Work-place focused responsibility for both Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) management and the development of employee skills arising from new legislative and regulatory frameworks have imposed new responsibilities on managers and OHS practitioners in the work-place. The purpose of this research study was to identify and describe designated OHS practitioners' and work-place managers' perceptions of the implementation of OHS policy in the work-place within agencies of the public sector of South Australia and whether these perceptions are congruent with policy and workplace practice. A case study method was selected as the research design and the data gathering instruments were a questionnaire of OHS practitioners, semi-structured interviews of work-place managers and a document analysis. This study revealed that respondent OHS practitioners perceived that they received support from Chief Executives and management for the implementation of OHS. Results also indicated that work-place managers and OHS practitioners held differing perceptions of their respective roles in the area of OHS policy implementation. Policy documentation, intended to support work-place managers, was found to be comprehensive but was perceived by managers as overwhelming and may need to be designed to meet their needs. OHS practitioners' perception of organisational achievement of best-practice in OHS appeared to be linked to policy development and audit activity.

Pulses (legumes) are a common dietary constituent of ethnic communities exhibiting lower rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The following studies examined the effect of including chickpeas in an 'Australian' diet on CVD risk factors. Participants were free-living volunteers aged 30 to 70 years. Study 1 investigated the effect of chickpeas on serum lipids, lipoproteins, glycaemic control, bowel function and satiation (degree of fullness leading to meal cessation) compared to a higher-fibre wheat-supplemented diet (Chapter 2). Participants completed two controlled dietary interventions (chickpea-supplemented and higher-fibre wheat-supplemented), isocaloric with their usual dietary intake, in random order. The design of the intervention diets was for matched macronutrient content and dietary fibre however increased consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) during the chickpea-supplemented diet was noted. Small but significant reductions in mean serum total cholesterol and low density lipoproteincholesterol (LDL-C) were reported following the chickpea diet compared to the wheat. Statistical analysis suggested a relationship between increased consumption of PUFA and reduction in cholesterol during the chickpea intervention but could not discern the source of PUFA. Chickpea supplementation did not adversely affect bowel function and participants found them very satiating. There was no effect on glycaemic control. A small, sub-study compared the effects of an isocaloric, lower-fibre wheat diet to the higher-fibre wheat, to evaluate the effect of quantity of fibre as well as source on bowel health and satiety. During the lower-fibre wheat intervention, some participants reported lower satiation, and poorer bowel health. Some of the results from this study were included in a larger, collaborative study investigating the effect of chickpeas on serum lipids and lipoproteins in two centres, Launceston and Melbourne. The Melbourne group followed a similar controlled, random crossover comparison of a chickpeasupplemented diet to a higher-fibre wheat-supplemented diet, also endeavouring to match macronutrient content and dietary fibre. The Melbourne group also reported small but significant reductions in mean serum LDL- and total cholesterol but reported discrepancies in consumption of PUFA as well as dietary fibre between the intervention diets. Statistical analysis of the combined results suggested a relationship between increased consumption of PUFA and dietary fibre and a reduction in cholesterol during the chickpea intervention. Appendix 1 is a description of this collaborative study, formatted as a scientific paper, accepted for publication. Study 2 investigated whether results from the controlled study would translate to ad libitum situations (Chapter 3). The study followed an ordered crossover design where participants followed their habitual ad libitum dietary intake for four weeks (familiarisation phase), incorporated a minimum of four 300g (net weight) cans of chickpeas per week for 12 weeks and then resumed their habitual diet for another four weeks (usual phase). Small but significant reductions in body weight, body mass index (BMI), serum TC, fasting insulin and HOMA-IR occurred following the chickpea phase, compared to the post-chickpea usual phase. Results suggested that participants positively altered their eating pattern during the pre-chickpea familiarisation phase, sustained these changes during the 12-week chickpea phase but regressed during the usual phase. Participants consumed significantly more dietary fibre and PUFA during the chickpea phase and less total fat and saturated fatty acids (SFA) compared to the usual phase. Perceived bowel health remained constant throughout the study, while satiation increased significantly during the chickpea phase along with a small but significant reduction in mean body weight. Incorporating chickpeas into an 'Australian' style diet resulted in increased consumption of PUFA and dietary fibre that produced small but significant reductions in serum TC, BMI and glycaemic control, high satiation and little effect on bowel function. Individuals wishing to reduce CVD risk may choose to include chickpeas in their diet.

