Search

Despite high overweight/obesity rates in children of Australian immigrants, the risk factors are unknown. We investigated behavioural risk factors and their association with overweight/obesity in 4–11 year-old children by immigrant status. We conducted cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of 8 years data from the longitudinal study of Australian children. Immigrant children from low-and-middle-income-countries had higher overweight/obesity rates across all ages. These children had higher vegetables and sugar-sweetened-beverages intake, higher sedentary activities and lower organized-sports participation than immigrant children from high-income-countries or Australian-children. Organized-sports participation and screen-time converged to the Australian norms in 10–11 year-old boys, but not in girls. Preference for sedentary activities and screen-time explained the differences in overweight/obesity by maternal immigrant status in boys but not in girls. The difference in drivers of overweight/obesity amongst immigrant children from low-and-middle-income-countries suggest more nuanced age, sex and culturally sensitive preventive health messages for immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refugee women-at-risk represent a distinct and vulnerable refugee population. We investigated the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Loss Scale (MLS) with 104 women-at-risk, recently-arrived in Australia. Cross-sectional survey included: the MLS (indexing loss events and loss distress); Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (Indexing Trauma Events and Trauma Symptoms), and; Hopkins Symptom Checklist-37 (indexing anxiety, depression, and somatization symptoms). Exploratory factor analyses of MLS loss distress revealed a six-factor model (loss of symbolic self; loss of home; loss of interdependence; loss of past aspirations; interpersonal loss, and; loss of intrapersonal integrity). Cronbach alphas indicated satisfactory internal consistency for loss events (0.83) and distress (0.88). Correlations supported convergent validity of loss distress with trauma symptoms (r = 0.41) and divergent validity with anxiety (r = 0.09), Depression (r = 0.29), and somatic (r = 0.24) symptoms. Findings support MLS use in assessment of loss and associated distress with refugee women-at-risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated psychological distress in Iranian international students at UNSW Australia, and explored the psychosocial factors associated with high levels of distress. A total of 180 Iranian international students pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate degrees during 2012/2013 completed an email questionnaire containing socio-demographic items and five standardized and validated scales. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyse the predictors of psychological distress. Compared to domestic and international students at two other Australian universities, a significantly smaller proportion of Iranian international students scored as distressed on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Greater levels of psychological distress were associated with being female, poorer physical health, less social support, less religious involvement and spirituality, and negative attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help. Findings from this growing group of international students can help inform culturally competent mental health promotion and service provision in their host countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dyslipidaemia is a known risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease. The impact of ethnicity on variations in lipid patterns has been studied in certain racial and ethnic groups with limited data on other ethnicities, particularly Asian subgroups. This cross-sectional study evaluated the ethnic variation in lipid profile and its association with body composition and diet in ninety-one overweight and obese Australians of European (n = 32), Indian (n = 28) and Iranian (n = 31) ancestries. Different measures of total and truncal adiposity were assessed using the method of whole body dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. The results showed that serum total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-chol) levels in Iranians were significantly lower than in Europeans and Indians. Both Iranian and Indian groups exhibited lower mean high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-chol) relative to Europeans. Triglycerides (TG) and HDL-chol, but not TC and LDL-chol, were significantly associated with different truncal adiposity measurements; however the degree of associations varied in ethnic groups. Regression analysis showed ethnicity as a significant predictor of TC ( p = 0.01), TG ( p = 0.03) and HDL-chol ( p = 0.04), after controlling for potential confounders. However, LDL-chol was significantly associated with the intake of total ( p = 0.005), and saturated fats ( p = 0.004), which were also other significant determinants of serum TC ( p = 0.04 and p = 0.02, respectively). In conclusion, ethnicity was a strong predictor of serum lipids, except LDL-chol which was significantly determined by dietary fat intake. Prevention and management of obesity, particularly abdominal adiposity may effectively reduce the risk of low HDL-chol reported in Iranians and Indians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]