Journal articles on the topic 'Nurse administrators Victoria Attitudes'

Background: Growing evidence suggests that collaborative practice improves healthcare outcomes, but the precursors to collaborative behavior between nurses and physicians have not been fully explored. Research question: The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to describe the professional values held by nurses and their attitudes toward physician–nurse collaboration and to explore the relationships between nurses’ characteristics (e.g. education, type of work) and professional values and their attitudes toward nurse–physician collaboration. Research design: This descriptive correlational study examines the relationship between nurses’ professional values (Nurses Professional Values Scale–Revised) and their attitudes toward nurse–physician collaboration (Jefferson Scale of Attitudes toward Physician–Nurse Collaboration). Ethical considerations: Permission to conduct the study was received from the hospital, and the Institutional Review Boards of the healthcare system and the participating university. Participants/context: A convenience sample of 231 registered nurses from a tertiary hospital in the United States was surveyed. Findings: A significant positive relationship was found between nurses’ professional values and better attitudes toward collaboration with physicians ( r = .26, p < .01). Attitude toward collaboration with physicians was also positively associated with master’s or higher levels of education ( F(3, 224) = 4.379, p = .005). Discussion: The results of this study can be helpful to nurse administrators who are responsible for developing highly collaborative healthcare teams and for nurse educators who are focused on developing professional values in future nurses.

In 2010 National Registration for nurses was established which was likely to impact the role of the maternal and child health nurses (MCH) in Victoria. This study explored the perceived impact of the national changes to the MCH nurse workforce in Victoria following the implementation of national registration and a proposed national service framework. A qualitative exploratory descriptive design was employed with the purpose of exploring the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of Key Stakeholders (KSH) to the recent changes and perceived impact to Victorian MCH nurses. The significance of this study lies with understanding the gaps in current knowledge of KSH to the national changes. Outlined briefly in this paper will be main findings from the KSH. This involved interviewing 12 KSH from management positions, including Local Government Coordinators, Policy Advisors to the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, the Municipal Association of Victoria, along with academics from Universities that provide postgraduate Child and Family Health education programs for the MCH nurse qualification. Date was transcribed verbatim and content analysis used. Categories were developed by identifying recurrent patterns from the data, labels were then chosen which reflected the participant’s words: “common standard”; “losing our identity”; “universal service”; “we do it well” and “imposed from above”. Overall the KSH were concerned how the disparity in education and qualifications would be resolved and the effect this would have on the service. Findings from this study highlight the importance of comprehensively investigating services offered by all jurisdictions and using collaboration, communication and leadership to effectively introduce change.

Introduction: Although nurses and physicians are known to share the common goal of improving the quality of health care, there has traditionally been a relational gap between them. The aim of the present study was to investigate the attitude of Iranian nurses about physician-nurse collaboration and its relationship with their job satisfaction. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 232 nurses were recruited from three educational hospitals of Zanjan University of medical sciences. Three questionnaires were used in this study; (a) Demographic data questionnaire, (2) Jefferson Scale of Attitudes toward Physician–Nurse Collaboration (JSAPNC), and (3) Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. Results: In this study, the mean age of the participants was 33.22(SD= 6.13) years, 83.8% of nurses were female, 90.8% had a baccalaureate degree in nursing, and 82.5 % had rotational work shifts. The mean score of physician-nurse collaboration was found to be 48.07 (SD= 8.95) (ranged from 15 to 60), and the mean score of job satisfaction scale was 57.78 (SD = 14.67) (ranged from 20 to 100). There was a significant positive correlation between the attitudes toward physician–nurse collaboration and job satisfaction among the nurses (r=0.59, P≤0.001). Conclusion: The results indicated that the collaboration between nurses and physicians increases the job satisfaction of nurses working in clinical settings. Therefore, nurses and physicians should develop a new culture of collaboration with each other with the mutual goal of high quality patient care. Moreover, health care administrators should implement the strategies that strengthen the development of physician–nurse collaboration.

Background: Competency of nurses is vital to safe nursing practice as well as essential component to drive quality of nursing services. Competency development is a continuous process of improving knowledge, attitudes and skills, and is influenced by a numerous of factors.Purposes: This study aims to explore factors that influence the development of competencies of nurses working in clinical settings in Vietnam.Methods: A descriptive qualitative research was conducted in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam with a purposive sample of twenty-seven participants including nurses, nurse managers, administrators, nurse teachers, medical doctors, and other health care providers. Data collection was by in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Content analysis was used to analyze the data.Findings: The research participants described numerous of factors that influence the journey of developing nurses’ competencies. The identified factors were relevant to nursing education and training system in Vietnam; working environments of nurses; public image and values of nursing profession; characteristics of nurses themselves; Vietnamese nursing profession; sociocultural-economic and political aspects in Vietnam; and global contexts.Conclusion: The derived knowledge would greatly benefit clinical nurses, administrators, nursing educators, health care services managers, policy makers as well as other relevant health care stakeholders in proposing of solutions to promote nursing education, nursing workplace environments, and the appropriate regulations in order to enhance the nursing competency and quality of nursing services in Vietnam.

