Dr Meredith Tavener
Research Fellow
Faculty of Health and Medicine
- Email:meredith.tavener@newcastle.edu.au
- Phone:(02) 4042 0684
Honouring their stories
As a social gerontologist, Dr Meredith Tavener's research encompasses identity in older age, women's health across the life course, baby boomers, narrative analysis, and qualitative methodologies.
Meredith is a Research Fellow of both the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) and the Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing (RCGHA), a Priority Research Centre at the University of Newcastle.
ALSWH is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and run in collaboration with the University of Queensland. Over forty-one thousand women agreed to be involved when the study began in 1996.
Generating an evidence base on Australian women's health, including opportunity, lifestyle and time usage, ALSWH collects information on everything related to women's health and wellbeing.
This evidence can then be considered to inform policy, practice, and planning relative to women's health.
As well as containing tick boxes, ALSWH surveys contain space for the participants to write their thoughts. This rich cache of writing, with identifiers removed, can be continually visited and revisited, by researchers looking to investigate different specific topics.
It is the analysis of these written thoughts that Meredith specialises in.
SHARING REALITIES
Meredith researches and publishes on issues such as retirement, time use, and factors for health creation. Employing applied thematic analysis, Meredith interprets the texts against how she believes the writer would operationalise the theoretical meaning.
"I do however, always view their writing through a lens that acknowledges that the women are right, and they have their own reality," she discloses.
Recurring questions in ALSWH surveys concern a range of topics, from education to emotional health, diet, health care access, leisure activities, and key events through to paid and unpaid work.
Sometimes the women's free-text writing is reflective of these questions but not always.
"They will send family photos, and pages of writing," Meredith says.
"It could be feedback on the survey questions. Or they could write about their health, their friends, their partners, their social life, about how they are going on a cruise to celebrate turning 90."
"About their networks or their volunteering, their sore toe, their shopping. You name it, they write about it. And I analyse it."
"Women are just fantastic but that is no surprise to me. I think we are rather magnificent in what we do and what we manage."
MINING DATA TO INFORM POLICY
The study allows Meredith and other researchers to look at the writing in terms of certain characteristics of women, or collect specifics around particular health care conditions.
"Their writing creates an understanding of experience that is not necessarily picked up by clinical criteria," she states.
"They will write what they want to write, what they think is important for us to know, and sometimes they write what no one will hear."
Meredith is currently reviewing 15 years worth of writing by the oldest of the four cohorts involved in the study, women born 1921 to 1926, to gather evidence related to how older women create health.
Exploring the data using the framework of salutogenesis theory, Meredith is looking to further understand the relationship between attitude, resilience and resources and the manifestation of health.
"If a woman is very unwell, but can recognise, and apply resources, coping with everything that comes at her, will she stay closer to the well end of the continuum because she chooses to create a healthier environment?" Meredith asks.
"And if we can pinpoint how health creation in older women works, how then do we use that to inform medical practice?"
FORENSIC DETAILS
Meredith does not take her responsibility to the participants lightly, obviously feeling a connection to the authors of the material she works with.
"The women write everything, they tell us everything for a reason, they expect somebody to read it," Meredith reflects.
"I smile when one talks about her cat. Or will start crying when a 55 year old woman says, 'I regret my decision not to have children'."
"And I'll think about her that night when I go home, and come back the next day and read a whole other story."
The level of responsibility Meredith feels to the women in the study also motivates fastidious methods.
"I received a great compliment when somebody said my work is forensic in detail. That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me," Meredith laughs.
Her rigorous methodology involves identifying her own potential bias in her research.
"I have to keep reflecting on myself and keep revisiting myself, and rechecking the work I have done to make sure I am not bringing bias to the work."
EXERCISING THE BRAIN
Meredith began her academic career in the field of exercise physiology, a background that has been very useful to subsequent study and research.
"I learnt about different population groups in terms of activity and exercise and wellness and risk in the body, including months of pharmacy and anatomy," she recounts.
Next came a Graduate Diploma in Health Promotion at the University of Newcastle, with a position at the University soon following.
Whilst Senior Research Coordinator for the Department of Veterans' Affairs Preventative Care Trial, Meredith completed her Research Masters.
A PhD in Community Health and Clinical Epidemiology was Meredith's next project. This work focused on the existence and construct of an Australian baby boomer stereotype, taking a constructivist, mixed methods approach, framed within social gerontology.
"Part of my thesis was numerical and quantitative, and the rest were different ways of looking at qualitative data - newspaper text analysis, interviews and written word analysis," Meredith explains.
"That is how I really got stuck into qualitative stuff and methodology. I am a real methodology nerd."
A two year Postdoctoral position at the University of Groningen in Holland ensued, working on The Netherlands' Healthy Ageing: Population and Society program, before a return to Newcastle as a Research Fellow in 2012.
