Publications
Below is a selection of our publications.
Effect of health literacy interventions on pregnancy outcomes:A systematic review – Jessica Zibellini, Danielle Muscat et al
Low health literacy has been associated with worse health outcomes, but little is known about the effectiveness of health literacy interventions developed for pregnant women. Aim: To assess the effectiveness of health literacy interventions on pregnancy outcomes through asystematic review of randomised controlled trials.
How readable are Australian multilingual diabetes patient education materials? An evaluation of national English-language source texts – Shanshan Lin, Julie Ayre, Danielle Muscat
Multilingual patient education materials (PEMs) in Australia are normally prepared initially in English (source text) and then translated into other languages. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the source texts for publicly available multilingual diabetes PEMs in Australia were written at the [...]
Clinicians’ perspectives on diagnosing polycystic ovary syndrome in Australia: a qualitative study – Tessa Copp et al
PCOS is a complex, heterogeneous condition with many areas of uncertainty, raising concerns about both underdiagnosis and overdiagnosis. Quantitative studies with clinicians have found considerable variation in diagnostic criteria used and care provided, as well as a lack of awareness around the breadth of PCOS [...]
Impact of a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome on diet, physical activity and contraceptive use in young women: findings from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health – Tessa Copp et al
Diagnostic criteria for PCOS have widened to capture more women, despite limited evidence of the benefits and harms. Possible benefits of a PCOS diagnosis are that it may help women with family planning and motivate them to implement healthy lifestyle changes to reduce the reproductive, [...]
Levels of anxiety and distress following receipt of positive screening tests in Australia’s HPV-based cervical screening programme: a cross-sectional survey – Rachael Dodd et al
From December 2017, the Australian National Cervical Screening Program commenced 5 yearly primary human papillomavirus (HPV) screening; one of the first high-income countries to implement primary HPV screening. This study aimed to examine the psychosocial impact of self-reporting testing HPV positive in a sample of women [...]
Validation of an Australian parenting health literacy skills instrument: The parenting plus skills index – Julie Ayre et al
Existing instruments for assessing health literacy skills in parents have limited scope to inform the design and evaluation of health literacy interventions. In this study we aimed to develop and validate a new performance-based measure of health literacy for Australian parents, the Parenting Plus Skills [...]
Evaluating two decision aids for Australian men supporting informed decisions about prostate cancer screening: A randomised controlled trial – Kristen Pickles et al
Australian clinicians are advised to 'offer evidence-based decisional support to men considering whether or not to have a PSA test'. This randomised trial compared the performance and acceptability of two new decision aids (DAs) to aid men in making informed choices about PSA screening. ~3000 [...]
Is the NHS ‘Heart Age Test’ too much medicine? Carissa Bonner et al
The NHS ‘Heart Age Test’ has expanded cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment in the UK to include younger people (<40 years). Public Health England’s Healthy Heart campaign, launched in September 2018, encourages all adults aged >30 years to do the test, stating: ‘Having a heart [...]
“A Pap smear saved my life”: Personal experiences of cervical abnormalities shape attitudes to cervical screening renewal – Helena Obermair et al
In 2017, the Australian National Cervical Screening Program changed from two-yearly Pap smears between ages 18 and 69, to five-yearly human papillomavirus screening between ages 25 and 74 (the “Renewal”). This study investigated attitudes towards the changes, among individuals previously affected by cervical abnormalities/cervical cancer, [...]
Women’s acceptance of overdetection in breast cancer screening: Can we assess harm-benefit tradeoffs? Anne Stiggelbout et al
Breast cancer screening has been presented to women as mostly positive for decades, despite voices raising issues related to harms since its introduction. Public communications about breast cancer screening tended to use persuasive techniques aimed at maximising uptake. Concern about the harm of overdetection is [...]