Posts

ALSWH Plain Language Summary: Activity during late mid-age helps to delay joint symptoms in women

Publisher: Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, 2016

Status – CURRENT

Osteoarthritis affects an estimated 1.8 million Australians. No cure is available and developing preventive programs is therefore important.  Women who are active in their mid to late fifties receive optimal benefit from the protective effect of physical activity. This may have important implications for designing effective prevention strategies.

Share Button

It’s gone wild out there: Women’s stories about sexuality and ageing

Publisher: C Barrett, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society La Trobe University. Melbourne Australia, 2015

Status – CURRENT

This report outlines a project that sought to create safe spaces for older women to talk about sexual assault. The project explored whether broadening the focus from ‘sexual assault’ to ‘sexual wellbeing and safety’ would successfully engage older women. It aims to educate service providers and policy makers to develop policies and services for older women in this area.

Share Button

Australasian Journal on Ageing – LGBTI Ageing and Aged Care Special Issue

Publisher: Australasian Journal on Ageing, 2015

Status –CURRENT

This Australasian Journal on Ageing Special Issue aims to create more awareness of the experiences and needs of LGBTI older people. Historically older LGBTI people have been invisible, particularly in research on ageing as well as in policy and practice. Older LGBTI people are diverse, with different lived experiences across multiple communities, although what unites LGBTI people is a shared lived experience of discrimination.

Share Button

Chronic condtions, physical function and health care use: Findings from the Australian longitudinal study on Women’s Health

Publisher: Australian Government Department of Health, 2015

Status – Current

This  report  presents  a  summary  of  common  and  important  chronic  conditions  affecting women in the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health (ALSWH). In  this  report  we  present  data  on  the  increasing  prevalence  of  several  major chronic conditions  as  the  women  age, including arthritis,  asthma,  diabetes,  and  cardiovascular conditions. We show the relationship between chronic disease and decline in women’s physical and mental health related quality of life, and their increased use of general practice consultations.

Share Button

High sensitivity cardiac troponin and the under-diagnosis of myocardial infarction in women: prospective cohort study

Publisher: British Medical Journal, January 2015

Status – CURRENT

Although having little effect in men, a high sensitive troponin assay (blood test to check for changes in enzyme produced during heart attacks) may double the diagnosis of heart attack in women

Share Button

Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health 1921 – 1926 Cohort

Publisher: Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, 2013

Status – CURRENT

The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH) is a longitudinal population-based survey of over 60,000 Australian women in four cohorts. This report is a summary of data for 12,432women in the cohort born 1921-26 who completed the baseline survey in 1996 (aged 70-75 years), and surviving women for each survey point up to May 2013 (aged 87-92). To reduce bias due to non-death attrition, data have been imputed for surviving women who did not return surveys using data for  women  who  did  return  surveys.  The  data  therefore  represent  changes  in  the population  for women who survive to different ages.

Share Button

Women, health and ageing: Findings from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health

Publisher: Prepared for the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, 2010

Status – CURRENT

This report focuses on the health of older women from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women‘s Health. It was found that as women are living longer they increasingly make up the majority of those experiencing dementia, sensory impairment, and falls and fractures. It includes findings on: Changes in physical health and relationship to socio-economic status; Living with chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, sleep problems and incontinence; Effects of falls, smoking, and alcohol intake; Effects of obesity, and contributing factors. Current preventive activities in Australia to reduce overweight and obesity, reduce the prevalence of tobacco smoking, and increase levels of physical activity are all strongly supported by the data presented in this report.  The data also identify growing needs for the primary care sector to help older women with chronic conditions.

Share Button

The Generations

Publisher: Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health, 2005

Status – CURRENT

Australia’s changing demographics raise issues for social and financial sustainability. These will affect women more strongly than men, for several reasons. It is mainly women who care for children and for frail and disabled family members, even though most women – even young mothers – are now also in the paid workforce. And while many women have moved into higher education and professional careers, they still predominate in part-time and casual positions, and most have some time out of the workforce to undertake family care. The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH) provides an opportunity to look at links between women’s health and changes in Australia.

Share Button

Healthy Ageing

Publisher: Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health, 2005

Status – CURRENT

The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH) provides a picture of ageing that challenges negative stereotypes. At the time of the first survey in 1996, the women in the older cohort were aged 70-75 years. These women were selected at random from the population and represented the full range of health and functioning at that age. At this time over one third of the women rated their health as excellent or very good and fewer than five percent rated their health as poor. By Survey 3 in 2002, although the women were aged 76-81, the overall responses on self-rated health were unchanged.

Share Button

The First Decade

Publisher: Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, 2005

Status – CURRENT

In 1996 over 40,000 Australian women were invited  take part in a long term project which would survey  the health of women across the nation, over time.   The participants were selected in three age cohorts:  younger women aged 18-23, mid-age women aged  45-50, and older women aged 70-75. These groups  were deliberately chosen in order to recruit women  before they passed through major turning points in  women’s lives. With eight years of change now tracked in the  surveys, the study is providing insights into major  trends in the lives of Australian women.

Share Button