Three studies were undertaken with high school students, unified by the goal of informing prevention programmes in high schools. The first study used a questionnaire to gather information from 373 students about their experiences of emotional, physical and/or sexual violence across heterosexual dating, peer and family relationships. Although girls and boys reported similar rates of all types of violence, the emotional consequences for girls were more adverse, girls were more likely to talk to someone about it and more likely to terminate the relationship. There was a correlation between violence victimisation in dating relationships and in the family. Experiences of peer violence were similar for boys and girls, although girls reported significantly more sexual harassment and boys significantly more physical violence. The two remaining studies in the research used a discourse analytic approach to examine the talk of students. One study used 12 group interviews in which 101 students were invited to talk about their perceptions of dating relationships and the violence that occurred within them. The key strand in the analysis of this talk was the social construction of masculine and feminine identities. Boys commonly drew on the discourses of naturalness, the sexually driven male and the patriarchal discourse. For girls, the prevailing discourses were the discourse of the body, the discourse of 'emphasised femininity' (traditional femininity) and, as with the boys, the patriarchal discourse. The other study involved analysis of 24 individual interviews with girls, who had themselves been in relationships with boyfriends that involved violence. Their stories were commonly threaded with the romantic narrative, but although girls at times positioned themselves within the passivity of romantic discourse and 'emphasised femininity', they also positioned themselves in the contradictory discourse of feminism. The high levels of reported violence in the questionnaire study supported a need for dating violence prevention programmes in schools as well as suggesting specific areas to target within programmes. The group interview study strongly indicated the need to foster alternative constructions of masculinity and femininity and the individual interview study pointed to the need to alert teenagers to the fusion of love and violence through exposing the trappings of romantic discourse.

Three studies were undertaken with high school students, unified by the goal of informing prevention programmes in high schools. The first study used a questionnaire to gather information from 373 students about their experiences of emotional, physical and/or sexual violence across heterosexual dating, peer and family relationships. Although girls and boys reported similar rates of all types of violence, the emotional consequences for girls were more adverse, girls were more likely to talk to someone about it and more likely to terminate the relationship. There was a correlation between violence victimisation in dating relationships and in the family. Experiences of peer violence were similar for boys and girls, although girls reported significantly more sexual harassment and boys significantly more physical violence. The two remaining studies in the research used a discourse analytic approach to examine the talk of students. One study used 12 group interviews in which 101 students were invited to talk about their perceptions of dating relationships and the violence that occurred within them. The key strand in the analysis of this talk was the social construction of masculine and feminine identities. Boys commonly drew on the discourses of naturalness, the sexually driven male and the patriarchal discourse. For girls, the prevailing discourses were the discourse of the body, the discourse of 'emphasised femininity' (traditional femininity) and, as with the boys, the patriarchal discourse. The other study involved analysis of 24 individual interviews with girls, who had themselves been in relationships with boyfriends that involved violence. Their stories were commonly threaded with the romantic narrative, but although girls at times positioned themselves within the passivity of romantic discourse and 'emphasised femininity', they also positioned themselves in the contradictory discourse of feminism. The high levels of reported violence in the questionnaire study supported a need for dating violence prevention programmes in schools as well as suggesting specific areas to target within programmes. The group interview study strongly indicated the need to foster alternative constructions of masculinity and femininity and the individual interview study pointed to the need to alert teenagers to the fusion of love and violence through exposing the trappings of romantic discourse.

