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The announcement by AGL Energy Ltd. that it would close its aging Liddell coal-fired thermal power station outside of Muswellbrook in New South Wales, Australia, in 2022 and concentrate on energy generation from renewable sources produced the ideal opportunity to conduct a study of how accepting communities in the Upper Hunter Valley (UHV) were of the closure of the power station. A mixed-methods approach was conducted by means of focus group meetings and interviews using qualitative data, as well as surveys collecting qualitative and quantitative data. Analysis of the qualitative and quantitative data showed that the communities were divided regarding issues about personal and family health. Of the respondents, 71% clearly agreed that the transition away from coal would have a significant impact on the economic and social life of UHV communities. Although there was a suggestion of an authority being established to guide the transition, a renewable energy hub would seem to be an important development opportunity. Before initiating changes that could lead to a transition, the author believes that the "underlying culture of ignorance" should be extinguished. The lack of understanding about toxic chemicals and health, as well as the lack of knowledge about renewable energy, needs to be addressed through investment in community health education, renewable energy education, and educational support to provide new renewable training opportunities for power workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community nurses have often been 'touted' as potential major contributors to health promotion. Critical literature, however, often states that this has not been the case. Furthermore, most studies examining nurses' role and function have occurred mainly in hospital settings. This is a sequential mixed-methods study of two groups of community nurses from a Sydney urban area (n = 100) and from rural and remote areas (n = 49) within New South Wales, Australia. A piloted questionnaire survey was developed based on the five action areas of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. Following this, 10 qualitative interviews were conducted for both groups, plus a focus group to support or refute survey results. Findings showed that rural and remote nurses had more positive attitudes towards health promotion and its clinical implementation. Survey and interview data confirmed that urban community nurses had a narrower focus on caring for individuals rather than groups, agreeing that time constraints impacted on their limited health promotion role. There was agreement about lack of resources (material and people) to update health promotion knowledge and skills. Rural and remote nurses were more likely to have limited educational opportunities. All nurses undertook more development of personal skills (DPS, health education) than any other action area. The findings highlight the need for more education and resources for community nurses to assist their understanding of health promotion concepts. It is hoped that community nurse leaders will collectively become more effective health promoters and contribute to healthy reform in primary health care sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers were involved in an evaluative approach to examine the health promotion activities of paediatric nurses from a paediatric tertiary hospital centre (N = 83) and five paediatric non-tertiary hospital centres (N = 48) from Sydney, Australia. The aims of this study were to understand the nature of heath promotion in paediatric nursing practice by examining nurses' attitudes, investigating paediatric nurses' involvement in the five action area of the Ottawa Charter, and identifying barriers to the implementation of health promotion in practice. The researchers developed a health promotion survey based around the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (World Health Organisation, 1986a), and a literature review of nurses' involvement in health promotion. Results showed that tertiary paediatric nurses undertook more varied health promotion activities such as creating supportive environments (CSE), reorienting health services (RHS) and building healthy public policy (BHPP) than did non-tertiary paediatric nurses who were involved in only one action area of the Charter, that of developing personal skills (DPS). This research revealed that within paediatric nursing practice the action areas of the Ottawa Charter of BHPP and CSE were important; and that there is support for the advocacy role of paediatric nurses. There is also evidence that paediatric nurses may have health promotion knowledge deficits associated with the Ottawa Charter, and that the environment of multidisciplinary allied health professionals in a tertiary paediatric centre may positively influence senior paediatric nurses and their capacity to be involved in varied health promotion activities associated with the Ottawa Charter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]