Contents: Nurse Interns need more attention to their self-confidence and self-assessment abilities. Self-assessment is an essential approach for testing their knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Aim: This study aimed to develop a competency self-assessment tool for nurse interns and test its validity and reliability. Methods: Methodological study for the development of a tool. The study was carried out at Ain-Shams University Hospitals on all 89-nurse interns in the internship year, and a jury group of 21 faculty members and 21 nurse managers for validation. The researchers developed a preliminary self-assessment tool with six selected nursing core competencies presented to the jury group for validation. Results: The finalized tool had a very high total face CVI-S (0.99). The CVI-S ranged between 0.94 for environmental safety and hazardous materials safety and 1.00 for the content validity's attitude scale. The total scale had a CVI-S as high as 0.98. The tool had excellent overall reliability with a Cronbach alpha coefficient as high as 0.901 and an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.888. The attitude scale also had excellent reliability with a Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.965 and an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.964. In the application of the tool, 95.5% of the nurse interns considered their competencies adequate. In terms of grades, only 32.6% and 10.1% considered themselves having very good and excellent competencies, respectively, and 70.8% had a positive attitude toward self-assessment. Conclusion: A valid and reliable competency self-assessment tool was developed for nurse interns; it can be applied in various nursing internship programs. It could be used by the administrators of the internship programs to identify the individual learning and training needs of nurse interns. Further studies are proposed to evaluate the utility of the tool in evaluating and improving these programs.

Abstract Background: Barcode medication administration (BCMA) has been widely implemented in the inpatient setting of hospitals throughout the United States, resulting in lower medication administration errors. Understanding nurses’ attitudes toward BCMA in the Emergency Department (ED) may assist administrators with creating implementation strategies that will improve medication administration process turnaround time and remove barriers to use ensuring increased compliance and improved patient safety. Methods: The aim of this descriptive research study was to identify Emergency Department nurses’ attitudes towards acceptance of this technology, based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Data collection was carried out using an online, cross-sectional survey of nurses (n=55) who were members of the National Emergency Nurses Association of Canada. Results: The results demonstrated that two-thirds of those surveyed had approximately one year of experience with using BCMA technology. More positive attitudes were found in the following domains: behavioral intent, anxiety, and self-efficacy. Neutral attitudes were perceived regarding facilitating conditions, social influence, and effort expectancy. The most negative attitudes were expressed regarding attitude toward technology and performance expectancy. Conclusions: The results of this study allow us to conclude that the ED nurse perceived BCMA as easy to master and use and not intimidating or anxiety producing; however, they do not perceive it as useful nor do they perceive it to improve their proficiency or productivity. It is recommended that future studies be conducted on larger samples and also on participants that have had more experience using this technology. Keywords: Barcode Medication Administration, Emergency Department, Medication Administration, Attitudes.

Individual and group beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, competences, and behavioral patterns all contribute to the safety culture of a healthcare company. The study’s goal is to assess nurses’ perceptions of elements that influence patient safety culture in order to promote long-term nursing practice. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was done among a sample of 146 nurses who were recruited from one hospital in Egypt. They completed a self-administered, printed questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed participants’ socio-demographic data and their perception regarding patient safety culture for sustainable nursing practices. The findings revealed that nursing staff had a high perception regarding patient safety culture a with mean score (159.94 ± 7.864). Also, the highest percentage (74.66%) of had no safety events reported yearly. Creating a unit-specific patient safety culture suited to the competences of the unit’s RNs in patient safety practice would be crucial to increasing and sustaining high levels of patient safety attitudes, skills, and knowledge among the unit’s RNs, influencing patient safety. When implementing interventions to promote patient safety and reporting culture in hospitals, policymakers, hospital administrators, and nurse executives should take the current findings into account. A multidimensional network intervention addressing many elements of patient safety culture and integrating different organizational levels should be implemented to enhance patient safety and a no-blame culture.