Diet influences the coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors including lipids and lipoproteins, glucose, insulin, and endothelial function. This research thesis examined the effects of the three different (tomato-olive oil combination and chilli) but widely consumed dietary components, on a range of metabolic and vascular parameters of CHD risk. The aims of this thesis were to investigate the effects of: o a lycopene (tomato)-rich high monounsaturated fat (light olive oil) diet and a lycopene-rich high carbohydrate diet (each diet of 10 days duration) on serum lycopene, lipid profile and serum oxidation in 21 men and women aged between 22 and 70 years with a BMI of 18 - 30kg/m2. o a chilli blend (30g/day) supplemented diet and a bland (chilli free) diet (each diet of four week duration) on a range of metabolic and vascular parameters in 36 men and women aged between 22 and 70 years with a BMI of 18 - 35kg/m2. The measured parameters included serum lipids and lipoproteins, lipid oxidation, glucose, insulin, basal metabolic rate (BMR), heart rate (HR), peripheral and aortic blood pressure, augmentation index (AIx; a measure of arterial stiffness) and subendocardial viability ratio (SEVR; an indicator of myocardial perfusion). o single meals containing chilli blend (30g) with or without the background of a chilli-containing diet on a range of postprandial metabolic and vascular parameters (n = 36). o a chilli blend supplemented diet (of three weeks duration) on endothelial-independent and -dependent vasodilation (assessed after administration of glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) and salbutamol, respectively) compared to the effects of a bland diet (n = 15). o the active ingredient of spices (in different concentrations) including chilli (capsaicin and its analogue dihydrocapsaicin), turmeric (curcumin), piprine (black pepper) and the colour pigment of tomatoes (lycopene) on the in vitro copper-induced oxidation of serum lipids. The dietary intervention studies were conducted using a randomized crossover design on a weight maintenance regime. Two different groups of people volunteered to take part in the tomato-olive oil and the chilli studies. All participants from the four week chilli study also took part in the meal studies. Ten days of a high lycopene monounsaturated fat rich and high lycopene carbohydrate rich diets presented similar increase in serum lycopene concentration and a similar reduction in serum total and LDL cholesterol. The AIx after three weeks of regular chilli consumption was lower on the chilli diet compared to the bland diet, but there was no significant difference in the overall effects of GTN and salbutamol on endothelium-independent and -dependent vasodilation between the two diets. Four weeks of iso-energetic weight maintenance chilli and bland diets produced no significant differences in serum lipids, glucose, insulin, peripheral and central blood pressure, AIx, SEVR or BMR. HR was lower after four weeks of chilli-supplemented diet in men, but not in women. Serum collected after the chilli-supplemented diet exhibited a lower rate of copper-induced oxidation compared to the serum after the bland diet. Women, but not men, also showed a longer lag phase after the chilli-supplemented diet compared to the bland diet. This was probably due to the higher chilli/capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin intake (per kg body weight) in women. In vitro studies with capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin (and curcumin) also exhibited a concentration effect for the resistance to copper-induced serum lipid oxidation. Results of the meal tests were surprising and exciting. The CAB meal (chilli-containing meal after the bland diet, eaten on day 29 of the bland diet) and the CAC meal (chilli-containing meal after the chilli diet, eaten on day 29 of the chilli diet) showed a lower maximum increase in postprandial serum insulin and overall postprandial serum insulin response compared to the BAB meal (bland meal after the bland diet, eaten on day 22 of the bland diet). The probable reason for this ameliorated insulin profile was a small reduction in insulin secretion and a large increase in the hepatic insulin clearance. The correlation between insulin and SEVR indicated an increase in the myocardial perfusion after the CAC meal compared to the BAB meal. All these results were more pronounced after the CAC meal and in people with BMI greater than 26kg/m2. Contrary to popular belief and some previously published data, we did not observe a significantly higher energy expenditure (EE) after the CAB meal or the CAC meal compared to the BAB meal. In fact, a lower EE was observed in people with increased BMI on the CAC meal compared to the BAB meal. This effect was possibly the consequence of improved postprandial insulin profile and reduced sympathetic nervous system activity after the CAC meal. The results from these investigations may have significance in improving serum lycopene concentrations, lipid profile (tomatoes and olive oil), postprandial insulin response (chilli) and increased resistance of serum to copper induced oxidation (chilli) and hence decreasing the risk of CHD, especially in people with increased BMI for whom the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality is higher than in lean individuals. Together, the results from these studies not only advance our knowledge relating to the relationship between some foods and the CHD risk factors but provide an opportunity to combine olive oil, tomatoes and chillies with other foods and spices (as often used in curries) in an attempt to further investigate foods and cuisines that will minimise the various risk factors for CHD.

