'It's the wild west out there': A qualitative study of the views and preparedness of health professionals in helping young adult e-cigarette users to quit.

INTRODUCTION: Young adults are attempting to quit vaping, with many accessing smoking cessation programs with a lack of reported efficacy, highlighting the need for targeted vaping cessation support. Young people report seeing health professionals as potential sources of support in the quitting process. Additionally, the current changing regulatory landscape around vaping in Australia potentially increases numbers of those seeking health professional help for cessation. However, limited research exists on health professionals' views and preparedness to assist young adults with their vaping cessation; thus, this exploratory study aimed to gain insights into their readiness to support young adults in quitting vaping. METHODS: Data were gathered via eight co-design workshops (two groups each of two hours duration and six semi-structured interviews of 1 hour duration), facilitated online with 12 health professionals. Data underwent thematic analysis. RESULTS: Health professionals expressed a need for more information in supporting young adults to quit vaping, with them presently relying on informal pathways of support and information for their practice. Participants reported a lack of evidence-based guidelines and a reluctance to prescribe nicotine vapes, expressing conflict with the changing regulatory landscape in Australia. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings identify a significant gap in health professional preparedness in supporting vaping cessation. Health professionals are working within a rapidly evolving regulatory environment and are feeling unprepared to address the widely spread issue of vaping, especially among young people. We demonstrate the critical need for guidelines and training of health professionals to enable them to better support young people in quitting vaping. IMPLICATIONS: This qualitative study offers unique insights into the views and readiness of Australian health professionals to support young people to quit vaping, specifically in the context of recent regulatory reforms. The results highlight the need for evidence-based guidance and training for health professionals to inform their vaping cessation support practice.

Intimate Partner Violence in the Sub-Saharan African Immigrant Community in Chicago: A Changing Landscape.

The challenges of conducting research on intimate partner violence (IPV) in immigrant communities means little is known about the occurrence of various forms of IPV, making it difficult to address in these populations. This research draws on data gathered in Chicago's large and varied African immigrant communities. This research used a mixed methods approach: collection of quantitative survey data on occurrence, followed by qualitative interviews to explain the results. Missing quantitative data and contradicting qualitative responses made it difficult to draw definite conclusions on physical IPV; however, verbal abuse and controlling behaviours appear to be relatively widespread and normalised, and not always viewed as violence. Particularly with the probability of future pandemics and natural disasters, which are known to increase prevalence, it is important to raise awareness of less visible controlling behaviours and verbal abuse as forms of violence, and to implement appropriate prevention programs to minimise a concomitant rise in IPV within African immigrant communities.

Who Are the Flourishing Emerging Adults on the Urban East Coast of Australia?

It is increasingly recognised that strategies to treat or prevent mental illness alone do not guarantee a mentally healthy population. Emerging adults have been identified as a particularly vulnerable population when it comes to mental health concerns. While mental illnesses are carefully monitored and researched, less is known about mental wellbeing or flourishing, that is, experience of both high hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing. This cross-sectional study examined the prevalence of flourishing and its predictors among emerging adults in Australia. 1155 emerging adults aged 18-25 years completed a survey containing measures of wellbeing, social networks, social connectedness, health status, and socio-demographic variables. Most participants (60.4%) experienced moderate levels of wellbeing, 38.6% were flourishing and 1% were languishing (low wellbeing). Flourishers were more likely to be older, identify as Indigenous, be in a romantic relationship, study at university, perceive their family background as wealthy, rate their general health status as excellent, and have higher perceived social resources. The findings show that the majority of emerging adults are not experiencing flourishing and offer an insight into potential target groups and settings, such as vocational education colleges, for emerging adult mental health promotion. Interventions that help strengthen social resources have the potential to improve the mental wellbeing of emerging adults.