FUTURE FOCUS
Meredith is hoping her salutogenesis study will be completed by early 2016. The findings can then be used, among other things, to inform further work with women living with diabetes.
Women and retirement is another area of research Meredith wishes to investigate further.
"We have found that the male model of retirement means very different things to women because they don't stop doing anything anyway, or they dip in and out of this thing called retirement," she discloses.
"There are women's narratives about retirement to explore, whether they said they were retired, or I'm never going to retire, or I retired long ago."
"I would like to investigate how they write about retirement over time."
Also on Meredith's wish list is work looking at livable communities and aged care, an area she is particularly passionate about.
"Anyone who is in aged care should be afforded the dignity to be authentic and to live as well as they can," she insists.
And her take home message from sharing the lives of so many women?
"Women are a hardy bunch. We are smart and bloody resilient."
Honouring their stories
As a social gerontologist, Dr Meredith Tavener's research encompasses identity in older age, women's health across the life course, baby boomers, narrative an
Career Summary
Biography
Dr Tavener is a social gerontologist, with particular skills in applying qualitative evaluation methods, and specialising in analysis of longitudinal qualitative data to determine how people narrate and assign meaning to key life stages. She is currently using an innovative hybrid system of applied thematic analysis to analyse longitudinal qualitative data for women, using the theoretical framework of salutogenesis to explore how women work to create health, and is an invited Plenary Speaker at a 2016 conference on health practice and policy.
Dr Tavener works 0.5FTE as a Research Fellow at the Research Centre for Generational Health and Ageing (RCGHA), and the remaining 0.5FTE as the Athena SWAN Fellow for the University of Newcastle, responsible for data synthesis and evaluation across the 2-year SAGE (Science Australia Gender Equity) Pilot.
Since completing her PhD in 2009, Dr Tavener has received in excess of $620,000 in funding, published 33 journal articles, one book chapter, and 13 Government reports, as well as presenting at six international conferences (including two invited symposia) and 27 national conferences. Internationally, Dr Tavener has completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in healthy ageing with the University of Groningen (2010-2012, Netherlands), and brokered an exchange agreement for their students to complete an internship at the RCGHA; she is also the coordinator for visiting pharmacy students from the University of Washington and the University of Wisconsin. Dr Tavener has one completed PhD student and is currently supervising four more.
Dr Tavener has successfully managed projects for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (1996-2001) and Department of Defence (2001-2004). She was invited to work with the (then) Priority Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing (February 2012 – present) and promoted to Research Fellow with the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH, 2012-2016) where she managed two cohorts of women. In 2015, ALSWH was awarded the CAPHIA Team Award for excellence and innovation in public health research. Dr Tavener is developing a strong reputation for her knowledge of theory and application of innovative qualitative methods.
Dr Tavener is a Chief Investigator on a successful NHMRC grant to evaluate the uptake and outcomes of the Medicare 75+ Health Assessments. She served as advisor for Women’s Health in the North (WHIN, Victoria); as qualitative consultant for funding submissions to the Hunter Cancer Research Alliance (2014, 2015); provided specialist guidance on qualitative research methodologies and longitudinal qualitative data analysis to colleagues at the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health & Society at La Trobe University, Victoria; was invited onto the Sax Institute and University of NSW bid working on the conceptual framework and analysis, for the Department of Defence and Department of Veterans’ Affairs ‘Study Design Framework for the MRCA Rehabilitation Long-Term Study’; asked to provide qualitative evaluation frameworks for Catholic Care Services NSW and the NSW Ministry of Health.
Dr Tavener reviews for a number of high quality journals, and is a member of the Australian Association of Gerontology, International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Australian Consortium for Social and Political Research Incorporated and Association for Qualitative Research.
Teaching Expertise
UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE, NSW AUSTRALIA:
2012 Master of Public Health – Ageing module Advanced Health Psychology – Gender and Health module
2013 - 2016 online course Public Health Implications of an Ageing Population
UNIVERSITY OF GRONINGEN, NETHERLANDS:
2010 - 2011 Write, Coordinate and Deliver – “Healthy Ageing: A Socio-Demographic Perspective”. Taught as an optional course for Bachelor students at the University of Groningen, the course included topics such as theoretical perspectives, demographic and epidemiologic transitions, the effect of ageing on the individual, and the influence of the individual within their society, constructs of ageing and ageism, giving meaning, and diversity in ageing, the life course, self determination and self agency. The course included guest lecturers, a film discussion, paper reviews and grant application assessment.
PROVIDED GUEST LECTURING FOR:
Theories of Demographic Behaviour Population and Development Methods of Research: Qualitative Text Analysis. Population, Health and Place Qualitative Research Methodologies: In-depth interviewing.
INVITED LECTURE: 16-19 June 2010 – Invited lecture on “Population Transition”, as part of “Gender und Gesundheit” course, at University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany.