Three studies were undertaken with high school students, unified by the goal of informing prevention programmes in high schools. The first study used a questionnaire to gather information from 373 students about their experiences of emotional, physical and/or sexual violence across heterosexual dating, peer and family relationships. Although girls and boys reported similar rates of all types of violence, the emotional consequences for girls were more adverse, girls were more likely to talk to someone about it and more likely to terminate the relationship. There was a correlation between violence victimisation in dating relationships and in the family. Experiences of peer violence were similar for boys and girls, although girls reported significantly more sexual harassment and boys significantly more physical violence. The two remaining studies in the research used a discourse analytic approach to examine the talk of students. One study used 12 group interviews in which 101 students were invited to talk about their perceptions of dating relationships and the violence that occurred within them. The key strand in the analysis of this talk was the social construction of masculine and feminine identities. Boys commonly drew on the discourses of naturalness, the sexually driven male and the patriarchal discourse. For girls, the prevailing discourses were the discourse of the body, the discourse of 'emphasised femininity' (traditional femininity) and, as with the boys, the patriarchal discourse. The other study involved analysis of 24 individual interviews with girls, who had themselves been in relationships with boyfriends that involved violence. Their stories were commonly threaded with the romantic narrative, but although girls at times positioned themselves within the passivity of romantic discourse and 'emphasised femininity', they also positioned themselves in the contradictory discourse of feminism. The high levels of reported violence in the questionnaire study supported a need for dating violence prevention programmes in schools as well as suggesting specific areas to target within programmes. The group interview study strongly indicated the need to foster alternative constructions of masculinity and femininity and the individual interview study pointed to the need to alert teenagers to the fusion of love and violence through exposing the trappings of romantic discourse.

Three studies were undertaken with high school students, unified by the goal of informing prevention programmes in high schools. The first study used a questionnaire to gather information from 373 students about their experiences of emotional, physical and/or sexual violence across heterosexual dating, peer and family relationships. Although girls and boys reported similar rates of all types of violence, the emotional consequences for girls were more adverse, girls were more likely to talk to someone about it and more likely to terminate the relationship. There was a correlation between violence victimisation in dating relationships and in the family. Experiences of peer violence were similar for boys and girls, although girls reported significantly more sexual harassment and boys significantly more physical violence. The two remaining studies in the research used a discourse analytic approach to examine the talk of students. One study used 12 group interviews in which 101 students were invited to talk about their perceptions of dating relationships and the violence that occurred within them. The key strand in the analysis of this talk was the social construction of masculine and feminine identities. Boys commonly drew on the discourses of naturalness, the sexually driven male and the patriarchal discourse. For girls, the prevailing discourses were the discourse of the body, the discourse of 'emphasised femininity' (traditional femininity) and, as with the boys, the patriarchal discourse. The other study involved analysis of 24 individual interviews with girls, who had themselves been in relationships with boyfriends that involved violence. Their stories were commonly threaded with the romantic narrative, but although girls at times positioned themselves within the passivity of romantic discourse and 'emphasised femininity', they also positioned themselves in the contradictory discourse of feminism. The high levels of reported violence in the questionnaire study supported a need for dating violence prevention programmes in schools as well as suggesting specific areas to target within programmes. The group interview study strongly indicated the need to foster alternative constructions of masculinity and femininity and the individual interview study pointed to the need to alert teenagers to the fusion of love and violence through exposing the trappings of romantic discourse.

The circadian clock defines physiologically optimal times for sleeping, which vary along a continuum of circadian phenotypes from morning- to evening-type. Although different ‘chronotypes’ can be discriminated reliably by the Morningness/Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), there is little published information on their prevalence. The timing of sleep is also heavily influenced by societal norms. However, the relative contribution of circadian physiology versus psychosocial factors is unknown. This thesis took a multidimensional approach to investigating preferred sleep timing within the general population of New Zealand (30-49 years). A New Zealand version of the MEQ was mailed to a random stratified sample of 5,000 adults living in the Wellington region (55.7% response rate). Using scoring criteria for middle-aged adults, approximately 25% of the population were morning-types and 25% were evening-types. The sleeping patterns of 15 morning- and 16 evening-types were monitored using actiwatches and sleep diaries. Morning-types slept significantly earlier, but there were no differences in sleep duration or quality. Both chronotypes showed evidence of using the weekend to catch-up on sleep, although this was more evident among evening-types. Differences between chronotypes were also investigated using the endogenous melatonin rhythm as a circadian phase marker. The timing of the melatonin rhythm was earlier among morning-types, with the difference being greater for melatonin onset, than offset. However, differences between weekday versus weekend sleep explained more of the variability in sleep timing that did circadian phase. Understanding the genetic differences in the circadian clock is evolving rapidly. While this is of particular scientific interest, little consideration has been given to the ethical implications of this type of work. In the final study, a Kaupapa Māori framework was used to explore Māori hopes and concerns for genetic research in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Thematic analysis indicated that Māori are not anti-science, however there is an urgent need for ethical guidelines that uphold and respect the values of Māori society. This thesis argues that sleep is a major public health issue for New Zealand. However, a number of challenges must be met to ensure that new scientific knowledge meets the needs and expectations of the community.