Analysis of crisis communication by the Prime Minister of Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leadership and communication capabilities of federal leaders during crises are imperative to support and guide citizens' behaviors and emotions. The following content analysis examines crisis communication delivered by the Australian Prime Minister (PM), Scott Morrison during the COVID-19 pandemic. Communication delivered over seven months starting from the first reported case of COVID-19 in Australia, was analyzed through a process of coding to identify central organizing crisis communication frames and themes and measured against eleven main themes based on principles of Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) recommended by the WHO and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Transcripts were sourced from the PM's official website and 91 communiques were analyzed. Key epidemiological indicators and public health measures were reviewed over timeframe to examine changes in communication over the pandemic. Findings indicated that PM Morrison included many features of CERC within his official messaging. Our analysis revealed that the original framework was limited in its scope to encompass certain messages and thus the allocation of new frames,'public health and medical advice' and 'assuring and commending the public and institutions', allowed for a more thorough analysis of communication during a novel global health pandemic. The temporal analysis demonstrated that the government's policy and communication temporally followed case numbers and relative threat of the virus. This study has provided an in-depth review of CERC during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. New frames and themes for the current CERC framework are suggested which can be transferable to other crises in Australia and other countries.

Perceived discrimination and subjective well-being among Middle Eastern migrants in Australia: The moderating role of perceived social support.

BACKGROUND: Middle Eastern (ME) migrants are vulnerable to developing mental health problems due to pre-migration and post-migration traumas and stresses. The evidence on the subjective well-being of ME migrants and its contributing factors is limited and inconclusive. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to examine the moderating role of perceived social support in the association between perceived discrimination and subjective well-being, after controlling for socio-demographic factors. METHOD(S): This cross-sectional survey study was conducted in Queensland, Australia. A total of 382 first-generation young adult ME migrants, aged between 20 to 39 years, completed a self-administered questionnaire. To analyse data, a series of three hierarchical multiple regression (HMR) analyses were conducted, one for each of the subjective well-being components (i.e., positive affect, negative affect, and satisfaction with life). The interaction between perceived social support and perceived discrimination for the prediction of subjective well-being components was further explored using simple slope analysis. RESULTS: Gender was found to be a significant predictor of positive and negative affect. Education was found to predict satisfaction with life, but not positive and negative affect. Married migrants were found to have significantly higher life satisfaction, positive affect and lower negative affect. Perceived social support had a moderating role in the association between perceived discrimination and subjective well-being. CONCLUSION: Considering the buffering role of perceived social support against the adverse effects of perceived discrimination on subjective well-being, organizations and individuals working with ME migrants should acknowledge the significance of social support and improve their capacity to deliver effective and appropriate social support services to migrants experiencing discrimination.

Does Flourishing Reduce Engagement in Unhealthy and Risky Lifestyle Behaviours in Emerging Adults?

Emerging adulthood is a transitional life stage with increased probability of risky and unhealthy lifestyle behaviours that are known to have strong links with premature mortality and morbidity. Wellbeing, as a positive subjective experience, is identified as a factor that encourages self-care and may steer individuals away from risky lifestyle behaviours. Investigating wellbeing-behaviour links in the emerging adult population may increase understanding of the factors that lead to, and ways to prevent, engagement in risky behaviours. This study examines the association between flourishing, that is, the experience of both high hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing, and a broad range of risky and unhealthy lifestyle behaviours among emerging adults in Australia. A cross-sectional survey of 1155 emerging adults aged 18-25 years measured wellbeing, socio-demographics, and six groups of lifestyle behaviours surrounding substance use, physical activity, diet, sex, sun protection, and driving. Bivariate and multivariate statistics were used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that flourishing was negatively associated with more dangerous types of risk behaviours, such as driving under the influence of drugs, and positively associated with self-care behaviours, such as healthier dietary behaviour and sun protection. If enabling emerging adults to flourish can contribute to reduced engagement in risky/unhealthy lifestyle behaviours, then promoting it is an important goal for health promotion efforts not only because flourishing is desirable in its own right, but also to bring about sustainable change in behaviour. Further research is needed to inform the designs of such interventions.

Atmospheres of engagement within a German drug consumption room.

