Technology is changing the lives of Australians. We need to understand the impact on health to gain the benefits with minimal harm. This fellowship will support a program of internationally leading research drawing together ergonomics, physiotherapy and physical activity expertise. Example projects include the impact of electronic games on children’s activity, walking workstations to increase physical activity of office workers and a family-based program for overweight adolescents.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102878
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Mobile phone text reminders to modify behaviours and prevent cardiovascular disease. Strategies are needed to improve adherence to behavioural and medical preventative treatments for heart disease. Brief informative reminders sent via mobile phone text message have potential as a cheap and safe method of improving behavioural change and adherence to treatments in people at risk of cardiovascular disease.
Intergenerational transmission of dietary behaviour. The health of future generations depends largely on the health of current generations. Bad eating habits associated with obesity and other chronic diseases are often passed from parents to children. This study will provide insight into the ways in which these habits are perpetuated within families of various cultural backgrounds. It will establish how assessing family health history can be used as a tool to help identify and modify the risk of ....Intergenerational transmission of dietary behaviour. The health of future generations depends largely on the health of current generations. Bad eating habits associated with obesity and other chronic diseases are often passed from parents to children. This study will provide insight into the ways in which these habits are perpetuated within families of various cultural backgrounds. It will establish how assessing family health history can be used as a tool to help identify and modify the risk of chronic, life-threatening disease in families and individuals. If proven effective, this tool can be rolled out nationwide to help promote and maintain healthier diets in Australian families and reduce the economic burden on the government.Read moreRead less
Coalitions for Community Health: A Community-based Response to Chronic Disease. This project will provide a methodology for assisting communities to address chronic disease more effectively. It will improve the services available to people with chronic disease by facilitating local planning and delivery processes through collaboration and partnership across all sectors. The methodology will enable communities to access complex statistical and spatial data to use in their planning and decision ma ....Coalitions for Community Health: A Community-based Response to Chronic Disease. This project will provide a methodology for assisting communities to address chronic disease more effectively. It will improve the services available to people with chronic disease by facilitating local planning and delivery processes through collaboration and partnership across all sectors. The methodology will enable communities to access complex statistical and spatial data to use in their planning and decision making about chronic disease and will, therefore, improve service systems.Read moreRead less
Impact Of Sleep In Pregnancy On Maternal And Child Weight-related Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
The project aims to reduce obesity in future generations by understanding the link between sleep in pregnancy and weight-related health outcomes (diet, weight gain, body composition, glucose tolerance). Results will enable the development of sleep guidelines for pregnancy and an intervention to optimise health. This will inform pregnant women, health professionals and future obesity prevention policies on the effects of poor sleep on diet, metabolism and adiposity during pregnancy and beyond.
Green Tea Polyphenols And Cancer Prevention: Use Of Population Controls And Biomarkers To Elicit Causal Pathways
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$956,189.00
Summary
There is laboratory evidence that chemicals in green tea (poloyphenols) protect against cancer. Epidemiologic studies in humans have generally supported these findings, especially for breast cancer. This project is a crucial stepping stone towards future prospects of a large-scale trial using green tea extract. It will see if the protection extends to leukaemia and bowel cancer, and will identify the genetic makeup of people who are able to benefit the most from green tea polyphenols.
Terrorism, Pandemic Influenza, and Global Warming: Future Conceptualisations and Societal Resilience. Understanding the potential and actual impact of mass adversity on individual and societal resilience and conceptualisation of the future will help improve the preparedness, response, and recovery by emergency workers, individuals, and society to these events. Guiding likely individual and social behaviours at an appropriate time will help to avoid or mitigate negative social, economic, and heal ....Terrorism, Pandemic Influenza, and Global Warming: Future Conceptualisations and Societal Resilience. Understanding the potential and actual impact of mass adversity on individual and societal resilience and conceptualisation of the future will help improve the preparedness, response, and recovery by emergency workers, individuals, and society to these events. Guiding likely individual and social behaviours at an appropriate time will help to avoid or mitigate negative social, economic, and health impacts. Studying Bali survivors will lead to an understanding of how their experiences and recoveries have impacted their behaviours and perception of the future, and will identify the most effective professional and community responses to future threat. Read moreRead less
Links2HealthierBubs: Influenza And Pertussis Vaccine Effectiveness And Safety In Pregnancy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$676,333.00
Summary
Vaccination during pregnancy can offer protection against severe respiratory disease for infants in the first six months of life. For this reason, influenza and pertussis vaccines are routinely recommended during each pregnancy. Unfortunately, little is known about the ‘real world’ effect of both vaccines. We plan to conduct the largest and most comprehensive study to date to evaluate all vaccines routinely recommended in pregnancy in Australia.
Brief naps as a countermeasure to fatigue. The proposed research will be necessary in order to identify the best length of nap to reduce fatigue both in the afternoon and in the early morning hours. It may also discover that naps of certain lengths may impair performance and safety under some conditions. Thus the proposed research is crucial in order to develop a non-drug countermeasure for fatigue in conditions of impaired performance and safety. Therefore, it will play an important occupati ....Brief naps as a countermeasure to fatigue. The proposed research will be necessary in order to identify the best length of nap to reduce fatigue both in the afternoon and in the early morning hours. It may also discover that naps of certain lengths may impair performance and safety under some conditions. Thus the proposed research is crucial in order to develop a non-drug countermeasure for fatigue in conditions of impaired performance and safety. Therefore, it will play an important occupational health and safety role on the job in the afternoon day shift and the early morning during night shift work.. Furthermore, it will improve general quality and productivity of life in a culture of increasing fatigue.Read moreRead less
Early Indicators Of Noise Injury: Are Decreased Auditory Processing Skills Evident In Noise-exposed Adults Prior To Diagnosis Of Hearing Loss?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$367,605.00
Summary
Recent research indicates that noise-exposed individuals with similar hearing thresholds to non-noise exposed counterparts are more likely to have diminished temporal and spectral auditory processing abilities. This research aims to determine the relationship between noise exposure levels and auditory processing difficulties; the influence of musical training in ameliorating these difficulties; and a neurological model of causation, operation and possible remediation of these difficulties.