Search

COVID-19 is the most recent respiratory pandemic to necessitate better knowledge about city planning and design. The complex connections between cities and pandemics, however challenge traditional approaches to reviewing literature. In this article we adopted a rapid review methodology. We review the historical literature on respiratory pandemics and their documented connections to urban planning and design (both broadly defined as being concerned with cities as complex systems). Our systematic search across multidisciplinary databases returned a total of 1323 sources, with 92 articles included in the final review. Findings showed that the literature represents the multi-scalar nature of cities and pandemics - pandemics are global phenomena spread through an interconnected world, but require regional, city, local and individual responses. We characterise the literature under ten themes: scale (global to local); built environment; governance; modelling; non-pharmaceutical interventions; socioeconomic factors; system preparedness; system responses; underserved and vulnerable populations; and future-proofing urban planning and design. We conclude that the historical literature captures how city planning and design intersects with a public health response to respiratory pandemics. Our thematic framework provides parameters for future research and policy responses to the varied connections between cities and respiratory pandemics.

Background: Having a COVID-19 vaccination, getting tested and self-isolating if symptomatic are some of the most important mitigation strategies for preventing the spread of COVID-19. This study aimed to investigate whether demographic factors are associated with mothers' willingness to vaccinate their 4-year-old children against COVID-19 if a suitable vaccine becomes available or to get tested and self-isolate if they themselves have COVID-19 symptoms and whether the willingness could be influenced by the Greater Sydney lockdown 2021. Methods: A cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted between 24 th February and 26 th October 2021. The survey involved 604 mothers of children aged 4 years who participated in an existing trial in Sydney, Australia.Findings: Mothers were more willing to vaccinate their child when the child's father had a tertiary education or higher, with adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.60 (95% CI 1.67 to 4.04). Mothers who were older than 30 years or who completed the survey during the lockdown were more willing to get tested if symptomatic, with AOR 2.50 (95% CI 1.17 to 5.36) and AOR 3.36 (95% CI 1.41 to 8.02), respectively. Mothers who were married or had de-facto partners were more willing to self-isolate if symptomatic (AOR 17.15 [95% CI 3.56 to 82.65]).Interpretation: Fathers' educational level, mothers' age and marital status were associated with mothers' willingness to vaccinate their young children if a suitable vaccine were available, to get tested and self-isolate if symptomatic respectively. The promotion of mitigation strategies for tackling COVID-19 pandemic needs to take into account specific family demographics.Funding Information: This study was part of an intervention trial funded by the NSW Health Translational Research Grant Scheme 2016 (ID number: TRGS 200) and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Partnership Project APP1169823.Declaration of Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests in this study.Ethics Approval Statement: This study was part of the trial granted ethics approval by the Ethics Review Committee of Sydney Local Health District (Protocol No. X16-0360 & LNR/16/RPAH/495 and Protocol No X18-0387 & HREC/18/RPAH/545). Written informed consent was obtained from all study participants.

Background Waterpipe smoking is a traditional method of tobacco smoking that is being increasingly practiced worldwide. However, the research evidence describing the practice and prevalence of waterpipe smoking in Australia is limited. Arabic-speaking communities residing in an area of metropolitan Sydney identified increasing rates of waterpipe smoking as a community health concern during a tobacco intervention project. A qualitative research project was conducted to explore community perceptions about waterpipe smoking and the health promotion interventions that would be acceptable to Arabic speaking communities. Methods Participants from Arabic-speaking community groups and networks were recruited by trained bilingual community research assistants (BCRAs). Ten focus groups were conducted, eight by the BCRAs and two by the research team, and included a total of 88 participants. Notes were taken during the focus groups by the BCRAs and provided to the research team. The data was coded and managed using NVivo 11, and examined for themes and subthemes. Results Eleven themes were identified from the data relating to the perceptions of waterpipe smoking (practices, cultural identity, acceptability, social connectedness, knowledge and perceptions of harm, trend and fashion, availability and access) and possible health promotion interventions (health information and social marketing, health education, policy and legislation, intervention target groups and messages). Waterpipe smoking was reported to be widely practiced and was related to a number of factors including feelings of cultural identity and belonging. The study highlighted the misconceptions of harm that exist in communities about the health effects of waterpipe smoking, as well as the significant role of the family in passing on the practice of waterpipe smoking. These factors should be considered in the development of health promotion interventions. Conclusions Our findings suggest that until waterpipe smoking is perceived as a problem, community readiness for accepting health promotion interventions will be limited. Interventions should focus on debunking the myths that contribute toward a reduced perception of harm. A culturally sensitive approach, that considers the cultural connection to waterpipe smoking, should be taken toward the development and implementation of interventions. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-018-6270-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Description of this study against qualitative review guidelines â RATS. This table provides a description of the study against guidelines for the review of qualitative research. These guidelines include the relevance of the study question, appropriateness of the qualitative method, transparency of procedures and the soundness of interpretive approach. (PDF 233 kb)

