Aboriginal Study Research Articles

Birthweight and fasting glucose and insulin levels: results from the Aboriginal Birth Cohort Study

Birthweight and fasting glucose and insulin levels: results from the Aboriginal Birth Cohort Study

Logistic‐AFT location‐scale mixture regression models with nonsusceptibility for left‐truncated and general interval‐censored data

In conventional survival analysis there is an underlying assumption that all study subjects are susceptible to the event. In general, this assumption does not adequately hold when investigating the time to an event other than death. Owing to genetic and/or environmental etiology, study subjects may not be susceptible to the disease. Analyzing nonsusceptibility has become an important topic in biomedical, epidemiological, and sociological research, with recent statistical studies proposing several mixture models for right-censored data in regression analysis. In longitudinal studies, we often encounter left, interval, and right-censored data because of incomplete observations of the time endpoint, as well as possibly left-truncated data arising from the dissimilar entry ages of recruited healthy subjects. To analyze these kinds of incomplete data while accounting for nonsusceptibility and possible crossing hazards in the framework of mixture regression models, we utilize a logistic regression model to specify the probability of susceptibility, and a generalized gamma distribution, or a log-logistic distribution, in the accelerated failure time location-scale regression model to formulate the time to the event. Relative times of the conditional event time distribution for susceptible subjects are extended in the accelerated failure time location-scale submodel. We also construct graphical goodness-of-fit procedures on the basis of the Turnbull-Frydman estimator and newly proposed residuals. Simulation studies were conducted to demonstrate the validity of the proposed estimation procedure. The mixture regression models are illustrated with alcohol abuse data from the Taiwan Aboriginal Study Project and hypertriglyceridemia data from the Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Two-township Study in Taiwan.

Incidence of first onset alcohol use disorder: a 16-year follow-up in the Taiwanese aborigines

To investigate the incidence and cumulative risk of first onset alcohol use disorder (AUD) in a 16-year follow-up among Taiwanese aboriginal populations. Participants included in this study were cohort subjects free from any AUD at phase 1 survey (n=428 for DSM-3-R and 451 for DSM-4) of the Taiwan aboriginal study project conducted in 1986-1988. They were reassessed approximately 16years later, with a response rate of 98.8%. A Chinese version of the WHO schedules for clinical assessment in neuropsychiatry was employed to assess the lifetime drinking history and AUD. Age-standardized annual incidence rates of AUD in all groups were 2.26 and 1.75% according to DSM-3-R and DSM-4, respectively. The overall incidence rates of AUD were comparable to most of other studies in Caucasian populations, but the sex ratios of women to men were higher in this study (1:2-3) than in the latter (1:6). The incidence of AUD was higher with DSM-3-R than with DSM-4 criteria in this study, attributable to the exclusion of physical/psychological harm in DSM-4 alcohol abuse. The cumulative risks of DSM-4 AUD in this study were very high, being 72.2±19.8 for men and 48.7±8.2 for women up to the age of 65years. High incidence rates and cumulative risks of AUD in Taiwanese aborigines demand effective prevention strategy.

Comparison of arch form between ethnic Malays and Malaysian Aborigines in Peninsular Malaysia

ObjectiveTo determine and compare the frequency distribution of various arch shapes in ethnic Malays and Malaysian Aborigines in Peninsular Malaysia and to investigate the morphological differences of arch form between these two ethnic groups.MethodsWe examined 120 ethnic Malay study models (60 maxillary, 60 mandibular) and 129 Malaysian Aboriginal study models (66 maxillary, 63 mandibular). We marked 18 buccal tips and incisor line angles on each model, and digitized them using 2-dimensional coordinate system. Dental arches were classified as square, ovoid, or tapered by printing the scanned images and superimposing Orthoform arch templates on them.ResultsThe most common maxillary arch shape in both ethnic groups was ovoid, as was the most common mandibular arch shape among ethnic Malay females. The rarest arch shape was square. Chi-square tests, indicated that only the distribution of the mandibular arch shape was significantly different between groups (p = 0.040). However, when compared using independent t-tests, there was no difference in the mean value of arch width between groups. Arch shape distribution was not different between genders of either ethnic group, except for the mandibular arch of ethnic Malays.ConclusionsEthnic Malays and Malaysian Aborigines have similar dental arch dimensions and shapes.

