Ingrid D McGuffog - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

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Papers by Ingrid D McGuffog

Medical Journal of Australia, May 15, 2000

Tackling socioeconomic health inequalities represents one of Australia's most challenging pub... more Tackling socioeconomic health inequalities represents one of Australia's most challenging public health issues. Research has demonstrated that the role of physicians and other health professionals, as advocates for change in the delivery of health services, public health policy and other community-wide initiatives, is extremely important in reducing mortality and improving health outcomes. Multilevel actions to reduce health inequalities should include changes to macrolevel social and economic policies; improving living and working conditions; strengthening communities for health; improving behavioural risk factors; empowering individuals and strengthening their social networks; and improving responses from the healthcare system and associated treatment services. Australia has yet to develop a coordinated and integrated approach to addressing health disparities; however, previously successful public health interventions addressing other health issues are good starting points.

Asia-Pacific journal of public health, 2000

APACPH has previously highlighted the profound effect of global economic change on increasing hea... more APACPH has previously highlighted the profound effect of global economic change on increasing health disparities in most countries in the Asian Pacific Region of the world, with those citizens who are most disadvantaged and vulnerable, suffering most. This presentation identifies two key issues that should underpin efforts to reduce socioeconomic health disparities: (1) the current evidence base on policies and interventions successful in reducing inequalities; and, (2) how to implement such strategies. Actions to reduce such disparities should ideally include: (1) changes in macro-level social and economic policies, (2) improving living and working conditions, (3) strengthening communities for health, (4) influencing behavioural risk factors, (5) strengthening individuals and their social networks, and (5) an improved response from the health care system and associated services. Other than a few notable exceptions, few countries have developed a coordinated and integrated approach ...

A recent environmental dispute in Australia resulted in the forced cessation of logging on an isl... more A recent environmental dispute in Australia resulted in the forced cessation of logging on an island off the Queensland coast. In conjunction with the cessation of logging, the Queensland government announced a Worker’s Special Adjustment Package (WSAP) for those individuals who were displaced from employment as a result of the cessation of logging. A Social Impact Assessment was commissioned by the Queensland Government and that evaluation is the subject of this article. The question addressed is: How do structural adjustment packages mitigate negative outcomes that can result from worker redundancy? We are concerned with delineating those factors that are likely to predict the success or failure of a structural adjustment package designed to mitigate the impact of redundancy. This is an important issue, not least because of the role of these packages in the management of structural change and in ensuring positive outcomes for those directly affected by redundancy.

Reducing the methamphetamine problem in Australia: Evaluating innovative partnerships between pol... more Reducing the methamphetamine problem in Australia: Evaluating innovative partnerships between police, pharmacies and other third parties Monograph Series No. 39

The Medical journal of Australia

Disparities in health across the socioeconomic spectrum are now recognised worldwide and demand p... more Disparities in health across the socioeconomic spectrum are now recognised worldwide and demand policy action. Pathways from social disadvantage to health outcomes are poorly understood, and reducing social disadvantage poses crosscutting political, moral and methodological issues. The Health Inequalities Research Collaboration, an initiative of the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, is establishing a research and development process to support departmental efforts to reduce health inequalities. The collaboration is building research networks in child development, community resources and primary healthcare. Policy action needs to extend beyond the health portfolio and the role of government. Broad strategies are required, as is research to fearlessly evaluate the health effects of government policy, economic activity and cultural change. The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research is a model for national research of the kind needed in Australia.

Asia-Pacific journal of public health, 2000

The partnership approach consists of police establishing selective and strategic cooperation with... more The partnership approach consists of police establishing selective and strategic cooperation with organizations and individuals in order to address a public-safety issue. The particular police partnership developed in responding to the methamphetamine problem in Australia consists of police working with community pharmacists in order to reduce the supply of illicitly diverted pseudoephedrine, which is used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. A partnership developed by the Queensland branch of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and the Queensland Police Service is called Project STOP. The main feature of Project STOP is a real-time, Web-based database for the recording of customer information relevant to the purchase or attempted purchase of pseudoephedrine-based products. This project has gone national under funding from the Federal Government, but with considerable variation among jurisdictions under jurisdictional regulations and legislation. This report concludes that Project STO...

Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, 2002

To estimate the smoking prevalence among parents of infants and examine these parents' socio-... more To estimate the smoking prevalence among parents of infants and examine these parents' socio-demographic characteristics. The sample of all parents of infants (669 mother-father pairs, 90 single parents) was derived from the 1995 Australian Health Survey. Data were collected by face-to-face interview in the respondent's home. Socio-demographic measures include parent's age, family structure, age-left-school, highest post-school qualification, occupation, and family income. The overall rate of smoking among parents was 28.9% (mothers 24.7%, fathers 33.7%). The lowest rate was observed among mothers with a post-school tertiary qualification (7.6%) and the highest among fathers aged 18-24 (49.0%). In 15.4% of two-parent families both parents smoked, but this rate differed markedly by family income (9.9% vs. 29.7% for high and low-income families respectively). Multiple logistic regression showed that parents who smoked were more likely to be young, minimally educated, emplo...