Cause specific mortality across the lifespan for Fiji's major ethnic sub-populations 2013-17.

Background: Fiji is experiencing prolonged stagnation in life expectancy (LE) at birth, 7-12-years lower than average LE in upper-middle income countries in 2015. This study examines underlying causes of death (UCoD) over 2013-17 by ICD-10-chapter, age group and sex for the two principle ethnic populations in Fiji: indigenous Fijians (i-Taukei, 63%) and Fijians of Indian descent (FID, 33%).

Methods: Age-specific proportional mortality was examined to determine the leading causes of death.

Disparities in Opioid Agonist Treatment Accessibility for Priority Populations in New South Wales, Australia.

Introduction: Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) is effective for managing opioid dependence; however, it can be hard to access in some regions. We investigated OAT access for priority populations living in New South Wales, Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) peoples, and youth (18-24 years).

Method: Using a linked database, we analysed distances between residential postcodes and OAT dosing points for 29,935 individuals from July 2015 to June 2020.

PrEP use and willingness cascades among GBMSM in 15 Asian countries/territories: an analysis of the PrEP APPEAL survey.

Introduction: Despite the high HIV incidence among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) and the demonstrated effectiveness of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), PrEP is not accessible at scale across Asia. To help inform future scaling efforts, our study aimed to examine PrEP use and willingness to use among GBMSM to identify opportunities and target groups for upscaling PrEP.

Methods: The PrEP APPEAL survey was a cross-sectional survey, promoted through online advertising and community organizations, from May to November 2022.

Prevalence of maternal substance use problems during pregnancy and the first 2 years of life: a whole-population birth cohort of 970 470 Australian children born 2008-2017.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of maternal substance use problems during the first 1000 days of children's lives, to inform planning and resourcing of antenatal screening and substance use in pregnancy services, alongside antenatal and postnatal health, parenting and social support services for pregnant women/new mothers and their babies.

Method: This whole-population cohort was assembled from birth registration, perinatal and hospital data for children born 2008-2017, and their mothers, using data linked for the New South Wales (NSW) Child E-Cohort Project. The primary outcome was maternal substance use conditions and treatment recorded in six health, death and child protection data sources from the child's conception to age 2 years (the first 1000 days), including illicit substances, alcohol, opioid-agonist treatment and misuse of psychoactive medicines or substances.

Adult mortality from non-communicable diseases in Fiji's major ethnic groups 2013-17.

Background: Sustainable Development Goal 3.4.1 (SDG3.

The Medicines Intelligence Data Platform: A Population-Based Data Resource From New South Wales, Australia.

Background: The Medicines Intelligence (MedIntel) Data Platform is an anonymised linked data resource designed to generate real-world evidence on prescribed medicine use, effectiveness, safety, costs and cost-effectiveness in Australia.

Results: The platform comprises Medicare-eligible people who are ≥18 years and residing in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, any time during 2005-2020, with linked administrative data on dispensed prescription medicines (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme), health service use (Medicare Benefits Schedule), emergency department visits (NSW Emergency Department Data Collection), hospitalisations (NSW Admitted Patient Data Collection) plus death (National Death Index) and cancer registrations (NSW Cancer Registry). Data are currently available to 2022, with approval to update the cohort and data collections annually.

No improvement in AUDIT-C screening and brief intervention rates among wait-list controls following support of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services: evidence from a cluster randomised trial.

Background: While Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are less likely to drink any alcohol than other Australians, those who drink are more likely to experience adverse alcohol-related health consequences. In a previous study, providing Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) with training and support increased the odds of clients receiving AUDIT-C alcohol screening. A follow-up study found that these results were maintained for at least two years, but there was large variability in the effectiveness of the intervention between services.

Trends in HIV testing and HIV stage at diagnosis among people newly diagnosed with HIV.

Objective: To identify groups more likely to be referred for HIV testing because of symptomatic presentation rather than as part of asymptomatic screening.

Design: A retrospective analysis of Australian National HIV Registry (NHR) surveillance data including sociodemographic and clinical data, as well as reasons for HIV test.

Methods: Using notification records from 2017 to 2022, we summarised reasons for testing leading to an HIV diagnosis.

The burden of prenatal and early life maternal substance use among children at risk of maltreatment: A systematic review.

Issues: Although maternal substance use is a known risk factor for child maltreatment, evidence on the scale of substance use is needed to inform prevention responses. This systematic review synthesised prevalence estimates of maternal substance use during pregnancy and early life among children at risk of maltreatment. Ovid, Pubmed, CINAHL, PsychInfo and ProQuest databases were searched.

Prescription opioid use among people with opioid dependence and concurrent benzodiazepine and gabapentinoid exposure: An analysis of overdose and all-cause mortality.

Background: Studies investigating mortality risk associated with use of opioid analgesics, benzodiazepines, gabapentinoids, and opioid agonist treatment (OAT) among people with opioid dependence (PWOD) are lacking. This study addresses this gap using a cohort of 37,994 PWOD initiating opioid analgesics between July 2003 and July 2018 in New South Wales, Australia.