Drug consumption rooms directly attempt to intervene in and govern the place and time of drug use. Whilst the risk-reducing potentials of these interventions have been thoroughly evaluated, the consumption room literature offers fewer insights into the embodied, affective and situated dynamics that underscore service delivery. In this paper, we take up the notion of atmosphere to explore these dynamics in greater depth. Drawing on 12 months of ethnographic research in a German drug consumption room, we describe the manner in which atmospheres came to pervade and condition service encounters. More than simply providing texture to activities within the consumption room, we show how atmospheres gave rise to a distinct range of bodily capacities and therapeutic effects. Critically, these atmospheric affordances exceeded the risk-reducing objectives of the consumption room to encompass an emergent capacity to find repose, enact respite and foster modes of sociality and care. Our analysis further highlights the contextual contingencies through which the atmospheres of the consumption room emerged, including the efforts of both staff and clients to cultivate and control particular atmospheric qualities. We conclude by considering how closer attention to the atmospheric and affective dimensions of service delivery may challenge how consumption room interventions are enacted, valued and researched. This is to gesture towards a novel, atmospheric mode of harm reduction that has effects by transforming embodied potentials for both staff and clients.

"Becoming the man you always wanted to be": Exploring the representation of health and masculinity in Men's Health magazine.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: Men's health and lifestyle magazines are a popular medium through which hegemonic ideals of masculinity are displayed, influencing the way men behave and think about health (Crawshaw, 2007, Soc Sci Med, 65, 1606; Stibbe, 2004, Men Masc, 7, 31). METHODS: This study conducted a critical discourse analysis of Australia's most popular men's health and lifestyle magazine, Men's Health, in order to understand how health is presented to men. Six issues were examined, from April 2016 to September 2016. RESULTS: Three themes supporting hegemonic masculine discourses were revealed: a forged physique, (hetero)sexual prowess and career dominance. A fourth theme, the new man, was also identified revealing a shift in attitudes towards nutrition and style. CONCLUSIONS: Despite this shift in the representation of masculinity, hegemonic ideals remain dominant in the construction of Australian masculinity in this popular men's health and lifestyle magazine. SO WHAT?: This study highlights the utility of Men's Health magazine in promoting health and brings into question whether the current representation of masculinity works towards improving or decreasing the health of Australian men.

'Enjoying the kick': Locating pleasure within the drug consumption room.

BACKGROUND: Harm reduction policy and praxis has long struggled to accommodate the pleasures of alcohol and other drug use. Whilst scholars have consistently highlighted this struggle, how pleasure might come to practically inform the design and delivery of harm reduction policies and programs remains less clear. The present paper seeks to move beyond conceptual critiques of harm reduction's 'pleasure oversight' to more focused empirical analysis of how flows of pleasure emerge, circulate and, importantly, may be reoriented in the course of harm reduction practice. METHODS: We ground our analysis in the context of detailed ethnographic research in a drug consumption room in Frankfurt, Germany. Drawing on recent strands of post-humanist thought, the paper deploys the concept of the 'consumption event' to uncover the manner in which these facilities mediate the practice and embodied experience of drug use and incite or limit bodily potentials for intoxication and pleasure. RESULTS: Through the analysis, we mapped a diversity of pleasures as they emerged and circulated through events of consumption at the consumption room. Beyond the pleasurable intensities of intoxication's kick, these pleasures were expressed in a range of novel capacities, practices and drug using bodies. In each instance, pleasure could not be reduced to a simple, linear product of drug use. Rather, it arose for our participants through distinctive social and affective transformations enabled through events of consumption at the consumption room and the generative force of actors and associations of which these events were composed. CONCLUSION: Our research suggests that the drug consumption room serves as a conduit through which its clients can potentially enact more pleasurable, productive and positive relations to both themselves and their drug use. Acknowledging the centrality of pleasure to client engagement with these facilities, the paper concludes by drawing out the implications of these findings for the design and delivery of consumption room services.

The relationship between living environment, well-being and lifestyle behaviours in young women in Shiraz, Iran.

