David Sibbritt

• B.Math, MMedStat, PhD
• Professor at University of Technology Sydney

Objective Eating disorders are complex illnesses with high morbidity and mortality. Yet, there is promising evidence to support the effects of nutrition on the brain and behaviour. One proposed example is the use of tyrosine as an adjunct treatment in anorexia nervosa (AN). However, recruitment and retention in eating disorder clinical trials has p...

Background Prenatal stress can have a negative effect on the quality of life (QoL) of pregnant women. Social support plays a vital role in improving the psychological well-being of pregnant women by enhancing their stress-coping ability. The current study assessed the association between social support and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) as...

Background International research shows marital status impacts the mental health of pregnant women, with prenatal depression and anxiety being higher among non-partnered women. However, there have been few studies examining the relationship between marital status and prenatal mental disorders among Australian women. Methods This is a population-ba...

Diabetes Mellitus, affecting nearly half a billion people worldwide, is a substantial global public health issue. Although diabetes predominantly affects men, women with diabetes have specific risks and self-management characteristics. Women have a higher risk of either presenting with or developing depression or anxiety, as well as being high user...

Background Stroke is a common cause of mortality and morbidity which affects approximately 17 million people globally each year. Common symptoms associated with stroke are physical disabilities, impaired cognitive functions, depression, and fatigue, all of which can significantly impact health-related quality of life (HRQoL). To date, no research h...

Introduction: The autonomic nervous system plays a vital role in the modulation of many vital bodily functions, one of which is sleep and wakefulness. Many studies have investigated the link between autonomic dysfunction and sleep cycles; however, few studies have investigated the links between short-term sleep health, as determined by the Pittsbu...

Background: Depression is a common mental health condition which affects 1 in 8 males each year, especially young adults. Young adulthood offers an opportunity for early dietary interventions, with research suggesting that a Mediterranean diet (MD) could be beneficial in treating depression. Objective: This study aimed to determine if a MD can i...

Objective Stroke is a major cause of mortality and disability worldwide. People with stroke have a number of options available to treat post-stroke related symptoms and challenges. The aim of this study was to assess the use of healthcare services, self-care practices and out-of-pocket expenses associated with post-stroke healthcare. Methods We re...

Objective: To examine the use and out-of-pocket expenses resulting from consultations, products and practices across conventional, self-care, and complementary medicine (CM) treatments for osteoarthritis (OA) among Australian women. Design, setting and participants: A cross-sectional survey of 800 women from the 45 and Up Study who had reported...

Background Opportunistic infections (OIs) are the leading causes of hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality (accounting for 94.1% of all deaths) in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV). Despite evidence suggested that undernutrition significantly increases the risk of OIs in PLHIV, to our knowledge, no study has examined the ac...

Objectives: The first objective was to explore weight change in the first 2 years after antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation in adults living with HIV. The second objective was to identify the predictors of weight change over time among adults living with HIV on ART. Design: An institution-based retrospective longitudinal study was conducted....

Stress is an inherent part of the normal human experience. Although, for the most part, this stress response is advantageous, chronic, heightened, or inappropriate stress responses can have deleterious effects on the human body. It has been suggested that individuals who experience repeated or prolonged stress exhibit blunted biological stress resp...

Plain language summary Social support is a resource or a means that an individual can use to cope with stressful events and improve psychological wellbeing. It improves emotional and physical well-being and promotes health for a successful pregnancy. However, the relationship between domains of social support and antenatal depressive and anxiety sy...

This research aimed to determine the health care cost and utilisation of older Australian women with osteoporosis. A wide range of healthcare services were used and approximately AU$593.9 was spent over a 12-month period for these services. This highlights the significant cost burden of osteoporosis on the healthcare system.PurposeOsteoporosis is a...

Introduction Undernutrition is considered a marker for poor prognosis among people living with HIV (PLHIV), particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where undernutrition and HIV are both highly prevalent. Evidence suggests that undernutrition (body mass index <18.5 kg/m ² ) is one of the main factors that significantly increases the risk of lost t...