Research utilising de-identified patient health information extracted from electronic medical records (EMRs) from general practices has steadily grown in recent years in response to calls to increase use of health data for research and other secondary purposes in Australia. Little is known about the views of key primary care personnel on this issue, which are important, as they may influence whether practices agree to provide EMR data for research. This exploratory qualitative study investigated the attitudes and beliefs of general practitioners (GPs), practice managers (PMs) and practice nurses (PNs) around sharing de-identified EMR patient health information with researchers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 participants (6 GPs, 3 PMs and 2 PNs) recruited via purposive sampling from general practices in Victoria, Australia. Transcripts were coded and thematically analysed. Participants were generally enthusiastic about research utilising de-identified health information extracted from EMRs for altruistic reasons, including: positive effects on primary care research, clinical practice and population health outcomes. Concerns raised included patient privacy and data breaches, third-party use of extracted data and patient consent. These findings can provide guidance to researchers and policymakers in designing and implementing projects involving de-identified health information extracted from EMRs.

Background and objective: Current nursing shortages and low willingness of young people to choose nursing as a career are of major concern in many countries. This study examined the knowledge, attitude and intention towards the nursing profession among high school graduates in China and factors associated with graduate’ intention to enroll in nursing program.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a random sampling. A total of 3764 high school graduates of selected schools in Central China participated in the study. Data were collected with online survey including demographics, knowledge of and attitude towards nursing and intention to choose nursing. Pearson’s correlations and Hierarchical regression analyses were performed.Results: Less than 10% of the participants expressed interest in a future career in nursing. Knowledge and attitude about nursing were positively associated with intention to study nursing. Both patents’ education, family income and attitude significantly predicted intention to study nursing in the hierarchy regression model (p < .001).Conclusions: Recruitment and retention strategies need to focus on addressing improving knowledge about the roles of nurse among high school students. Nursing administrators and educators should provide information about nursing profession on Websites and social media or programs for high school students with early clinical exposure to nursing to increase their knowledge and change their attitudes toward nursing.

Background: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is one strategy that enables clinicians to succeed in handling emerging literature, and integrating it to achieve high-quality patient outcomes. Although beneficial and innovative it is not considered a priority by many. Most nurses have little, if any, exposure to the clinical research process. Purpose: This study aimed to conduct a baseline assessment of perceived knowledge, attitude toward EBP, and barriers to adopting EBP in nursing. Methods: The study used a descriptive cross-sectional quantitative design. A convenient sample of 406 nurses participated and completed the EBP questionnaire. For ethical clearance, granted approval from Hospitals’ Research Ethics Committee and to HAU-IRB. Results: Nurses (n = 156, 38.4%) believes that EBP holistically is composed of patient data and preference, healthcare professionals’ skills, and research findings. They (n = 256, 63%) have a positive attitude towards EBP and are willing to accept new healthcare strategies based on research. But expresses less confidence (M = 3.90, SD = 0.64) in identifying clinical issues/problems and translate these into a well-crafted clinical question. They perceived themselves to possess moderate levels of skills to undertake different EBP activities (M = 3.76, SD = 0.61). Knowledge (x(4) = 12.174, p = 0.02), attitudes toward EBP (U = 13947.5, p = 0.04) were significantly better among nurses who had previous EBP training. Similarly, respondents with EBP-related training are more confident in integrating EBP into their practice (U = 13408, p = 0.01). Conclusion: Nurses’ highest level of education and years of clinical experience affects their implementation skills in adopting EBP. The study reflected the benefits of training, continuing education, and length of experience in the acquisition of skills. Findings can serve as a basis for developing programs to improve nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards EBP. Nurse administrators can create policies that address barriers identified in the study.

<p><strong>Background:</strong> Children with diabetes type 1 (T1DM) need close monitoring for their blood glucose, food intake, insulin therapy and physical activity during school hours in order to guard against the development of acute and long-term complications.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To evaluate the current situation of management of T1DM in primary and intermediate schools children through assessment of the working staffs' attitude, knowledge and practice at Al-Jouf, Saudi Arabia. <strong></strong></p><p><strong>Materials and Methods: </strong>This descriptive cross-sectional study enrolled consented voluntarily participating working staffs from primary and intermediate schools in Al-Jouf region, Saudia Arabia. A questionnaire (included 23 questions) testing knowledge, attitudes and practice regarding T1DM and care of diabetic children was used.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> 744 teachers were studied (62.1% females) where58.1%of them were working in primary schools. Of all, 69% were class teachers, 20.4% administrators, 8.6% school counselors, and 2% physical education teachers.75.4% of the participants had adequate general knowledge about diabetes. Only 43.78% of the respondents had specific knowledge about diabetes in the school and teachers with a family diabetic patient showed higher knowledge about diabetes vs. their counterparts. Only 16.0%of the participants reported that their schools have trained personnel in diabetes. Large proportion of study teachers' (94%) was willing to join a training program for care of diabetic students. Of the total group of teachers, 665 support recruitment of a school nurse. <strong></strong></p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Diabetes care training programs for school teachers and staffs, availability of school nurses and instigating collaboration between the diabetic center and the school is essential for safety of such diabetes student patients in the schools.</p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> Type 1 Diabetes mellitus, School teachers, Training programs, Diabetes care, Knowledge about diabetes, School nurse, Diabetes care at the school.</p>