Table S1. Characteristics of focus group participants. This table provides more detailed information about the characteristics of the focus groups included in the study. The focus group characteristics include the number of participants, participant gender, age groups represented, language(s) spoken by the participants and participant country of birth. (PDF 94 kb)

The free, telephone-based Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service (GHS) has made sustained improvements in healthy behaviours and weight change in the Australian population, but there is poor uptake of the GHS by culturally and linguistically diverse communities. This formative research study explored the Australian-Chinese community’s awareness, perceptions and experiences of the GHS and their knowledge and cultural beliefs about healthy lifestyles. Conducted in Sydney, Australia, the research included 16 Chinese community-stakeholder interviews, a cross-sectional survey of 253 Chinese community members; and a review of Chinese participant GHS data. The study revealed poor uptake (

Issue addressed Increasing the proportion of older adults meeting current recommendations for physical activity is important. This study aimed to determine the acceptability of outdoor gym use among older adults by assessing their outdoor gym use, intention to use, motivators, frequency and preference for use, and barriers and enablers to use. Methods Interviews were conducted with 438 consenting English speaking park users ≥ 50 years after installation and promotion of an outdoor gym. Results Forty-two percent of older adults interviewed had used the outdoor gym. Outdoor gym users had a significantly higher proportion of local residents (χ2 = 10.43; P

Physical activity promotes health and well being across the life course and is pertinent to Australia's ageing population. However, more than half of Australian adults are insufficiently active for good health, and this proportion increases with age.

SUMMARY Tobacco control is a health promotion priority, but there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of campaigns targeting culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) populations. Being the largest population of non-Englishspeaking smokers residing in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, Arabic-speakers are a priority population for tobacco control. We report findings from baseline and post-intervention cross-sectional telephone surveys evaluating a comprehensive social marketing campaign (SMC) specifically targeting Arabic-speakers residing in south west Sydney, NSW. The project was associated with a decline in self-reported smoking prevalence from 26% at baseline to 20.7% at post (p , 0.05) and an increase in self-reported smoke-free households from 67.1% at baseline to 74.9% at post (p , 0.05). This paper contributes evidence that comprehensive SMCs targeting CALD populations can reduce smoking prevalence and influence smoking norms in CALD populations.

This study assessed the impact of an outdoor gym installation on park users' physical activity levels and examined the characteristics of outdoor gym users. A before-after time series design was employed, consisting of nine data collection periods: three each at baseline, post outdoor gym installation, and at 12-month follow-up. Repeated observational surveys and park intercept interviews were conducted. There was a small but significant increase in senior park users engaging in moderate to vigorous physical activity at follow-up (1.6 to 5.1%; p

Issues addressed: Nicotine replacement therapies are effective, but are mostly under-utilised and often not used for an appropriate duration. The paper reports on a pilot project that used subsidies for NRT as a means to engage community pharmacists to deliver tobacco cessation to the Arabic-speaking community. Method: Arabic-speaking community pharmacists were recruited through direct mail-outs and trained in tobacco cessation brief intervention. Fifteen selected pharmacies recruited Arabic smokers through their pharmacies. Pharmacy follow up was conducted three months after the program was implemented. Results: A total of 65 participants attended the seminar. A total of 31 pharmacy customers received at least one packet of subsidised NRT patches. Twenty (64.5%) clients received both the first and second subsidised pack. Fifteen clients continued to use patches after the third packet, however only three clients continued the patches to the eighth pack. Conclusion: The pilot was successful in improving recruitment of pharmacies into training for smoking cessation counselling as well as engaging community pharmacists to deliver tobacco cessation intervention with small incentive. (author abstract)

Issues addressed: To implement and evaluate an intervention designed to increase knowledge of the harms of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) upon young children and support the implementation of harm reduction strategies among parents/carers of young children to reduce the children's exposure to ETS in a local government area of inner Sydney. Method: An intervention was developed (based on themes derived from focus groups and the literature) and implemented over four months from February to May 1999. Pre, post and six month follow up intercept surveys were conducted with parents of children younger than seven years in the intervention area and a comparison area. Results: There were significant increases in prompted and unprompted recall of the intervention message in the intervention area, with prompted recall being sustained at six month follow up. Knowledge of ineffective strategies to protect children from ETS also significantly increased with a significant association between increased knowledge and recall of the intervention message. There was a non-statistically significant increase in the proportion of smoke-free homes from 67% to 75%. Conclusion: Although the intervention was well implemented, more substantial and longer intervention is needed to increase the proportion of smoke-free homes. (author abstract)

