217 subjects with recreational exposure was 17 years (interquartile ratio [IQR], 15–21; range, 11–60) and 57% were male. One hundred recreational users co-ingested other substances, predominantly alcohol (50) or other caffeinated products (44). The number of energy drinks consumed in one session varied greatly (median, 5 units; IQR, 3–8; range, 1–80). Most subjects who reported recreational use reported experiencing symptoms (87%). The most common symptoms were palpitations, agitation, tremor and gastrointestinal upset. Twenty-one subjects had signs of serious cardiac or neurological toxicity, including hallucinations, seizures, arrhythmias or cardiac ischaemia. At least 128 subjects (57 with no co-ingestants) required hospitalisation.Conclusions: Reports of caffeine toxicity from energy drink consumption are increasing, particularly among adolescents, warranting review and regulation of the labelling and sale of these drinks. Educating adolescents and increasing the community’s awareness of the hazards from energy drinks is of paramount importance.

Naren Gunja MB BS, FACEM · Jared A Brown BPharm(Hons), MPH

Objective: To explore the current use of conventional and complementary medicines in Australians aged ≥ 50 years.Design, setting and participants: Cross-sectional postal survey sent to a random sample of 4500 Australians aged ≥ 50 years between June 2009 and February 2010.Main outcome measures: Prevalence of medicines use, reasons for medicines use and sources of medicines.Results: Response rate was 37.3%. Medicines use was very common; 87.1% of participants took one or more medicines and 43.3% took five or more in the previous 24 hours. Complementary medicines were used by 46.3% of participants, 87.4% of whom used both conventional and complementary medicines. The most commonly used medicines were antihypertensive agents (43.2% of participants), natural marine and animal products including fish oil and glucosamine (32.4%) and lipid-lowering agents (30.4%). Doctors recommended 79.3% of all medicines and 93.0% of conventional medicines. Pharmacists commonly recommended occasional medicines (ie, as needed), while friends, family and media most often influenced use of complementary medicines.Conclusions: The use of multiple medicines is common and higher than reported in the 1995 National Health Survey. Today, much medicines use is to prevent future disease by influencing risk factors. High levels of polypharmacy highlight the need to support the safe and effective use of medicines in the community. Although doctors recommend or prescribe most medicines, self-directed medication use is common. This highlights the need for consumer access to accurate information and strategies to improve health literacy about medicines.

Tessa K Morgan BSc, BA, MPH · Margaret Williamson BPharm, MPH, GradDipEpi · Marie Pirotta MB BS, MMed, PhD · Kay Stewart BPharm(Hons), PhD · Stephen P Myers PhD, BMed, ND · Joanne Barnes BPharm(Hons), PhD, MRPharmS

Objective: To determine survival rates of patients with lymphoma in South Australia.Design and setting: De-identified data from the SA Cancer Registry on all patients with lymphoma were analysed, as well as the subgroup treated at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH). For non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), we used the International Working Formulation (IWF) grading. SA and RAH data on survival rates were compared with those for the whole of Australia and the United States.Patients: All patients diagnosed with lymphoma and treated in SA in 1977–2007.Outcome measures: 5-year survival rates for patients with lymphoma, by type of lymphoma and age.Results: Of the total of 8651 patients with lymphoma, 939 were classified as having Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and 7712 as having NHL. Of those with NHL, 1805 had low-grade, 3576 intermediate-grade, and 510 high-grade NHL. In another 1821 patients, the data were insufficient to make an IWF grading. There was a substantial increase in 5-year survival rates for patients with lymphoma between 1977 and 2007 in SA. While the increase in 5-year survival rates for HL was 7.6 percentage points, survival rates peaked at 88%. For NHL, there was an 18.7 percentage points increase in 5-year survival rates. The first significant increase of 7 percentage points was associated with the introduction of bone marrow transplantation; this was maintained with the increase in 5-year survival rates reaching 14 percentage points by 1995–1999. Since 1999, there has been a further increase of 5 percentage points in 5-year survival rates with the introduction of rituximab.Conclusion: Outcomes in patients with NHL have improved significantly, most likely because of the use of bone marrow transplantation and rituximab. Hospital- and state-based cancer registry data reflect the reality of population outcomes and the impact of new technologies.

