Academic literature on the topic 'Risk perception South Australia Adelaide'

Olives (Olea europaea ssp. europaea), dispersed from 19th century orchards in the Adelaide area, have become established in remnant bushland as a major environmental weed. Recent expansion of the Australian olive industry has resulted in the widespread planting of olive orchards in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland and parts of Tasmania. This paper reviews the literature on the activity of vertebrate (principally avian) olive predators and their potential as vectors for spreading this plant into Australian remnant bushland. The effects of feralisation on the olive plant, which enhances its capacity for dispersal as a weed, place wider areas of south-eastern Australia at risk. A number of approaches for the control of olives as woody weeds are addressed. Proponents of new agricultural crops have moral and environmental obligations to assess the weed potential of these crops.

The German presence in nineteenth-century South Australia is associated primarily with the immigration of Prussian Lutherans escaping religious persecution in their homeland. Their settlement in the fledgling British colony aided its early, stuttering development; in the longer term it also fitted neatly South Australia's perception of itself as a “paradise of dissent.” These Germans took their religion seriously, none more so than the Lutheran missionaries who committed themselves to bringing the Gospel to the indigenous people of the Adelaide plains and, eventually, much further afield as well. In reality, however, the story of the German contribution to the history of this British colony extended far beyond these pious Lutherans. Among those who followed in their wake, whether as settlers or travellers, were Germans of many different backgrounds, who made their way to the Antipodes for a multitude of reasons. In South Australia as much as anywhere, globalising Germany was a multi-facetted project.The intellectual gamut of Germans in South Australia is nowhere more evident than in the realm of anthropology. The missionaries were not alone in displaying a keen interest in the Australian Aborigines. Anthropologists steeped in the empirical tradition that came to dominate the nascent discipline at the end of the nineteenth century also turned their attention to Australia. Indeed, in Germany and elsewhere, Australia occupied a special position in international discourse. The American anthropologist Lewis Henry Morgan had observed in 1880 that Australian aboriginal societies “now represent the condition of mankind in savagery better than it is elsewhere represented on the earth—a condition now rapidly passing away.”

AbstractOriginally presented at the National Injury Management and Prevention Conference: Transition and Change, on April 27, 2006, which was held at the Hyatt Regency, Adelaide, South Australia. Reprinted with the permission of the authors.Work in the Australian construction industry is fraught with risk and the potential for serious harm. The industry is consistently placed within the three most hazardous industries to work along with other industries such as mining and transport (National Occupational Health and Safety Commission, 2003). In the 2001 to 2002 period, construction work killed 39 people and injured 13,250 more. Hence, more effort is required to reduce the injury rate and maximise the value of the rehabilitation/back-to-work process.

Background After reviewing urethral gonorrhoea cases among men who have sex with men (MSM) at the South Australia Specialist Sexual Health (SASSH) in Adelaide, Australia, we noticed peaks of gonorrhoea among MSM occurred predominantly in the first quarter of the year (January–March). The aim of this study was to formally test this hypothesis against data from a similar period at three sexual health services, one each in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. Methods: This study was a retrospective analysis of computerised records at the three Australian sexual health services. Potential risk factors for urethral gonorrhoea among MSM were also reviewed at the SASSH. Results: More peaks of gonorrhoea cases were observed in the first quarter of the year in Adelaide and Sydney and in the second and fourth quarter in Melbourne. Factors independently associated with urethral gonorrhoea at the SASSH were being a young MSM, especially those aged 25–29 (odds ratio (OR) 2.66, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.00–3.54), having more than one sexual partner (OR 1.71, 95% CI: 1.43–2.04), having had sex interstate and overseas (OR 1.52, 95% CI: 1.06–2.17), and presenting in the first quarter (OR 1.30, 95% CI: 1.10–1.55). Conclusion: Our data suggest that gonorrhoea among MSM occurs in a seasonal pattern, particularly late summer into early autumn. This has implications for the provision of health services over the year and for the timing of health promotion activities.

SUMMARYCampylobacterspp. is a commonly reported food-borne disease with major consequences for morbidity. In conjunction with predicted increases in temperature, proliferation in the survival of microorganisms in hotter environments is expected. This is likely to lead, in turn, to an increase in contamination of food and water and a rise in numbers of cases of infectious gastroenteritis. This study assessed the relationship ofCampylobacterspp. with temperature and heatwaves, in Adelaide, South Australia.We estimated the effect of (i) maximum temperature and (ii) heatwaves on dailyCampylobactercases during the warm seasons (1 October to 31 March) from 1990 to 2012 using Poisson regression models.There was no evidence of a substantive effect of maximum temperature per 1 °C rise (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0·995, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0·993–0·997) nor heatwaves (IRR 0·906, 95% CI 0·800–1·026) onCampylobactercases. In relation to heatwave intensity, which is the daily maximum temperature during a heatwave, notifications decreased by 19% within a temperature range of 39–40·9 °C (IRR 0·811, 95% CI 0·692–0·952). We found little evidence of an increase in risk and lack of association betweenCampylobactercases and temperature or heatwaves in the warm seasons. Heatwave intensity may play a role in that notifications decreased with higher temperatures. Further examination of the role of behavioural and environmental factors in an effort to reduce the risk of increasedCampylobactercases is warranted.