Management of diabetes mellitus continues to pose challenges for primary health-care professionals, with estimates of as many as 2 million Australians requiring ongoing care. Although most cases are men, women living with diabetes have presenting concerns and self-management characteristics distinct from men. A threat to women’s optimal diabetes ma...

Chronic conditions are prolonged and complex, leading patients to seek multiple forms of care alongside conventional treatment, including complementary medicine (CM). These multiple forms of care are often used concomitantly, requiring patient-provider communication about treatments used in order to manage potential risks. In response, this study d...

Background Antenatal depression and antenatal anxiety adversely affect several obstetric and foetal outcomes, and increase the rate of postnatal mental illness. Thus, to tackle these challenges the need for social support during pregnancy is vital. However, an extensive literature search failed to show a published study on the relationship between...

Background: Recent research has focused on the potential benefits of physical activity in occupational settings in addition to leisure time. However, occupational physical activity (OPA) differs substantially for occupations that require heavy and repetitive physical work, such as nursing. We explored associations between leisure time and OPA and...

Objective: The integrity and function of the gastrointestinal system is important in disease prevention and management. This study aims to describe the management methods used by Australian adults with suspected increased intestinal permeability (IP) and the association with subjective wellbeing (SWB) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Des...

Background: Undernutrition is one of the most common problems among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), contributing to premature death and the development of comorbidities within this population. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the impacts of these often inter-related conditions appear in a series of fragmented and inconclusive stu...

Introduction Chronic conditions impact indigenous peoples of Australia at a much higher rate than non-indigenous Australians. Attendance at the Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS) supported indigenous health checks are crucial to improve prevention and management of chronic health conditions. However, in conjunction with lifestyle and environmental fact...

Healthcare professionals' advice on lifestyle behaviours is a key factor in improving a nation's health. Although allied health professionals have been well placed to provide such advice as part of patient care, little is known about the characteristics of allied health practitioners who discuss lifestyle topics with patients. This paper focused up...

Background In New South Wales (NSW), Australia there are three settings available for women at low risk of complications to give birth: home, birth centre and hospital. Between 2000 and 2012, 93.6% of babies were planned to be born in hospital, 6.0% in a birth centre and 0.4% at home. Availability of alternative birth settings is limited and the co...

Aim To describe the prevalence of health care utilisation and out-of-pocket expenditure associated with the management of diabetes among Australian women aged 45 years and older. Design Cross-sectional survey design. Methods The questionnaire was administered to 392 women (a cohort of the 45 and Up Study) reporting a diagnosis of diabetes between...

Background: Back pain affects a substantial proportion of the adult population, and back pain sufferers tend to explore a wide range of health care options. This study investigates the use of medical and physiotherapy services by Australian women with back pain. Method: This is a sub-study of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALS...

Background: Pregnancy is a time of profound physical and emotional change as well as an increased risk of mental illness. While strengthening social support is a common recommendation to reduce such mental health risks, no systematic review or meta-analysis has yet examined the relationship between social support and mental problems during pregnanc...

Background Pregnancy is a time of profound physical and emotional change as well as an increased risk of mental illness. While strengthening social support is a common recommendation to reduce such mental health risk, no systematic review or meta-analysis has yet examined the relationship between social support and mental problems during pregnancy....

Background Pregnancy is a time for women in which the need for social support is crucial. Social support reduces stressors and improves the emotional and physical well-being of pregnant women. Women receiving low social support during pregnancy are at risk of substances use, developing mental illness, and adverse birth outcomes. The current study a...

Background: The public health consequence of increased intestinal permeability (IP) is currently limited by the lack of patient-centred research. This study aims to describe the health-seeking behaviour of Australian adults with suspected IP. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 589 Australian adults who have been diagnosed with IP or have suspect...

Anorexia nervosa is a severe and complex illness associated with a lack of efficacious treatment. The effects of nutrition on the brain and behaviour is of particular interest, though an area of limited research. Tyrosine, a non-essential amino acid, is a precursor to the catecholamines dopamine, noradrenaline and adrenaline. Ongoing tyrosine admin...