Brendon J Kearney FRACP, FRACMA, AM · Luen Bik To MB BS, MD, FRACP · Daniel J Kearney MB BS, FRCPA · David Roder MPH, DDSc · Colin G Luke MB BS, MPH, MD · Ian D Lewis PhD, FRACP · Pratyush Giri FRACP, FRCPA

Objective: To determine current and projected supply, demand and shortfall of medical oncologists (MOs) and the Australian chemotherapy utilisation rate.Design, setting and participants: A 2009 cross-sectional observational study of Australian adult medical oncology practice work patterns.Instrument: Electronic or paper self-administered questionnaire.Main outcome measures: The 2009 and projected (2014) supply, demand and shortfall of full-time equivalent (FTE) MOs, and the chemotherapy utilisation rate.Results: 476 medical oncology positions comprising 234 FTE MOs were identified. Of the 150 medical oncology practices, 117 (78%) were in metropolitan locations and 33 (22%) were in rural locations. The average number of new patients seen per FTE MO was 270 patients (ranging by state from 191 to 343). The demand for FTE MOs was estimated at 326 to 391 in 2009 and 361 to 432 in 2014. The shortfall of FTE MOs was estimated at 92 to 157 in 2009 and 84 to 156 in 2014. The chemotherapy utilisation rate was 19%.Conclusions: The current shortage of MOs is expected to persist in the future. National strategies are needed to increase the capacity of the medical oncology workforce and the chemotherapy utilisation rate.

Prunella L Blinman BMed, FRACP · Peter Grimison MPH, PhD, FRACP · Michael B Barton OAM, MD, FRANZCR · Sally Crossing AM, BEc · Euan T Walpole MB BS, FRACP · Nora Wong BCom/BSocSc · Kay Francis BA(Hons), MA(Hons), MBA · Bogda Koczwara MB BS, FRACP, MBioethics

Objective: To document the prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and its associated characteristics in a sample of urban Indigenous women.Design: A cross-sectional survey of Indigenous women, including biochemical and anthropometric assessments. PCOS was assessed using the National Institutes of Health 1990 criteria.Setting and participants: Indigenous women, aged 15–44 years, living in a defined area in and around Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, September 2003 – March 2005.Main outcome measures: Proportion of participants with PCOS overall and measures of obesity.Results: Among 248 women eligible for assessment, the proportion who had PCOS was 15.3% (95% CI, 10.8%–19.8%). The proportion with PCOS was similar across age groups, but was significantly higher (P = 0.001) in women with a body mass index (BMI) of ≥ 30.0 kg/m2 (30.5%) compared with women with a BMI of 25.0–29.9 kg/m2 (8.2%) or a BMI of < 25.0 kg/m2 (7.0%).Conclusions: A high proportion of these Indigenous women had PCOS. The significant relationship with obesity gives a strong rationale for screening for PCOS during routine care of Indigenous women who are obese and of reproductive age.

Jacqueline A Boyle FRANZCOG, MPH · Joan Cunningham ScD · Kerin O'Dea PhD · Terry Dunbar BBus, MProfEdTraining, PhD Candidate · Robert J Norman MD, FRANZCOG, FRCPA

