Background: Studies show that when the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is implemented breastfeeding rates increase. However, there are likely to be various barriers to BFHI implementation. This article reports on an empirical study of government-directed BFHI implementation in the New Zealand public hospital system. It focuses primarily on the barriers encountered through implementing the first Two Steps of the BFHI: developing BFHI policy and communicating it to staff; and providing necessary staff training.
This article presents descriptive data from surveys that probed the use of health information by Internet users in Australia and New Zealand. Using this data, the article also contributes to understanding of factors associated with a series of Internet health information use outcomes. Four hundred six respondents (151 Australians; 255 New Zealanders) had used the Internet for health information and were asked about emailing doctors, Internet searching, taking Internet information to the doctor and perceptions of Internet information reliability. Regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between key outcomes and independent variables. A bootstrap procedure was performed to select variables used in logistic regression models. Fifty-two percent of health Internet users had emailed their doctor. Few significant differences between Australian and New Zealand responses were found. Internet use for health information was below levels found in North American and European studies, but there was similar prevalence of emailing and presenting Internet information to doctors. Emailers were more likely to believe this improved communication with doctors (OR = 3.59; 95%CI 1.95, 6.61). Frequent Internet searchers were more likely to take Internet information to their doctor (OR = 2.41; 1.47, 3.92), and believe the Internet to be a more useful information source (OR = 2.47; 1.22, 5.03). Females were less likely to email their doctor (OR = 0.47; 0.26, 0.85). More educated respondents were more likely to email their doctor (OR = 1.99; 1.16, 3.39) and to check website credentials (OR = 2.61; 1.53, 4.43). This study suggests that there is a digital divide among health care Internet users. It shows that, for males, email could have health care advantages. Doctors may need to develop strategies to deal with patients presenting with Internet information, including how to source information and check its credibility.
This study highlights some important areas that are deficient in NZ and Victorian school anti-bullying policies, and emphasises the need for guidance on how schools can develop an effective anti-bullying policy. Having more comprehensive anti-bullying policies will give schools a much better chance of reducing bullying.
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