Australian and New Zealand journal of public health
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Aust N Z J Public Health · Feb 2008
Historical ArticleBanning smoking in cars carrying children: an analytical history of a public health advocacy campaign.
Framing public health policy reform in ways that attract public and political support is a core skill of advocacy. In this paper we summarise the 12-year Australian history of advocacy for banning smoking in cars carrying children, culminating in the governments of the Australian States of South Australia and Tasmania enacting legislation. ⋯ Smoke-free cars legislation can and should be fast tracked in order to capitalise on this community support.
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Aust N Z J Public Health · Feb 2008
The mental health of Australian mothers and fathers of young children at risk of disability.
To: (1) determine the strength of the relationship between risk of child disability and parental mental health in a nationally representative sample of Australian families with young children; (2) estimate the contribution of distress among parents of children at risk of disability to overall parental psychiatric morbidity; and (3) explore the extent to which between-group differences in parental mental health may be attributable to differences in exposure to other risk factors. ⋯ The association between risk of child disability and maternal mental health is strongly confounded by increased rates of poverty among children at risk of disability. Any residual risk appears to be related to the poorer social, emotional and behavioural development of children at risk of disability. Social and health policy responses need to focus on poverty reduction, enhancing the personal social capital of mothers living in poverty and on improving the social, emotional and behavioural development of the children.