Management and Administrative Expertise
Dr Tavener was a Senior Research Coordinator for the $1.65 million Department of Veterans’ Affairs “Preventive Care Trial” (1996-2001). This position involved the coordination of a four-year randomised controlled trial of health assessments for older people, undertaken in ten different towns in two Australian states. Results from the PCT informed the introduction of Medicare Enhanced Primary Care items in 1999, for Australia-wide annual health assessments for over 75's.
This work resulted in four reports being published with chief investigators:
- Establishment Report, Department of Veterans’ Affairs Steering Committee, June 1997.
- First Interim Report, Department of Veterans’ Affairs Steering Committee, June 1998.
- Second Interim Report, Department of Veterans’ Affairs Steering Committee, June 1999.
- Final Interim Report, Department of Veterans’ Affairs Steering Committee, June 2000.
And also five co-authored peer-reviewed journal publications.
In 2001 Dr Tavener was asked to stay on as Project Manager on the $2.0 million Department of Defence “Study of Health Outcomes in Aircraft Maintenance Personnel” (2001-2004), involving a large number of participants throughout Australia. In response to the study findings, the Government instituted a $21 million payment package and continuing health care scheme for ex-deseal/reseal personnel.
This work resulted in four reports being published with chief investigators:
- Phase I - Literature Review. Final Report. For the Department of Defence Scientific Advisory Committee. July 2003.
- Phase 2a – Mortality and Cancer Incidence Study. Interim Report. For the Department of Defence Scientific Advisory Committee. July 2003.
- Phase 2b – Mortality and Cancer Incidence Study. Second Report. For the Department of Defence Scientific Advisory Committee. April 2004.
- Phase 3 – Report on the General Health and Medical Study. For the Department of Defence Scientific Advisory Committee. September 2004. And also eight co-authored peer-reviewed journal publications. Meredith has also held the position of Honorary Secretary for the Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG).
And also eight co-authored peer-reviewed journal publications.
Collaborations
Dr Tavener maintains close ties to colleagues at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, and works with their student exchange director for Groningen students to attend the Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing and complete an Internship. She was invited to participate in an Indian-European Research Networking Programme in the Social Sciences (funding by ANR-DFG-ESRC-NWO with ICSSR) grant to examine "Ageing and well-being in a globalizing world" - and was nominated for two 'work packages' together with other team members from India, Netherlands and United Kingdom - (1) Knowledge base on ageing, and (2) Ageing, health and intergenerational care. Dr Tavener was also an Advisor for the "Living longer on less" project in 2013, conducted by Women's Health in the North (WHIN), Victoria, exploring women's retirement finances.
Committee participation
ALSWH Steering Committee (2012-2016)
ALSWH Data Management Committee (2012-2016)
ALSWH Publications, Analyses and Sub-studies Committee (2012-2016)
Hunter Medical Research Institute Research Register Management Committee (2012 - current)
Postgraduate Education Committee, University of Newcastle (2012 - current)
Hunter Dementia Alliance Management Committee (2015 - current)
Journal reviewer for
The Australasian Journal on Ageing
Oxford Journal of Public Health
Global Health Action
Journal of Youth Studies
Ageing & Society
BMC Women's Health
Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine
JAGS
Peer reviewer for University of Newcastle Human Research Ethics Committee
Professional member of
International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG)
Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG)
Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI)
International Association for Time Use Research (IATUR)
Association for Qualitative Research (AQR)
Australian Consortium for Social and Political Research Inc. (ACSPRI)
Qualifications
- PhD (Community Health & Clinical Epidemiology), University of Newcastle
- Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement), Ballarat University College - Vic
- Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours), University of Ballarat
- Graduate Diploma in Health Promotion, University of Newcastle
- Master of Medical Science, University of Newcastle
Keywords
- Longitudinal narrative analysis
- Public health
- Qualitative data and methods
- Social gerontology
- Thematic analysis
- Women's retirement
- Women's time stress
Fields of Research
| Code | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 110308 | Geriatrics and Gerontology | 50 |
| 111799 | Public Health and Health Services not elsewhere classified | 50 |
Professional Experience
Academic appointment
| Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|---|
| 1/02/2012 - | Research Fellow | University of Newcastle Research Centre for Gender Health and Ageing Australia |
| 1/01/2010 - 1/01/2012 | Postdoctoral Researcher | University of Groningen, Netherlands Faculty of Spatial Sciences Netherlands |
| 1/05/2009 - 1/10/2009 | Project Manager | Curtin University Australia |
| 1/07/2004 - 1/12/2009 | Research Academic | University of Newcastle Australia |
Professional appointment
| Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|---|
| 1/11/2001 - 1/07/2004 | Project Manager | Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle Australia |
| 1/10/1996 - 1/11/2001 | Senior Research Coordinator | Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle Australia |
Awards
Award
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2015 |
Council of Academic Public Health Institutions Australia (CAPHIA) 2015 Team Award for excellence and innovation in public health research Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health |
Scholarship
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2008 |
Jill Cockburn Public Health Research Scholarship The University of Newcastle, NSW |
| 2005 |