Abstract Background Evidence indicates that poor nurse-client relationships within maternal and child health (MCH) continues to impact trust in formal healthcare systems, service uptake, continuity with care and MCH outcomes. This necessitates contextualized innovative solutions that places both nurses and clients at the forefront as agents of change in optimizing intervention designs and implementation. This study explored nurses and clients’ perspectives on the factors shaping nurse-client relationships in MCH care to generate evidence to guide subsequent steps of human centered design (HCD) that involve designing effective strategies for improving therapeutic relationships in Shinyanga, Tanzania. Methods Qualitative descriptive design was employed. About 9 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and 12 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with purposefully selected nurses and midwives, women attending MCH services and administrators were conducted using semi-structured interview guides in Swahili language. Data were transcribed and translated simultaneously, managed using Nvivo Software and analyzed thematically. Results Factors shaping nurse-client relationships were heuristically categorized into nurse, client and health system factors. Nurse contributors of poor relationship ranged from poor reception and hospitality, not expressing care and concern, poor communication and negative attitudes, poor quality of services, job dissatisfaction and unstable mental health. Client contributors of poor relationship include being ‘much know’, late attendance, non-adherence to procedures and instructions, negative attitudes, poor communication, inadequate education and awareness, poverty, dissatisfaction with care, faith in traditional healers and unstable mental health. Health system contributors were inadequate resources, poor management practices, inadequate policy implementation and absence of an independent department or agency for gathering and management of complaints. Suggestions for improving nurse-client relationship included awards and recognition of good nurses, improving complaints mechanisms, continued professional development, peer to peer learning and mentorship, education and sensitization to clients, improving service quality and working conditions, improving renumeration and incentives, strengthening nursing school’s student screening and nursing curriculum and improving mental health for both nurses and clients. Conclusions The factors shaping poor nurse- client relationships appear to extend beyond nurses to both clients and healthcare facilities and system. Implementation of effective interventions for addressing identified factors considering feasibility and acceptance to both nurses and clients using novel strategies such as HCD could pave the way for employing good nurse-client relationships as a tool for improving performance indicators and health outcomes within MCH care.

Background: Pediatric nurses care for some of the most vulnerable patients in our healthcare system. Research on health care provider organizational behavior shows that the quality of care nurses provide is directly related to their well-being, influenced by Burnout and job stress, in the workplace. However, most of the research conducted on nursing populations neglects to separately study nurses who care for children. In a resource limited system where health care provider well-being is recognized as a priority, it is important for administrators to understand the environmental and attitudinal work factors most influential to pediatric nurse work outcomes in order to target optimization strategies. The aim of the study was to identify which modifiable work environment factors, e.g., [Incivility, Perceived Organizational Support, Quality of Work-life] make the greatest contribution to the work outcome of Burnout (i.e., Personal Accomplishment, Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization) in pediatric nurses.Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was used at a large quaternary care pediatric hospital in Toronto, Canada. We administered a survey to a convenience sample of all registered nurses with &gt;3 months experience in the Pediatric, Cardiac, and Neonatal Intensive Care Units from January 2021–March 2021. Path analysis was used to test our proposed model which was specified a priori based on a review of the literature.Results: 143 nurses completed the survey. Path analysis of the tested model resulted in good fit. Quality of Work-life had the largest direct effect on Work Engagement (β = 0.582, S.E. = 0.111, p &lt; 0.001). Work Engagement had the largest direct effect on Personal Accomplishment (β = 0.68, S.E. = 0.53, p &lt; 0.001). Quality of Work-life had the largest indirect effect on Personal Accomplishment (β = 0.4, S.E. = 0.65, p &lt; 0.001), Emotional Exhaustion (β = −0.33, S.E. = 0.87, p &lt; 0.001), and Depersonalization (β =−0.17, S.E. = 0.41, p = 0.006), respectively. Work Engagement had the largest total effect on Personal Accomplishment (β = 0.68, S.E. = 0.64, p &lt; 0.001) and the third largest total effect on Emotional Exhaustion (β = −0.57, S.E. = 0.83, p &lt; 0.001). Quality of Work-life had the second largest total effect on Work Engagement (β = 0.58, S.E. = 0.11, p &lt; 0.001) indicating that Quality of Work-life is mediated through Work Engagement for its effect on Burnout.Conclusions: Our results indicate work environment and work attitude factors that can provide organizational leadership with a targeted focus to reduce pediatric critical care nurse Burnout, and thus improve provider well-being, in a resource limited system.