Methods: Linked administrative records provided data on dispensings, sociodemographics, clinical characteristics, OAT, and mortality.

Unintended consequences: Alcohol screening at urban Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services was suppressed during COVID-19 lockdowns.

Introduction: Regular screening for risky drinking is important to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. We explored whether the rate of screening for risky drinking using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) questions was disrupted at Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) during state-wide and territory-wide COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of screening data from 22 ACCHSs located in New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.

Five-Year Trajectories of Prescription Opioid Use.

Importance: There are known risks of using opioids for extended periods. However, less is known about the long-term trajectories of opioid use following initiation.

Objective: To identify 5-year trajectories of prescription opioid use, and to examine the characteristics of each trajectory group.

Adolescent Pregnancy in South Asia: A Pooled Analysis of Demographic and Health Surveys.

Adolescent pregnancy has important health and social implications. Despite the availability of nationally representative household survey data, there are limited studies that analyze factors associated with adolescent pregnancy across countries of South Asia. This study aimed to identify factors associated with adolescent pregnancy across South Asia.

A population-level application of a method for estimating the timing of HIV acquisition among migrants to Australia.

Introduction: Australia has set the goal for the virtual elimination of HIV transmission by the end of 2022, yet accurate information is lacking on the level of HIV transmission occurring among residents. We developed a method for estimating the timing of HIV acquisition among migrants, relative to their arrival in Australia. We then applied this method to surveillance data from the Australian National HIV Registry with the aim of ascertaining the level of HIV transmission among migrants to Australia occurring before and after migration, and to inform appropriate local public health interventions.

Cohort profile: POPPY II - a population-based cohort examining the patterns and outcomes of prescription opioid use in New South Wales, Australia.

Purpose: The POPPY II cohort is an Australian state-based cohort linking data for a population of individuals prescribed opioid medicines, constructed to allow a robust examination of the long-term patterns and outcomes of prescription opioid use.

Participants: The cohort includes 3 569 433 adult New South Wales residents who initiated a subsidised prescription opioid medicine between 2003 and 2018, identified through pharmacy dispensing data (Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) and linked to 10 national and state datasets and registries including rich sociodemographic and medical services data.

Findings To Date: Of the 3.

Opioid prescribing patterns among medical practitioners in New South Wales, Australia.

Introduction: Prescriber behaviour is important for understanding opioid use patterns. We described variations in practitioner-level opioid prescribing in New South Wales, Australia (2013-2018).

Methods: We quantified opioid prescribing patterns among medical practitioners using population-level dispensing claims data, and used partitioning around medoids to identify clusters of practitioners who prescribe opioids based on prescribing patterns and patient characteristics identified from linked dispensing claims, hospitalisations and mortality data.

All-cause and cause-specific mortality in individuals with an alcohol-related emergency or hospital inpatient presentation: A retrospective data linkage cohort study.

Background And Aims: Alcohol consumption is a leading risk factor for premature mortality globally, but there are limited studies of broader cohorts of people presenting with alcohol-related problems outside of alcohol treatment services. We used linked health administrative data to estimate all-cause and cause-specific mortality among individuals who had an alcohol-related hospital inpatient or emergency department presentation.

Design: Observational study using data from the Data linkage Alcohol Cohort Study (DACS), a state-wide retrospective cohort of individuals with an alcohol-related hospital inpatient or emergency department presentation.

Effect of digital health, biomarker feedback and nurse or midwife-led counselling interventions to assist pregnant smokers quit: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To assess the effect of digital health (DH), biomarker feedback (BF) and nurse or midwife-led counselling (NoMC) interventions on abstinence in pregnant smokers during pregnancy and postpartum.

Settings: Any healthcare setting servicing pregnant women, including any country globally.

Participants: Pregnant women of any social, ethnic or geographical background who smoke.

Adolescent Pregnancy in South Asia: A Systematic Review of Observational Studies.

Adolescent pregnancy is a major health and social concern in South Asia. The aim of this study is to systematically review evidence on the factors associated with adolescent pregnancy in South Asia. This study was conducted using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines.

A data-informed approach using individualised dispensing patterns to estimate medicine exposure periods and dose from pharmaceutical claims data.

Pharmaceutical claims data are often used as the primary information source to define medicine exposure periods in pharmacoepidemiological studies. However, often critical information on directions for use and the intended duration of medicine supply are not available. In the absence of this information, alternative approaches are needed to support the assignment of exposure periods.

Which Test Is Best? A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial of a Risk Calculator and Recommendations on Colorectal Cancer Screening Behaviour in General Practice.

Introduction: This cluster-randomized controlled trial aimed to assess the effect of the "Which test is best?" tool on risk-appropriate screening (RAS) and colorectal cancer (CRC) screening uptake.

Methods: General practices in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, and a random sub-sample of 460 patients (aged 25-74 years) per practice were invited by post. Clusters were computer randomized independently of the researchers to an online CRC risk calculator with risk-based recommendations versus usual care.