Leisure-Like Pursuits as an Expression of Aboriginal Cultural Strengths and Living Actions

An Aboriginal-guided decolonizing methodology is employed in this study to examine the leisure-like lived experiences of urban-dwelling Metis and First Nations women and men living with diabetes (N = 42) in Winnipeg, Canada. Directed by the Aboriginal knowledge and world views to ensure cultural sensitivity and relevance, this methodology served as foreground for the voices of the Aboriginal study participants into three key themes of leisure-like pursuits. The first two themes, (1) family, friends, and relationship-oriented pursuits and (2) helping people in community, are closely related within the nature of Aboriginal relationships. The third theme is spiritual and cultural activities. An overarching quality of these leisure-like pursuits is engagement in enjoyable activities that are a meaningful expression of lived culture.

P1-153 The Australian Aboriginal Birth Cohort Study, 1987 2007: Is birth size a predictor of depressive symptoms in young adulthood?

P1-153 The Australian Aboriginal Birth Cohort Study, 1987 2007: Is birth size a predictor of depressive symptoms in young adulthood?

P1-155 The Australian Aboriginal Birth Cohort Study, 1987 2007: Is birth size a predictor of oral health outcomes?

P1-155 The Australian Aboriginal Birth Cohort Study, 1987 2007: Is birth size a predictor of oral health outcomes?

P1-162 ApoB/A1 identifies cardiovascular risk in childhood: the Australian Aboriginal Birth Cohort Study

P1-162 ApoB/A1 identifies cardiovascular risk in childhood: the Australian Aboriginal Birth Cohort Study

5D-7 Arterial stiffness and birth weight: the Australian Aboriginal Birth Cohort Study 1987 2007

5D-7 Arterial stiffness and birth weight: the Australian Aboriginal Birth Cohort Study 1987 2007

Application of classification tree and logistic regression for the management and health intervention plans in a community‐based study

A community-based aboriginal study was conducted and analysed to explore the application of classification tree and logistic regression. A total of 1066 aboriginal residents in Yilan County were screened during 2003-2004. The independent variables include demographic characteristics, physical examinations, geographic location, health behaviours, dietary habits and family hereditary diseases history. Risk factors of cardiovascular diseases were selected as the dependent variables in further analysis. The completion rate for heath interview is 88.9%. The classification tree results find that if body mass index is higher than 25.72 kg m(-2) and the age is above 51 years, the predicted probability for number of cardiovascular risk factors > or =3 is 73.6% and the population is 322. If body mass index is higher than 26.35 kg m(-2) and geographical latitude of the village is lower than 24 degrees 22.8', the predicted probability for number of cardiovascular risk factors > or =4 is 60.8% and the population is 74. As the logistic regression results indicate that body mass index, drinking habit and menopause are the top three significant independent variables. The classification tree model specifically shows the discrimination paths and interactions between the risk groups. The logistic regression model presents and analyses the statistical independent factors of cardiovascular risks. Applying both models to specific situations will provide a different angle for the design and management of future health intervention plans after community-based study.

Gendered substances and objects in ritual: an australian aboriginal study

ABSTRACTThe creative action of the foundational beings known as Dreamings lies at the heart of Aboriginal Australian ceremony. In ritual, gender is drawn into a nexus of generative action and interaction. I will make the case that gender characterizes country, ceremonies, many sacred sites and many objects and substances. People, country, sites and ceremonies are integral to the bringing forth of the life of the world, and draw on a root paradigm of birth. I will examine that paradigm from the perspective of gender in domains of blood, ritual, country, men and women, and objects. The analysis will show that while gender is most assuredly a difference that makes a difference, in Gregory Bateson's famous words, it is the play of difference itself that is most productively worked with in ritual.

