Robyn Phipps

Effects of improved home heating on asthma in community dwelling children: randomised controlled trial

Objective To assess whether non-polluting, more effective home heating (heat pump, wood pellet burner, flued gas) has a positive effect on the health of children with asthma. Design Randomised controlled trial. Setting Households in five communities in New Zealand. Participants 409 children aged 6-12 years with doctor diagnosed asthma. Interventions Installation of a non-polluting, more effective home heater before winter. The control group received a replacement heater at the end of the trial. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was change in lung function (peak expiratory flow rate and forced expiratory volume in one second, FEV1). Secondary outcomes were child reported respiratory tract symptoms and daily use of preventer and reliever drugs. At the end of winter 2005 (baseline) and winter 2006 (follow-up) parents reported their child’s general health, use of health services, overall respiratory health, and housing conditions. Nitrogen dioxide levels were measured monthly for four months and temperatures in the living room and child’s bedroom were recorded hourly. Results Improvements in lung function were not significant (difference in mean FEV1 130.7 ml, 95% confidence interval −20.3 to 281.7). Compared with children in the control group, however, children in the intervention group had 1.80 fewer days off school (95% confidence interval 0.11 to 3.13), 0.40 fewer visits to a doctor for asthma (0.11 to 0.62), and 0.25 fewer visits to a pharmacist for asthma (0.09 to 0.32). Children in the intervention group also had fewer reports of poor health (adjusted odds ratio 0.48, 95% confidence interval 0.31 to 0.74), less sleep disturbed by wheezing (0.55, 0.35 to 0.85), less dry cough at night (0.52, 0.32 to 0.83), and reduced scores for lower respiratory tract symptoms (0.77, 0.73 to 0.81) than children in the control group. The intervention was associated with a mean temperature rise in the living room of 1.10°C (95% confidence interval 0.54°C to 1.64°C) and in the child’s bedroom of 0.57°C (0.05°C to 1.08°C). Lower levels of nitrogen dioxide were measured in the living rooms of the intervention households than in those of the control households (geometric mean 8.5 μg/m3 v 15.7 μg/m3, P<0.001). A similar effect was found in the children’s bedrooms (7.3 μg/m3 v 10.9 μg/m3, P<0.001). Conclusion Installing non-polluting, more effective heating in the homes of children with asthma did not significantly improve lung function but did significantly reduce symptoms of asthma, days off school, healthcare utilisation, and visits to a pharmacist. Trial registration Clinical Trials NCT00489762.

Challenges faced by facilities managers in the Australasian universities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to: identify the current and future challenges faced by university facilities managers; analyse their associated risk levels; and establish practical ways to address the identified key challenges.Design/methodology/approach – Personal interviews were conducted with 25 members of the Australasian university facilities managers (UFMs). The constructs generated at the pilot interviews were used to design a structured but open‐ended questionnaire with which the Tertiary Education Facilities Managers Association (TEFMA) members were surveyed. The multi‐attribute method was used in the data analysis.Findings – Results showed that the critical challenges currently facing the UFMs comprised issues relating to the following (in diminishing order of significance): inadequate funding, emergency management and business continuity planning, statutory compliance, sustainability and environmental stewardship, keeping up with rapid changes in technology, operational efficiency, iden...

Critical success factors, opportunities and threats of the cost management profession: the case of Australasian quantity surveying firms

The quantity surveying profession faces a number of exceptional challenges that threaten its existence, growth and success. The aim of this paper is to identify the critical success factors (CSFs) for growth and survival as well as the threats and opportunities in the external landscape. Knowledge of these factors would enable the profession to achieve sustained growth and competitiveness. Using the exploratory survey method, in-depth interviews were conducted with key senior leaders from industry and professional and academic institutes throughout New Zealand and Australia. Results showed that the CSFs of the profession are underpinned by process, practice management, service performance, market positioning, people, firm profile and professional attributes. Four themes underlie the threats and opportunities of the profession, namely: market/competition, capability/capacity, recognition/relevance, and information/communication/technology. Identified opportunities stem mainly from involvement in newly identified or emerging markets, and expansion in or penetration of existing markets.

Emotional intelligence and transformational leadership behaviours of construction project managers

Purpose Existing research has highlighted the need for influential leaders to respond to the evolving social, economic and environmental constraints on the construction industry. Studies on leadership in other sectors have shown that influential leaders tend to demonstrate a high level of emotional intelligence. Little or no research examining relationships between leadership style and emotional intelligence has been conducted specific to construction project managers. This study aims to identify the prevalent leadership style adopted by construction project managers and investigate potential correlations between leadership style and emotional intelligence. Design/methodology/approach An online questionnaire including a mix of open and closed questions was adopted to address the research objectives. The group studied comprised project managers currently working in the construction industry in New Zealand and the UK. Findings The research found that transformational leadership style is prevalent among project managers examined in this study. Significant positive relationships were found between project managers’ emotional intelligence and their likelihood of adopting a transformational leadership style. Originality/value The research results provide the construction industry with a benchmark against which individuals with high emotional intelligence, and so most suited to the challenges of the project management role, can be identified and trained. Recommendations including suitable methods for identifying, recruiting and training project managers, as well as secondment and mentoring options, were suggested for improving leadership capabilities in the construction industry.

Too dry and too cold for mould germination in New Zealand dwellings

The indoor climate was investigated in 25 dwellings during the winter of 2005, in the Hutt Valley region (Greater Wellington, New Zealand). A temperature/relative humidity sensor and a fungal detector were attached to the indoor side of the external wall in the living room and in the asthmatic childs bedroom for an average period of 42 days. Germinated spores in the fungal detector were counted under a microscope. Only 2% of the Aspergillus penicillioides, 6% of the Eurotium herbariorum and 22% of the Alternaria alternata inclusions, showed germination of spores. Severe visible mould contamination was observed in only 12% of rooms studied. Consistent with these results, the measured average temperature of 16.7°C ± 0.2°C and relative humidity of 63% ± 1% were lower than normally considered necessary for significant mould development. To confirm these results, the experiment will be repeated in the same dwellings during the winter of 2006.

A Prevalence Study of Work-Related Health Complaints in Wellington and Auckland

The Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is the occurrence of acute health and comfort systems linked to the occupancy of a building. To assess the prevalence of SBS in New Zealand office environments, 1200 office personnel were randomly selected from the 1995 Wellington and Auckland regions of the New Zealand General Electoral Role. A questionaire study was used to investigate work related symptoms. A response rate of 44.25% (506respondents) was achieved. The most common self-reported symptoms were lethargy/tiredness (50.3%), concentration difficulties (44.9%), headache (38%) and nasal irritation 03-9%). Female respondents reported higher number of work-related symptoms of all symptom categories. Location did not make a difference to symptoms reported. Work-related symptom prevalence was higher for clerical/secretarial roles than managerial roles. Respondents with a predisposition to asthma, hayfever and eczema reported increased symptoms in comparison to non-atopic respondents.