Introduction: Globally, depressive disorders affect over 311 million people and women are more likely than men to suffer depression. However, no study has comprehensively described the diverse health services used for managing depression in middle-aged and older women. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was sent to 800 Australian women aged over 45-...

Background: Complementary medicine (CM) use is a ubiquitous aspect of an increasingly consumer-driven model of healthcare delivery and plays an increasingly prominent role in the Australian health sector. Yet there is limited empirical research investigating the quality and integrity of protections for consumers in Australia. The aim of this study...

Background Cannabis for cancer is very topical and, given the use of illicit cannabis preparations used in this vulnerable population, research investigating standardised, quality-assured medicinal cannabis is critical to inform clinicians and assist patient safety. Methods A randomized trial involving adult patients diagnosed with a high-grade gl...

Recently, there has been an increase in the production of devices to monitor mental health and stress as means for expediting detection, and subsequent management of these conditions. The objective of this review is to identify and critically appraise the most recent smart devices and wearable technologies used to identify depression, anxiety, and...

Background Well-trained, competent, and motivated human resources for health (HRH) are crucial to delivering quality service provision across the sexual, reproductive, maternal, and newborn health (SRMNH) care continuum to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) maternal and neonatal health targets. This review aimed to identify HRH i...

Background: Anorexia nervosa is a severe and complex illness associated with a lack of efficacious treatment. Ongoing tyrosine administration has been proposed as a possible treatment through increasing blood tyrosine sufficiently to facilitate brain catecholamine synthesis. Saturation with the noradrenergic precursor tyrosine could alleviate norad...

Background Undernutrition is one of the most common problems among people living with HIV, contributing to premature death and the development of comorbidities within this population. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the impacts of these often inter-related conditions appear in a series of fragmented and inconclusive studies. Thus, this review examines...

Hypertension is a common condition worldwide that significantly increases morbidity and mortality rates in the older population. A number of treatment options are available to control blood pressure. The purpose of this study was to assess the use of health services and self-care amongst people with hypertension and to estimate the out-of-pocket ex...

Depression affects approximately 350 million people worldwide. Evidence suggests that diet plays an important role with the Mediterranean diet displaying promising preliminary results. Currently, most of the research is conducted on women and older adults however, the majority of mental illnesses occur before the age of 25. Men are less likely to s...

This study explored the characteristics associated with the use of self‐care products and practices by people rehabilitating from stroke. A cross‐sectional sub‐study of the Sax Institute's 45 and Up Study in which 1300 participants who had indicated a doctor had diagnosed them as having had a stroke were mailed a sub‐study survey. The survey instru...

Objective Work-related injuries constitute a significant proportion of osteopaths' practice. This study was designed to determine the practitioner and practice characteristics of osteopaths who treat people with work-related injuries and to identify the impact of workers’ compensation scheme status on the use of osteopathic medicine. Methods A cro...

Background Australians report consulting with a naturopaths or herbalists to improve their wellbeing, yet little is known about the associations between these consultations and the patients’ health behaviours. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the relationship between health behaviour and consultations with naturopaths or herbalists in th...

Background This is a case study for recurrent stroke prevention. Lifestyle factors account for about 80% of the risk of recurrent stroke. Most health services studies examining stroke prevention rely on stroke survivors' self-reported lifestyle behaviour data. How can researchers increase the value of collected self-reported data to provide additio...

Background Stroke prevention via lifestyle modification is a public health priority in developed countries. Few studies have examined the association of high-risk lifestyle factors with long-term mortality of stroke survivors. Therefore, this study aims to explore the effect of key lifestyle factors on all-cause mortality after stroke. Methods Sam...

Background Currently 1 million Australians are living with depression each year, with an average of one in eight men experiencing the disorder. Studies have shown that individual nutrients, fruit and vegetable intake, polyphenols and whole dietary patterns can have a positive impact on depressive symptoms. In particular, the Mediterranean diet has...