There has been increasing interest in understanding the influence of the living environment on individual and population health. While our understanding of the connection is growing, there has been limited published research focusing on socially and economically transitioning countries such as Iran or specific populations such as young women. This study explores the relationship between the physical and social living environment with well-being outcomes and lifestyle behaviours of young women in Shiraz, Iran, in 2013. Using a cluster convenience sampling technique, 391 young Iranian women with the mean age of 27.3 (SD: 4.8) participated in a cross-sectional survey (response rate 93%). A scale adapted from the British General Household Social Capital scale was used to assess living environment characteristics. The International Health and Behaviour survey, Satisfaction with Life Scale (SwL) and WHO Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) were used to measure lifestyle behaviours and well-being. The findings showed a moderate level of satisfaction with participants' living environment, with a mean score of 38.5 (SD: 7.7; score range: 11-45). There were correlations between physical and social neighbourhood environment, lifestyle behaviours and well-being outcomes (P < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis showed that the characteristics of living environments were determinants of quality of life (QoL), including physical, psychological, social and environmental QoL, as well as SwL (P < 0.05). Perceptions of individuals about their living environment issues were associated with demographic variables including ethnicity, income, level of education and occupation status. The current study shows how characteristics of the physical and social living environments play a significant role in shaping well-being and lifestyle behaviours among young Iranian women. Hence, there is a need for more focused attention to the meaning, measurement and building of neighbourhood livability, including both physical and social aspects of neighbourhood, in order to support QoL and SwL among young Iranian women, and enhance their healthy lifestyle behaviours.

The Association between Socio-economic Context at Individual and Neighbourhood Levels, Wellbeing and Lifestyle Behaviours of Young Iranian Women.

BACKGROUND: This study explored the relationship between socio-economic characteristics at the individual and neighbourhood levels, and wellbeing and lifestyle behaviours of young Iranian women. METHODS: Cluster convenience sampling was used to select 391 Iranian women participated in this cross-sectional survey in Shiraz, Iran in 2013. A scale adapted from the British General Household Social Capital questionnaire was used to assess neighbourhood socio-economic characteristics. The satisfaction with life scale, WHO quality of life scale, and the International Health and Behaviours Survey were used to measure wellbeing outcomes and lifestyle behaviours. RESULTS: Findings showed participants were dissatisfied with their neighbourhood socio-economic conditions (M: 36.3±9.8, score range: 11-60) as well as the availability of leisure facilities (M: 1.8, score range: 1-5) in their local areas. Correlations and regression analysis revealed that better neighbourhood socio-economic characteristics were positively associated with better wellbeing outcomes as well as healthier lifestyle behaviours. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest the need for transitioning economies to be cognisant of the importance of social policy and strategies for enhancing neighbourhood socioeconomic status in order to enhance wellbeing outcomes for sub-populations, including young women.

Perceived control and self-efficacy, subjective well-being and lifestyle behaviours in young Iranian women.

This study examined whether young Iranian women's perceived control and self-efficacy, as a component of cognitive social capital, predicts health and well-being. A total of 391 women aged between 18 and 35 years completed a survey including scales measuring control and self-efficacy and health outcomes including quality of life, satisfaction with life and lifestyle behaviours. Statistical analyses indicated that participants had low perceived control and influence over community affairs together with high perceived control over their personal lives. Multiple regression analyses indicated the predictive role of control and self-efficacy for well-being outcomes suggesting the potential role for health interventions targeting control and self-efficacy.

Self-perception of quality of life and its association with lifestyle behaviours of young Iranian women.

BACKGROUND: Limited studies have examined the relationship between quality of life and lifestyle behaviors. The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of quality of life among young Iranian women and its association with lifestyle behaviors. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 391 young women selected through a cluster convenience sampling strategy in Shiraz, Iran. WHOQoL-BREF and satisfaction with life scales were used to measure subjective well-being. The International Health and Behavior survey was used for measuring lifestyle behaviors. RESULTS: Young Iranian women were averagely dissatisfied with their life circumstances. The score of psychological quality of life, and social quality of life were below average. According to the findings, higher quality of life is positively related to healthier lifestyle behaviors. Multiple regression analysis showed that smoking and physical activity are the main predictors of quality of life. Findings also demonstrate that diminished quality of life was significantly associated with older age, low income, being single, low level of religiosity, smoking and low levels of physical activity. CONCLUSION: In order to improve the situation of young Iranian women, the findings that should be sources of concern to policy makers include the average dissatisfaction with circumstances of life particularly in terms of psychological, social and environmental quality of life. While the health system focus is often upon addressing unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, policy initiatives aimed at improving these circumstances of life for young Iranian women would be of substantial medium to long-term benefit to their wellbeing.

Trust and quality of life: A cross-sectional study of young women.