Abstract Introduction 'No Jab, No Play' and 'No Jab, No Pay' mandatory immunisation policies were introduced in the state of Victoria and Australia nationally in January 2016. They restrict access to childcare/kindergarten and family assistance payments respectively, for under-vaccinated children. We aimed to describe the proportion of attendees to immunisation services of a tertiary hospital, the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne (RCH), who were motivated by the policies to discuss or catch up vaccination. We also explored the association between policy motivation, vaccine hesitancy (VH) and intent to seek medical exemption, with vaccine-uptake. Referrals to the Specialist Immunisation Clinic (SIC) were also reviewed. Methods Parents/Guardians and clinicians completed surveys October 2016-May 2017 from the nurse-led immunisation Drop in Centre (DIC) or physician-led SIC. Vaccine-uptake was measured using the Australian Immunisation Register at baseline, 1 and 7 months post-attendance. The association between vaccine-uptake, policy motivation and VH was explored by logistic regression. Results Of 607 children included, 393 (65%) were from the DIC and 214 (35%) SIC. 74 (12%) of parents were motivated by the policies to attend immunisation services and 19% were VH. Only 50% of VH parents planned to catch-up vaccination for enrolment to childcare/kindergarten. Fewer children were fully immunised at 7 months if their parents were VH (difference 18%; OR 0.24, CI 0.1-0.54,p&lt;0.001) or seeking medical exemption (difference 33%, OR 0.08, CI 0.01-0.6, p 0.015). Conclusions The 'No Jab' policies motivated attendance to a tertiary immunisation service but children of vaccine hesitant parents and those seeking medical exemption to immunisation were less likely to be fully immunised post attendance, compared to baseline. These data will be used to inform a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of the policies, particularly the educational impact from loss of early childhood education.

