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Biomedical subjects

C W Binns

Publications and source records attributed to C W Binns.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Iron status and non-specific symptoms of female students.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between iron status and non-specific symptoms among female students. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: Data were collected from 255 female students, aged 15 to 30 years, attending Curtin University of Technology, Perth or secondary schools in the Perth metropolitan area. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Frequency of non-specific symptoms, psychological distress based on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and iron status measured by standard hematological and biochemical tests including serum transferrin receptor. RESULTS: Anemic subjects (hemoglobin < 12.0 g/dL) scored significantly higher on the GHQ than non-anemic subjects (p < 0.05). Using univariate analysis, iron deficiency (serum ferritin < or = 12 micrograms/L) was not associated with non-specific symptoms or psychological distress. Among iron-deficient subjects, those using the oral contraceptive pill reported significantly more symptoms (depression, irritability, difficulty concentrating) than non-users. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence of an association between iron status and non-specific symptoms was weak with the exception of iron-deficient women using the oral contraceptive pill. Further studies are warranted to determine the role of the oral contraceptive pill in the etiology of depression and other symptoms among iron deficient women.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Availability of antibiotics as over-the-counter drugs in pharmacies: a threat to public health in Vietnam.

A survey on the use of antibiotics purchased through retail pharmacies was conducted in the Badinh district of Hanoi, Vietnam. The survey found that purchasers visit a pharmacy when they or those who felt they needed antibiotics had minor symptoms such as cough (34.1%), sore throat (32.5%), stomach upsets (10.0%) and diarrhoea (8.8%). The most often purchased antibiotics were ampicillin (31.1%), amoxyllin (16.7%), cotrimoxazol (11.6%), tetracycline (5.2%) and cephalexin (4.8%). The median of the purchased quantity was 10 tablets, the mean 11.34 tablets (95%CI 9.65-12.97). About 30% of the purchasers intended to take antibiotics for three days or less. The mean cost of a antibiotic purchase was US$1.27 (95%CI 1.06-1.39). The main reason for not taking a full course of antibiotics was not economic constraint, but the purchasers' poor knowledge about antibiotics. Logistic regression analysis indicates that age of purchasers, length of symptoms and kinds of treatment used before visiting a pharmacy could be used as predictive variables for the decision to buy antibiotics in preference to alternative drugs. Antibiotics are used when illness lasts longer than one week and antibiotics have not yet been taken. Antibiotics are also purchased by young rather than old people. The study documents the need for better health education about the rational use of antibiotics in the general public.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

The influence of reported paternal attitudes on the decision to breast-feed.

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors that influence a woman's decision to breast-feed. METHODOLOGY: Five hundred and fifty-six women were recruited from the maternity wards of two Perth hospitals. Data were collected from a self-administered questionnaire completed by participants prior to discharge. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors influencing the initiation of breast-feeding. RESULTS: At discharge from hospital 83.8% of women were breast-feeding, including 6% who were giving complementary formula feeds. After controlling for potentially confounding demographic and biomedical factors, the father's reported preference for breast-feeding was found to be the most important factor influencing a woman's decision to breast-feed (OR 10.18). CONCLUSION: Fathers participate in and influence the choice of infant feeding method and should be included in breast-feeding discussions.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Breast-feeding in Perth: recent trends.

Analysis of breast-feeding data from the 1989-90 National Health Survey suggests that since peaking in the mid-1980s, breast-feeding initiation and duration rates have declined in Australia. Data from a recent prospective study of infant feeding practices among 556 women indicates that in Perth, at least, breast-feeding rates have remained relatively stable for the past nine years.

Breast Feeding↗
PubMed1993

Adolescent cigarette consumption: the influence of attitudes and peer drug use.

Predictors of tobacco consumption were investigated with path analytic techniques using household survey data from 1,093 teenagers aged 13-17. When current smokers are compared to past or never smokers, pro-tobacco attitudes are always the most important predictor variable followed by friends' use of marijuana and own use of marijuana, suggesting that pro-tobacco attitudes are responsible for maintaining tobacco consumption. We infer that peer illicit drug use has the greatest effect in taking up smoking because it is the most important predictor of past smoker status compared to never smoking and it does not appear as such an important predictor of current use compared to never smoker status. Pro-tobacco attitudes are a consequence of smoking rather than an influence upon taking up smoking.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

The standard drink and alcohol consumption.

The term 'standard drink' is commonly used when researchers collect alcohol consumption data and when educators create campaigns to encourage people to drink responsibly. However, little is known about community knowledge of the term 'standard drink' or what it represents in terms of what people are drinking in their own homes or on unlicensed premises. This study measured the amounts of a variety of alcoholic beverages that a sample of Perth metropolitan people use when drinking on unlicensed premises. The level of knowledge of the alcohol content of a variety of beverages and the knowledge of the term standard drink and what it represents in terms of commonly consumed beverages was also measured. The results showed that knowledge of the alcohol content of beverages was very poor. Knowledge of the term standard drink and what it represents in terms of absolute alcohol was also poor. Regarding the amounts of beverages poured, red and white wine, champagne and spirits are likely to be poured in amounts well in excess of a standard drink when people are drinking in their own homes. The results of this study have implications for the efficacy of educational campaigns designed to encourage safe and responsible drinking practices through the monitoring of personal intake. Before these can be effective, the terminology used must be familiar and well understood by the community towards which they are aimed. The results also discussed with respect to the design and administration of alcohol consumption questionnaires.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1992

Arthritis outpatients: disability, pain and alcohol use.

