Does school bullying affect adult health? Population survey of health-related quality of life and past victimization.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to determine the proportion of adult South Australians who report having experienced school bullying and to examine the relationship between past victimization and adult health-related quality of life. METHOD: A representative sample (n=2833) of metropolitan and country South Australian adults were asked in a face-to-face interview whether they had experienced bullying when they were at school. Health-related quality of life was measured using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-item health survey questions (SF-36). Regression analyses (linear and logistic) were performed, taking into account survey weights. RESULTS: Nearly one-fifth of adults reported having experienced bullying when they were at school. Older persons and those born overseas were less likely to report having been bullied. Those reporting that they had been bullied experienced significantly poorer mental and physical health compared to those who had not been bullied. CONCLUSIONS: Adults commonly reported experiencing bullying while at school and these reports were associated with lower health-related quality of life in adulthood. School bullying needs further investigation as a preventable cause of mental health problems across the lifespan.

The relationship between self-reported health status and the increasing likelihood of South Australians seeking Internet health information.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the proportion of South Australians seeking health information on the Internet and the relationship between searches for health information and self-reported health status. METHODS: Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 3,034 South Australians in 2008 using a clustered, multi-stage, self-weighting area sample. RESULTS: Compared to 2001, rates of Internet usage were 48% higher and Internet health seeking increased by 57%. All participant categories, except those in school or younger than 25, showed an increase in use of the Internet and online health information seeking. In multiple logistic regression, poorer self-reported physical and mental health were associated with greater likelihood of Internet health information searches but also less use of the Internet. CONCLUSIONS: South Australians' use of the Internet as a source of health information has risen between 2001 and 2008, even among groups that historically made little use of the Internet to search for health information. In Australia, health information on the Internet may be appropriately targeted towards groups who have previously been under-serviced in this medium.

Access to general practitioners in South Australia: a population survey.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the timeliness of access to general practitioner appointments in South Australia. DESIGN AND SETTING: Face-to-face interviews with a random and representative sample of South Australians living in metropolitan Adelaide and country towns with a population of 1000 or more in 2007. PARTICIPANTS: 2507 people aged 15 years and over who had seen a GP in the previous 12 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Waiting times for obtaining an appointment with a GP, patients' perceptions about appointment waiting times, and waiting times at the GP's surgery. RESULTS: Most respondents reported that for their last visit with a GP, they were able to be seen on the same day (39%) or within 1 or 2 working days (33%); 20% waited more than 2 working days for their appointment. Nine per cent of respondents (159/1764) reported waiting more than 2 working days because an earlier appointment was not available. Respondents reporting lower levels of household income were more likely to report longer waits for GP appointments. Most respondents (78%) felt that they were able to make a GP appointment as soon as they thought necessary. At the surgery, 46% of respondents were seen within 15 minutes, but 13% waited 45 minutes or longer. CONCLUSIONS: In general, access to GPs is timely, and most South Australians reported that for their last GP visit they were able to make an appointment as soon as they thought was necessary.