Objective: To compare three cystic fibrosis (CF) newborn screening strategies used in Victoria since 1989.Design, setting and participants: Retrospective review of newborn screening and clinical records for people with CF born in Victoria between 1989 and 2008 to compare screening strategies: repeat immunoreactive trypsinogen (IRT) testing (IRT/IRT, 1989–1990), IRT and p.F508del mutation analysis (IRT/p.F508del, 1991–2006) and IRT with analysis of 12 CFTR mutations (IRT/12 mutations, 2007–2008).Main outcome measures: Total number of infants screened, people identified with CF (by screening or clinical diagnosis), number of CF-affected terminations of pregnancy, and number of carriers detected.Results: There were 420 people born with CF (live-birth prevalence, 1/3139; 95% CI, 1/2853–1/3462) and 78 CF-affected pregnancy terminations (overall prevalence, 1/2647; 95% CI, 1/2425–1/2896). Of the babies born with CF, 283 (67.4%) were detected by newborn screening alone, 61 (14.5%) had meconium ileus, 33 (7.9%) had a family history of CF, nine (2.1%) were diagnosed antenatally, and 34 (8.1%) were missed by screening (17 missed because IRT level was < 99th percentile, two with repeat IRT level not elevated, 14 without a screened CFTR mutation, and one with missing data). The sensitivities of the protocols were 86.6% for IRT/IRT, 89.9% for IRT/p.F508del, and 95.8% for IRT/12 mutations. Including 12 mutations in the analysis detected one patient who would otherwise have been missed and, had this protocol been implemented from 1989, it would have detected four others.Conclusion: Most babies with CF without meconium ileus, a family history or antenatal diagnosis are detected by newborn screening. Despite improved sensitivity with the 12-mutation analysis, most infants detected would have been diagnosed using the IRT/p.F508del protocol.

R John H Massie MB BS, PhD, FRACP · Lisette Curnow BSc · Judith Glazner RN · David S Armstrong MB ChB, FRACP, MD · Ivan Francis BSc, GradDipCompSc

Objectives: To identify patterns of khat use among Somali-Australians in Australia and to explore their views about the links between khat use and personal health.Design, setting and participants: Qualitative study using semistructured focus groups among adult members of Somali communities in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth who volunteered to attend focus groups in January and December 2010.Main outcome measures: Emergent themes related to Somali-Australians’ understanding of the links between khat use and personal health.Results: Nineteen focus groups included 114 participants. Khat use was reported to be common among the Somali community, and more common among men than women. Khat was usually chewed in prolonged sessions, producing mild psychostimulant effects such as increased energy, enhanced mood, reduced appetite and reduced sleep. Khat was widely perceived to be a food, not a drug, and as harmless, or even beneficial, to the user’s health. Many users reported discontinuation effects such as lethargy, sleep disturbances and mood problems after sessions of heavy khat use, and some reported self-medicating with alcohol to cope with such problems. Problems of addiction to khat were identified by some participants, but not all believed it is addictive. Many khat users reported visiting their health professionals for treatment of adverse effects and failing to disclose their khat use.Conclusions: Health professionals require greater awareness of khat use and related health problems. Health promotion activities targeting communities with high levels of khat use are required to increase understanding of the potential risks of regular khat use, to promote harm-reduction strategies, and to increase awareness of services available for those experiencing harm. Health professionals should consider targeted screening for khat use among individuals from Horn of Africa communities who present to health services.

Heather Douglas LLB, LLM, PhD · Merali Boyle LLB(Hons), BSc · Nicholas Lintzeris MB BS, PhD, FAChAM

Objective: To determine whether sleep duration of Australian adults has declined over recent years.Design: Analysis of nationally representative data from repeated cross-sectional time-use surveys conducted in 1992, 1997 and 2006.Setting: Private households in Australia.Participants: Respondents aged 15 years and over (N = 21 195) who completed time-use diaries over two consecutive days.Main outcome measure: Change in sleep duration by sociodemographic group.Results: Mean sleep duration was 8 h 20 min in 1992, 8 h 33 min in 1997, and 8 h 30 min in 2006 (SEM for all years, 1 min). After adjustment for sampling during weekends and different seasons, there was no significant change in sleep duration from 1992 to 2006 (adjusted difference, 2 min; 95% CI, − 2 to 5 min; P = 0.33). The only significant decreases in sleep duration were observed in people aged 65 years and over (adjusted difference, 12 min; 95% CI, 4–19 min; P < 0.001), people with no income (adjusted difference, 17 min; 95% CI, 7–27 min; P = 0.001) and male carers (adjusted difference, 31 min; 95% CI, 9–53 min; P = 0.002), although people in these groups reported over 8 h sleep on average.Conclusions: Most Australian adults were not sleeping less in 2006 than they did in 1992. Public health concerns over declining sleep duration do not appear to be warranted. Investigation of possible changes in quality of sleep is required.