There is a small body of literature describing investigations into the relationships between pain and disabling conditions and alcohol consumption. Of these few studies, most have concluded that pain and disability are positively associated with alcohol consumption, though these particular studies have not been methodologically rigorous. Arthritis is the most prevalent of the disabling conditions, and one of the major symptoms of arthritis is pain. Several factors associated with the disease are thought to make arthritis sufferers particularly vulnerable to the use of alcohol for its mind-altering and analgesic properties. In the present study, conducted in 1987, a sample of 154 Perth arthritic outpatients were interviewed to investigate the relationship between pain, disability and alcohol consumption. Results showed that pain and disability scores were very weak predictors of volume of weekly alcohol consumption for males, but the relationship was in a negative direction. Results from a previous study were confirmed in the finding that being an ex-drinker was a predictor of a higher disability score for females. Fewer patients were drinkers than in the population at large and fewer drank at the level of the highest consumption category. However, the proportions of male and female patients drinking above NHMRC low risk levels were the same as the general population (age-standardised comparison). Most who considered themselves current drinkers said that alcohol did not help their pain, stiffness or weakness. Various possible explanations are offered for these results and recommendations for future research are presented.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Nutrition education in supermarkets: the Lifestyle 2000 experience.

A 15-week supermarket-based nutrition education program was conducted as part of a larger multiple-strategy community-wide health promotion project. The program consisted of point-of-purchase materials displayed in the supermarkets and was supported by a mass media campaign and promotional activities such as competitions, taste testing and cooking demonstrations. The objective of the program was to promote the selection and purchase of low-fat foods, specifically low-fat dairy products, fresh fruit and vegetables, bread and cereal products. Awareness of the promotion was high, with some self-reported behaviour change. Supermarkets are potential sites for public health nutrition education and recommendations are made for improving the effectiveness of point-of-purchase promotions.

Australia↗
PubMed1990

Comparison of 7-day retrospective and prospective alcohol consumption diaries in a female population in Perth, Western Australia--methodological issues.

The summer alcohol consumption of women living in metropolitan Perth was measured using both a retrospective and prospective diary. Overall, 1356 women fully completed both the retrospective and prospective alcohol consumption diaries. The prospective diary yielded a significantly higher level (9%) of consumption (p less than 0.00001) compared with the retrospective diary. Although there was no significant difference in the percentage of women drinking at harmful levels (greater than 280 g absolute alcohol per week) between the two diary methods, there did appear to be an important percentage difference (1.9% versus 2.8%) suggesting that the prospective diary did detect a larger percentage of women at risk. This would be both practically and statistically significant in large populations. The heavier the drinker the greater the variability in reported consumption between the two diary weeks. However, it is interesting to note that the direction of the variation depended on which diary was used as the base for classifying women as different types of drinkers. Women who drank at hazardous (140-280 g per week) or harmful (greater than 280 g) levels during the retrospective diary week reported a lower level of consumption during the prospective diary week. Conversely women who drank at hazardous or harmful levels during the prospective diary week reported a lower level of consumption during the retrospective diary week. Possible explanations for these findings are explored and methodological considerations for future studies are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Can dietitians be of value to GPs?

A dietitian is a highly trained health care professional, competent to practise in both clinical and community health settings. This article details the training of the dietitian, the types of dietitians available, the services they offer and the range of conditions in which their input is valuable.

Australia↗
PubMed1989

Thiamin in beer: a health promotion perspective.

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is a serious disease resulting from excessive alcohol intake. As well as the disastrous consequences for the individual, patients with WE place a heavy burden for continuing care on the community. Australia appears to have a higher rate of WE than other western countries, probably due to differences in the consumption patterns of alcoholic beverages. Unlike most other western countries, Australia does not fortify flour with thiamin. On the other hand the USA does fortify flour and has higher thiamin intakes and lower rates of WE. In Australia it has been proposed that thiamin be added to alcoholic beverages. Given that technical problems related to stability, taste and absorption can be solved, the fortification of a substance which is potentially harmful, raises serious problems for health educators. The labeling of alcoholic beverages as 'vitamin enriched' could result in changes in the community's beliefs about alcohol and in increased alcohol consumption. The nutrition and education implications of this proposal are discussed. The conclusion is drawn that Australia should follow the example of other western countries and fortify flour with thiamin.

Australia↗
PubMed1985

Palm oil and pyrantel as child nutrition mass interventions in Papua New Guinea.

Two mass interventions in the local low energy-density diet were evaluated for safety, acceptability and nutritional efficacy in a four-group matched study of 896 Papua New Guinea children aged 12-54 months. A single dose of 125 mg of pyrantel pamoate and an 800 mg supply of red palm oil were given monthly at the regular child health clinics. Both were safe and highly accepted. Children given palm oil gained more weight than controls (P less than .05) in the first three study months, confirming a pilot study. However, weight gain after one year was 94% of standard, with no differences in anthropometry, morbidity or mortality between groups. The lack of demonstrable differences at one year is attributed to secular improvement in control group nutrition and to diffusion of palm oil supplies within the family. While pyrantel was an effective antihelminthic, further study is needed to define the nutritional role of mass worm treatment. Palm oil was economical and culturally popular; thus it should be an ideal import substitution. It is clinically useful where diets are of low energy-density. However, any simultaneous demonstration of its nutritional safety, acceptability as a sustained mass intervention must be carried out in an area where major child growth deficits remain and expropriation of the oil by other household members can be controlled.

Anthropometry↗