Kangatarianism is the rather inelegant word coined in the first decade of the twenty-first century to describe an omnivorous diet in which the only meat consumed is that of the kangaroo. First published in the media in 2010 (Barone; Zukerman), the term circulated in Australian environmental and academic circles including the Global Animal conference at the University of Wollongong in July 2011 where I first heard it from members of the Think Tank for Kangaroos (THINKK) group. By June 2017, it had gained enough attention to be named the Oxford English Dictionary’s Australian word of the month (following on from May’s “smashed avo,” another Australian food innovation), but it took the Nine Network reality television series Love Island Australia to raise kangatarian to trending status on social media (Oxford UP). During the first episode, aired in late May 2018, Justin, a concreter and fashion model from Melbourne, declared himself to have previously been a kangatarian as he chatted with fellow contestant, Millie. Vet nurse and animal lover Millie appeared to be shocked by his revelation but was tentatively accepting when Justin explained what kangatarian meant, and justified his choice on the grounds that kangaroo are not farmed. In the social media response, it was clear that eating only the meat of kangaroos as an ethical choice was an entirely new concept to many viewers, with one tweet stating “Kangatarian isn’t a thing”, while others variously labelled the diet brutal, intriguing, or quintessentially Australian (see #kangatarian on Twitter).There is a well developed literature around the arguments for and against eating kangaroo, and why settler Australians tend to be so reluctant to do so (see for example, Probyn; Cawthorn and Hoffman). Here, I will concentrate on the role that ethics play in this food choice by examining how the adoption of kangatarianism can be understood as a bargain struck to help to manage grief in the Anthropocene, and the limitations of that bargain. As Lesley Head has argued, we are living in a time of loss and of grieving, when much that has been taken for granted is becoming unstable, and “we must imagine that drastic changes to everyday life are in the offing” (313). Applying the classic (and contested) model of five stages of grief, first proposed by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her book On Death and Dying in 1969, much of the population of the western world seems to be now experiencing denial, her first stage of loss, while those in the most vulnerable environments have moved on to anger with developed countries for destructive actions in the past and inaction in the present. The next stages (or states) of grieving—bargaining, depression, and acceptance—are likely to be manifested, although not in any predictable sequence, as the grief over current and future losses continues (Haslam).The great expansion of food restrictive diets in the Anthropocene can be interpreted as part of this bargaining state of grieving as individuals attempt to respond to the imperative to reduce their environmental impact but also to limit the degree of change to their own diet required to do so. Meat has long been identified as a key component of an individual’s environmental footprint. From Frances Moore Lappé’s 1971 Diet for a Small Planet through the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation’s 2006 report Livestock’s Long Shadow to the 2019 report of the EAT–Lancet Commission on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems, the advice has been consistent: meat consumption should be minimised in, if not eradicated from, the human diet. The EAT–Lancet Commission Report quantified this to less than 28 grams (just under one ounce) of beef, lamb or pork per day (12, 25). For many this would be keenly felt, in terms of how meals are constructed, the sensory experiences associated with eating meat and perceptions of well-being but meat is offered up as a sacrifice to bring about the return of the beloved healthy planet.Rather than accept the advice to cut out meat entirely, those seeking to bargain with the Anthropocene also find other options. This has given rise to a suite of foodways based around restricting meat intake in volume or type. Reducing the amount of commercially produced beef, lamb and pork eaten is one approach, while substituting a meat the production of which has a smaller environmental footprint, most commonly chicken or fish, is another. For those willing to make deeper changes, the meat of free living animals, especially those which are killed accidentally on the roads or for deliberately for environmental management purposes, is another option. Further along this spectrum are the novel protein sources suggested in the Lancet report, including insects, blue-green algae and laboratory-cultured meats.Kangatarianism is another form of this bargain, and is backed by at least half a century of advocacy. The Australian Conservation Foundation made calls to reduce the numbers of other livestock and begin a sustainable harvest of kangaroo for food in 1970 when the sale of kangaroo meat for human consumption was still illegal across the country (Conservation of Kangaroos). The idea was repeated by biologist Gordon Grigg in the late 1980s (Jackson and Vernes 173), and again in the Garnaut Climate Change Review in 2008 (547–48). Kangaroo meat is high in protein and iron, low in fat, and high in healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid, and, as these authors showed, has a smaller environmental footprint than beef, lamb, or pork. Kangaroo require less water than cattle, sheep or pigs, and no land is cleared to grow feed for them or give them space to graze. Their paws cause less erosion and compaction of soil than do the hooves of common livestock. They eat less fodder than ruminants and their digestive processes result in lower emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane and less solid waste.As Justin of Love Island was aware, kangaroo are not farmed in the sense of being deliberately bred, fed, confined, or treated with hormones, drugs or chemicals, which also adds to their lighter impact on the environment. However, some pastoralists argue that because they cannot prevent kangaroos from accessing the food, water, shelter, and protection from predators they provide for their livestock, they do effectively farm them, although they receive no income from sales of kangaroo meat. This type of light touch farming of kangaroos has a very long history in Australia going back to the continent’s first peopling some 60,000 years ago. Kangaroos were so important to Aboriginal people that a wide range of environments were manipulated to produce their favoured habitats of open grasslands edged by sheltering trees. As Bill Gammage demonstrated, fire was used as a tool to