The characteristics of women aged 59-64 years who consult health care practitioners for back pain from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH).

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pooja Maddela ◽  
Jane Frawley ◽  
Jon Adams ◽  
David Sibbritt
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Back Pain ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Care Practitioner ◽  
Medical Specialist ◽  
Australian Longitudinal Study ◽  
Wide Range

Background: Back pain affects a substantial proportion of the adult population, and back pain sufferers tend to explore a wide range of health care options. This study investigates the use of medical and physiotherapy services by Australian women with back pain. Method: This is a sub-study of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH), designed to investigate multiple factors affecting the health and well-being of women over a 20-year period. The study focuses on 1,851 women aged 59-64 years, who had indicated that they had previously sought help from a health care practitioner for back pain. Results: Half of the women (56.5%) with back pain had consulted a general practitioner (GP), 16.2% had consulted a medical specialist, and 37.3% had consulted a physiotherapist for their back pain. Women with regular or continuous back pain were more likely to consult a GP (OR=3.98), medical specialist (OR=5.66) and a physiotherapist (OR=1.63). Conclusion:  Australian women with back pain were more likely to consult a GP, medical specialist or physiotherapist if they had more regular/continuous back pain. Future research needs to investigate further the consultation and referral patterns identified in this study.

Physical Activity in Mid-Age and Older Women: Lessons from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy J. Brown ◽  
Toby Pavey
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
Australian Longitudinal Study ◽  
Wide Range

The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH) commenced in Australia in 1996 when researchers recruited approximately 40,000 women in three birth cohorts: 1973–1978, 1946–1951, and 1921–1926. Since then participants have completed surveys on a wide range of health issues, at approximately three-year intervals. This overview describes changes in physical activity (PA) over time in the mid-age and older ALSWH cohorts, and summarizes the findings of studies published to date on the determinants of PA, and its associated health outcomes in Australian women. The ALSWH data show a significant increase in PA during mid-age, and a rapid decline in activity levels when women are in their 80s. The study has demonstrated the importance of life stages and key life events as determinants of activity, the additional benefits of vigorous activity for mid-age women, and the health benefits of ‘only walking’ for older women. ALSWH researchers have also drawn attention to the benefits of activity in terms of a wide range of physical and mental health outcomes, as well as overall vitality and well-being. The data indicate that maintaining a high level of PA throughout mid and older age will not only reduce the risk of premature death, but also significantly extend the number of years of healthy life.

scholarly journals Predictors of Back Pain in Middle-Aged Women: Data From the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women's Health

2017 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 709-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharmayne R. E. Brady ◽  
Sultana Monira Hussain ◽  
Wendy J. Brown ◽  
Stephane Heritier ◽  
Yuanyuan Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Back Pain ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Australian Longitudinal Study

Risk factors for pregnancy and childbearing in single young women: Evidence from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health

2005 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 292-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren R. Miller-Lewis ◽  
Tracey D. Wade ◽  
Christina Lee
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Early Pregnancy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Developmental Perspective ◽  
Australian Longitudinal Study

This study investigated psychosocial predictors of early pregnancy and childbearing in single young women, consistent with the Eriksonian developmental perspective. Two mail-out surveys assessing reproductive behaviour and sociodemographic, education/competence, psychosocial well-being, and aspiration factors were completed 4 years apart by 2635 young women, aged 18 to 20 when first surveyed. Young women in the “emerging adulthood” developmental period were selected from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Longitudinally, lower investment in education over low-status paid work, experiencing unemployment, greater psychosocial distress, stress and alcohol use, and high family aspirations combined with low vocational aspirations were risk factors for early single pregnancy and childbearing. Several mediational relationships also existed between these predictor variables. It was concluded that psychosocial factors play an important role in understanding early pregnancy and childbearing in single young Australian women, and that the findings provide some support for investigating early pregnancy and childbearing from an Eriksonian developmental perspective.

scholarly journals Predictors of back pain in middle aged women: data from the Australian longitudinal study on women’s health

