Information collected through the survey included numbers of employees overseas (point prevalence on 1/1/05 and trends), qualifications, geographical distribution, type of work and costs of deployment to the NGO, and difficulties and challenges in recruitment and employment.
In comparison to overseas literature, the prevalence of CAM use in people with diabetes in Western Sydney was consistent with the UK (46%) [ 11] and lower than similar studies in the USA (73%) [ 7], India (68%) [ 12], Mexico (62%) [ 13] but higher than in Saudi Arabia (30%)[ 14].
The choices of these health conditions were based on local expert opinion, available local and overseas data on disease prevalence and CHSs of other countries.
Although it is not was not the primary objective of this study, the population studied was typical of other Australian and overseas studies in regards to both the prevalence of chlamydia and sexual risk behaviour.
The prevalence of counterfeit drugs is soaring overseas, particularly those purchases over the Internet.
The prevalence was also higher among those resident overseas (13.7%) than those living in Auckland (6.0%) or elsewhere in New Zealand (4.8%); the AOR for overseas residents was significantly raised (2.2, 95% CI 1.1-4.8 adjusted for age, ethnicity and site of enrolment) compared to Auckland residents.
Alongside similar prevalence of CAM use in rural regions identified overseas [ 8- 14] these findings have prompted some researchers to suggest geographical location, in particular the urban/rural divide, as one important factor in predicting CAM use [ 14- 17].
When compared to the few published sources overseas, the present finding is within the reported range of prevalence (0 to 40%) in adults and unspecified age group [ 23, 24].
Table 4 shows the weighted prevalence of LTBI was significantly higher among contacts born overseas compared to those born locally (OR 3.39, 95% CI 3.10 3.71, p<0.0001).
Furthermore, nearly 90% of hepatitis-B related HCC cases in NSW occur in people born overseas, and approximately 70% affect Australians born in countries of high hepatitis B prevalence [ 7].