University of Newcastle Research Scholarship (UNRS-C) The University of Newcastle, NSW |
Invitations
Distinguished Visitor
| Year | Title / Rationale |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Invited presentation on "Healthy ageing issues: Labour, housing and social consciousness". |
Panel Participant
| Year | Title / Rationale |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Invited expert on ageing for Q&A symposium "Eyes, body & mind", at the Asia Pacific Vitreo-Retina Society Conference. |
| 2013 | PhD confirmation panel for Wilaiwan Pathike "The association between resilience and community health system among rural elderly: Effectiveness of rural community health system to promote successful ageing in Thailand". |
| 2013 | Discussing "How can we move policy forward?" at "Rethinking retirement" workshop. |
| 2012 | PhD confirmation panel for Tazeen Majeed "Life course impact of chronic diseases on patterns of workforce participation: A gendered approach". |
Participant
| Year | Title / Rationale |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Sax Institute workshop "Challenges in evaluating policy and programs". |
Speaker
| Year | Title / Rationale |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Presentation at RCGHA Research Methods Workshop, on "A salutogenic analysis of health in older women: Using applied inductive themnatic analysis." |
| 2012 | Invited talk on "Appreciate and celebrate all the little things - How women deal with life's ups and downs." |
| 2011 | Invited presentation at "Multi-disciplinary workshop on ageing and wellbeing". |
| 2010 | Invited presentation to "Health Economics" students, University of Hohenheim, on "The health of Australian baby boomer women: Understanding their ups and downs". |
| 2010 | Invited lecture on "Population Transition" as part of "Gender und Gesundheit" course. |
| 2010 | Invited presentation to members of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, on analysing written stories. |
Teaching
| Code | Course | Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPID6660 |
Public Health Implications of an Ageing Population The University of Newcastle |
Online course coordinator and facilitator | 1/07/2013 - 31/12/2015 |
Publications
For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.
Chapter (1 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 |
Byles JE, Tavener M, 'Health of older people', Oxford Textbook of Global Public Health, Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK 1408-1424 (2015) [B2]
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Journal article (34 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 |
Kennaugh R, Byles J, Tavener M, 'Beyond widowhood: Do prior discovered themes that describe the experiences of older Australian widowed women persist over time?', Women Health, 56 827-842 (2016)
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| 2016 |
Tavener MA, Chojenta C, Loxton D, 'Generating qualitative data by design: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women¿s Health qualitative data collection.', Public Health Research & Practice, 26 (2016) [C1]
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| 2016 |
Christiani Y, Byles JE, Tavener M, Dugdale P, 'Exploring the implementation of poslansia, Indonesia's community-based health programme for older people.', Australas J Ageing, 35 E11-E16 (2016)
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| 2016 |
Tavener M, Mooney R, Thomson C, Loxton D, 'The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health: Using Focus Groups to Inform Recruitment.', JMIR Res Protoc, 5 e31 (2016)
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| 2016 |
Christiani Y, Tavener M, Byles JE, Dugdale P, 'Inadequate collaboration: A challenge to reaching global targets for non-communicable disease control and prevention', Journal of Public Health Policy, 37 114-117 (2016)
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| 2015 |
Christiani Y, Byles J, Tavener M, Dugdale P, 'Socioeconomic related inequality in depression among young and middle-adult women in Indonesia¿s major cities.', J Affect Disord, 182 76-81 (2015) [C1]
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| 2015 |
Vo K, Forder PM, Tavener M, Rodgers B, Banks E, Bauman A, Byles JE, 'Retirement, age, gender and mental health: Findings from the 45 and Up Study', Aging and Mental Health, 19 647-657 (2015) [C1] © 2014 Taylor & Francis.Objectives: To examine the relationships of retirement and reasons for retirement with psychological distress in men and women at the age of 45-79 years. ... [more] © 2014 Taylor & Francis.Objectives: To examine the relationships of retirement and reasons for retirement with psychological distress in men and women at the age of 45-79 years. Method: Data from 202,584 Australians participating in the large-scale 45 and Up Study was used. Psychological distress was measured by the Kessler psychological distress scale. Associations between different work status and reasons for retirement with psychological distress were assessed for men and women at different ages using logistic regression. Results: Being fully retired or unemployed was associated with the high levels of psychological distress compared to being in paid work for men and women aged 45-64 (p < 0.0001), and for men aged 65-74 years (p = 0.0014). At the age of 75-79 years, there was no difference in psychological distress between different work statuses. Among retirees, retirement due to ill health, being made redundant or caring duty was associated with the high level of psychological distress. Conclusion: The association between work and mental health underscores the importance of policies and strategies to encourage and enable people to continue in the workforce after age 55, particularly for men. Important reasons for retirement with worse mental health outcomes include redundancy, ill health and needing to care for family or a friend. These circumstances will affect whether a person can continue working and their risk of poor mental health, and both considerations should be addressed in developing approaches for maintaining older workers or assisting them with their retirement transition.