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. S480 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.R. Brady ◽  
M. Hussain ◽  
W.J. Brown ◽  
S. Heritier ◽  
Y. Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Back Pain ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Australian Longitudinal Study

scholarly journals Rates, costs and determinants of lumbar spine imaging in population-based women born in 1973–1978: Data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243282
Author(s):  
Yuanyuan Wang ◽  
Sultana Monira Hussain ◽  
Anita E. Wluka ◽  
Yuan Z. Lim ◽  
Donna M. Urquhart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Back Pain ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Lumbar Spine ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Australian Longitudinal Study ◽  
Spine Imaging ◽  
Medical Benefits

Objective There are concerns that lumbar spine imaging represents low value care. Our aim was to examine the use of lumbar spine imaging [radiography, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)] over 20 years, and costs and person-level characteristics of imaging in a large cohort of Australian women. Methods The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH) is a longitudinal population-based survey of women randomly selected from national health insurance scheme (Medicare) database. This study examined 13458 women born in 1973–1978 who consented to link their ALSWH and Medical Benefits Scheme records. Self-reported data on demographics, body mass index, depression, physical and mental health, and back pain were collected in each survey performed in 1996, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, and 2015. Data on lumbar spine imaging from 1996 to 2015 were obtained from the Medical Benefits Scheme database. Results 38.9% of women underwent some form of lumbar spine imaging over 20 years. While radiography increased from 1996 to 2011 and decreased thereafter, CT and MRI continued to increase from 1996 to 2015. In women with self-reported back pain, depression and poorer physical health were associated with imaging, with no significant differences in types of imaging. Based on imaging rates in ALSWH, the estimated costs for Australian women aged 30–39 years were AU$51,735,649 over 2011–2015. Conclusions Lumbar spine imaging was common in population-based Australian women, with rates increasing over 20 years. Depression and poor physical health were associated with lumbar spine imaging. Raising awareness of this in clinicians is likely to result in significant cost savings if clinical guidelines are followed, with the potential of freeing resources for high value care and health outcomes.

34. PATTERNS OF CONTRACEPTIVE USE AFTER REPRODUCTIVE EVENTS: FINDINGS FROM THE AUSTRALIAN LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF WOMEN'S HEALTH

Sexual Health ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 297
Author(s):  
J. C. Lucke ◽  
M. Spallek
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Contraceptive Use ◽  
Pap Test ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Australian Longitudinal Study

This paper examines changes in young women's contraceptive use over nine years in relation to a range of reproductive life events using longitudinal data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH). Little previous research has examined changes in young women's contraceptive use after significant reproductive or health life events. Some research has examined the reasons that women might discontinue contraceptive use in general and there has been some work investigating contraceptive use after the birth of a child and after the termination of a pregnancy. However other events may also cause a woman to re-evaluate her contraception, for example, the diagnosis of an STD, or having an abnormal pap test. The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health is a broad-ranging project which examines relationships between many biological, physiological, social and lifestyle factors and women's physical health, emotional well-being, and use of and satisfaction with health services. Women were selected from the Medicare database which includes all citizens and permanent residents using stratified random sampling, with systematic over-sampling of women from rural and remote areas. This paper presents data from 6716 women who completed a self-report survey in 1996 when they were aged 18-23, and again in 1999, 2002 and 2005. Multinomial analysis is used to explore patterns of contraceptive use before and after events related to pregnancy and birth (pregnancy, live birth, miscarriage and termination of pregnancy) and health (diagnosis with a sexually-transmitted infection and abnormal Pap test) and the factors associated with changes in contraceptive use. The ALSWH provides an exciting opportunity to examine patterns of contraceptive use over time among women of reproductive age.

SAT0527 Predictors of Back Pain in Middle Aged Women: Data from The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health

2016 ◽  
Vol 75 (Suppl 2) ◽  
pp. 860.1-860
Author(s):  
S.R.E. Brady ◽  
S.M. Hussain ◽  
W.J. Brown ◽  
S. Heritier ◽  
Y. Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Back Pain ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Australian Longitudinal Study
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