Biomedical subjects

M Coory

Publications and source records attributed to M Coory.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1996

Does gestational age misclassification explain the difference in birthweights for Australian aborigines and whites?

BACKGROUND: After 34 weeks gestation, summary measures of location for birthweight (e.g means and centiles) increase more slowly for Australian Aborigines than for whites. A similar pattern has been observed for blacks in the US. This study tests whether the reported pattern is due to differential misclassification of gestational age. METHODS: Simulation was used to measure the potential effect of differential misclassification of gestational age. Reported gestational age data were obtained from Queensland Perinatal Data Collection (QPDC). Estimates of the true distributions of gestational age were obtained by assuming various (plausible) types of misclassification and applying these to the reported distributions. Previous studies and data from the QPDC were used to help specify the birthweight distributions used in the simulations. RESULTS: At full term, the parameters of the birthweight distributions were robust to gestational age misclassification. At preterm, the 10th centiles were robust to misclassification. In contrast, the 90th centiles were sensitive to even minor misclassification. Extreme types of misclassification were required to remove the divergence in median birthweights for Aborigines and whites. CONCLUSIONS: Gestational age misclassification is an unlikely explanation for the reported divergence in average birth-weights for Aborigines and whites. The results might help with the interpretation of other between-population comparisons.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

An investigation into the disparity between Australian aboriginal and Caucasian perinatal mortality rates.

The babies of Australian Aboriginal mothers have higher overall perinatal mortality rates than the babies of Caucasian mothers. They are also more likely to be preterm and of low birth weight. This study used Poisson regression models to adjust the perinatal mortality rates for differences in the gestational age and birth weight distributions of Aborigines and Caucasians. The intriguing finding was that full-term Aboriginal neonates (the group at lowest absolute risk) fare particularly poorly in comparison with Caucasian (adjusted relative risk: 2.9; 95% confidence interval; 1.5 to 5.5). Possible explanations for this phenomenon are explored.

Birth Weight↗

PubMed1993

Information-seeking behaviour and sources of health information: associations with risk factor status in an analysis of three Queensland electorates.

Making a special effort to gain health information has been associated with healthy behaviour. This paper identifies the information-seeking dimension and the sources of information people use and examines whether there is an association between these and individual health status. In November 1989 a randomly selected sample of 2134 adults in the electorates of Maryborough, Toowoomba and Port Curtis (Gladstone) completed a self-administered questionnaire which aimed to measure health-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviour. Factor analysis identified clusters of items representing different dimensions of risky health behaviour as well as different perceived barriers to seeking preventive health care. Multiple regression analysis was then used to determine sociodemographic, attitudinal and behavioural variables related to a tendency not to seek health information and to be at risk for preventable diseases. The findings have implications for the development of future health promotion programs in provincial Australian cities. Both age and sex were significant in predicting where people obtain information on health. Women were more likely than men to seek health information and their sources of information reflected this proactive attitude to health. While there was no significant difference between the perceived health status of males and females, reported behavioural risk factors were much more prevalent in males. Most respondents had consulted a general practitioner in the previous twelve months and stated that they would change their behaviour on the advice of a medical practitioner. However, few nominated medical practitioners as their main source of health information.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Is there a rural suicide problem?

Suggestions that youth suicide rates are disproportionately higher in rural areas were explored using Queensland cause-of-death data supplied by Queensland Health for the years 1986 to 1990. Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) were compared across three zones: urban, provincial and rural, for three age bands: all ages, 15 to 19 years and 20 to 29 years, for each sex. This Queensland study did not find a statistically significant excess of rural youth suicides. Further study of this phenomenon involving other states is called for.

Adolescent↗