Older men from ethnic minority communities living in a regional town in Australia were identified by a government-funded peak advocacy body as failing to access local health and support services and, more broadly, being at risk of not ageing well. A qualitative study was undertaken to explore the health and wellbeing of ethnic minority men growing older in a rural community, and to identify the barriers they faced in accessing appropriate services from a range of different perspectives. Individual interviews were conducted with key informants (service providers and community leaders), followed by focus groups with older men from four ethnic minority communities. The men in this study showed signs that they were at risk of poor mental and physical health, and experienced significant barriers to accessing health and support services. Furthermore, environmental, technological, social and economic changes have brought challenges for the older men as they age. Despite these challenges, this study demonstrated how work, family and ethnic identity was integral to the lives of these older men, and was, in many ways, a resource. Key informants' perspectives mostly confirmed the experiences of the older men in this study. The discrepancies in their views about the extent of health-promoting behaviour indicate some key areas for future health intervention, services and research.

Inactivity has been identified as a major contributor to the burden of disease among older Australians, particularly those in culturally-diverse communities. This study assessed the facilitators and barriers to physical activity in older people from culturally-diverse communities, and investigated the predictors of physical activity participation by recruiting 333 older people from seven different communities in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. A survey questionnaire that recorded physical activity and the barriers to and facilitators of activity was interviewer-administered in the participants' preferred language. The data were analysed using bivariate and multivariate inferential statistical methods. Personal barriers to physical activity, such as poor health, lacking the energy to exercise, being too tired and low motivation, were highly prevalent in all groups. Specific factors, such as ‘being self-conscious about my looks’, were more prevalent among the Vietnamese, as were concerns about the weather among Macedonians and Croatians. Across all groups, perceptions of health and safety strongly influenced physical activity behaviour, more so than the external environment. Some of the barriers can be addressed with a common approach, but others in some communities will require particular strategies.

Results are reported for a 3-year prospective longitudinal study of behavior problems in a group of children born at very low birthweight (<1,500 g) and a full-term control. Behavior problems were assessed with the Behavior Screening Questionnaire (BSQ) at 3 years and with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the hyperactivity index from the Conners parent and teacher scales at 6 years. The findings indicate that the preterms manifested more behavior problems than full-terms at both ages and that the overall prevalence of clinically significant problems increased with age. Although cross-age continuity on parent rating scales was similar and modest for both groups (r = .24–.35), the persistence of significant problems was quite high (50%). Early BSQ scores predicted later externalizing problems, even after the effects of prematurity, socioeconomic status, and family stress were removed, but not later internalizing problems. The latter were more strongly influenced by low SES and family stress. Findings for the full-terms, who had received the CBCL as well as the BSQ at 3 years, suggest that these two instruments may tap somewhat different dimensions of behavior disturbance at age 3.

This study examined the stability of behavior problems in 44 low SES children ages 2–5 years using the preschool and standard versions of Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist. While scores for the present sample did not differ significantly from Achenbach's standardization sample at age 2, scores at ages 4 and 5 were somewhat elevated; this was true for the Total score, as well as for the two broad-band scores (Internalizing and Externalizing). At all ages, the Internalizing and Externalizing scores correlated highly with one another (r= .58 to .74). Stability coefficients across one to three year intervals revealed significant continuity for the Total and Externalizing scores (r= .42 to .73). Internalizing scores were stable only between ages 4 and 5 (r= .53). In addition, early Externalizing scores also predicted subsequent Internalizing scores, suggesting that early Externalizing symptomatology has diverse implications. Maternal depression and negative life events, assessed at ages 4 and 5, correlated strongly with child behavior scores at both these ages. However, neither factor accounted for the stability in childrens' symptomatology. Overall, the levels of stability found here were comparable to those reported for older children. The results are discussed in terms of developmental psychopathology, with particular attention to the finding that (a) developmentally maladaptive behavior can be identified at very young ages, even in 2-year-olds, and (b) that such behavior problems are far more persistent than hitherto believed. Such findings underscore the importance of early identification and intervention.

The substantial and increasing number of older Australian people from culturally diverse backgrounds justifies the investigation and inclusion of their experiences in ageing research. Few empirical studies have addressed culturally diverse issues in the older population, however, in part because of the particular challenges in recruiting and retaining people from different cultural backgrounds. This article reflects on a research team's experience of recruiting participants from seven cultural groups into a study that sought to explore the links between physical activity and the built environment. Three key issues for recruiting and retaining participants from culturally diverse backgrounds were identified: having access to key local informants; the central role of paid and trained bilingual interviewers; and supporting the research partners in recruitment activities. Furthermore, it appeared that a ‘one size fits all’ approach was not appropriate and that a flexible recruitment strategy may be required to ensure successful recruitment from all cultural groups. The differences observed in this study relating to recruitment and retention rates may be more dependent on the skills and characteristics of those responsible for the recruitment and interviewing, rather than the specific cultural group itself. Older people from some cultural backgrounds may be less likely to respond to traditional recruitment methods and researchers need to be more assiduous and strategic to improve participation rates in research.

this report concerns the development and stability of recall memory at 12, 24, and 36 months of age in preterm (<1750g birthweight) and term children from a prospective, longitudinal study. there were 56 preterm children (55.4% male; mean birthweight 1119.5g [sd 279.2], range 551 to 1742g; mean gestational age 29.7 weeks [sd 2.9], range 25 to 36wks) and 126 term controls (51.6% male; mean birthweight 3453.8g [sd 438.2], range 2500 to 4564g; mean gestational age 40.2 weeks [sd 1.1], range 38 to 42wks). recall memory was assessed using an elicited imitation task in which children attempted to reproduce a sequence of actions 15 minutes after they were modeled by the examiner. relative to term children, the preterm group performed poorly at all three ages: they reproduced fewer actions overall and fewer in the correct order. lower birthweight and lengthier postnatal hospitalization were associated with poorer performance in preterm children at 24 and 36 months. although performance improved considerably for both groups with age, there was no evidence of preterm ‘catch-up’: the deficits detected at 12 months did not diminish with age. individual differences in recall were modestly stable from one year to the next, with cross-age correlations highest from 24 to 36 months (r=0.43 to 0.49). these results suggest that preterm children have deficits in recall memory that emerge by 12 months and persist into early childhood.