preserve and extend grassy areas, to encourage regrowth which would attract kangaroos and to drive the animals from one patch to another or towards hunters waiting with spears (passim, for example, 58, 72, 76, 93). Gammage and Bruce Pascoe agree that this was a form of animal husbandry in which the kangaroos were drawn to the areas prepared for them for the young grass or, more forcefully, physically directed using nets, brush fences or stone walls. Burnt ground served to contain the animals in place of fencing, and regular harvesting kept numbers from rising to levels which would place pressure on other species (Gammage 79, 281–86; Pascoe 42–43). Contemporary advocates of eating kangaroo have promoted the idea that they should be deliberately co-produced with other livestock instead of being killed to preserve feed and water for sheep and cattle (Ellicott; Wilson 39). Substituting kangaroo for the meat of more environmentally damaging animals would facilitate a reduction in the numbers of cattle and sheep, lessening the harm they do.Most proponents have assumed that their audience is current meat eaters who would substitute kangaroo for the meat of other more environmentally costly animals, but kangatarianism can also emerge from vegetarianism. Wendy Zukerman, who wrote about kangaroo hunting for New Scientist in 2010, was motivated to conduct the research because she was considering becoming an early adopter of kangatarianism as the least environmentally taxing way to counter the longterm anaemia she had developed as a vegetarian. In 2018, George Wilson, honorary professor in the Australian National University’s Fenner School of Environment and Society called for vegetarians to become kangatarians as a means of boosting overall consumption of kangaroo for environmental and economic benefits to rural Australia (39).Given these persuasive environmental arguments, it might be expected that many people would have perceived eating kangaroo instead of other meat as a favourable bargain and taken up the call to become kangatarian. Certainly, there has been widespread interest in trying kangaroo meat. In 1997, only five years after the sale of kangaroo meat for human consumption had been legalised in most states (South Australia did so in 1980), 51% of 500 people surveyed in five capital cities said they had tried kangaroo. However, it had not become a meat of choice with very few found to eat it more than three times a year (Des Purtell and Associates iv). Just over a decade later, a study by Ampt and Owen found an increase to 58% of 1599 Australians surveyed across the country who had tried kangaroo but just 4.7% eating it at least monthly (14). Bryce Appleby, in his study of kangaroo consumption in the home based on interviews with 28 residents of Wollongong in 2010, specifically noted the absence of kangatarians—then a very new concept. A study of 261 Sydney university students in 2014 found that half had tried kangaroo meat and 10% continued to eat it with any regularity. Only two respondents identified themselves as kangatarian (Grant 14–15). Kangaroo meat advocate Michael Archer declared in 2017 that “there’s an awful lot of very, very smart vegetarians [who] have opted for semi vegetarianism and they’re calling themselves ‘kangatarians’, as they’re quite happy to eat kangaroo meat”, but unless there had been a significant change in a few years, the surveys did not bear out his assertion (154).The ethical calculations around eating kangaroo are complicated by factors beyond the strictly environmental. One Tweeter advised Justin: “‘I’m a kangatarian’ isn’t a pickup line, mate”, and certainly the reception of his declaration could have been very cool, especially as it was delivered to a self declared animal warrior (N’Tash Aha). All of the studies of beliefs and practices around the eating of kangaroo have noted a significant minority of Australians who would not consider eating kangaroo based on issues of animal welfare and animal rights. The 1997 study found that 11% were opposed to the idea of eating kangaroo, while in Grant’s 2014 study, 15% were ethically opposed to eating kangaroo meat (Des Purtell and Associates iv; Grant 14–15). Animal ethics complicate the bargains calculated principally on environmental grounds.These ethical concerns work across several registers. One is around the flesh and blood kangaroo as a charismatic native animal unique to Australia and which Australians have an obligation to respect and nurture. Sheep, cattle and pigs have been subject to longterm propaganda campaigns which entrench the idea that they are unattractive and unintelligent, and veil their transition to meat behind euphemistic language and abattoir walls, making it easier to eat them. Kangaroos are still seen as resourceful and graceful animals, and no linguistic tricks shield consumers from the knowledge that it is a roo on their plate. A proposal in 2009 to market a “coat of arms” emu and kangaroo-flavoured potato chip brought complaints to the Advertising Standards Bureau that this was disrespectful to these native animals, although the flavours were to be simulated and the product vegetarian (Black). Coexisting with this high regard to kangaroos is its antithesis. That is, a valuation of them informed by their designation as a pest in the pastoral industry, and the use of the carcasses of those killed to feed dogs and other companion animals. Appleby identified a visceral, disgust response to the idea of eating kangaroo in many of his informants, including both vegetarians who would not consider eating kangaroo because of their commitment to a plant-based diet, and at least one omnivore who would prefer to give up all meat rather than eat kangaroo. While diametrically opposed, the end point of both positions is that kangaroo meat should not be eaten.A second animal ethics stance relates to the imagined kangaroo, a cultural construct which for most urban Australians is much more present in their lives and likely to shape their actions than the living animals. It is behind the rejection of eating an animal which holds such an iconic place in Australian culture: to the dexter on the 1912 national coat of arms; hopping through the Hundred Acre Wood as Kanga and Roo in A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh children’s books from the 1920s and the Disney movies later made from them; as a boy’s best friend as Skippy the Bush Kangaroo in a fondly remembered 1970s television series; and high in the sky on QANTAS planes. The anthropomorphising of kangaroos permitted the spectacle of the boxing kangaroo from the late nineteenth century. By framing natural kangaroo behaviours as boxing, these exhibitions encouraged an ambiguous understanding of kangaroos as human-like, moving them further from the category of food (Golder and Kirkby). Australian government bodies