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Biomedical subjects

Sue Walker

Publications and source records attributed to Sue Walker.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

An international comparison study indicated physicians' habits in reporting diabetes in part I of death certificate affected reported national diabetes mortality.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Physicians may find it confusing to decide whether to report diagnoses in part I or part II of the death certificate. The aim of this study was to contrast differences in diabetes mortality through a comparison of physicians' habits in reporting diabetes in part I of death certification among Taiwan, Australia, and Sweden. METHODS: A cross-sectional, intercountry comparison study. We calculated the proportion of deaths with mention of diabetes in which diabetes was reported in part I of the death certificate and the proportion of deaths with mention of diabetes in which diabetes was selected as underlying cause of death. RESULTS: We found that half of the differences in reported diabetes mortality among Taiwan, Australia, and Sweden were due to differences in reporting deaths with mention of diabetes anywhere on the certificate, and half due to differences in proportion of deaths with mention of diabetes in which diabetes was reported in part I of the death certificate. CONCLUSION: Differences in the reporting of diabetes in part I of the death certificate among physicians in Taiwan, Australia, and Sweden was one of the factors that affected differing reported diabetes mortality in Taiwan, Australia, and Sweden.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Gender differences in the relationship between young children's peer-related social competence and individual differences in theory of mind.

In this study, the author examined the relationship between theory-of-mind understanding and preschool-aged children's peer-related social competence. One hundred eleven 3- to 5-year-old children (48 boys, 63 girls) participated in 2 theory-of-mind tasks designed to assess their understanding of false belief. Teachers rated children's peer-related social behavior in terms of prosocial behavior, aggressive or disruptive behavior, and shy or withdrawn behavior. Results indicated that, after controlling for age, theory-of-mind understanding significantly predicted aggressive or disruptive behavior for boys and prosocial behavior for girls. Theory-of-mind understanding also was related to lower scores of shy or withdrawn behavior for boys. Results are discussed in terms of the gender differences in the factors contributing to early peer competence.

Aggression↗
PubMed2003

Evaluation of the national 'Push Play' campaign in New Zealand--creating population awareness of physical activity.

AIMS: Physical inactivity is considered to be as detrimental to public health as hypertension or tobacco use, but there is limited evidence on the impact of community-wide interventions in this area. This paper describes the impact of an initiative to increase physical activity at a population level in New Zealand. METHODS: A media-led, community-wide intervention campaign was initiated by the Hillary Commission (now SPARC, Sport and Recreation New Zealand). The 'Push Play' campaign recommended 30 minutes of daily, moderate-intensity physical activity as fun, part of community life, and easy to achieve for New Zealand adults. In addition, there were community-level and primary care supporting programmes and events. Annual cross-sectional population surveys (1999-2002) monitored the impact of the campaign on message awareness, recognition of the Push Play logo, intention to be active, and recent activity. RESULTS: There were substantial increases in awareness of the Push Play message (30% in 1999 to 57% in 2002, p <0.001), and of the Push Play logo (14% to 52%, p <0.001). There were significant increases in the numbers of adults who intended to be more active (1.8% in 1999 to 9.4% in 2002). No sustained changes in physical activity levels were seen in these Push Play serial evaluation surveys, with 38.6% of the 1999 sample reporting 5+ days activity per week, increasing to 44.5% in 2000, but declining to 38.0% in 2002. The only significant difference in physical activity levels occurred from 1999 to 2000 (difference 5.8%, 95% CI 0.1%-11.6%). In an unrelated, much larger population survey, a 3% increase in physical activity participation was noted among adults between 1997 and 2001. CONCLUSIONS: The national Push Play campaign resulted in increases in message recognition and in intention to become more active. If sustained, efforts like this may have a long-term impact on adult activity patterns, leading to improved health outcomes and reduced health costs.

Health Behavior↗
PubMed2003

Oxygen monitoring in preterm babies: too high, too low?

A small randomised trial in 1952 showed that excess oxygen use might well be causing a major epidemic of retinal blindness in preterm babies. That single study of just 65 babies was enough to throw doubt on a longstanding treatment strategy of oxygen therapy and highlighted just how powerful a tool the randomised controlled trial could be. Confirmatory evidence from a co-operative trial 4 years later involving 212 babies banished all residual doubt and we should reproach ourselves that we have still not learnt after 50 years how to optimise oxygen delivery to the preterm baby, making further use of this powerful research tool. Two well-conducted trials have recently shown that avoiding subclinical hypoxaemia (a fractional SaO(2) of less than 92%) in babies more than a month old does nothing to improve later growth or development. It is now time the same question was asked of babies less than a month old. This is particularly important in babies of less than 28 weeks' gestation, who currently remain at serious risk of chronic lung disease and permanent retinal damage.

History, 20th Century↗
PubMed2002

The impact of the variation in death certification and coding practices on trends in mortality from ischaemic heart disease.

This review examines the literature relating to the effect of death certification practices, coding and the terminology used by certifiers on trends in mortality from ischaemic heart disease (IHD). The review identifies factors that affect mortality trends in a number of countries and discusses methods for assessing the impact of these issues on trends in mortality from IHD. The review found that although the magnitude of the effects of the issues on trends in mortality from ischaemic heart disease varied among countries and sub-populations, miscertification and the resultant assignment of misleading ICD codes, particularly for ill-defined cardiovascular conditions, were important factors affecting the IHD mortality trends. In light of these findings, it is essential to monitor regularly the accuracy of death certificates for IHD and consider necessary adjustments in analysing mortality trends from IHD.

Australia↗
PubMed2002

Gender influences on preschool children's social problem-solving strategies.

The authors investigated gender influences on the nature and competency of preschool children's social problem-solving strategies. Preschool-age children (N = 179; 91 boys, 88 girls) responded to hypothetical social situations designed to assess their social problem-solving skills in the areas of provocation, peer group entry, and sharing or taking turns. Results indicated that, overall, girls' responses were more competent (i.e., reflective of successful functioning with peers) than those of boys, and girls' strategies were less likely to involve retaliation or verbal or physical aggression. The competency of the children's responses also varied with the gender of the target child. Findings are discussed in terms of the influence of gender-related social experiences on the types of strategies and behaviors that may be viewed as competent for boys and girls of preschool age.

Aggression↗