| 2021 |
James C, Bezzina A, Rahman MM, 'Task rotation in an underground coal mine: Implications on injury and musculoskeletal discomfort', Applied Ergonomics, 93 (2021) [C1]
Purpose: To investigate the effect of a task rotation schedule on musculoskeletal injury and the challenges of implementing a task rotation schedule within an underground coal min... [more] Purpose: To investigate the effect of a task rotation schedule on musculoskeletal injury and the challenges of implementing a task rotation schedule within an underground coal mine. Methods: This was a pre-post cross-sectional intervention study with two underground coal mines. Participant-surveys were collected at baseline and 12-months. Results: There were no significant differences in musculoskeletal discomfort between the two sites in any body region. Tasks were rotated two to three times a shift on average. Conclusions: The task rotation schedule did not have a significant impact upon musculoskeletal discomfort although this does not necessarily reflect that the rotation schedule was in-effective in curbing injury, rather highlights the complexity of developing a successful task rotation schedule within an underground coal mine. The task rotation schedule, its implementation and execution need consideration and further investigation to assist in effectively controlling injury and fatigue risk.
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| 2021 |
James CL, Tynan RJ, Bezzina AT, Rahman MM, Kelly BJ, 'Alcohol Consumption in the Australian Mining Industry: The Role of Workplace, Social, and Individual Factors', Workplace Health and Safety, 69 423-434 (2021)
Background: Coal miners have been reported to have higher rates of risky/harmful alcohol misuse; however, it is not known if metalliferous mining employees whose working condition... [more] Background: Coal miners have been reported to have higher rates of risky/harmful alcohol misuse; however, it is not known if metalliferous mining employees whose working conditions differ in workplace practices, also have increased rates of risky/harmful alcohol misuse. This study aimed to examine alcohol consumption in a sample of Australian metalliferous mining workers and to examine the demographic and workplace factors associated with risky/harmful alcohol use. Methods: All employees from a convenience sample of four Australian mine sites were invited to complete a paper-based cross-sectional survey between June 2015 and May 2017. The survey contained questions relating to social networks, health behaviors, psychological distress, demographic characteristics, and risky/harmful drinking. Current alcohol use was measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), a validated measure of risky and/or harmful drinking. Factors associated with risky/harmful drinking were investigated using univariate and multivariable logistic regression. Findings: A total of 1,799 participants completed the survey (average site response rate 95%). Overall, 94.8% of males and 92.1% of females reported using alcohol in the preceding 12 months. The odds of risky/harmful alcohol use were significantly higher in those who were male, younger, and reported higher psychological distress. Conclusions/Application to Practice: This study identified that metalliferous mining employees engage in at-risk levels of alcohol consumption significantly higher than the national average despite workplace policies and practices that restrict alcohol use. Personal and workplace risk factors that may help target specific employee groups and inform the development of tailored, integrated multicomponent intervention strategies for the industry were identified.
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| 2021 |
Haslam RL, Bezzina A, Herbert J, Spratt N, Rollo ME, Collins CE, 'Can ketogenic diet therapy improve migraine frequency, severity and duration?', Healthcare (Switzerland), 9 (2021)
Migraine is the third most common condition worldwide and is responsible for a major clinical and economic burden. The current pilot trial investigated whether ketogenic diet ther... [more] Migraine is the third most common condition worldwide and is responsible for a major clinical and economic burden. The current pilot trial investigated whether ketogenic diet therapy (KDT) is superior to an evidence-informed healthy ¿anti-headache¿ dietary pattern (AHD) in im-proving migraine frequency, severity and duration. A 12-week randomised controlled crossover trial consisting of the two dietary intervention periods was undertaken. Eligible participants were those with a history of migraines and who had regularly experienced episodes of moderate or mildly intense headache in the previous 4 weeks. Migraine frequency, duration and severity were assessed via self-report in the Migraine Buddy© app. Participants were asked to measure urinary ketones and side effects throughout the KDT. Twenty-six participants were enrolled, and 16 participants completed all sessions. Eleven participants completed a symptom checklist; all reported side-effects during KDT, with the most frequently reported side effect being fatigue (n = 11). All completers experienced migraine during AHD, with 14/16 experiencing migraine during KDT. Differences in migraine frequency, severity or duration between dietary intervention groups were not statistically significant. However, a clinically important trend toward lower migraine duration on KDT was noted. Further research in this area is warranted, with strategies to lower participant burden and promote adherence and retention.