used this idea of the kangaroo to support food exports to Britain, with kangaroos as cooks or diners rather than ingredients. The Kangaroo Kookery Book of 1932 (see fig. 1 below) portrayed kangaroos as a nuclear family in a suburban kitchen and another official campaign supporting sales of Australian produce in Britain in the 1950s featured a Disney-inspired kangaroo eating apples and chops washed down with wine (“Kangaroo to Be ‘Food Salesman’”). This imagining of kangaroos as human-like has persisted, leading to the opinion expressed in a 2008 focus group, that consuming kangaroo amounted to “‘eating an icon’ … Although they are pests they are still human nature … these are native animals, people and I believe that is a form of cannibalism!” (Ampt and Owen 26). Figure 1: Rather than promoting the eating of kangaroos, the portrayal of kangaroos as a modern suburban family in the Kangaroo Kookery Book (1932) made it unthinkable. (Source: Kangaroo Kookery Book, Director of Australian Trade Publicity, Australia House, London, 1932.)The third layer of ethical objection on the ground of animal welfare is more specific, being directed to the method of killing the kangaroos which become food. Kangaroos are perhaps the only native animals for which state governments set quotas for commercial harvest, on the grounds that they compete with livestock for pasturage and water. In most jurisdictions, commercially harvested kangaroo carcasses can be processed for human consumption, and they are the ones which ultimately appear in supermarket display cases.Kangaroos are killed by professional shooters at night using swivelling spotlights mounted on their vehicles to locate and daze the animals. While clean head shots are the ideal and regulations state that animals should be killed when at rest and without causing “undue agonal struggle”, this is not always achieved and some animals do suffer prolonged deaths (NSW Code of Practice for Kangaroo Meat for Human Consumption). By regulation, the young of any female kangaroo must be killed along with her. While averting a slow death by neglect, this is considered cruel and wasteful. The hunt has drawn international criticism, including from Greenpeace which organised campaigns against the sale of kangaroo meat in Europe in the 1980s, and Viva! which was successful in securing the withdrawal of kangaroo from sale in British supermarkets (“Kangaroo Meat Sales Criticised”). These arguments circulate and influence opinion within Australia.A final animal ethics issue is that what is actually behind the push for greater use of kangaroo meat is not concern for the environment or animal welfare but the quest to turn a profit from these animals. The Kangaroo Industries Association of Australia, formed in 1970 to represent those who dealt in the marsupials’ meat, fur and skins, has been a vocal advocate of eating kangaroo and a sponsor of market research into how it can be made more appealing to the market. The Association argued in 1971 that commercial harvest was part of the intelligent conservation of the kangaroo. They sought minimum size regulations to prevent overharvesting and protect their livelihoods (“Assn. Backs Kangaroo Conservation”). The Association’s current website makes the claim that wild harvested “Australian kangaroo meat is among the healthiest, tastiest and most sustainable red meats in the world” (Kangaroo Industries Association of Australia). That this is intended to initiate a new and less controlled branch of the meat industry for the benefit of hunters and processors, rather than foster a shift from sheep or cattle to kangaroos which might serve farmers and the environment, is the opinion of Dr. Louise Boronyak, of the Centre for Compassionate Conservation at the University of Technology Sydney (Boyle 19).Concerns such as these have meant that kangaroo is most consumed where it is least familiar, with most of the meat for human consumption recovered from culled animals being exported to Europe and Asia. Russia has been the largest export market. There, kangaroo meat is made less strange by blending it with other meats and traditional spices to make processed meats, avoiding objections to its appearance and uncertainty around preparation. With only a low profile as a novelty animal in Russia, there are fewer sentimental concerns about consuming kangaroo, although the additional food miles undermine its environmental credentials. The variable acceptability of kangaroo in more distant markets speaks to the role of culture in determining how patterns of eating are formed and can be shifted, or, as Elspeth Probyn phrased it “how natural entities are transformed into commodities within a context of globalisation and local communities”, underlining the impossibility of any straightforward ethics of eating kangaroo (33, 35).Kangatarianism is a neologism which makes the eating of kangaroo meat something it has not been in the past, a voluntary restriction based on environmental ethics. These environmental benefits are well founded and eating kangaroo can be understood as an Anthropocenic bargain struck to allow the continuation of the consumption of red meat while reducing one’s environmental footprint. Although superficially attractive, the numbers entering into this bargain remain small because environmental ethics cannot be disentangled from animal ethics. The anthropomorphising of the kangaroo and its use as a national symbol coexist with its categorisation as a pest and use of its meat as food for companion animals. Both understandings of kangaroos made their meat uneatable for many Australians. Paired with concerns over how kangaroos are killed and the commercialisation of a native species, kangaroo meat has a very mixed reception despite decades of advocacy for eating its meat in favour of that of more harmed and more harmful introduced species. Given these constraints, kangatarianism is unlikely to become widespread and indeed it should be viewed as at best a temporary exigency. As the climate warms and rainfall becomes more erratic, even animals which have evolved to suit Australian conditions will come under increasing pressure, and humans will need to reach Kübler-Ross’ final state of grief: acceptance. In this case, this would mean acceptance that our needs cannot be placed ahead of those of other animals.ReferencesAmpt, Peter, and Kate Owen. Consumer Attitudes to Kangaroo Meat Products. Canberra: Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, 2008.Appleby, Bryce. “Skippy the ‘Green’ Kangaroo: Identifying Resistances to Eating Kangaroo in the Home in a Context of Climate Change.” BSc Hons, U of Wollongong, 2010 <http://ro.uow.edu.au/thsci/103>.Archer, Michael. “Zoology on the Table: Plenary Session 4.” Australian Zoologist 39, 1 (2017): 154–60.“Assn. 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