There has been considerable debate among cognitive psychologists and epidemiologists regarding which determinants of children’s intelligence are most important. Factors such as children’s diet, maternal stress and social support are important for general health and wellbeing, but have received little research attention in longitudinal studies involving cognitive outcomes. Few studies have examined the determinants of intelligence in children born small-for-gestational age (SGA) at term even though these children may be particularly vulnerable to poorer postnatal environments. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with cognitive ability in middle childhood in New Zealand (NZ) European children and children born SGA. The present research was conducted as part of the Auckland Birthweight Collaborative (ABC) study. Approximately half of the children in this study were born SGA (birthweight<10th percentile) and half were born appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA=birthweight>10th percentile). Information was collected from mothers and children on pregnancy, obstetric, socio-demographic, postnatal and dietary factors when the children were born (n=871), at one year (n=744), 3.5 years (n=550), and 7 years of age (n=591). Cognitive ability was assessed at 7 years using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Third Edition. For the total sample, the analyses utilised weighting to allow for the disproportionate sampling of children born SGA. Results showed that SGA and AGA children did not differ in intelligence at 7 years. Factors associated with intelligence included maternal pregnancy factors (e.g. hypertension), socio-demographic factors (e.g. paternal education), and postnatal factors (e.g. maternal social support). In general, the effects of environmental factors did not differ significantly for SGA children compared with AGA children. A number of dietary factors were also found to be significantly and positively associated with intelligence measures including higher intakes of breads and cereals and weekly fish consumption. In contrast, daily margarine consumption was associated with significantly lower intelligence scores, particularly in SGA children, and this is the first study to report this association. iii Dietary and “environmental” factors were stronger predictors of children’s intelligence in middle childhood than “biological” factors, such as infant’s birthweight. Importantly, most of the factors associated with intelligence that were identified in this study are potentially modifiable. Further research is needed to examine whether these factors continue to be associated with cognitive ability in later childhood.

Pregnancy can have important effects on oral health and pregnant women are a population group requiring special attention with regard to their oral health and their babies? health. International research shows that oral health care for pregnant women has been inadequate, especially in relation to education and health promotion and there is some evidence of disparities by SES and ethnicity. Improving oral health is one of the health priorities in the New Zealand Health Strategy (Ministry of Health, 2000) and the Ministry of Health (Ministry of Health, 2006a) has recently identified a need for more information on the oral health and behaviour of pre-natal women. The aims of this study were to gain an understanding of pregnant women?s oral health care practices, access to oral health care information and use of dental care services and to identify any difference by ethnicity and socio-economic position. A self-reported questionnaire was completed by 405 pregnant women (55% response rate) who attended antenatal classes in the Wellington region. The questionnaire was broadly divided into four parts: (1) care of the teeth when the woman was not pregnant; (2) care of the teeth and diet during the pregnancy; (3) sources of oral health information during pregnancy and; (4) demographic information . Data were analysed by age, ethnicity, education and income and odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated using logistic regression. The majority of women in this survey were pakeha (80.2%), compared to 19.7% „Others? (8.8% Maori, 1.9% Pacific, 8.6% other). Most of the subjects were aged 31-35 years (34.5%), of high SES (household income and education level). Half of the women reported having regular visits to the dentist previous pregnancy while a significant percentage of women saw a dentist basically when they had problems. The usual dental hygiene habits were maintained during pregnancy. However, during pregnancy more than 60% of women reported bleeding gums. Just 32% of women went to see the dentist during pregnancy and less than half had access to oral health information related to pregnancy. „Others? (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.15-0.91) and low income (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.10-0.76) groups were significantly less likely to report access to oral health information compared to pakeha and high income groups (respectively). Women who went to see the dentist during pregnancy were more likely to receive information on dental health. However, low income women were more likely to report the need to see a dentist (OR 2.55, CI 1.08-5.99). Information on dental health and access to oral care should be prioritised to low income women, Maori, Pacific and other ethnic groups. Little attention has previously been given to oral health for pregnant women in New Zealand and there is a need to increase awareness of the importance of this area amongst health practitioners particularly Lead Maternity Carers and Plunket and tamariki ora nurses.