Rheumatic diseases in the APLAR region

Are rheumatic diseases the same in the Western and the Eastern world? This is a major question for physicians because the majority of textbooks come from the Western world and all the figures and statistics and the clinical picture of diseases are those seen in the Western world. It is therefore important to know if they are applicable to the Eastern world. The first step is to know how they are distributed in the APLAR region (Asia and Pacific area). COPCORD (Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Diseases) was created by the collaboration of World Health Organization (WHO) and the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) in 1983. The aim of the program was the recognition, prevention, and the control of Rheumatic diseases in developing countries, where two-thirds of the world’s population live. The program was designed to work with small monetary and material resources. It had three stages: 1 – prevalence of rheumatic disorders and identification of risk factors; 2 – education of primary health care physicians, paramedical professionals, and the community; 3 – improved health care, and environmental aetiologic research of rheumatic diseases. Sixteen countries have performed the program, among them 12 countries from the APLAR region (Fig. 1). The latest study was done in Iran and was finished in September 2005. These countries are Australia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, India, Iran, Kuwait, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Stage 1 was designed to evaluate at least 1500 adult people (over 15 years of age). Many of the participating countries, depending on their resources, performed the program on higher numbers. The largest number of evaluated people in a single population was the Iran study with 10 000 participants. Data from Iran are not all compiled and the results presented here are preliminary results on 7000 participants. The number of participants in the Australian study was 1437. There was another study in Aboriginals on 847 persons. The Bangladeshi study was on 5211 people, in China (Shanghai study) on 2010, the China (Shanghai 1998 study) on 6584, in China (Beijing study) on 4192, in China (Shantou study) on 5057, and in China (Chenghai study) on 2040. The Indonesian urban study was on 1071 individuals and the Indonesian rural study on 4683, the Indian study on 4092, the Iranian study on 10 000, the Kuwaiti study on 7670, the Malaysian study on 2594, the Pakistani study on 2090, the Philippine rural study on 846 and the urban study on 3006, the Thai study on 2463, and the Vietnamese study on 2119 people (Fig. 2).

To Dance with Time: A Victoria River Aboriginal Study

Drawing on research with Aboriginal people in the Victoria River District of Australia, this paper explores time in patterns of motion and pause. Taking Cath Ellis's insight that some Aboriginal musicians posses a faculty of ‘perfect time’, and that the meshing of rhythms and other patterns in music has the effect of altering perceptions and understandings of time, I explore rhythmic patterns in four domains—nomadology, ecology, dance and cosmology. I suggest that the cosmogonic and temporal effects of rhythm in motion are capable of becoming performative events because they link the rhythms of ecological, social and ritual domains. Such events implicate the ephemeral motion and temporality of the world in a continuing flow of becoming, and implicate the continuity of flow in the actions of the ephemeral.

To Dance with Time: A Victoria River Aboriginal Study

To Dance with Time: A Victoria River Aboriginal Study

Alcoholism, hepatitis B and C viral infections, and impaired liver function among Taiwanese aboriginal groups.

Viral hepatitis and alcoholism prevail in four major Taiwanese aboriginal groups. To study the relative importance of the acquisition of hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus infection and alcoholism to the presence of impaired liver function in these groups, the authors conducted a semistructured clinical interview for alcoholism and test for seromarkers for viral hepatitis among 993 cohort members enrolled in 1990-1992 in an ongoing prospective study (Taiwan Aboriginal Study Project). The subjects' blood specimens were tested for serum alanine aminotransferase/aspartate aminotransferase levels and for the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen and anti-hepatitis C virus antibody. The prevalence of a combination of an alanine aminotransferase level of > 35 IU/liter and an aspartate aminotransferase level of > 40 IU/liter, implying impaired liver function or advanced liver disease, was 4.3% overall. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis showed that, rather than chronic hepatitis B virus infection, hepatitis C virus infection and alcoholism were the two dominant risk factors that signalled the risk of liver damage among these Taiwanese aborigines. In addition, these two contributing factors were able to act synergistically to cause impaired liver function.