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| 2021 |
Bezzina A, Austin EK, Watson T, Ashton L, James CL, 'Health and wellness in the Australian coal mining industry: A cross sectional analysis of baseline findings from the RESHAPE workplace wellness program', PLoS ONE, 16 (2021) [C1]
Overweight and obesity has reach pandemic levels, with two-thirds (67%) of adult Australians classified as overweight or obese. As two of the most significant behavioral risk fact... [more] Overweight and obesity has reach pandemic levels, with two-thirds (67%) of adult Australians classified as overweight or obese. As two of the most significant behavioral risk factors for obesity are modifiable (diet and exercise), there exists an opportunity for treatment through workplace health promotion initiatives. As one of Australia's largest industries with its own unique workplace factors, the mining industry has previously reported higher than population levels of overweight and obesity. This represented an opportune setting to test the RESHAPE workplace wellness program. RESHAPE is an eight-step framework (based on the WHO 'Health Workplace Framework and Model') which aims to provide a sustained approach to wellness in the workplace. This paper presents baseline findings from a pilot study that aimed to implement RESHAPE at three mine sites in NSW, Australia, and investigates the issue of overweight and obesity in the coal mining industry. Across three mine sites, 949 coal miners were examined cross-sectionally on a range of workplace, wellness, health, diet, and exercise factors using a paper-based survey. This was a predominantly male sample (90.4%) with the majority (59.2%) of participants aged 25-44 years. Selfreported height and weight measures indicated that less than 20 percent (18.9%) of participants were in a healthy BMI range, while there were effectively equal numbers of overweight (40.9%) and obese (39.1%) participants. Only 3.5% of participants met the daily recommendation for vegetables (5 serves) and shift-workers had greater association with elevated BMI compared to non-shift workers (B = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.23, 2.20, p = 0.016). Poor nutrition is likely to be a key component in elevated levels of overweight and obesity within this industry, with workplace factors compounding challenges workers face in implementing health behavior change. Future studies would benefit from assessing diet and physical activity knowledge in relation to recommendations and serving sizes.
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| 2021 |
Whatnall MC, Sharkey T, Hutchesson MJ, Haslam RL, Bezzina A, Collins CE, Ashton LM, 'Effectiveness of interventions and behaviour change techniques for improving physical activity in young adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.', J Sports Sci, 39 1754-1771 (2021)
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| 2021 |
Whatnall MC, Hutchesson MJ, Sharkey T, Haslam RL, Bezzina A, Collins CE, et al., 'Recruiting and retaining young adults: What can we learn from behavioural interventions targeting nutrition, physical activity and/or obesity? A systematic review of the literature', Public Health Nutrition, (2021)
Objective: To describe strategies used to recruit and retain young adults in nutrition, physical activity and/or obesity intervention studies, and quantify the success and efficie... [more] Objective: To describe strategies used to recruit and retain young adults in nutrition, physical activity and/or obesity intervention studies, and quantify the success and efficiency of these strategies. Design: A systematic review was conducted. The search included six electronic databases to identify RCTs published up to 6th December 2019 that evaluated nutrition, physical activity and/or obesity interventions in young adults (17-35 years). Recruitment was considered successful if the pre-determined sample size goal was met. Retention was considered acceptable if =80% retained for =6-month follow-up or =70% for >6-month follow-up. Results: From 21,582 manuscripts identified, 107 RCTs were included. Universities were the most common recruitment setting used in 84 studies (79%). Less than half (46%) the studies provided sufficient information to evaluate whether individual recruitment strategies met sample size goals, with 77% successfully achieving recruitment targets. Reporting for retention was slightly better with 69% of studies providing sufficient information to determine whether individual retention strategies achieved adequate retention rates. Of these, 65% had adequate retention. Conclusions: This review highlights poor reporting of recruitment and retention information across trials. Findings may not be applicable outside a university setting. Guidance on how to improve reporting practices to optimise recruitment and retention strategies within young adults could assist researchers in improving outcomes.
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| 2020 |
Sharkey T, Whatnall MC, Hutchesson MJ, Haslam RL, Bezzina A, Collins CE, Ashton LM, 'Effectiveness of gender-targeted versus gender-neutral interventions aimed at improving dietary intake, physical activity and/or overweight/obesity in young adults (aged 17-35 years): a systematic review and meta-analysis', Nutrition journal, 19 78-98 (2020) [C1]
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| 2020 |
Ashton LM, Sharkey T, Whatnall MC, Haslam RL, Bezzina A, Aguiar EJ, et al., 'Which behaviour change techniques within interventions to prevent weight gain and/or initiate weight loss improve adiposity outcomes in young adults? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials', OBESITY REVIEWS, 21 (2020) [C1]
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| 2020 |
James C, Rahman M, Bezzina A, Kelly B, 'Factors associated with patterns of psychological distress, alcohol use and social network among Australian mineworkers', Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 44 390-396 (2020) [C1]
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| 2019 |
Ashton LM, Sharkey T, Whatnall MC, Williams RL, Bezzina A, Aguiar EJ, et al., 'Effectiveness of Interventions and Behaviour Change Techniques for Improving Dietary Intake in Young Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of RCTs', NUTRIENTS, 11 (2019) [C1]
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