BACKGROUND: Trust is increasingly identified as a psychosocial determinant of well-being. However the relationship between trust and well-being outcomes has not been comprehensively examined, particularly in socially and economically transitioning countries such as Iran and among young women. AIMS: This cross-sectional study examined the association between trust and the quality of life of young Iranian women. METHODS: A total of 391 young Iranian women aged between 18 and 35 years (M: 27.3, standard deviation (SD): 4.8) were recruited through cluster convenience sampling to participate in this cross-sectional study. The measures used included the 'Trust scale' adapted from the British General Household Survey (GHS) Social Capital scale, and the Persian version of the WHOQOL-BREF (World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire--brief version). RESULTS: The participants (n = 391, mean age of 27 years) reported a relatively low level of trust. For the participants, trust was positively associated with better quality of life (r = .24, p value: .01). The findings also showed that there is a significant difference between socio-demographic factors such as the level of religiosity, occupation and income with the domains of trust. CONCLUSION: Policies are needed to improve participation and reciprocity at the level of individuals and informal social groups, including local to broader communities in order to increase the sense of community belonging, improving trust and consequently quality of life.

Community health workers: a bridge to healthcare for people who inject drugs.

BACKGROUND: Although people who inject drugs (PWIDs) have increased healthcare needs, their poor access and utilisation of mainstream primary healthcare services is well documented. To address this situation, community health workers (CHWs) who have personal experience of drug injecting in addition to healthcare training or qualifications are sometimes utilised. However, the role peer workers play as members of clinical primary healthcare teams in Australia and how they manage the healthcare needs of PWID, has been poorly documented. METHODS: A qualitative ethnomethodological approach was used to study the methods used by CHWs. Data was collected using participant observation of CHWs in a PWID-targeted primary healthcare centre. CHW healthcare consultations with PWID were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts along with field notes were analysed using membership categorisation and conversation analysis techniques to reveal how CHWs' personal and professional experience shapes their healthcare interactions with PWID clients. RESULTS: CHWs' personal experience of injecting drug use is an asset they utilise along with their knowledge of clinical practice and service systems. It provides them with specialised knowledge and language--resources that they draw upon to build trust with clients and accomplish transparent, non-judgmental interactions that enable PWID clients to be active participants in the management of their healthcare. Existing literature often discusses these principles at a theoretical level. This study demonstrates how CHWs achieve them at a micro-level through the use of indexical language and displays of the membership categories 'PWID' and 'healthcare worker'. CONCLUSION: This research explicates how CHWs serve as an interface between PWID clients and conventional healthcare providers. CHWs deployment of IDU-specific language, membership knowledge, values and behaviours, enable them to interact in ways that foster transparent communication and client participation in healthcare consultations. The incorporation of community health workers into clinical healthcare teams working with IDU populations is a possible means for overcoming barriers to healthcare, such as mistrust and fear of stigma and discrimination, because CHWs are able to serve as an interface between PWID and other healthcare providers.

Framing risk: communication messages in the Australian and Swedish print media surrounding the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Australia and Sweden have similar immunisation rates. However, during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic the uptake of immunisation was 60% in Sweden and 18% in Australia. During pandemics, perceptions of risk are largely formed by media communication which may influence the public's response. AIM: The study aimed to compare the differences in how the media framed the 2009 H1N1 pandemic message and the associated public perceptions of risk as expressed through the uptake of vaccinations in Australia and Sweden. METHODS: A qualitative content analysis was conducted on 81 articles from the Australian and Swedish print media: 45 and 36, respectively. RESULTS: The risk of H1N1 was communicated similarly in Australia and Sweden. However, major differences were found in how the Australian and Swedish media framed the pandemic in terms of responsibility, self-efficacy, and uncertainty. In Australia, responsibility was predominantly reported negatively, blaming various organisations for a lack of information, compared to Sweden where responsibility was placed on the community to help protect public health. Furthermore, there was limited self-efficacy measures reported in the Australian media compared to Sweden and Sweden's media was more transparent about the uncertainties of the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: This study affirms the association between the framing of health messages in the media and the public's perception of risk and related behaviour. Governments need to actively incorporate the media into pandemic communication planning.