Kelly Andrews

Stigma Still an Important Issue for Adults With Asthma

Psychosocial issues are recognized as important in the management and care of people with chronic illness, including asthma. There is limited research specifically examining the impact of stigma on...

Perceptions and practices of adults with asthma: a social cognitive analysis

This article describes a qualitative study that investigated the experiences, attitudes, and opinions of adults with asthma regarding self-managing their disease. Focus groups were conducted with 22 adults living in metropolitan and regional New South Wales, Australia. Key findings were that the perceived stigma of asthma, the need for social support, and the need for “asthma-friendly general practitioners” concerned participants more than formal self-management procedures such as written Asthma Action Plans and medication regimes. Social cognitive theory was used to explain the fluid relationship between persons with asthma, their environment, and their behavior in relation to self-management strategies and in identifying patient-centered approaches. This qualitative research suggests that asthma is viewed as a specific, individualized condition best managed from the perspective of patients’ disease experience and environmental context and not one that is appropriately represented by collective, generic ...

Combining social norms and social marketing to address underage drinking: development and process evaluation of a whole-of-community intervention

Youth alcohol consumption has been steadily declining in Australia, as in other countries; fewer young people are drinking and the age of initiation is increasing. However, young people, their parents and others in their communities continue to believe that adolescent (excessive) drinking is the norm. This perception, and the concurrent misperception that the majority of parents are happy to provide their underage children with alcohol, creates a perceived culture of acceptance of youth alcohol consumption. Young people believe that it is accepted, and even expected, that they will drink; and parents perceive that not providing their adolescent children with alcohol will lead to social exclusion. There is evidence that shifting social norms can have an immediate and lasting effect adolescents’ (and adults’) alcohol related attitudes and behaviors. This paper reports on a novel, community based social marketing intervention designed to correct misperceptions of alcohol related social norms in an Australian community. The project utilized a social marketing approach, informed by the full complement of Andreasen’s social marketing benchmarking criteria, and concurrently targeted adolescents, parents of adolescents and the broader community. Using extensive formative research and multiple evaluation techniques, the study demonstrates that shifts in community social norms are possible and suggests that this approach could be used more widely to support the positive trends in youth alcohol consumption and parental supply.

What is ‘binge drinking’? Perceptions of Australian adolescents and adults, and implications for mass media campaigns

Objective: While the term ‘binge drinking’ has no definitive definition, it is commonly used in lay conversation and mass media communication campaigns. It is important to understand how the general population interprets the term, and their positive and negative perceptions of this behaviour.

Communication about Organ Donation Intentions: Formative Research for a Social Marketing Program Targeting Families

With the introduction of the Australian Organ Donation Register, responsibility regarding organ donation decisions primarily rests with the individual. However, family members can be instrumental in facilitating or hindering the rate of organ donation by objecting to or confirming the individuals wishes. Attitudes and beliefs of family members have been shown to be a strong influence on peoples intentions to donate. Numerous studies have also demonstrated that family communication about organ donation can improve the rate of organ donation. We surveyed 23 matched pairs of undergraduate university students and their parents and found that attitudes to organ donation were positive and that there was a tendency for these dyads to give concordant responses regarding attitudes, level of family communication, and intent to donate. These findings have implications for improving Australias organ donation rate, and recommendations for messages promoting organ donation are discussed.

When are they old enough to drink? Outcomes of an Australian social marketing intervention targeting alcohol initiation