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| 2015 |
Powers J, Tavener M, Graves A, Loxton D, 'Loss to follow-up was used to estimate bias in a longitudinal study: A new approach', Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, (2015) [C1] Objectives: To examine bias arising from loss to follow-up due to lack of contact. Study Design and Setting: The 1973-1978 cohort of Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Healt... [more] Objectives: To examine bias arising from loss to follow-up due to lack of contact. Study Design and Setting: The 1973-1978 cohort of Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health was first surveyed in 1996 and followed up in 2000, 2003, 2006, and 2009. At the 2000 survey, 9,688 women responded (responders), 2,972 could not be contacted, of whom 1,515 responded subsequently (temporary no contact) and 1,457 did not (permanent no contact). Characteristics were compared for these groups at baseline and follow-up in 2003, 2006, or 2009. Relative risk ratios were used to estimate bias. Results: No-contacts were younger, more likely to live in cities, to be less educated and stressed about money than responders. No-contacts were more likely to be in de facto relationships, separated, divorced, or widowed, to have experienced partner violence and be smokers. Compared with temporary no contact, permanent no contact were less educated, less likely to be studying or employed. Despite differences in prevalence estimates, relative odds ratios were close to one and had confidence intervals that included one, indicating little effect of bias. Conclusion: Although various characteristics were related to loss to follow-up, the relative risks estimates did not indicate serious bias due to loss to follow-up in this cohort of young women.
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| 2015 |
Christiani Y, Byles JE, Tavener M, Dugdale P, 'Do women in major cities experience better health? A comparison of chronic conditions and their risk factors between women living in major cities and other cities in Indonesia', GLOBAL HEALTH ACTION, 8 (2015) [C1]
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| 2015 |
Tavener M, Thijsen A, Hubbard IJ, Francis JL, Grennall C, Levi C, Byles J, 'Acknowledging How Older Australian Women Experience Life After Stroke: How Does the WHO 18-Item Brief ICF Core Set for Stroke Compare?', Health Care Women Int, 36 1311-1326 (2015) [C1]
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| 2015 |
Christiani Y, Byles JE, Tavener M, Dugdale P, 'Gender Inequalities in Noncommunicable Disease Risk Factors among Indonesian Urban Population', Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, 28 134-145 (2015) [C1] © 2015 Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health.Gender is an important determinant of health. We conducted a study to examine hypertension, obesity, hypercholesterolemi... [more] © 2015 Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health.Gender is an important determinant of health. We conducted a study to examine hypertension, obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and smoking behavior among adults aged >15 years in urban Indonesia. We compared the prevalence, predicted socioeconomic factors, the gender inequalities, and the contributing factors to the inequalities. Women had a higher risk of obesity and hypercholesterolemia and raised blood pressure in later life (P <.001). In contrast, men had a higher risk of being a current smoker and raised blood pressure at younger age (P <.001). The gender inequalities in hypertension, obesity, and hypercholesterolemia can be accounted for by disparities in socioeconomic factors between men and women, particularly involvement in paid work. However, the inequalities were also accounted for by different effects of the socioeconomic factors in men and women. Gender is interlinked with socioeconomic and biological factors in determining health. This emphasizes the need of gender responsive policies to control and prevent chronic disease.
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| 2015 |
Christiani Y, Byles JE, Tavener M, Dugdale P, 'Assessing socioeconomic inequalities of hypertension among women in Indonesia's major cities', Journal of Human Hypertension, 29 683-688 (2015) [C1] © 2015 Macmillan Publishers Limited.Although hypertension has been recognized as one of the major public health problems, few studies address economic inequality of hypertension ... [more] © 2015 Macmillan Publishers Limited.Although hypertension has been recognized as one of the major public health problems, few studies address economic inequality of hypertension among urban women in developing countries. To assess this issue, we analysed data for 1400 women from four of Indonesia's major cities: Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan and Bandung. Women were aged =15 years (mean age 35.4 years), and were participants in the 2007/2008 Indonesia Family Life Survey. The prevalence of hypertension measured by digital sphygmomanometer among this population was 31%. Using a multivariable logistic regression model, socioeconomic disadvantage (based on household assets and characteristics) as well as age, body mass index and economic conditions were significantly associated with hypertension (P<0.05). Applying the Fairlie decomposition model, results showed that 14% of the inequality between less and more economically advantaged groups could be accounted for by the distribution of socioeconomic characteristics. Education was the strongest contributor to inequality, with lower education levels increasing the predicted probability of hypertension among less economically advantaged groups. This work highlights the importance of socioeconomic inequality in the development of hypertension, and particularly the effects of education level.