Objectives —As a serious yet preventable problem, scald injuries in children have been a priority for prevention in Australia and other developed countries. Not only can the occurrence of scalds be prevented, but immediate first aid treatment offers an effective method for secondary prevention, reducing the severity of scalds. Despite the success of scald prevention initiatives, local evidence suggested that first aid knowledge was lacking in some minority ethnic groups. To redress this gap, the “First Aid for Scalds” campaign for those from a non-English speaking background was specifically targeted to three ethnic groups (Vietnamese, Chinese, and Arabic), with the aim of increasing the proportions of parents and caregivers who had correct knowledge of first aid treatment for scalds. The primary strategy was a media campaign, including advertisements on ethnic radio and in ethnic newspapers. Methods —The evaluation design included formative research and impact evaluation. The impact evaluation study involved random population based telephone surveys with each of the three language groups, before and after the campaign, to assess the reach and effectiveness of the campaign. Results —After the campaign, there were significant increases in the proportion of people who knew the correct first aid treatment for scalds. There were substantial variations in campaign recall and knowledge between each of the three language groups. The largest improvement was found in the Vietnamese group. Conclusion —The association between campaign recall and increase in correct knowledge, and the absence of any similar interventions during the campaign period, give credence to the conclusion that the changes observed were a result of the campaign. The results demonstrate the value of community based injury prevention campaigns specifically targeting linguistically diverse communities.

Objective: To ascertain cervical screening rates among Vietnamese women attending Vietnamese-speaking general practitioners (GPs) in Sydney, their recall of opportunistic recruitment by these GPs and their preferences for strategies to encourage screening. Method: Women born in Vietnam aged 18–69 years were recruited through the waiting room of their GP and completed questionnaires in either Vietnamese or Chinese before and after their consultation. Results: Of 355 women seen during the survey period, 170 were ineligible. Of those eligible, 118 women (64% response rate) completed waiting room questionnaires. Of 86 women ‘at risk’, 56 (65%) reported having a cervical smear within two years or due on that day; 26 (86%) of those 30 women overdue for screening reported visiting a GP at least twice in the past six months. After adjustment for age and education, women who were more acculturated or had resided in Australia for the most years remained significantly more likely to be screened (p=0.027 and p=0.037 respectively). In the follow-up questionnaire, returned by 49 women (52%) who agreed to receive it, recall of opportunistic advice from the GP was low. Female GPs, free screening and more information in Vietnamese were the three most popular recruitment strategies. Conclusion: Study confirms low participation rates in cervical screening by Vietnamese women using self-report. Recent immigrants and the least acculturated are least likely to be screened. Implications: A community-based strategy involving Vietnamese-speaking GPs shows promise, inviting behavioural evaluation.

Issue addressed: The Arabic-speaking population is a priority for tobacco control in Sydney's southwest. Current smoking prevalence and smokers' preferences for evidence-based cessation therapies are reported for this population. Methods: A telephone survey of Arabic speakers conducted in Sydney's southwest between August and November 2004 included: utilisation of tobacco products, tobacco and health knowledge, quit attempts and likelihood to use evidence-based cessation strategies. Results: A 70% response rate was achieved (n=1,102). Twenty six per cent of respondents (95% CI 23.5-28.7) self-reported being current smokers. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that poor knowledge of the harms of smoking (AOR=7.50, 95% CI 3.20-17.59), being male (AOR=2.63, 95% CI 1.89-3.65), being aged between 40 and 59 (AOR=1.44, 95% CI 1.06-1.96) and non-tertiary educated (AOR=1.44, 95% CI 1.06-1.97) were independent predictors of self-reported smoking. Smokers' preferences for evidence-based cessation strategies included: vouchers for discounted nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) (58.8%, 95% CI 52.9-64.6), standard self-help booklet (56.6%, 95% CI 50.7-62.4) and tailored self-help written materials (mailed) (54.0%, 95% CI 48.1- 59.9). More than one third of all current cigarette smokers (39.4%, n=108, 95% CI 33.6-45.2) indicated they had made a quit attempt in the past 12 months. Conclusion: Well designed trials of efficacy for preferred evidence-based strategies, particularly among middle-aged male Arabic-speaking smokers, appear warranted prior to policy development and implementation. (author abstract)