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS This paper reports on the evaluation of an Australian whole-of-community social marketing intervention targeting social norms, which aimed to reduce inflated perceptions of the prevalence of underage drinking and increase the age at which alcohol initiation is considered acceptable. DESIGN AND METHODS A community-wide intervention was delivered in a single community over a period of 2 years, targeting adolescents, parents and community members. Pre-and post-intervention computer-assisted telephone interview surveys were conducted in the intervention and a matched comparison (control) community. A total of 417 respondents completed both surveys (215 in the intervention community and 202 in the control community). RESULTS The intervention community saw an increase of 6 months in the average age at which it is perceived to be acceptable for young people to have a sip/taste of alcohol and 5 months in the average age at which it is perceived to be acceptable to have weak/watered down alcohol. Furthermore, there was a reduction in the perception of the prevalence of alcohol consumption by young people to a level consistent with actual underage drinking rates. In comparison, the control community saw no change in any of these variables. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS This study provides preliminary evidence that a whole-of-community social marketing intervention can change perceptions of the prevalence, and acceptability, of underage drinking. Given the central role of social norms in decisions regarding alcohol consumption, these changes have the potential to reduce parental supply and thus underage drinking.

'He gave him the booze because ...' using a projective method to explore why parents provide alcohol to teenagers

Introduction and Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate patterns of supplement use among male university students, who have been identified as high consumers of these substances. Design and Methods: An online survey investigating supplement use was conducted over four weeks. Participants were sent a link to the survey via email and through posts on the online homepages of units from the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at Deakin University. Results: Sixty-one males completed the survey (median age 21 years). All participants had used at least one supplement in their lifetime, with most having used legal supplements; the most commonly used supplement was sports drinks (80%), followed by protein (80%), and vitamins and minerals (80%). Although no participants reported use of anabolic-androgenic steroids, 18% would consider using them in the future. Motivations for use differed according to substance; for instance, vitamins and minerals were used for general health purposes while creatine was used to gain muscle. Friends were a common source of information about supplements (57%), followed by online (36%) and a supplement store staff member (22%). Participants reported few negative side effects from supplement use. Discussion and Conclusions: Supplement use is common among this group, and some indicate intentions to use more serious substances such as steroids. This study presents valuable findings about supplement use habits and patterns among male university students. However, more research is needed among this population to determine whether body image and exercise habits can influence supplement use.Abstract presented at the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference 2014, 9-12 November 2014, Adelaide, AustraliaAbstract presented at the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference 2014, 9-12 November 2014, Adelaide, AustraliaIntroduction and aims: contemporary research examining drinking behaviour highlights the importance of implicit processes in the initiation and maintenance of alcohol consumption. By definition, implicit attitudes are formed through experience with a target object. It is argued that implicit attitudes toward alcohol may be ambivalent because consuming alcohol can produce various negative (e.g. feeling nauseous) and positive consequences (e.g. feeling relaxed). Therefore the aim of the current study was to examine the ambivalent nature of implicit alcohol-related attitudes. Design and methods: participants (N= 343, M= 25.72 years) completed a Single-Category Implicit Association Test (SC-IAT) in which they were required to classify alcohol-related words with positively- and negatively-valenced words. The reaction times (RTs) for each pairing were then calculated and compared. Implicit ambivalence was operationalised as having similar RTs for classifying alcohol-related words with positive words and classifying alcohol-related words with negative words. Results: RTs for pairing alcohol with positive words (M= 752ms) were similar to those pairing alcohol with negative words (M= 716ms), suggesting implicit ambivalence toward alcohol consumption. ANOVAs revealed a pattern of results suggesting that drinking more standard drinks in a single drinking episode produced greater feelings of implicit ambivalence. Discussion and conclusions: these findings suggest that individuals hold both positive and negative implicit evaluations toward alcohol consumption. Furthermore, implicit attitudes toward alcohol may become more ambivalent as individuals consume more alcohol. This suggests that greater alcohol consumption may produce more experiences with both positive and negative consequences and lead to the development of implicitly ambivalent attitudes.

Are parents concerned about alcohol branded merchandise

Abstract presented at the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference 2013, 24-27 November 2013, Brisbane, Australiapresented at the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference 2013, 24-27 November 2013, Brisbane, AustraliaAbstract presented at the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference 2013, 24-27 November 2013, Brisbane, AustraliaAbstract presented at the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference 2013, 24-27 November 2013, Brisbane, AustraliaAbstract presented at the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs Conference 2013, 24-27 November 2013, Brisbane, Australia