PhD student showcase
Speakers
Presented by PhD students, Natasha Reid, Jeeva Kanesarajah and Kasia Bolsewicz - School of Public Health, The University of Queensland
Bios
Natasha Reid
School of Public Health, The University of Queensland
Older adults are the fastest growing age group worldwide. Whilst an ageing population has important economic and social implications, maintaining the physical function and muscle health of older adults has been identified as a key factor moving forward. The positive effects of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) on function have been well documented. However, older adults spend very little time in MVPA, with the majority of their day spent in sedentary activities (activities in a seated or reclining posture). Research on the association of sedentary behaviour with physical function is emerging but is still in its infancy. Notable gaps in the literature include the lack of knowledge around: sedentary behaviour across multiple settings; the sedentary behaviour-physical function association using objective measures of both outcome and exposure; and, longitudinal associations.
Jeeva Kanesarajah
School of Public Health, The University of Queensland.
The relationship between SF-6D health state values and demographic and lifestyle factors across the adult lifespan: Evidence from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health.
SF-6D is a measure of overall health derived from the SF-36, weighted by preferences from the general public. Little is known on the longitudinal relationship between the SF-6D and demographic and lifestyle factors. It is uncertain whether young, middle-age and older women with poorer health have any demographic or lifestyle factors in common, or whether these factors affect health differently based on life-stage. To fill this gap, this research aims to identify factors associated with poorer SF- 6D scores in women at three different life-stages, using data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH).
Kasia Bolsewicz
School of Public Health, The University of Queensland
There is an increasing shift towards the biomedical in the prevention, treatment and care in HIV and a normalisation of HIV as a chronic illness. The normalisation of HIV is predicated on biomedical treatment messages being acted upon by people living with HIV, often abstracted from the specifities and complexities of living with and negotiating HIV in everyday life. In the Australian Research Council Linkage Project Living Positive in Queensland: A qualitative longitudinal study of aging, place and social isolation (the LPQ Study), we are utilising qualitative longitudinal research and visual methods with 72 participants over the age of 35 who are living in rural and regional Queensland, with the aim of moving alongside them to examine their experiences of aging and social isolation. We are also examining how people who have lived with HIV long term grapple with (changing) policies and the dismantling of psychosocial service provision. This presentation will discuss the findings from the first 18 months of data collection conducted as part of the PhD study embedded within the LPQ Study. The presentation will focus on how the global and local policy and social changes have been experienced by the participants in terms of a sense of support and well-being, and how these men and women continue to adapt. Notes on the longitudinal analysis, and the policy implications will also be discussed.
Date
Tuesday, 24 May 2016
Time
1:00pm – 2.00pm
Location
Room 113, Public Health Building, Herston