The aim of this study was to inform the design of a culturally appropriate health communication campaign addressing exposure of young children to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) in homes and cars, targeted at caregivers of children aged 0-6 years in the Arabic and Vietnamese-speaking communities in Sydney, Australia.Nine focus groups (five Arabic and four Vietnamese) were conducted by qualified bilingual facilitators, recorded, transcribed, then translated and analysed qualitatively.Results revealed concerning levels of knowledge, attitudes and behaviours regarding children's exposure to ETS. A poor understanding existed regarding what constituted passive smoking and the severity and extent of harm that ETS has on children. Smoking attitudes and behaviours described were not always consistent with the concern expressed about children's vulnerability to smoke. Initial changes in smoking patterns at home since the arrival of children were not always sustained. Despite awareness of the harm caused by smoking in the presence of their children, some caregivers continued to smoke in closed environments. Others felt it was sufficient protection to smoke in another room, with doors and/or windows open or by ensuring that visible smoke did not reach the child directly, whilst some smoked in the home or car only when children were not present. Smoking attitudes and behaviours in the presence of children were influenced by cultural and social norms associated with smoking. The desire to be sociable and hospitable often superseded concerns for children's health.The findings suggest that an effective communication campaign focusing on ETS and children in the Arabic and Vietnamese-speaking communities in Sydney should attempt to address knowledge deficits regarding ETS, as well as tackling entrenched culturally related attitudes and behaviours associated with smoking which are strongly linked to sociability and hospitality.

Objective. To evaluate the compliance of hospital staff, inpatients and visitors with Sydney South West Area Health Service’s Smoke-free Environment Policy. Methods. Six sites were observed at two Sydney hospitals 2 weeks before implementation of the policy and at 2 weeks, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months and 2 years after implementation. Results. There was an overall significant 36% (P ≤ 0.05) reduction in observed smoking incidents on hospital grounds 2 years after implementation. Two years after implementation, observed smoking incidents reduced by 44% (P ≤ 0.05) in staff, 37% (P ≤ 0.05) in visitors and remained unchanged among inpatients. Conclusions and implications. The Smoke-free Environment Policy was effective in reducing visitors and staff observed smoking on hospital grounds, but had little effect on inpatients’ smoking. Identifying strategies to effectively manage nicotine addiction and promote cessation amongst hospital inpatients remains a key priority. What is known about the topic? Smoke-free environment policies have been developed and introduced worldwide. These policies reduce tobacco use and protect the community from environmental tobacco smoke. What does this paper add? This paper focusses on a method used to monitor compliance of a smoke-free environment policy in a healthcare setting. The paper tracks what happened over 2 years before and after the policy was implemented. Among staff, there was evidence of compliance with the policy; however, there was no apparent change in policy compliance amongst inpatients. What are the implications for practitioners? Policy makers and staff implementing smoke-free policies should ensure adequate support for staff and inpatients are available, with continued promotion and enforcement of the policy. Further investigations are needed into multi-strategic cessation interventions for inpatients who smoke.

Background With an increasing prevalence of obesity in young children globally, there is an urgent need for the development of effective early interventions. A previous Healthy Beginnings Trial using a nurse-led home visiting program has demonstrated that providing mothers with evidence-based advice can improve maternal practice regarding obesity prevention, and can reduce Body Mass Index (BMI) in the first few years of life. However, the costs for scale-up of home visiting limit its population reach. This trial aims to determine the efficacy of Communicating Healthy Beginnings Advice by Telephone (CHAT) to mothers with infants in improving infant feeding practices and preventing the early onset of childhood overweight and obesity. Methods/Design We propose a 3-arm randomised controlled trial (RCT) with a consecutive sample of 1056 mothers with their newborn children in New South Wales (NSW) Australia. Pregnant women who are between weeks 28 and 34 of their pregnancy will be invited to participate in the CHAT trial. Informed consent will be obtained, and after baseline data collection, participants will be randomly allocated to the telephone intervention, text messaging intervention, or the control group. The intervention comprises telephone consultations or text messages, together with 6 intervention packages being mailed at specific times from the third trimester of pregnancy until 12 months post birth. The main trial outcome measures include a) duration of breastfeeding, b) timing of introduction of solids, c) nutrition behaviours, physical activity and television viewing, and d) weight and BMI z-score at 12 and 24 months, e) cost-effectiveness, as well as f) feasibility and acceptability of the interventions. Discussion The results will ascertain whether early intervention using telephone consultation or text messaging together with staged mailed intervention resources can be feasible and effective in improving infant feeding practices, physical activity and reducing children’s BMI in the early years of life. If proven to be feasible, effective as well as cost-effective, the trial results will inform a series of recommendations for policy and practice related to promoting healthy infant feeding and physical activity in young children in the first years of life. Trial registration The CHAT Trial is registered with the Australian Clinical Trial Registry ( ACTRN12616001470482p ). It was registered on October 21, 2016.