Development of a new scale for measuring acculturation: the Taiwan Aboriginal Acculturation Scale (TAAS)

As part of the Taiwan Aboriginal Study Project (TASP), a new acculturation scale (the Taiwan Aboriginal Acculturation Scale, or TAAS) has been developed among the aboriginal minorities of Austronesian origin in Taiwan. The design of the original 54 items was based on Milton Gordon's concept of assimilation in association with a careful consideration of cross-cultural validity. These items were administered to 144 subjects stratified by age and sex who were randomly sampled from four major Taiwanese aboriginal groups. Item analysis and factor analysis were applied to select an 18-item scale which has three subscales (factors): cultural assimilation, social assimilation, and social attitude. Results of validity and reliability studies of the TAAS were found to be acceptable. The development of TAAS demonstrates the applicability of the concept of acculturation as a process that involves changes both in attitude, and in behaviour, to non-western societies.

Mental Illness and Suicide

As part of the Taiwan Aboriginal Study Project, a case-control study of suicide among two aboriginal groups and the Han Chinese was carried out in East Taiwan. Biographical reconstructive interviews were conducted for consecutive suicides from each of the three ethnic groups (a total of 116 suicides), 113 of whom were matched with two controls for age, sex, and area of residence. In all three groups, a high proportion of suicides suffered from mental illness before committing suicide (97% to 100%). The two most prevalent psychiatric disorders were depression and alcoholism, and the most common comorbid pattern was depression with substance use disorders. The risk for suicide was significantly associated with all of these psychiatric conditions, previous suicide attempts, and a family history of suicide and depression. Fifty-one percent of all suicides had consulted medical professionals in the previous month. Despite the widely different rates of depressive illness and alcoholism in different cultures previously reported, the psychiatric antecedents of suicide are the same in the West and the East.

Alcoholism among Taiwan aborigines defined by the Chinese Diagnostic Interview Schedule: a comparison with alcoholism among Chinese

The prevalence of alcoholism was reported to be 0.1% in an aboriginal study on Taiwan using the census survey method in the 1950s. This study adopted a modified Chinese Diagnostic Interview Schedule to determine the prevalence of DSM-III-defined alcohol abuse (AA) and alcohol dependence (AD) in the Atayal, Paiwan and Yami ethnic groups of Taiwan aborigines. Stratified random sampling was used. The sample sizes of Atayal, Paiwan and Yami were 793, 656 and 106 respectively. The prevalence rates of DSM-III-defined AA and AD were 11.6%, 11.4% and 14.2%; and 9.0%, 8.1% and 6.4% respectively. No significant difference was found between the 3 ethnic groups. These prevalence figures are significantly higher than those for Chinese. In this comparative analysis, 2 distinct etiological hypotheses are proposed for the AA and the AD.

I Made It – How I Got Through College

Well, to begin with, I wasn’t accepted into teacher’s college because of the grades I scored in the Higher School Certificate. In point of fact, I failed this examination miserably. I’ve always had a great fear of examinations and as a result of this I’d usually do poorly.Before I was accepted into teacher’s college, I had to write an essay on a topic of my choice. This in turn was followed by an interview at the college. I would not have graduated from college this year if I had not been supported by the Aboriginal Study Grant, because my family just couldn’t give me this financial support over the three years.I’ve always had the ‘dream’ of becoming a school teacher. I come from a large family and have had children around me constantly. I love spending time with children because they’re so innocent. I enjoy watching them as they gradually take one step at a time and come to learn about life and what it’s all about.When I was a child I would play ‘schools’. You couldn’t have guessed but I was always the school teacher and my sister and cousins would be the children in my class. I’d never really thought of pursuing any other career but a teacher’s.I worked through my college years because I had no choice! I came to realise that if I was to succeed, I had to put a great deal of effort into these three years and it didn’t take me very long to reach this conclusion.

Australian Federation of University Women: Aboriginal Study Award for 1980–1981

An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content.