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| 2015 |
Tavener M, Vo K, Byles JE, 'Work and Other Activities in Retirement.', J Am Geriatr Soc, 63 1476-1477 (2015) [C3]
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| 2014 |
Tavener M, Byles J, Loxton D, 'Expert perceptions of the popular baby boomer image', Australasian Journal on Ageing, 33 E31-E35 (2014) [C1] © 2013 ACOTA.Aim: This paper explored how gerontology experts described baby boomers, whether they challenged the popular image, and if they provided alternatives to the popularl... [more] © 2013 ACOTA.Aim: This paper explored how gerontology experts described baby boomers, whether they challenged the popular image, and if they provided alternatives to the popularly reported baby boomer behaviours and characteristics. Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with ten experts from different areas across Australia. The interviews were semi-structured and guided by a 'sense-making' approach to explore the baby boomer construct and identify expert narratives that differed from the popularly tendered image. Results: The majority of experts were identified as baby boomers and made use of phrases associated with the popular baby boomer image, such as 'cashed up', 'reinventing retirement' and 'sea change'. Lifestyle and wealth were recognised as staple features of the popular image. To a lesser degree, the experts also recognised alternative characteristics and behaviours, including people with disabilities and those who struggle financially. Conclusions: Experts appeared to identify with the popular baby boomer label, but not necessarily the accompanying stereotypes.
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| 2013 |
Byles J, Tavener M, Robinson I, Parkinson L, Stevenson D, Leigh L, et al., 'Transforming retirement: new definitions of life after work.', Journal of Women & Aging, 25 24-44 (2013) [C1]
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| 2013 |
Coles T, Byles J, Dow B, Tavener M, 'Advances in gerontology research and education: Perspectives from the Australian Association of Gerontology', Australasian Journal on Ageing, 32 40-45 (2013) [C1]
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| 2012 |
Reid MG, Parkinson L, Gibson RE, Schofield PW, D'Este CA, Attia JR, et al., 'Memory Complaint Questionnaire performed poorly as screening tool: Validation against psychometric tests and affective measures', Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 65 199-205 (2012) [C1]
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| 2012 |
Horner B, McManus A, Comfort J, Freijah R, Lovelock G, Hunter M, Tavener MA, 'How prepared is the retirement and residential aged care sector in Western Australia for older non-heterosexual people?', Quality in Primary Care, 20 263-274 (2012) [C1]
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| 2011 |
Guest M, D'Este CA, Attia JR, Boggess M, Brown A, Tavener M, et al., 'Impairment of color vision in aircraft maintenance workers', International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 84 723-733 (2011) [C1]
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| 2011 |
Guest M, Attia JR, D'Este CA, Boggess MM, Brown AM, Gibson RE, et al., 'Peripheral neuropathy in military aircraft maintenance workers in Australia', Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 53 381-387 (2011) [C1]
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| 2010 |
Guest M, Boggess M, Attia JR, D'Este CA, Brown A, Gibson RE, et al., 'Hearing impairment in F-111 maintenance workers: The study of health outcomes in aircraft maintenance personnel (SHOAMP) general health and medical study', American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 53 1159-1169 (2010) [C1]
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| 2010 |
Sibbritt DW, Byles JE, Tavener MA, 'Older Australian women's use of dentists: A longitudinal analysis over 6 years', Australasian Journal on Ageing, 29 14-20 (2010) [C1]
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| 2009 |
Brown A, Gibson RE, Tavener MA, Guest M, D'Este CA, Byles JE, et al., 'Sexual function in F-111 maintenance workers: The study of health outcomes in aircraft maintenance personnel', Journal of Sexual Medicine, 6 1569-1578 (2009) [C1]
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| 2008 |
D'Este CA, Attia JR, Brown AM, Gibson RE, Gibberd RW, Tavener MA, et al., 'Cancer incidence and mortality in aircraft maintenance workers', American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 51 16-23 (2008) [C1]
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| 2006 |
Schofield PW, Gibson RE, Tavener MA, Attia JR, D'Este CA, Guest M, et al., 'Neuropsychological health in F-111 aircraft maintenance workers', NeuroToxicology, 27 852-860 (2006) [C1]
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| 2006 |
Attia JR, D'Este CA, Schofield PW, Brown AM, Gibson RE, Tavener MA, et al., 'Mental health in F-111 maintenance workers: the study of Health Outcomes in Aircraft Maintenance Personnel (SHOAMP) general health and medical study', Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 48 682-691 (2006) [C1]
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| 2004 |
Byles JE, Tavener MA, O'Connell RL, Nair BR, Higginbotham HN, Jackson CL, et al., 'Randomised controlled trial of health assessments for older Australian veterans and war widows', Medical Journal of Australia, 181 186-190 (2004) [C1]
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| 2002 |
Byles JE, Tavener MA, Fitzgerald PE, Nair BR, Higginbotham HN, Jackson C, et al., 'A checklist for comprehensive health assessment for the over 70's', Australasian Journal on Ageing, 21 14-20 (2002) [C1]
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| 2000 |
Nair BR, Byles JE, Tavener MA, Heinze R, 'Immunisation rates in older veterans and war widows', Australasian Journal on Ageing, 19 136-138 (2000) [C1]
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| 2000 |
Byles JE, Higginbotham HN, Goodger BG, Tavener MA, Conrad A, Schofield P, Anthony DM, 'Development of a depression scale for veterans and war widows', International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 7 256-270 (2000) [C1]
