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Biomedical subjects

G R Hardes

Publications and source records attributed to G R Hardes.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1985

Coronary heart disease mortality trends and related factors in Australia.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) has been the greatest single cause of mortality in Australia over the past 30 years. For most age and sex groups CHD mortality rates peaked in 1965-67. Since that time, rates have decreased by nearly 40% and are currently the lowest for 30 years. CHD mortality rates are highest in the eastern areas of Australia, among those who were born in Australia, and among lower socio-economic groups. Changes in CHD mortality have been accompanied by changes in life-style (particularly recent decreases in the prevalence of cigarette smoking, large reductions in tar content of cigarettes and a large change in preference for margarine over butter) and changes in treatment (especially in the control of hypertension and surgical interventions). Concurrent studies of the incidence and case fatality rates in two population centres (Perth and Newcastle) coupled with periodic surveys of changes in treatment and population risk factor levels are being undertaken over a 10-year period to try to understand the current and future trends in CHD mortality.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Cigarette smoking and drug use in schoolchildren: III--evaluation of a smoking prevention education programme.

A one year randomized controlled trial was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a smoking prevention programme designed by health educationalists for 10-12 year old primary schoolchildren. The study was carried out in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, using a sample of over 6000 children which would be large enough to detect, with high probability, differences of about 5% in smoking prevalence between the treatment and control groups. We report the results from the children surveyed in 1979 and 1980, before and after the programme was implemented. It was found that there were no significant differences in smoking behaviour between treatment and control groups. The changes that the programme did bring about were very small compared with the overall increases in smoking prevalence which occurred during the study period. The programme's effectiveness varied with both the age and sex of the children. It was most successful among older girls, aged 11-12 years, for whom smoking prevalence rates increased from 10.7% in 1979 to 22.6% in 1980 in the treatment group compared with 6.2% to 26.8% in the control group. It was least successful for younger boys, aged 10-11 years, for whom smoking increased from 9.4% to 14.5% in the treatment group compared with 10.3% to 11.8% in the control group. Attitudes changed in parallel with changes in smoking behaviour. Changes in knowledge differed only slightly between treatment and control groups. Inadequate implementation of the programme by some teachers may have been associated with adverse effects on the children's behaviour, attitudes and knowledge.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1983

Cigarette smoking and drug use in schoolchildren: IV--factors associated with changes in smoking behaviour.

Factors associated with changes in the smoking behaviour of approximately 6000 schoolchildren (two cohorts aged between 10 and 12 years in 1979) over 12 months are described. They were measured twice as part of a randomized controlled trial of a smoking prevention programme. Four groups were defined: (a) those who became smokers (adopters); (b) those who remained non-smokers; (c) those who became non-smokers (quitters), and, (d) those who remained smokers. Personal and social variables were ordered using a logistic regression model according to the strength of their association with adopting and quitting smoking. Factors distinguishing adopters from children who remained nonsmokers were, being a member of the older cohort, having friends who smoke, having siblings who smoke, approving of cigarette advertising and having a relatively large amount of money to spend each week. Factors distinguishing quitters from children who continued to smoke were, having siblings who do not smoke, being a member of the younger cohort, disapproving of cigarette advertising and having a relatively small amount of money to spend each week. Initial attitude scores were indicative of future smoking behaviour and where smoking behaviour changed, attitudes also changed so that the two remained congruent. The younger cohort improved their knowledge of smoking hazards over the year irrespective of their smoking behaviour. The older cohort showed significant differences in knowledge which were dependent upon smoking category, with 1980 smokers having lower knowledge scores than non-smokers and showing an apparent decrement in their previous knowledge.

Attitude↗
PubMed1981

Cigarette-smoking and drug use in schoolchildren in the Hunter Region, New South Wales. 1. Tobacco, alcohol and analgesic use in 10 to 12 year old primary schoolchildren (1979).

In 1979, as the first stage in the evaluation of an educational strategy designed to discourage children from smoking, we surveyed primary school children aged from 10 to 12 years in the Hunter Health Region (New South Wales) determine smoking prevalence rates. The self-report questionnaires also included questions on use of alcohol and analgesics. Our results suggest a possible decline in smoking prevalence from levels observed in earlier Australian studies. Among the smokers, over half the children claimed to smoke one brand (Winfield). Children who admitted to being regular cigarette smokers were more likely to be the children who made regular use of alcohol and analgesics.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1979

Hospital discharge rates and deaths from asthma in the Hunter Health Region (NSW) 1971--72 to 1975-76.

During the five years 1971--72 to 1975--76 annual total discharges of patients with a primary diagnosis of asthma from public hospitals in the Hunter Health Region (NSW) fluctuated only slightly. The number of discharges did not reflect consistently the underlying population distribution. Significantly more discharges than expected occurred among people living in the drier inland areas of the Region. Over the same period 65 residents of the Hunter Health Region were certified dead with asthma as the primary cause. In 29, death occurred at one of the Region's public hospitals but only eight were admitted as hospital inpatients primarily with asthma. Of the 65 asthma deaths, 36 (55.4%) occurred outside the Region's public hospitals.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Screening for hypertension: a survey in the Hunter health region 1976-77.

15,746 people had their blood pressure measured in a hypertensive screening programme conducted in the Hunter Region of New South Wales. High blood pressure readings were found in 10.4 per cent (1,634) of the screened population. Followup information received from local general practitioners indicated that, of screened subjects attending the general practitioner following a higher screening reading, only 55.3 per cent were diagnosed as hypertensive, of whom 62 per cent had been diagnosed previously by their general practitioner. No diagnosis could be made in 20.5 per cent of the cases. A diagnosis of 'normotensive' was made for the remaining 24.2 per cent of screened subjects attending the general practitioner following a high screening reading. The value of screening programmes for hypertension is debated in view of the small number of newly detected hypertensives, the even smaller number of newly detected and successfully treated hypertensives and the morbidity associated with detection and labelling of hypertensive patients.

Adolescent↗