Yu Sun Bin BSc(Hons) · Nathaniel S Marshall PhD · Nicholas S Glozier MB BS, MRCPsych, PhD

Objectives: To examine the circumstances of animal exposure in a case series of Australian travellers who required rabies postexposure prophylaxis, and to assess the appropriateness of current guidelines for rabies pre-exposure vaccination.Design, participants and setting: Prospective case series of 65 returned travellers who presented to four Australian travel medicine clinics between 1 April 2009 and 31 July 2010 for rabies post-exposure prophylaxis.Main outcome measures: Demographic characteristics associated with risk of injury; countries where injuries occurred; circumstances of the injuries; and travellers’ experiences of obtaining postexposure prophylaxis overseas.Results: Animal bites and scratches occurred most commonly among travellers aged 20–29 years. Most injuries occurred in Bali, Indonesia (30 [46%]) and Thailand (21 [32%]), and the most common animals responsible for the injuries to the 65 travellers were monkeys (29 travellers [45%]) and dogs (27 [42%]). Thirty-nine of the travellers (60%) initiated contact with the animal. Forty travellers (62%) were able to commence rabies vaccination overseas, but only nine (14%) were able to obtain rabies immunoglobulin overseas.Conclusions: Most travellers had difficulty obtaining rabies postexposure prophylaxis overseas, resulting in significant delays in appropriate treatment. We recommend that current National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines for at-risk persons be broadened, and that the risk of rabies and the option of pre-exposure vaccination be discussed with all travellers to rabies-endemic areas.

Deborah J Mills MB BS · Colleen L Lau MB BS, MPH · Philip Weinstein MAppEpi, PhD, FAFPHM

Objective: To explore Australian general practitioners’ and pharmacists’ preferences in relation to content, format and usability of drug interaction alerts in prescribing and dispensing software.Design, participants and setting: Surveys that sought opinions on drug interaction decision support were mailed to a random sample of GPs and community pharmacists (1000 of each) in June 2010.Main outcome measures: Usefulness of various components of drug interaction information; preferred format of drug interaction alerts; levels of agreement on the value of various usability features; aspects of drug interaction decision support users would most like to change.Results: Surveys were returned by 219 GPs and 170 pharmacists. Of the 191 GPs and 138 pharmacists included in the analysis, the vast majority considered severity, clinical effects and management advice to be mostly or sometimes useful in drug interaction alerts. The most popular drug interaction alert format — favoured by 131 GPs (69%) and 115 pharmacists (83%) — was one with headings and one or two succinct bullet points under each. The vast majority of respondents also wanted to be able to differentiate drug interaction alerts by severity, and a majority agreed that it should be made more difficult to override alerts for severe interactions and that it should be mandatory to provide a reason for doing so.Conclusions: GPs and pharmacists want drug interaction alert information to be relevant, useful, concise, and easy to read and comprehend. Software vendors and knowledge providers could improve drug interaction decision support by making changes to the content and format of drug interaction alerts according to our recommendations.

Kitty H Yu BPharm(Hons), PhD · Michelle Sweidan BPharm, MPH, MHealthSci (PublicHealthPractice) · Margaret Williamson BPharm, GradDipAppEpi, MPH · Amanda Fraser MB BS(Hons), FRACGP, MPH