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is increasing worldwide and there is a need to identify communities with a high-risk profile and to develop appropriate primary care interventions. This study aimed to predict future T2D risk and identify community-level geographic variations using general practices data. The Australian T2D risk assessment (AUSDRISK) tool was used to calculate the individual T2D risk scores using 55693 clinical records from 16 general practices in west Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. Spatial clusters and potential ‘hotspots’ of T2D risk were examined using Local Moran’s I and the Getis-Ord Gi* techniques. Further, the correlation between T2D risk and the socioeconomic status of communities were mapped. Individual risk scores were categorised into three groups: low risk (34.0% of participants), moderate risk (35.2% of participants) and high risk (30.8% of participants). Spatial analysis showed heterogeneity in T2D risk across communities, with significant clusters in the central part of the study area. These study results suggest that routinely collected data from general practices offer a rich source of data that may be a useful and efficient approach for identifying T2D hotspots across communities. Mapping aggregated T2D risk offers a novel approach to identifying areas of unmet need.

Background and objectives: There is compelling scientific evidence that climate change will increase the frequency of heat waves which have an impact on population health. In Adelaide, unprecedented heat waves have been experienced in recent years which had significant impact on human health. The objectives of this research project were to: (1) explore public opinion (views and attitudes) about heat waves in relation to climate change, (2) explore public understanding of the consequences and the emotional and psychological responses associated with heat waves, (3) identify the predictors of risk perception using a heat wave scenario and adaptive behaviours during heat waves; and (4) explore the concept of multi-stakeholder processes during the development of an adaptation strategy for heat waves. Methods: In the first study, interviews were conducted among fourteen residents to explore their views about heat waves, their understanding of its consequences and the emotional and psychological responses associated with heat waves. The second study was a cross-sectional study that examined the attitudes towards heat waves, risk perception and adaptive behaviours during heat waves among 267 participants with the health belief model used as the theoretical framework. The third study explored the concept of multi-stakeholder processes during the development of an adaptation strategy for heat waves. Data were gathered through a review of policy documents and interviews with eighteen stakeholders involved in the strategy development process. Qualitative data were analysed according to themes while descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were used to analyse quantitative data. Results: In the first study, most participants didn’t associate recent heat waves in Adelaide with climate change, although they acknowledged a considerable change in weather patterns over recent years. Although there were differences in the level of understanding among the participants, they modified their behaviours during a heat wave. Fear, worry, anxiety and concern were the main emotional responses associated with heat waves. Participants were concerned about low agricultural productivity, the costs of running an air-conditioner, sleeping well, and the threat of bush fires during a heat wave. In the second study, there was a significant association between gender, annual household income and concern for the societal effects of heat waves. About 43.2% of the participants believed that heat waves will extremely or very likely increase in Adelaide according to climate projections; 49.3% believed that the effects of heat waves were already being felt. The significant predictors of risk perception included age, marital status, annual household income, fan ownership and living arrangements. Participants’ perceived benefit, cues to action, educational level, and annual household income were associated with adaptive behaviours during a heat wave. In the third study, there was high level governance, leadership, collaboration, coordination and good institutional arrangements during the adaptation strategy development process in South Australia. The process benefited from the Emergency Management Act 2004, which facilitated an enabling environment. Although the process was not entirely inclusive and the fact that it experienced a few challenges, the strategy development process was overall successful. Conclusions: These findings suggest that there are variations in public opinion about heat waves in the context of climate change. Heat waves affect the emotional and psychological wellbeing of certain individuals. Using the health belief model as the theoretical framework, perceived benefit and cues to action predicted good adaptive behaviours. There were some demographic factors that were associated with risk perception in relation to heat waves. These factors would inform risk communication and behaviour change strategies for heat waves. An adaptation policy process for heat waves indicates that the process can be successful through a participatory process characterised by good leadership, excellent coordination, governance and institutional framework.
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Population Health, 2014.

The perception that travel can be a risky activity has taken hold amongst tourists in the last decade in response to the occurrence of various catastrophic events. As a result, travelers are now paying greater attention to potential risks at destinations when making their travel plans. A proper understanding of how such perceptions are formed will be useful for the travel industry when forecasting and planning for tourism. The current investigation identifies the factors determining traveller risk perception using an exploratory design, focusing on the risk perceptions of potential travelers from South Korea to Australia.