|
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| 1999 |
Tavener MA, Byles JE, Francis L, McKernon M, 'Too Late for Prevention? The Search for Printed Health Promotion Materials Within the Preventive Care Trial', Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 9 198-201 (1999) [C1]
|
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| Show 31 more journal articles | |||||||||||
Conference (35 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 |
Hubbard IJ, Tavener M, Thijsen A, Francis L, Grennall C, Levi C, Byles J, 'How do older Australian women experience life after stroke, and how does the WHO 18-item ICF core Set for Stroke compare?', INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE (2015) [E3]
|
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| 2014 |
Tavener MA, Byles JE, Curryer C, Forder P, 'Applying the salutogenic model for better health outcomes in older Australian women.' (2014)
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| 2013 | Tavener MA, 'Teaching students to take a new look at older age.' (2013) | |||||||
| 2009 |
Tavener MA, Byles JE, Loxton DJ, 'Identity construction in baby boomer women', Australasian Journal on Ageing (2009) [E3]
|
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| 2006 |
D'Este C, Attia J, Brown A, Schofield P, Tavener M, Gibson R, Horsley K, 'SHOAMP: The study of health outcomes in aircraft maintenance personnel.', NEUROTOXICOLOGY (2006)
|
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| Show 32 more conferences | ||||||||
Report (16 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 |
Mishra G, Loxton DJ, Anderson A, Hockey R, Powers J, Brown W, et al., 'Health and wellbeing of women aged 18 to 23 in 2013 and 1996: findings from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women¿s Health', Department of Health, 183 (2014)
|
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| 2010 | GRAI (GLBTI Retirement Association Inc), Tavener MA, '"We don't have any of those people here". Retirement accommodation and aged care issues for non-heterosexual populations.', Lotterywest, 121 (2010) | ||||
| 2007 | Sanson-Fisher R, Carey M, Jack G, Tavener MA, 'Review of cervical cancer screening in New South Wales.', NSW Cancer Institute, 00 (2007) | ||||
| Show 13 more reports | |||||
Thesis / Dissertation (1 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Tavener MA, Your bloomin' lot: An empirical study of the popular baby boomer stereotype., University of Newcastle (2010) |
Grants and Funding
Summary
| Number of grants | 14 |
|---|---|
| Total funding | $625,944 |
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
20161 grants / $806
Research Consultancy$806
Funding body: Catholic Community Services NSW/ACT
| Funding body | Catholic Community Services NSW/ACT |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Doctor Meredith Tavener |
| Scheme | Small Research Consultancy |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2016 |
| Funding Finish | 2016 |
| GNo | G1600883 |
| Type Of Funding | Grant - Aust Non Government |
| Category | 3AFG |
| UON | Y |
20153 grants / $206,893
Long term evaluation of uptake, impact and outcomes of the 75+ Health Assessment$204,898
Funding body: NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council)
| Funding body | NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council) |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Professor Julie Byles, Ms Xenia Dolja-Gore, Doctor Catherine Chojenta, Professor Kichu Nair, Doctor Meredith Tavener |
| Scheme | Project Grant |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2015 |
| Funding Finish | 2016 |
| GNo | G1400038 |
| Type Of Funding | Aust Competitive - Commonwealth |
| Category | 1CS |
| UON | Y |
Travel grant to represent Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing at the 48th AAG National Conference as an inaugural "Knowledge Hub", Alice Springs, 4-6 November 2015$1,775
Funding body: Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing, The University of Newcastle, NSW
| Funding body | Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing, The University of Newcastle, NSW |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Travel grant |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2015 |
| Funding Finish | 2015 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Internal |
| Category | INTE |
| UON | N |
Travel grant to attend "Challenges in evaluating policy and programs", Sydney, NSW.$220
Funding body: Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing
| Funding body | Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Travel grant |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2015 |
| Funding Finish | 2015 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Internal |
| Category | INTE |
| UON | N |
20142 grants / $4,400
Visiting Scholar Grant Scheme to bring Dr Steffen Otterbach from Universitat Hohenheim, Germany$3,900
Funding body: Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle
| Funding body | Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Visiting Fellows Scheme |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2014 |
| Funding Finish | 2014 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Aust Competitive - Non Commonwealth |
| Category | 1NS |
| UON | N |
Travel bursary to present at the 47th Australian Association of Gerontology National Conference, "50 not out", 26-28 November 2014, Adelaide, SA.$500
Funding body: Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG)
| Funding body | Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG) |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Travel grant |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2014 |
| Funding Finish | 2014 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | External |
| Category | EXTE |
| UON | N |
20132 grants / $2,060
Travel grant to attend Australian Consortium for Social and Political Research Incorporated course "Qualitative Research: Design, Analysis and Representation".$1,560