We previously demonstrated that fruit and vegetable consumption, was associated with less weight gain over 6 years in young women for all body mass index (BMI) categories. This study evaluated the relationship between diet quality and 6-year weight change, in Australian women initially in the healthy weight range (≥18.5 BMI <25 kg/m²) at baseline....

2530 Background: Cannabis has been used for cancer-related symptoms but few trials have assessed quality of life or tolerability, and trials assessing tumour response or survival remain scarce. Treatment for recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM) remains palliative with poor prognosis. The tolerability of THC-containing cannabis products, and their effect o...

Background The complexity of chronic conditions challenges health systems and patients. Patients with chronic conditions often consult complementary medicine (CM) practitioners. Optimal care of chronic conditions requires understanding of the characteristics and consultation behaviours of these patients. Methods Cross-sectional survey (n = 2025 ad...

Objective: This study aims to describe the prevalence of health care utilization (including conventional medicine, self-care and complementary medicine treatments) for the management of asthma by women aged 45 years and over and their associated out-of-pocket expenditure. Methods: A self-reported mail survey of 375 Australian women, a cohort of the...

Objective This study aims to undertake the first critical review of self-care use among adults with sleep disturbances by focusing on the prevalence of self-care—the self-determined and self-administered use of products or practices—by adults with sleep disturbances. Methods A comprehensive search of 2006–2016 international literature in CINAHL, A...

Objectives Massage is a popular form of health care used among women, yet little is known about the characteristics of women who use massage therapy and the rationale for its use. This study reports the prevalence and characteristics of young and middle-aged Australian women who consulted a massage therapist. Design The study analysed data from th...

Both the Osteopathic Research Innovation Network (ORION) and the Osteopathy Research Connect-New Zealand (ORC-NZ) are practice-based research networks (PBRNs) recently established in Australia and New Zealand. This paper highlights the profile of the osteopaths participating in each PBRN in order to encourage and facilitate further related research...

Objective: Non-disclosure of complementary medicine (CM) use to doctors is associated with health risks. No standardised, validated instrument exists to measure reasons for CM use disclosure behaviour to doctors in clinical research or practice. This study aims to develop and validate an index that measures the relative importance of reasons for C...

Background: The diagnosis of primary headaches assists health care providers in their decision-making regarding patient treatment, co-management and further evaluation. Chiropractors are popular health care providers for those with primary headaches. The aim of this study is to examine the clinical management factors associated with chiropractors...

Depression is a mood disorder which currently affects 350 million individuals worldwide. Recently, research has suggested a protective role of diet for depression. The Mediterranean-style dietary pattern has been highlighted in several systematic reviews as a promising candidate for reducing depressive symptoms. It has been speculated that this cou...

Objective: Depression is a common comorbidity in patients with cardiovascular conditions. This study aims to assess the association between comorbid depression and health-promoting behavior in middle-aged and older Australian women with hypertension or heart disease. Methods: Data are from a subset of 45 and Up Study participants with diagnosed ch...

Background and aims: Most studies measure baseline diet quality exclusively and hence the impact of longitudinal changes in dietary intake in relation to weight change is not considered. Therefore, this study aimed to examine whether change in diet quality over nine-years was associated with weight change over the same period in mid-age Australian...

Objective To compare perinatal and maternal outcomes for Australian women with uncomplicated pregnancies according to planned place of birth, that is, in hospital labour wards, birth centres or at home. Design A population-based retrospective design, linking and analysing routinely collected electronic data. Analysis comprised χ ² tests and binary...

Backgroundandobjectives: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use has been associated with preventive health behaviors. However, the role of CAM use in patients’ health behaviors remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the extent to which patients report that CAM use motivates them to make changes to their health behaviors. Materials...

Objectives To provide a contemporary description of complementary medicine (CM) product use in Australia. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Online. Participants A nationally representative sample (n=2019) of the Australian adult population. Primary and secondary outcome measures Primary outcomes measures included the use and type of CM pro...

Background: Increased intestinal permeability (IP) involves the loss of integrity between the cells of the small intestine. IP has been suggested to contribute to the pathogenesis and exacerbation of many chronic diseases. Many potential risk factors for IP are proposed in contemporary literature. The purpose of this review is to identify the most...