Objectives: To examine the levels and growth rates of absolute funding to mental health research from 2001 to 2010, compared with other National Health Priority Areas (NHPAs), and the relative rate of mental health funding compared with other NHPAs, by taking disease burden into account. The quality of Australian research in mental health was also examined using objective indicators of research strength.Design and setting: Retrospective analysis of levels of funding overall and as a function of mental health domains using data from the National Health and Medical Research Council, with and without adjustment for burden of disease. A keyword analysis was used to assess the success rate of mental health project grant applications. Objective indicators of the quality of Australian mental health research were sought from citation indicators.Main outcome measures: Funding for mental health research relative to disease burden; funding according to disease category; project grant success rates.Results: Using actual and adjusted figures, mental health research received a lower proportion of health funding than other NHPAs, including cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Research projects into substance misuse and autism were proportionately better funded than those in anxiety, depression or schizophrenia. A significant proportion of mental health research funding was awarded to research into ageing. Citation data indicated that mental health research in Australia performed better than research in neuroscience, clinical medicine, microbiology, and pharmacology and toxicology, and at a comparable level to immunology research, despite poor levels of funding.Conclusions: Low levels of funding for mental health research appear to be largely attributable to low capacity. Mental health research in Australia is of high quality, and efforts are needed to build capacity.

Helen Christensen PhD, MPsychol(Hons) · Philip J Batterham MPH, PhD · Ian B Hickie MD · Patrick D McGorry PhD · Philip B Mitchell AM, MD, FRANZCP · Jayashri Kulkarni PhD

Objective: To examine the effects of paternal depression during children’s first year on their wellbeing at 4–5 years of age using a large, representative sample of Australian families.Design, setting and participants: Prospective study of Australian families from 2004 to 2008. Two-biological-parent families (n = 2620) from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children were included if depression measures were available for both parents in 2004, behavioural and developmental measures were available for children in 2008, and the families had not separated by 2008.Main outcome measure: Child scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and on a set of Derived Outcome Indices, measured when the child was 4–5 years old. Logistic regression modelling was used to investigate how early paternal depression in 2004 influenced child outcomes 4 years later.Results: Early paternal depression was a significant predictor of a range of poorer child outcomes (odds ratio [OR] for behavioural difficulties, 3.34 [95% CI, 3.06–3.65]; OR for a low development and wellbeing score, 2.70 [95% CI, 2.44–2.98]). These effects remained significant after controlling for both early maternal depression and later paternal depression (adjusted OR for behavioural difficulties, 1.93 [95% CI, 1.75–2.14]; OR for a low development and wellbeing score, 1.65 [95% CI, 1.48–1.85]).Conclusions: Depression in fathers during the first year of a child’s life can have a detrimental impact on their child’s behaviour, and social and emotional development at the point of school entry, in addition to and uniquely compared with depression in mothers. Early intervention to identify and address the mental health needs of fathers is required for the benefit of fathers, children and families.

Richard J Fletcher PhD · Emily Feeman PhD · Craig Garfield MD, MAPP · Graham Vimpani FRACP, FAFPHM, PhD

Objective: To measure alcohol-related harms to the health of young people presenting to emergency departments (EDs) of Gold Coast public hospitals before and after the increase in the federal government “alcopops” tax in 2008.Design, setting and participants: Interrupted time series analysis over 5 years (28 April 2005 to 27 April 2010) of 15–29-year-olds presenting to EDs with alcohol-related harms compared with presentations of selected control groups.Main outcome measures: Proportion of 15–29-year-olds presenting to EDs with alcohol-related harms compared with (i) 30–49-year-olds with alcohol-related harms, (ii)15–29-year-olds with asthma or appendicitis, and (iii) 15–29-year-olds with any non-alcohol and non-injury related ED presentation.Results: Over a third of 15–29-year-olds presented to ED with alcohol-related conditions, as opposed to around a quarter for all other age groups. There was no significant decrease in alcohol-related ED presentations of 15–29-year-olds compared with any of the control groups after the increase in the tax. We found similar results for males and females, narrow and broad definitions of alcohol-related harms, under-19s, and visitors to and residents of the Gold Coast.Conclusions: The increase in the tax on alcopops was not associated with any reduction in alcohol-related harms in this population in a unique tourist and holiday region. A more comprehensive approach to reducing alcohol harms in young people is needed.

Steve R Kisely MD, PhD, FAFPHM · Joanne Pais MSc · Angela White MCP, PhD, MAPS(Clin) · Jason Connor PhD, MAPS · Lake-Hui Quek PhD · Julia L Crilly BNurs, MN(Hons), PhD · David Lawrence PhD