Funding body: Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing
| Funding body | Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Travel grant |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2013 |
| Funding Finish | 2013 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Internal |
| Category | INTE |
| UON | N |
Travel grant, invited to attend "Ageing Mind Initiative", The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD.$500
Funding body: The University of Queensland
| Funding body | The University of Queensland |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Travel grant |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2013 |
| Funding Finish | 2013 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Grant - Aust Non Government |
| Category | 3AFG |
| UON | N |
20121 grants / $405,587
Ageing and well-being in a globalizing world$405,587
Funding body: ANR-DFG-ESRC-NWO
| Funding body | ANR-DFG-ESRC-NWO |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Professor I Hutter |
| Scheme | Indian-European research networking programme in the social sciences |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2012 |
| Funding Finish | 2015 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | International - Competitive |
| Category | 3IFA |
| UON | N |
20112 grants / $4,348
Promoting quality practice. Challenges and practicalities of engaging older adults in research.$3,748
Funding body: University of Groningen
| Funding body | University of Groningen |
|---|---|
| Project Team | B van Hoven |
| Scheme | Internal Departmental Funding |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2011 |
| Funding Finish | 2011 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | International - Non Competitive |
| Category | 3IFB |
| UON | N |
Travel bursary to present at the 9th Asia/Oceania Regional Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics, "Ageing well together", 23-27 October 2011, Melbourne, Australia.$600
Funding body: Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG)
| Funding body | Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG) |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Travel grant |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2011 |
| Funding Finish | 2011 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | External |
| Category | EXTE |
| UON | N |
20092 grants / $1,100
University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree 'grants in aid'$600
Funding body: Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle
| Funding body | Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Grants-in-aid |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2009 |
| Funding Finish | 2009 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | Internal |
| Category | INTE |
| UON | N |
Student bursary to present at the 42nd National conference of the Australian Association of Gerontology, "Translation and Transformation", 25-27 November 2009, Canberra ACT.$500
Funding body: Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG)
| Funding body | Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG) |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Travel grant |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2009 |
| Funding Finish | 2009 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | External |
| Category | EXTE |
| UON | N |
20081 grants / $750
Student bursary to present at the 7th National conference of Emerging Researchers in Ageing (ERA), âShaping research landscapesâ, 18 November 2008. Fremantle, Western Australia.$750
Funding body: Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG)
| Funding body | Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG) |
|---|---|
| Scheme | Travel grant |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2008 |
| Funding Finish | 2008 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | External |
| Category | EXTE |
| UON | N |
Research Supervision
Number of supervisions
Total current UON EFTSL
Current Supervision
| Commenced | Level of Study | Research Title / Program / Supervisor Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | PhD |
'He Didn¿t Know How to Die': Reducing Pre-Death Anxiety and Suffering
for Those Ageing Through the Reclamation of Social, Psychological and
Sacred Death Preparation in a Modern Australian Society PhD (Gender & Health), Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle Principal Supervisor |
| 2016 | PhD |
Living with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome during pregnancy: a qualitative exploration of women's experience PhD (Gender & Health), Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle Co-Supervisor |
| 2015 | PhD |
Taking Time to Listen: A Qualitative Study on Older Widowed and Married Women PhD (Gender & Health), Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle Co-Supervisor |
Past Supervision
| Year | Level of Study | Research Title / Program / Supervisor Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | PhD |
Urban Women's Health Inequalities and Their Determinants in Indonesia PhD (Gender & Health), Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle Co-Supervisor |
Research Collaborations
The map is a representation of a researchers co-authorship with collaborators across the globe. The map displays the number of publications against a country, where there is at least one co-author based in that country. Data is sourced from the University of Newcastle research publication management system (NURO) and may not fully represent the authors complete body of work.
| Country | Count of Publications | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 34 | |
| Netherlands | 5 | |
| United States | 3 | |
| United Kingdom | 1 |
Dr Meredith Tavener
Position
Research Fellow
Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing
Faculty of Health and Medicine
Contact Details
| meredith.tavener@newcastle.edu.au | |
| Phone | (02) 4042 0684 |
| Fax | (02) 4042 0044 |
Office
| Room | Level 4, West Wing, Public Health |
|---|---|
| Building | Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) |
| Location | Lot 1 Kookaburra Circuit, New Lambton Heights, NSW 2305 , |