Background: Clinical deterioration and adverse events in hospitals is an increasing cause for concern. Rapid response systems have been widely implemented to identify the deteriorating patient. Aim: The purpose of this paper was to examine the literature highlighting major historical trends leading to the widespread adoption of RRS, focussing on is...

Background: Approximately one in four adults do not meet the World Health Organisation physical activity recommendations. While health promotion (i.e., physical activity) is common within chiropractic settings, little is known about chiropractors discussing this public health issue with their patients. The aim of our study is to examine the preval...

Aims: To provide a critical analysis of peer-reviewed literature reporting research from practice-based research networks (PBRNs) relating to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Methods: A comprehensive literature search of peer-reviewed literature reporting PBRN research focusing upon CAM was conducted in PubMed, Ovid Medline, EMBASE,...

Objective: Examine the generational differences in complementary medicine (CM) utilisation between young women from the X and Millennial generations. Design: Secondary analysis of two cross-sectional surveys from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH). Setting: Australia. Main outcome measures: Differences between young Generat...

Objectives: To explore the characteristics of the Australian osteopathy workforce who participate in the management of older patients with musculoskeletal complaints. Design: Secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey of osteopaths. Setting: The Osteopathy Research and Innovation Network (ORION), an Australian practice-based research network. M...

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of physical activity on depression symptom severity in women 45 years and older with a chronic illness diagnosis, and explore relations between physical activity and psychological and health-related characteristics predicting depression symptoms. Methods: 1932 women diagnosed with one...

Aim To describe the health care behaviours of Australian women (45 years and over) diagnosed with a chronic illness. Methods This is a cross‐sectional sub‐study of the 45 and Up Study—the largest study of healthy ageing conducted in the Southern Hemisphere—including 1,932 Australian women (45 years and older) with a self‐reported diagnosis of eith...

Background and purpose: Yoga and meditation are predominantly utilised by healthy well-educated young women, but little is known about utilisation by older chronically ill women. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of yoga and meditation use among middle-to-higher aged Australian women with chronic conditions...

Objective: To test the association between sleeping problems and multiple epidemiological factors among women over 50 with a chronic condition. Method: The Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale (MOS-SS) was employed to measure sleep problems among 1,925 participants with chronic conditions who also responded to questions about health service use, self...

Objectives: To describe and contrast the prevalence and trends of sick leave in patients with pain or stress disorders referred to inpatient care that integrates conventional and complementary therapies, that is, integrative care (IC). Methods: County council and social insurance data were used to retrospectively observe cross-sectional sick lea...

Background The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies have been reported for the management of arthritis. However, little is known about CAM use among adults with self‐reported doctor‐diagnosed (SRDD) arthritis since 2012. Objectives: To determine: 1) the prevalence and type of CAM use, 2) the difference in characteristics be...

Objective To determine the prevalence and clinical management characteristics of chiropractors practising in urban and rural or remote Australia. Design A cross‐sectional analysis of the Australian Chiropractic Research Network project data. Setting Nationally representative sample of registered chiropractors practising in Australia. Participant...

Objective To examine anti-microbial prescribing practices associated with ventilator-associated pneumonia from data gathered during an audit of practice and outcomes in intensive care units (ICUs) in a previously published study. Results The patient sample of 169 was 65% male with an average age of 59.7 years, a mean APACHE II score of 20.6, and a...

Abstract In order to describe the prevalence and characteristics of complementary medicine (CM) practice and product use by Australians, we conducted a cross-sectional online survey with Australian adults aged 18 and over. Rates of consultation with CM practitioners, and use of CM products and practices were assessed. The sample (n = 2,019) was bro...

Background Modifications to lifestyle risk factors for stroke may help prevent stroke events. This systematic review aimed to identify and summarise the evidence of acupuncture interventions for those people with lifestyle risk factors for stroke, including alcohol-dependence, smoking-dependence, hypertension, and obesity. Methods MEDLINE, CINAHL/...